Inputs for CD ROMs : Part XI.2 -->Swamy NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham

[Guest guest]

NamO NaarAyanAya!

 

Dear BhakthAs: adiyEn will cover the first of

the FOUR Sri Sookthis of Swamy NammAzhwAr ,

THIRU VIRUTTHAM(TV) in this posting .

 

Introduction & Comments

************************

**TV is the first of the four prabhandhams of

Swamy NammAzhwAr (SN). It is considered as the essence

of Rg Vedam .It has 100 paasurams set in the AndhAthi

manner, where the last word of one paasuram becomes

the beginning word of the next paasuram.

 

** TV of SN is set in the Viruttham metre and deals with

the description/narration of an impotant event (VrutthAntham)

in SN's life.This event is the realization of the Divine Lord

by SN. He experiences the union with the Lord and that

dhivya anubhavam causes him bliss and the paasurams are

the narration of that ultimate ecstasy after disspiriting

trials and tribulations.

 

** The name Thiruviruttham has been explained as

the viruttham of Thiru (ParAnkusa Naayaki).The divine

love of SN for the Lord as a woman in a Rg rk sense is

being developed as a theme here.The Rg rk is I.164.16:

 

Sthriya: sathIsthAm u meh pumsa aahu:

pasyadh akshNvAn na vi chEthadh andha:

(Meaning): They , though females , have been

called males, so we hear! He who has eyes beholds.

 

That the Supreme Being (Sriman NaarAyaNaa) is the only

Male , who can save the souls , which are all females

is brought out by this Rg rk. AchAryAs prepare us

as brides for the Lord , even if we may be gender wise

males. Using this doctrine, SN enters the divine love

stage as a woman and surrenders to the Lord as 'her"

Naayakan .The paasurams describe the experiences of

a love-smitten Naayaki , who through prayer , eulogy

and constant rememberance(avicchanna smruthi) of her Lord ,

overcomes dEhAthma Bramam and climbs through several

levels of SaadhanA to conclude the spiritual pilgrimage

at the feet of the Lord's (Naayakan's) Thiruvadi to

enjoy the ParipUrNa BrahmAnubhavam.

 

** Kidambi AacchAn points out that TV was composed by SN

to save the masses of samsAris , who have fallen into

the deep pit of inferior births and further have descended

into another pit of KaamA and are aimlessly wandering there

throughout their lives without hope for any salvation .SN

through TV gives a powerful helping hand to lift them

out of their miseries experienced in these deep , dark pits

so that they can see the light (have Jn~Anam) and enjoy

the anantha kalyANa GuNams of Sriman NaarAyaNA and set

themselves on the course to gain Moksha Siddhi.

SN performs uplifting Upadesam for these suffering

samsAris out of his daya befitting a ParamAchAryan .

 

** The 100th paasuram of TV sums up SN's purpose in

composing TV as his First prabhandham : " SatakOpan

born in noble ThirukkuruhUr celebrated by BhaagavathAs ,

cherishes adorning on his head the flowers from the sacred

feet of such BhAgavathAs , whose joyous vrutthi is

the singing of the Lord's nAmams.SatakOpan has composed

a paasuram garland of one hundred verses housing the choicest

words that are of the optimal length.This prabhandham is

a humble samarpaNam to the Lord . Those who study and

comprehend the inner meanings of this prabhandham will be

guranteed a life that from then on will be freed from

the cycles of births and deaths . They will be freed

from the mess of worldly existence from which relief

is not easy ".

 

** SN pleads on our behalf to Sriman NaarAyaNan and

requests Him to listen to his prayerful appeal (ViNNappam/

VigyApanam) seriously . In the very first verse of

TV , SN appeals movingly to the Lord (Sri VaradarAjan of

Kaanchi):" Thou impeller of eternals ! Thou who wert born

in all manner of wombs for the sake of saving souls

so that we may not be touched henceforth by

the consciouness in the false , by the performance of

evil deeds ,posession of dirty body and the qualities

that are therein . Oh Lord of the DevAs!Oh Supreme One

without equal or superior ! Condescend to give ear to

the true words of Thy slave/servant".

 

** This first paasuram of TV has been identified

as the distillation of the essence of artha panchakam.

 

** SN's archai at Kanchi VaradarAja PerumAL's temple

has its right hand on his heart to illustrate this

ViNNappam. In all other temples , SN's archai has

upadEsa or anugraha mudhrai . Since SN addressed

the Lord as DEvarAjan ( ImayOr TalaivA ) in TV ,

his archai at Kaanchi has the ViNNappa mudhrai .

 

** In TV the beginning and the end deal with

the viNNappam of SN. In the first paasuram ,

SN appeals to the Lord : " Mey ninRu kEttaruLAi

adiyEn seyuum viNNappamE". In the final paasuram,

he reminds the Lord that has made the ViNNappam

on behalf of us: " MaaRan viNNappam seytha soll".

 

** SN's viNNappam is to banish the obstacles of

prakruthi sambhandham that stand in the way of

Moksham. It is an appeal on our behalf.His prayer

is to save the AathmA from the mire/ mud of

samsAram , which is not easy to brush and remove ,

without the Lord's anugraham.

 

** SN takes on the role of a Naayaki deeply in love

with the Lord and engages in the enjoyment of

the limitless auspicious guNams of her Lord and

begs for parma hitham and parama purushArtham in TV.

 

** In the 64th paasuram of TV , SN connects to Rg Vedam:

" irukkAr mozhiyAl-- ThirutthAL iNai --nilatthEvar

vaNanguvar" ( with Rg vedic Rks, the great ones of

this earth will perform AarAdhanam for the sacred feet

of Sriman NaarAyana. Rk Vedam in all its prayers

to various devathais (Agni, Indhran, Vaayu , Varunan

et al) is only saluting the indweller of these Deavathais ,

who is none other than Sriman NaarAyaNan , who empowers

them( TadhEvAgni: tadhu Soorya: Tadhu ChandramA).

 

** The First ,third , fifth and the 17th paasurams

of TV can be identified as prayers to the antharyAmi

of Indran, Agni , Vaayu and VaruNan respectively.

 

** SN spoke until the 87th paasuram in the role of

a Naayaki .From then on to conclusion , SN speaks

with his own identity .Some of the memorable lines

in TV are :

 

(1) adiyEn adi aavi adaikkalamE (Paasuram 85);

Here in the role of Naayaki SN states that her

aathmA as a daasa bhuthai is the object of

His protection (Rakshya Vasthu).

 

(2) maathAvinai pithuvait ThirumAlai VaNanguvanE

( Paasuram 95).Here SN states that he is performing

Prapatthi at the sacred feet of the Lord , who is

both his Father and Mother.

 

(3)Jn~Anap PirAnai allAl illai nAnn kaNda nallathuvE

(Paasuram 99).Here , SN declares that there is nothing

at all in this world as hitham except BhUvarAhan ,

the EmperumAn , who performed Jn~AnOpadesam through

VarAha Charama slOkam .Swamy Desikan created the rahasya

grantham of Rahasya SikhAmaNi based on this slOkam

to celebrate the greatness of VarAha Charama slOkam.

 

** Swamy Desikan viewed the four Prabhandhams of SN as four

ViNnappams. According to him , the first prabhandham (TV)

of SN described that SamsAric afflictions are unbearable.

In the second Prabhandham ( ThiruvAsiriyam/Tamil Yajur Vedam),

SN enjoyed the SvarUpa-rUpa gunams of the Lord .In the third

prabhandham ( Periya ThiruvandhAthi/Atharva Veda saaram),

SN had the ViNNappam to the Lord that the bliss of enjoying

the Lord be uninterrupted. In the final prabhandham

(ThiruvAimozhi/Saama Veda Saaram), SN enjoyed without let

the anantha kalyANa guNams of the Lord and entered

the feet of the Lord ( adikkeezh amarnthu puhunthAr).

 

** The link between Thiru Viruttham and ThiruvAimozhi(TVM)

according to our PoorvAchAryAs is that the pilgrimage

of the Soul that started in TV is celebrated in greater

detail in ThiruvAimozhi and in this context , TV can be

considered as the epitome of TVM .

 

Swamy NammAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan