TherazhundhUr MahAthmyam : Part 10

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

As a direct response to the extraordinary

Kaimkaryam that Sri MadhavakkaNNan (MK )is doing

with respect to the facile and Bhakthi-laden

translation of the Sri Sookthis of NammAzhwAr

and Thirumangai , I will focus on Kaliyan's

paasurams that enjoy Aamuruviappan as Gopaalan ,

the kuttikkaNNan .

 

Sri MK's transaltions on the ThiruvallikkENi

paasurams are simply beautiful , when one recognizes

the complexity of these paasurmas as translation

material. Overcome by his darsana soubhAgyam

of Sri ParthasArathy , Gajendhra Varadhan ,

TeLLiya Singam , Sri Raamachandran and Sri Ranganathan

in the same divya desam , Kaliyan packed so many references

to all of them in a dense array of word garlands

( soll maalai )that defies easy translation .

Because of his AchArya Bhakthi ,Sri MadhavakkaNNan

has come thru with flying colors in translating these

moving ThiruvallikkENi paasurams with their inherent bhAvam .

 

I would like to focus in this posting on how

Kaliyan enjoyed TherazhundhUr Aamuruviappan as

GopAlan . He is indeed Gosakhan or the friend of

Cows .His ThirumEni soiled from the exertions of

the day grazing cows and tending to their needs

as GopAlan is captured beautifully by LeelA Sukhar's

KrishNa karNAmrutha slOkam :

 

gOdhULi dhUsaritha komaLa kunthalAgram

GovardhanOddharaNa kEli krutha PrayAsam

Gopijanasya kucha kumkuma mudhrithAngam

Govindham indhu vadhanam SaraNam bhajAma :

 

Here , LeelA Sukahr takes refuge at the sacred feet

of the RaajagOpAlan , whose curly locks of dark hair

had become soiled with the dust raised by the hoofs

of the wandering cows as He moved them from one

grazing area to the other of BrundhAvanam .The dust

raised by the cows and calves had settled on the tips

of the beautiful tresses ( GodhuLi dhUsaritha

komaLa kunthala agram )of this divine cowherd ,

Gopaalan .

 

Aamuruviappan grew up in AayarpAdi and BrindhAvanam

and was celebrated as RaajagOpAlan . He is a Gopala

MahA Desikan who blessed His distraught sishyan ,

Arjunan in the battle field of KurukshEthram . After

tsting ArjunA as a sishyan , out of His nature as

a Parama dhayALu , he blessed ArjunA and us with

the Charama slOkam .

 

Today in the PoundarIkapuram Aasramam sits another

Gopaala MahA Desikan , who pleads with the GeethAchAryan

on behalf of those , who perform prapatthi at his sacred

feet . As a parama dhayALu , this mahA Desikan helps us

face the battle field of samsAram and removes our Bharam

and prepares us through his upadEsams for Parama padham

and nithya Kaimkaryam to his name sake there .

 

There is another item that is common to both the Gopala

Desika Maha Desikans . Both share the constellation of

RohiNi . One incarnated in the rainy month of Simha srAvaNam

( AavaNi ), when the RohiNi constellation was in ascendance

at vada mathurai . The other Gopaala MahA Desikan came into

this world for our ujjIvanam during Panguni RohiNi . Both

Desikans have illustrious sishya paramparai .

 

On a GokulAshtami night lit with RohiNi star , one

GopAla MahA Desikan was born ( Jayanthi sambhavam

DhAma Vaijayanthi vibhUshaNam ). On that dark Krishna

paksham night , skies opened up and heavy rain was

pouring .YamunA river was flooded. The land was cool

from the welcome rain . All of Mathurai was deep in

slumber . King VasudEvan and his consort , Devaki Piraatti

were in cruel Kamsan's Jail . Outside that jail cell,

the guards were doing rhOnthu. Our Lord , the GopAla

MahA Desikan incarnated at this time inside the jail house

of Kamsan .

 

Our Lord incarnated in that jail house as a child with

four hands carrying Sudarsanam ,Sankham ,gathai and

a lotus flower as Sriman NaarAyaNAvathAran with MahA lakshmi

seatd on His chest . The parents enjoyed the daranam of

Sriya: pathi , the DevAthi Devan and were worried

about the cruel Kamsan doing any harm to this divine

"child " . They begged Him to assume " the Maanusha Baala

vEsham " and He obliged them . Thereafter , He loosened the

chains on His father's feet , made the jail guards sleepy ,

caused the locks on the jail door to open and made

the flood waters of YamunA subside . His father took

this MaayAvi child in a basket and placed the basket on

his head and proceeded to the other bank of the YamunA river ,

while Adhi Seshan protected the divine "cargo " with

his hoods during the journey across the river to Gokulam .

There VasudEvan left the child by the side of YashOdhA

Devi, the wife of NandhagOpan and took the girl child

that was just born to YasOdhai and brought it back

to the jail .Thus the Lord got the mangaLAsAsanam ,

" Orutthi mahanAi piRanthu , Oriravil orutthi

mahanAyoLitthu " vaLarnthAn . The maayais performed

by our lord during the time of His avathAram and His

divine beauty as Baala GOpAlan has been saluted as

" ambhOruhastha kalahamsa kisOra ramyam " ( the beautiful

infant swan resting on the top of a lotus flower as

Kuttik KaNnan ).

 

Thirumangai visualizes this moving avathAram scene

(appan avatharittha KathAmrutham )of GopAla MahA Desikan

in one of his dasAvathAra Paasurams on Aamuriviappan :

 

Tanthai kaaliR peruvilangu thALa vizha , nallirutkaNN

vantha venthai PerumAnAr maruvi ninRavoor pOlum

munthi vaanam mazhai pozhiya moovAvuruvin maRayALar

anthi moonRum analOmpum ANiyAr veethi AazhunthUrE

 

Thirumangai recognizes the divya desam of ThErazhundhUr

with VaidhikAs performing agni kaaryms at three sandhis

as " Nallirutk KaNN vantha yenthai PerumAnAr maruvi

ninRavoor pOlum " . Our dark hued Lord incarnated

(vantha Yenthai) during the nall iruLk kaalam

( the deep dark night )of VarshA kaalam ( rainy season).

Kaliyan wonders that ThErazhundhUr must then be the home of

this Lord ,who took His avathAram on a dark rainy night

( PerumAnAr Maruvi ninRavoor pOlum ).

 

Sri NaarAyana Bhattadhiri describes this avathAra

kaalam , the Lord's beauty at the time of His incarnation

and His Soundharyam with SarvAbharaNams and MahA Lakshmi

in three beautiful slOkams of Sri NaarayaNIyam modelled

after Sukha Brahmam's Srimadh Bhagavatham 's original text :

 

Aanandha roopa Bhagavannayi thEvathArE

prApthE pradhIptha bhavadhanga nireeyamANai:

Kaanthi vrajairiva gaNAgana maNdalairdhyAm

aavruNvathi viruruchE kil avarshavElA

 

(Meaning): Oh Lord , the embodiment of Bliss !

When you incarnated , the sky was completely

covered with dark water-laden clouds of

the rainy season . That dark sky shone as though

it was covered with the blue effulgence of Your body.

 

Baalya sprusApi vapushA vibhUthi:

udhyath kirIDa kaDkAngadga Haara BhAsA

ankAri Vaarija gadhA paribhAsithEna

mEghAsithEna parilEsitha sUthigEhE

 

(Meaning ) : Oh Lord of GuruvAyUr ! Even though

You were sporting as a beautiful blue-hued

infant at Your avathAra kaalm , You were resplendent

in the prasava room with Your shining crown ,

shoulder AabharaNams , golden bangles ,pearl necklace ,

Sankham , Sudarsanam , Mace and a lotus flower in

Your right hand .

 

VakshasthalI sukhanileenavilAsi LakshmI-

mandhAksha lakshitha KatAksha vimOkshabhEdhai:

tanmandhirasya kalakamsa kruthAmalakshmim

unmArjayanniva virAjitha VaasudEva

 

(meaning ): Oh VaasudEvA ! The Lotus lady , who

permanently resides on Your chest with aanandham

cast with modesty Her auspicious glances on that

dingy prasava room to which the evil Kamsan had cast

Your parents and with that sObhana dhrushti

removed all the amangaLams there instantly

and made it full of riches.

 

After celebrating the avathAram of our Jayanthi

Sambhavan , Thirumangai goes on to celebrate

the Bala kreetais of our Gopaala Desikan

in the subsequent paaurams .

 

Thirumangai mannan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil varadAchAri SadagOpan