Thirumaalai-33

[Guest guest]

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-18

 

 

“enithirai tivalai mOdha eriyum than paravai meedhE

 

thanikidandhu arasu seyyum thAmaraikannan emmAn

 

kaniyirundhanaiya sevvAi kannanai kanda kangal

 

paniarumbhu vudhirumAlO enseikEn pAviyEnE?”

 

 

 

enithirai tivalai mOdha eriyum than paravai meedhE: Emperuman is seen in his

lying posture many times and he likes to be in yoga nidhrai. We all get cheated

even if we are awake but in the case of emperuman he knows everything and can

never be cheated even if he lies sleeping in yoga nidhrai. So alwars enjoy

saying ‘VuranguvAn pOl yOgu seitha perumAn’(he lies like sleeping but always

stays in yogam). Initially, emperuman lied on a aala elai(banyan leaf) during

the pralayam. Then woken up by his kAla devata he started the shrusti. During

the pralayam the pralaya water raised to great heights to enjoy the beauty of

the bhagavan in the lying posture. Then since if he stays in Srivaikundam

alone, he was not easily approachable by the devas. So he came down to pArkadal

as vyuha moorthi. Again in parkAdal he is seen lying on Adisesha. During the

pralayam he was alone but now there is Adisesha and pirattis to do pAda sEvai.

Kamban talks about this beautiful scene. He says “kadalul kayalugal vaigum

kadavulE kAnum enbar”. The fishes in the ocean are so much attracted by the

beauty of emperuman’s eyes, that by seeing the fish like eyes of emperuman they

think him to be one among them and hence they jump very high to enjoy the beauty

of the bhagavan. When he came down as rAma, vishvAmitra enjoyed seeing the

bhagavan lying and wondered what bhakyam koushalya mAtha should have, to have

enjoyed this beauty for so many years. He says she alone is blessed with

motherhood. To surpass the bhakyam of kousalyai came yeshodha who was blessed

with Krishna as the son. She and the gopi’s enjoyed Krishna do any sort of

thing. Krishna used to pretend to sleep and when the gopikas talked about his

leelas he will lose himself and smile. All these where enjoyed by the parama

rasikas. One bhaktha says I enjoy the ‘pOi thookam’ of Krishna. After the

vibhava avatAra to give us all that bhakyam emperuman is found in lying pose in

many of the divyadesams including Srirangam. Here alwar talks about the

emperuman lying with water splashing on all sides. But Vyakhyana chakravarthi

says like the water in the ocean, droplets are found under the eyes of the

bhagavatals who think or talk about him. So whenever they talk about bhagavan

tears fall in the eyes of the bhagavatals.

 

 

 

thanikidandhu arasu seyyum thAmaraikannan emmAn: Emperuman rules over the

whole world. Here when alwar says thani kidandhu that is he rules lying alone.

He lies alone only during the pralayam. As per the Upanishads he alone was

there during the pralayam but here alwar says thani kidandhu arasu seiyyum. How

can he rule when he alone is there? Actually during the pralayam he alone lies

but then just by his sankalpam woken up by the kAlam he creates the whole world.

“sO kAmayatha” says the Upanishad. After creation he rules the whole world.

But then Sri PVP is not satisfied with saying the emperuman who created the

universe after pralayam rules over. He says even in Srirangam emperuman stays

alone. There is not even piratti under his feet to do pAda sEvai and here too

he is surrounded by water(Kaveri) on all sides like a garland and kavEri is

always washing the legs of Periya perumal. So why not we say this perumal who

came to save us all from the samsAra thukkam sacrificing his own abode where

there are nithya sooris to do nithya kainkaryam to him, only rules over the

world.

 

Actually rangantha is considered to be the king of kings. He always has a

senkOl with him. Andal says, “senkOl vudaiya thiruvaranga selvanAr”. For

virodhi nirasanam he can use his sanghu and chakram but then for changing his

bhakthas who commit mistakes he uses only his senkOl. Just by frightening them

with the pancha Ayudhams, he changes them. In case of bhakthas his sanghu and

chakram are only Abharanams(jewels) and not ayudhams. More than his senkOl here

alwar says his eyes themselves have the power to govern everyone. Though sanghu

and chakram are generally asAdhArana symbols to the lord but the alwars always

consider them to be ordinary symbols. They enjoy the thamarikan and senkanivai

as asAdhArana symbols and loose themselves to their beauty. Nammazhvar in his

padhigam about thiruvarangar says, “kangulaum pagalum kan thuyil ariyAl

kannaneer kaigalal erraikkum , sanghu chakaram endru kai kooppum” the mother

says that her daughter(parangusa nayaki) is so much in love with lord ranganatha

that she never sleeps either in the morning or in the night. She always keeps

weeping in his thoughts. When she says sanghu chakram she remembers his

paratvam and hence she folds her palms as a symbol of respect. But then alwar

says, “thAmarai kan endrE thalarum” but when she thinks of the beautiful lotus

eyes of the bhagavan she looses herself, that is when her deep love is shown.

The nAma kannan actually gives two meanings, one is he has beautiful eyes and

another one that he makes the eyes of those who look at him beautiful. So alwar

says thamarai kannan. There are so many such anubhavams of various alwars about

the beauty of the eyes of bhagavan but then it requires a separate series of

postings. Emman means he is my swamy and he resides in me always.

 

 

 

Let us continue in the next posting.

 

 

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health - Feel better, live better