SrI SaTakOpar (NammAzhwAr) Thirunakshathram- AzhwAr's feet is everything to us!

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SrI:

SrImathE SaTakOpAya namah:

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today- VaikAsi VisAkham- is Sri NammAzhwAr Thirunakshathram. Sri Sadagopan

mama of New York has already written beautifully on AzhwAr’s work (on

ThirumOhoor Divya Desam PAsuram).

 

Let us dwell on the common thaniyan that we (are supposed to) recite

everyday: (which is also sloka 5 of SthOthra rathnam of Sri YamunAchArya-

Alavandhaar)

 

maatha pithaa yuvathayas thanayaa vibhuthi:

sarvam yadhEva niyamEna madhanva-yaanaam,

aathyasya na: kulapathEr vagu-Laabhi-raamam

sreemath dhadhangri-yugalam praNa-maami moordhnA

 

For my vasmam, the feet -which are always like the Mother, Father, the

spouses, the children; the wealth, the bhOgyam (pleasure); those feet of our

Kula pathi Sri NammAzhwAr, (SrI SaTakOpar) wearing magizha maalai (garland

of magizha flowers), I prostrate completely (saashtAnga praNamams) to those

lotus feet (of SrI SaTakOpar).

 

>From the days of conception, forgetting all her body pains, suffering, the

mother takes care of us sacrificing all her pleasures. Whatever one says-

however much one ignores, the mother mercifully take care of the child.

moonRu bhuvanatthu porul muRRUm kodutthu yEnRa vazhipaadhu iyaRRidinum en

thaay oru naaL vaLartthathaRkku iyaiayAvE... says one poet .. Even if one

pays back the three worlds at the feet of one’s mother praising her, it does

not equate to one day of her taking care of us- so great are mothers. Adi

Sankarar had mentioned: ku puthrO jAyathE.. kwachithapi ku mAthrO na

jAyathE.. [There can be bad son; but never can there be a bad mother].

 

Father takes us in his arms, grooms us with love, affection, teaches us, and

disciplines us. During youth and later, the spouse takes care of us like the

mother and father and is loving, caring .. (may be those days.) At old age

and even after death, the children pave the way for alleviating pains (with

pithru tharpaNam..)

 

Sri NammAzhwAr stood in all these places as bandhus and bhOgam as well for

my lineage (meaning right from nathamuni- janma vamsam and vidhyA vamsam).

 

Swamy desikan says: maasil manantheLi munivar vagutthadhellAm maal ugantha

Asiriyar vaartthaikku ovaaa. The words of great sages and rishis (who have

clear mind- and jnAnam) can never be equal to the greatest divine utterances

(prabandhams) of AzhwArs – (maal ugantha Asiriyar) as they are blessed with

mayaRvaRa mathi nalam (clear and unambiguous knowledge -jnAnam).

 

The prabandhas of AzhwArs are like upabruhmaNam to clarify our confusions

and to understand Vedic truths undoubtedly and clearly. AzhwAr’s (especially

NammAzhwAr’s) works (1) enable us understand Vedas and secrets enshrined in

them better and crystal clear. (2) Not only do they give enjoyment,

happiness to reciters; they also give the same extent of enjoyment (if not

more) to listeners as well and enable everyone involve in KalyANa guNams and

dhivya mangala vigraham of Emperumaan Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan. (3)

Since they are all in chaste clear Tamil language, everyone can read.

 

He is Kula pathi (Srivaishnava kula pathi) for having initiated and blessed

my grand father Sri Nathamuni with jnAnam and with 4000. He is the prapanna

jana santhAna kUTashthar. Without Sri SatakOpar, our paths would have been

hidden by the non vaidika and wrong vaidika religions which are built

strongly by others and stood as walls on our paths. SrI SatakOpar came in

like the ankusa (spear) to tame the angry mighty elephants (of other

religions) and establish Parathvam and correct path (of saranagathi to the

Lotus feet of PerumAL). Hence he is called ParAnkusa.

 

In SrI YathirAja Sapthathi , Swamy desikan salutes Swamy NammAzhwAr this

way:

 

"Yasya Saarasvatham srOthO vakuLAmOdhavAsitham

surhtInAm visramAyAlam SaThArim tamupAsmahE "

 

(We worship Swamy NammAzhwAr , whose vaak filled with the fragrance of

Mahizhampoo flower is the sufficient resting place for the VedAs).

NigamAntha MahA Deikan has revealed to us that Bhagavath PrApthi and Moksham

is possible only through the grace of Swamy NammAzhwAr (ParAnkusan).

 

Through his own words, Swamy Desikan has told us in upakAra sangraham):

"thanith thirumAl thALil talai vaitthOm SaThakOpan aruLinAlE"

(We placed our head at the Thiruvadi of the Lord through the grace of Swamy

NammAzhwAr).

 

Swamy NammAzhwAr (in onRum dhEvum.. patthu)… unambiguously and very clearly

established Parathvam of Thirukkuruhoor Adhipiraan. And the Lord Adhipiraan

was so pleased that through Archakar, He adorned Swamy NammAzhwAr’s chest

with His makizha maalai (vaaguLAbaharNam) – which never ever fades on his

chest. The fragrance always remains.

 

YamunAchArya mentions here the feet of SrI SatakOpar (NamMAzhwAr) which are

adorned with makizh malai… One may wonder how? The chest was adorned by

PerumAL’s gift Makizha maalai. Seeing that, devotees living therein,

BhAgawathas coming to see AzhwAr, also pay their obeisance to their heart

content, offering the same flowers at His (SrI SatakOpar’s) feet. – thus

Yamumamuni mentions rightly so. Also it is told, Sri Nathamuni (and later

Yamunamuni) had the dhivya paadhukas of NammaazhwAr with magizh maalai in

his perumAL saanidhi.

 

Like Gajendra, VibheeshaNan, LakshmaNan are all prefixed with SrI, due to

their servitude and sEshathvam at all times, SaTakOpar is also prefixed with

SrI sabdham. SrI SataKopar also had desired for eternal servitude at the

feet of Srinivasan (ozhivil kaalamellam udanaay maani vazhuvilaa adimai

seyya vENdum naan). For AzhwAr – KaNNan is everything. uNNum sOru, parhum

neer thinnum veRRilai ellAm kaNNan. For us, AzhwAr’s ThiruvaDi is

everything. The likes of mAtha, pithA, spouse,m children, bhOgyams, wealth,

and everything – is nothing compared to the goodness of SrI SatakOpar’s feet

(to us). Whay is it so? He is the one who broke the strong walls of other

religions and paved the path (or cleared the hurdles) and showed the

archiRadhi maargam. He is the one who through Nathamuni- passed on the

divine 4000; he is the one who let us have the uninterrupted (avicchina)

achArya parampara. He is our Kula pathi. Kula pathi means: the one where all

branches end. Actually EmperumAn Sriman Narayanan should be the Kula pathi.

He is. But Sri SatakOpar is our Kula pathi- from whose works and whose deed,

we had the prapatthi saasthrAs reestablished.

 

His pair of feet alone is adequate. AzhwAr anubhavam is greatest. Enjoyment

of AzhwAr’s lotus feet are even greater than AzhwAr’s anubhavam.

 

Alavandhar says: Everything is AzhwAr’s feet. YadhEva … He did not say: ya

yEva.. Like CharaNou SaraNam pradhyE… Here, AzhwAr’s feet are to be mediated

upon and surrendered to. Thus AzhwAr’s feet are our mAthA, Pitha and

everything.

 

NammAzhwAr composed the following:

1.Thiruviruttam as the essence of Rg vEdA (100 verses)

2.ThiruvAsiriyam as the essence of yajur vEdA (seven verses)

3.Periya ThiruvandhAdhi as the essence of atharvaNa vEdA (87 verses)

4.ThiruvAimozhi as the essence of sAma vEdA (1192 verses)

 

Swamy Desikan writes in Prabandha saaram: (listing down Swamy NammAzhwAr’s

works)

 

munnurraittha thiruviruttham nooRu paattum

muRaiyinvarum Asiriyam Ezhu paatum

manniyanaR porutperiya thiruvanthAdhi

maRavaadhapadi yeNbatthEzhu paatum

pinnuraitthadhOr thiruvaaymozhi yeppOdhum

pizhaiyaRa AyirattthorunooR Rirandu paattum

innilatthil VAIKAASI VISKHAM thannil

uezhiRkurugai varumaaRaa irangu neeyE.

 

Sri Brahmmathanthra jeeyer writes:

 

vaisAkE thu visAkAyAm kuruhApuri kaarijam |

paaNdya dhESE kale rAdhou SaTarim sainyapam bhajE||

 

Third Brahmathanthra jeer’s vaazhi thirunaamam on NammAzhwAr:

 

mannu pugazh Thiruviruttham nooRu sonnAn vazhiyE

maal paadhatthu Asiriyam yEzhu aLitthAn vaazhiyE

munnum anthAthi padhiRRu yettu yEzhu IndhAn vaazhiyE

mundhai Ayira maRaiyai mozhindha vaLLal vaazhiyE

kanni madhil thirukuruhoor vandha piraan vaazhiyE

kaasini VAIKAASI VISAKATTHU udhitthAn vaazhiyE

mannu poruL naal vEdham thamizh seydhaan vaazhiyE

magizh maNakkum kuruhaiyarkOn MALAR ADIGAL VAAZHIYE.

 

NammAzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

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