Priest Quarters at Sri RanganAtha Temple series: PeriyAzhwAr's ThiruppallaNDU Paasurams: Part II( Upanishad BhashyakArar's avathArikai)

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

TODAY is the Thiru Nakshthram of adiyEn's SamAsrayaNa

AchAryan , HH the 43rd Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam , Sri VaNN

SathakOpa Sri Veeraraghava YathIndhra MahA Desikan known as

the DEvanAr ViLAgam Jeeyar , who hails from an agraharam

near the dhivya dEsam of Oppiliappan Koil .

 

It is with DaNdavath PraNAmams to my SamAsrayaNa AchAryan

that adiyEn COMMENCES this series on ThiruppallANDu of PeriyAzhwAr

AFTER the introduction housed in Part I released yesterday .

 

Upanishad BhAshyakArar's AvathArikai for ThiruppallANDu

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yEnOpanishadhaam bhAshyam Raamaanuja mathAnunugatham

ramyam krutham prapadhyE Tamm RangarAmAnujam Munim

 

(Meaning for the Taniyan for Upanishadh BhAshyakArar) : Our prapatthi

to him , Sri RangarAmAnuja Muni , who folowed the path shown by

AchArya RaamAnujA in his commentaries on Upanishads and made

them delectable to experience .

 

At the outset of his avathArikai , Upanishad BhAshyakArar meditates on

Swamy Desikan's sacred feet and seeks their power to commence his

commentary on PeriyAzhwAr's ThiruppallANDu MangaLAsAsanam

for EmperumAn and to make thereby the Saadhu Janams happy.

 

The reason why Upanishad BhAshyakArar skipped his own AchArya

vandhanam and thought of the ParamAchAryan , Swamy Desikan was

that his own (immediate ) AchArya will be pleased with that vandhanam

to the ParamAcvhAryan. He followed the path of AchArya RaamAnujA ,

who saluted Swamy AlavanthAr at the beginning of Sri VedArtha Sangraham :

" Sa vijayathE Yaamuna Muni: " . ParamAchArya vandhanam will result in

AchArya Krupai and through that all PurushArTams by the anugraham of

Sri HayagrIva BhagavAn , the aarAdhana Moorthy of Swamy Desikan .

Through that vandhanam to Swamy Desikan , Upanishad BhAshyakArar

seeks the anugraham of Sakala VidhyA Moorthy . This vandhanam to

Swamy Desikan takes this form:

 

AmnAyAntha GurUtthamsa CharaNAbhja smruthErBalaAth

MangaLAsAsineergAdhA vykhyAma vidhushAm mudhE

 

AvathArikai following Dr.VNVedantha Desikan's summary

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Bhagavath Bhakthi has many faces. Bhagavath BhakthAs have

many bhAvanais ( approaches and anubhavams) , when NaarAyaNa

ParAyaNAs relate to the Lord .The relationship could be that of

Husband-Wife , Sishyan-AchAryan , Friends ( KrishNan-Arjunan) or

that between the Mother and Child . PeriyAzhwAr enjoyed

the Mother -Child relationship and celebnrated that in his

paasurams.Just as Kousalya and YasOdha played that

Mother's role in the joyous upbringing of their children ,

PeriyAzhwAr assumed the role of YasOdhA enjoying

Bala KrishNan and his pranks . It is very appropriate to relate

to the Lord as One's husband or as One's child. While they

enjoy this relationship , the overpowering prEmai (Vaathsalyam)

and Bhakthi pours out as MangaLAsAsanams by the Sages of

DhaNDakAraNyam , JaDAyu , Dasaratha , Vasishtar , ViswAmithrar

during RaamAvathAram . VasudEvar and DEvaki performed such

MangaLAsAsanams for their newly born child in the prison of Kamsa .

This is Bhaktha VailakshaNyam ( specail attribute).

 

The question may arise as to how can aSeshan ( servant/Daasan)

wish many years of life to his own Master (Swamy) . The supermacy

of Bhakthi propells the Seshan to do this and froget for a moment their

Sesha-Seshi (Servant-Master ) relationship. VishNu chitthar ( PeriyAzhwAr )

was one such celebrated BhakthAs of the Lord.

 

PriyAzhwAr was born as Garuda amsam at SrivilliputthUr as a BrahmaNan

and performed Flower/Garland Kaimkaryam for VaDapathra Saayee at

this Dhivya desam . The Lord commanded VishNuchitthar to go to

the court of the PaaNDyan Kings to establish His ParadEvatha Tatthvam.

VishNu chitthar showed his hands with welt from Pushpa Kaimkaryam

and asked the Lord as to how he as an untutored one in the VedhAs can

dare to challenge the assembled scholars and engage them in the debate

and win the prize. Our Lord told VishNu Chitthar that he will comprehend

all the Saasthrams with His anugraha Balam . VishNu Chitthar obeyed

the Lord's command and went to the court . There he won the debaters

with PraMANams and Yukthis and established the supermacy of

Sriman NaarAyaNan as the Paradhaivam without any doubt.

He won the prize established by the king and delighted his AchAryan

(Selva Nampoi ) and the king ( Vallabha Devan) .

 

The king honored VishNu chitthar by placing VishNu Chitthar

on the royal elephant and arranging a procession around

the Raaja Veedhis of his capitol. Sriman NaarAyaNan appeared

in the sky on His Vaahanam of Garudan and DEvis like a happy

parent wishing to join in the celebrations for his accomplished son .

AzhwAr became joyous at the darsanam of the Lord and became

greatly worried about any evil eye falling on the MangaLa vigraham

of the Lord and harming Him . VishNu Chitthar attained the mental

state of a concerned Mother and performed MangaLAsAsanam

( PallANDu) for the Lord spontaneously .

 

It was Bhagavath Sankalpam that VishNu Chitthar attain Mathru Bhaavam

like Devaki and YasOdha , while maintaining UpAsakathvam and

Daasakathvam ( status of Saadhakan and Daasan ). Our Lord blessed

Devaki by incarnating as her son and granted Her the Supreme Gathy .

Our Lord did the same with VishNu Chitthar and elevated him to the status of

His own Father-in-Law .

 

Just as PraNavam is recited at the beginning and the end of the Veda

PaarAyaNams , ThiruppallANDu is recited at the commencement and

conclusion of DhrAvida Vedam .

 

Just as the small mirror shows the big forms , ThiruppallANDu incorporates

the vast meanings of the eight lettered Thirumanthiram . The MangaLAsAsanams

in the ThiruppallANDu are essential for the Bhaktha Janams of Sriman

NaarAyaNan and helps them with a clear understanding of the greatness

of Bhagavath Svaroopam ( Bhagavath SvaroopOthkarsham ) and pleases

the Lord ( Bhagavann Mukha UllAsakaram) .

 

In the next posting , adiyEn will cover the highlights of the MaNipravALa

avathArikais for ThiruppallANDu from Sri Periya ParakAla Swamy ,

Thirukkudanthai Desikan and Thirukkudanthai Sri RanganAtha swamy .

 

PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

ThUppul KulatthadiyArkaL adiyAr poRRp-padham pORRi

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan