Tiruppavai - guNanusandhanam - nAmA 8 & 9 (Ongi ulagaLandhavan & uththaman)

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srI:srImathE rAmAnujAya namahaTiruppavai - Pasuram 3 : nAmA 8 & 9

(Ongi ulagaLandhavan) (uththaman) Ongi ulagaLandha uththaman pEr

paadi *nAngaL nam paavaikku caaRRi neer aadinAl *theenginRi

naadellaam thingaL mum maari peydhu *Ongu peRum sennel oodu kayal

ugaLa *poonguvaLaip pOdhil poRi vandu kaN paduppa *thEngAdhE

pukkirundhu seerththa mulai paRRi *vaanga kudam niRaikkum vaLLal

perum pasukkaL*neengaadha selvam niRaindhElOr empAvAy.In this pasuram

3, AndAL glorifies two nAmAs : Ongi ulagaLandhavan and Uththaman.

 

We all know that Lord in his vAmana and trivikrama avathArams,

measured the entire 7 lokams (Bhu, Bhuva, Swarga, Maha, Jana, Tapa

and Satya) to restore to Indra (who is the king of Bhu, Bhuva,

Swarga) who lost his 3 lokams to Mahabali (son of Prahlada). But,

Lord measured all the 7 worlds and when his left feet reached satya

lokam (abode of Brahma), Brahma sanctified by cleaning Lord's feet,

which is still flowing in this earth as Ganges. Parama Sivanar

adorned that holy water in his head and got purified. Prahladha had

a prayer during Nrisimha avatAr, that Lord should not kill anymore in

his dynasty. Hence, Lord only took 2 steps to measure the entire 7

lokams (Story that he kept his last measure on mahAbali's head and

send him to pAtALa lOkam is unfounded). Still, emperumAn in

tirukovalOr divyadesam holds out 1 finger and ask us where I should

place my third one. In this divya desam, first 3 azhwars (Bhootam,

Pey, Poigai) sung their respective thiru andhAdhis (vayyam thakaliyA,

anbE thakaliyA, tiru kandEn). In this divya dEsam, Lord can be seen

lifting his right leg (itihAsas say he lifted his left leg during

trivikrama avataram). It is more delightful to see that Lord holds

chakram (disc) in his left hand and sanku (counch) in his right hand

(exactly opposite). It was due a prayer of maharishi, he displayed

like this (right leg up, chakram in left hand and sanku in right

hand). The correct pose of the avatAr can be see kAzhicheerAma

viNagaram and Tiru oorakam. This is all his svabhAvam, where he

helps Indira, Brahma, Shiva whenever they get into trouble.

 

The viseshanam here is why andAL did not say "Ongi ulagaLantha

trivikraman pEr pAdi", but say "uththaman per pAdi". Who is

"Uthaman" ? A person who helps others expecting a return is called

"adhaman". A person who helps others expecting nothing in return is

called "madhyaman". A person who helps others, despite the other

dishonouring him, is "Uthaman". Though, Lord helped Indra in

restoring his 3 lOkams from MahAbali, Indra sent wild rains and

winds, when gokulam residents prayed Lord Krishna for rains. The

Lord lifted the gOvardhana hill and protected the residents to ward

them off the rains. Indran "kal marI pozhindan". We gOpikAs praise

"Ongi ulagaLanthavan" to bless this world with "tingaL mum marI"

rains. Lord showed his vAtsalyam towards Indra and forgives him.

Even though Lord helped him, he showed disrespect to the Lord.

That's why andAL praises him as "Uthaman" after the nAmA "Ongi

ulagaLandhavan".

 

The next nAmA 10 appears in pasuram 4 - "mAyan", which is his inherent gunA. (to be continued)

 

namO nArAyanA

 

G.Sundarrajan