Sri Raga Pancharathnam of Saint ThyagarAjA : part 2

[Guest guest]

Jamuary 24 , 1998

 

Dear NaadhOpAsakAs and Sri Rama BhakthAs :

 

On this Thai JyeshtA Nakshathram , EkAdasi day ,

I will continue with the celebration of BhagavathAs

by AzhwArs in their paasurams to provide context for

the Sri Raga Krithi of Saint ThyagarAjA .

 

The central fact that Bhagavatha PrAvaNyam has to

take root first before Bhagavadh vishaya PrAvaNyam

can sprout out is indicated by NammAzhwAr , Thirumangai ,

Kukasekarar , PeriyAzhwAr , Thondardippodi as well as by

many of our AchAryAs , who followed in their foot steps .

The AzhwArs have pointe dout that they reached a higher state

as a result of benefiting from such Bhagavatha sathsangam and

ArAdhanam .

 

Thirumangai AzhwAr's Aubhavam

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

 

Thirumangai has saluted the glories of BhagavathAs

engaged in Bhagavadh Kaimkaryam in his ThirucchErai

paasurams :

 

TaNNchErai EmperumAn tALL thozuvAr

kANNmin yenn talaimElArE --periya Thirumozhi : 7.4.1

 

( You will see on my head the BhagavathAs ,who worship

the ThirucchErai EmperumAn's lotus feet . I will prove

that I carry them on my head --sirasA vahikkirEn )

 

EmperumAn thALL thozhuvAr yeppozhuthum yenn

manatthE irukkinRArE-- Periya Thirumozhi(PT)7.4.2

 

( Those BhagavathAs worshipping the Lord's sacred feet

are always residing in my mind )

 

TaNNsErai EmperumAn tALai yEnthi , pOthodu punal

thUvum PuNNIyarE ViNNavaril PolihinrArE --PT 7.4.3

 

( The BhagavathAs who taken refuge at the ThirucchErai

EmperumAn's holy feet and cover those sacred feet

with fresh and fragrant flowers are shining with an effulgence

that exceeds that of the dEvAs )

 

pErALan pErOthum periyOrai orukaalum pirihilEnE --PT 7.4.4

 

( I shall never ever be separated from the MahAnubhAvAs ,

who recite the thousand names of ThirucchErai EmperumAn )

 

NammAzhwAr's UpadEsam on the Bhagavatha MahAthmyam

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

 

NammazhwAr concedes that our unripe ( he includes himself

with us here ) devotion would not stand well before the glory of

theBhagavathAs engaged in Bhagavdh Kaimkaryam . Our imperfect

devotion does not even equal by an iota that of the BhagavathAs .

 

kalkkamillA nalmunivar karai kaNDOr

tulakkamillA vaanavar yellAm ThozhuvArkaL

malakkameytha maakadal tannaik kadainthAnai

ulakka naam puhazhkirpathu yenn seyvathu urayeerE

---ThiruvAimozhi :

8.3.10

 

(Meaning) : BhagavathAs (seers) with unmuddled minds

deep devotion and Jn~Anam are immersed in the lotus

feet of the Lord and are engaged in every moment of

their lives in Kaimkaryam to Him , who churned the milky

ocean for the benefit of the dEvAs . How can we ever

approach the depth of their devotion and Kaimkarya Sri ?

It will not be possible . With a great sense of humility ,

NammAzhwAr asks a rhetorical question to indicate

to us the greatness of the BahgavathAs .

 

PeriyAzhwAr's celebration of Bhagavtha GhOshti's mahimai

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

 

In one section of his ThiruppallANdu , PeriyAzhwAr

states unambiguously that we can not obtain Bhagavadh

anugraham unless we attain Bhaagavatha PrAvaNyam first.

He prays hence for association with the adiyArs of BhagavAn :

 

adiyOmOdum NinnOdum pirivinri Ayiram PallANdu

 

PeriyAzhwAr joins this sacred Bhagavatha ghOshti

and invites us to seek beautitude and then sing pallANdu

to the Lord :

 

yEdu nilatthiliduvathan munnam venthyengaL kuzhAm puhundhu

kUdu manamudayeerkaL varam pozhi vanthellaik kUdiminO

nAdu nagaramum nankariya namO NaarAyaNAyavenru

paadu manamudaip pattharuLLeer vanthu pallANdu kUruminE

 

Here , AzhwAr invites those who seek the mokshAnubhavam

known as Kaivalyam or mere aathmAnubhavam . He asks

them to abandon that limited goal , which interferes with

the paripUrNa mokshAnubhavam , which is the full bliss

of being with the Lord in Sri Vaikuntam and performing

Nithya Kaimkaryam ( KuRREval , AtthANI sevakam ) .

He invites hese kaivalyArthis to attain the supreme purushArtham

of Moksham by joining the ghOshti of BhaagavathAs and points

that route as the upAyam for the UpEyam . He invites them

to recite Thirumanthiram in the ghOshti of the sacred

BhaagavathAs . He urges them to join the parama paavana

ghOshti before the Sookshma sareeram leves the body

to desist from the goal of Kaivalyam and save themselves

by the power of association with BhagavAn's BhaagavathAs .

Thus , PeriyAzhwAr revealed the close relationship between

BhagavAn and His dear BhagavathAs ( Vaasudeva: sarvamithi

sa MahAthmA DUrlabha: is the Lord's word ) .

 

Thondaradipodi's celebration of Bhaagavatha Mahimai

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

 

In his Thirumaalai , Thondaradipodi , who took the name

of the Dust of the feet of the BhagavathAs , has twice

saluted the glory of the Lord's BhaagavathAs .

 

In the paasuram starting with " PazhuthilA vozhuhalaaRRu---" ,

he states : " Oh Lord of Srirangam resting in Your divya dEsam

on AdisEsha at Your temple surrounded by mighty ramparts !

You have instructed the blemishless vEdic Scholars competent

in the four vEdAs to offer their worship to Your Thondars , even

if latter are born in lower castes and do not have the scholarship

matching that of the vEdic scholars . You have instructed these

scholars to reveal the truths that they have acquired to Your

Thondars. You have further instructed the scholars proficient in

vEdAs to learn from the Thondars the insights that they have

obtained about Your svarUpa , guNa Vaibhavams. You have

commanded the scholars to worship Your BhagavathAs

as equal to You to gain Your anugrahams .

 

Elsewhere , Thondaradipodi points out that mere scholarship

( Varattu padippu ) and Bhakthi without vinayam ( Modesty)

will not stand before the Bhaktha sironmaNis , the Thondars

of the Lord .

 

In the slOkam starting with , " mEmporuL pOhavittu --" ,

Thondardipodi revealed his supreme reverence for

the Thondars of Sri RaganAthA , who single mindedly

devote their time in service to the Lord of Sri Rangam

and the Lord's supreme attachment ot these BhaagavathAs .

 

AzhwAr asks Sri RanganaathA a question : Are not You

the One , who seek especially the company of Your

Bhagavatha MahAnubhAvAs , who discard loukika sukhams

and fully understand Your divine svarUpa lakshaNams .

Are not yYou the One , who inquires with deep interest

about the yOgam and KshEmam ( Yoga KshEmam

VahAmyaham ) , who control their senses from chasing

alpa sukhams and perform saraNAgathi to You and live

at Your door step engaged in the performance of kaimkaryam

to You ? Is n't that correct that you have supreme affection

for these BhagavathAs ?

 

Kulasekara AzhwAr 's celebration of BhagavathAs

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

This AzhwAr's devotion to the BhagavathAs led him to

put his hand in the pot full of poisonous snakes to

demonstrate the greatness of BhaagavathAs .

 

In one of his paasurams , he revealed to us that

those , who wear the dust from the feet ( Thondar adippodi)

on their heads do not need GangA snAnam to wash away

their sins :

 

aadip paadi ArangavO yenrazhaikkum

ThondaradippodiyAda naam peRil ,

Gangai neer kudainthAdum vEtkai yennAvathE ?

 

In another paasuram, Azhwar states that his hairs stand on end

over the thought of those BhagavathAs , who enjoy Sri Ranganaathan

as the Kodhanda PaaNi and get goose pimples :

 

-- tiNNa maamathiL TennaranganAm meysilaik karumEhamonRu

tamm nenjil ninru thihazhap pOy mey silippavar tammayE

ninainthu yenn manam mey silirkkumE

 

In another paasuram of PerumAL THirumozhi , AzhwAr

expressed his deep desire . He revealed that his prayer

was to lose his mind in devotion to the BhagavathAs ,

who sing and dance with aanandha paravasam about

the glories of the Lord of Sri Rangam with the beautiful

eyes reminding one of the beauty of the soft , red lotus

flower . He wanted to become one of the BhagavathAs to

get closer to the Lord of Sri Rangam ( Thondar vAzhvukku

maalayuRRathen nenjamE ) .

 

In the next posting , I will cover the AchAryA's celebration

of the glories of BhaagavathAs and the Bhaagavatha nishtai

to fully understand the text and context of Sri Raaga pancharathnam .

 

SriSadh GuravE Nama:

Sri ranmachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan