nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-36

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

Paasuram-27

 

“mAlthAn pugundha madabebjam maRRadhuvum

pErAga kolvanO pEdhaigAl-neeRAdi

thAnkANa mAttAdha thAragala sEvadiyai

yAnkANa vallErkku edhu”

 

Azhvar requested perumal, “eRRaikkum kaNdukoL kaNdAi kadalvaNNA

yAnnunnai kandukolkirkku mAru” in the previous paasuram. Emperuman

immediately showered his ultimate grace on azhvar and said, “appadiyE

Aguga” (Let it happen as requested). Immediately some around azhvar

objected saying, “ Is it enough if you remain a vaishnavite always

don’t you want to go to moksha and enjoy the ultimate joy over there?

Azhvar replies, “Oh! When the lord who is supposed to be in moksha has

shed living there and prefers to come and stay in my heart why should

I love anything other than my heart”

 

(mAl thAn pugundha mada nenjam) “yat…abhisam vishanthi that

vijijjnAsasva that brahmEthi” [understand that into which the

jeevatmas enter after mukthi to be the brahmam] “bhakthyA tvananyayA

shakya: ahamEvam vidhOrjuna I jnAtum drashtum cha thatvEna pravEshtum

cha paranthapa II [ Oh! Arjuna you make the enemies struggle. One can

understand, see and enter me only due to ananya bhakthi (ultimate

devotion)] , “Esha brahma pravishtOsmi greeshmE seethamiva hrutham”

[i have entered the brahmam like diving into a cool pond during peak

summer] The above pramana verses show that jeevatma enters the

emperuman/brahmam after many hardships. But azhvar says, that very

emperuman has now entered me all by himself. What a credit my mind

has in store!

 

(mAl than pugundha) The one who has entered is the sarvEshvaran, mAl-

periyOn (very great person). Mal as another meaning mAl-anban the

one who has entered is a personification of love.

 

(maRRadhuvum pErAga kolvanO pEdhaigAl) Will I ever think of anything

else including moksha other than my dear credited mind/heart? [“en

amudhinai kanda kangal mattrondrinai kAnAvE”, “sindhai maRRondrin

thiRaththathallA”, “achchuvai perinum vEndEn”, “bhAvO nAnyethra

gachchathi”]

 

(madanenjam maRRadhuvum pErAga kolvanO) Nammazhvar declares the same

in his words as, “nin pugazhil vaigum tham sindhaiyilum maRRinidhO,

neeyavarkku vaigundham endrarulum vAn”, “mAyAperuviralulagam

moondrinoodu nalveedu perinum kolvatheNNumO thelliyOr kurippE”

Periazhvar says, “vadathadamum vaikundhamum madhil duvarApathiyum

edavagaigal egazhindhittu enpAl edavagai kondanaiyE”

When emperuman has left all his divya dhAmams and has come to settle

in my heart will I ever think of going to moksha?

 

(pEdhaigAl) Oh! If you don’t understand this then what else should I

call you than senseless people (“aruvu kEdargalE”) so those who

understand this secret are considered to be intelligent and the rest

stupid.

 

Azhvar was questioned- How did you know this?

 

(neerAdi than kAnamAttAdha thAragala sEvadiyai yAn kAna vallErkku

edhu) Even the rudra, wearing the ashes all over his body, who tries

by his own efforts to have the darshan of the big divine feet of

emperuman decorated with beautiful garlands failed but I due to the

nirheduka krupai of emperuman has got that divine darshan. So my

mind will never forget that and wish for moksha. Rudra who is

supposed to grant knowledge to all is himself incapable of having the

darshan of the lord’s divine feet. Not the feet he is incapable to

even have the darshan of the garland adorning the lord’s feet.

 

(thAr agala sEvadiyai) the lord’s divine feet is always decorated with

the divine thiruthuzhAi mAlai (tulasi garland). Azhvar says, agala

sEvadi extended feet probably having the divine feet of thiruvikraman

in mind.

 

(neerAdi than……….thAragala sEvadi) During the trivikramAvathAram

rudran took the divine sripAda theertham of emperuman over his head

(neerAdi) but he was unable to see the big extended thiruvadi of

emperuman.

“kadikamalththul erundhum kAngilan kannan adikamalam thannai ayan”

says poigaiazhvar. Emperuman’s thiruvadi is so soft that it becomes

red even if a soft thulasi garland touches it.

 

I due to his nirhEduka krupai has got the darshan of that divine

thiruvadi will I then wish for moksha leaving enjoying emperuman in

my heart?

 

There is one another interpretation to the above paasuram. On

azhvar’s request to perumal “eRRaikkum kaNdukoL kaNdAi kadalvaNNA

yAnnunnai kandukolkirkku mAru” some questioned azhvar when the

sastras talk about many great goals like attaining the svargaloka,

sivaloka and brahmaloka why should you choose to suffer in this

samsAra loka being just a Srivaishnavite? Azhvar answers, when the

siva who is the lord of the sivaloka himself is unable to have the

divine darshan of emperuman’s thiruvadi and my mind has got the

bhakyam of that divine darshan due to his nirheduka krupai why should

I wish for anything else?

 

(To Be Continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan