Write-ups for AzhwArs for Integration in the forthcoming CD ROM on AzhwArs and the 108 dhivya desams: Madhura Kavi Azhwar (1 of 12 )

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MADHURA KAVI AZHVAR

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Madhura Kavi was born in the dhivya dEsam of

ThirukkOLUr in the month of Chitthirai , when

ChithrA nakshathram was in ascendance . He is

considered as the amsam of Kumudha GaNEsA , one

of the nithya sooris of Sri Vaikuntam .He was like

the aruNOdhayam (onset of dawn)for the BhaskarOdhayam

( Sun rise ) of NammAzhwAr. He was older than NammAzhwAr

and was a poorva sikhA Brahmin belonging to Saama Vedic

group. He was a learned and highly regarded scholar in

VedAntham and SaamAnya saasthrams.He was known as Madhura

Kavi or Sweet-tongued poet, who spent his life time

singing about the glories of his AchAryan, Swami

NammAzhwAr and his Prabhandhams. His AchArya Bhakthi

is unparalleled .

 

Madhura Kavi and Swamy NammAzhwAr

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Swamy NammAzhwAr is revered as our Kulapathi

(Founder-seer) of Sri VaishNava Kulam. He has

also been called affectionately as our-Saint

(NammAzhwAr ). The moment he was born in

ThirukkuruhUr , he did not speak or eat food

or drink water or milk . He was so absorbed in

the meditation on Sriman NaarAyaNA that he forsook

all of the above and yet showed no fatigue or

bodily weakness . His parents presented the child

to the ArchA Moorthy of ThirukkuruhUr and the child

took its residence thereafter under a tamarind tree

inside the temple complex . The child was in deep

meditation for sixteen years .

 

The Meeting between Madhura Kavi and Swamy NammAzhwAr

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At that time , the pious Brahmin , Madhura Kavi

was in AyOdhyA on a dhivya dEsa yaathrai (pilgrimage)

and saw at night an extraordinary effulgence in

the south western direction . He travelled at night

following the effulgence and arrived at TirukkuruhUr .

There , he saw the young boy with radiant effulgence ,

the source of the jyOthi that he saw first in AyOdhyA.

NammAzhwAr was sitting in padmAsanam with parathva BhOdha

mudhrA ( poisture of engagement in performing the upadEsam

about the Superme principle in the Universe).

 

Madhura Kavi's testing of Swamy NammAzhwAr

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Madhura Kavi was intrigued at the silence of NammAzhwAr

deeply absorbed in the meditation .He was wondering whether

the young yOgi could hear well and to test it, Madhura Kavi

dropped a stone near NammAzhwAr. Latter opened his eyes

and looked with affection at Madhura Kavi. Next , Madhura Kavi

wanted to test whether NammAzhwAr had the faculty of speech .

Hence , he posed a question to NammAzhwAr : "Setthathin

VayaRiR siRiyathu priandAl , etthai thinRu yengu

kidakkum? ( If a soul is born of matter , what would

it eat and where will it rest ?). Swami NammAzhwAr smiled

and responded immediately : " atthai thinRu angE kidakkum "

( It eats That and there it rests). That " there" refers to God

and not " this " , the perishable body made of prakruthi

(matter or achith ). Madhura Kavi recognized immediately

the depth of meaning of the succinct utterance of Swamy

NammAzhwAr . He grasped that Swamy NammAzhwAr was eating

the divine , the food of the yOgis as revealed by

the Upanishads and was rooted in Godhead inspite of

being housed in a mortal body (setthathin VayiRRil).

Immediately ,the older Madhura Kavi fell at the sacred feet

of the younger Swamy NammAzhwAr for whom Sriman NaarAyaNan

was food, breath , bliss and everything (Sarvasvam).

and begged to be accepted as his sishyan (disciple).

Swamy NammAzhwAr acceded to that request

with pleasure and became Madhura Kavi's AchAryan .

 

The Contributions of Madhura Kavi

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Madhura Kavi is unique among the set of twelve

AzhwArs. While the others were absorbed in the mystic

vision of Sriman NaarAyaNA and sang about His anantha-

kalyANa guNams ( limitless auspicious attributes),

Madhura Kavi sang exclusively about the glories of his

AchAryan , Swamy NammAzhwAr . He elevated AchArya Bhakthi

above that of Bhagavath Bhakthi , which is the foundation

stone of the edifice of Sri VaishNavA theology. His incomparable

AchArya Bhakthi to SatakOpan is enshrined in his short

prabhnadham revered as " KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu ".There

are only eleven verses in this prabhandham and each

of these verses is a ringing endorsement of Madhura

Kavi's undivided bhakthi for his AchAryan. With his

choice of SatakOpan as his sole refuge , Madhura Kavi

has shown that the parama bhakthi (deep devotion )

and loving service ( kaimkaryam with preethi) to one's

AchAryan is more important than service to God (Bhagavath

Kaimkaryam ) to secure Moksham (liberation from the cycles of

births and deaths ).

 

The power of " KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu " Prabhandham

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Few centuries after NammAzhwAr and Madhura Kavi's time,

RanganAtha Muni of Veera NaarayaNapuram heard ten verses

sung by BhaagavathAs at Thirukkudanthai . These were

the famous decad, "AaravamudhE " . The last verse of

this set of ten verses mentioned that these ten were

part of a thousand composed by SatakOpan . RanganAtha

Muni known also as Natha Muni went to the birth place of

Swamy NammAzhwAr and was instructed by one of the sishyAs

of Madhura Kavi there to recite "KaNNinuNN SirutthAmpu " few

thousand times to receive the anugraham of Swamy NammAzhwAr.

Naatha Muni performed that recitation and had the vision

of Swamy NammAzhwAr , who instructed him about the divine

collect of four thousand that included his and other

AzhwAr's prabhandhams. That is the power of Madhura kavi's

AchArya Bhakthi enshrined in "KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu"

paasurams.

 

The message of KaNNinuNN SirutthAmpu Paasurams

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The message of these paasurams and their depth of meanings

are covered in the following articles by adiyEn, Parama padha-

Vaasi Sri KaNNan Swamy of RaamAnujA Mission and

Sri MaadhavakaNNan of Singapore :

 

(1) Translation of the Paasurams : Sri MaadhavakkaNNan :

http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct98/0173.html

 

(2) Sri KaNNan Swamy's commentary on the Paasurams :

http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/jul98/0139.html

 

(3) V.Sadagopan's three part commentary on the Paasurams:

http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr96/0041.html

http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr96/0042.html

http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/apr96/0043.html

 

Madhura Kavi AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

Daasan,V.Sadagopan