"Nara Stuti Sukhama?"

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Veanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

"Narastuti SukhamA?"

 

 

 

In reply to Sri YudhishthirA's query as to who is the only person

entitled to our adoration, adulation, veneration and worship ("kim Ekam daivatam

lOkE, kim vApi Ekam parAyaNam! Stuvanta: kam kam archanta:?"), Shri BhIshmA's

reply is extremely enlightening. It is only to Sri Mahavishnu that all worship,

all praise, all respect and tribute should be addressed. He is the Lord and

Master of all the worlds, of all deities big and small, the one without a

beginning and an end, the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of all beings

sentient and non-sentient-it is this Lord whom we should worship daily with

devotion, says Sri BhIshmAchArya ("tamEva cha archayan nityam, dhyAyan, stuvan,

namasyamscha yajamAna: tamEva cha"). The considered opinion ("paramO mata:") of

this great sage appears to rule out veneration of other deities, be it for

whatever purpose. This noted bhakta, for whom the Lord Himself had a lot of

regard, categorically states that if you worship, it must be Sriman Narayana as

the object thereof; if you meditate, your thoughts must be filled with thoughts

only of Him; if you sing, it must be His praise; and if you write, it must be a

tribute to Him and to none other.

 

 

 

If worship of other deities is ruled out, ipso facto, the veneration or

adulation of human beings, however great they be, is automatically out of the

question. The heaping of praise on mere mortals for material considerations has

been considered to be a gross misuse of the God-given faculties. Sri Nammazhwar

is categorical in this regard-"en nAvil in kavi yAn oruvarkkum kodukkilEn". My

tongue shall not engage in praise of mortals, declares Azhwar. Exhibiting

extreme contempt for those indulging in eulogisation of ephemeral mortals,

Azhwar equates the material possessions for which they are adulated, to mere

rubbish-"kuppai kiLartthanna selvam" and condemns mercenary poets lavishing

praise for a consideration as deplorably lacking in honesty-"vaLLal pugazhndu

num vAimai izhakkum pulaveergAL". Their couplets are but blatant lies-"pacchai

pasum poigaL". The stingingly strong language used in these ten pasurams by the

normally sober Satakopa Muni evidences his healthy contempt for those engaging

in mortal praise or nara stuti.

 

 

 

Toeing the Azhwar's footsteps faithfully is Swami Desikan, who composed

a stotra in five stanzas (the VairAgya Panchakam), rejecting summarily the

riches and regal life proffered by Vidyaranya, the RAjaguru to the Vijayanagar

Emperor. Praise of petty Kings, holding sway over limited expanses of land, does

not appeal to us, while the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent Lord, known

for His generosity, is available to lavish on us all that we need, says Swami

Desikan-"Kshubhyat kshudra narEndra chAtu rachanA dhanyAm na manyAmahE",

"triNamapi vayam.. na yAchAmahE MahIswarAn".

 

 

 

We can therefore safely conclude that nara stuti or praise of mortals is

repugnant to Azhwars, Acharyas and Maharshis alike.

 

 

 

The Divya Prabandas are the uncontainable outpourings of Azhwars

occasioned by boundless bhakti for the Lord. There is absolutely no doubt as to

where the loyalties of Azhwars lie, which is evident from each and every word of

each and every pasuram of theirs-it is Sriman Narayana and none else who is in

their thought, word and composition. Nothing would be farther from our

imagination than to find nara stuti or praise of mortals in such works of pure

devotion composed by ananya bhaktAs like Azhwars.

 

Surprisingly, however, we do find in the Prabandas words of praise, at times

lavish, addressed to mortals-Kings and others. If you find this hard to believe,

profuse quotes are furnished below to substantiate this apparently unjust

allegation. And such is the case with not one single Azhwar, but two, both of

them fierce in their defence of the Lord's supremacy vis-à-vis any other deity

or being. Ironically, one of these Azhwars was initiated into the AshtAkshara by

the Lord Himself, while the other was a zealous defendant of the Lord's

supremacy in a King's court. In these cases, what happened to the Azhwars'

unshakeable resolve of not singing human praises? Are these cases of rare and

excusable aberrations from the general rule of reserving adulation to the Lord,

who is the only one eligible for praise ("Stavya:" ,"Keertaneeya:")? If so, are

they in tune with the blemishless wisdom ("mayarvara madi nalam") conferred on

them by the Lord? Or is there some inscrutable reason for such words of praise,

beyond the grasp of our mortal faculties?

 

 

 

Given that nothing but the Gospel Truth can emerge from the unblemished

utterances of Azhwars, there must indeed be reason enough, even to mention the

names of Kings and others in Divya Prabandas, which are otherwise a copious,

continuous and exclusive litany of praise on the Supreme Being. Let us first

take a look at the several instances of Kings being mentioned with appreciation

in the Aruliccheyal, before delving into the reasons for the same.

 

 

 

Here is an exceptionally eloquent mention, from the prolific pen of Sri

Tirumangai Mannan-

 

 

 

"Pallavan Villavan endru ulagil palarAi pala vEndar vaNangu kazhal

 

Pallavan Mallayar kOn paNittha ParamEcchura ViNNagaram"

 

 

 

Liberal praise is lavished here on Parameswara Pallava by Sri Parakala, who is

known not to sing anyone but the Lord. This Emperor, belonging to the famed

Pallava Dynasty, was also reputed to be of exceptional prowess and bravery, such

that the hapless Kings of several countries, (themselves being of no mean

accomplishments in archery and other martial arts), who have been

comprehensively conquered, fall at his feet, which are adorned by beautiful

anklets. This Pallava had MahAbalipuram or Mamallapuram (constructed by Nrsimha

Pallava) as one of the principal cities of his empire and was instrumental in

carrying out numerous kainkaryams at the Parameswara Vishnugraham (known at

present as Vaikunta Perumal Koil in Kancheepuram). According to historical

accounts, the Pallavas were Kings with undying allegiance to Lord Sriman

Narayana and were responsible for extensive renovations and refurbishing to

existing shrines of the Lord and construction of several new and glorious abodes

for their favourite deity. This Parameswara Pallava is reputed to have adorned

the Lord with thousands of priceless ornaments, according to Sri Periavacchan

Pillai. It is kainkaryam of such high order, which prompts Sri Tirumangai Mannan

to wax eloquent in praise of this King. As is well known, Sri Kalian is known to

be an unflinching adherent to BhAgavata Seshatvam ("uttradum un adiyArkku

adimai") and the King's extensive kainkaryam makes him a BhAgavata par

excellence. It is hence no wonder that Sri Kalian reserves praise of such high

order for this parama bhAgavata.

 

 

 

Another King to come in for favoured mention by the same Azhwar is TondamAn

Chakravartthi, again in Peria Tirumozhi-

 

 

 

"TuLangu neeN mudi arasar tam kurisil Tondai mannavan tiNdiral oruvarkku

 

uLankoL anbinOdu innaruL surandu angOdu nAzhikai EzhinOdu iruppa

 

vaLamkoL mandiram mattru avarkku aruLi seidavAru adiyEn arindu-ulagam

 

aLanda ponnadiyE adaindu uyndEn aNipozhil Tiruvarangatthu ammAnE"

 

 

 

The name "TondaimAn" is derived from the Tondai creeper which adorned the neck

of Ilantirayan, who founded the dynasty. His kingdom was hence known as

Tondaimandalam, with Kancheepuram as its capital. One of the emperors of this

lineage (referred to in the aforesaid pasuram) was an exceptional devotee of the

Lord at Tiruvengadam. Srinivasa too was so enamoured of this true servant, that

He used to converse with the Chakravartthi, despite the constraints imposed by

arcchA samAdhi. We learn from this pasuram that the Lord Himself performed

upadesam of the Tirumantram to this sovereign, thereby putting him well on the

way to emancipation. It is also learnt that the association between the two was

so close that the Lord lent His Discus and Conch to the Tondaman Chakravartthi,

to aid and assist him in a war with some Kings. The grateful Emperor, prompted

both by this munificent gesture on the part of the Lord and by his natural

kainkarya ruchi, built several gOpurams, protective compounds and mandapams for

the Lord, apart from conducting His periodical utsavams with enviable grandeur.

 

 

 

It is perhaps the same TondamAn Chakravartthi who comes in for mention in the

TiruvallikkENi pasuram-

 

"Tennan TondayarkOn seida nan mayilai TiruvallikkENi nindrAnai"

 

It would thus appear that this Tondaman ruler has been responsible for numerous

kainkaryams at various sannidhis of the Lord and has thus been a BhAgavata par

excellence, meriting appreciative mention by the Azhwar.

 

 

 

The Kings mentioned so far have been afforded a single line of a pasuram or at

best a whole pasuram. However, the King Azhwar waxes positively eloquent about

is the Chozha ruler KOcchengaNAn, whose glory has been sung by Azhwar in all of

ten pasurams, ostensibly devoted to the Lord at TirunarayUr.

 

This King was originally a staunch devotee of Siva, for whom he constructed no

less than 70 temples ("eN tOL eesarkku ezhil madam ezhupathu seidu"). However,

later, he appears to have realised the supremacy of Sriman Narayana and devoted

himself to innumerable kainkaryams to the Lord and His devotees.

 

As is common to new converts, the King appears to have been an exuberant votary

of service to the Lord and has hence been featured in each and every pasuram of

the 6th Tirumozhi of the 6th Decad of Peria Tirumozhi. This King appears to

have been the ruler of the entire Tamilnadu, including the erstwhile kingdoms

belonging to Pandias and the Cheras, and Sri Kalian's account portrays him as

the victor in several bloody battles with opponents. The Emperor's devotion to

Tamizh and its literature is brought out by the description "Ten Tamizhan" and

his bountiful riches from the frequent mention of KavEri and its precious

contributions.

 

Some of the flattering allusions to this King are as follows:

 

"Chezhum Ponni vaLam kodukkum ChOzhan"

 

 

 

"kazhal mannar mudi mEl kAgam Era

 

deiva vAL valam konda Chozhan"

 

 

 

"Ponni nAdan, ten tamizhan vada pula kOn Chozhan"

 

 

 

" ulagam AndaTen nAdan kuda Kongan Chozhan"

 

 

 

"silai tadakkai kula Chozhan"

 

 

 

Tirukkulatthu vaLa Chozhan"

 

 

 

"Padai Mannar udal tuNiya pari mA uyttha

 

TerALan KOcchOzhan"

 

 

 

"Chembian KOcchengaNAn" etc.

 

 

 

It is clear from the aforesaid that here too, the recording of the Ruler's

redoubtable prowess, etc. are merely to indicate the glory of a BhAgavata who

performed meritorious kainkaryam for the Lord and His devotees, especially after

having been a staunch Saivite earlier.

 

 

 

Our friend the Tondaman Chakravartthi comes in for more praise in the pasurams

devoted to Ashtabhujakaram sannidhi-

 

 

 

"Mannavan Tondayar kOn vaNangum neeNmudi mAlai VaiyiramEghan

 

tan vali tan pugazh soozhnda Kacchi attabuyakaram"

 

 

 

This pasuram records the contribution of Raja VayiramEghan of the Tondai Kulam,

by way of renovations, ornaments for the Lord, creation of trusts for the daily

worship of the Lord and for feeding His devotees, conduct of periodical

festivals etc.

 

 

 

We now turn to the PeriAzhwar Tirumozhi, which too contains a couple of

references to Pandiya Kings. The first is a reference to the Malayadhvaja Pandia

Maharaja having blazed a path from his kingdom to the MahAmEru parvatam,

conquering the kings en route and establishing his flag with the Fish Symbol

atop the mountain as token of his victory. Azhwar likens this to the placing of

the Lord's feet on the heads of all beings (perhaps during TrivikramAvatAra).

Here are the lines from the relevant pasuram-

 

"Paruppadatthu Kayal porittha Pandiyar kula pati pOl

 

tiruppolinda sEvadi en chenniyin mEl padittAi"

 

 

 

This Azhwar has a special association with Pandia Kings, as his tanian itself

would indicate-"Pandian kondAda Bhattar PirAn vandAn". The Ruler had absolute

faith in the overriding supremacy of Sriman Narayana and was a parama bhakta of

the Lord. For the same reason, he had an unflinching loyalty and devotion

towards the Azhwar, who established Narayana Paratvam in a sadas specially

convened for this purpose, by citing appropriate pramANAs from the Shruti. It is

out of a desire to record for posterity the greatness of this regal devotee of

the Lord that Sri Periazhwar mentions the following in the TirumAlirumsOlai

pasuram-

 

 

 

"konnavilum koorvEl kOn NedumAran ten koodal kOn Tennan kondAdum

Tirumalirumsolai"

 

 

 

Sri KoorattAzhwan too records in his SundarabAhustavam this episode of the

Pandya Raja being overwhelmed by the boundless beauty of Sri Azhagar of

Tirumalirumsolai and performing innumerable kainkaryams at the shrine-"idam imE

shruNumO Malayadhvajam nripam iha svayamEva hi Sundara! sharana sAtkritavAn iti"

 

Swami Desikan too records with gratitude the contribution of the Chieftain

GOpaNArya, who restored Sri Rangaraja to His AstthAnam and paved for resumption

of worship at Srirangam, brought to a standstill by the Muslim invasion.

 

 

 

We thus find that while Azhwars' general rule has been to eschew praise or even

mention of ordinary mortals, they have none the less been appreciative of the

kainkaryams performed by various Kings at numerous shrines and recorded their

appreciation in no uncertain terms, both as a token of recognition for services

rendered to the Lord and as encouragement for others to adopt a similar path.

There has thus been only BhAgavata stOtram in Divya Prabandas and Acharya

Sreesooktis, and not mere nara stuti or praise of mortals. BhAgavatAs, despite

being mortals, stand on a totally different footing and on a lofty pedestal not

accorded to ordinary people of mundane persuasions. Azhwars' mentions are not

mere paeans of praise lavished upon rulers of dubious valour for material

considerations, but records of exceptional religious kainkaryam performed by

Kings of yore, much in the fashion of epigraphs found in various shrines,

setting these outpourings of timeless tribute against a historical background.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan