Thirumazhisai AzhwAr Thirunakshathram: Thai Pooram--Part 1

[Guest guest]

Isvara SAmvathsaram , Thai MOnth 3rd Dinam

Thai Pooram , Friday , Jan 16 ,1998

 

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Today is Thai Pooram . Thirumazhisai AzhwAr

was born on this day . He sanctified Poora Nakshthram of

Thai month just as ANDAL made Aadi Pooram a day of

greatness thru her avathAram .

 

Thirumazhisai AzhwAr is also known as BhakthisArar

or a person known for representing the quintessence of

Bhakthi to Sriman NaarAyaNa .

 

He is one of the toughest AzhwArs in the sense that he

can be combative and uncompromizing . He will challenge

Lord Siva , the King of Kanchi and the Vedic Scholars , if they

questioned about the Parathvam of Sriman NaarAyaNA . His

prapatthi to our Lord and his mahA viswasam has few parallels .

 

He can also be called a Research Scholar . He studied & rejected

different philosophical systems and religions based on them

such as Buddhism , NyAyA , VaisEshikA , SaamkhyA , paatanjala

and KaapAlikA . Finally , he became an accomplished Siddhar

worshipping Lord SivA . Pey AzhwAr intervened and helped

BhakthisArA accept Sri VaishNavism and the supermacy of

Sriman NaarAyaNA . Once he was won over in the debate that

established the supermacy of ( parathvam of ) Sriman NaarAyaNA ,

he rejected all the other mathams as Saara Heenam ( devoid of

substance ) and became a Parama VaishNavA . He became the leading

exponent of Sri VaishnNavite theosophy . He is the first AzhwAr to refer to

PaancharAthra Aagamam and VyuhA principles embedded in there .

 

Thirumazhisai AzhwAr is considered as an "integral seer "

in whom all the search for knowledge got transformed

into the essence of devotion ( bhakthi Saaram ) that led to

the divine vision at the end and a clear understanding of

the Bhagavadh SvarUpa VisEsham . He combined in his

vision of Sriman NaarAyaNA the parajn~Ana ( transcendental

knowledge ) that Poygai stood for , para bhakthi ( transcendental

devotion ) that BhothatthAzhwar represented and the parama bhakthi

( supreme devotion ) that his AchAryA , Pey was noted for . He proved

with conviction and authority that Sriman NaarAyaNA is the unalterable

truth behind " the primal and ultimate causality of all the Worlds " . In

both his prabhandhams , Naanmukan ThiruvantdAthi (NT ) and

Thirucchandaviruttham ( TCV ) , he emphasized that Sriman

NaarAyaNA as the one and only ultimate cause and

that ALONE is the path ( panthA ) , the goal ( upEyam ) and

the means ( upAyam ) for Moksham .

 

Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi

********************************

 

This Prabhandham is the first of the two compositions of

Thirumazhisai . It establishes unambiguosly the supermacy

( parathvam ) of Sriman NaarAyaNA . There are 96 paasurams

in NT . It follows the andhAthi style of the mudal AzhwArs . The first

ten paasurams deal with the Parathvam of our Lord . Then come

paasurams that establish what is parama hitham (viz)., the seeking

of the saraNyan's lotus feet as the sole refuge to gain moksha siddhi .

Using very assertive and unambiguous language , he instructs us

about the way for our sure salvation . These paasurams are followed by

salutations to VibhavAvathArams such as NarasimhA , RaamA ,

KrishNA and lead to moving paasurams on ArchA mUrhtys

of divya desams like ThiruvEnkatam , Srirangam , Thirukkudanthai ,

ThiruvehhA , ThiruveLLUr , ThiruppEr , Anbil and ThiruvallikkENi .

His dozen paasurams on SrinivAsan ( Thiruviruntha Maarban )

of Vada Venkatam are beautiful to reflect upon . In one of those

paasurams , he plays the game of kUdal ( paasuram 39 of NT)

and showed the way for ANDAL to play that game

in NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi (NTM ) later . In this paasuram , he

longs for his darsanam of ThiruvEnkatamudayAn and checks

on the insight provided by the Kudal game . In this game ,

one takes a handful of sOzhi and sorts them by pairs . If one

ends up with a pair , the wish will come true. If one is left with

one sOzhi at the end of pairing the bunch , then one's desire

will not be fulfilled . AzhwAr says that he is looking for divine

indications

giving the hint of good news regarding the longed-for visit to

THiruvEnkatam to have the darsanam of his Lord , SrinivAsan .

At the end of the twelve Paasurams on ThiruvenkatatthAn ,

Azhwar celebrates the dvAdasa nAmAs of the Lord

( Upavyuha mUrhtys ) . There is a complelling logic to the flow

of his bhakthi outpourings .

 

The twentieth verse of NT is a moving paasuram, where

the AzhwAr celebrates the SarvAntharyAmithvam of Sriman NaarAyaNA

in the spirit of VedAs and Upanishads. Such a celebration

based on Vedic truths is not surprising , since AzhwAr is also a

great Vedic scholar . In the twentieth verse he celebrates

Sriman NaarAyaNA as the inner power of all chEthams ,

achEthanams , Brahma dEvan and his son SivA ,Agni , Suryan ,

Chandran and every entity in Your creation :

 

neeyE ulahellAm ninnaruLE niRpanavum

neeyE tavatthEva dEvanum --neeyE

yerisudarum maalvarayum yeNNdisayum aNdatthu

irusudarum aaya ivai

 

( ulahu = achEthanam ; niRpana = chEthanams ;

tavatthEvan = the one who performs tapas , MahEsvaran ;

dEvan= Brhama dEvan ; yeri sudar = burning Agni;

maal varai = eighth towering kula parvathams ;

yeNNdisai= eight directions ; andatthu irusudar= the Sun

and the Moon shining in the AkAsam ; aaya ivai neeyE =

You are the One in all these forms ) . " sa Brhama: sEndra:

sOkshara: parama svarAt " and the other Veda Manthrams

cited below are the base for his paasuram :

 

1. God ( Sriman NaarAyaNA ) alone is one , though known as

Agni , king VaruNA MitrA , Aryaman and amsA ( TvamagnE RaajA

VaruNO ---Rig Vedam II.1.4)

 

2. God ( Sriman NaarAyaNA ) is also known as Agni , Rudra, Maha: ,

PushaN ( TvamgnE RudRo --Rig Vedam II.1. 6)

 

3. God is Agni , DravinOdA ( wealth giver ) , DevA , savithA ,

RathnadhA ( the treasurehous of gems ) . BhagA ( the effulgent ) ,

and BNrupathi ( the king of Men ) / Rig Vedam II.1.7

 

4. He alone is Agni ( yerisudar ) , the same He is Aditya ,

and Moon ( andatthu Irusudar of Thirumazhisai)

and He is the same one known as Vaayu . ( Indram

Mithram ( Yajur Vedam XXXII.1)

 

5. He is the one , though seers call Him with various

names such as IndrA , MithRa , VaruNA , Agni , DivyA ,

SuparNA , GaruthmAn , Yama and Matarisvan ( -- Yekam

sadh viprA: bahudhA vadanthi --Rig Vedam I.164.46)

 

6. He creates the Universe ( DhyAvA Prithvee ) and the

Universe assumes His form ( Rig Vedam X. 110.9)

 

7. He weaves the entire Universe through His divine

thread (tantu ) of Unified Law ( Atharva Vedam : XIII.1.6)

 

8. The entire Universe is sustained by the great principle

( mahi praNithi ) and protected by undecaying devices of

protection ( uthi ) / Rig Vedam : VI.45.3-- maheerasya

praNeethaya : pUrvOrutha prasasthaya: , naasya Ksheeyantha

uthaya:

 

9. The entire Skhambha SookthA of Atharva Vedam ( X.7.35 onwards )

salutes the cosmic creation by the Lord and His divine laws

that sustain it in a marvellous manner .

 

Thirumazhisai in His Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi

celebrates Sriman NaarAyaNA as the " final reality " ,

the Ucchishta Brahmam and sarva sEshi . He is the only

existing reality at the time of MahA PraLayam and sustains

everything in his stomach and releases them again for

another cycle of YugAs for His sport . He is the sustainer of

the entire creation consisting of name and form ( UchcishtE

naama rUpam chOcchishtE loka aahitha: ucchishtE dhyAvaa

prithvee visvam bhUtham samAhitham , aapa: samudhra:

ucchishtE chnadramA vAtha aahitha: -- Atharva Vedam XI.7.1&2 )

 

In the 26 th paasuram , he reminds Sriman NaarAyanan

that Lord SivA is the witness for his vow that he will not

worship anyone other than Sriman NaarAyaNan . This is a beautiful

paasuram , where he begs the Lord to bless him to have

avyapachAra bhakthi to Him alone . The second half of this

paasuram is very reminiscent of the declaration of ANDAL

yerraikkum yEzhEzh piravikkum --- and maRRai nam kaamangaL

maaRRElOrempAvAi ) :

 

yeRRaikkum kandukoL kandAi kadal vaNNA

yaanunnai kandukoLkiRkumARu

 

yAnn = myself with no other desire or anticipation of

any other fruits , yeRRaikkum = for all times to come ,

unnai kandu koLkiRkkum AaRu kandu koLL =

please bless me the means to be with You alone

and worship You alone .

 

In the thirtieth verse , AzhwAr emphasizes his mahA viswAsam

in the Lord"s Rakshakathvam( apadh Bhaandhavan

and anAtha rakshakan ) :

 

avan Yennai AaLi arangattharangil

AVAN YENNAI YEYTHAMAR KAAPAAN --avan yennathu

uLLatthu ninRAn IrundhAn kidakkumE

veLLattharavaNain mEl

 

avan= the Lord I described below (in the earlier paasurams )

Yennai AaLi = He is my ruling Sarva SvAmi

arangam tarangil yennai yeythAmal AVAN KAAPAAN =

He will not dispatch me to the sharp end of the

spear feared as SamsAram . He will save me from this

terror and suffering . He is sititng , standing and resting

in my mind . I doubt now very much that he will revert to His old

bed of Adhi Seshan at His home in the milky ocean after

enjoying the comfort of residence in my mind .

 

THIRUMAZHISAI AZHWAAR THIRUVADIGALE SARANAM

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

Subhamasthu , sarva MangaLAni santhu

NamO NaarAyaNA , Namo NaarAyaNA