Selected excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy's ThiruppAvai Monograph: Part XXXVI.2 -> Thirtieth day : "VANGAK- KADAL KADAINTHA MAADHAVAN " dinam

[Guest guest]

VIKRAMA SAMVATHSARA UTTHARAAYANA PUNYA KAALAM

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JANUARY 14, 2001( PONGAL/SANKARAANTHI)

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Srimathyai GodhAyai Nama:

SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs:The thirtieth paasuram is known as

Thiru nAma Paattu or Phala Sruthi Paasuram .In this

posting , we will enjoy together the padha-Vaakya

arthams.

 

Anubhandha Chathushtyam in the 30th Paasuram

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The anubhandha chathushtyam are: (1)The excellence of

the subject matter of this Sri Sookthi (2)the uniqueness of

the author(vakthA) (3)the superior nature of the meanings

of this prabhandham and (4)the excellent benefits (prayOjanam)

of recitation of this Prabhandham.

 

The Four Prabhandha VailakshaNyam is celebrated this way :

 

(1)"Vangak Kadal --angap paRai koNDavARRai" refers

to the Vishaya LakshaNyam .

(2)"aNiputhuvai--GOdhai sonna" relates to the Superiority

of the VakthA (GOdhai).

(3)"Sangat Tamizh Maalai " connects with the artha-

VailakshaNyam of ThiruppAvai covering the VedAnthic

doctrines.

(4)Muppathum tappAmE--Selvat ThirumAlAl Yengum ThiruvaruL

peRRu inbhuRuvar" links up with the PrayOjana VailakshaNyam.

 

Padha Vaakhya vishayam: (1) Vangak Kadal Kadainthu:

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Amrutha Mathanam ( churning the Milky Oceans) is referred to

here.It has been intrepreted as NithyasoorIs arriving by

ships to pay their salutations to their Lord reclining on

AdhisEsahn in the middle of the Milky Ocean .Vangam has also

been translated as the foam and froth arising from

the churning activity .

 

(2)Vangak Kadal Kadaintha Maadhavanaik Kesavanai

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EmperumAn churned the Milky Ocean to gain nectar

for the dEvaas and PeNNamuthu (MahA lakshmi )for Himself .

KrishNan churned the ocean of curd in Gokulam and also

churned the Ocean of the armies of Rukmi to gain

RukmiNi . The Lord , who used the excuse of churning

the milky ocean to gain MahA Lakshmi also used

the ThiruppAvai nOnbhu as the VyAjam for gaining

the Pancha Laksha Kudis (gOpis)of Gokulam.

 

ANDAL addresses the Vangak Kadal kadainthavan as

"Maadhavan " and "Kesavan". She addressed the Lord as

"Maadhavan" following the Upadesam of Her AchAryan,

PeriyAzhwAr: " Maarvam yenpathOr kOil amaitthu

MAADHAVAN yenpathOr Dhaivatthai naatti". While

wearing Urdhva PuNDram , we adorn the Lord with

His Piraatti (Maahdavn) in the middle of our

chest in this context.The Lord is also addressed

as "KESAVAN " here. Kesavan is the adhishta Devathai for

Maarghazhi month .He is also the Lord of BrahmA

recognized by the "Ka" sabdham and Isan (Lord Sivan);

both of them arose from our Lord's body .Parathvam of

Our Lord is hinted this way by choice of the naamam,

Kesavan . The Maadhava Naamam delineates the "Srimath"

sabdhArtham.The reference to the act of churning

the Milky ocean (Vangak kadal Kadaintha) by the Lord

points out His Bhaktha Vaathsalyam and Omnipotence.

 

(3)" angu appaRai koNDavARRai":

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"angu" (there) refers to the incident of the Gopis

winning paRai (there)at AaypAdi,(there)at Nandha Gruham

and(there) at the throne room in presence of

NeeLA PirAtti ."appaRai " is to be split in to

antha-Parai , appERpatta , VisEsha paRai.

 

(4)"paimkamalat taNN teRiyal Bhattar PirAn Godhai Sonna" :

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Godhai identifies Herself as Bhattar PirAn's

( PeriyAzhwAr's) Godhai . He was Her foster father

and also Her AchAryan.Thus her vaaku had AchArya

Sambhandham and therefore has been described as

"PaathahankaL Theerkkum Paraman adi Kaattum ,

Vedamanaitthukkum VitthAhum ". Through Her

Vaak blessed from Upadesam of Her AchAryan ,

ANDAL sang about "sEsahthvam " ( Sruthi satha Siras

siddhamAna PaarArthyam).Her Sri Sookthi churned

the essence of VedAs and became GodhOpanishad ,

just as Her Lord churned the milky ocean to gain

amrutham .She chose Tamizh (instead of the difficult

Sanskrit )as the language for Her uplifting prabhandham ,

since She wanted the ChEthanams to comprehend the meanings

without problems.

 

Bhattar PirAn's Utthama VaishNava LakshaNam is also

referred to here by Godhai. She descibes him as

the One wearing TuLasi and Lotus garlands around

his neck. Sri Vaishnavaas should wear the TuLasi bead

and Lotus bead necklaces always. TuLasi Maalai signifies

the Parathvam of the Lord and the Lotus bead maalai

denotes the Parathvam of PirAtti. Thus , Sri VaishNavAs

reveal themselves as the daasans of Dhivya Dampathis.The dried

stems of TuLasi and Lotus are used to make the maalais.

ANDAL follows the route of Madhura kavi , when She puts

Her AchAryan in the front :" Bhattar PirAn Godhai sonna".

Madhura kavi put His AchAryan in the front , when

decribing His prabhandam : Tenn KuruhUr nampikku anbhanAi

Madhura Kavi sonna soll",Thus Both Andal's and Madhura kavi's

Prabhandhams are AchArya-para Prabhndhams and have unique

distinction among all Prabhandhams .

 

(5)"SenkaNN Thirumuhatthu Selvat ThirumAlAl "

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SenkaNN of the Lord has always had a fascination

for AzhwArs because of their VasIkaraNa sakthi

and beauty. ANDAL refers those ankaNN and SenkaNN

many times including here in the ThiruppAvai

Paasurams ( KaarmEni SenkaNN kathir muham ,

PankayaRk KaNNanai ,SenkaNN sirUcchirithE ,

ankaNN iraNDum koNDu). BheeshmAcchAr described

the beauty of those lotus-like eyes as :

"PullAmbhuja pathra nEthra:"; VaalmIki saluted

them as "RaamO RaajIva nEthra:.RaamAnujA ,

the GodhAgrajar, showed the SenkaNN azhau of

RanganAthan to PiLlai URangAvilli daasar.

 

(6)"Selva ThirumAl:

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He is the SrinivAsan of immeasurable Isvaryam.

He has both limitless DayA and immeasurable

wealth. Thus He has Srimathvam. His Srimathvam also

came about by wearing Soodikkodutha NaachiyAr's

TuLasi garlands.He is thus Selva Thiru Naaranan . In this

30th Paasuram, Andal salutes "Maadhavan " first

to offer Her salutations the "Srimath" sabdhAam of

the Poorava KaNDAm of Dhvayam ( Sriman NaarAyana---);

She salutes the Lord as "ThirumAl" at the end of

the paasuram to offer Her salutaions to the "SrimathE"

sabdham of NaarAyaNan housed in the second section

( utthara KaaNdham ) of Dhvya Manthram. In this Paasuram ,

Srimath SabdhArtham is saluted both at the beginning and

at end leading to the incorporation of the three Rahasyams

in this pasuram.

 

(7)" Yengum ThiruvaruL PeRRU inbhuRuvar:"

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Yengum refers to Immai (LeelA VibhUthi) and maRumai

( Nithya VibhUthi). EmperumAn with PirAtti will take

nithya vaasam with those who perform UpanyAsams on

ThiruppAvai. This is the ThiruvaruL. The Inbham

arising from the recitation of Dhivya Prabhandhams

in general has been pointed out by AzhwArs in general.

One example of such citation is that of Swamy NammAzhwAr:

 

Ingum angum ThirumAlanRi inmai kaNDu

anganE VaNN KuruhUr SatakOpan

InganE sonna OrAyiratthu ippatthum

YenganE sollilum Inbham payakkumE

--ThiruvAimozhi: 7.9.11

 

(Meaning): KuruhUr SatakOpan realized that there is

no protection(help) except Sriya: pathi , here, there

or anywhere. The Lord blessed him to sing exactly

in that vein a thousand verses. Of those, this decad

can be read , sung , recited with proper understanding

or not; that is also immaterial . It will reward the reader

with bliss (inbham) in whatever manner recited .

 

(8)"InbhuRuvar:"

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Aathma Yaathrai is under the control of the Lord;

dEha yAthrai is under the control of one's karmAs.

Knowing that these are outside our control , we should

recite and write about ANDAL's Prabhandham in the form

of a Kaimkaryam. When done this way , the Lord confers

dEha aarOgyam , worldly wealth and Moksham for Prapannan.

He removes all ThApams and grants sukhams and Aanandham.

If we ask for Phalans for Kaimkaryam , we may end up

asking for Kshudhra Phalans (alpa Phalans ); If we leave

the phalan granting to Him , in the spirit of His oudhAryam

( Generosity) , He will grant Phalans that we could not even

dream about.The prapannan will enjoy the state of

"Yengum ThiruvaruL PeRRu" .He knows what we need in

the spirit of JithantE SthOthra Vaakyam: " Yath Hitham

mama dEvEsa tathA aaj~nApaya".

 

(9)Concluding Remarks:

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ANDAL incarnated as the daughter of PeriyAzhwAr

and blessed us with ThiruppAvai Prabhandham and

immersed us in the ocean of Aanandham through that

anugraham. In ThiruppAvai, She gave us the UpadEsam

on the Laghu UpAyam ( VarAha Charama SlOkam )that

She had received from BhUVarAha perumAL for our

UjjIvanam and Inbham.

 

With the blessings of ANDAL, ThiruppAvai Jeeyar and

asmath AchAryan , Srimath NaarAyaNa YathIndhra

MahA Desikan , adiyEn was able to share with You

the scholarly commentaries of Sri U.Ve.PerukkAraNai Swamy

and other AchArya PurushAs. Due to limitation of space and

time, these postings needed to be " short". adiyEn

hopes that you will acquire copy of Sri PerukkAranai

Swamy's scholarly monograph of 600 plus pages and

immerse yourselves in the aanandham of his ThiruppAvai

VyAkhyAnam .

 

AdiyEn thanks you for your understanding of my

deficencies in covering adequately the subject

matter of the commentary of the Illustrious

ThiruppAvai .

 

AdiyEn places this Kaimkaryam at the Lotus feet of

SenkaNN Muhatthu Selva ThirumAl and Godhai and

offer my prayers for the growth of kaimkarya Sri

for all of us at this time of UthtarAyaNa PuNya Kaalam.

 

Andal , Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan