Sri Alavandhaar's SthOthra Rathnam- verse 5- I prostrate at the lotus feet of SrI SaTakOpa... [NammAzhwAr]

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

In line with Sage Parasara’s Sa dhisathu bhagawaan

asEsha pumsaam- and in order to fulfil the same, this

AzhwAr who is Prapanna jana santhAna kootasthar-

blessed us with the most divine and wondreful verses

with clear truth on Tattva traya, Hitha purushaarthams

in a language understood even by common masses so that

all can be immensely benefitted; and in those works

(prabandhams), in every verse touches upon the Lord

Sriman Narayanan alone and associated with Him; even

losing his heart, mind on the unparalleled Sriman

Narayana- the Most beautiful Purushan- Purusha

utthaman and enchant the reciters’ and listener’s

hearts much more times that the purANAs themselves;

and even blessed the prabandhams of other AzhwArs as

well through Sriman Nathamuni- how merciful and most

compassionate is our SrI SatakOpa muni- SRI

NAMMAZHWAR- enjoys Sri UttamUr Swamy in his

commentary.

 

maatha pithaa yuvathayas thanayaa vibhuthi:

sarvam yadhEva niyamEna mathanva-yaanaam,

aathyasya na: kulabhthEr vagu-Laabhi-raamam

sreemath thathanGgari-yugalam praNa-maami moortha-naa.

 

For my vamsam [lineage], the pair of feet which always

are the Mother, Father, the spouses, the children; the

wealth, the bhOgyam (pleasure); those feet of our Kula

pathi Sri NammAzhwAr, wearing magizha maalai (garland

of magizha flowers).. I prostrate to those lotus feet.

 

I reverently bow down my head to the Feet of the Kula

Pathi [srivaishnava Kula pathi] SrI SaTakOpar-

NammAzhwAr- that are enchanting with the vakula flower

garland therein [offered in worship to his feet] and

which are eternally our Father, Mother, spouses, son,

wealth and everything to everyone of my Srivaishnava

community..

 

Mother takes care of us sacrificing all her

pleasures.. moonRu bhuvanatthu porul muRRUm kodutthu

yEnRa vazhipaadhu iyaRRidinum en thaay oru naaL

vaLartthathaRkku iyaiayAvE... says one tamil poet ..

Even if one pays back the three worlds at the feet of

one’s mother, it does not equate to one day of her

taking care of us.. so great are they. Father takes us

in his arms, teaches us, disciplines us..in our

childhood. During youth and later, the spouse takes

care of us like the mother and father and is loving,

caring ..

At old age and even after death, the children pave the

way for alleviating pains (with pithru tharpaNam..)

 

Sri NammAzhwAr stood in all these places as bandhus

and bhOgam as well for my lineage (meaning right from

nathamuni- janma vamsam and vidhyA vamsam). He is our

Kula pathi (Srivaishnava kula pathi) for having

initiated and blessed my grand father Sri Nathamuni

with jnAnam and also with the unparalleled his

Thiruvaymozhi and also other AzhwAr’s pasurams the

entire 4000. He performed Prapatti at the Lord’s

Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan’s lotus feet

[agalagillEn iEaium enRu] and showed SrIman nAThamuni

the path of Saranagathi and instructed him for passing

to the vamsam. He [srI NammAzhwAr] is thus the

prapanna jana santhAna kUTashthar.

 

Every Acharya for having taught many sishyas various

sampradaic granthas and initiated could become

Kulapathi in due course. The first and foremost among

them is our NammAzhwAr and His lotus feet are to be

worshipped. I bow down to is feet.

 

What is so great about his feet? VibhEsshaNan,

Gajendran, Lakshmanan et al are blessed with the SrI

prefix to their names due to their kaimkarya SrI and

they longed for Bhagavad Kaimkaryam. Our NammAzhwAr

too longed and languished for the same; Ozhivil

kaalamellAm udanaay manni vazhuvilaa adimai seyya

vENdum naam… says AzhwAr.. Going to Dhivya Desams

alone should be one’s wealth – AzhwAr says:

eyythiLaippadhan munnam adaiminO… ; Thus he blessed us

with very many verses; The Lord Adhipiraan being

pleased with his verse, blessed NammAzhwAr with the

makizh maalai [vakuLa maalai] that He had worn for his

chest; and sishyas and devotees of NammAzhwAr seeing

this, followed suit, and offered garland of vakuLa

flowers at the feet of NammAzhwAr; Thus the feet –

wearing magizha maalai (garland of magizha flowers)..

I prostrate to those lotus feet.

 

I had bowed down to SrI nAThamuni first; Now I bow

down to the feet of NammAzhwAr with maanasa, vachaka,

kaayika prostration and hence is termed as praNAmams.

 

For AzhwAr, the mother, father, spouse, and everything

is KaNNan; [uNNum sORu, parugum neer, thinnum veRRilai

ellAm kaNNan] and for us his feet are the same… all

sukhams are in these feet; the immersing in AzhwAr

alone is enough for us; Not even that; just immerse

yourself in His Feet; that is adequate. Because His

feet are none other than the Acharyas from SrIman

nAthamuni…

 

Ya yEva[AzhwAr who]- was not mentioned by Sri

Alavandhar; yadhEva – was mentioned in the verse- that

which is- i.e. the feet alone is referred to in this

verse. His CharaNam alone is SaraNam for us; In the

temples, the Lord’s lotus feet are to be addressed as

SrI SaTAri [sri SatakOpam- i.e. NammAzhwar]. During

the period of Alavandhar, NammAzhwAr dhivya mangala

vigraham had vakuLa maalai at his feet and were

worshipped - it is told...

 

Alavandhar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan