On "Ezhai Etalan" peria tirumozhi.

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Regarding our discussion of the saulabhya (accessibility)

of the arcA form I wanted to share some associated insights

sent to me by private email by Srirangam Periya Koyil

Sri Sundara Rajan and another yet again by Sri Bharat:

 

[ From Sri T.S. Sundara Rajan ]

 

Sri Bharat svAmin,

 

Many thanks for your posting on the "Ezhai Etalan" decad of

peria tirumozhi highlighting the delicate sensibilities which

our 'sampradAyam' had cultured around 'archA' worship.

 

May I make a limited supplementation?

 

The key phrase is, of course,

"SukrENa jyOtee.m.shi" ~~ the seeds of light ~~

occurring in from "ambhas/yapArE...."

which is the source of the tiru-vAi-mozhi

"viN-meedu iruppAi..."

 

There are some fine perceptions on 'archA', as in

~~ "ASritar-ukanda vaDivE...

sarva-SaktanAi irukka-c-cheidE a-Saktanai-p-pOlavum,..., rakshakanAi

irukka-c-cheidE rakshyam pOlavum,...,

sarva-sulabhanAi-k-koNDu kOyil-kaLilum gr.hankaLilum...

ezhunt-aruLi-irukkum nilai."

 

[meaning, the archA is "the endearing manifestation seen in the

Temple and individual abodes; He assumes the form as is dear to the

devotees, and appears to be feeble - in the archA - despite that He is

omnipotent, an object which 'sues' for protection despite that He is the

Protector of all.--- Pillai Lokacharya, artha-panchakam.]

 

The venerable names forever remembered with this 'rakshyam' aspect of

archA, are of the noble souls who literally sacrificed their lives to

protect the "archA of archA-moorti-s", namperumAL: they were peria

nambikaL, piLLai lOkAchArya, tiru-t-tAzhvarai dAsar.

 

It is significant that it is in the context of the great 'prapatti'

that the 'sAulabhyam' of the 'archA' manifestation has been brought

out. And the core doctrine of the 'vyAkhyAna' tradition holds

the Lord of Srirangam, both in peria perumAL and in namperumAL,

as the ultimate 'archA' manifestation.

 

The "taru-tuyaram" decad on tiru-vittuva-k-kODu (perumAl tirumozhi),

the "ulakam-uNDa peru-vAyA" decad on tiru-vEnkatam (tiru-vAi-mozhi)

and the "Ezhai Etalan" decad (peria tirumozhi)

constitute the three jewels of prapatti.

 

Your remark in the periya nambi episode ["they had considered him as

just one of their own kind."] brings to the mind the Lord's own

observation in Bhagavad Gita, "ava-jAnanti mAm...mAnusheem tanum

ASritam..."

 

Thank you, Sri Bharat, for writing about the "EzhaiEtalan" decad.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan,

T.S. Sundara Rajan, at Srirangam.

 

[ From Sri A. Bharat, translations by Mani ]

 

Sri Sundararajan Swamin

 

Your comments and extracts were most enjoyable and

enlightening.

 

In regard to your apt Gita quotation I am tempted to refer

to the comments of three great Acharyas on that particular

SlOka:

 

SrI BhAshyakArar

 

<mama apAra-kAruNya-audArya-sauSIlya-vAtsalyAdi-nibandhanam

manushyatva-samASrayaNa-lakshaNam imam param bhAvam

ajAnantah>

 

[Translation: (they are) ignorant of my higher nature

which is indescribable compassion, generosity, undiscriminating

graciousness, parental love, etc. This nature of mine is the

reason I resort to a human form]

 

SrI DESikan

 

<yathA hiraNmaya mrNmaya ghaTayoh dravya-vaijAtyE'pi

samsthAsAmyam tadvat atrApi etc>

 

[ Just as a golden pot and a clay pot, though made of

totally different substances, are in the same state ... ]

 

SrI NambiLLai

 

(taniyan) ippaDi avatarittAl, pOmanru uDutta OliyalODE yAyiRRu

pOmadu...."ivan namakkAga pirandAn" enRu ninaikkaikkum

oruvarum illAdirukkiradiRE. "pirandAn" enRadutannaiye kuRRamAga

upapAdippArEyiRE uLLadu! (EeDu 3.5.6)

 

[ I couldn't translate this beautiful sentiment properly --

I will let someone more skilled attempt -- Mani ]

 

SrI EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLe SaraNam!