Saying the names of the Lord

[Guest guest]

Sri Vishnucitta, the father of our dear

saint Andal, is known as "periya" or

"the great" alvar not just because he

raised and nurtured such an extraordinary

daughter, but because of the unique devotional

attitude of his poems.

 

His greatness lies in the fact that upon

having a vision of the Lord Sriman Narayana,

caring nothing for himself, he sang a song

of pure benediction, or in our language,

"mangaLASAsanam". This song of 12 verses,

which sought only to ensure the absolute

purity, perfection, and blessedness of

the Lord in this imperfect world, is known as

the "thiru pallaandu", and is among the

most popular sections of the Divya Prabandham.

Temples and households resound with the

rhythmic sounds of the recitation of these

verses every morning, and no worship in our

tradition is complete without reciting at

least part of it.

 

In the fifth verse, Perialvar asks the people

of the world to join him in singing the

mangaLASAsanam:

 

thoNdak kulaththil uLLeer! vandhu adi thozhudhu

aayira naamam solli

paNdaik kulaththaith thavirndhu

pallaaNdu pallaayiraththaaNdenminE

 

 

O people!

Join our clan of servants, and come

Having worshipped His feet and

Having said His thousand names

And leaving your old clan

Sing

"For many years, many thousands of years

[may You be Blessed]"!

 

 

Periyalvar, addressing all the people of the

world, without exception, asks us to join him

in singing the praise of our Emberumaan, our

Beloved Absolute God.

 

He tells us that what joining the company of

the servants of the Lord entails:

 

a) "paNdaik kulaththai thavirndhu"

 

Abandon your old clan -- the old feeling of

seeking selfish gain in the world, the feeling

of identity with one's personal circumstances

of birth more than identification with the

servants of the Lord, irrespective of birth

 

b) "vandhu adi thozhudhu"

 

Come at once and worship His sacred feet!

Not just worship, but adore them as our only

wealth, and do not delay this. Realize that

our true relationship (svarUpa) is purely in

relationship to His feet, not to any

identification with our earthly body.

 

c) "aayira naamam solli"

 

Don't just stop with worshipping His feet,

but say His names -- the 1000 (aayira) names

of the Vishnu sahasranaamam. Direct your

mind, speech, and body toward Him, and only

Him.

 

d) "pallaaNdu pallaayiraththaaNdu enminE"

 

Care for Him -- sing "pallaaNdu", not for

yourself, but for Him, because that is your

essential nature, to be an expression of

His desire, with no selfish aspirations

whatsoever.

 

The greatness of the alvars is so striking in

Periyalvar. The words are so clear, so unambiguous.

There is no doubt as to what he is asking us to do.

Yet he says it with a sweetness that is indicative

of his concern for our welfare, and through that

his concern for the Lord's welfare.

 

Let us try our best to follow his words.

 

adiyEn Mani