nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-30

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

Paasuram-23

 

“viththumida vENdum kolO vidaiyadarththa

paththi uzhavan pazhampunaththu – moiththezhundha

kArmEga manna karumAl thirumEni

neervAnam kAttum nigazhindhu”

 

In the previous paasuram, azhvar introduced a great physician to all

of us “maruththuvanAi nindra mAmanivaNNan”. This special doctor

knows how to cure our disease of samsAram. The medicine is nothing

other than just falling to the feet of the almighty and surrendering

to him “pazhagiyAn thAlE panimin”. But we are all blessed with minds

to think and analyse. Will we accept any fact that easily? Oh! No.

How is that possible since we always have the benefit of doubt and

the right to question. So the question arised,” When we see in this

world (pratyaksham) even in our day to day life that a lot of effort

is to be put in attaining even a small result how is that we can

attain the ultimate result, the Moksha by just falling to the feet of

the divine lord (negligible effort)?”

Azhvar answers, “As said in the last paasuram, the lord due to

ultimate grace on us took various incarnations viz., narasimhan,

matsyam etc to protect his devotees in awake state whereas he also

saves all the jeevatmas in the dormant state during the pralaya.

When the lord has so much krupai (mercy) what is the necessity for

any other conditions to exist? The requirement is only the natural

wish that arouses to fall to the feet of the divine lord the rest is

taken care by that emperuman who acts as the prAptha and prApagan.

Further he does all the necessity jobs to make us attain the ultimate

result (paththi uzhavan). What else should a jeeva do other than

desiring moksha/him?

 

(paththiuzhavan pazham punaththu viththu mida vENdum kolO) Bhakthi is

the crop; paramapurushan is the owner of the fertile land (this

world), the farmer. What is the necessity for us to sow the seeds of

punyam/good deeds for bhakthi to grow in our minds?

 

(paththi uzhavan) Emperuman is the farmer. The amount of hardships a

farmer undergoes to attain a good yield is innumerable. He has to

irrigate the field, remove the unwanted weeds, sow the seed, plant

the sprout in the appropriate places, add the necessary manure and

fertilizers and all these should be done in appropriate time.

Similarly emperuman, the farmer also undergoes a number of hardships.

 

This farmer, the divine lord has a very fertile land, the nithya

vibhooti that gives a great yield but still he just doesn’t relax but

wants to cultivate the crop of bhakthi also in the land of leela

vibhooti. So first he involved himself in Creation of the jeevas.

He gave them body and mind and remained as their antaryAmi to guide

them in the right path. Moreover he took a number of avatarams to

uplift the jeevatmas.

 

[see how Swamy Nammazhvar also has the same type of anubhavam considering emperuman as a farmer,

“ooravar kavvai eruvitttu annaisol neermaduththu

Eeranelviththi mulaiththa nenjapperunjseyyul

PEramar kAdhal kadalpurraiya vilaiviththa

KAramar mENi nam kaNNan” (thiruvai 5-3-4)]

 

(pazham punaththu) To start cultivating a new land a lot of initial

processing should be done for a good yield. But for an already

cultivable fertile land where regular cultivation is done even just

throwing the seeds here and there will give a good yield. This world

is a fertile old land where the paththi uzhavan does regular

cultivation. This leela vibhooti is not created afresh but exist

forever.

 

(pazham punaththu viththumida vENdum kolO) Like throwing the seeds

here and there in a regular cultivating land just the desire is

enough for the paththi uzhavan to grow the crop of bhakthi in this

world.

 

The above interpretation results from the words of Sri PeriavAchAn

pillai’s commentary verse, “pazham panangalilE vidhaikka vENdAdhE

vudari mulaikkumApOlE…”

 

A slight variation in the interpretation can be obtained while looking

into the words of other acharyas. Let us enjoy the same in the next

posting.

 

(To Be Continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan