Sri Vishnuchitta kulanandana kalpavalli (Part-18)

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE namaha

Sri Vanachala mahA munayE namaha

 

With the purity of thought, Sriman Narayanan who had taken a number of

incarnations to uplift all of us, is the only upayam and upeyam we

should all proceed towards attaining krishnAnubhavam says Andal.

Then what should we do? Enquired all the Srivaishnavas. She answers,

“toomalar toovithozhudhu vAyinAl pAdi manadhinAl sindikka” We have to

worship the lord with divine flowers and prostrate him, sing his

praise with our mouth and think about him in mind. One thing is

surprising here. Whenever we start to do any job only the mind works

first. We first think, then speak and then act accordingly [yat

purushO manasA adhigachchathi I yatthi manasA dyAyathi I tat vAchA

vadhathi I tat karmanA karOthi II] but Sri Andal has reversed the

order here. Why? That is because of the enthusiasm of each of her

part to take part in bhagavatanubhavam. She is unable to say the

reaction of which part precedes the other properly. The same state

was attained by swamy nammazhvar in his thiruvaimozhi padhigam

“mudiyAnE”.

 

The next doubt that will arise in our minds is - Sri Parthasarathi

emperuman in his bhagavat geetha says, “patram pushpam palam tOyam

yOmE bhakthyA prayachyathi I tataham…..asnAmi II” I will accept any

leaf, flower, fruit or water that has been submitted by my bhaktha

with love. Azhvar says, “mikka seer thondaritta poontulavam” and

“sootunan mAlaigal”. Thirumangai mannan says “kallAr tuzhAyum

kaNavalarum koovalaiyum mullAr mulariyum Ambhalum…pullAi Or AnamAi

pukkiddandhAn ponnadikku” From all these verses it is clear that

there is no specific flower unfavorable for the worship of emperuman.

Any flower is acceptable “purivadhuvum pugaipoovE”. Then what is

“toomalar” the flower that is pure/divine? It is that flower that is

submitted to the divine feet of emperuman for the very purpose of

submitting it to the lord with love and not with the expectation of

attaining something in return. Our acharyas call it as “surul

nArAdha poo” That is why periazhvar who sang 10 paasurams as

“poochootal” to emperuman refrained to continue to tell the pala

shruti for those chanting that padhigam as was his usual practice.

He completed the paasuram with; “senbaga malligaiyOdu senkazhineer

eruvAtchi enbagar poovum konardhEn endrivai soota vA endru manbagar

kondAnai Aychi magizhdurai seidha emmAlai panbagar villiputtur kOn

pattarbiran sonna paththE” If just reciting the paasurams of

“poochotal” can give so much joy what amount of anubhavam will be

received by making emperuman happy by adorning him with different

different beautiful garlands. That was the prime kainkaryam of both

periazhvar and his beloved daughter “soodikkoduththa sudarkodi” So

periazhvar was unable to say any specific palan in return to this

kainkaryam.

 

Andal then says “toovi” Andal is in love with krishna. So a lover

will not put the flowers on her beloved in a very proper respectful

manner instead she will throw it all over him in a haphazard manner

with great joy. That is what she means by “toovi” Immediately andal

was reminded of the elders who were having an eye on the gopis so to

hide her love from them and make the vratha as a ritual she says

“thozhudhu”. Anjali (prostration) according to emperuman and piratti

is a great weight on their head. Sri parasara bhattar in his

gunaratna kOsam says, “ishwaryam akshargathim paramam padham

vA…anjali bharam..tvam lajjasE amba” If one person accidently folds

his palms in front of ranganAyaki she grants him all the wealth,

svargam and even moksha but still feels that she has done nothing

equal to that anjali and hence she is always seen with her head

bending down due to shyness. What a great anubhavam our acharyas

had? That is the divine quality of both perumal and piratti. Krishna

did everything for the sake of drowpathi who called “govinda” when she

was in trouble in the gaurava’s court but while returning back to his

divine abode his final words were “govindEthi yathA krAndhath

krishnAmAm dooravAsinam I runam pravruththamiva mE hrudhayAn

nAbhasarpathi II” I am returning back not being able to repay my

debt.

 

The very purpose of our hands is to prostrate the divine couples.

What is the purpose of our mouth if we do not sing the praise of the

lord who has showered his unconditional grace on all of us? What is

the purpose of a mind that doesn’t think about the lord “vullAdhAr

vullaththai vullamA kollOmE” says thirumangai mannan. Each part of

our body is destined only for bhagavat kainkaryam else it is useless.

That is why andal says, “vAyinAl pAdi manadhinAl sindikka”

 

(To be continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan