Periavachan pillai

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Fm: Velukkudi Krishnan.

 

September 3rd, AvaNi rOhiNi.

 

SrImat krishnasamAhvaya namO yAmuna sUnave

yat katAkshyaika lakshyAnAm sulabhaha srIdharaha sadA

 

avatAra rahasyam.

 

Tirumangai alwar sung in praise of Lord Krishna at tirukkannamangai and

finally gave an offer to him "ven sangam onru Endiya kanna - nintanakkum

kurippagil karkalam kaviyin poruntane " Krishna ! if you want to learn from

me the meanings of my prabandhams , you are welcome, please do so . Lord

Krishna in fact wanted to become the sishya of tirumangai alwar. Since he

was in archa samAdhi he could not do so immediately. But gave his word to T.

alwar, "in your next birth this would happen - I would be your sishya."

Krishna kept up his word. T. alwar born in Kartigai month kartigai

nakshatram took birth again as Swamy Nampillai in the same Kartigai month

kartigai nakshatram. Krishna who was born on avani rohini took birth again

as Periavachan pillai in avani rohini and was named as Krishna. Periavachan

pillai was the sishya of Nampillai. Thus, Krishna fulfilled his wish.

 

vyAkyana cakravarty

 

A cakravarty is called so because he lives in the midst(centre) of his

Kingdom (cakram - mandalam - kingdom). Here Periavachan pillai is called as

vyAkyana cakravarti because he too lives in the centre stage of his kingdom

which is nothing but his commentaries. Moreover, he also lives in the centre

of vyAkhyatAha - the commentators as their leader. He is called the emperor

of commentator because of his proficiency in 4 sets of commentaries -1. 4000

2. Srimad ramayana 3. stotras and 4. rahasyas.

 

An example of his commentating power.

Tirumangai alwar in his verses for Tiru ashtabhujam says "vaay tirandu onru

panittadu undu". The Lord with 8 hands came near the nayika (parakala

nayika) and said something "onru panittadu undu". It is not said in the

pasuram as to what was said by the Lord.

 

Why alwar did not explicitly say ?

1. Nayaka says something with love to nayaki. Will she in turn say the same

to her mother and friends. No.

2. Moreover, nayika, while the Lord came to say something, she was only

watching the beauty of his mouth and lips movement that she could not

recognise or remember anything that he said. He heard some words, but in the

beauty of their delivery she missed the actual meaning.

 

Periavachan pillai does not stop with this. He further adds what the Lord

said to parakala nayika. HE said "idai odiya ninradu tangattuma"

"O nayika ! your hips are so slender that they might break. Can I with my

eight hands support it ? ". What does "idai or iduppu" mean here ? Alwar

says " marungul nerunga nokki vaay tirandu onru panittadu undu" This is not

just lowkika kama where a nayaka speaks about nayika's hips. "idai" would

mean the part of the body that is in the middle (madhyama). Which in turn

means "idai word" (middle word) in tirumandiram as swapadesartha - which is

"namaha". In the three worded tirumandiram "om namo narayanaya" the middle

word is namaha. This word if split would read as "maha + m + na" which means

I am not for me. I cannot protect myself. You are my protector. Now parakala

nayika is one who is thorough in the meaning of this word. So she always

looks upon the Lord to protect her. Now the Lord came to know of this and

said "o girl ! it seems your idai is slender and beautiful (ie. your namaha

knowledge is beautiful). So can I support it with my hands " (i.e. as per

namaha I am supposed to protect and support you - shall I do that ?)

 

Dear bhaktas. Can we any day understand all these meanings just by reading

the text ? Without the commentary of Periavachan pillai this would have been

impossible. He was able to comment even on what tirumangai alwar left

unsaid. How is this possible. After all the alwars left, it was Swamy

Nammalwar who came back again and gave 4000 with the inner meanings to

Nathamunigal. And then right through the guruparampara, our purvacharyas,

gave all the inner meanings of these verses to their sishyas and thus

Periavachan pillai also begot the same. This is how he is able to comment on

everything.

 

Periavachan pillai tiruvadigale saranam.

 

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