Sri RanganAthan & AzhwAr's mangaLAsAsanams: Part 15

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ranganatha PrEmis :

 

I will start this posting with the divya sUkthis of

Thirumazhisai AzhwAr . He is the author of the two

Prabhandhams : Thirucchandha Viruttham and Naanmukan

ThiruvandhAthi. Latter is written in the AndhAthi style of

the Mudal AzhwArs and asserts the supermacy of Sriman

NaarAyaNA . The former prabhandham is more metaphysical

one , which enunciates that Sriman NaarAyaNA alone can be

the path, the Goal and the means for Moksham .We will start

with Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi , the first prabhandham

of the AzhwAr .

 

Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi Paasurams

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

 

There are four Paasurams on Sri RanganAthA

among the 96 paasurams of this Prabhandham .

The 60th paasuram is a beautiful one for us

to reflect on :

 

aaLL paarthu uzhi taruvAi kandu koLL yenrum ninn

tALL paartthu uzhi taruvEn tanmayai --kEtpArkku

aru poruLAi Ninra AranganE unnai

virumpuvathE viLLEn manam

 

( Meaning and Comments ) : This paasuram is about

the mutual love ( paraspara AkAnkshai )for union

between the Lord and His bhakthan . The AzhwAr

addresses the Lord as AranganE ( Ranga pura VihAranE )

and explains His nature as the One , who roams around

always searching to see who is going to become the Object

of His DayA . The AzhwAr continues to let us know

that the Lord of Rangam resting under the VimAnam

with the four Veda Kalasams as " kEtpArkku aru poruLAi

yenrum ninra Arangan " . He is the Lord , who is the

inner and precious meaning of the VedAs for those

who recite and study the Sruthis and other PramANams

with reverence and longing instead of varattu patippu .

 

While the Lord's status is that of the matchless

DayA SvarUpan as well as the supreme principle

saluted by the VedAs , AzhwAr describes his own status

and his special relationship to this Parama KaaruNeekan .

He states :" ninn tALL paartthu yenrum uzhi taruvEn

tanmayai kaNdu koLL" . He reminds the Lord to

remember him as the one , who seeks the sacred feet of

the Lord of Srirangam as his chosen lot . He invites

the Lord to acknowledge his servitude and his search for Him .

He concludes this paasuram with a declaration of

his MahA visvAsam : "(yenn) manam unnai virumpuvathE

viLLEn ". He declares that I will not let my mind slip

from the goal of having You as the prApyam ( the target

and the sought after goal ).

 

AzhwAr describes the eternal quest of the Lord to

search for the one , who does not stray by subjugating himself

to either the worship of fellow human beings or demi Gods for

his or her material well being , but instead seeks Him .

AzhwAr describes his own quest for the shade of

the sacred feet of the Lord after deliberately

abandoning al the worldly pleasures , nara sthuthis and

dEvathAnthara upAsanAs . Therefore , the AzhwAr reminds

the Lord that they together are Paraspara AakAnkshIs

( the pair that is mutually seeking/attracting each other ) .

 

AzjwAr goes on to state that it is futile to hear about

and comprehend the nature of the Lord thru the means of

Sruthi , Smruthi, IthihAsam and PurANams . Vedam itself

declares :" naayam AthmA pravachanEna labhya : " .One can

not hope to acquire Him thru SravaNa -Manana dhyAnams

performed without deep love for Him .These have to take

the Preethi rUpam for success. Those kEtpArgaL will

understand Him as the Aru PoruL of Sruthis and

Saasthrams .They alone unite with Him .Oh Lord !

At Srirangam ,Your dance stage , You assume many roles

and perform there Your leelAs . All those leelAs of Yours

are elaborations of Your arum PoruL . I seek Your

sacrd feet because of my intense desire for You and

not for anything else . I will not leave that search

until You find me ! Such is the power of the relationship

of this AzhwAr with His Lord .

 

Thirucchandha Viruttha Paasuram of Thirumazhisai

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

In this prabhandham , AzhwAr salutes the paratthvam

of Sriman NaarAyaNA in the upanishadic tradition .

The highest peaks of Upanishadic insights are scaled

by the AzhwAr in this Prabhandham , while recognizing

the Lord for His well known soulabhyam as ArchA MUrthy

at Srirangam ( SubhAsrayam- auspicious object of

attainment ) . Ten out of the 120 paasurams of this

Prabhandham are direct MangaLAsAsanams of the Lord

of Srirangam, the DasAvathAran .Most of the paasurams

of this Prabhandham are elaborations of the mystical

relationship between the Sarva Seshi and the Seshan .

In the 119th paasuram , he addresses the Lord of

Srirangam with great affection and asks Him to

listen to his description of a fact : " Ponni soozh

ArangamEya poovai VaNNa mAya kELL ( O Lord of

Srirangam surrounded by the cool waters of KaavEri

river ! Oh Lord of MahA Lakshmi , the Lotus Lady !

Oh MaayAvi ! Please listen to this wonder ) .

My soul has risen above the powerful vinais and

has reached Your lotus feet and rests there joyously .

What a sight he exclaims .

 

About this MaayAvi and His chEshtithams , Thirumazhisai

states elsewhere : " Oh Transcendent of Transcendents !

Having the ocean as bed and enjoying the Supreme Lady

residing in Thy chest , Thou loving wert born of many

human wombs . Lord of the nature of knowledge ! none can

know Thy greatness as this (as MaayAvi )" . The paasuram

words etched in the state of wonderment are: " Oruttharum

ninAthu tanmai inna thenna vallarE " . In the 91st and 92nd

paasurams , the AzhwAr explains that this immense magician

alone can and must help man . Granting that the integral

anubhavam of the Lord as Brahman as well as soulabhyan

in ArchA form as a paripUrNa sacchidhAnandha SvarUpi IS

the highest experience of mystical religion , the Azhwar

concludes in the 108th paasuam of Thirucchanda Viruttham :

" Should not the minds of human beings seek out that

incomparable bliss of being united to Thee and Thee alone ? " .

He sums up by declaring that to be united with Sriman

NarAyaNA in all conditions and in all births is the

most profound and worth while experience open to the humans .

 

Thirumazhisai thozhutha Sri RanganAthAya NamO nama:

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan