Thirumaalai-10

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

 

“ Mattrondrum vEinda Maname Madhilarangar

Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra

Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai

Eppozhudum peesu”

 

“ Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave

yetkadAkshai kalakshyAnAm sulabha: Sridara: sadaa”

 

Pranams,

 

Before going into the vyakhyanam to the second paasuram Sri PVP places a

beautiful avadharikai. He explains the value of the bhagavan nAmam with an

excellent dhrustantam(illustration).

“muttai koduththu pazham kolluvargal vilai ariyum settigal pakkal pugundhavAre

peruvillaiyena serukkarAnAr eththai poondu anubhavippArgal”

That is consider the case of the fishermen who get the pearls from the sea.

They actually do not know the value of the pearls they consider it to be like

another fish and want to sell it for a price which could fetch them some fruits

or grains for them to eat. But when they come to a city side and ask a pearl

merchant how much the value of the pearls are and if he enlightens them with

the actual worth of the pearl they realise the importance and then want to wear

it themselves and adorn themselves with it. Similarly, initially a person by

chance hears the bhagavan nAma and he says it to get worldly pleasures. He

thinks that if he chants the nAmA and does nAma keertanam then his miseries

will go and he can get all the palan he wants. But slowly by bhagavat krupai

he comes in contact with an Acharya(settigal in PVP’s words refers to an

acharya). The Acharya wipes out his ignorance and tells him the actual value

of the bhagavan nAma. Then he realises the importance of the bhagavan nAma and

also his mistake of misusing it till today. So now he wants to do bhagavan nAma

keetanam just for the sake of it and enjoy and not just for any palan. So now

even if emperuman comes to grand moksha they refuse it since they want to

remain here always to enjoy the sweetness of the bhagavan nAma. That’s how now

alwars says I will not even prefer moksha if I get the kainkaryam of seeing you

and chanting your nAma always.

 

Paasuram-2

 

“pachchai mAmalAi pOl mEni pavalavAi kamalachengan

Achchutha amararyEre Ayartham kozhundhe ennum

Echchuvai thavirayAn pOi endhiralokamAlum

Achchuvai perinum vEindEn ArangamAnagarulAne”

 

 

Pachchai mAmalAi pOl mEni: Though alwar is actually doing ThirunAma keertanam,

this paasuram seems to be a varnanai of the bhagavAn’s sowndaryam(mEni azhaghu,

physical beauty). This paasuram has been sung by alwar enjoying deeply the

beauty of periya perumal. Here alwar equates emperuman to a big mountain. We

are able to see the big beautiful body(thirumEni) of periya perumal through

alwar’s words. Alwar says mAmalai, a big mountain that too pachchai mA malai

that is he is a beautiful green big mountain. Each word of alwar has a

significance. ‘Big’ shows the gambeeram of bhagavan. Emperuman’s is like a

big mountain with great gAmbeeryam. When we hear that emperuman is so strong

it is our natural tendency to refrain from going near him since we are all so

weak. But alwar wants to get us close to bhagavan so he doesn’t stop with his

ghAmbeeryam. He starts the paasuram with a word ‘pachchai’ which denotes the

sowlabhyam of the bhagavan. Alwar here shows that emperuman is not only a big

mountain but he is a mountain full of medicinal herbs(pachchai-greenary).

These herbs are capable of curing our samsaric diseases. One beauty is that

other herbs or medicines in this world cure our diseases only when we it goes

into our body but the herbs in the big mountain(Periya perumal) are capable of

curing all the worldly diseases and even cure the samsara disease and take us

all to moksha, just by sight. It is enough that we go and have darshan of

periya perumal and he will kidnap us to moksha. Sri PVP continues to say that

when one sees this mountain(Emperuman) from a distance the green beauty of the

thirumEni attracts him to come near and then when he comes near he is tempted

to surrender to the lotus feet of the emperuman and once he has done

saranagathi he will be never able to get out of that place, he will always want

to stay under the divine feet and enjoy the kainkaryam of bhagavan.

 

As we approach a mountain it causes an illusion as if it is approaching us.

But this mountain actually comes towards us. That is why our acharyas say if

we make one step towards him he comes ten steps. This mountain does not give

us illusions but the result. That is why even Nammazhvar calls emperuman as

“vAnamAmalaye adiyen kAna vArAye”. VAnamAmalai is a divyadesam near Alwar

thirunagari. Actually there is no mountain in this divyadesam. The emperuman

himself is called as vAnamAmalai and hence the divyadesam also gets the same

name. Here alwar is calling the emperuman to come and give darshan. Instead

of saying deivanayaka he is calling emperuman as vAnamAmalaye please come and

give darshan to me. Though no mountains move according to us, this

mountain(emperuman) runs and comes to the call of his bhakthas. Emperuman is

attributed to a big mountain to show his strength and to show how, he being the

supreme, is standing with great gAmbheeryam but along with that emperuman also

possesses the sowlabhyam to come to the call of his bhakthas and get along with

them. More than the paratvam of bhagavan our alwars get more involved in his

sowlabhya gunam to show us all that he is easily attainable and there is no

need for us to fear seeing his greatness.

 

Alwar then continues to enjoy the beauty of bhagavan’s chevvai(emperuman’s

reddish colour mouth) and kamalakkAn(lotus like eye of bhagavan) which we will

continue in the next posting.

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

- Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup