THIRUVADIPOORA THIRUNAAL :MahA pravEsam of Thiruppavai

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Aadi-6 (21.7.04)

THIRUVADIPOORA THIRUNAAL

Srimathyai GodhAyai Nama: SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama: Dear BhakthAs: adiyEn will

provide a short Introduction on MahA PravEsam (Grand Entry ) to ThiruppAvai and

cover the highlights of the First slOkam . adiyEn will cover the literary

meaning and follow it by the section on Inner Meanings by Sri PerukkAranai

Swamy .In view of the very limited space to cover these articles , adiyEn will

be very brief with respect to references to other commentaries. MahA PravEsam(

Grand Introduction ) ************************************************ " Every

one of us is an ANDAL and like Her must long for union with the Lord. This is

SuddhAntha-SiddhAntham , the doctrine of King's harem , the doctrine of Bridal

mysticism. ANDAL was born as a girl and it was easy for Her to become a bride

for the eternally youthful Bridegroom, Sri RanganAthan.Other AzhwArs were males

and they had to adopt the sentiments, language and dress of ANDAL to become the

bride , which they did successfully (as Parankusa Naayaki/Swamy NammAzhwAr and

ParakAla Naayaki/Thirumangai AzhwAr) to a large extent.THAT MUST BE OUR GOAL ;

we must acquire right knowledge sitting at the feet of a SadAchArya ;The

AchAryan will transform us as a bride and offer us to the Lord , who is eager

to accept us. So long as we are in this world , we must try to do KAIMKARYAM to

BhagavAn and His devotees , which is like the

foretaste of what we are going to enjoy ultimately in the Transcendent World "--

Professor A.SrinivAsa Raaghavan(1986)

There are many , many commentaries for ThiruppAvai. They are classified into

different groups based on their length. Twenty four padhams ( grantham in

Sanskrit and PaDi in Tamil) are the units of measurement . For instance

,MoovAyirappadi commentary ( that of Swamy PeriyavAcchAn PiLlai ) has 3000x24

Padhams. The various ThiruppAvai Commentaries are : (1) OrAyirappadi ( 1000x 24

padhams) (2) IrAyirappadi of JananyAcchAr of Melkote (2000x24) (3) MoovAyirappdi

of Swamy PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai(3000x24) (4) NalAyirappadi of JananyAcchAr of

Melkote(4000x24) (5) EiyAyirappadi ( 5000x 24 Padhaams) (6) ArAyirappadi of

Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NaayanAr (6000x24) (7) Upanishad BhAshyakAra Sri

RangarAmAnuja's Sanskrit commentary (8) Sri UtthamUr Swamy's Prabhandha

Rakshai(1986) (9) Sri PrathivAdhi Bhayankaram Swamy's ThiruppAvai NaRu

manam(1983) (10)Sri PerukkAraNai Swamy's SudhA SvAdham commentary (2000 A.D) We

have to be necessarily brief in these daily postings and we refer you to these

original commentaries and special articles on Bridal Mysticisms et al assembled

under Bhakthi List Archives and Sri VaishNavA Home pages under ANDAL subtitle by

Sri MaNi VaradarAjan.Sri Varadarajan's article on ANDAL's life and works there

along withthe most beautiful home pages created for Srivilliputthur By Sri

Venkat Iyengar are most valuable for NhakthAs.

The Saint-poetess ANDAL , the avathAram of BhUmi DEvi observed Paavai Nonbhu (

Paavai vratham) to attain Lord KrishNA as Her Husband (BharthA). She observed a

Vratham ,which is a variation of the KaathyAyini Vratham described in Srimath

BhAgavatham.The Month chosen for the vratham was Marghazhi or Dhanur

Maasam.This vratham takes a whole Month to complete. ANDAL became one of the

Gopis of Gokulam -- who observed the Marghazhi Vratham --and joined Her young

friends to obtain the PurushArtham ( the choicest /Highest boon) of Nithya

Kaimkaryam (eternal service to the Lord )and to have Him as their BharthA.

ANDAL addresses Her play mates and fellow Vratham observers as " yElOrempAvAi"

.. Sri UtthamUr Swamy has explained that this "yElOrempAvai " refrain found in

the 29 of the 30 paasurams of ThiruppAvai as Yel+ ohr+ YempAvAi ( Oh My dear

friend ! I will describe the facets of this Paavai Nonbhu and please understand

them , accept their meanings and practise them ).

The words "NeerAdap pOthuveer" in this paasuram and elsewhere has nothing to do

with taking a bath in the YamunA river at early morning as an essentail

preparatory step of the Vratham. NeerAttam (Bathing )means really the KrishNa

samsLesham ( or Union with Lord KrishNa). Sunai Aadal is an ancient expression

denoting the same and has been used from Sanga Kaalam .

ANDAl considered SrivilliputthUr of South as the AayarpAdi of North,the girls of

Her birth place as Gopis and Herself as one of the Gopis and the temple of

Vatapathra Saayee as NandhagOpar's ( father of KrishNa at Aayar Paadi )house

and Lord VatapathrasAyee as Lord KrishNa Himself and performed the Vratham.

This feeling state (Bhavaanai) ripened and yielded the sought-after fruits of

that Vratham .She blessed us to follow this vratham and be blessed.

 

 

First Paasuram:" Marghazhi ThingaL mathi niRaintha NannALAl.."

************************************************************ Literal Meaning by

Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan: **************************************** " It is the good

full Moon day of the month of Marghazhi.Oh the well ornamented maidens ! Those

desirous of taking the bath (in the YamunA ) may please come on. Oh the

prosperous young girls of AaypAdi ( Gokulam) that is rich and grand ( in beauty

and wealth) ! Lord NaarAyana will surely yield to us alone the drum (paRai). He

is the son of King NandagOpa , of cruel deeds (towards the enemies), and

holding a sharp spear in his hand always. He (KrishNa) is the young lion-cub of

Queen YasOdhA with very charming eyes.He( Lord NaarAyaNa) has a dark cloud-like

divine complexion ,(lotus like) reddish eyes and (lustrous) face (shining) like

the bright Sun and Moon. ( This Lord NaarAyaNan alone is the Saviour). (Let us )

resort (to Him) performing the Paavai-Nonbhu and get the benefit of praise from

the people of the world. { (Oh dear freind , may You recite and

learn this)-know the purport of this hymn}. (Mention may be made of the slOkam

of Bhagavath GitA :" mAsAnAm mArga-sirshOham--X.35); " Lord NaarAyanan alone

will grant Moksha SaamrAjyam to the individual soul" is indicated in the

seventh line of this First paasuram ".

SvApadEsArtham (Inner Meanings) of the First Paasuram

******************************************************* There are many inner

meanings to every word used by ANDAL in this and every paasuram of

ThiruppAvai.For reasons of brevity , we will give only the condensed meanings

for the words of the paasuram as revealed by Sri U.Ve.PerukkAraNai Swamy :

Seer malhum: The place where those blessed ones ,who comprehend fully the

anantha kalyANa GuNams of the Lord reside

AaypADi In this dark SamsAric world

nErizhayeer Oh People with the noble traits of Samam and dhamam ( auspicious

Aathma GuNams of Tranquility and Control over the senses)!

NiRaintha- On this day , which is like the Moon with ThingaL Mathi all its

sixteen digits (kalai) just as the ShAdgunya SampoorNa BhagavAn Himself

NannALAl Since it is such an auspicious day

Maarghazhi Those who wish to follow the most noble Neerada upAyam (means) of

Prapatthi (self-surrender)! pOthuveer Please join us! pOdhuminO !

Koor vEl The one with the sharp-pointed sankalpam similar to the tip of a well

honed spear or javelin

kodum Thozhilan One who destroys our sins

NandhagOpan and is the eteranl Youth , who is Kumaran the BrahmAnandha Svaroopan

, who initiated BrahmA into the Vedams and their meanings

yErArntha KaNNI the One , who adorns the beautiful flower garland known as Vaijayanthi

Yasodhai the One , who has attained unquestionable fame (Yasas) by granting us BrahmAnandham

iLam Singham One , who is like the powerful Lion chasing away our sins and enemies

KaarmEni One who has the hue of a dark blue rainy SenkaNN cloud and has lotus like besutiful eyes

Kadhir madhiyam One who has the lustrous face like pOl MuhatthAn the radiant Sun and the cool Moon

NaarAYaNanE That SarvEsvarn , who has incarnated as Krishnan now amidst us

pArOr Puhazha who is compassionate towards us and padinthu who is lauded by the

world for His sensitivity about not failing in His duties to protect us always

NamakkE for us , BhaagavathAs , who have performed Bhara NyAsam (Aathma

Samarpanam, Prapatthi ) at His sacred feet

Parai TharuvAn HE WILL GRANT US READILY MOKSHA SUKHAM . Other thoughts on

selected key words of paasuram 1

*************************************************** (1)The sacred Month of

Marghazhi has Kesavan ( the first of the 12 Upa-VyUha Moorthys) as the

presiding deity . Therefore , any Vratham , charity (dhAnam) , SnAnam

,AarAdhanam performed in Marghazhi will quickly yield fruits according to Swamy

Desikan ( Taathparya Chandrikai). That desired fruit is Parai or nithya

kaimkaryam in His SaamrAjyam (Sri Vaikuntam).

(2) Swamy JnaanyaachAr summarizes the significance of the message of this

paasuram as " PrApya PrApakangaL iraNDum NAARAYANANE " .

(3) "yElOrempAvAi" --This refrain is the Chandas for the Nonbhu according to

Swamy JananAycchAr. Upanishad BhAshyakArar recognizes this Makutam of

ThiruppAvai as "Paadha PoorNArtham ".

(4)" PaRai TaruvAn ":As the Purushan with the greatest affection for His

Pathivrathai wife , Sriman NaarAyaNan will bless us with the

requirements(tools) for Kaimkaryam and Ubhaya anushtAnam such as Jn~Anam ,

Seelam and other auspicous Aathma GuNams ( Sri Abhinava Desikan ).

(5) " NaarAyaNanE--TharuvAn ": Lord NaarAyaNan Himself , the inner meaning of

Thiru AshtAksharam , will bless the ChEthanams (MakArArtha Jeevans)-- after

being pleased with their AshtAkshara Japam -- will perform UpAya anushtAnam for

them (through a SadAchAryan)...(Sri Abhinava Desikan).

(6) The yEkAram in " NaarAyaNanE " and "NamakkE": This yEkAram asserts that "

SadhArchanE TantharuLa Vallan ; SathsishyanE PeRatthahunthavan" ( The

SadAchAryan ALONE can bless us; the sath-sishyan alone is qualified to receive

that rarest of blessings " (Sri PBA Swamy).

Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam , Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu RaamAnuja Daasan

Vaishnavi Sampath

 

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