irandha kalvaa

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Generally begging is considered a sin and status wise a lowly act. That is why

the great tamil poet 'ouvaiyaar' says in her great simple tamil poem aaththich

choodi [can call that poem as children's rhymes also?] 'ERpadhu igazhchchi'-

meaning begging is a lowly act. One resorts to begging when he is unable to earn

his livelihood. It is generally believed that one has to resort to begging as a

result of sin or crime committed in previous births. This is as per our dharmam.

As such the beggar is the least regarded person for he is a sinner.

 

But on the other side, in the same aaththich choodi, same ouvaiyaar says 'aiyam

ittu uN' - this is generally said as the dharma for a grahasthan - a householder

- meaning - he, to eat only after feeding the beggars who sought alms. May be

this is from the angle of supporting the society as a whole, so that no human

will suffer for food let him be a beggar - per se a criminal in his earlier

deeds. So individually begging is bad but when it comes to welfare of society a

householder has to support the beggars - the weaker section in modern parlance -

by feeding them. Oh, what an amount of social concerns in those days, which

perhaps now we miss these days.

 

Of course 'aiyam' also means a doubt. But that has no relevance here, and hence

not taken up for discussion.

 

On the other hand it is said "pichchai puginum kaRkai nanRE" in konRai vEndhan

(?) another tamil poem. It means getting educated even resorting to begging is a

better proposition. Why it is so? For once educated, then the person will start

earning and thereby stop this lowly act of begging. Perhaps this educated person

may support others also. So resorting to begging for the purpose of getting

educated is accepted as a better option. Again a social measure, and adage

coined with society's welfare as the base.

 

Dear bhakthaas, these are all some thoughts came to mind when thoughts ran about

the person who resorted to stealing [or robbing] while doing that lowly act of

begging? What you can say about this person? Is he committing a double sin or

multiple level sin? Begging itself is a sin. Stealing while begging may be the

worst type of sins. Oh what a sinner he is. But why we must think about such a

sinner in the list?

 

Because that robber while begging is no body else, but, that supreme lord sreman

naaraayaNan, who came as vaamanan. Then, dear bhakthaas, what you have in store

to address this person? How to call him? Is he a double sinner - in ordinary

folks parlance? Or is it a playful act - leelaa (?) by that lord? Or what is the

position? That is a big question. But it is quiet interesting to see here that

supreme lord is being addressed "irantha kaLvaa"- the robber in begging.

 

ninRadhOr paadham nilam pudhaippa neeNda thOL

senRu aLandhathu enbar dhisai ellaam - anRu

karumaaNiyaai irandha kaLvanE unnaip

piramaaNiththaar peRRa pERu - 61 iraNdaam thiruvandhaathi

 

meaning: [simple one] That single foot which stood on the ground pushed down the

earth. The shoulders, which were fantastically big [or long], went and measured

all the 8 directions. Hey, thief beggar, that day when you went as a small boy

for begging, the persons, who believed you, got all that what is required to be

obtained.

 

This 'boothaththu aazhvaar' is not the only person to address the lord like this

as 'irandha kaLvanE'. See nammaazhvaar

 

madhiyinaal kuRaL maaNaai ulagu irandha kaLvarkku

madhiyilEn valvinaiyE maaLaadhO enRu oruththi

madhiyilEn uL kalangi mayangumaal enneerE -- 1-4-3 thiruvaai mozhi

 

meaning of first line - that brainy small boy who went begging but stole the

world. [other lines not taken up for detailing]

 

See here one more person to call him by this name 'irandha kaLvaa' - that too

see where he resorts to stealing - in the 'yagna boomee' - a place where

sacrifice is being carried out - see vELvik kaLavin - irandhittu,

 

kaNdavar tham manam magizha maavali than vELvik

kaLavin migu siRu kuRaLai moovadi enRu irandhittu

aNdamum ivvalai kadalum avanigaLum ellaam

aLandha piraan amarum idam ----

arimEya viNNagaram - thirumangai aazhvaar in 3-10-5 periya thirumozhi

 

begged one small point, robbed him totally - where he sits - arimEya viNNagaram

- that dhivya kshEthram - aazhvaar ugandha kshEthram.

 

but who is this person who robbed while begging - he is my krishNa - that is the

point which hurt me leading to write this stealing while begging deeds.

 

says thirumangai aazhvaar in 4-2-6 perita thirumozhi - see the accusation.

 

angaiyaal adi moonRu neer ERRU ayan alar kodu thozhudhu Eththa

gangai pOdharak kaal nimirththu aruLiya kaNNan - 4-2-6

 

meaning: the person who received the water is kaNNan - water to signify that the

king mahaabali donated what this small boy beggar wanted 3 footsteps of land -

also that small boy gave gangai to this world in course of that begging act.

 

- 'aruLiya' says thirumangai aazhvaar.

 

This thirumangai aazhvaar is not the first to accuse my krishNa like this -

already nammaazhvaar did this - said this - so thirumangai followed the

footsteps of the senior.

 

What as a small child prank sree raamaa did to that hunchback woman - mantharai

- using the kavaNkal - catapult - to hit her with small mud balls - was also

attributed to gOvindhan - my KrishNan - see paasuram -

 

maanE nOkki vaaLai maarvil koNdaai maadhavaa

koonE sidhaiya uNdai vil niRaththil theRiththaai gOvindhaa - 1-5-5

thiruvaaimozhi

 

raamaa did that act of hitting mantharai with kavaNkal - but who did as per

aazhvaar - my krishNa - poor krishNa - he has to receive all brick bats for all

mischievous acts of somebody else.

 

[already our dear sadagopan iyengar swamy wrote a very detailed article on such

accusations of others attributed to kaNNan - perhaps he would have included this

also - but since I am not able to recollect this irandha kaLvan is also included

in that write up, I thought of rambling on this which is now before you all]

 

Is 'that much' in this name-calling for that vaamanan or something more is also

available? - to that irandha kalvan - some thing more is also there.

 

The answer to the above question is 'Yes'.

See 'maayaa vaamananE' - calls nammaazhvaar in 7-8-1

'mayakkaa vaamananE' - again nammaazhvaar - 7-8-6

maayaa - hey you, the magician dwarf,

mayakka - hey you, one who mesmerizes others, such a dwarf man.

 

aaNdaaL goes one step further to call him 'pollaadhavan' - wicked fellow or

mischievous fellow - this vaamanan

 

pollaak kuRaL uruvaai poRkaiyil neer ERRu ella ulagum aLandhu koNda em perumaan

- 11-5 naachchiyaar thirumozhi

 

does aaNdaaL uses her own words - no - it is words of nam aazhvaar again -

 

en pollaath thiruk kuRaLaa - 2-6-1 - thriuvaai mozhi

 

Again the usage of maayan - the magician - from dad of our pet aaNdaal -

 

maaNik kuRaL uruvaaya maayanai en manaththuLLE -5-2-5 periyaazhvaar in his

thirumozhi

 

maaNi uruvaai ulagu aLandha maayanaik kaaNil thalai maRaiyum - aaNdaaL in

naachchiyaar thirumozhi 12-2

 

Dear bhakthaas - why so much accusing and thinking of that 'small boy vaamanan'

who later became thrivikraman' - a deceitful act of begging who established

himself as the supreme lord of gigantic proportion and proved who he is.

 

The reason is that if we think that vaamanan - that irandha kaLvan - we will get

wisdom and wealth etc. So our purpose is some materialistic outlook combined

with spiritual connotation.

 

This is again not my words but that of aazhvaar - of that mazhisai vandha jOdhi

- light who hailed from thiru mazhisai.

 

aRidhu aRindhu vaamanan adiyinai vaNanginaal

seRindhu ezhundha gnaanamOdu selvamum siRandhidum

maRindhu ezhundha then thiraiyuL mannu maalai vaazhththinaal

paRindhu ezhundhu theevinaigaL paRRudhal paanmaiyE

- 74 thiruchchandha viruththam

 

meaning: knowing fully well and if you bow to the feet of that vaamanan, you

will get

- Grandiose wisdom - seRindha gnaanam -

- complete wealth - 16 different kinds of wealth it is said generally - so all

that.

- All that sins will vanish.

 

So let us prey to that irandha kaLvan once again to get these benefits in this

world and in the nether world also.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.