Tirumanghai alwar - part 2 - by Prof. Bhuvarahachariar

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>Mon, 8 Dec 1997 13:57:43 +0500 (GMT+0500)

>Bharat A <kbharat

>kkalale

>Cc: sbelur

>from BHARAT

>

>Dear Sri Kalale

>

>In continuation I'm enclosing the final

>part of Sri Bhuvarahachariar's article

>on TIRUMANGAI AZHWAR.

>With best wishes

>BHARAT

>

>

> TIRUMANGAI AZHWAR (contd)

>

> (B)The Festival called TIRU ADHYAYANAM

>

> Tirumangai Azhwar is unique in his own way.He had the

> distinction of constructing some of the huge ramparts

> around SRI RANGAM TEMPLE.He had known Sri NAMMAZHWAR

> and his eloquent eulogies to the Lord i.e., his four

> poetic compositions TIRU VIRUTTAM,TIRU VASIRIAM,

> PERIYA TIRU VANDADI and TIRU VAYMOZHI;and considering

> them to be not mere tamil poems but the very incarnation

> of the Sanskrit Vedas,he sought Divine Sanction for

> considering them so from Lord Ranganatha.The latter gave

> His approval and therefore the entire Srivaishnavite

> world consider these four poems as the very embodiment

> of the four vedas.As the four vedas have six accessories

> Siksha Vyakaranam etc to facilitate the correct comprehe-

> nsion of the vedas,Tirumangai Azhwar's six Divine Poems

> were written by him as ANGAs (accessories) to the ANGI

> (4 poems of Nammazhwar).

>

> Thus he rendered yeoman service to Nammazhwar.He also

> brought Nammazhwar's idol from AZHWAR TIRU NAGARI to

> SRI RANGAM in a palanquin with all due honours and

> paraphernalia and conducted the TIRUVAYMOZHI Festival

> called RA-PPATTU starting from Vaikuntha Ekadasi day

> (roughly during the month of January every year) for

> ten days with due pomp and splendour.

>

> Every day AZHAGIYA MANAVALAN (utsava idol) starting from

> His inner holy chamber,used to reach the huge hall where

> the erected thousand pillars stand and support the massive

> structure giving it the appearance of the Sri Vaikuntha

> Loka august assembly.He would listen to the melodious

> recital of one hundred divine songs of Tiuvaymozhi

> each day and return to His sanctum.On the last day Sri

> Nammazhwar's attainment of Salvation (Vaikuntha Prapti) was

> enacted by carrying his idol and making it prostrate before

> the lotus feet of the Lord,and covering it with Tulasi

> petals to the accompaniment of the mellifluos recital

> of the last 20 songs of the Tenth Centum of Tiruvaymozhi

> where Sri Nammazhwar speaks of his attaining salvation in a very

> picturesque manner. The idol would then be taken back

> to Azhwar Tirunagari.

>

> Later on Sri NATHA MUNIGAL the first acharya,through his

> prayer sought and obtained similar Divine Sanction for

> the other 3000 verses of the Azhwars and extended the

> festival for ten days before Vaikuntha Ekadasi also

> where these verses were recited during daytime,this

> portion being called PAGAL PATTU.During the period

> of Sri RAMANUJACHARYA ,he ordered this festival to

> be conducted in all Sri Vaishnavite temples,naming

> it TIRU ADHYAYANA UTSAVAM.This is in vogue even to

> this day.

>

> Come and worship Kaliyan and the temples honoured by

> him at least once during this festival.

>

>

> ©TIRU NEDUN DANDAKAM

>

> This is the last of the six poetic compositions of

> TIRUMANGAI AZHWAR and is universally considered his

> magnum opus by any standard.DANDAKAM is a type of

> poetic work in Tamil with certain grammatical presc-

> riptions;there are two types KURUN (minor) DANDAKAM

> and NEDUN(major) DANDAKAM.This work of Kaliyan excels

> all other works in the use of rhetorical devices and

> richness of meaning.

>

> Sri PARASARA BHATTAR, who vanquished the learned Advaitin

> MADHAVACHARIAR (subsequently called NANJEEYAR) of Karnataka

> in debate, was the greatest exponent of this poem.He used to give

> eloquent discourses on this poem;on hearing which AZHWAR

> TIRU-VARANGA-PPERUMAL ARAYAR the learned Acharya of Sri

> RAMANUJA exclaimed,struck with wonder," Oh! I had no

> chance to hear such an excellent and explanatory lecture

> on this poem from any other Acharya till now.He excels all

> others.Oh! my good fortune!." This comment bears ample

> testemony to the excellence of both the poem and the

> discourse.

>

> The poem consists of 30 tamil stanzas divided by the

> commentator into the First,Second and Third Decades.

> In the First,the author speaks in his own words,in the

> Second through the mouth of Nayika's Mother and in the

> Third,assuming the role of the Lord,s Beloved (NAYIKA

> BHAVA).In this part the Nayika plunged in misery due

> to separation from the Lord,spends her time chatting

> with her companion,describing to her the events of her

> union with the Lord.Sri PARASARA BHATTAR classifies these

> three Decades as referring to the stages of "macchittah"

> "mad-gata-pranah" and "bodhayantah parasparam" mentioned

> in GITA 10.9.

>

> Sri BHATTAR,after vanquishing Madhavachariar in debate

> in Karnataka traveled back on foot in great hurry to be

> in time for the Tiru Adhyayana festival.It was the day

> previous to the start of the Festival and was an Amavasya.

> He,entering the temple,prostrated before the Lord and

> submitted before Him that his herculean efforts to subdue

> the mighty Advaitin had borne fruit through His Grace.

> The Lord,who knows all,pretended ignorance and desired

> to know the secret of his success.Bhattar replied,"with

> the help of Tiru Nedun Dandakam". The Lord too desired

> to hear the erudite exposition and ordered him to give

> a discourse in His August Assembly.Sri Bhattar complied;

> hence we find to this day the recitation of the commentary

> also along with the Nritya(dance) of the poems by the

> ARAYAR SWAMIGAL.This is is repeated on the 10th day of

> the PAGAL PATTU.

>

> These stanzas apart from being rich in meaning are also

> full of sweet sound and hence very melodious to hear.

> Daily recital of this work is sure to instil deep devotion

> and longing for union with the Lord,which will get us His

> everlasting Grace.He will see the Azhwar himself in the

> reciter and shower His choicest blessings on him,as He

> did in the case of the Azhwar.If we dive deep into this

> poem we will find therein all the pearls, the chaste

> principles of Sri Vaishnavism, which would surely secure

> for us all good things here and hereafter.

>

> May the Azhwars Grace dawn on all of us.

>

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