Madhurakavi Alvar's message - acharya who is a BRAHMA-NISTHA

[Guest guest]

Mukundan,

 

Thanks for the great summary of Madhurakavi Alvar's message.

May I suggest one modification -- it is not just that we must

show absolute faith and dedication in a random acharya, but that

faith and dedication in an acharya who is a BRAHMA-NISTHA

can be even sweeter than faith in Bhagavaan. Such a brahma-nishtha

(established in the anubhava of Parabrahman Sriman Narayana) was

Nammalvar, and Madurakavigal found him sweeter than Kannabiraan.

The reason is obvious -- if the acharya in your presence is

a brahma-nishtha, he is WITH the Parabrahman, but at the same

time is with you. So you can experience the Parabrahman directly

through the presence of such an acharya (kariya-kOla thiru-uru

kANban nAn).

 

May we all be graced with acharyas who are brahma-nisthas!

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Mani

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Mani,

 

This is an interesting anubhavam you have mentioned.

The full pasuram line you have taken is

"thirithanthAkilum thEvapirAnudai kariya kOlath

thiruvuruk kANban nAn"

 

The meaning here, following the earlier pasurams,

is that Madhurakavi Azhvar has surrendered at his

acharya's (Nammazhvar's) lotus feet which he

considers further/higher than surrendering to the

Lord's lotus feet. In order that he reach there,

he had to go through the Lord (that is, the Lord

had to put him in that path), and so he says that

even if he were to leave his acharya's feet

("thirithanthAkilum") and return on that path, he

would see nothing but the Lord's wonderous

thirumEni. After all, having seen/experienced His

great beauty it is impossible to come down to a

lower purpose.

 

However, I do like the anubhavam you have mentioned

of this line, that it talks about experiencing

the beauty and presence of the Lord through

association with our acharyas.

 

The vyakyadars for the pasuram have also mentioned

that even if Madhurakavi Azhvar were to not want

attachment to Him, since his acharya is closely

associated with Him, the attachment is automatically

there. This is a valuable quality of an acharya.

Ana acharya is one who can take to the Lord those

who have truly surrendered to the acharya and

through the acharya to Him, irrespective of their

further qualifications.

 

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

TCA Venkatesan

 

 

--- Mani Varadarajan <mani

wrote:

> So you can experience the

> Parabrahman directly

> through the presence of such an acharya (kariya-kOla

> thiru-uru

> kANban nAn).

>

> aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

> Mani

 

 

 

 

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