Thiruppavai Acharya Param - II

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In the first pAsuram of Thiruppavai, the qualities of the AchArya as

being the very representative of Sriman Narayana himself were extolled,

along with the concept that AchArya AbhimAnam, service and faith in the

AchArya, was in and of itself the upAyam, the path to our redemption.

It also brought out the very important aspect of Ramanuja Sampradayam

that the AchArya is ready and willing to share his wisdom with all who

are interested, irrespective of race, caste, or gender.

 

In the second of his series of talks on Thiruppavai AchArya Param, Sri V

P S Varadan Swamy presented an explanation on the second pAsuram of

Thiruppavai, vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl, the esoteric meaning of which

describes the quality of a sishya, a true disciple:

 

vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl nAmum nampAvaikku

seyyum kirisaigal kElIrO ! pArkadalul

paiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi

neyyunnOm pAlunnOm nAtkAlE nIrAdi

 

maiyittu ezhudOm malarittu nAmudiyOm

seyyAdana seyyyOm thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm

Ayyamum pichchayum Andanayum kaikAtti

vuyyumAr enni yugandElOr empAvAi

 

'vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl' - While the path is available to anyone and

everyone, irrespective of race, caste, or gender, it is understandable

that those who actually pursue this on a serious level would have to

possess certain qualities that would allow them to do so, in spite of

the pressures of this world that would pull them away to more mundane

pursuits. The second verse begins by addressing these rare souls, the

mumukshus, the prappanas, those who strive to surrender to the Lord,

expanding upon what was suggested by ' sIrmalgum AyappAdi selvachchiru

mIrgAl' in the first pAsuram.

 

The rare souls, the mumukshus, the prapannas, are described as those who

seek to serve Sriman Narayana by ever constantly singing the praises of

the AchArya.

 

'nAmum' - This term stresses or places emphasis on these individuals,

the mumukshus, suggesting a firm stand, showing that their service lies

in adhering to what is prescribed in sAstra, the collection of the Veda,

Upanishads, itihAsas, purAnas, and the divya prabhandam, the knowledge

of which are bestowed upon them by the AchArya.

 

'nampAvaikku' - the term 'pavai' can mean a vratam/nonbu, an austerity

or penance undertaken with a firm vow. This vratam, though, is unlike

all others in that is more a philosophical approach, an devotional

attitude in which the AchArya himself is seen to be God, one's refuge,

salvation, and object of adoration and service. Such a mood is shown to

us by example and words by Madhurakavi AzhvAr to NammazhvAr, who

expresses this to all of us in his famous work, kanninun sirrtthAmbu

with the words, '...thirithan Agilum devapirAn udai....', "....rejecting

all other deities...."

 

The question that will arise is if the AchArya is so important, than

what role does the Lord play? While not denying the need for devotion

to Sriman Narayana, it is suggested we serve the Acharya first, and then

think about doing a little service to the Lord directly. The reasons

for this is as follows:

 

1. The AchArya is a direct gift that has come solely from Sriman

Narayana out of His Boundless Love. Consequently, his presence in our

hearts and lives is something to be cherished.

 

2. The AchArya's Compassionate Nature is such that he would place

himself second if we were to decide to only serve the Lord. However,

according to our customs, it is the AchArya who is the one who should be

taking the lead in guiding us in proper service to him. Consequently,

out of our respect for this, we should maintain our position of

servitude to him.

 

3. Sriman Narayana is of the nature that He is most pleased not when He

is being adored and served, but when His devotees are being served.

Consequently, to truly serve Him, we must serve His devotee, the

AchArya.

 

'seyyum kirisaigal kElIrO ' - Sriman Narayana is the only Being in this

Universe who is completely free to do and act as He pleases. How He

bestows His Kindness, and when He chooses to do so is solely His

Decision. But, the Lord is also one Who is easily swayed by His

Devotees. So, if the AchArya tells Him to do something, He will

follow. This is suggested by 'seyyum kirisaigal kElIrO' This also

further warrants the need for the devotee to serve the Lord only through

service to the AchArya.

 

By Vedic tradition, for every 'vratam' or penance, there is a

'sankalpam', a vow that what is about to undertaken will be completed

with good intentions, and with all the rules and regulations surrounding

being followed to the best of one's abilities. This 'sankalpam' is

revealed to us in the pAsuram by:

 

pArkadalulpaiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi

neyyunnOm pAlunnOm nAtkAlE nIrAdi

maiyittu ezhudOm malarittu nAmudiyOm

seyyAdana seyyyOm thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm

 

pArkadalulpaiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi - We wil sing the glory of

the Lotus Feet of the AchArya, the one in whom Sriman Narayana, an ocean

of countless auspicious qualities, finds bliss.

 

In our temples, we receive the sacrament of 'satAri', a crown decorated

with the Lotus Feet of Sriman Narayana that is gently placed on our

heads for a moment, as a symbolic gesture of His Grace. The Lord's

satAri is called by the name of his chosen disciple, NammAzhvAr. Not

only the Lord, but every teacher has his own 'satAri' which is named

after his foremost disciple. For NammAzhvAr, the satari is Bhagavad Sri

Ramanuja himself. For Ramanuja, it is his first student, MudaliAndAn,

and so on. So, for a student singing the glories of his/her teacher's

feet is of utmost importance, as this is the connection that links

him/her through the lineage of teachers through Ramanuja and ultimately

to Sriman Narayana. It is this 'thiruvadi sambhandam,' this connection

to the feet ot the AchArya, that one must be ever aware of and glorify.

 

neyyunnOm pAlunnOm - Just like NammAzhvAr proclaiming that Sriman

Narayana is his water, food, dessert, and very sustenance, to us the

AchArya is all all of these. We require nothing else to survive.

This is what is implied here by saying that we will not take ghee or

milk.

 

nAtkAlE nIrAdi - We will depend on no other Vedic injunctions, consider

no other means to spiritual realization as being of relevance, other

than respect and service to the AchArya.

 

seyyAdana seyyyOm - This is probably the most important concept

contained within this pAsuram. Our Vedic culture teaches us that our

fundamental obligation is to do what is good, to uphold Dharma. But,

how do we know what is to be done and what is not to be done in this

complex world? The answer lies in simply doing what our AchAryas'

example. What they do, we should set as our ideal, and strive to do.

What they do not do, we do not do, even if the scriptures dictate that

we are to do it. Dharma is simply following the examples of these great

souls to the best of our abilities. Nothing else is required or needs

to be known.

 

thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm - If we are ever to learn, we must strive to

maintain a mood of humility such that we can follow our AchAryas

teachings and examples. So we must strive to live a life that is devoid

of selfish and vicious intention. Such an attitude must be expressed in

our speech, which should be simple and affectionate, free of malice and

voracious intentions. This should not only be maintained before our

AchArya, but must be the approach we should take to life in general.

 

Ayyamum pichchayum Andanayum kaikAtti - What is implied here is that the

AchArya gives us upadEsam into the sacred mantras without any

hesitation, unconditionally. The sishya, the student, approaches the

AchArya with all kinds of concerns, doubts, and limitations. The

AchArya takes none of these to heart. He simply and unconditionally

initiates the student and bestows wisdom upon him/her without

expectation or bias. This is proof of his magnanimity and compassion.

 

vuyyumAr enni - The sishya should recognize the greatness of the AchArya

and receive the wisdom with joy, knowing that it is an unconditional

gift and blessing that should forever be cherished.

 

'vuyyumAr enni' also pays homage to the six great messages that were

imparted by Sri Varadaraja Perumal to Sri Ramanuja through

Thirukachinambi, one of Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja's five great teachers.

Sri Ramanuja received these as an unconditional gift, although he too

approached the teacher with concerns, which in the case of him, were

centered on seeking out his mission, his true purpose in life. These

six messages summarize the essence of our spiritual tradition:

 

Sriman Narayana is the paratathvam, the Supreme Reality

 

There is a difference between the jeevatmas, the individual souls, and

the paramatma, the Supreme Soul, Sriman Narayana

 

Prapatti, surrender to His Grace, is the only means to achieving Him

 

Periya Nambi is Sri Ramanuja's true AchArya (implying the importance of

the AchArya)

 

Moksham, redemption, cannot occur while one is stil in this world, it

only occurs after the soul leaves the body.

 

For a prapanna, one who has surrendered to the Lord through the

connection with the AchArya, antima smriti, remembering the Lord at the

time of one's passing, is not required for one's salvation.

 

--continued--