Thirumaalai-23

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

 

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

 

 

“ Mattrondrum vEinda 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,

 

 

Paasuram-10

 

 

“nAttinan deivam engum nallathOr arulthannAlE

 

kAttinAn thiruvarangam uybhavarkku uyyumvannam

 

kEttirE nambimeergAl! Geruda vAhananum nirkka

 

sEttai than madi yagaththu selvam pArtirukkindreerE.”

 

 

 

nAttinan deivam engum nallathOr arulthannAlE: We find a number of devi’s and

devata’s temples all over the world. Different people worship different gods.

Different gods are worshipped in different modes by different people. Alwar

here says all these gods where created only by Sriman Narayanan. But then why

should he create so many and divert the people when he is the supreme self who

everyone has to worship? That is because, all people are not same. Some are

sattvikas, some rajasas and some thAmasas. So emperuman by his nirheduka krupa

created even gods according to the various tastes of the people. Only the

belief in god and spiritual practice can make people orderly and refrain from

doing mistakes. So he created different gods to cater to the needs of the

different types of people. We find many people criticizing the sattivikas but

still even those people do pooja and visit the temples of their own

estha(favorite) devatha. Such is the mentality of the people. Emperuman who

knows each and every one of us due to his divine grace(nallathOr arul)

established different gods in different places. He is the antaryami of all the

devathas and having them as his body he gives the results. But people do not

realize it and sometimes even talk ill of the lord Sriman Narayana. But

unfortunately they do not know that whatever they do as worship finally reaches

only emperuman. Nowadays, even srivaishnavas do not understand the magimai of

emperuman and unfortunately go and stand in front of other devatas for some

lowkika palans. This is like a son of a big person(wealthy and healthy) going

and standing in front of a daridran (poor and weak) for sudhra (cheap) palans.

How can we say that only emperuman created all these devatas? Would be the next

question anyone will ask. Bhagavan himself in Bg says, “Yo yo yam yam thanum

bhaktha:” and Nammazhvar in thiruvaimozhi says, ‘Avar avar thamathamadu arivari

vagaivagai avaravar eraiyavar ena adi adaivargal avaravar eraiyavar kuraivilar

eraiyavar avaravar vidhivazhi adaiyanindranarE”. Here alwar says that there are

so many gods and different people fall into their feet depending on their fate.

If they are rajasas they go to the temples of rajasic gods and if they are

thamasAs they go to the temples of thamasic gods. There is nothing wrong if

people visit and worship the gods according to their nature but what is

disheartening and what alwar condemns is the srivaishnavas going to other

temples for favour. This is like a sat patni(a good wife) going and standing in

the footsteps of para purushan(other men).

 

 

 

Whatever emperuman has done is due to his krupai only. In Vishnu temples

mangalAsAsanams , ghosti, thiruvArAdanam etc are done for just pleasing

emperuman and seeing the smile on his face by bhagavatas not seeking any other

palan. But this will not work out with people who go to temple only when they

find some reason to do so. So to satisfy all and avoid confusion emperuman has

done all these. “Sarva deva namaskAraha kesavam pratigachchathi” anyway on

namaskarams ultimately reach bhagavan only. Slowly the others will also gain

sattvika gunas and reach bhagavan but it may take time depending on the nature

and fate of individuals.

 

 

 

kAttinAn thiruvarangam uybhavarkku uyyumvannam: Though emperuman created

number of gods and various types of worship he also showed the difference

between worshipping the gods who are bodies and the emperuman himself who is the

soul. Whoever worshipped the lord in Srirangam for the sake of just doing

bhakthi and kainkaryam to him will reach the highest abode of the lord, the

moksha. So they attain what a jeevatma has to attain in this janma and break

the cycle of life and death and reach the world from where they never return.

 

 

 

kEttirE nambimeergAl! Geruda vAhananum nirkka: Even though alwar says so much

about the lord and his karunai these people go deaf eared. Alwar’s words never

strike them and they are interested only in the lowkika pleasures. So now alwar

draws their attention towards him and says “listen! You folks emperuman is

waiting in garuda vahanam to come running to our call and grant moksha”. Not

only that emperuman is waiting, Sri mahalakshmi who stays in the vakthastalam of

emperuman always is also waiting to talk on our behalf to perumal to forgive all

our sins and give us all mangalams. Even if emperuman get angry by the crores

of apacharams(mistakes) we all commit thayar who is a mother to all of us talks

to him politely and showers mercy on us. She never gets angry with her kids who

are prone to mistakes. She also changes all of us by her grace. She is the

godown of wealth and when she comes to a place the whole area becomes filled

with wealth and well being. But alwar feels , why these people do not

understand this. They do not fall in the feet of Sriman Narayanan instead what

do they do?

 

 

 

sEttai than madi yagaththu selvam pArtirukkindreerE: They are in the look out

for the elder sister of sridevi. Who is this elder sister? She is jhestha

devi(settai in tamil) and she is one who gives all amangalams(commonly called

moodevi). Well educated persons suffer from ahankAram and mamakAram and hence

never go near emperuman and so moodevi visits them. Whereas even a poorly

educated person may get the kataksham of Sridevi. Sridevi was born in Parkadal

which is a mine of pearls and corals. Every wealth in this world belongs to

Sridevi only and she showers it on us due to her krupai. But inspite of all

these people never approach her instead look for wealth from moodevi who gives

only worry. Even in Srishooktham they is a reference to this moodevi(Jhestha).

“shut bhebhasa malAm jheshtam…. nAsayAmyaham”. So alwar feels for those who

leave sridevi and go to moodevi. Even for attaining lowkika palans there are

sannadhi’s in srirangam itself. Emperuman is capable of granting both lowkika

palans and moksham also. Dhanvantri is a doctor who cures our disease,

sudarshanar protects us from all evils, santhanagopalan blesses us with a child

and so on. That is why even nammazhvar says ‘nindra Adipiran nirka mattrai

deivam nAduthirE”(when Adipiran is standing to grant us whatever we want why go

to other gods?).

 

 

 

Let us continue in the next posting

 

 

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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