Thirumaalai-35

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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-19

 

“kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki

kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu

vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!”

 

In this paasuram, Sri thondaradi podi alwar describes the beautiful sayana

thirukkOlam of periya perumal. He says how periya perumal lies in different

directions.

kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti: Emperuman’s thirumeni glows

in whichever direction we see him from. That is why in Srirangam people

consider it as their bhakyam to stay in any of the four streets around the

temple. In the east and west we find perumal’s thirumudi and thiruvadi.

Generally, it is considered more sacrad to stay in the thiruvadi side since we

srivaishnavas consider the thiruvadi to be the most important. All the acharya

thirumAligais were located only in the thiruvadi side. Here Sri PVP recollects

the incident in Mahabharatha. Krishna has given appointment for both arjuna

and duriyodhana at the same time to come and invite him for the war.

Duriyodhana arrived first when Krishna was resting on his bed. There were two

seats one in the thiruvadi side and other on the thirumudi side. First

DuriyOdhana sat on the seat at the thiruvadi. Then his ego rose and feeling

ashamed to sit under the feet of a cowboy Krishna, he being a big king went and

sat at the thirumudi side. Then arjuna came. He and Krishna are very close

friends still he had come to give a formal invitation. He came and sat under

the feet of Krishna and started enjoying the sweet thiruvadi’s beauty. Arjuna

thought in mind that he could even sacrifice the kingdom or anything else if he

could stay under the bhagavan’s thiruvadi shade for ever. Bhagavan then woke up

and first could see only arjuna at his feet and hence welcomed arjuna.

DuriyOdhana jumped and reported that he was the first to arrive and that he

should be granted what he requires first. But Krishna bhagavan said that he

saw only arjuna first and that arjuna being younger should be given the first

preference. But then due to the complain of DuriyOdhana that he was always

partial to the pandavas, Krishna decided to give, one the full yadhava sEna and

other himself without any weapons. DuriyOdhana jumped and asked for the army

whereas arjuna was happy to have Krishna alone on his side. This was the

thiruvadi bhalam. Arjuna was a parama bhagavatan who wanted nothing other than

bhagavat kataksham and hence he won everything ultimately. So the thiruvadi

side still in thiruvarangam is considered as arjuna pakkam and the thirumudi

side as DuriyOdhana pakkam and hence the thirumudi side has less value among

the bhagavatas though any place in a divya desam has its equal status.

Bhagavan is equal to all “samOham sarva bhoodheshu”. He has no friend or

enemy, “na mE dwashyOsthi na priyaha”. He is like a mirror if we have evil

thoughts then the result we get is also evil but if we are good in thoughts we

get good results. A mirror reflects our external features but bhagavan

reflects our internal mind. So we can never hide anything from him and we have

to always think good things and try to practice what we think.

 

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki: Emperuman is not only beautiful

when we see him in the front but he is “munbhilum pinbhu azhagiya perumal” who

is beautiful at the back even more than the front. In thirunArAyana puram

special sattupadi(make up) is done to perumal on his backside. In Srirangam,

the back of the perumal is in the northern direction. In most of the divya

desams, perumal faces only the east. It is sometimes even forbidden for

perumal to face south. Sastras forbid us from prostrating in the southern

direction. But here in Srirangam all those sastras will not work as perumal

faces only the southern direction. We Srivaishnavas, prostrate the direction

facing the temple and emperuman. We do not mind any other sastras when it

comes to sampradayam. Even in Ramanyanam, Anjaneya who was considered to be a

great scholar prostrated in the southern direction since piratti was in lanka.

Even today wherever we are, we are supposed to give our prayers facing the

directions in which our beloved divya desams are located. We should never

prostrate with our legs facing the temple for that matter our elders never even

lie with the feet facing the temple. This is supposed to be a matter of

disrespect. Why is periya perumal lying facing south against the norms? The

reason is emperuman is eagerly waiting for vibheeshanAzhvan . Vibheeshana has

to come from lanka which is in the southern direction. So emperuman is also

lying facing south(thendisai elangai nOkki). We consider the direction where

the divya desam is there to be auspicious but perumal considers the direction

where his bhakthan stays to be auspicious and that is why he even today awaits

vibheeshana eagerly. VibheeshanAzhvan is a chiranjeevi. He was there during

the mahabharata(the next yuga) and even today he is supposed to do

thiruvArAdhanam to periya perumal during the nights.

 

kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu: Emperuman is kadal nira

vannan, neela mEga Shyamalan. Alwar now enjoys the thirumEni of bhagavan and

he says the one who is so beautiful is none other than my father, endhai. When

I see him sleeping on the bed of Adishesha! Oh! My god,

 

vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!: my body looses its

strength says alwar. Even Nammazhvar says, “ArAvamudhE! Adiyen vudalam nin pAl

anbhAyE, neerai alaiyindhu karaiya vurukkugindra nedumAlE!”. Thondaradi podi

alwar suddenly turns to our side and asks what should he do to regain his

strength. All along alwar had conversation only with perumal, why does he

suddenly ask us for suggestions?

PVP vyakhyAnam: “samsArigalai pArththu vungal errukkuvAra parigAraththilE

enakkum oru sirAngai eda valleergalO engirAr”

Alwar was conversing with bhagavan and getting deeply involved in the beauty of

bhagavan, started loosing strength. Bhagavan cannot understand alwar’s

position since only a bhakthan can do so. So he turned to face the world when

he found many people coming and having darshan of periya perumal and returning

back without any sort of change in their body. So alwar wonders what medicines

these people have to make themselves so strong even after seeing periya

perumal’s divine beauty. “avargal elaikkAmal pOga Azhvar vurugugirAr”. So

azhvar now says can you people please recommend me the medicine which you

consume to keep yourself so strong? Here alwars words are little sarcastic.

He being a parama bhagavatan has nothing else in mind other than emperuman but

the lowkika people are more materialistic though they do visit perumal once in

a while. Worldly people are always different from bhakthas in all aspects.

Kabir says, “Duniya kAyA sOyA kabir tho rOyA rOyA” Others in the world eat

well and sleep well but then kabir alone always keeps weeping thinking of his

separation for the paramatma. Here alwar is also in the same state.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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