AzhwAr CD Rom Inputs : Part II--> Poygai AzhwAr

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General Introduction: Poygai AzhwAr

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Poygai AzhwAr is the first of the trio of Mudhal AzhwArs.

He is the author of Mudhal Thiruvandhaathi.He was born inside

a golden lotus in the temple tank (poygai) at the YathOkthakaari

Perumaal Koil at Kanchi.He is celebrated as the amsam of

Bhagavaan's divine conch(Paanchajanyam ). Together with

the other two Mudal Azhwaars ( BhoothatthAzhwAr and Pey Azhwaar ) ,

Poygai was seeking shelter one day from a rain storm at

the dEhaLi ( narrow space that links the outside and

the inner chambers of a house )in ThirukkOyilUr .Poygai was

the first one to arrive at that shelter and was followed next

by Bhootham and Pey.There was not much of a space at the dehaLi

to accomodate the three.They could barely find space to stand

next to each other . While there , they were spending their

time extolling the anantha kalyaaNa GuNams of the Lord.Suddenly ,

they felt the presence of a fourth visitor in their midst

at the narrow space of dEhaLi .Each of the three AzhwArs

intuited the arrival of the Lord of ThirukkOyilUr

as the fourth one (DehaLIsan) , who was mingling with them

and pressing Himself against them in that crowded space.

Poygai Azhwar broke out first into singing of one hundred

Paasurams in the andhAthi style from the rapture of that

experience of closeness with the Lord .These 100 paasurams

are known as Mudhal ThiruvandhAthi.

 

Dr.K.C.VaradachAri sums up the message of Mudhal ThiruvandhAthi

this way: " Poygai AzhwAr covers the gamut of religious

consciousness by describing the nature of God , the nature of

the soul and the means to reach Him (Bhagavath SamslEsham)

that is natural to the soul and whose (Isavaran and

Jeevan) separation is the cause of all sufferings ".

 

MangaLAsAsana Dhivya Desams

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There are seven dhivya Desams that Poyghai

performed MangaLAsAsanam :

 

(1)Srirangam (2)ThirukkOvalUr (3) Thirupparama Padham

(4)ThiruppARkkadal (5) ThiruviNNagaram (6)ThiruvEngaDam

and (7) ThiruvehhA .

 

Tell Me More section : Mudhal ThiruvandhAthi

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As the first of the three Mudhal AzhwArs , Poygai ,

intuited Lord's presence/existence through " his

transcendent knowledge (Para Jn~Anam); the second AzhwAr

( BhoothattAr)through maturing gnosis passing into devotion

(para Bhakthi) ;and the third (PEy AzhwAr )through

the intuitive conjoinment of Knowledge and Devotion

(Parama Jn~Anam) attained the supreme bliss of the vision of

the Lord with His PirAtti" .The paths chosen by the three

AzhwArs to experience the Lord and His pirAtti are not

exclusive and independent paths, but they are a continum

and "form one unitary growth (steps) in God realization".

 

Dr.K.C.Varadachari points out that "Gnosis knowledge ,

not inferential knowledge passes through imperceptibly

into devotion for the Divine ,and this in turn progressively

becomes love-knowledge that is capable of knowing the Divine

in His Fullness , that is to say with the Mother Divine".

 

Swamy Desikan in his Sri DehaLIsa Sthuthi slOkams

( 6,7,9,11,16 and 17) celebrates the avathAram of

the Three ThiruvandhAthis of the Mudal AzhwArs ,

the Souseelyam of the Lord of ThirukkOvalUr (DehaLIsan)

and the incomparable experience of the AzhwArs in

having the darsana soubhAgyam of the Lord with His

PirAtti ( http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakthi/archives/

aug97/0012.html). Bhakthi archives of August to November 97

contain 12 postings on Mudhal AzhwArs'anubhavam as

described by Swamy Desikan in his DehaLIsa Sthuthi.

 

Illustrative Verses of Poygai AzhwAr

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The Mudhal Azhwars used SvAdhyAyam (Vedam)

and Yogam to see the Lord mingling with them

in their heart lotuses . Poygai AzhwAr's magnificent

experience is contained in the first pasasuram set

on a cosmic scale:

 

" Deeming the world as bowl, the full sea as ghee,

the fierce-rayed Sun as the luminous wick, I have

twined a garland of speech for the feet of Him , who wields

the red flaming discus so that there may be freedom from

the ocean of (samsaaric) misery" (J.S.M. Hopper).

 

Out of his compassion for us , the suffering souls ,

Poygai perfomed uplifting UpdEsam in his 65th Paasuram :

 

" What was possible for me would be avialable to

any one else too! To our Lord , who is difficult to

meditate upon, who is afar (in Sri Vaikuntam) , who

has a thousand names , if one but folds his hands

(anjali mudhrA in front of Him ) , he will not be

oppressed by KarmA , nor will he go to hell , nor will

he tread the path of pain even a bit" (J.S.M. Hooper &

Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan).

 

Poygai and his fellow AzhwAr's mahA visvAsam in

the power of the ArchA Moorthys of dhivya Desam

to bless them with all isvaryams including Moksham

is etched in many of their paasurams. For instance ,

Poygai reveals to us the VenkatEsa Tatthvam and

the sacrednes of His hills in the Twenty sixth

paasuram of Mudhal ThiruvandhAthi:

 

" Three types of seekers resort to the Lord with

sweet , cool TuLasi garlands (in hand) : the first,

seeking more wealth , second seeking kaivalyam ;

these two do not need the Lord any more ;the third

type ,ever clinging to Him with great delectation ,

set their goal only at Moksham , where service to

the Lord would be the bliss of life . All these three

types of seekers can secure their respective goals only

if their stock of sins are consumed. The fire of sin

has to be quenched. For this , one has to resort to

the holy hill of the Lord of ThiruvEnkatam. And what is

of added interest is that even the Nithyasooris in the midst of

high beautitude in Vaikuntam come here and worship the hill

(of the Lord), which in turn kindles their heart lamps to

unknown horizons ;such is the soulabhya quality-which

would not be evident to them in Vaikuntam"( Dr.VNV).

 

Poygai AzhwAr reminds us about the power of

the ArchA Moorthis to destroy our sins in his 78th Paasuram:

 

" Those who recite the name of the shrines of the Lord

get freed of their sins and grief. Say, therefore ,

Thiruvenkatam ,ThiruviNNagar , ThiruvehhA and

ThirukkOvalUr , wherein He reveals Himself in

different postures(ThirukkOlam) , namely , as standing ,

seated , reclining and walking .Your sins will vanish

if you say 'vanish' --the sins you have perhaps

committed in your varying states, as standing ,

sitting etc." (Dr.VNV).

 

Poygai AzhwAr ThiruvadikaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan