Srimath Azhagiya Singar's UpanyAsam on ThirunedumthANDakam of today : Part I.

[Guest guest]

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

HH The Revered Jeeyar of Sri Matam , Sri NarAyaNa YathIndhra

MahA Desikan continued with His 8th UpanyAsam (?)today on Thirumangai

Mannan's Charama ( Last ) Prabhandham : ThirunedumthANDakam(TNT) .

The previous seven upanyAsams were detailed and wonderful

introductions to Thirumangai's Six prabhandhams in general

and TNT in particular.

 

Approximately 130 bhakthAs from the different parts of USA ,

Singapore and India were blessed today to hear this marvellous

UpanyAsam . adiyEn is summarizing the upanyAsam for the benefit

of those BhakthAs , who could not participate in this moving

UpanyAsam . All the errors in the summary are adiyEn's . It is

impossible to translate the most scholarly and yet personalized

UpanyAsams of Srimath Azhagiya Singar into other languages.

adiyEn is engaging in this endeavour only to serve fellow bhakthAs to

enjoy this insightful , nectarine upanyAsam of the revered Jeeyar.

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar is basing His UpanyAsam on the Commentary of

VyAkyAna Chakravarthi, Swamy PeriyavaacchAn PiLLai published by

Sri U.Ve. Sri KrishNaswAmy Iyengar of PutthUr agrahAram in 1993 .

Without Srimath Azhagiya Singar's commentary on Swamy PeriyavAcchAn

PiLLai's text , it would be impossible to gain access to the rich

SaasthrArthams embedded in the Sri Sookthi of VyAkyAna Chakravarthi.

Please register for these upanyAsams and enjoy the divine flow of

amrutham from the Vaak of HH The Revered Jeeyar in the coming weeks.

 

Thirumangai has blessed us with SIX Prabhandhams , which are recognized

traditionally as the Six angams for the four Prabhndhams of Swamy

NammAzhwAr , which are considered as the essence of the Four Sanskrit

Vedhams ( " MaaRan PaNittha Tamizh MaRaikku AaRangam kooRa avatharitthavar

MangayarkkOn " according to Sri MaNavALa Maamuni).

 

The Six Prabhandhams of Thirumangai in the order of their

composition are:

 

1. Periya Thirumozhi

2. ThirukkuRumthANDakam

3. ThiruvezhukURRikkai

4. SiRiya Thirumadal

5. Periya Thirumadal

6. ThirunedumthANDakam

 

AchArya RaamAnujA saluted Thirumangai Mannan as " MaayOni

vALL valiyAl manthiram koLL MangayarkkOn " . EmperumAnAr

states here that Kaliyan " overpowered " the Lord at

ThirumaNamkollai with the power of his sword and recieved

the AshtAkshara ManthrOpadEsam directly from the Lord.

Kaliyan became blessed immediately with "MayaRvaRa Mathi nalam ".

Kaliyan recieved the anugraham of " the faculty of Jn~Ana-Bhakthi ,

which effaces the weakness of the intellect that doubts ,

confuses , argues and fails to see what ought to be seen ".

That extraordinary direct anugraham from the Lord Himself

stirred Kaliyan to compose right away the First Thirumozhi of

Periya Thirumozhi , "VaadinEn Vaadi" , which is a profound

celebration of the glories of the meanings of AshtAkshara

MahA Manthram. This Moola Manthram is an elaboration of

two of the most important auspicious attirbutes of the Lord:

His Swamithvam ( Lordship) and Soulabhyam (Ease of access by

one and all ). These two KalyANa GuNams find their limit in

the Lord's ArchAvathArams . Therefore , Kaliyan had a great

desire to enjoy the Lord in the "uhanthu-aruLina NilangaL "

or the Dhivya Desams that are located all over India , from

BhadrikAsramam nestling in the mighty HimAlayAs appearing

as the measuring rod for the Universe (Sthitha : PruthivyA

iva Maana DhaNda: according to KaaLi DaasA in mEga sandEsam)

to the southern ocean at Raama Sethu ( ThiruppullANi)and from

DwArakai in the west to ChOLa Naadu Thiruppathis in the East.

 

Sriman NaarAyaNan , the Para Devathai for the Moola Manthram ,

blessed His dear bhakthan, Kaliyan with His sEvai at these

dhivya Desams and in return recived garlands of chaste Tamizh

verses of Periya Thirumozhi steeped in Bhagavath anubhavam .

Sriman NaarAyaNan noticed that Kaliyan's immense enjoyment of

His anantha kalyANa GuNams had resulted in Kaliyan's loss of focus

on His Parama Padham and the lowliness of the SamsAric world.

The Lord thus gently reminded Kaliyan about the lowliness of

SamsAric life with a view to lead Kaliyan to His Parama Padham

(Supreme Abode , Sri Vaikuntam).Kaliyan realized quickly his

helpless state and described it movingly in the last Thirumozhi of

Periya Thirumozhi ( MaaRRamuLa --).In that Thirumozhi filled

with despondency (nirvEdham ) about his helpless state , Kaliyan

compared himself to a tree living on the banks of a fast flowing

river , which could collapse any time and be destroyed. His sudden

recognition of the terrors of SamsAric Life made him compare his

avala (pitiable ) nilai in a state of naichciyam to:

 

i. a storm-tossed boat in the middle of the deep ocean

ii. a person , who lives in the same house with a poisonous snake

iii. an ant that is caught in the middle of a log that is burning

on both ends.

iv. a pack of foxes caught up in the middle of a flood.

 

Kaliyan begged the Lord to show him the way to the safe haven of

His Thiruvadi.The Lord did not react to this appeal.Kaliyan was

disillusioned and began to enjoy the Lord with his mind , speech

and body (MukkaraNams) just as a thirsty man would pour cool water

all over himself , when he is thirsty and parched .Kaliyan began

to convince himself that the ThrikaraNa anubhavam of the Lord arose

out of the good fortune of his mangaLAsAsanams at the Dhivya Desams.

His outpourings celebrating the bhAgyam of those , who have sevais

at the dhivya Desams , took the form of ThirukkuRumthANDakam , his

second prabhandham.

 

Kaliyan's state now was like that of a thirsty man, whose thirst

increases with more consumption of water , when one is totally

parched . Kaliyan's desire to reach the Lord grew further and

further .This feeling-state led to the creation of ThiruvEhu-

kURRirukkai , his third Prabhandham addressed to Thirukkudanthai

AarAvamudhan. In this prabhndham , with great aarthi ( immense

haste to reach the Lord's Thiruvadi at Parama Padham without any

further waiting ) , Kaliyan declared: " Ninn adi iNai paNivan

varumidar ahala maRRE vinayE ". Kaliyan prayed to AarAvamudhan

to deflect any obstacles rsulting from his bad karmAs and to help

him to worship at the Lord's Thiruvadi in Parama Padham.

 

Kaliyan had thus performed SaraNAgathi at Thirukkudanthai

at the Periya Koil to Amudhan. Nothing happened. There was no

response from the Lord. Kaliyan got agitated and vowed to

destroy his svaroopam as JeevAthmA(seshan) and the Lord's savroopam

as ParamAthmA(Sarva Seshi) so that he (Kaliyan ) can reach him

by any means at his disposal. The two Thirumadals --SiRiya and

PeRiya Thirumadal-- arose from this mood of desperation.

 

Now Sriman NaarAyaNan got worried. He felt that if He stayed

away from Kaliyan , the world will become nirIsvaram ( without

Isvaran). Hence , Sriman NaarAyaNan appeared immediately before

Kaliyan just as He appeared before PrahlAdhan in the split second

out of the pillar in the court of HiraNyakasipu. Sriman NaarAyaNan

revealed the mysteries of the three eternal Tatthvams :Prakruthi,

ChEthanam (Kaliyan ) and Isvaran ( The Lord) and their relationships.

Kaliyan was ecstatic and his great joy poured forth through

the thrty paasurams of ThirunedumthANDakam known for their

richness of SaasthrArthams dealing with Tatthva Thrayams ,

Parama Hitham and Parama PurushArtham.

 

Kaliyan reached a state similar to that of Swamy NammAzhwAr had

attained earlier at the very end of His ThiruvAimozhi( avAvaRRu

Veedu PeRRa KuruhUr SatakOpan/Swamy NammazhwAr who joined the Lord

with all of his ambitions fulfilled ).

 

Sriman NaarAyaNan saluted as " The Vaikunta Nilayan ,

Niradhisaya-oujwalya-Sougandhya-SoukumArya -LaavaNya dhivya

Roopan ,Lakshmi-BhUmi-NeeLAdhi Dhivya mahishI Sevithan, Dhivya

BhUshaNa BhUshithan , Niradhisaya KalyANa , Dhivya-aayudha

jaala sObhithan , Dhivya parijana sEvitha SaraNa NaLina Yugalan ,

Aparimitha udhAra GuNa Saagaran, Parama Purushan " mingled with

Kaliyan with yearning. Kaliyan felt like Swamy NammazhwAr ,

who declared his joy in ThiruvAimozhi 10.10.10 ( translation

by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan ):

 

" Oh the AntarAthmA of Moola Prakrithi , which evolves into

Mahath , AhamkArA etc, and which pervades all space and is

infinite.

 

Oh the AntharAthmA of MukthAthmAs , who encircle , extend over

and are larger than the Prakrithi in extant, whose Jn~AnA

excels and whose very nature is characterized by Jn~AnA ,

AnandA and Tejas.

 

Oh the unique possessor of Sankalpa-Jn~Ana , which extends

even beyond still further, which is pure AnandA in nature.

 

My yearning to join You was even larger than Your

Sankalpa-Jn~AnA in magnitude!

 

But You covered me up , quenched this yearning . I became

a drop in Your vastness of nectar Ocean. My long time

ambition has been fulfilled".

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar covered all these vishayams in

His introduction (avathArikai) . Today , He started

describing the SaamAnyArthams of the tattvam-laden words

and passages of the first Paasuram of ThirunedumthANDakam .

HH The Jeeyar will cover the visEshArthams of the first paasuram

in His next UpanyAsam.

 

adiyEn will cover the contents of the UpanyAsam of today

in the next posting .

 

Daasan, Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi: Oppiliappan Koil

VaradAchAri SatakOpan