manam vazhangu

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

It is generally said that I lost my heart at the first sight when I saw my

lover. This statement makes a straight and simple 'allegation' that the other

person, that my lover has stolen my heart as though

* by searching in my body, where it is kept as an attachment

* or socketed in my body in some plug attached to the body

Further, he, at ease picketed it, without myself knowing or realizing his act of

that picketing. So he has become a 'robber' at one stroke. Only consolation is

that this fellow, my lover, is not filing a defamation case, in a court of law,

against me for this blatant accusation of mine.

 

Actually 'my' position at that moment was,

* I was a bit more senseless, than normal time [means normally also I am

senseless but this time a bit more]

* a lot more flabbergasted or stupefied,

* lost the balance off, at or by his striking features,

* had not realized there existed some hitherto 'unknown connection' between him

and me, which now suddenly 'started working' on seeing him.

 

Now just look at from the other person viz. my lover's position or standpoint of

view [my lovers' shoes may be more apt].

 

He also was expecting that

* Some body, foolish enough like me, will stance upon him.

* With the impression "Me [the lover], by my physical appearance, beauty and

capacity will snatch her eyesight first,

* through that can beseech her mind [or his mind] for she was my property all

the time".

All of a sudden, he also saw this fellow [me] coming. Then rest as stated above

happened.

 

This, perhaps is all, what happens when somebody claims 'love at first sight'

took place. The medium of communication for all these to happen is "the eyes".

The main culprit "eyes" are not blamed, but the mind or heart [or to be very

precise] the 'manam' is blamed for that is the subject who carries the object

'eyes' or medium 'eyes'.

 

To describe it in today's management jargons, the eyes play the utmost important

'role' in this act of

* one side winning the heart and other side losing heart - or 'lose win' from

my position

* the reverse is also true - 'win lose' - from my lover's position

* in the end both sides gaining - 'win win' situation - on the unison of the

lover and beloved.

So that act of 'kaaNudhal' or 'kaaNdal' is very vital in all these.

 

Whenever any person seeing 'krishNa' the lover [and he the beloved], is in the

'lose win' position, then changed as 'win win'. For all the time we are

krishNa's property and he also waits to grab us at the opportunity of 'seeing'

'kaaNudhal'.

 

That is why krishNa is said as 'manOharan' one who does the beautiful act of

'manas harathy' - 'snatches the mind'.

 

adheera bimbaa adhara vibhramENa harsha ardhra vENu svaram padhaa cha |

anEna kEna api manOharENa, haa hantha, haa hantha, manO DhunOthi ||

1-36 sree krishNa karNa amrutham by leela sukhar

 

meaning: oh, what can I do? My mind wanders without a cause and base, for

* the beauty of the red bimba fruit like bottom lips [red colour kOvaip pazham]

* that wealth of a 'fabulous flute music' poured out of that red lips

* some unknown power which pulls out the heart thereby killing the mind

[means losing senses in his beauty and the flute music which he pours out - see

here the poet does not identify krishNa by name but only tips us as flute player

- who else it can be except my krishNa].

 

Many bhakthaas vouch the above statement that once you see krishNa, he snatches

your heart [or mind] by his beauty his flute music, his naughty pranks etc.

Generally he is accused as manchOr besides 'makhan chOr' - butter thief. That is

not the point I want to discuss here.

 

Two aazhvaars say that krishNa does NOT act in the above manner - that is not

snatching or na harathy - but we ourselves voluntarily place our heart in his

hands - both say - 'kaNdavar tham manam vazhangum'. A bhakthaa like you and me,

if we

* see krishNa - krishNanaik kaNdavar

* give voluntarily our heart and / or mind - tham manam vazhangum.

The position here is - I give voluntarily as I have seen him [or realised?] -

'dhadhaami'. He just accepts my heart with grace.

 

The word used is 'vazhangum' - 'gives' or 'donates' with full consent of the

mind or in full agreement - in fact, feel very happy to do that. 'vazhangudhal'

always means one who gives voluntarily, more so involuntarily. Carrying out that

act of 'vazhangudhal' involves

* giving with all happiness while doing it [not pleasure but happiness]

* feels he is duty bound to do that act of 'giving'

* does not expect any thing in return for that act of 'giving'

* in the heart of heart feels elated that lord has kept us in such a position to

do this vazhangudhal and thereby feels grateful to him

 

Just recollect 'dhaanam vazhangudhthal'. Sri swamy dhEsikan puts Sriman

naathamunigaL in a special status and eulogizes as 'thaaLam vazhangi thamizh

maRai innisai thantha vaLLal' - the donor who gave the rhythm to the music of

4000 dhivya prabhandham' [in adhikaara sangraham and in turn in sri rahasya

thraya saaram].

 

[Another meaning for this word kaNdavar is a person 'who has realised'. Just

recall the beauty of a sentence 'kaNdavar viNdilar - viNdavar kaNdilar'].

 

Now the paasuram:

 

puNdarika malar adhan mEl bhuvani yellaam padaiththavanE,

thiN thiRalaaL thaatakai than uram uruvach chilai vaLaiththaai,

kaNdavar tham manam vazhangum kaNapuraththu en karumaNiyE,

eN dhisaiyum aaLudaiyaai, raaghavanE, thaalElO

 

- kulasEkara aazhvaar in 8-2 perumaaL thirumozhi

 

Here in this verse, the aazhvaar has become the mother and sings lullaby to make

the child sree raama, the beacon light of the raghu clan, who is also the thiruk

kaNNa puram emperumaan, to sleep, by highlighting

* the capacity of him to create that lord brahma who was given a life and seat

in the lotus flower springing from his naval and then he went on to create the

whole world.

* The tact and talent of sending an arrow to remove her basic capacity by

bending the bow at that lady thaatakai, who had lot of physical strength.

* The capacity of him in making the viewers to donate their hearts on seeing him

* The capability of ruling all eight directions - dhisaigaL.

 

Another aazhvaar - Thirumangai - also becomes the mother and wonders what

happened to my daughter for she blabbers some thing - may be she has seen

krishna

 

vaNdamarum vanamaalai maNi mudi mEl maNa naaRum enkinRaaLaal

uNdu ivarpaal anbu enakku enRu oru kaalum pirigilEn enkinRaaLaal

paNdu ivaraik kaNdaRivadhu evvooril yaam enRE payilginRaaLaal

kaNdavar tham manam vazhangum kaNNapuraththu ammaanaik kaNdaaLkolO?

 

Thirumangai aazhvaar in 8-2-9 periya thirumozhi

 

Aazhvaar mother says - My daughter is talking to herself - saying on her own -

may be after seeing that thiruk kaNNapuram lord souri raajan and giving

[donating] her heart -

* On the crown of that person there is the good smell of thulasi and other

leaves of forest groves, wherein bees are attracted, come and sit.

* I love this person and will not ever get separated from him

* She learns from many 'Where I can meet him, at which place? etc

 

In both these paasurams the highlight is that phrase 'kaNdavar tham manam

vazhangum kaNNa puraththu' or kaNapuraththu - both representing same person,

that lord of thiruk kaNNa puram dhivya dhEsam - souri raajan. - the king who has

beautiful hairdo.

 

That is some thing very rare. May be different aazhvaars have sung the same lord

identifying same guNam character of that lord using different words. But to use

just "same words" is something very special. Those two having no immediate

relationship like periyaazhvaar and aaNdaaL - father and daughter or guru and

teacher like namaazhvaar and madhura kavigaL, but an 'overall relationship of

thirumaal adiyaargaL'.

 

[to quote an example of father daughter - follow footsteps in using words - eg

karpooram naarivara says dad, karuppooram naarumO asks daughter - there are many

like this]

 

What is the result of this 'manam vazhangiya' act -

'paattinaal unnai en nenjaththu irunthamai

kaatinaai kaNNapuraththu ammaanE'

says thirumangai aazhvaar in 9-1-9 periya thirumozhi.

 

You came and sat in my heart. How I learnt this? For I am singing you 'oh lord'.

 

Dear bhakthaas Please donate your heart to that kaNNapuraththu ammaan and join

in singing his praise - krishNa krishNa - then he will occupy the seat in the

heart - then can sing more and more krishNa krishNa.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.