ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam : Part VIII : Kaliyan's Paasurams: 3.1.8

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Today we will study the Eighth Paasuram

of Thirumangai Mannan on Lord DhaivanAyakan of

ThiruvahIndhrapuram ( Periya Thirumozhi: 3.1.8):

 

virai kamazhntha menn-karum kuzhal kAraNam villiRutthu

adal mazhaikku nirai kalangida varai kudai yedutthavaan nilaviya idam

tadamAr varai vaLam thihazh mathakari maruppOdu malai vaLarahil unthi

tirai koNarnthaNai sezhu nathi vayal-puhu ThiruvayeendhrapuramE

 

General observations

**********************

Kaliyan dwelled on RaamAvathAram incidents in the last

two Thiruvaheendhrapuram paasurams. He begins the shift

from RaamAvathAram to KrishNAvathAram in this paasuram.

 

In the previous paasuram , Kaliyan was moved to describe

the natural beauty of the fertile fields of red rice ,

where he saw the peaceful scene of the pairs of swans

resting comfortably on their soft beds of lotus flowers.

 

Kaliyan shifts his attention in this paasuram to Garuda nathi

flowing vigorously with foam and froth and bringing ivory

and fragrant tree trunks from the fierce rains at the mountains.

 

When Kaliyan witnesses the swift floods of Garuda nathi, Kaliyan's

thoughts go to the scene at AaypAdi, where the Young KrishNan

lifted the Govardhana Giri and held it as an umbrella

to protect the cattle and the people of BrindhAvanam from

the ferocious rains ordered by Indhran and salutes

the Govardhana GiridhAran.

 

First Line of the Sixth Paasuram

*********************************

The first line deals with the breaking of the mighty

Siva dhanus by the Young Raamamchandran at King JanakA's

court and winning the hand of SitA PirAtti at Her

svyamvaram through that display of His prowess :

 

" virai kamazhntha menn karum kuzhal kaaraNam villiRutthu "

 

Here Kaliyan points out that the beauty of SeethA pirAtti

characterized by Her fragrant and shiny black tresses

and RaamA's desire to have that SeethA as His darma pathni

motivated Him to string the mighty bow of Siva.

 

The power of Raama's hands ended up breaking that bow ,

which could not even be lifted by many contenders for

SitA's hand. King Janaka had vowed that He would give

SitA in marriage to the one , who would string the divine

bow of Lord Siva , which was his family property. The prince

of AyOdhyA won handily in this contest and King Janaka

declared solemnly (ValmIki RaamAyaNam: BAla KaaNDam; 67.23):

 

" SitA prANair-bahumathA dhEyA RaamAya mE suthA"

 

(My daughter SeethA , who is dearer to me than my own

life is now ready to be given away to RaamA in marriage).

 

Kaliyan says here that it was the beauty of SeethA PirAtti

that propelled RaamA to do " the impossible feat " of stringing

the gigantic bow of Lord SivA .

 

Second line of the Paasuram

****************************

"adal mazhaikku nirai kalangida

varai kudai yedutthavan nilaviya idam "

 

IndhrA was wrathful at the GopAs headed by NandhA

and KrishnA , who obstructed his(IndhrA's) annual worship.

IndhrA commanded the destructive clouds of paraLayA

time (adal mazhai) to hail destructive , torrential rains

to destroy the cowherd settlement of Nandha , who

heeded his son KrishNA's advise to abandon the customary

worship for IndhrA ;he was convinced that Krishna was a mere

mortal and ignoramous and had to be punished for insulting him.

The people and the cattle of Brindhaavanam were tormented

by that fierce rain ( adal mazhaikku nirai kalangida).

Blinding lightning, deafening thunder and avalanche of

hailstones frightened the animals and people of

BrundhAvanam.

 

The Baala KrishNan decided to teach the egotistic

IndhrA a lesson and lifted the GovardhAna mountain

like lifting a mushroom and held it with His little

finger for seven days and protected the entire

BrundhAvanam under the umbrella of the mountain :

 

gOpAyE svAthmayOgAth sOayam mE vratha aahitha:

ithyukthathvaikEna hasthEna kruthvA GovArdhanAchalam

dhadhAra leelayA krishNacchathrAkamiva Baalaka:

-- SrImad BhAgavatham: X.25.18-19

 

( With the words that it was His vratham to protect

His devotees) , KrishNA , a mere boy lifted up

the Goovardhana Mountain and held it up as it were

a mere mushroom. Now Govardhana Giridharan invited

all to take shelter under the cavity below the uplifted

mountain and dumbfounded Indhra with His Yogic power.

IndhrA understood now the power of the Lord and fell at

the feet of his Lord.

 

Kaliyan says that ThiruvayIndhrapuram is the dhivya dEsam

of Lord Krishna , who performed the miracle of lifting

the Govardhana giri (Varai kudai yedutthavan nilaviya idam).

 

Third & Fourth Lines of the Paasuram

*************************************

" TadamAr varai vaLam thihazh matha-kari maruppodu malai vaLar

ahil unthi thirai koNarnthu anai sezhu nadhi vayal-puhu

ThiruvayeendhrapuramE "

 

Kaliyan suggests that the mountains surrounding

Thiruvaheendhrapuram send their treasures ( Ivory from

elephants in rut , fragrant ahil kattais) via the churning

waters of Garuda nathi as thier homage to Baala GOpAlan ,

who lifted the mountain of Govardhanam to protect His bhakthAs

and their property during KrishNAvathAram . The ivory cast aside

by the elephants in the mountains and the ahil tree branches

from the same mountains downed by the rains get washed down

by streams joining the Garuda nathi and float down stream

as offerings to the Lord of Thiruvaheendhrapuram , who is

the Raaja GopAlan . Swamy Desikan composed a beautiful

sthOthram on Raaja GopAlan at ThiruvahIndhrapuram known

as "SrI GopAla Vimsathi " containing SrI GopAla Manthram

in one of its slOkams.

 

The Raama-krishNa avathArams are thus highlighted in

the Eighth Paasuram along with the natural beauty

of this dhivya desam .

 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

SrI HemAbja NaayakiA SamEtha SrI Achyutha Para BrahmaNE nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan