Thirumaalai-6

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

" Mattrondrum Venda Maname Madhilarangar

Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra

Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai

Eppozhudum peesu"

 

" Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave

Yetkadakshai kalakshyanam sulabha: Sridara: sadaa"

 

 

Pranams,

 

As we already saw that Sri Thondaradipodi Alwar wrote his Thirumaalai

prabhandam based on the Vishnu Dharma Sastram let us now see some

features of Vishnu Dharmam and Thirumaalai. Vishnu Dharmam appears

to be a dialogue between Sathaneekar, a king and Sownakar, a rishi.

The king questions the rishi "Which is the easiest method for

people in kaliyuga(Acharaheena, VairAkhyaheena jeevatmas) to attain

Bhagavan?" The answer given by Sownakar to this question is

Vishnu Dharma Sastram. In contrast, in Thirumaalai, Alwar is the

Vaktha (person who lectures) and Periya perumal Stota(one who

hears). Here one doubt will arise. Sathaneekar was a raja and he

wanted to clarify his doubt and learn more from the rishi. But

Periya Perumal has no doubt and he has all the knowledge why should

he listen to alwar? Our great PVP clears our doubt in the avatArikai

to Thirumaalai. Emperuman listens to Alwar not because he doesn't

know the nAma magimai but because he wants to hear it from Alwar.

Like a mother after teaching her kid a short story enjoys listening

it back from the kid emperuman also enjoys the paasurams of the

Alwar. There is one saying in Sanskrit "Kim Vrishtam -Srutha

vachanam"(which is the thing which is very sweet to hear? It is

the child's innocent talk). When we ask more than that which is

sweet to hear again it is child's innocent talk `Punarapi

tateka

sruthavachanam'. Even Thiruvalluvar says "kuzhal enidhu Yazh

enidhu enbar than makkal mazhalaisol kelAdhavar". So the

Mazhalai

elam sol of a kid is an atmost sweetest thing to hear. Here alwar is

the kid of emperuman and emperuman enjoys hearing alwar's

Mazhalaisol(child talk-Thirumaalai paasurams).

 

So the speciality of Thirumaalai is that it was not listened by an

innocent king but it was listened by Periya Perumal himself. In our

Sampradhayam even very learned elders sit and listen to younger

peoples upanyasams since they consider that Bhagavat vishayam has its

value whether it is told by a kid or a young man or an elderly

person. Even emperuman cherishes listening to his bhakthas words.

There is one story in our guru paramparai. Once Sri Nampillai was

delivering kalashepam in the mandapam near Sri Ranganatha sannadhi. A

person by name Thiruvilakku picchan was standing in front of the

sannadhi with a lamp in his hand. Periya Perumal was so impressed by

hearing Nampillai's bhagavat guna kalashepam that he left his

archA samAdhi and came to see the kalashepa ghosti of Nampillai.

Suddenly Thiruvilakku picchan saw somebody near him and realizing

that it was Periya Perumal he ordered perumal that he should not do

this and he has to go back to his archA SamAdhi. Such was the

attraction of bhagavan to listen to his adiyars lectures.

 

The next speciality of this prabhandham is it explains the paratvam

of Sriman Narayanan without any doubt arising in any of our minds.

For instance even in Thiruvaimozhi we find places like "sivanAi

ayanai…", "muniye mukkanappa" were one tends to think

that alwar is talking about Thrimoorthi samyam(equality of the

trios). In these places only the vyakhyAnams clearly explain that it

refers to the paratvam of Bhagavan alone. But in Thirumaalai alwar

doesn't give room to any such doubts. He clearly says

"MattrumOr deivam vundO"(Is there any other deivam other than

lord

Krishna?)and "Elangayai settra dEvane dEvanAvAn"( the deva

who won

langa is the only deva, here he refers to rAmaavatAra). So without

any doubt alwar confirms that the only god is Narayana who took

avatarams as rAmA and Krishna.

 

After seeing the specialty of the prabhandam let us now see the

specialty of Thondaradi podi alwar. Maharishis had divya jnanam but

we consider alwars higher than the maharishis since they

were "Mayarvaru Madinalam Arulapettravargal" that is they

were bestowed on with good Jnana and bhakthi by the lord himself

unlike the rishis who got it due to their tapas. The mudalalwars and

Thirumazhisai alwar were involved in the antaryami, Nammazhwar was

immersed in the paratvam of bhagavan, Kulesekara alwar and

periyazhwar enjoyed singing the praise of Rama Krishna avataaras and

Thirumangai alwar was impressed by the charm of the archavataaras. So

the hierarchy goes as follows. The alwars are considered more

special than the Maharishis. Among the alwars, Nammazhvar is more

special than the mudal alwars and Alwars involved in vibhava moorthi

more special than Nammazhvar and Thirumangai alwar more special than

all the above. Now Sri PVP says Thondaradipodi alwar is regarded

more special than even Thirumangai alwar. How is that?

 

"Periya Perumalai alladu veru ariyadu erruppaar Oruvar Aiththu

evar"

(He was one person who knew no other emperuman other than Periya

Perumal). Thirumangai alwar went from sedhu to Himalayas and did

mangalaasasanam to the maximum number of divyadesams more than any

other alwar but Thondaradipodialwar has a credit that he never sang

anyother emperuman other than Sriranganathan. All other alwars sang

Thirupathi venkatesa perumal but even today Srirangam holds the first

place only because of this alwar singing only about Ranganathan. He

refused to sing even about the great thirupathi Srinivasan. Even

Thirupanalwar who sang only 10 paasurams that too as paadadi kesantha

varnanai of Periya Perumal in the very first paasuram says

"virayAr pozhil venkadavan" but Thondaradi podi alwar in his

55 paasurams of thirumaalai and Thirupalliyezhuchi has never given

room for any other divya desa perumal other than Sri Ranganathan.

Even when he talks about the vibhavaavatArams he attributes them only

to Arangathamman. This alwar alone lived like this with parama

Ikantyam towards ranganathan. He has not gone to anyother temple, he

hasn't taken a dip in any other pushkarini and he has never taken

the

prasaadam of any other perumal other than arangan.

>From his vyakhyanam we find that PVP is very attached to this alwar.

We find that Thondaradi podi alwar's avadhAra

stalam(Thirumandangudi)

and PVP's avadhara Stalam(Senganoor) are very close by. Probably

PVP considered thondaradipodigal as an alwar of his place and hence

was attached to him and to add to this both were poorvashika

brahmanas. Even though their birthplaces were different both of them

came and settled in Srirangam and spent their whole time under the

feet of Periya Perumal.

 

With this let us complete the introduction to Thirumaalai and from

the next postings we will dive deep into the divine arthas of the

alwar's paasurams.

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan