"sitran-siru-kAlE"-- Epilogue (2 of 2)

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Dear friends,

 

Many years ago when adiyen was still in school he had

an "aatma-nanban".... a very dear friend. We used to

both learn the verses of the "tiruppAvai" from the

same tutor ... an old 'stOtrapAda-vAdhyAr"... a tutor

of Sanskrit and Tamil devotional poems and songs.

 

This friend of mine and adiyen learnt the verses of

the tiruppAvai in very good time and with reasonably

good understanding of its essential message thanks

mainly to this "vAdhyAr" to whom adiyen even today is

eternally grateful a she recollects the wonderful and

patient way in which he taught us the "pAsurams".

 

This friend... this "atma-nanban" of adiyen one day

suddenly told the "vAdhyAr" that he was not too keen

to learn the "tiruppAvai" anymore!

 

The "vAdhyAr" and even adiyen were shocked!

 

"Why? Why have you reached this decision, my boy?",

asked the "vAdhyAr', "Why, don't you like my way of

teaching?".

 

"No, it's not that Sir," said my friend quickly,"It's

just that the things that AndAl in her tiruppAvai asks

us all to do in life is, I think, too difficult and

too unreasonable."

 

The "vAdhyAr' and adiyen were puzzled. What do you

mean?", we asked him.

 

"I mean that if you read the various "pAsurams" of the

tiruppAvai you can see that Andal is exhorting us all

to do so many things to please God. Those things are

too difficult, Sir, to do in practical life for us."

 

The "vAdhyAr" listened to adiyen's friend and then

thoughtfully asked,

 

"What is it in the "pAsurams" that you find difficult,

my dear boy? Do you find "neyyunnOm pAlunnOm" ("we

shall desist from milk and ghee") in Verse 2 very

difficult to practise in life?". "No, not that one

Sir" replied adiyEn's friend.

 

"Then do you find "seyyAdana-seyyOm" ("we shall resist

all temptatipns") difficult?". "No, not that one Sir."

 

"Is it "vAyinAl pAdi" or "manatinnAl-sindikka" ("we

shall sing the Lord's glories and contemplate upon

him") that overwhelms you?". "No, Sir".

 

"Is "kesavanaipp-pAdavUm" ("to sing the glory of

Kesavan") that is too difficult for you to do in

life?".

"No, Sir."

 

"Is "pallAndu-isai-pAr" ("to sing the tiruppalAndu")

too difficult then for you?". "No, Sir.".

 

"Is the "svApadEsArtham" of the verses especially

those about "artha-panchaka" and "atma-svarupa-gnyAna"

etc. ... is all that too difficult for you?". "NO,

Sir".

 

"Is "kAnam sErndu-unbOm" ("we will eat") too difficult

for you?". "No, Sir, not at all. As a matter of fact,

I can't seem to eat enough.".

 

The "vAdhyAr" and adiyen finally threw up our arms and

asked, "Nothing is difficult! Then what is it in the

"tiruppAvai" that you find so formidable? Pray tell

us!".

 

Adiyen's friend finally blurted out: "Sir, the most

difficult thing in AndAl's tiruppAvai is stated in

"pAsuram" no:29.... "sitran-siru-kAlE".... "wake up

very, very early in the morning and pray at the Lord's

feet"! Sir, I can do all the other things that

'devarir' mentioned above.... I can do "vAyinAl pAdi",

I can do "manattinAl sindikka".... I can even do

"seyyAdana-seyyOm".... but Sir, if there is one thing

in life I cannot easily do, it is to wake up early in

the morning in the bitterly cold month of 'mArgazhi"

just to recite the tiruppAvai" verse:

"sitran-siru-kALe"....".

 

The "vAdhyAr" and I exchanged an incredulous look for

a second...and then all three of us burst out in peals

of laughter!

 

********* ********* *********

 

AndAl's little verse of epilogue in Stanza#29 can not

only raise a few hearty laughs amongst us all but also

help us recollect some of the loftiest thoughts of

SriVaishnava philosophy in our minds.

 

If Stanza#28 celebrates the soul's "attaiment of God"

in the climactic moment of the 'tiruppAvai', Stanza#29

celebrates the aftermath of such attainment.

 

The aftermath of attaining God, in SriVaishnava

thought, is equally, if not more important than the

union with God.

 

What is the "aftermath"?

 

The "aayarpAdi" girls say, "nee, kutrayval engaLai

kollAmal pOgAdu... anru kAn gOvindA... etraikkum

Ezh-Ezh piravikkum... undannOdu utrOmE aavOm... unakkE

nAmAt seyyvOm!".

 

This is a phrase pregnant with enormous significance

indeed.

 

After having "attained" the Feet of Krishna

("pOttrAmarai adiyE") the girls tell Him:

 

"O Krishna, if you think that we are happy now that we

have attained you, then you are thoroughly mistaken.

Our goal is not simply attaining you. Our real goal is

to attain you and then enter upon your personal

service ("antaranga kainkaryam") as your servants....

It is only You, O Krishna, who can grant us such

eternal employment whose rich reward is You Yourself!"

(In the "ArAiyarapadi" the commentator Sri.AMP Nayanar

puts it very beautifully, "engallai nee

kollumattanai-yozhiya, nAngal un pakkal-lilley unnai

yozhiyavumm koLvathonrundu enrerrindAyO!").

 

"O Krishna, our service to you should be not just for

now, for today, not just for tomorrow... but for

eternity. The joy of eternal Service to You

("kainkarya- purushArtha") is for us a thousand fold

greater than the joy of attaining You." (Here, one

recollects the prayer of nammAzhwAr's to the Lord of

Tirupati (T.mozhi 3-3-1):"ozhivil-kAlamellAm udanAy

manni, vazhuvilA adimai seyya vendumm!"

 

The girls further tell Krishna, "Our service to, O

Krishna must be uninterrupted.... there should be no

break or leave of absence...."sambandham undAyirukka

seyydE patthumAsam pirind iruthal; pathinAlAndu pirind

iruthal, pathinArAndu pirind irutthal

seyyavonNAdu".... even if there should be some such

fated interruption, O Krishna, let us not be separated

from You too long.... 10 months like Sita is the

utmost we can bear.... but if we were to be separated

from you for 14 years like Bharatha was or for 16

years like NammAlwAr's...it would be simply

unbearable....".

 

Finally they tell Krishna, "Lord, 'matrai nam kAmangaL

mAtru"... in the course of our eternal employement may

all our desires to serve You remain unchanged ! And

should our hearts entertain the trace of any other

desires (matrai-nam kAmangal") whatsoever, even those

desires, O Krishna, sublimate and convert them

("mAtru") into God-desires.....".

 

Beautiful and moving lines indeed!

 

God ("mula-sukhrutan") is the means ("upAyam") and the

End ("upEyam") for every soul. He will shower his

infinite Mercy ("nirhEtuka-kripa") upon a soul of His

accord. All that the individual soul must do is

"ananya prayOjana kainkaryam' ... eternal service unto

Him exactly as the 'aayarpAdi' girls did.

 

This is the highest and subtlest truth of Vaishnavite

philosophy that this 29th Stanza of the "tiruppAvai"

teaches.

 

AndAl tiruvadigalE sharanam

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

 

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