SRI THIRUMAZHISAI PIRAN'S NAANMUKAN THIRUVANDHADHI

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Dear Members,

 

The following was published in Hindu some time back.

 

The same author had published the english translation for Munram

thiruvanthaathi some time back.

 

THIRUMAZHISAI PIRAN'S NAANMUKAN THIRUVANDHADHI - Text with a free

translation and commentary: Dr. N.

Ranganathan; Published by N. Rajagopalan, ``Sri Nidhi'', T-37A, 16th

Cross Street, Besant Nagar, Chennai-600090. Rs. 50.

 

THIRUMAZHISAI AZHWAR, the most philosphical minded saint, studied

various schools of religion and philosophy and through

intense meditation came to the conclusion that Lord Narayana is the

Supreme God. He has given ample expression to this in his

two works, ``Naanmukan Thiruvandhadhi'' and ``Thiruchandavirutham''.

Though he was the author of many works he threw away

the manuscripts into the Cauvery and only these two works withstood

the current and were retrieved.

 

The author of the book under review has presented a free translation

in English of the text of the ``Naanmukan Thiruvandhadhi'' as

well as the commentary by Periyavachanpillai.

 

The saint firmly declares that Lord Narayana is the Supreme God and

is ever ready to bestow His Grace on human beings and the

delay in getting the same is due to lack of enthusiasm on the part of

the seekers. He stands as the very essence of the Vedas and

is everything in the world and nothing exists besides Him. The Azhwar

refers to the celebration of the Thiruvonam festival at

Thiruvenkadam (Tirumala) when every God including Brahma and Rudra

propitiate Him. Though the 39th verse beginning with the

word, ``Azhaippan'', is said to be Azhwar's call to the Lord of

Tirumala by a method known as ``Koodal Izhaithal'' (drawing

circles), it is considered by the Acharyas and other scholars as a

reference to the Lord of Thirukkoodal (Madurai).

 

The English rendering of the text and commentary is studded with gems

from the Vedas, the Valmiki Ramayana, works of Vedanta

Desika as well as others. Praising the commentary of

Periyavachanpillai as the richest of its kind, the author says that

his sole aim

was to provide a free English translation of the same to facilitate

their easy understanding by one and all.

 

The publisher, in his foreword, has an interesting explanation for

the saint being called as Thirumazhisai Piran. He says that the

saint spent most of his time at Thirukkudanthai (Kumbakonam) and the

Lord there wanted to exchange his title of ``Piran'' with

that of ``Azhwar''. Hence the Lord there is known as Aravamudazhwar

and the saint as Thirumazhisai Piran. This book, which

comes in the wake of the earlier publication of Poigai Azhwar's Mudal

Thiruvandadhi in English by the same publisher, is a

welcome addition to the works on Vaishnava sacred lore.

 

- T. A. Srinivasan (The Hindu)