tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (2 of 2).

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

My posting carried in bhakti-list Digest No.134 of September 10 contains some

omissions, viz.,

~~ the actual 'kuRaL' verse;

~~ the name 'ati-kAya' figuring in the context

of the Sri-rAmAyanam verse; and

~~ the word "about" in the English paraphrase

of periyAzhvAr pASuram.

 

Given below, accordingly, is the replacement:

 

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VAMANA AS WE FIND HIM:

 

svAmi-dESika addresses tiru-k-kuRaL-appan

as the protector ("rakshA-vAmana"), and

SrijayadEva, author of geeta-gOvindam, as

the Wonder ("adbhuta-vAmana").

 

The author of the Tamil classic, tiru-k-kuRaL,

marvels at the vastness of tri-vikrama's strides:

 

maDi-yillA mannavan eidum, aDi-yaLandAn

tAyad-ellAm orunGu. (tiru-k-kuRaL 61:10)

["The ruler who is free from idleness

shall gain, as his spoils, the entirety of

the world as spanned by 'aDi-aLandAn'

~ tri-vikrama ~ Himself."]

 

The kaThOpanishad points out that of the

vitalisms sustaining life in the body, the 'prANa'

flows upwards and 'apAna' netherwards. The

greater, and subtler, fact is that the vitalisms are

themselves dependent on vAmana pulsating

in the centre ~ "madhyE vAmanam Aseenam

nitya-yuktA upAsatE".

 

SrivAmana's glory is beautifully instanced in

Sri-rAmAyaNam and in periyAzhvAr tirumozhi.

When the hulky warrior of rAvaNa's army,

ati-kAya, taunts Lakshmana as a weakling,

the latter rebukes him and reminds him of

how it was the diminutive lad SrivAmana

who grew to take the entirety of the three worlds

in his cosmic stride.

 

"bAlO/yam iti vijnAya

na cha avajnAtum arhasi,

bAlEna vishNunA lOkA:

traya: krAntA: trivikramai:"

 

The inimitable periyAzhvAr gets into

the spirit of yaSOdA demanding of the

moon in the sky to come down to divert her

infant Krishna while she gives him feed.

The moon, of course, stays in his orbit and

the fond mother is not too much pleased.

 

"SiRuvan enRu enn iLam-Singattai

ikazhEl kaNDAi !

SiRumaiyin vArttaiyai mAvali-yiDai-c-

chenRu kEL !"

 

("Dare you slight my darling as a mewling no-man!

You would certainly want to talk to mahAbali

about what this no-man did unto him !")

 

SrivAmana (tiru-k-kuRaL-appan) is twin with

trivikrama among the 'avatAram' (incarnations)

of the Lord Sriman Narayana. In the heart of the

Great Temple of Srirangam, enshrined in the

sanctum of the Sriranga-vimAnam, is the

Pure Existence (Suddha-sattvam) as the

Majestic Principle (para-vastu), yet the

Lord of felicitous access to his devotees,

the Lord endearing as the

azhakiya-maNavALan (the Bridegroom Beautiful).

 

At the portals of this sacred city stands

tiru-k-kuRaL-appan, 'vAmana' the dainty

enchanter and novice, the "kuraL-brahmachAri"

showing the path to reach the

Bridegroom Beautiful

in the interior of the city.

 

Two of the Lord's names are "sukhada:" and

"nAikada:", the giver of happiness, giver of

plenty. tiru-mazhiSai AzhvAr exalts these very

attributes of Lord SrivAmana:

 

"aRindu aRindu vAmanan aDi-yiNai vaNanginAl

SeRindu ezhunda jnAnamODu Selvamum SirandiDum

maRindezhunda teN-tiraiyuL mannu-mAlai vAzhttinAl

paRindezhundu tee-vinaikaL paR-R-aRudal pAn.maiyE."

 

(tiru-c-Chanda-viruttam 74).

 

The Mahabharata sequel of 'hari-vamSam'

contains the enchanting and mystical ('gadyam')

hymn recited by Sri kaSyapa-prajApati when

his wife Aditi gave birth to SrivAmana. For those

who are unable to find this, the following SlOkam

is offered:

 

namO-nama: kAraNa-vAmanAya

nArAyaNay/Amita-vikramAya

Sri-SAr.n.ga-chakr/Asi/gadA/dharAya

namO/stu tasmAi purushOttamAya !

 

(SrivAmana-purANam Chap.95).

 

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan,

tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan.

 

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Concluded.

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