Some thoughts on Siriya TiruvaDi

[Guest guest]

Dear BhagavatOttamas

 

This medium has been literally flooded with

beautiful thoughts re PerumAL,PirATTi and

Siriya TiruvaDi these last few days thanks

to the kindness of Sri Sadagopan,Sri Madhava

Kannan and others.Today being the day of the

apex event Sri Rama Navami aDiyEn also felt

impelled to share a few thoughts in the same

vein though not with the same expertise.

 

Sri Madava Kannan has been regaling us with the

gems from Sri Tirumangai Mannan's Periya Tirumozhi

thro these years,and aDiyEn would refer now to

one of the outstanding padigams of that great

work- the 10 verses beginning with "Ezhai Edalan.."

Sri Periya VAchhAn PiLLai's commentary on this padigam

spans more than 60 pages in the printed text.He literally

overwhelms us with the anubhavam of our PoorvAchAryas

and the SAstrArtha which is imbedded in every word

of the text.

 

ADiyen would like to relive with you all, a scanty few

out of the treasury of great thoughts found in this

masterpiece.

 

The second verse "VAta mAmagan" deals with Siriya TiruvaDi(ST).

Both ST and AzhvAr are Bhaktas AND AchAryas par excellence.

But both consider themselves the lowest of the low when they

think and speak.And it is this aspect which is highlighted

in this pASuram.Hence all the matter which is going to be

mentioned should be strictly taken to be THEIR opinion and

not ours about them!And Sri PVP also writes his gloss in

the same vein.

 

ST literally melts in tears when reflecting on PerumAl's

Neermai guNam.Who else would even look at an animal,that

too a monkey,originating from VAyu,which birth would

alone would endow it with great ego- let alone shower

ultimate Grace on it,like PerumAL did? An animal per se

has habits totally unconnected with accepted AchAram.

And even there, a monkey stands apart;if you feed a cow

it will eat gratefully,whereas if you offer anything to

a monkey it'll rather snatch it from your hand rather

than wait for you to give it.Similarly we,to whom the

Lord bestows His Grace thro NirhEtuka Kripa,think it is

thro our own efforts that we have achieved it!

 

And there is a common explanation as to why PerumAL

chose ST from among the millions of monkeys belonging

to SugrIva's army,to give his signet ring; because He

felt that ST was the most competent person among them

all and hence most likely to meet PirAtTTi.Well,it's

the wrong reason,says ST.

 

PerumAL just picked him up out

of the lot to shower His Unreasoned Grace;He made ST

great,because He wanted to do so.Just as He wanted

in His next Avatara to make Arjuna great.It's like

a father wanting to to see his son come up with flying

colours.He arranged events in such a way that ST alone

among the millions of monkeys could return triumphantly

shouting,"I have seen Her! I have seen SItA!"

And not contented with that,says ST with tears in his eyes,

He was overcome with happiness and said,there's nothing

I can give you in return which would equal what you've done for

me and Sita.You have saved our lives!

 

Then He said,the only thing I can give you is this

embrace.and He embraced me with His Divine Body

giving me thus what a Mukta ultimately gets-the

enjoyment of His Divine Body.

 

So,ST says,when I have in this life itself,with this

mortal body itself obtained what a Mukta hopes to

get in Sri Vaikuntham,why would I wish to let go

of this life or this body? I'll not go there .I'll

stay here itself eternally.

 

Thus Siriya TiruvaDi became one of the Chiranjeevis.

 

This series of benefits all originating from nothing

other than the Lord's love and Grace towards him,was

made to appear to the world as rewards due to a great

Bhakta and Achiever.

 

But don't you beleve it,says Siriya TiruvaDi (and AzhvAr

also sees thro the Lord's Game);It is nothing but His

NirhEtuka Kripa- for which there is no recompense possible from

our side.We can only bow our heads in gratefulness and

emulate Siriya TiruvaDi and-

 

Yatra yatra RaghunAtha KIrthanam

Tatra tatra Krita-mastakAnjalinm

BAshpa-vAri-paripUrNa-lochanam

MArutim namata rAkshasAntakam.

 

Sri EmberumAnAr TirunaDigaLE SaraNam!