"Sleep not, Sudharshan

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

“Sleep Not, Sudarshan!”

 

Among all the Azhwars, Sri Periazhwar occupies a unique

position. He is the only one who could claim a close familial

relationship with the Lord, having given his daughter in marriage to

Sri Rangaraja (“Svasuram….Ranganathasya sAkshAt”).

He is the only one who could claim to be from the family which gave

the world two Azhwars. He is the only one to devote almost his entire

composition to a delightful description of Sri Krishna’s infancy

and teenage. In fact, he created a new genre of Tamizh literature

known as “PiLlai Tamizh”, dealing with the childhood

exploits of the principal character. It was only he who was afforded

an opportunity to establish the Lord’s supremacy before the

whole world, in a gathering specially convened for the purpose by the

PAndya rAjA. It was Sri Vishnuchitta who displayed an almost maternal

concern for the Lord’s welfare, wishing Him billions of years

of a happy, fun-filled lifespan, in the company of those near and

dear to Him (“PallANdu, pallANdu pallAyiratthANdu, pala kOti

noorAyiram”). It is thus no accident that his Prabandam

TiruppallANdu occupies pride of place among the Divine Four Thousand,

being recited ahead of the works of all other Azhwars and that Sri

Vishnuchitta is reverentially known as “Peria” Azhwar.

 

Though this Azhwar’s overwhelming concern for

Emperuman’s eternal wellbeing shines through in almost all of

his pasurams, there are some which are extremely moving and

inspiring. It is beyond our conception that anyone could have so much

affection for the Lord as to wish Him well at every step, be it while

playing, sleeping, herding cows or at play. Azhwar not only recounts,

but practically lives through the struggles Yasoda went through in

bringing up an uncooperative brat, who wouldn’t bathe to wash

off the overpowering odour of dairy products and bovine company,

wouldn’t let His mother comb His black locks, had difficulty in

recognising property rights relating to milk, butter, etc., was an

unashamed liar when it suited Him and a forerunner of Casanova and

Don Juan, as far as the hapless Gopis were concerned, leaving a trail

of broken hearts wherever He went.

 

Sri Nammazhwar and Sri Tirumangai Mannan affected feminine roles in

enjoying the Lord, hovering at the heights of ecstacy when in the

company of the beloved and touching the trough of despair when

separated from Him. Donning the role of an ardent lover appears much

less painful, compared to that of a doting mother, who has to contend

with the pangs of anxiety that she is cursed with. With all those

minions of Kamsa out to get Him and the spirited Sri Krishna refusing

to limit His activities to the secure confines of NandagOkulam, Yasoda

must have died a thousand deaths everyday, till she sighted the

triumphant return of cowherds with Krishna in the lead, in the late

evening. It is the mother who goes through extremely anxious moments,

during the birth, infancy and adoloscence of her offspring and this

concern never leaves her even when the infant grows into a mature

adult, well capable of fending for himself. Such too is the concern

of Yasoda, and by proxy, that of Sri Periazhwar, putting him on an

entirely different pedestal from that occupied by other Azhwars, who

merely courted the bewitching Lord when He was in the full bloom of

youth, without experiencing any of the anxieties associated with the

process of His growth. One might say that Sri Periazhwar is in the

position of a mother, who lavished all her love and affection on her

son and brought him up with an overwhelming concern for his welfare,

only to lose him to the wife (represented by the ParAnkusa and

ParakAla nAyakIs), after his marriage. Thus if we agree that the

“MAthru bhAvam” is more painful, difficult and demanding

(though having its momemts of delight too) than that of the

“nAyikA bhAvam”, we must accord pride of place to Sri

VishnuchittA, among the elite community of Azhwars.

 

It is this anxiety of Sri Periazhwar that makes him burst into

benediction (in the form of the ThiruppallANdu) at the enthralling

sight of the magnificent Lord, resplendent on the Garuda vAhanam,

with the Divine Consorts at His side, on that holy day in the month

of Ani, adorning the streets of Madurai. He fears that the evil eye

would befall the Paramapurusha and might cause Him harm. Laughable,

isn’t it? As if any evil force, however potent, could ever

approach Emperuman, leave alone affect Him!

 

To you and me, looking at the matter with the clinical detachment our

stony hearts are capable of, Azhwar’s anxiety might appear

unwarranted—however, if we look at the matter with the eyes of

a doting mother that Sri Periazhwar was, we find ourselves racked by

worry that all this brilliance and beauty that the Lord displays

should not attract the jealous and ill-meaning glance of detractors.

Going especially by the innumerable threats to His life the infant

Krishna had to face, any mother would naturally fear for her

child’s welfare, which is what Sri Vishnuchitta did. Pointing

out the fallacy of judging the actions of great people through our

own faulty perceptions, Sri Nammazhwar asks us to look at the same

through the eyes of love, affection and devotion displayed by

Azhwars—“en nenjinAl nOkki kANeer”. When we do so,

the apparent rantings and ravings of Azhwars appear perfectly in

order, given their emotionally surcharged hearts, athrob with

boundless devotion.

 

The elderly mother of a mature adult still warns him to be careful

while driving or merely walking on the road. Does she not realise

that the son can very well take care of himself and doesn’t

need her homily? She does, but is still unable to shake off the worry

of his coming to some harm en route. Similar is the predicament of

Periazhwar, who realises fullwell that no harm can befall the

Paramapurusha from any source, however powerful, but still performs

mangaLAsAsanam to ensure His continued welfare. To those who might

find this conduct of Azhwars incongruous, given the unblemished

wisdom they were blessed with, I can only repeat Sri Satakopa

Muni’s entreaty, “en nenjinAl nOkki kANeer”.

 

In the first pasuram of ThiruppallAndu, Sri Periazhwar showers his

benediction not only upon the Lord, but also on His inseparable

Consort, the Divine Discus Sudarsana on His right hand and the Cosmic

Conch PAnchajanya adorning His left. One might wonder—if it his

maternal concern for the Lord that makes Azhwar voice the wish that

the former thrive and prosper for billions of years, why rope in the

Shankham, Chakram etc.? Does his anxiety cover these worthies too?

Does he consider them too to be subject to potential threats from

sources unknown?

 

I do not know the official explanation offered by illustrious

commentators, but to an uninformed and lay person like me, it appears

as though the benediction to Sudarsana and Panchajanya too to flourish

for an eternity, is simply to ensure that they continue to offer the

Lord protection and pampering for all time to come. It is not out of

any special concern for the welfare of these worthies that Sri

Periazhwar extends the benediction to them, but to guarantee the Lord

the constant and continued attention of “tirumEni

parivargaL”—those who can bear no harm befalling the

Lord, however improbable such an event might be. This appears clear

from the following pasuram, in which Azhwar exhorts SudarsanAzhwan,

PAnchajanyAzhwan, anantAzhwAn and even Peria Tiruvadi, to eschew

sleep, not to close their eyes even for a micro-second, for fear that

their moment of inattention might bring the Lord some harm—

 

“uragal uragal uragal oN sudarAzhiyE! ShankhE!

araveri nAndaka vALE! azhagia SarngamE! TandE!

iravu padAmal irunda eNmaru ulOkapAleerkAL!

Paravai arayA! uragal paLLiyarai kurikkoNmin”

 

In this beautiful pasuram, Azhwar tells all those around the Lord not

to sleep a wink—His magnificent Mace, the Bow SArngam which

spells instant and ignominious death to foes, the long, broad and

deadly Sceptre nAndakam—all these worthies are urged not to

close their eyes ever, but to be ever vigilant and patrol the bedroom

of the Lord, who is forever in YOga nidrA. Azhwar appears to tell the

PanchAyudhAs that their Master might sleep, but not they. And the

repetition of the word “uragal” (short for

“urangEl”—don’t sleep) not once, but four

times in the same pasuram, indicates the emphasis placed by Azhwar

and the degree of his anxiety.

 

Azhwar really has some nerve, it would appear to us, telling nitya

SUris, who themselves are forever on their guard, not to fall asleep.

Even the Shruti attests to the fact that the Celestials never even

blink, for fear of missing out on a second of bhagavat anubhavam,

leave alone sleep. Their very name, “imayOr” indicates

that they never let their eyes close even for a second. Knowing their

nature fulwell, if Azwar feels it necessary to warn them to be

vigilant, one can guess the depth of love, affection and maternal

concern that Sri Vishnuchitta has for the Lord and His welfare.

 

There appears to be some significance in asking the Celestials to

guard the Lord’s sleeping place—“paLLiyarai”.

Though this is appropriate even if taken literally, it would appear

that something else is meant here. In the same decad of which this

“uragal” pAsuram is the ninth, Azhwar tells us that the

Lord reclines in the Azhwar’s mind itself, forsaking His

favourite TiruppArkkadal—

 

“aravinda pAvayum tAnum agampadi vandu pugundu

paravai tirai pala mOda paLLi koLgindra PirAnai

paravugindrAn Vittuchitthan”

 

Pani kadalil paLLikOlai pazhaga vittu—Odi vandu en

Mana kadalil vAzha valla mAya MaNALa nambI!”

 

All the aforesaid pasurams indicate that the Lord’s bedroom is

indeed the Azhwar’s heart and none other. Emperuman lies there

in absolute comfort, having forsaken His other celestial abodes. And

it is this unique bedroom that Azhwar wants the nitya sUrIs to guard

(“paLLiyarai kurikkoNmin”). Being human, Azhwar is afraid

of his senses allowing undesirable thoughts to enter the heart and

pollute the sacred space occupied by Emperuman. It is to guard

against this that he seeks the assistance of the PanchAyudhAs, so

that they stand vigilant against any inappropriate thought or notion

worming its way into Azhwar’s sacred heart. Obviously, Azhwar

considers the waywardness of the mind and its penchant for thinking

the unthinkable to be such powerful foes, that he calls upon for

assistance, not one but all the Lord’s illustrious attendants.

 

If this is how Sri Periazhwar, with his heart filled solely with

thoughts of the Lord, feels, we are speechless and baffled as to how

we mortals, with our absolutely fickle minds, unable to concentrate

for even a full second on Emperuman, His form and auspicious

attributes, should feel. If Azhwar finds himself in need of the five

divine weapons to stand guard against evil thoughts entering his mind,

we wonder if the entire body of Celestials would be adequate to do

sentry duty in our case, for such is the number and frequency of

unholy thoughts buffeting our minds, turning it into a raging sea

with choppy waves, refusing to be calmed.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan