thirup pAvai - part 20 - "thozhilan"

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Dear bAgawathAs, mArgazhi day 10, 5:50 AM

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

"koor vEl kodun thozhilan"

 

The inner most meaning here for this line is tha AchArya

sthAnam that is in the middle rungs of the ladder that the

jivAtma ascends in its way to the Lord. It has been discussed as

to why a Father is given the achArya sthAnam in the HINDU

marriage tradition. The Father is the one who has to initaite the

braham upadEsam to a son when he is young. or This is the first

mantra upadEsam a jivAtmA receives in his birth. Just as similar

to that the jivAtmA receives a mantra upadEsm a second time

during saranAgathi and this time from the AchAryA. Hence an

AchAryA is considered as a Father and the fellow shishyALs of an

AchAryA are considered as brothers. The shishyALs of the same

AchAryA must serve the cause of their AchAryA in an united

way just as similar to brothers in a joint family sharing

responisbilities. Swami Desikan emphasise this in Swami Desika

prabnadam as "kurukkaL kuZhangaL". ie., He implies that the group

efforts of fellow bAgwathAs under their AchAryAs command is itself

similar to an experience in Srivaikundam. Sameway a Father is

also considered as an AchAryA since he is the one who initaites this

jivAtmA with the brahma updEsam. In Tamil thers is

a proverb that is coined to capture this inner meanings, as

 

"thanthai sol mikka manthiram illai". ie the "word" of Father is

itself a mantram and that one may obey it and conceive it and

derive the palan from it. It also means that what ever one's

AchAryA may tell them they must follow it as a mantra upadEsam

itself. ie the command of an AchArya is so important as similar

to the ANgYai of a Father to a son.

 

The ritual saraNagathi or baranyAsam itself is considered a

marriage with the Lord. Thus in the marriage of saranAgathi

performed as a nOnbu by Sri ANDAL (done for paving the way for

the jivAtmAs), the reference to Sri Nandagopan is directed to

AchAryan who performs this ritual. In this vyAkyAnam the word

"sthAnam" or "position" here is important. In an overall meaning

a jivAtmA can attain (through the nOnbu or marriage known as

saranAgathi) the Lord as its eternal purushan mainly through

the blessings of AchAryAn and the same is realised through the mantra

upadEsam (as the conversaion between AchAryA and the Lord

and repeated by the jivAtmA) that is performed during this

occassion. This is similar to a bride being initiated into the

holy matrimony by her father who will chant mantrams and do this

kannigA dhAnam (a vyAjA).

 

Thus the knowledge of AchAryan comes first to the

jivAtmA through the "thiru aruL" of the Lord conveyed directly or

through bAgawatha sambandham or through elders in the family

advising them. Then through the AchAryan comes the realisation

of the eternal bondage with the purushan the Lord by the

mantra upadEsam. Thus the reference is made to mantra upadEsam

through reference to the "Mother yasOdhai" only after the

"achArya sthAnam". This realisation becomes complete and full

only when Lord's thiru uLLam known as "siddha upAyam" is

bestowed upon.

 

The word "thozhilan" here refers to the position or

occupation or sthAnam. What is the thozhil or occupation that the

AchArya sthAnam performs for a jivAtma in its ascendance to the

Lord? AchAryAs parichchayam or acquaintance brings the jivAtmA to

the limelight. The jivAtman is surrounded by the annyAnam that is

similar to a deep dark black hole and thick dark smoke. These are

the "7" screens that cover the jivAtma in its realisation of

self. Though the jivAtma has the "pakkuvam" or maturity it still

needs to fully realise its own self. This is also similar to a

cleansing job, ie., like washing a vessel with the cleaning

liquid. AchAryAs vicinity itselves clears some of these screens

of. However the mantra upadEsam and the anusanthAnam of such

mantram (ie.,dwayam mantram) alone makes this realisation to

almost near as "far" as the jivAtmA is considered.

 

AchArya does the mantra upadEsam and baranyAsam as a full time

"thozhil" and tirelessly for so many jivAtmAs who comes with

the desire to surrender to the Lord. In fact it is understood in

Sri SampradhAyam that they are "mandated" to perform these for

the matured jivAtmAs as per the Angyai of the Lord. Thus the

"thozhilan" here is the AchAryan who has the "thozhil" of

protecting the jivAtmAs from their annyAnams taking the toll on

them.

 

In Srivaishnavam "AcharyA sthAnam" is given the utmost

importance. This can be very well seen from the thaniyan "Lakshmi

nAtha samArambAm". ie., It is said that Lord Himself facilitated

the achArya pArampariyam as HE HIMself being the first achAryan

for the thAyAr Sri Lakshmi.

 

Coming to the pAsuram, one may ask as to why such

thozhil is referred as "kodum thozhil". Here the tamil word kodum

is also seen in another way ie., as one that is not referred to

some thozhil. ie., this sentence has to be split as "koor vEl kodum"

and "thozhilan nandagOpan" and kumaran. The word "kodum" is

referred to the "annyAnam" that is destroyed

by the "koor vEL" here known as the "thiru aruL" of the AchAryAn.

Why is the "annyAnam" so dangerous or kodum or torturing. It is

because of the fact that such annyAnam prevented the jivAtmA

all along from fully realising the nature of its own self.

Why is AchAryAs "thiru aruL" so sharp as "koor vEl", because

it destroys the annyAnam in a nodi.

 

ie., "nooRRAndu iruLaiyum nodiyilE pOkkidum OLiyAkum".

ie,. the iruL or the darkness that has been blanketting the

jivAtmA for centuries ie., in its several births so far, will be

pierced in just one split second by the "oLi" or bright

light that is passed from the blessings of the AchAryAL. The

breaking the screen of annyAnam is first important and it

is implied as such that jivAtma couldnot have done it without

achAryAs "thiru aruL". ie., the "thiru aruL" of the Lord is made

through "AchAryA" for the jivAtma.

 

Such oLi or thiru aruL is usually attained from AchAryA

by doing bAgwatha kaimkaryam. ie.,Such will be facilitated by

being in the company of devout and learned bAgwathALs (sath

sangam). Then one will be able to learn through them the

importance of AcharyAs and reach the "sath" Acharya and do

uninterrupted errand service to them and attain their "thiru aruL".

That is when, the jivAtma begins to realise by discovering

the swaya swaroopam.

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan

 

 

 

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