Two Paasurams on Lord AarAvamudhan : Part 1

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Dear BhakthAs of AparyApthAmurutha Parabrahmam :

 

Sri SaarangapANi of Thirukkudanthai , who plays a central

role in our sampradhAyam by bringing back the lost 4000

divya Prabhandhams through Acharya Nathamuni via Swami

Sri NamaazhwAr has been eulogized by seven AzhwArs with

53 exquisite paasurams . We will focus on two paasurams

saluting the AparyApthAmrutha SaarngarAjan in this and

the subsequent notes .

 

PeyAzhwAr's Paasuram on this Veda Purushan

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

 

This AzhwAr describes the five mangaLa kshEthrams ,

where Sri Lakshmi NaarAyaNan elects/opts to live and

points out that Thirukkudanthai is one such special

divya dEsam . The paasuram is the 30th one in

MoonRAm ThiruvandhAthi :

 

sErntha ThirumAl kadal Kudanthai Venkatam

nErnthavenn sinthai niRai visumpum- vAyntha

maRai Paatakam ananthan vaNDuzhAikkaNNI

iRaipAdiyAyavivai

 

Here pEy AzhwAr identifies for us the preferred

residencies/rAjadhAnis of Sriman NaarAyaNan . With the choice

selection of the words , " VaNN ThuzhAi kaNNI Ananthan " ,

Our AzhwAr reminds us that he is talking about

Sriman NaarAyaNan of anantha kalyANa guNams

( Ananthan of limitless auspicious attributes )

adorning the fragrant and beautiful ThuLasi Garland

(VaNN thuzhAik kaNNi Ananthan ).

 

He goes on to say that he will now identify His preferred

RaajadhAnis (Capital Cities =iRai paadi aaya ivai)and lists

some of them (ivai). Pey AzhwAr identifies five of them as

(1)Srirangam /BhUlOka Vaikuntam ,where He gives us

His Panguni Utthara sEvai with His dEvi (2)THIRUKKUDANTHAI ,

(3)ThiruvEnkatam (4)Milky Ocean and (5)ThiruppADakam .

AzhwAr says here that the Lord of such Pancha (five)RaajadhAnis

has now chosen his heart lotus as the most preferred and

permanent residence among them all .

 

Alternatively , these five preferred residencies of

Sriyappathi can be intrepretted as (1) ThiruppARkkadal

or the milky ocean ( sErntha ThirumAl kadal ), where

the Lord is present with MahA Lakshmi (2) NiRai Visumpu

or Sri Vaikuntam/aprAkrutha divya desam (3)Thirukkudanthai

(4) Thiruppathi and (5) ThiruppADakam .By pointing out that

the Lord of Lakshmi is now residing at his heart , he hints

that his heart is as pure and auspicious as these divya dEsams

( Kudanthai-Venkatam nErntha yenn chinthai ).

 

Interpreted at yet another level , Pey AzhwAr is saluting

the five forms in which Sriman NaarAyaNan manifests Himself :

(1)Param (2)VyUham (3)Vibhavam (4) Archai and (5)AntharyAmi .

These are His Veda PramANa svarUpams as revealed by the Famous

Veda Manthram :

 

" ambhasya pArE , Bhuvanasya madhyE ,

Naakasya prushtE mahathO mahIyAn I

sukrENa jyOthIgumshi samunuppravishta :

PrajApoathisccharathi garbhE antha:"

 

-- First Manthram of Sri MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad

 

( one level meaning) : " The Lord of Creation , who

is present in the shoreless waters , on the earth and

above the heaven and who is greater than than the great ,

having entered the shining intelligences of creatures in

seed from , acts in the foetus (which grows into the living

being that is born /SarIra-SaarIree doctrine).

 

This Upanishad vAkhyam is saluting the ParandhAman ,

the Supreme Para Brhamam , who is the supreme jyOthi

(Param JyOthi)in His exalted states of immanence

and transcendence .This Parama Purushan , Sriman

NaarAyaNan is described to us as the same PrajApathi ,

who creates and sustains vast oceans , limitless worlds

and the highest heavens and enters as a seed (antharyAmi Brahman)

and spark inside the living creatures .This is the same ParamAthman

ensouling the universe in His virAt form .

 

Another level of meaning of this Upanishadic(sruthi)vAkhyam

that the AzhwAr incorporated in His paasuram is as follows :

 

The Lord's residences are Vedaas , Thirukkudanthai

and the AzhwAr's blemishless mind .They are co-equal

in auspiciousness.AzhwAr links the five states of

Sriman NaarAyaNA in this paasuram .

 

(1)The "ambhasya pArE " section of the MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad

is related to "sErntha ThirumAl kadal " vAkhyams of AzhwAr .

ThirumAl sErntha kadal is KsheerAbdhi , where Sriman NaarAyaNan

is present in the VyUha nilai with Thiru ( MahA Lakshmi ).

At Srirangam and Thirukudanthai , " Ambhasya PaarE" can

be taken to indicate the Lords RanganathA and AarAvamudhan

rsting on the banks of Cauveri river equivant to

the milky ocean in its sanctity .Both Sri Ranganaathan

and Sri AarAvamudhan had common residence at one time

at Srirangam under PraNavaakruthi and Vaidhika

VimAnams respectively .Later Sri AarAvamudhan left

for Thirukkudanthai with His Vaishika VimAnam .Both

KasthUri Rangan ( Sri Ranganaathan ) and Sri Hema Rangan

( Sri AarAvamudhan ) are still rsting on the banks (paarE )

of CauvEri river .Lord SrinivAsan of ThiruvEnkatam

joined Thirukkudanthai as PaathALa SrinivAsan later.

 

(2)"Bhuvanasya madhyE" portion relates to the Vibhavam

manifestation , where Sriman NaarAyaNan moved in this

world as Raaman and KrishNan . At Thirukkudanthai and

Srirangam , ubhaya Moorthy pradhAnathvam is recognized

(i-e)., the Uthsavar is celebrated as Sri Ramachandran

and the Moolavar is saluted as Sri KrishNan .This refers

to the Vibhavam manifestations of the Lord at Thirukkudanthai ,

ThiruvEnkatam , ThiruppADakam ,Srirangam et al .

 

(3) "Naakasya PrushtE "portion of the veda Manthram

links to the ParA or Param state of the Lord , where

He is present as Sri Vaikunta Naathan .With the choice of

" NiRai Visumpu " AzhwAr salutes the Param manifestation of

the Lord .

 

(4) "JyOthigumshi samanupravishta" portion of the Veda

manthram connects to the ArchA form of the Lord

at Thirukkudanthai , ThiruppADakam et al.The Suddha -

satthva-maya Lord enters the Vigrahams there and

sanctifies them by His JyOthi .

 

(5) "PrajApathi: Charathi garbhE antha:" portion of

the Veda manthram connects to the antharyAmi state of

manifestation of the Lord . "Yenn chinthai niRai iRai "

vAkhyams of the AzhwAr refers to this AntharyAmi Brahmam.

 

Thus Pey AzhwAr's Paasuram salutes the PARA VaasudEvan

of VyUhA form ( SankarshaNa , Pradhyumna , Aniruddha ,

VaasudEvA form ) resting on the PraNavAkruthi VimAnam

and at the milky ocean (sErntha ThirumAL kadal).

 

This paasuram salutes next Sri Raama -KrishNAvatharan

of VIBHAVAA manifestation presiding at Thirukkudanthai

with His dear Consort Sri KomaLAmbhA and goes on to

celebrate the ARCHA mUrthys at ThiruvEnkatam et al and

finally THE ANTHARYAAMI FORM inside the AzhwAr's heart.

 

THUS PEY AAZHWAAR IN THIS PAASURAM WITH RICH MEANINGS

POURS OUT THE ESSENCE OF THE VEDHA MANTHRAM IN SACRED

TAMIL AND REVEALS THE NATURE OF THIS PANCHAAVATHAARAN

OF THIRUKKUDANTHAI .

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan