Bhagavata sEshatva Day!!!

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

We celebrate many days, Mother’s day, Father’s day etc. But today is

a very very special day for all of us-bhAgavata sEshatva day. Why is

it so? Lets see,

 

“manniya seer mArgazhiyil kEttai endru mAnilaththeer

ennidhanukku EttrameniluraikkEn-tunnupugazh

mAmaraiyOn thondaradi podi Azhvar pirappAl

nAn maraiyOr kondAdum nAl” (upadesa ratina malai-11)

 

One azhvar who has taken birth in this divine month of mArgazhi

celebrated as “mAsAnAm mArgaseershOham” by Parthasarathi emperuman

and as “mArgazhi thingal madhi niraindha nannAlAm” by his consort Sri

bhoomi piratti, gOdhA nAchiyar is none other than our dear thondar adi

podi azhvar. This is the month in which the divine adhyayana utsavam

is celebrated in all our divya desams. But on top of all this, this

month got its significance only after the thiruavadhAram of our

thondaradi podi azhvar who did the divine prabhandam

“thirupalliezhuchi” to wake up ranganatha in this month of mArgazhi

(this is the intermediate period between dakshinAyanam and

uttarayanam similar to the early morning, ushat kAlam time which

appears after the night and before the day.).

yes"> Not only the month but also the birth star of thondaradi podi

azhvar has his significance. Like the month of margAzhi being

considered as topmost among the months, the star kEttai is considered

prominent among the stars (jhestA). The star also gained more

significance after the birth of azhvar. Thereby this day has a very

special significance in many ways.

 

Thondaradipodi azhvar’s avatharam was primarily to show the greatness

of bhagavata seshatvam to the world. “So Oh! Those who are blessed

to live in this world in which the great azhvar who considered him to

be a bhagavata pAda dhooli took birth listen- Do you wonder why this

mArgazhi kEttai has such significance amidst all the other days in

this month? Let me tell you why”-Says Swamy manavAla mAmunikal and

proceeds to bless us with the answer. This day gets its divinity

because this is the day that gave birth to that azhvar who has,

“tulabhaththondAya tholseer” (the greatness of doing tulasi

kainkaryam to the divine emperuman) and “kattrinam mEiththa endhai

kazhaliNaikkeezh-uttra thirumAlai pAdumseer” (the wealth of singing

the praise of the divine lord who went at the back of the

cows). He is the “mikka seer thondar” who is celebrated by

thiruvarangathamudhanAr as “seiyum pasumthulabhath thozil mAlaiyum

sentamizhil peyyum maraithamizh mAlaiyum-pErAdha seerarangaththu

Iyan”. This azhvar like periazhvar and andal did both pushpa mAlai

kainkaryam and pAmAlai kainkaryam. Like elaiyAzhvar to ramapiran,

thondaradipodi azhvar always remained in the kainkaryam of Periya

perumal (“aham sarvam karishyAmi”) not turning his face even towards

any other divya desa perumal. So this day gets its greatness due to

azhvar’s birth [“azhvar pirappAl”- only that is ‘pirappu’ birth what

we all have attained is still a question mark “enseivAn thOndrinEnE”

(these words were uttered by azhvar for our sake only)].

Great scholars who are well versed in vedas celebrate this day.

Azhvar himself was born in a good Brahmin clan and his birth is

celebrated by nAn maraiyOr (those well versed in the four Vedas). So

oh! People in this world all of you understand the significance of

this day and celebrate it.

 

This is day in which one another great mahan took avatharam. Who is

that? He was the acharya to the jagadhAcharya, Sri Periya nambigal

who did pancha samskArams to swamy EmperumAnAr. The bhagavata

abhimAnam of this great acharya is beyond words. Though there was a

great opposition to him doing charama kainkaryams to mAranEri nambi,

who was supposed to be born in a lower caste still Periya nambi

didn’t hesitate even a bit as he considered mAranEri nambi to be a

great bhagavata and a uththama shisya of Swamy Alavandaar he felt it

was his prime duty to do the necessary rites to that divine soul. In

the later part of his life history we find that lord ranganatha also

supported his act. This great mahan even stopped the gruhapravesam

ritual in his newly built house since he considered the stepping in

of a bhagavata inside the house itself purifies the whole house and

there was no need for any other ritual.

 

So we find that this day, the mArgazi kEttai is a day to show the

importance of dhadheeya seshatvam (bhagavata seshatvam). Let us all

on this divine day take a vow to have great respect towards the

fellow bhagavatas and refrain from any sort of bhagavata apacharam

(illtreatment to the bhagavatas) with all the three karanas

(mano-mind, vAk-speech, kAyam-physical)

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

New Photos - easier uploading and sharing