Upadesa Rathna maalai: Part 14 ( 46-49)

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The unique place of PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai among commentators

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PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai punpu ullavaikkum

theriya--vyAkkiyakaL seyvAl--ariya

aruLichceyal poruLai Aariyarkatkku ippOthu

aruLicheyal aaythtu aRitthu....(46)

 

(meaning):Today , it is possible to provide pravachanams

(lectures) on the deeper meanings of all the four thousand

blessed collect thanks to the great effort of PeriyavAcchAn

PiLLai(PVP), who commented on all of them for our benefit.

 

(Comments) In the five paasurams preceding this one,

MM has paid tribute to the five different commentators

of Swami NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi including PVP .Now ,

MM salutes the great help (MahOpakAram ) of PVP in

blessing us with detailed commentaries on all of

the four thousand Paasurams .Dhivya prabhandha DhivyArhtams

would otherwise not have come our way .No one could

conduct kAlakshEpams on them , if PVP had not blessed us so.

Today those who sit in AchArya Peetams are able to instruct

us on the deeper meanings of the Four Thousand thanks to

the unique help of PVP.The commentary of PVP on PeriyAzhwAr's

dhivya prabhandham was eaten up by white ants and were lost.

Sri MM made up for it by writing a commentary largely from

memory along the lines of PVP.

 

Salutation to other commentators of few other Prabhandhams

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Nanjeeyar seytha vyAkkiyaikaL naalirandukku

yenjAmai yAvaikkum illayE-tanjeerAl

Vyaa guruvin tampi mannu MaNavALa Muni

seyyum avai thaamum sila.....(47)

 

(Meaning):The commentaries created by Nanjeeyar are

limited to a few dhivya prabhandhams.He did not cover

all of them.Similarly , the brother of PiLLai Lokam Jeeyar

(Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NaayanAr), and Vaadhi Kesari

Azhagiya MaNavALa Jeeyar blessed us with commentaries for

few other dhivya prabhnadhams as well.

 

(Comments): Sri MM is still on the track of celebrating

the enormity of the task that PVP undertook in completing

the commentaries for all of the four thousand paasurams

of the blessed collect .Here , he offers his salutations

to three more AchAryAs , who commented on some of these

dhivya Prabhandhams :(1) Nanjeeyar's commentary on ThiruppAvai

ad kaNNinuNN SirutthAmpu (2) The brother of PiLLai LokAcchAr's

commentary on NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi (AchArya Hrudhayam ),

ThiruppAvai and kaNNinuNN SorutthAmpu as well as

AmalanAdhip PirAn (3) VaadhikEsari Jeeyar commented only

on Swamy NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham besides PanneeRAyirappadi,

the padha urai for ThiruvAimozhi .

 

History of the birth , eclipse and rebirth of 36,000 PaDi

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SeerAr Vadakku Thiruveedhip Pillai--yezhu..

thErAr Tamizh Vedatthu eedu tanai --thaarumena

vaangi munn NampiLLai EeyuNNi Madhavarkkut-

thAmm kodutthAr -pinn athanait thaan ...(48)

 

(Meaning ): NampiLLai asked his talented sishyan,

Vadakku Thiruveedhip PiLLai to give to him

the MuppatthARaayirappaDi commentary written

wihtout his permission and held it back from circulation;

after Lord RanganaathA intervened and commanded NampiLLai

to release it , he (NampiLLai)gave it to EeyuNNi Maadhavar ,

one of his dear sishyAs . Thus did we receive back

the blessed commentary of Vadakku Thiruveedhip PiLLai(VTP)

known as Eedu MuppatthARAyirappaDi .

 

(Comments): There are 5 commentaries on Swami NammazhwAr's

ThiruvAimozhi. The one known as Eedu by VTP is the most used

in KaalakshEpams.Therefore , MM takes the time to perform

upadEsam to us on the history of the avathAram of this

important commnetary and the temporary set back to it prior to

general availability .

 

VTP was the disciple of NampiLLai along with PVP.

NampiLLai asked PVP to write a commentary on ThiruvAimozhi

based on his attnedence at his (NampiLLai's) KaalakshEpams.

PVP carried out his AchAya niyamanam and received

his AchAryan's blessings . Meanwhile , VTP who also

attended the same kaalakshEpams wrote his own commentary

durnng the night and when he completed that monograph , he placed

that vyAkyAnam at the sacred feet of NampiLLai. The AchAryan

was impressed with the high quality of the commentary and

yet was angry that his sishyan wrote that commentary without

telling him about it. Hence NampiLLai took that commentary

and held it back from circulation to others. It languished

for a few months/years under lock and key. Another disciple of

NampiLLai by the name of EeyuNNI Maadhavap PerumAL (EMP)knew

about the excellence of VTP's commentary and wished for that

to become available to all .Hence ,EMP prayed to Lord RanganAthA

and did many pradakshiNams around the garbhagraham of

the Lord in Srirangam for the softening of the anger of

NampiLLai at VTP . Lord RanganAtha responded to

the sincere prayers of EMP and commanded NampiLLai

to forgive VTP and release the Eedu grantham to EMP.

NmapiLLai obeyed the command of the Lord and that is

how we got back the great commentary of VTP .The other

name for EeyuNNi Maadhavap PerumAL was SiRiyAzhwAn PiLLai.

In the next paasuram, MM refers to the transmission

of the Eedu from EMP/SiRiyAzhwAr to his successors.

 

The transmission of EEdu Grantham from EMP to others

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Aangavar Paal peRRa SiRiyAzhwAn PILLai

thaam kodutthAr tamm mahanAr tamm kaiyyil--paangudanE

NaalUr PiLLaikku avar thaamm nalla mahanArkku avar thaamm

mElOrkku eenthAr avarE mikku...(49)

 

(meaning): EMP alias SiRiyAzhwAn PiLLai , who was

devoted to NampiLLai handed over the eedu to his

son PadhmanAbha perumAL , who in turn gave it to

NaalUr PiLLai with affection. With the passage of time ,

NaalUr PiLLai entrusted the Eedu to his gifted son

and it was he who made it available to a wider circle

of disciples .

 

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sdaagopan