thirup pAvai - part 39 - "kathir mathiyam - the winning smile" -

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thirup pAvai - part 39 - "kathir mathiyam - the winning smile" -

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

Dear bAgawathAs,

 

The beauty of our Lord's face is something that one cannot

comparison (ie., it cannot be adequately expressed by the words

"kathir mathiyam" alone). "than oppAr illappan" ie Oppiliappan

or Lord of no comparisons. Sage Sri Valmiki delivered in Srimad

Ramayanam that "chandra kAnthAnam rAmam" (Sri Raman has a

face that is so beautiful similar to Sri Chandran or Moon) first.

Then it seems he felt that he had erred and re-addressed the

Lord again as "atheeva priya darsanam" ie (Our Lord is one who

is even more beautiful than that Srichandran or moon). "Ivan

Soorya vamsatthil vanthavan AyiRRE irunthum chanthiranai pOl

vaseeharikkum thiru mugap polivai uadayan Aha irukkiRan IRe". ie.

Though HE appeared in Soorya vamsam (kathir), HE appears to wear

a smile that is mesmerising as similar to the beautiful look of

a full moon or (mathiyam). In the same token, Our Sri RanganAtha

(kArMeni Cehgan) came down to soorya (kathir) vamsam ie., in

ikshuvAgu clan and finally ended up in chandra (mathiyam) vamsam

ie., at the banks of chandra pushkarani and as per the thapas of

Sri Chandran in Srirangam.

 

The reference to "Mathi" or moon in a comparison to one's

beautiful face or thirumugam, also represents the smile in one's

face. The bride is looking at the Lord and HIS face. While the

reference to "kathir" or sooryan refers to the victory or

winning nature of one's look. At this instant the bride must

express her "nAnam" or inborn shyness of a female or "pen

inam" in olden days. And the male lover or the bridegroom

displays a broad and winning smile in HIS face on seeing the

beautiful "kanni" or the maiden all dressed up in her

marriage attire (koorai pudavai) and approaching the bride.

There are several types of smiles one can see in one's face. Of

which the current type of smile is of a "winning" kind. ie. This

smile itself wins HIS bride for HIM. ie the vaseekaram in

punnagai or smile earns one the success in convining the bride

to fall for HIM. Most of the lords who accept Her (Sri ANDAL's)

"mAlai" (the five Lords who were her adorer) sports this

smile all the time even today as one can see such in those

ursava moorthis of these divya dEsams. (*). ie., Sri Ranganathar

(and Sri namperumAL), Sri Venkatan, Sri Azhagar, Sri Vadapathra

sAyee and Sri Krishnan. These Lord offer their mAlai in return

to Her as well.

 

We have addressed the "kulam" and gothram for the

bridegroom and now the beauty of the Lord as the bridegroom is

being addressed for the sake of Aaychiars (representing

jivAtmAs) who are potential candidates as brides for the

marriage or "nOnbu" (saranagathi). We have addressed the beauty

of the face of this bride groom. The bride needs to be told more

such that she can be convinced of this alliance.

 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan

 

note: During adiyEn's visit to Chicago pewrumAL kOil, after we

have all chanted the prabhandam (thiruvAymozhi) in ghOsti, on

Srivaikunda EkAdEsi day, i was amazed to see the smile in Lord's

face and i rushed to convey this to Sri Ragavan. Smt kalyAni

was saying "Yes, our perumAL is always beautiful". Many

locallers were adding to that the other perumAL of NA are having

a north american type craft work and that we are lucky that our

perumAL is beautiful. Some had no clue as to what I was

implying. However adiyEn added to Sri Ragavan that when

perumAL hears the divya prabandham sung like these HE wears

a smile in HIS face and this is similar to the smiling Sri

namperumAL and Sri SarangapAni and that the credit goes to the

Lord for having accpeted this ghOsti and to bless them with the

smile and as well to all those who sang these thiru vAy mozhi as

directed by Sri Varadhan Mama and requested by Sri Ragavan.

After this incident Sri Ragavan presented adiyEn with perumAL's

sivantha mAlai (the red garland). adiyEn was thrilled with

this experience.

 

Later the word spread around and many have agreed

with that and have reported to have seen the smile for the

first time and was commented as well by some earlier while

discussing about this year's festival. adiyEn however added

that to some specific members of the ghOsti that our Sri

Ranganthar namperumAL in pomona must also sport a smile soon

and that we must all reunite in Newyork during July 1999,

to do the GhoSti. (I will write more on this chicago urasavam

and some of my own anubavams or personal experiences with this

Aurora SrinivASa perumAL as and when a fitting passage is dealt

with.)

 

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