thirup pAvai - part 4 - "pAvai" oru poruL viLakkam

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Dear bAgawathALs, mArgazhi day 4

4:45 AM

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

(meaning for the tamil word word thirup pAvai. Those who think

they know the simple tamil meanings may skip this anubavam).

 

It is said that pArvathi and Lord shiva once had vAkku vAtham

and Lord Shiva cursed pArvathi. Soon pArvathi had to separate

from Lord Shiva. She prayed to him for remedy. As advised by

Shiva pArvathi, did a severe penance at thiruk kalvanoor, seeking

Lord vAmanA's blessings. The penance was so severe and intense

that pArvathi stood on one leg and on top of the needle and surr

-ounded by fire all around.

 

Her resolve to seek the blessings of Lord vAmanA

never diminished. On seeing her sincere vratham Lord vAmana did

appear and blessed her to be reunited with Lord Shiva. Since

pArvathi did penance on Lord vAmanA and obtained the blessings of

Lord vAmana she is called as "kAmakshi".

 

Her name, "pArvathi" became (Pava) and then pAvai, (due to her

severe vratham seeking Lord vAmanA's thiru aruL)a generic name for

all woman folk doing "nOnbu" and seeking the blessings of Lord

uththaman (Lord vAvaman or Lord Vishnu) for their union with

their "purushan". Later the vratham or nOnbu was practiced so

sincerely by such women generally called as "pAvai", and they made

the "ilakkaNam or akarAthi" or the rule book for "nOnbu" itself.

i.e., there are vrathams undertaken for so many purposes. However

this "pAvai nOnbu" is undertaken for seeking their union with their

purushan. This pAvai nonbu was undertaken so intensively

for generations by these pAvaiyar, or woman, such that the name

"nOnbu or vratham" itself came to be known through them mainly

and named after them as "pAvai" and was addressed as "pAvai" ever

since. The word nOnbu in tamil means, "iRaivaNudaiya thiru aruL

Akiya oru naRkathiyai perum theevira muyarchci. ie., it is a sincere

and serious "EFFORT" by a jeevAtmA seeking the blessings

of Lord (blessings - known as thiru aruL). Thus whenever a woman

(symbolising a jeevatma here) do a nOnbu it is addressed as a

pAvai nOnbu or many times "pAvai" itself.

 

Thus thiru pAvai means thiru's nOnbu or thiru's vratham to

attain the Lord. ie. thiru or boomi dEvi's nOnbu to attain the

parama purushan the Lord. Boomi devi is ever present with the

Lord as his patthini. But then this vaibavam is believed to have

taken place to help the jivAtmAs in kali. ie., boomi Devi herself

do this vaibavam as per the AnYa of the Lord, doing the sarangathi

and act as a role model.

 

There is only one "purushan" in the entire universe and such is

Lord Krishna. Thus ANDAL who is the amsam of boomi piraati (boomi

devi) did a nonbu to attain her purushan and showed "us all" the

way or mArgam for attaining this "parama purushan".

 

Another reason for the name thirup pAvai is derived as

follows. Any sincere effort a woman would take to seek the

blessings of the lord to reunite with her purushan is known as

nOnbu or pAvai nOnbu or pAvai. pArvathi performed this sincere

effort and sought the blessings of the eternal God Lord Vamanan,

to reunite with her purushan and named this effort as pAvai nOnbu.

While pirAtti (gOtha pirAtti) performed this nOnbu (effort) and

sought the blessings of the eternal God Sri Krishna to reunite

with her eternal purushan the Lord Krishna HIMself. Thus this

nOnbu or effort became the most special nOnbu of all and came to

be known as "thiru nOnbu" or "thiru pAvai" or the "holiest and

most special effort".

 

Since this generic thiru nOnbu is a mArgam (prapatti) for all

jivAtmAs to follow the path shown by Sri ANDAL and attain the

patham with the parama purushan. The nool (literature) itself got

this name as the act perfomed in this nool is nOnbu. Thus this

nool (as similar to thirup paLLi ezhuchchi - means awakening the Lord)

obtained its name from the very act being performed in these verses.

This act nOnbu to attain unity (to reunite) with the

parama purushan is performed through the little effort of this

jivAtma and such little effort is known as saranAgathi.

 

The entire nool is a saranAgathi thatthuvam one can learn from

and such will be the central theme for adiyEn's understanding and

presentations to follow.

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadaikaLE saraNam

Sri Boomi dEvi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE

saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan

 

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