Thirucchandhaviruttham- 90th verse- But for your divine lotus feet, there is no hold for me, my Lord!

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

In last verse- DO not tempt me and entice me, oh

maayanE! - Said AzhwAr and added "for that, I [am

blessed and trying to] keep Your Lotus feet in my

heart always". Then you can ask other demi gods to

destroy your paapams - and for that query, AzhwAr

answered in three verses rejecting the very concept of

even comparing other demi gods anywhere near Sriman

Narayanan and declared the ananyagathithvam.

 

Now the Lord says: Ok. even if you wish to pray to me

alone, then think of individual paapam and perform the

respective praayaschittham for the same and then seek

my grace.

 

AzhwAr responds:

kulankaLaaya veeriraNdi

lonRilumpi RanthilEn,

nalankaLaaya naRkalaikaL

naavilumn^a vinRilEn,

pulan_kaLainthum venRilEnpo

RiyilEnpu Nnitha,n^in

ilankupaatha manRimaRRor

paRRilEnem meesanE! (90)

 

Oh most pristine Purest One! Punithaa! Our Master! Our

Lord! I am not blessed to be born [in this birth] in

any of the good four varnas (Brahman, Kshathriya,

Vaisya, Sudra]; [Hence], I have not learnt any of four

sampradayic or saasthric educations. And Hence, I did

not conquer my five sense organs. And hence, thus am

the repository of all vices seeking worldly pleasures.

And Hence, the resplendent Lotus Feet of Yours- that

can grant all and any fruits- but for Them, I do not

have any other upAyam [way] at all. [what a wonderful

PAsuram! What a naichyAnusanthAnam of AzhwAr!]

 

There are four varnas in the world. Those who are born

in any of these four varnas- have been ordained to

perform various deeds to get rid of their paapams. How

can i pefform them, when I am not born in any of these

four varnas and conquer my indriyas (senses)? Hence,

what I have is only tons of tons of paapams committed

and be the chakravarrthi of them only. How can I

commit prayaschittham for those individual sins- when

i am not qualified to learn them, when i do not have

the jnAnam for the same; and when i am thus not

capable of that. Hence Akinchanan- helpless as I am,

for me only Your lotus feet is my refuge and I have no

other recourse. Thus only Saranagati is the Upayam.

 

Thus first poRiyilEn (repository of sensual and

worldly pleasures)

Why? because- venRilEn- Not conquered the five senses;

 

Why? Because navinRilEn- not learnt the ways to get

rid of paapams;

Why? Because- piRandhilEn- not born in any of these

four varnas.

 

When only three varnikars (Brahmana, Kshathriya,

Vaishya) alone can recite Vedas and then perform

KarmAnushtAnam, bhakti yoga etc.., why did he say four

varnas here? Because AzhwAr talks about performance of

praayaschittham for the sins committed; and not about

the performance of bhakti yoga.

 

ALso, it may mean to say that AzhwAr parents

(originally) were Bhargava Rishi and Kanakangi. When

Rishi was doing penance, his thapas was interrupted by

the dancer Kanakangi and was attracted to her beauty.

Thus AzhwAr felt that it was not through right way and

hence not from sathkulam...

 

Also, why did AzhWar mention that though he was born

in any of four varnas, he did not learn Vedas and

other dharmas to perform praayaschittham. The three

varnas can recite Vedas; however the fourth varnaikar-

Sudras- can at least perform yagnams using namaskara

manthras - as mentioned by Yaagnavalkya rishi. Thus

there is an opportunity to perform anushtAnam to do

some sort of praayaschittham. Hence since I am not

born in any of these four varnas and hence no chance

of performance of any prayschittha.

 

poRiyilEn- poRi- means- trap- bait- that is required

to catch the fish. The fish gets tempted by the same

and thus gets trapped and gets caught. Simplatly, I am

also tempted by the sensual pleasures and get trapped

by these sense organs.

Also poRi means other words namely.. symbol or

identification, jnAnam, etc..

 

AzhwAr means to say that he lacks all of them and

hence is uttery helpless in being unable to perform

any prayaschittham for the paapams. His

Akinchanyathvam is established here.

 

Also, AzhwAr says: What should be avoided- I continue

to do; i.e. not controlling senses as I do not learn

saasthras; not am I qualified as I am not born in good

varna; kulam. What should be followed like recitation,

uttering divine names, praising You- I do not know as

I am under the influence of five senses and seeking

worldly pleasures [akruthyAnAncha karaNam; kruthyAnaam

varjanamcha mE..]

 

AzhwAr – does he perform prapatti (Saranagti) here or

does he perform prayaschittha prapatti?

Since Acharyas have commented that the subsequent

verses- he surrenders, this can be considered more as

prayschittha prapatti

It can also be considered as reflection of

Akinchanyathivam (utter helplessness of himself).

Ananyagathithvam- having no other refuge but Sriman

Narayanan was established last few verses

categorically.

 

Thirumazhisai Piraan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dasan

 

 

 

 

 

New and Improved Mail - Send 10MB messages!

 

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrI.Madhavakkannan svami,

 

As usual this article is wonderful. You are writing as if you are talking to us directly.

The following passage reminds me of a story (narrated by SrI.MV

Anandapadmanabhan svami in a discourse, reports The Hindu 24.06.04):

>Then you can ask other demi gods to>destroy your paapams - and for

that query, AzhwAr>answered in three verses rejecting the very

concept of>even comparing other demi gods anywhere near

Sriman>Narayanan and declared the ananyagathithvam.

The narration in "The Hindu"

There was once a king who ordained a pandit to narrate the

Bhagavatham, but refused to reward him. Unlike the original preacher

Sukha, whose rendering attained the listener Parikshit liberation, he

had gained nothing. Enraged at this, he ordered death sentence for the

pandit. The learned man's ten- year- old daughter saved her father's

life by imparting a very powerful lesson. At her behest, she and the

king were tied to a pillar each, and when the girl beseeched the king

to release her, he scorned her, " can you not see that I too am bound

and there is no other person at hand to help." The child then

observed that unlike the evolved ascetic Sukha, who had mastered his

senses, her father was bound to his earthly claims; how could then

such a man offer salvation? The king realised that there could be no

shortcuts to god realisation.

The demigods being bound like the pandit / the king or the wise girl,

can not be sought after for anything. However, the wiser demigods can

just help in telling people that they are also reporting to our

supreme Lord.

dAsan Mukundan

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrI.Madhavakkannan svami,

 

As usual this article is wonderful. You are writing as if you are talking to us

directly.

The following passage reminds me of a story (narrated by SrI.MV

Anandapadmanabhan svami in a discourse, reports The Hindu 24.06.04):

 

>Then you can ask other demi gods to

>destroy your paapams - and for that query, AzhwAr

>answered in three verses rejecting the very concept of

>even comparing other demi gods anywhere near Sriman

>Narayanan and declared the ananyagathithvam.

The narration in "The Hindu"

 

There was once a king who ordained a pandit to narrate the Bhagavatham, but

refused to reward him. Unlike the original preacher Sukha, whose rendering

attained the listener Parikshit liberation, he had gained nothing. Enraged at

this, he ordered death sentence for the pandit. The learned man's ten- year- old

daughter saved her father's life by imparting a very powerful lesson. At her

behest, she and the king were tied to a pillar each, and when the girl beseeched

the king to release her, he scorned her, " can you not see that I too am bound

and there is no other person at hand to help." The child then observed that

unlike the evolved ascetic Sukha, who had mastered his senses, her father was

bound to his earthly claims; how could then such a man offer salvation? The king

realised that there could be no shortcuts to god realisation.

 

The demigods being bound like the pandit / the king or the wise girl, can not be

sought after for anything. However, the wiser demigods can just help in telling

people that they are also reporting to our supreme Lord.

 

dAsan Mukundan