Biographies of AzhwArs-Introduction

[Guest guest]

Respected sri vaishNavALs,

SrimAn vEnkata nAthArya kavitArkika kEsari /

vEdAntAchArya varyOmE sannidatthAm sadAhridi //

 

RamAnuja dayApAtram gnAna vairAgya bhooshaNam/

srimadh vEnkata nAthAryam vandhE vEdhantha dEsikam//

 

Lakshmi nadha samArambhAm nAdhayAmuna madhyamAm/

asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE guruparamparAm//

 

With the blessings of Divya dampathis through various postings and

encouraging words spoken by Bhakti Group BhagavataLs, I have taken up the

Herculean task of narrating Biographies of our reverred panniRu (12)

AzhwArs who ate, drank, breathed sriya: pathi and vishnu patni’s glories.

AzhwArs sang verses soaked with Bhakti rasam and enjoyed immensely. It is

our fortune that we are blessed with this birth of being born Sri

vaishNavAs and we should grab this opportunity to taste the nectar at least

one millionth portion of what AzhwArs conveyed to us and unearthed by

Nathamuni. It is our pUrva janma punyaM and those of our ancestors that we

are blessed of this srivaishnava janmam and there shall be no doubt about

it among us. As Lord KrishNa says in Gita, He will place the soul in an

appropriate conducive environment for the Development of the soul based on

its past actions; His mercy and dayA has put us in this fortunate birth.

 

All is due to His mercy and dayA and nothing else; If any of us think ( a

loud thinking) that we are better than others because we can understand all

this; know some few sthothrams; recite some pasurams; born of this kulam;

born of vangeepuram family; became an engineering graduate; having an

apartment in the heart of the city, etc., while others do not know any

pasuram can not pronounce sanskrit,; nor are they having inclination in

spite of our telling them; they do not believe this or that etc., etc., -

I am just telling myself, brothers, Being proud of one’s kulam, kalvi,

selvam (kula cherukku, kalvi cherukku and selva cherukku i.e. the

caste/sect, education or intelligence, and material wealth) is suicidal and

will not put us in our path towards prapatti yOgam ; We can only tell

people (fellow vaishnavAls) the richness of our tradition and the danam of

Sriman NArYaNan and that is all. If they come in our circle, good, we will

welcome. Else, let us proceed forward without talking anything ill or

others’ faults/deficiencies. As per Lord, We should learn to see Him in

everyone and in everything and see everyone and everything in Him. By

talking to others (non believers) it is not going to help, since they do

not want to listen; By thinking they are at fault will make us feel proud

that we do not have that fault or deficiency. Again ego creeps in. It is He

who chooses to turn us to what we are; When there is so much of an

entertainment on TV, net , etc., why should you all read this blabbering?

It is just that we are dragged to listen, read, write about Divya Dampathis

and His bhAgavathAls.

 

With that little(!) note I would like to travel back into the History when

Great AzhwArs were born as incarnations of His variuos amsangaL (Ayudhangal

, vanamali,, etc.,) and sang verses in our sundara thamzh which are equal

to vEdAs if not better. They are better than vEdAs because; 1. It is a

language which we can attempt to understand and 2. It is a definite proof

of "Having seen the God" (thisrukkandEn ponmEni kandEn....) whereas vEdAs

are talking in wild guessing about Him as " yato vAchO nivartantE aprA^pya

manasA sa:- Lord’s glories are beyond comprehension. They were born of

different castes and kulams ; but all of them were enriched with

indescribable amount of devotion, love and bhakti for our Lord. It is the

Lord who has again shown His dayA and extraordinary mercy on us to guide us

, to show us the correct path and to liberate us from these samsAric

afflictions, by ordering His amsangal to be born as AzwArs to propagate His

Glory. (dharmasamsthA bhanarthAya sambhavami yugE yugE- through some form

or the other appearing again and again). The AzhwArs had come to rule us

with their marvellous poems (pasurams) on the Lord (ALa vandhavaRgaL).

 

The very fact that the Lord made AzheArs appear in different castes/jAthis,

proves to us that to pray to our Lord there is no difference/disparity or

partiality with respect to caste/creed/sex etc., Wherever and whatever you

are born as; when we become a Thondar (His and His bhaktALs’ servant), we

are all one and equal.

 

Ozhivil kalamellAm udanAi manni vazhuvilA adimai seyya vEndum nAAm

thezhi kural aruvi thiruvEnkadatthu ezhil koL jothi enthai thandhai

thandhaikkE. (3.3.1)

 

ThiruvEnkadavA, en appA(my father’s father’s father), who is standing as a

Beautiful, sparkling, Light at Tirumalai where Big noisy scenic waterfalls

are roaring "HHHOOO" rhyming "GovindhAAAAA" We should always (for infinite

amount of time- for ever) serve you by being with you and near you and

perform all sorts of kainkaryams.

 

God willing, I will start off individual AzhwAr perumai in my next post in

this series.

 

It is all from what I heard from upanyasakALs,. My grandfather and father

and what I read later; It is only done in good fath to instill a desire for

a novice to read AzhwArs' pasurams and get enjoyment. Any mistake or

errors- Please bring them to my notice; It is all due to my

misunderstanding or lack of understanding/inability. Any positive

vibrations caused in you by reading them is attributable to Him and His

BhAgavatALs only (in spite of my posting them)

 

Thanks again for all your patience and encouraging words.

 

AzhwArgaL thiruvadigaLe saraNam

 

Ram Ram

 

madhava dAsan