AhObila Paasurams ( Periya Thirumozhi: 1.7) Part II

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Dear Sri Nrusimha BhakthAs :

 

The First Paasuram for the Lord of Ahobilam is :

 

amm kaNN Jn~Alam anja angu ohr aaL ariyAyAi avuNan

ponga aaham vaLL uhirAl pOzhntha punithan idam

paim-kaNN yAnaik-kompu koNDu patthimayAl adik-keezhc-

semm kaNN AaLi ittu irainjum SinghavEzh kunramE

 

- - Periya Thirumozhi :1.7.1

 

AhObila Pasurams : Text & Audio Rendering

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adiyEn has split the sandhis for an easier understanding of the meanings of

this majestic Paasuram , where Thirumangai AzhwAr provides a graphic

description of the HiraNya SamhAram of the Parisuddha Para Brahman ,

Sri Ugra Narasimhan at AhObila Dhivya Desam .

 

The Tamil and English script of the ten paasurams can be accessed at :

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/temples/ahobil/apas-eng.html

 

The audio/wave files (862 Kb) of the Paasuram texts rendered in

the SampradhAyic manner can be accessed at :

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/temples/ahobil/apas.html

 

Please enjoy the Text and sound of these majestic Paasurams

capturing the extraordinary anubhavam of Thirumangai AzhwAr .

 

Three interpretations for the name of this dhivya dEsam:

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(1) The name of this dhivya Desam can be recited as " SingavEL Kunram "

or SingavEzh Kunram " . Both are correct usages . When we salute this

dhivya dEsam as "Singa vEL KunRam " , the emphasis is on "vEL" ,

the One who is most desirable (Virumpa Tahunthavan) . " Singa vEL "

then translates in to Azhagiya Singar (Sundara Simham ) , who is

the most majestic , unusual and captivating "naram kalantha Singam"

to look at . The hill that He presides over is the KunRam (hill) of

" Singa vEL" .

 

(2) When we use the other Paatam , "Singa vEzh KunRam " , we refer to

the seven ( yEzhu) hills at Ahobila KshEthram just as at Thriumala .

The nine Narasimha Temples are positioned in a 5 Kilo Meter Circle

marked by the seven hills around the PrahlAdha Varadhan Temple

at the foot hills. He is in the middle of Gaaruda Sailam ( AhObilE Gaaruda

saila mdhyE krupAvasAth kalpitha sannidhAnam) .

 

These nine temples in the middle of Gaaruda Sailam (at Upper and

lower Ahobilam are those for JwaalA , MalOla , KrODa , Kaaranja ,

BhArgava, YogAnandha , KashathravaDa , Paavana and PrahlAdha

Narasimhans .

 

(3) The third intrepretation according to Commentators is that

these hills are ascendant in glory because of the rare and divine

singham (Lion) that rules over these hills ( SingatthAlE yEzh/yezhucchi

peRRa kunRam) .

 

Commentary on the First Paasuram : The first Two lines

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" amm kaNN jn~Alam anja , angu ohr AaLL ariyAyai avuNan

ponga , aaham vaLL uhirAl pOzhntha Punithan idam "

 

NarasimhAvathAra samayam is invoked here . The VishNu (Hari) dhvEshi ,

HiraNya Kasipu has been tormenting his son , Bhaktha PrahlAdhan and

subjecting him to all kinds of torture so that PrahlAdhan can reject Hari

as the Supreme Being and accept him ( HiraNya Kasipu) as the one superior to

Hari in ParAkramam and Vaibhavam . PrahlAdhan rejected his father's foolish

statements and held on resolutely that there is no one , who is equal or

Superior to Hari .That statement made HiraNya Kasipu fly into rage .

He asked his son as to where that Hari is Hiding .PrahlAdhan replied :

" Hari is everywhere ".

 

The enraged HiraNyan further ; out of that blinding rage , Hiranyan

hit a pillar in his darbar hall and taunted his son as to whether that Hari

is in that pillar . Vaikunta KaNDeeravan ( Hari in the form of Narasimham)

jumped in a flash out of that pillar and used His own nails to to tear

HiraNyan apart and destroyed the asuran , who had tormented

His BhAgavathan , Bhaktha PrahlAdhan .This "adhbhutha Kesari"

( Unique and Mysterious Lord with the head of a lion and the body of

a Man) . Swamy Desikan salute this adhbhutha Kesari as " AakaNDam

Aadhipurusham , KaNDeerava Vapum upari " . Down to the neck ,

our Lord had the face of a lion and below the neck , He had the body

of the Parama Purushan . He destroyed the enemy of His devotee

( KuNDithArAthi ) for BhAgavathApachArm .

 

The whole world shuddered at the sight of this rare and frightening

Narasimham chasing HiraNyan down the royal hall during that SandhyA

Kaalam .This reaction of the citizens of the earth , who were terror

stricken at the intensity of the Lord's rage at HiraNyan's offenses is

described by Thirumangai as : " amm kaNN Jn~Alam anja " . All the people

of the world known for its beautiful sites were filled with fear at

the sight of the Lord's Ugra form . He appeared out of the very same pillar

that HiraNyan hit with cynicism as a matchless Narasinga Roopan

( "angu ohr AaLariyAi " )

..

HiraNyan was mad with rage over this unexpected happening

("avuNan ponga" ) . The mighty Lord chased HiraNyan down ,

dragged him to the steps of the palace , spread him on His expansive

lap and used His nails as the weapon to tear the chest of HiraNyan

and destroyed the asuran during the sandhyA kaalam .

 

Thirumangai describes all these happenings in an abridged manner

and salutes Lord Narasimhan as a Parisuddhan , who fulfilled His

avathAra Kaaryam at the dhivya dEsam of Ahobilam : " AaL ariyAi

avuNan ponga aaham vaLL uhirAl pOzhntha Punithan idam " .

 

Destruction of HiraNyan and the anugraham to PrahlAdhan

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The two powerful slOkams of Swamy Desikan's SrI Sookthi of

KaamAseekAshtakam bring out vividly both the HiraNya SamhAram

and the compassion of the Narasimha Moorthy to His Bhakthan

as PrahlAdha Varadhan at that time .

 

Vikaswara makha svaru kshatha HiraNya vakshasTalee

nirargaLa vinirgaLadh rudhira sindhusandhyAyithA:

avanthu madana aasikA manuja pancha-vakthrasya

aham pratamikA miTa: prakaditha aahavA: Baahava:

 

-- -- SlOkam 6 of SrI KaamAseekAshtakam

 

(Meaning) : This Lord Narasimhan's finger nails extended impatiently

to tear apart Hiranyan's chest . They were hard and powerful like

the VajrAyudham . Our Lord used those nails and split into two

the broad chest of HiraNythe . HiraNyan's blood gushed out as

a torrent without let and reddened the hands of our Lord . The redness

of the hands made them resemble the hue of SandhyA Kaalam . Those

powerful hands of the Lord were intent on protecting His devotees

and destroying their enemies . They ocmpeted with each other

to engage in these twin tasks .May those hands of Sri KaamAseekA

Narasimhan protect adiyEn !

 

saDA paDala bheeshaNE sarabhasa attahAsaudhbhaDE

sphurath krudhi parisphuDadh bhrukuDikE api vakthrE kruthE

krupA KapaDa-Kesarin dhanuja Dimbhadattha stanA

SarOja sadhrusA dhrusA vyathibhishajya tE vyajyathE

 

- - - SlOkam 7 : Sri KaamAseekAshtakam

 

(Meaning): Oh MaayAvi , who took the mischevous appearance of

Nara Simham ! Your sacred face was looking frightening with its

dense flock of manes ( Pidari Mayir KaRRaikaL) and a powerful

and loud laughter emanated out of that face.Your brows were

moving rapidly with anger over HiraNyan . Even in the context of

these frightening appearance , Your lotus like eyes revealed

Your matchless compassion for the BhagavathOtthaman ,

PrahlAdhan and nourished him like mother's milk . Simultaneously ,

Your eyes were able to project anger over HiraNyan and compassion

towards PrahlAdhan. This was indeed a very unusual act of operation .

Your compassion stood as the nourishing breast feeding milk for

the child PrahlAdhan . The quality of Your DayA is revealed through

Your mysterious eyes .

 

( First SlOkam : To be continued ) ,

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan