Saazhal paasurams and Bhagavdhanubhavams

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Yesterday I wrote about the Saazhal Paasurams

of Thirumangai , where he enjoyed the Bhagavadh

GuNAnubhavams of Vibhava moorthys , RaamA and

KrishNA . During this Brahma mUhUrtham , I will

write about another conversation between Gopis

as reported this time by PeriyAzhwAr ( PeriyAzhwAr

Thirumozhi: 3.9 ).

 

The Gopis engage here in another playful

celebration centered around Bhagavadh

GuNAnubhavanm known as "Unthi Paratthal " .

The ChEshtithams (leelAs ) of KrishNAvatharam

and RaamAvathAram are celebratd here by a group of

Gopis . One Half of them are Raama ChaithanyAs

and the other half are KrishNa ChaithanyAs .

This simultaneous hailing of the glories of

the two Vibhava AvathArams at one times is

considered equivalent to the Nithya Sooris taking

many bodies at Parama padham to serve the Lord in many

ways and praise His guNams thru such means .This

situation is similar to the play of children ,

where they shout , my Father is stronger than

Yours , My father is richer than Yours etc .

 

Ishta DevathA prArthanai and NamaskaraNam is

a well documented phenomenon in the Bhakthi

mode of celebrating our Lord . A great KrishNa

chaithanyA , LeelA Sukhar , the author of the sweet

KrishNa KarNAmrutham said to Sri RaamA , who appeared

before him once to go away and come back with flute in

hand , peacock feather ( MaayUra Barham )and VanamAlai

around His neck so that He can receive

LeelAsukhar's worship . The sloKam is as follows :

 

vihAya Kodhanda sarou muhUrtham

gruhANa paaNou maNi chAru vENum

maayUra bharham cha nijOtthamAngE

SITAAPATHE tvAm praNayAmi pascchAth

 

LeelAsukhar Says " Oy ! SeethApathi !

Please put aside your KodhaNdam and arrows for a

short while , take on the beautiful flute

of in Your hand , wear the peacock feather in

Your black tresses and THEN I will prostrate before

You ".

 

Raama ChaithanyAs like Saint ThyagarAjA or

the SankarAchAryA of Kanchi Paramparai , who

was another Raama ChaithanyA par excellenece

are Raama pathivrathAs . They asked KrishNA

to go away and asked Him to assume the Vesaham

of Raaman so that they will pay attention .

 

Coming back to PeriyAzhwAr's paasurams referred

to above , the pala sruthi says that those who

recite these ten paasurams would have no sufferings

of any kind in their lives ( Senthamizh Tenn Puthuvai

Vittuchitthan sol , iynthinodu Iynthum vallArkku

ALLAL ILLAIYE ) .

 

I will give two examples of these unthi paratthal

paasurams of Gopis as recorded by PeriyAzhwAr .

 

One Gopi says : " Hail the Glory of my Lord KrishNA ,

who in order to fulfil the desire of His beloved consort ,

SathyabhAmA moved the blooming PaarijAtham tree from

the garden of IndrA and planted in the courtyard of

SathyabhAmA . Let us praise His valour " .

 

The Other Gopi responds : " Hail the pourusham (Valor)

of my RaamA ,the son of DasarathA , who took away

the power and bow of haughty ParasurAmA , who challenged

His valor ; and hail that Maha Veeran , who also killed

the demoness TatakA by wielding His KoDhandam " .

 

All of Divya Prabhandham , which in the assessment of

Dr. S.M.S. Chari is the distillation of doctrines

housed in Upanishads , the Paancha rAthra aagamam ,

the IthihAsAs and PurANAs and is rich in celebration

of SavisEsha Brahma Vaadham aspects of saluting

the Para Brahmam .The uniqueness of Sri VisishtAdhvaitham

as elaborated by AchArya RaamAnujA " identifies

this metaphysical Absolute " with the personal God "

of our Darsanam .Thirumangai has correctly observed

earlier in this context that Our Lord Sriman NaarAyanA

as the One in the form of the sound of Tamil and who is also

in the form of the Sanskrit Word ( senthiRatthat TamizhOsai

VadasollAhi--niRkum anthaNanai maRavAthenrum vAazhthiyEl

VaazhalAm maDa nenjE-- ThirunedumhtAnDakam : 4 ).

 

Dr.S.M.S. Chari Quotes in this context an assessment

by the AchAryA of AchArya Hrudhayam about Bhagavadh

GuNAnubhavam being the heart of ThiruvAimozhi and links

the ten centums to the following ten Central themes :

 

1. ParathvA or NarAyaNaa as the supreme being

2. KaaraNathvA or the Supreme Lord as the primamry cause

of this Universe

3. VyApakathvA or His abiding at all times and in all

sentient and non-sentint entities both within and

outside .

4. NiyanthrythvA or He is the Controller of ALL.

5. KaaruNIkathvAm or His limitless compassion

6. SaraNyathvam or His role as the sole refuge for ALL.

7. Sakthithvam Or His unquestioned power to protect ALL.

8. SatyakAmathvam or He is endowed with KalyANa guNAs

(auspicious attributes ) and VibhUthis (auspicious wealth )

9. Aapathsakhathvam or His real friendship for the BhakthAs

in distress .

10. Aarhtiharathvam or His unfailing response to His devotees,

when they long to attain Him ( vde: Aarthi

Prabhandham of MaNavALa Maamuni).

 

The entire Divya Prabhandham celebrating the three

rahasyams symbolized by the EmperumAns of Srirangam

( mUla manthram ) , Kaanchi ( Dhvayam ) and

ThiruvEnkatam ( Carama SlOkam ) is abundant with

Bhagavadh GuNAnubhavam by our " theistic mystics",

the great AzhwArs .

 

The recent book of Dr.S.M.S. Chari that I referred to

frequently is one of the best books dealing with

the "Theistic Mysticism " of AzhwArs and their unique status

in our SampradhAyam .Actually , Dr.Chari has coined

this word , "Theistic Mystics " to describe appropriately

the unquenes of the AzhwAr's anubhavams .

 

Thanks to Sri KrishNa Kalale , I had the good fortune

to get a copy of this wonderful book , which has to be

read again and again to appreciate the enormous scholarship

and insights of this great Sri VaishNavite Scholar , who

impartially analyses and soberly points out the essential

meanings of the life and works of the AzhwArs in his new book .

 

Dr. Chari's earlier book on Sri Vaishnavism is

a Master piece in its own rights for those ,

who wish to know about the profound doctrines and

ancient history of our Darsanam . This new book

is a special and focussed study on AzhwArs and

their special brand of mysticism . Dr.Chari steers

clear of traditional controversies and very unemotionally

puts the facts in front of us and with his blemishless

scholarship and the anugrahams of his great AchAryAs

( Sri Goshtipuram Swami and MathurAnthakam

Sri VeerarAghavAcchAr Swamy ). He has given us a truly

brilliant work on the Philosophy and Theistic

Mysticism of the AzhwArs ." I pray to our SaraNyan

to bless Dr.S.M.S. Chari for long and healthy life

to bless us with more such granthams .

 

AdiyEn , Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

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