Tirupavai

[Guest guest]

Dear members,

My sincere thanks to each one of you who have written to me on the

"karavaigal" paasuram.The TiruPAvai related topics are a source of joy

forever.We will have another discussion on TiruPAvai perceived in a new

perspective. Our AchAryAs have time & again established that the

essence of "GITA"- mAm Ekam charanam vraja" lies in the gem of an

Andal's utterance- "NArayanane namakke parai tharuvAn"

In the very 1st pAsuram itself Andal asserts this.Swami Desikan says

-"etthisaiyum uzhanrOdi iLaithu vizhum kAkam pOl" -I come to You

finally.Thiru mangai mannan says- "vAdinEn vAdi, OdinEn odi, kUdinEn

..kUdi iLaiavarOdu -but finally I've come to You. Thondaradi podi laments

" sOOdanAki, kalvanAki ,after all these I come to You.AndAl does not

start on a helpless note, She begins 'let us observe the nOnbu to

realise our wish to be with Him' for NAra----------vAn'& likes to sing

His praise not as a last resort for She has the conviction that He is

the

beginning & end in Himself.

Lord Krishna says -mAm- me or I,Ekam-alone ,saranam vraja-save &

protect those who have

surrendered at My feet.

Andal says"NArAyanane namakke parai tharuvAn" -NArAyanan tharuvAn- to

whom -namakku(we).

Who are these 'we'? we are the strong

beleivers,"thAye,thanthaiyE,thAramE,kilaye,

makkalE,nOyE enru pattu ozhindhu vandavar illai- we are the devotees

with the

implicit faith in Him &'namaKE tharuvAn parai'

Krishna says to Arjuna "Come to me with the belief(mahaavisvaasam) that

Me &ME alone will

redeem you"

NArAyanan-mAm,NArAYananE namaKE-mAmEkam,parai tharuvAn-sharanam vraja.We

have

learnt a lot on 'parai',here it means mOksham or eternity.The Lord

says,'come

to Me &then I'll save but Andal adorns this teaching of the Lord in Her

affirmation'NArAyananE tharuvAn'hence 'uthaman pEr pAdungal'.Maybe this

determined drive of Andal is the reason that when we celebrate only

the thiru nakshatrams of AzhwArs& AchAryAs once in a year,

we dedicate a whole month to sing & praise Her glory.

Regards,

SubadraVasudevan.