Thirumaalai-23

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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,

 

Paasuram-10

 

“nAttinan deivam engum nallathOr arulthannAlE

kAttinAn thiruvarangam uybhavarkku uyyumvannam

kEttirE nambimeergAl! Geruda vAhananum nirkka

sEttai than madi yagaththu selvam pArtirukkindreerE.”

 

nAttinan deivam engum nallathOr arulthannAlE: We find a number of devi’s and

devata’s temples all over the world. Different people worship different gods.

Different gods are worshipped in different modes by different people. Alwar

here says all these gods where created only by Sriman Narayanan. But then why

should he create so many and divert the people when he is the supreme self who

everyone has to worship? That is because, all people are not same. Some are

sattvikas, some rajasas and some thAmasas. So emperuman by his nirheduka krupa

created even gods according to the various tastes of the people. Only the

belief in god and spiritual practice can make people orderly and refrain from

doing mistakes. So he created different gods to cater to the needs of the

different types of people. We find many people criticizing the sattivikas but

still even those people do pooja and visit the temples of their own

estha(favorite) devatha. Such is the mentality of the people. Emperuman who

knows each and every one of us due to his divine grace(nallathOr arul)

established different gods in different places. He is the antaryami of all the

devathas and having them as his body he gives the results. But people do not

realize it and sometimes even talk ill of the lord Sriman Narayana. But

unfortunately they do not know that whatever they do as worship finally reaches

only emperuman. Nowadays, even srivaishnavas do not understand the magimai of

emperuman and unfortunately go and stand in front of other devatas for some

lowkika palans. This is like a son of a big person(wealthy and healthy) going

and standing in front of a daridran (poor and weak) for sudhra (cheap) palans.

How can we say that only emperuman created all these devatas? Would be the next

question anyone will ask. Bhagavan himself in Bg says, “Yo yo yam yam thanum

bhaktha:” and Nammazhvar in thiruvaimozhi says, ‘Avar avar thamathamadu arivari

vagaivagai avaravar eraiyavar ena adi adaivargal avaravar eraiyavar kuraivilar

eraiyavar avaravar vidhivazhi adaiyanindranarE”. Here alwar says that there

are so many gods and different people fall into their feet depending on their

fate. If they are rajasas they go to the temples of rajasic gods and if they

are thamasAs they go to the temples of thamasic gods. There is nothing wrong

if people visit and worship the gods according to their nature but what is

disheartening and what alwar condemns is the srivaishnavas going to other

temples for favour. This is like a sat patni(a good wife) going and standing

in the footsteps of para purushan(other men).

 

Whatever emperuman has done is due to his krupai only. In Vishnu temples

mangalAsAsanams , ghosti, thiruvArAdanam etc are done for just pleasing

emperuman and seeing the smile on his face by bhagavatas not seeking any other

palan. But this will not work out with people who go to temple only when they

find some reason to do so. So to satisfy all and avoid confusion emperuman has

done all these. “Sarva deva namaskAraha kesavam pratigachchathi” anyway on

namaskarams ultimately reach bhagavan only. Slowly the others will also gain

sattvika gunas and reach bhagavan but it may take time depending on the nature

and fate of individuals.

 

kAttinAn thiruvarangam uybhavarkku uyyumvannam: Though emperuman created

number of gods and various types of worship he also showed the difference

between worshipping the gods who are bodies and the emperuman himself who is

the soul. Whoever worshipped the lord in Srirangam for the sake of just doing

bhakthi and kainkaryam to him will reach the highest abode of the lord, the

moksha. So they attain what a jeevatma has to attain in this janma and break

the cycle of life and death and reach the world from where they never return.

 

kEttirE nambimeergAl! Geruda vAhananum nirkka: Even though alwar says so much

about the lord and his karunai these people go deaf eared. Alwar’s words never

strike them and they are interested only in the lowkika pleasures. So now

alwar draws their attention towards him and says “listen! You folks emperuman

is waiting in garuda vahanam to come running to our call and grant moksha”.

Not only that emperuman is waiting, Sri mahalakshmi who stays in the

vakthastalam of emperuman always is also waiting to talk on our behalf to

perumal to forgive all our sins and give us all mangalams. Even if emperuman

get angry by the crores of apacharams(mistakes) we all commit thayar who is a

mother to all of us talks to him politely and showers mercy on us. She never

gets angry with her kids who are prone to mistakes. She also changes all of us

by her grace. She is the godown of wealth and when she comes to a place the

whole area becomes filled with wealth and well being. But alwar feels , why

these people do not understand this. They do not fall in the feet of Sriman

Narayanan instead what do they do?

 

sEttai than madi yagaththu selvam pArtirukkindreerE: They are in the look out

for the elder sister of sridevi. Who is this elder sister? She is jhestha

devi(settai in tamil) and she is one who gives all amangalams(commonly called

moodevi). Well educated persons suffer from ahankAram and mamakAram and hence

never go near emperuman and so moodevi visits them. Whereas even a poorly

educated person may get the kataksham of Sridevi. Sridevi was born in Parkadal

which is a mine of pearls and corals. Every wealth in this world belongs to

Sridevi only and she showers it on us due to her krupai. But inspite of all

these people never approach her instead look for wealth from moodevi who gives

only worry. Even in Srishooktham they is a reference to this

moodevi(Jhestha). “shut bhebhasa malAm jheshtam…. nAsayAmyaham”. So alwar

feels for those who leave sridevi and go to moodevi. Even for attaining

lowkika palans there are sannadhi’s in srirangam itself. Emperuman is capable

of granting both lowkika palans and moksham also. Dhanvantri is a doctor who

cures our disease, sudarshanar protects us from all evils, santhanagopalan

blesses us with a child and so on. That is why even nammazhvar says ‘nindra

Adipiran nirka mattrai deivam nAduthirE”(when Adipiran is standing to grant us

whatever we want why go to other gods?).

 

Let us continue in the next posting

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

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