Tiruppan Alvar

[Guest guest]

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Dear Mani

 

As per your request Sri E.S. Bhuvarahachariar Swami

has sent an article about TIRUPPANAZHWAR. I'm enclosing it.

The tirunakhshatram is today 13th.

adiyen

BHARAT

 

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SRI

SRIMATE RAMANUJAYA NAMAH

SRIMATE BALADHANVI MAHAGURAVE NAMAH

 

TIRUPPANAZHWAR

(by Sri E.S.Bhuvarahachariar)

 

Though this Azhwar did not belong to a high order in

society, that did not prove a barrier to him in getting

included among the TEN AZHWARS.The high degree of devotion

to LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA with total renunciation of all

worldly pleasures ,detachment in respect of his kith and kin

and accepting in their place Sriman Narayana as the sole

single relative - all these weighed very heavily in his

favour and made him an AZHWAR.This demonstrates the

catholicity of outlook of SRI VAISHNAVA religion.Anyone

irrespective of caste or creed or nationality is acceptable

to Sri Vaishnavas,provided he possesses the virtues found

in Azhwars and Acharyas.

 

This Azhwar was born at URAIYUR a town on the bank of the

river Kaveri and receiving the merciful gaze of Lord SRI

RANGANATHA . Standing on the sandy soil of the river everyday

he used to sing songs very melodiously for his own enjoyment

to the accompaniment of a lyre (veena) played by himself.

One day LOKA SARANGA MAHA MUNI a very revered devotee and

an intimate attendant or priest of Lord SRI RANGA came to

the river to fetch water for the Lord's puja.Seeing the

Azhwar and not knowing his inner merits,he took him at

face value and ordered him to move away, to enable himself

to fill pure unpolluted water in his pitcher.As this Azhwar

was present only physically and his thoughts were hovering

around the Lord the stern command did not reach him.The

pious man,of course guided by sastras (vedic injunctions)

threw a very tiny stone at him to bring him back to his

mundane existence.His attempt was a success.Opening his

eyes the Azhwar repented for his folly and withdrew himself

to a far off place.

 

But when the priest reached the temple he was rebuked by

the Lord who directed him to personally fetch the holy

man,as that would be the proper atonement for him; just

as Sri Rama ordered Sugriva,who had opposed tooth and nail

his inclusion,to personally bring Vibhishana to Him.The

Mahamuni went a step further by carrying him on his shoulders.

The Azhwar agreed to ascend Loka Saranga's shoulder as

implicit obedience was the very nature (Swarupa) of a

Sri Vaishnava.

 

On the way he recited nine stanzas of a poem and the tenth

within the sanctum sanctorum: AMALAN-ADI-PIRAN is the name

of this poem.He surpasses all other Azhwars in this respect

namely,what others did in thousands of songs this Azhwar

did within ten songs.The other Azhwars dilated on so many

subjects:love-lorn ladies sending messages to the lover,

exhortations to people,the Supremacy of Sriman Narayana and

so on and so forth.But this Azhwar concentrated only on the

handsomeness of the Lord as he reclined on His Serpent Couch;

when he beheld the Invisible,the visibles became invisible.

 

Within ten stanzas he enjoys the grandeur of the Lord's

limbs,beginning with the Feet and ending with the Head.

Finally he says," My eyes,having drunk deep the exquisite

charm of the Lord,are unable to discern any other object."

Unlike the other Divine Poems,in the last stanza here we

find neither the name of the author nor any mention of the

reward obtainable through recital of the poem.

 

" Vedic teachings in their entirety are condensed within

ten capsules"- declared SRI VEDANTA DESIKA.Enamoured by

its quality he wrote a commentary for this poem alone;

which fact itself speaks volumes about this poem.Nothing

more is needed.

 

Let us pay our homage to this distinguished personality

on his birthday - KARTIKAI month,ROHINI star - which falls

on Saturday 12.13.97.

 

 

 

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