BhUthatthAzhwAr AvathAra Dinam: November 2 , 2003

[Guest guest]

SrI:

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Let us sample today some passages from BhUthatthAzhwAr's

Second ThiruvandhAthi celebrating the anantha KalyANa

GuNams of the Lord and his upadEsams on how to attain

our Lord as the most coveted gift/parisu .

 

Another Garbha SrImAn

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Poygai AzhwAr reminded us that as an embryo residing

in the womb of the lotus in the PushkaraNi of ThiruvehhA

dhivya dEsam , he turned in the direction of SrIrangam and

worshiped Lord RanganAtha.

 

BhUtthatthAzhwAr reminds us in the 87th Paasuram of

his Second ThiruvandhAthi that he did not start enjoying

the Lord only today or yesterday but as the embryo

in the womb of the Kurukkatthi flower at Maamallapuram ,

he had the saakshAthkAram(direct vision ) of the Lord of

ThirukkOttyUr and right there and then , he offered his worship

to SrIman NaarAyaNan :

 

" anRu karuk-kOttiyuL kidanthu kai thozhuthEn kaNDEn

ThirukkOtti Yenthai tiRam "

 

This AzhwAr was also born inside a flower and was not

born out of the womb of a woman(ayOnijar) . He was

a garbha SrImaan and had the blessings of the avyAja

KaruNA Moorthy without any SaadhanAnushtAnam

(observance of rites or means) as a just developed

embryo.

 

The focus of BhUthatthAzhwAr in his paasurams

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BhUthatthAzhwAr's ThiruvandhAthi Paasurams are

full of UpadEsams of an AchAryan and he instructs on

ways to reach Sadhgathi .For instance in the second

Paasuram of his andhAthi , AzhwAr reveals to us

the power of recitation of SrIman NaarAyaNan's

ThirunAmams that befit His unique Svaroopam,

Roopam and GuNams. The recitation of His nAmAs

with the understanding of their meanings as revealed by

the SaasthrAs from the height of Bhakthi will result

in the Lord raising us to the level of sacredness of

Nithyasooris serving Him at SrIvaikuntam:

 

Jn~AnatthAl nanku uNarnthu NaaraNan nAmangaL

thAnatthAl maRRavan pEr sARRinAL --vaanatthu

aNI amarar aakkuvikkum ahthanRE , nangaL

PaNi amarar kOMAn parisu

 

The " parisu " ( reward) that we get from the Lord of

the DevAs ( amarar kOmAn ) out of His udhAra svabhAvam

for reciting His many names with devotion and understanding

of their meanings would be the elevation to the status of

the Nithyasooris (Vaanatthu aNi amarar aakkuvikkum).

 

Other Selected Passages Of Second ThiruvandhAthi

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(1) Paasuram 10: " KaavalanE ! ---yEtthiya nAvudayEn ,

PoovudayEn , ninn uLLi ninRamayAl , kAvadiyEn patta kaDai "

 

Oh Protector of all Janthus ! I am Your servant . I have

flowers in my hand for worshipping You. Since I consider

You as my protector (Rakshakan) , my tongue is poised

to eulogize You. Please remove all my deficencies and

humiliations ( ThAzhvukaL) that I have experienced over

a very long time and protect me .

 

(2) Passage from the 14th Paasuram:

 

" Pazhi pAvam koNDu ingu vAzhwAraik-kooRAthE --

yeNDisayum pErtha kara nAnkudayAn pEr Odhiya pEthaikAL ,

Theertthakkarar aamin thirinthu"

 

Oh Fools , who commit sins knowingly and unknowingly !

Abandon your efforts in praising fools like yourselves , who are

SamsAris ; instead sing all over the land about

the glories of Lord Thrivikraman who shattered the eight

directions with His growing form and His four shoulders .

When you sing about those many names of the Lord , You

will make the very land that you reside in as the holiest one

and will acquire the title of holy one purifying others through

your contact ( theertthakkarar aamin).

 

(3) The Twenty First Paasuram: Here AzhwAr wonders about

the diffiuclties in reaching narakam , while the Lord has blessed

us all abundantly with all KarmEndhriyams and Jn~Endhriyams

to worship Him . Such a worship that could be readily

peformed by the people would prevent them from sliding into

narakam. AzhwAr says: " Oh Chethanams ! God has given you

a body to seek His protection. He has given mind to you to meditate

on Him. There are plenty of lotus flowers for you to place at the sacred

feet of the Lord. There is plenty of time for you to perform

AarAdhanam to the Lord. There is your head for

the Lord to place His sacred feet on . With all these favorable

factors assisting you , oh chEthanams , it would indeed be

impossible for you to end up in narakam ".

 

(4) Thirty Second Paasuram: Here AzhwAr describes his joy

over his good fortune . He says:" ThirumAlE sinthai mahizhnthathu"

( Oh SrInivAsA ! my mind is in a blissful state as a result of

meditating on You). "maRRum unn PaadhamE pORRI

mahizhnthathu " (My speech following manas performed

mangaLAsAsanam for Your sacred feet and reached a state of

bliss)."aaham sooznthu thuNinthu azhal aazhi sankham avai

paadi aadum thozhil mahizhnthathu" ( My body performed

pradhakshiNams around You and Your BhaagavathAs , sang

in praise of Your fiery Sudarsanam , resplendent conch

and other weapons . My mind did not care if others called me

a mad man and persisted with these acts and took them

as my vrutthi and jeevanam(livelihood) .

 

(5) Thirty ninth Paasuram: Here AzhwAr instructs us on

the quintessence of Veda-VedAntham: " Othatthin poruL

mudivum itthanayE " ( The essence of all Vedams is just this).

Please master the ways of reciting the Lord's Sahasra naamams

( Utthaman pEr yEtthum tiRam aRimin). If you are unable to do that ,

please sing about the nAmAs of the Lord of SrI Devi. That is

VedArTa Saaram ( adhanai maatteerEl Maadhavan pEr

solluvathE Otthin surukku).

 

(6) The 44th Paasuram is another splendid example of

UpadEsam to us : " SiRanthArkku yezhu thuNayAm

SenkaNNmAl nAmam maRanthArai maanidamA vaiyyEn "

( I will not consider with my mind those who forgot

the names of our Lord --with the lotus soft eyes--

as belonging to the human race . Those names of our Lord

are the celebrated cause , means and companion in

the journey to Moksham for the revered SrI VaishNavAs ) .

 

(7) In the 50th Paasuram , AzhwAr reminds us of his proud

existence by reciting in front of every one , the many divine

names of the Lord ( ThirumAlai sonna peru peyarE pEsi yArr

muhappum Avanai azhaippEn ). He says that he will shout

loudly and proudly the names of the Lord as Maayavan ,

Aayavan and Yaadhavan in joyful recall of His incarnation

as KrishNan .

 

(8) In the 55th paasuram , AzhwAr reminds us that that he has never

forgotten the Lord in this life and it is his intrinsic nature(svabhAvam ) to

think of Him at all times as his Lord and protector in this life and

in all the seven births to come ( yenRum maRanthu aRiyEn ;

yEzh pirappum yeppozhuthum ninRu ninaippu ozhiyA neermayAl).

 

(9) In the 64th Paasuram , AzhwAr addresses Lord KrishNa

and tells the Lord that Your Naamam is the mukhyArTam

(essence of the meaning) of ithihAsams and purANams

( KaNNA ! kathayum perum poruLum Ninn pErE ).After

enjoying Your auspicious guNams and Naamams , I long

now for the acquisition of the bliss of visualizing You in person

as the nithya sooris do in SrIvaikuntam ( sadhA pasyanthi Sooraya: ).

 

(10) In the 100th paasuram , AzhwAr addresses the Lord endearingly

as "MaalE ! NediyAnE ! viyan thuzhAi kaNNiyanE ! KaNNanE!

ViNNavarkku mElA ! " ( Oh Lord with profound deep attachmen to

Your adiyArs ! Oh Lord , who grew to measure the universe

as Thrivikraman! Oh Lord of Nithya Sooris! Oh KaNNA adorning

the marvellous ThuLasi garland ! ). AzhwAr reveals then to the Lord

his mind set at the end of his andhAthi : " yAnn udaya anbu

yenn tann aLavu anRu" ( The passion/kaathal that adiyEn has for You

is not containable by me . It knocks me off my feet . Please remember

that this profound love/prEmai adiyEn has for You will not diminsh in intensity

untill enjoying Your divine roopam (saakshAthkAram ) in person

as the Nithyasooris do at SrIvaikuntam ).

 

Tomorrow, on the avathAra dinam of PEyAzhwAr , we will enjoy

selected paasurams of this Mudhal AzhwAr's Third ThiruvandhAthi.

 

NamO NaarAyaNAya ,

Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan