Thirumaalai-35

[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-19

 

 

“kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti

 

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki

 

kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu

 

vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!”

 

 

 

In this paasuram, Sri thondaradi podi alwar describes the beautiful sayana

thirukkOlam of periya perumal. He says how periya perumal lies in different

directions.

 

kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti: Emperuman’s thirumeni glows

in whichever direction we see him from. That is why in Srirangam people

consider it as their bhakyam to stay in any of the four streets around the

temple. In the east and west we find perumal’s thirumudi and thiruvadi.

Generally, it is considered more sacrad to stay in the thiruvadi side since we

srivaishnavas consider the thiruvadi to be the most important. All the acharya

thirumAligais were located only in the thiruvadi side. Here Sri PVP recollects

the incident in Mahabharatha. Krishna has given appointment for both arjuna and

duriyodhana at the same time to come and invite him for the war. Duriyodhana

arrived first when Krishna was resting on his bed. There were two seats one in

the thiruvadi side and other on the thirumudi side. First DuriyOdhana sat on

the seat at the thiruvadi. Then his ego rose and feeling ashamed to sit under

the feet of a cowboy Krishna, he being a big king went and sat at the thirumudi

side. Then arjuna came. He and Krishna are very close friends still he had

come to give a formal invitation. He came and sat under the feet of Krishna and

started enjoying the sweet thiruvadi’s beauty. Arjuna thought in mind that he

could even sacrifice the kingdom or anything else if he could stay under the

bhagavan’s thiruvadi shade for ever. Bhagavan then woke up and first could see

only arjuna at his feet and hence welcomed arjuna. DuriyOdhana jumped and

reported that he was the first to arrive and that he should be granted what he

requires first. But Krishna bhagavan said that he saw only arjuna first and

that arjuna being younger should be given the first preference. But then due to

the complain of DuriyOdhana that he was always partial to the pandavas, Krishna

decided to give, one the full yadhava sEna and other himself without any

weapons. DuriyOdhana jumped and asked for the army whereas arjuna was happy to

have Krishna alone on his side. This was the thiruvadi bhalam. Arjuna was a

parama bhagavatan who wanted nothing other than bhagavat kataksham and hence he

won everything ultimately. So the thiruvadi side still in thiruvarangam is

considered as arjuna pakkam and the thirumudi side as DuriyOdhana pakkam and

hence the thirumudi side has less value among the bhagavatas though any place in

a divya desam has its equal status. Bhagavan is equal to all “samOham sarva

bhoodheshu”. He has no friend or enemy, “na mE dwashyOsthi na priyaha”. He is

like a mirror if we have evil thoughts then the result we get is also evil but

if we are good in thoughts we get good results. A mirror reflects our external

features but bhagavan reflects our internal mind. So we can never hide anything

from him and we have to always think good things and try to practice what we

think.

 

 

 

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki: Emperuman is not only beautiful

when we see him in the front but he is “munbhilum pinbhu azhagiya perumal” who

is beautiful at the back even more than the front. In thirunArAyana puram

special sattupadi(make up) is done to perumal on his backside. In Srirangam,

the back of the perumal is in the northern direction. In most of the divya

desams, perumal faces only the east. It is sometimes even forbidden for perumal

to face south. Sastras forbid us from prostrating in the southern direction.

But here in Srirangam all those sastras will not work as perumal faces only the

southern direction. We Srivaishnavas, prostrate the direction facing the temple

and emperuman. We do not mind any other sastras when it comes to sampradayam.

Even in Ramanyanam, Anjaneya who was considered to be a great scholar prostrated

in the southern direction since piratti was in lanka. Even today wherever we

are, we are supposed to give our prayers facing the directions in which our

beloved divya desams are located. We should never prostrate with our legs

facing the temple for that matter our elders never even lie with the feet facing

the temple. This is supposed to be a matter of disrespect. Why is periya

perumal lying facing south against the norms? The reason is emperuman is

eagerly waiting for vibheeshanAzhvan . Vibheeshana has to come from lanka which

is in the southern direction. So emperuman is also lying facing south(thendisai

elangai nOkki). We consider the direction where the divya desam is there to be

auspicious but perumal considers the direction where his bhakthan stays to be

auspicious and that is why he even today awaits vibheeshana eagerly.

VibheeshanAzhvan is a chiranjeevi. He was there during the mahabharata(the next

yuga) and even today he is supposed to do thiruvArAdhanam to periya perumal

during the nights.

 

 

 

kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu: Emperuman is kadal nira

vannan, neela mEga Shyamalan. Alwar now enjoys the thirumEni of bhagavan and he

says the one who is so beautiful is none other than my father, endhai. When I

see him sleeping on the bed of Adishesha! Oh! My god,

 

 

 

vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!: my body looses its

strength says alwar. Even Nammazhvar says, “ArAvamudhE! Adiyen vudalam nin pAl

anbhAyE, neerai alaiyindhu karaiya vurukkugindra nedumAlE!”. Thondaradi podi

alwar suddenly turns to our side and asks what should he do to regain his

strength. All along alwar had conversation only with perumal, why does he

suddenly ask us for suggestions?

 

PVP vyakhyAnam: “samsArigalai pArththu vungal errukkuvAra parigAraththilE

enakkum oru sirAngai eda valleergalO engirAr”

 

Alwar was conversing with bhagavan and getting deeply involved in the beauty of

bhagavan, started loosing strength. Bhagavan cannot understand alwar’s position

since only a bhakthan can do so. So he turned to face the world when he found

many people coming and having darshan of periya perumal and returning back

without any sort of change in their body. So alwar wonders what medicines these

people have to make themselves so strong even after seeing periya perumal’s

divine beauty. “avargal elaikkAmal pOga Azhvar vurugugirAr”. So azhvar now

says can you people please recommend me the medicine which you consume to keep

yourself so strong? Here alwars words are little sarcastic. He being a parama

bhagavatan has nothing else in mind other than emperuman but the lowkika people

are more materialistic though they do visit perumal once in a while. Worldly

people are always different from bhakthas in all aspects. Kabir says, “Duniya

kAyA sOyA kabir tho rOyA rOyA” Others in the world eat well and sleep well but

then kabir alone always keeps weeping thinking of his separation for the

paramatma. Here alwar is also in the same state.

 

 

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health - Feel better, live better