Srimath Azhagiya Singar's Upanyasam on Kanninun Sirutthambu Ninth Pasuram

[Guest guest]

Dear BhAgavatAs,

 

With Srimath Azhagiya Singar's (SAS) blessings and

Sri V. SatakOpan's blessings, adiyEn will try to

translate excerpts from HH's recent tele-upanyAsam

on the ninth pAsuram of Sri Madurakavi AzhvAr's

(SMK) "kaNNinuN siRutthAmbu". Any and all errors in

this effort are absolutely mine and simply reflect

my inability to understand HH's words in spite of

their clarity. I also beg the forgiveness of all

bhAgavtAs for the transliteration errors that might

have got into this post.

 

--

 

kaNNinuN siRutthAmbu onbathAm pAsuram

 

mikka vEdiyar vEdatthin utporuL

niRkap pAdi ennenjuL niRutthinAn

thakka seer satakOpan en nambikku AL

pukka kAdal adimaip payananRE

 

--

 

SMK is talking about how he became devoted to SwAmi

NammAzhvAr (SNA) and how he obtained the grant of

doing kainkaryam to him.

 

SMK is saying that SNA has set in his heart the

primary matter of TiruvAymozhi, the essence of all

the VEdAs, which is bhAgavata sEshatvam. Sri

Nanjeeyar in his vyAkyAnam states that there are

two sets of pAsurams in TiruvAymozhi that speak of

this - "payilum sudaroLi" (3.7) and "nedumArkkadimai"

(8.10). These state that bhAgavata kainkaryam is the

most important enjoyment as well as purpose for

every devotee. The VEdAs speak much about bhagavat

sEshatvam, but do not say much about bhAgavata

sEshatvam. These two pAsurams in TiruvAymozhi speak

about that.

 

In "payilum sudaroLi", SNA says that he would want to

be a bhAgavata sEshabhootan no matter how many times

he is born. In "nedumArkkadimai", he says that if he

can get bhAgavata kainkaryam then he wouldn't want

even mOksham. Thus, he has given parama rahasya

sArArtthams to us in TiruvAymozhi.

 

SAS noted that the important phrases to note in the

first line of this pAsuram are "mikka vEdiyar",

"vEdiyar vEdam", and "vEdatthin utporuL". With the

first two phrases, SMK is celebrating not only the

VEdAs, but also those that recite and live by the

VEdAs. With the third phrase he is saying that he

has been given not just the meaning of the VEdAs,

but their inner meaning.

 

The experience of SMK is more special than that of

the other AzhvArs. The other AzhvArs got His grace

and then sang about Him. With SNA's grace, SMK

understood the inner meaning of the VEdAs. He then

sang only about his AchAryan. In the second and

third lines of this pAsuram, he sings about the

grace of SNA and the help he gave to SMK. SMK is

stating that SNA's words are so full of his grace

that they have taken root in his mind and made him

attain the highest guNam that is bhAgavata

kainkaryam.

 

SAS mentioned here that kainkaryam cannot be made

for any reason, not even bhakti; it can be made

only out of love (prEmai or preeti).

 

In the last line, SMK is saying that AchArya

kainkaryam is the fruit ("adimaip payan").

 

In earlier songs, SMK had shown his AchArya viSvAsam

and AchArya vaibhavam. In the fourth song, he pointed

out that even bhagavat dedication is not important.

The help that our AchAryAs provide us, who were of

no use whatsoever, providing us with knowledge,

correcting our ways and making us His devotees, that

help we should never forget. In the fifth song, SMK

stated that AchArya anugraham is such that it removes

even the sins that cannot be easily removed. In the

sixth song, SMK celebrated the help our AchAryAs give

us (upakAra vaibhavam).

 

However, it is not enough to state that our AchAryAs

have helped us. It is important to state what kind of

help they did. So in this song, SMK explains the help

that SNA provided. Our mind is so small and petty that

 

it notes many things but not the important ones. SNA

steadied such vascillating minds and settled lofty

ideals and meanings from SAstrAs in them.

 

SAS then went into a detailed explanation of the

phrase "mikka vEdiyar".

 

By stating "mikka vEdiyar", SMK is talking about

those that recite and follow the vEdAs in every

aspect of their life. He has based this phrase on

SNA's "mikkAr vEda vimalar".

 

A brahmin is not one who is born as one and/or looks

like one. That is the same as a wooden elephant that

looks every way like a real elephant. It is the

action that determines one. This is the reason why

SMK used the word vEdiyar; it is those who study,

recite and follow the VEdAs. By stating "mikka", he

is talking about the highest amongst such people.

 

What is the importance of VEdam? It is the pramANam;

it speaks only the truth; everything can be learned

from it. While there have been many interpretations

of the VEdAs, its meanings were made clear by Sri

Ramanujar. SAS explained here that one does not have

to read an entire work to understand the author's

purpose. A study of the beginning and the end will

do. While Mahabharatam speaks of may things and many

dEvatAs, Sri VEda VyAsar begins and ends with

Narayana and Kesava. People who doubt his intentions

and misinterpret his works still, are not mikka

vEdiyar.

 

The VEdAs speak of many things and many dEvatAs, but

as Sri GItAchAryan said, all the VEdams truly speak

of Him. As Sri Bhattar explained, when one speaks

of a King, it is customary to speak of his kingdom,

subjects, wealth, etc. Those who truly understand

what the VEdAs are saying are mikka vEdiyar.

 

Pratyaksham, anumAnam and VEdam are all pramANams.

Pratyaksham only shows what is before the eyes;

anumAnam might even go wrong; VEdam can never go

wrong and shows the highest things. It is important

therefore to study and recite such VEdam. More

important is to understand them and their inner

meaning. Those who do that are mikka vEdiyar.

 

While it is important to study and recite the VEdAs,

once must only execute what is said in them that

suits one's station. For example, a sanyAsi cannot

follow what is said for a family person. Those who

study the VEdAs, recite them and follow what is

right for them are mikka vEdiyar.

 

There are very few people who study the VEdAs and

follow them. Most of them, however, look for the

wrong thing. They looks for ways to reach swargam,

etc. They make a big effort in studying VEdam, but

go for the small fruit that is swargam. Rare are

those who look in them for ways to attain mOksham.

Such people are mikka vEdiyar.

 

Those who study, recite and understand the VedAs and

pick the essential in them which is bhagavat prApti

are mikka vEdiyar.

 

The first meaning to understand from mikka vEdiyar

is that, it is those who do not commit sins, those

who do not do good deeds but take the lowly fruit

that is swargam, but those who do bhakti and

prapatti to attain His tiruvadi. The second meaning

to take is that the VEdAs tell what nothing else can

tell. The third meaning is that the VEdAs are the

wealth of those who live by them ("vEdiyar vEdam").

 

It is not enough to study and recite the VEdAs. It

has to stay in the mind. He who is its meaning, has

to stay in the mind. It's inner meaning that is

bhAgavata kainkaryam has to stay in the mind. SMK

says that SNA sang it (he did not even have to

explain it) such that it stayed forever in the

mind. SMK says that he did not just put it in any

mind; he put it in his mind ("en nenjuL"). SNA sang

it and made sure it would stay in SMK's heart such

that even if SNA sang it again that would serve no

purpose.

 

To understand the VEdAs and write their meaning as

TiruvAymozhi, that itself is a difficult task. SNA

did that, but to write it such that not just the

meaning, but their inner meaning takes root in lowly

minds that are incapable of comprehending even

simple matters, that is a phenomenal task.

 

It is important to understand the capacity of the

audience before teaching. Here SAS used the example

of Tirumangaimannan's "paLLasseruvil kayalugaLa ...

puLLup piLLaikku iRai thEdum puLLampoothankudi".

The mother bird searches for fish in a ditch filled

with large fish; it is searching because it is

looking for small fish for its young.

 

The important message is, to understand the

meanings and inner meanings of the VEdAs it is not

sufficient to have bhakti to Him; it is important to

have bhakti to the AchAryas who explain them to us.

First there has to be bhakti to the pramANam that is

the VEdam; then it is important to have bhakti to

Him who is the meaning of the VEdAs; finally it is

important to have bhakti to the bhAgavatAs who

study and live by the VEdAs.

 

For SNA, the other dEvatAs, swargam etc. spoken in

the VEdAs is the external stuff and He is the

internal meaning. SMK is not even aware of the other

matters in the VEdAs; to him even He is the external

meaning and bhAgavata kainkaryam is the internal

meaning.

 

SNA came to be known as SatakOpan because he became

angry and drove away the vAyu that was trying to

remove his gnyAnam. SMK is stating that he has that

name, also because he drives away the agnyAnam of

all who surrender to him.

 

Nambi means one who is complete. SMK is saying that

SNA shows his completeness by correcting him. Thus,

he is not just nambi, but he is "en nambi".

 

To do kainkaryam to SNA, that is the meaning of

SMK's life. Kainkaryam does not lead to

purushArttham; kainkaryam is purushArttham.

This is Sri Madhurakavi AzhvAr's message to us

through the ninth and all the other pAsurams of

kaNNinuN siRutthAmbu.

 

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

TCA Venkatesan

 

 

 

 

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