paramakArunikar PeriyavAchAn pillai!!!

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri VanAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

“Srimath Krishna samahvAya namO yAmuna soonavE

yathkadAkshai: kalakshyAnAm sulabhaha sreedhara sadhA”

 

Avani rOhini is a divine day not only for the birth of Sri Krishna,

the pramEyam but it is the day on which the great acharya, Sri

periyavAchAn pillai considered to be the avathara of thirukannamangai

perumal took birth to shower his grace on all of us by giving the

great vyakhyanams to all the 4000 paasurams of the Azhvars. None

other than the bhagavan himself can really understand the divine

feelings of the Azhvars and give it in such a clear and explicit

manner. The legend behind the avatharam (avathara rahasyam) of

periyavachan pillai (thirukkannamangai perumal) as a shisya of

nampillai (avathara of thirumangai mannan on the same star

karthigaiyil kriththigai) is well known and hence needs no

repetition. Many acharyas have written vyakhyanams to

thiruvaimozhi, thiruppavai etc, but no other acharya other than

periyavachan pillai has written commentaries to all the arulicheyal

paasurams. That is why he is regarded as “paramakArunikar” (one who

is filled with ultimate grace) by the Srivaishnava society. Not

stopping with commentaries to divya prabhandams swamy has done

vyakhyanams to important slokas in ramayanam, a book on tattvatrayam

and many more.

 

Sri Manavala mAmunigal in his upadesa ratnamalai, shows his deep

regards to this great acharya as follows:

 

“periyavAchAnpillai pinpullavaikkum

theriya vyAkiyaigal seivAl – ariya

arulichcheyal porulai AriyarkatkippOdhu

arulicheyalAi tharindhu”

 

In the earlier paasurams, Swamy Manavala mAmunigal highlighted the

various vyakhyanams done by the various acharyas to the divine

dravida vedam, thiruvaimozhi. In this paasuram he says ‘pinpullavai’

referring to the other 23 prabhandams, starting from thiruppallandu

till Periya thirumadal. Periya vAchan pillai reserves the credit to

have done a commentary to all the prabhandams and thereby leaving the

srivaishnavic world with the clear knowledge of the inner sweet

meanings of the azhvar’s arulicheyals. Can we ever repay the debt

towards this great acharya? Only thing we can do is to do an anjali

to his divine feet and recite his thaniyan and vAzhi thirunamams

today and for ever.

It is our prime duty to preserve his divine works. Whether we read or

not we have to possess these precious jems with us and whenever time

permits we have to go through them and get enlightened by the

writings of such Mahans.

 

The avatharikai (introduction) periyavachan pillai gives before

proceeding to give the commentary to the prabhandams is extraordinary

and really takes the reader to the time of the azhvar himself and

makes us deeply involved in the feelings of the azhvar and their

relationship with the lord. To show a sample let us enjoy the

avatharikai given by PVP in his thirunedundAndaka (Last prabhandam of

thirumangai azhvar, one of the six angas to the dravida vedam)

vyakhyanam. Let me give the moolam first and then proceed to give

the meaning,

 

“Azhvar thirumangai Azhvar AgirAr, “vendriyE vEndi veezhporutkirangi

vErkanAr kalaviyE karudhi” endru sarvEshvaran vibhoodhi adaiya evar

thodaikku keezhE kidakkiradhOvendru sangikka vEndum padi

adhisayithAhankArarAi, adukkadiyAna dhEhAthmAbhimAnaththai

vudaiyarAi, aththAlE “sAnthEndhu menmulaiyAr thadanthOl punarinbha

veLLaththAzhindhEn” engirapadiyE Athma vishayamAdhal, Ishvara vishaya

mAdhal jnanam pirakkaikku yOgyadhai ellAdhapadi vishayapravanarAi

pOndhAr oruththar………”

 

Meaning: Azhvar becomes thirumangai azhvar. Earlier azhvar was

immersed in the pleasures of the world and went at the back of

beautiful women considering even the lord’s abode to be under his

feet. Filled with ego and pride azhvar was immersed in the beauty of

women and hence was deprived from the qualification of understanding

the athma and Ishvaran ……

 

Let us continue with the avathArikai in the next posting.

 

(To be continued)

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja dAsee,

Sumithra Varadarajan