Today's article in Hindu Forwarded by Sri mathy PraveeNA Ananad

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> SrI:

> NamO NarayanA

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> Dear Sri Vaishnavas

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> Adiyen read an article in today's Hindu and am sharing the same.

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> dAsan

> Srimad Azhagia Singar Thiruvadi

>

> THE TAMIL month `Kaarthigai' is dedicated to the celebration of `Light'.

> The Thirukaarthigai festival on the full moon day of the month is

> further significant because some nine centuries ago, Tirumangai Azhwar

> was born on the day in the Tamil year Nala, at Tirukkuraiyalur, a

> village in the Tirumangai State of the Cholas.

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> The most romantic of all the Azhwars was Tirumangai Azhwar, also known

> as Kaliyan, Parakalan and Neelan, a chieftain and a rebel, dynamic and

> daring. He was the last of the Azhwars. He is believed to be the

> incarnation of Lord Vishnu's mighty bow, Sarangam. His parents named

> him, Neelan, as he was dark in complexion. Neelan became the

> commander-in-chief of the Chola king and was hailed as Parakala (`Death

> of enemies') by the king, who in appreciation of his military prowess

> made him chieftain of Tirumangai State. Parakala fell in love with the

> beautiful Kumudavalli. But she had taken a vow to marry a Vaishnavite

> who would feed at least 1,000 Vaishnavites everyday for one year. Gladly

> accepting the demand, Parakala used up all his revenue till the coffers

> were empty. When he had no money left to feed the poor, he became a

> highway thief, plundering the rich for the purpose.

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> Legend of Tirumangai

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> Legend says that during one such looting exercise, Lord Vishnu and the

> Goddess appeared before Parakala as a newly wedded couple, clad in rich

> ornaments. Parakala, of course, wasted no time. He took away everything

> and did not wish to spare even a tiny ornament like the toe-ring on the

> bridegroom's foot. As the ring was quite tight, Parakala tried to remove

> it by biting with his teeth. He thus got the rare chance of touching the

> Lord's feet and unwittingly kissing them. Parakala was further baffled

> by the magic spell when he could not lift the booty he had collected.

> The Lord then initiated him with the `Tirumantiram,' the Supreme Word,

> and revealed Himself. At that very instant the Azhwar was born. Kaliyan,

> now Tirumangai Azhwar, began his quest by singing the praise of Lord

> Vishnu, first by celebrating the `Tirumantiram' in the first 10 hymns of

> his work, "Periya Tirumozhi."

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> Tirumangai, like Nammazhwar, was a prolific writer. Orthodox

> Vaishnavites consider Nammazhwar's four Prabhandams ("Tiruviruttam,"

> "Tiruvasiriyam,Periya Tiruvantathi" and "Tiruvaimozhi") as the

four

> Vedas, and Tirumangai Azhwar's six texts ("Periya Tirumozhi,"

> "Tirukkuruntauntakam,Tiruvelukkurrirukai,Siria Tirumadal,"

"Periya

> Tirumadal" and "Tirunetuntantakam") as the six angas of the Vedas. These

> texts contain the finest lyrics in which descriptions of Nature,

> soul-stirring emotions and deep devotion are inseparably blended

> together. Tirumangai, perhaps, is the only Azhwar to have travelled far

> and wide, covering the whole of India from North to South. Out of the

> 108 divyadesams important to Vaishnavites, Parakala has visited at least

> 86, and in superb poetry, has also consecrated the archa forms in the

> Vishnu temples. His poetry, innovative in form and content, secured him

> the title, Naalukavi Perumal. He found great joy in taking care of the

> Srirangam temple. It was Parakala who introduced the Prabandhams of

> Nammazhwar at the Tiruvadyayana festival at Srirangam temple, in the

> Tamil month of Margazhi. It is now known as `Tirumozhi-Tiruvaimozhi'

> festival, since the basic components of the celebrations are the texts

> themselves. This month long celebration is held not only in Srirangam

> but also in other Vishnu temples. Parakala has thus introduced a visual

> representation of his own conviction that the Word and the Lord are one

> and the same.

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> A born poet

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> Another epiphany of our times is the advent of Srinivasaraghavachariar,

> hailed as Asukavi Sarvabhauma Srinidhi Swami, born on this glorious day

> of the Pramathicha year (December 11, 1913).

>

> He is the descendant of Nadathoor Ammal, known as Vatsya Varadaguru. He

> was fondly addressed by the Lord Himself as `amma'. Varadaguru was the

> maternal uncle of Sri Desikan, the great Vaishnavite Acharya after

> Ramanuja.

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> Srinidhi Swami was a born-poet and could compose Sanskrit poems even at

> the early age of seven. Being an Asukavi, he wrote poems in an instant,

> on any occasion. The poems came out spontaneously and sometimes

> jocularly - during the lunch sessions in the patasala, while buying

> mangoes, at the sub-registrar's office when he had to wait for a long

> time, or during the World War when life was under the threat of Japanese

> bombing.

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> Thousands of such poems exist. The Swami led a quiet life, but the poet

> in him was always vigilant, pouring out powerful feelings spontaneously.

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> His works include the six volumes of "Srinidhi Granthamala,Manju

> Ramayanam,Ashtalakshmi Sathakam,Rajagopura Sathakam" and

> "Mantasmitha Ramayanam."

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> Sri Malola Vilasam is the 11th publication. Srinidhi Swami was the

> recipient of the President's award for Sanskrit in the year 1986.

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> He passed away on May 3, 2001 after establishing "Sri Bhashya

> Simhasanam."

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> Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

> Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

> Links

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