Thondaradipodi Thirunakshatram : Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Thondaradipodi AzhwAr was not a prolific

composer of Paasurams like Thirumangai

and NammAzhwAr . He left us with only 45

verses in the divya Prabhandham revered as

ThirumAlai .

 

Inspite of the small number of

Paasurams , the AzhwAr packed them with

rasAnubhavam of a BhakthA climbing the ladder

of SadhanA and sOdhanA .

 

For instance , we come across his VairAghyam ,

Nitya-Anithya vivEkam , bhagavatha prasamsA

( praising of Bhagavathas and their dharmam ) ,

Kama garhaNA ( condemnation of sensual pleasures ) ,

artha garhaNaa ( Condemnation of material pursuits ) ,

bhakthi mahima prasamsA ( Praising of the supermacy

of Bhakthi ) , Naama MahAthmya ( exaltation of

the Lord's names ) , asadh bhakthi garhaNA

( Condemnation of pOli BhagavathAs and

rituals , bare learning without devotion to the Lord ) ,

ananya Bhakthi (exclusive devotion to Sri RanganathA ),

rupa -svarUpa , GuNa prasamsA of the Lord of Srirangam

and other moods of a devout bhakthA of the Lord

such as NirvEdam ( sorrow over lost time chasing

worldly pursuits at the expense of devoting time to

the worship of the Lord ) , NaicchAnusandhAnam

(self-depreceation ) , vitarkA ( cogitation over what

is going to happen if the Lord does not come to his

rescue ) , DhainyOkthi ( plaintive pleading for Lord's

grace ) and mahA viswasam .

 

In the very first Paasuram , the AzhwAr is in an ebullient mood

of fearlessness arising from his success in his SadhAnA

of reciting the names of the Lord and restraining his

sensory organs from distractions . He confidently declares

that he has placed his feet over the head of Yama ( the Lord

of Death) and his servants and is roaming fearlessly

around fortified by the power of the Lord's nAmAs .

 

The power of the NaamA of the Lord and utter trust in

the naamAs of the Lord reminds one of the experience

and declaration of Saint ThyagarAjA in the charaNam of

his KedAra rAga krithi , " Raama ! neepai thanaku

prEma bhOdhu " :

 

jananee janakApthulanyulu dhanakanaka Guru vElpulu

dinamu neevE yanumAtalu anaga nivi naa bhUshaNamulu

 

( Meaning ) : The words ( naama Japam ) that I utter

daily that You alone are my father , mother , friend , wealth ,

gold , Guru and dEvAs constitute my ornaments (and armour ) .

 

In his second paasuram ( pacchai maamalai pOl mEni ) ,

AzhwAr declares that the anubhavam of Sri RanganAthA' s

soundharyam leaves him fully satisfied and makes him

totally disinterested in other blessings(boons ) such as

becoming the king of dEvAs and ruling Indra lOkam .

 

One hears the echos of this vivEkam in one of the CharaNams

of Saint ThyagarAjA's SavEri Krithi ( 12th AND 13 th CharaNam of krithi ,

Sri Raama RaamAsrithalamu gAmA nEramA bhrOva BhaaramA ? )

The particular charaNam is as follows :

 

nEmamuga tOli nOmuna dorakina Raamuni JithakAmuni

seeluni sadhguNasAlini juchDE chAlunu ANYAMELANU ?

 

( Meaning ) : It is enough if I have darsanam of Sri RamA ,

whom I have obtained as a result of my worship in previous

birth . He is the conqueror of desires , the model of rectitude

and the embodiment of all virtues . WHY NEED ANYTHING ELSE ?

 

One can find many similar pasaages in Saint ThyagarAjA's

krithis that are echos of Thondaradipodi's paasura vAkhyams.

It is a wonderful treat to compare the experiences of thesetwo

parama ViashNavAs across centuries .

 

Thondaradipodi AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan