thirup pAvai - oru poruL viLakkam - part 4

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Dear bAgawathALs,

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

It is said that pArvathi and Lord shiva once had vAkku vAtham

and Lord Shiva cursed pArvathi. Soon pArvathi had to separate

from Lord Shiva. She prayed to him for remedy. As advised by

Shiva pArvathi, did a severe penance at thiruk kalvanoor, seeking

Lord vAmanA's blessings. The penance was so severe and intense

that pArvathi stood on one leg and on top of the needle and surr

-ounded by fire all around.

 

Her resolve to seek the blessings of Lord vAmanA

never diminished. On seeing her sincere vratham Lord vAmana did

appear and blessed her to be reunited with Lord Shiva. Since

pArvathi did penance on Lord vAmanA and obtained the blessings of

Lord vAmana she is called as "kAmakshi".

 

Her name, "pArvathi" became pAvai, (due to her severe vratham

seeking Lord vAmanA's thiru aruL) a generic name for all woman

folk doing nOnbu and seeking the blessings of Lord uththaman (Lord

vAvaman or Lord Vishnu) for their union with their eternal

"purushan". Later the vratham or nOnbu was practiced so sincerely

by such women generally called as "pAvai", and they made the

ilakkaNam or akarAthi or the rule book for "nOnbu" itself. i.e.,

there are vrathams undertaken for so many purposes. However this

pAvai nOnbu is undertaken for seeking their union with their

purushan. This pAvai nonbu was undertaken so intensively for

generations by these pAvaiyar,or woman, such that the name "nOnbu

or vratham" itself came to be known through them mainly and named

after them as "pAvai" and was addressed as pAvai ever since. The

word nOnbu in tamil means, iRaivaNudaiya thiru aruLAkiya oru

naRkathiyai perum theevira muyarchci. ie., it is a sincere

"EFFORT" by a jeevAtmA seeking the blessings of Lord known as

thiruaruL. Thus whenever a woman (jeevatma) do a nOnbu it is

addressed as a pAvai nOnbu or many times "pAvai" itself.

 

Thus thiru pAvai means thiru's nOnbu or thiru's vratham to

attain the Lord. ie. thiru or pirAtti's nOnbu to attain the

parama purushan the Lord. There is only one "purushan" in the

entire universe and such is Lord Krishna. Thus ANDAL who is the

amsam of piraati (boomi devi) did a nonbu to attain her purushan

and showed "us all" the way or mArgam for attaining this "parama

purushan".

 

Another reason for the name thirup pAvai is derived as

follows. Any sincere effort a woman would take to seek the

blessings of the lord to reunite with her purushan is known as

nOnbu or pAvai nOnbu or pAvai. pArvathi performed this sincere

effort and sought the blessings of the eternal God Lord Vamanan,

to reunite with her purushan and named this effort as pAvai nOnbu.

While pirAtti (gOtha pirAtti) performed this nOnbu (effort) and

sought the blessings of the eternal God Sri Krishna to reunite

with her eternal purushan the Lord Krishna HIMself. Thus this

nOnbu or effort became the most special nOnbu of all and came to

be known as "thiuru nOnbu" or "thiru pAvai" or the "holiest and

most special effort". Since this generic thiru nOnbu is a mArgam

for all jivAtmAs to follow the path shown by Sri ANDAL and attain

unity with the parama purushan. The nool itself got this name as

the act perfomed in this nool is nOnbu. Thus this nool (as similar

to thirup paLLi ezhuchchi - means awakening the Lord) obtained

its name from the very act being performed in these verses. This

act nOnbu to attain unity with the parama purushan is performed

through the little effort of this jivAtma known as saranAgathi.

 

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadaikaLE saraNam

Sri Boomi dEvi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE

saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan