Saazhal

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri.Sadagopan,

It's been very interesting indeed reading all the posts of yours and others

like Sri.Dileepan and Company preferring their respective votes for the

"MFDD" (Most Favoured Divya-Desam"). As Sri.Anbil has remarked it's a

classic "patti-manram" subject with almost infinite possibilities for

friendly but scholarly jousting.

 

Much in the same spirit I have a question on Sri.Tondar-adi-podi for all of

you.

 

I too have heard it being said that the Saint sang in praise of none but

Ranganathan. This indeed was a matter of great disappointment to me for

many years (as it always has similarly been I know for generations of

natives of Tirupati). That this AzhwAr ignored our Lord

TiruvEngada-mudaiyAn who otherwise fully qualifies for the

title,"kurai-onrum-illAda-gOvinda", is something which always particularly

rankles inveterate devotess of Lord Srinivasan. Since this Saint also

happens to be my favourite AzhwAr this grave lapse on his part never ceases

to cause me some pain and embarassment. How on earth could this AzhwAr have

ignored The Lord of TiruvEngadam?

 

Some years ago an elderly relative of mine from Tirupati offered me some

solace which I now share with you. It does offer some consolation. But I

often wonder if it is not as far-fetched as ingenious it certainly is.

 

I would appeal to someone else (like yourself or Sri.Anbil or Sri.Dileepan

or Sri.Sempath Rengarajan) to confirm if it is indeed credible if not

entirely true.

 

Here it is :

 

In the celebrated Second "pAsuram" of the "tirumAlai" we have the "AzhwAr"

likening the "tirumEni" of Ranganatha to the lush, verdant crests of a

distant hill that captivate one like the magical will-o-the-wisp:

 

"pacchai-mA-malai-pOl mEni, pavazha-vai kamala-chengan

achuthA amara-rErE ! ..... etc."

 

Now, analysing the above line the elderly relative of mine actually

questioned the very "pAtivratatvam" of the AzhwAr vis-a-vis Ranganathan :

 

"If Vipra-nArayanan" didn't stir out SriRangam," he asked, "if he was such

a "pativratan" vis-a-vis Ranganathan, how did he happen to choose the

glorious simile of a "pachhai-mA-malai" to describe the "tirumEni" of the

Lord of Srirangam? Were there such hills in and around SriRangam? No! So

how then did Tondar-adi-podi visualise the arresting beauty of nascent

green cascading down a hill-slope and think it fit to describe the

"tirumEni-azhagu" of Ranganathan?

 

"If the AzhwAr had wanted he could have picked on other equally arresting

imagery nearer home, isn't it? He could have employed surely any one of a

number of similes relating to the beauteous ambience of the Cauvery-banks,

for instance. But he didn't. Why?

 

Why indeed?

 

My relative went on to explain.

 

"The only way the Azhwar could adequately describe the

"aprAkrita-divya-mangala-tirumEni" of Ranganathan was to compare it with

the extraordinary beauty of the verdant green of a "pacchai-mA-malai" ----

which is a clear and unmistakable reference to the Hills of VenkatAdri !

 

"arranganin tirumEni azhagu nam tirumalaiyin azhaghuk-ku nigarE !"

 

This relative of mine still seriously believes that the inspiration for the

wonderful second verse of the 'tirumAlai" was incontrovertibly some inner

vision of "venkAtAdri" that the AzhwAr must certainly have had and which he

then conveniently used in praise of the Lord of Tiruvarangam!

 

Sri.Sadagopan, I am now in a great "dharma-sankatam" (moral quandary)!

 

If I must believe my relative I will be casting grievous aspersions on the

"pativratam" of your AzhwAr who, going by circumstantial evidence,

certainly seems to have had pre-marital truck with "tiruvEngadam"!

 

If I were to disbelieve my relative, on the other hand, I know I will be

taking away credit from my "tiruvengada-mudaiyAn" who to me is the only

true "kurai-onrum illAda govindan" !

 

Can you please rescue me ?

 

adiyEn,

sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I strongly believe that even Saint Tondar-adi-podi "AzhwAr" --- he who

sang in praise of none else but the Lord of Tiruvarangam --- could not have

conceived of the beauty of "pacchai-mA-malai pOl mEni...." unless he had

some inner vision of the lush-green of the Hills of GarudAdri and AnjanAdri

! The "AzhwAr" really had no word to describe adequately the "tirumEni" of

the Lord of Srirangam except by comparing it to the lush richness of the

Hills of TiruvEngadam --- "pacchai-mAmalai-pOl mEni...."!

I challenge anyone who states that our Tondar-adi-podi had nothing to say

about "tiruvEngada-mudaiyAn"!!! He said everything he had to say in a

single immortal expression of extraordinary poetry!

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Narayanaya Namaha

 

This is a beautiful insight about the paasuram brought out by Sri

Sudarshan. I don't know whether I am qualified to offer my views and

comments on this without a thorough knowledge. However I am putting

down all that I can, to consolidate my claim that Thondar-adi-podi

AzhwAr is a pativratan with reference to RanganAthan.

 

The word "Pachai mA malai" was not given as "uvamai" by the AzhwAr

with ThiruvengadamudaiyAn in mind. It is true that he could have as

well referred to any other imagery to describe the "thirumEni azhagu"

of RanganAthan. But just because there is no hills surrounding

Srirangam and nearby area this doesn't mean that AzhwAr has never

heard about the existence of any mountain at all in the Universe.

(Forget not that the famoust Rockfort hill is in Trichy).

 

As told by Sri Sudarsan, a river like KAveri cannot be used to

describe the beauty of emberumAn for a reason, that the river has

feminine gender associated with it (This is as understood by me to my

limited knowledge). However when the beauty of a male is described it

should be described with respect to those imagery which are masculine

in nature.

 

So a "malai" or the mountain is a strongest image that one could

readily accept to relate it to a male who is very strong in his

physique. So the AzhwAr, in my opinion, has used this malai to

describe the PerumAL's ThirumEni.

 

Adding further, a mountain can be of two types one is the rough one

with just barren rocks and giving a tougher look and the other is with

a lush of greenery over it giving a soft touch. Our PerumAL, while he

is strong enough to use the mountain as the "uvamai" he does not have

that roughness, in look as well as in his inside self. Hence the

AzhwAr preferred to use the word " Pachhai mA malai " instead of just

ascribing it to the mountain to refer to the "dhidagAthra sareeram" of

our PerumAL.

 

Hence I finish my note saying that the AzhwAr IS a pativratan with

respect to RanganAthan and that he used the word "Pachhai mAmalai" as

just a fitting "uvamai" and not with ThiruvengadmudaiyAn in his mind.

 

Please do correct me if I am wrong as all that I have written is what

I thought of and not what I read.

 

Sri RanganAyaki thAyAr samEtha Sri RanganAthan thiruvadigaLE saraNam.

 

adiyEn RAmAnuja dAsan

 

 

Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh

[Guest guest]

At 08:09 PM 8/9/1998 +0530, sudarshan wrote:

>

>I too have heard it being said that the Saint sang in praise of none but

>Ranganathan.

 

 

Azhvaar did sing about one other Dhivya Desam, Thiruvayoththi, in

ThiruppaLLiyezhuchchi. Refrer to verse # 4. Even here the Azhvaar only

refers to Sri Ranganatha as "ayOthyam arasE!".

 

 

-- adiyEn raamanuja dhaasan