kaNNan and kaliyan

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aNNA svAmiyin amudha mozhi Ayiram -

2. Twelve similarities between KaNNan and Kaliyan.

 

Dear bhakti members:

 

Here is the second excerpt from the above mentioned book compiled by SrI T.

krishNamUrti. This topic deals with tirumangai AzhvAr, who is also known by

the name kaliyan. SrI PBA gives 12 comparisons between KaNNan and Kaliyan

and shows that tirumangai AzhvAr shines like Lord Kr*shNa.

 

SrI PBA gives the following verse (probably his own composition) to bring

out this comparison:

 

sUryatvAt sUcitatvAt apahruti-karaNAt gokuloddhArakatvAt

baddhatvAt SAstra-datvAt paTu-jana-sahayOgAcca

lakshmIpatitvAt

nIlatvAt nItimArgacyuti matibhajanAt antataScAvatArAt

SatrutvamSa utpaTatvAt kali-ripu-muni-rAt krishNa tulyO

vibhAti||

 

We will look into each of the twelve comparisons in detail in the following

paragraphs:

 

1. sUryatvAt:

 

When parASara maharishi talks about kaNNapirAn's tiru avatAram in SrI vishNu

purANam, he calls Him 'bhAnu", which refers to sUrya:

 

"tatOkhilajagat padmabOdAya acyuta bhAnunA, devakI pUrvasandhyAyAm

AvirbhUtam mahAtmanA"

 

tirumangai AzhvAr is also called sUrya (divAkara)in Kaliyan's stuti padyam

(author is not specified):

 

"kalayAmi kalidvamsam kavim lOkadivAkaram" Thus both kaNNan and kaliyan have

been compared to sUryan (the sun).

 

2. sUcitatvAt:

 

sUcitatvAt means that which has been predicted before hand. Both

kaNNan's and kaliyan's avatArams had been predicted long before they

happened. When devaki and vasudeva were married and kamsan

(devaki's brother) was charioting them, the AkASa vANi declared that the

eighth child born to devaki will cause his destruction and the saying came true.

 

In tiruvAimozhi(5-2-1),nammAzhvAr says: "kaliyum kedum kaNdu koNmin". This

is interpreted as predicting the appearance of tirumangai AzhvAr, uDaiyavar,

etc. by maNavALa mAmunigaL in AcArya hr*dayam:

 

kaliyum kedum kaNDu koNmin - Know ye that kali will be destroyed with the

avatAra-s of the likes of tirumangai AzhwAr , udaiyavar etc.

 

Thus both the appearance of KaNNan and that of Kaliyan were forecast.

kaNNan destroyed kamsan; kaliyan destroyed kali purushan.

 

3. apahrutikaraNAt:

 

kaNNan was well known as a kaLvan (thief); kaliyan was also a famed thief.

kaNNan stole butter and the hearts of devotees; kaliyan stole riches to

build the SrI rangam temple gOpura prAhAra mandapam.

 

4. gOkulOddhArakatvAt:

 

kaNNan brought glory to gOkulam: "Ayar pAdikku aNiviLakke", "Ayar

kulattinil tOnRu maNi viLakkai" - these expressions clearly prove this

statement.

 

kaliyan also has done gOkulOddhAraNam. SrI PBA derives how. He points out

that we are all ignorant 'paSu-s' - j~nAnena hInah paSubhih samAnah, and the

AzhvAr took birth in our midst to uplift us, and he has done the uddhAraNa

of the gokula with all of us paSu-s in it.

 

5. baddhatvAt:

 

That kaNNan was tied by YaSodA is a well-known fact: "matturu kadai veNNai

kaLavinil uravidaiyAppuNdu", "kaNNikkuRunkayiRRAl kattuNDAn".

 

kaliyan was also jailed by the king, when he spent all the king's money in

bhaghavad ArAdhanam and bhAghavata ArAdhanam.

 

Thus both kaNNan and Kaliyan were tied.

 

6. SAstra-datvAt:

 

Both gave SAstram, which delivers mankind from life. kaNNan gave the great,

enlightening SAstra for cetana-s, namely, the gItA ("arivinAl kuraivillA agal

g~nAlattavar aRiya, neRiyellAm edutturaitta niRai g~nAttorumUrti").

 

kaliyan gave the divyaprabandha mahA SAstram - "nenjukkiruL kaDidIpam

aDa~ngA nedumpiRavi na~njukku nalla amudam, tamizh nannUl tuRaigaL

anjukkilakkiya mAraNa sAram, para Samaya pa~njukkanalin poRi parakAlan

panuvalgaLe".

 

Just as kaNNan's SAstram is called "gItOpanishad", kaliyan's works are

called "pongu pugazh ma~ngaiyar kOn Inda maRai Ayiram".

 

7. paTujana sahayOgAt:

 

kaNNan had many sakhAs - friends; "tannErAyiram piLLaigaLoDu taLar nadai

ittu varuvAn"; He had many accomplices for His mischiefs.

 

tirumangai AzhwAr also had friends to carry out his works; nIr-mel

naDappAn, nizhaLil odunguvAn, tAl-UduvAn, tOlAvazhakkan were all his

accomplices.

 

8. LakshmI patitvAt:

 

kaNNan is none other than nArAyaNamUrti or lakshmIpati. kaliyan was married

to kumudavalli whose name was originally "tirumAmagaL". When tirumangai

mannan wanted to marry her, she put several conditions including one which

required the AzhvAr to feed 1008 brahmins for one year continuously, and

other conditions which made him an ardent SrIvaishNava, and made her the

benefactor and protector of SrivaishNava-s. Thus the AzhvAr ultimately married

kumudavalli, who proved to be a SrIvaishNava lakshmi, and he was the pati of

this 'lakshmi'.

 

9. nIlatvAt:

 

kaNNan was "karundeyvam" and as the statement "kAnagamellAm tirindu un

kariya tirumEni vADa" shows, He was the blue-hued azhagan. tirumangai

AzhvAr's name was nIlan (" taNDamizh seyda nIlan tanakku" - rAmAnuja nURRantAdi.

 

10. nIti mArga cyuti bhajanAt:

 

kaNNan's mischiefs, bordering on violation of all that is considered fair,

has been praised by all the AzhvArs, svAmi deSikan, etc. ("maccoDu mAligai

ERi mAdargaL tammiDam pukku kaccodu pattai kizuttu kAmbu tugilavai keeRi

niccalum tImaigaL seyvAi".

 

So also Kaliyan has been praised for his bhagavad kainkaryam even though he

has done things that can be considered outwardly not morally justified. In

truth, both KaNNan and Kaliyan are exemplary cases of those who were

followers of the nIti or justice.

 

When uttara's unborn child was being destroyed by aSvattAmA's brahmAstra,

Lord kr*shNa proclaimed "yadi me brahmacaryam syAt satyanca mayi tishThati,

avyAhatam mamaiSvaryam tena jIvatu bAlakah" - declaring that He never slips

from the path of Truth, and the child was brought back to life. In SrI

rangarAja stavam, SrI BhaTTar has pointed out that tirumangai mannan is a

person who has never swerved from the path of justice.

 

11. antataSca avatArAt:

 

krishNAvatAram is the last vibhava avatAram (so far). tirumangai is also

the last of all the AzhwArs.

 

12. Satru-dhvamSa utpatatvAt:

 

kaNNan is a destroyer of foes ("dEnukan pilamban kALiyan ennum

teeppappodugaL adanga uzhakki"). AzhwAr also was known as parakAlan

("aruL mAri arattamukki adaiyAr seeyam", "oRRalar tangaLai vellum AdalmAvalan

kalikanRi"); he defeated enemies in other religions.

 

Thus, SrI PBA establishes 12 similarities between kaNNan and kaliyan. It

can be noted that some of the comparisons can be applied to any devotee of our

Lord (for example, apahrutikaraNat can be applied to vAlmIkI, baddhatvAt

can be applied to rAmadAsar, SAstra-datvAt can be applied to nammAzhwar,

vyAsar etc., Satru-vamSOtpatatvAt to SrI vedAnta deSikar,

who defeated others' religious outbursts. However, Kaliyan is unique in

having all these similarities with Lord Kr*shNa, and this is the greatness

that SrI PBA brings out.

 

"nAmam nAn uyya nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam"

 

adiyen,

kalyani Krishnamachari