Thirumaalai-39

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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-23

 

“gangaiyir punidhamAna kAvirinaduvupAttu

pongu neer parandhupAyum poompozhilaranganthannul

engalmAl eraivan Esan kidanthathOr kidakkai kandum

enganam marandhu vAzhkEn? YEzhaiyEn yEzhaiyEnE”

 

gangaiyir punidhamAna kAvirinaduvupAttu: Ganga is considered as the most sacrad

river in India. Ganga got this fame since she appeared as a SripAda theertham

of Trivikrama bhagavan. Even the name ganga is supposed to be sacrad, “gangai

gangai endra vachagaththAl”, says periazhvar and many other rishis have also

explained the greatness of ganga in similar lines. But here Sri Thondaradi

podi alwar says that kaveri is even greater than that ganga. Sri Ranga

Mahatmiyam says, “gangA sAmyam purAprAptha deva deva prasAdinath, ranga

vadharanath oorthvam Adhikanchava AvApasA”. Let us now see the purAna story

which shows how kaveri attained greater mahatmiyam than ganga. Once there

occurred a fight between the various nadhi devis, viz., ganga, yamuna, kaveri,

narmada and so on. Each one claimed themselves to be greater than the others.

They finally decided to get the judgement from brahma. Listening to the claims

of the various rivers, brahma without any hesitation gave the judgement in

favour of ganga. All the other rivers accepted brahma’s decision as final.

Kaveri did believe and accept brahma’s words but she decided to do tapas to get

more power than ganga. The place where kaveri did tapas is presently called

‘ThiruchchErai’(sAra kshetram) near kumbakonam. This is a divya desam, famous

as pancha sAra kshetram(sAra kshetram, sAra theertham, sAra vimAnam, sAranatha

perumal and sAranAyaki thAyAr). Pleased with kaveri’s tapas, perumal first

appeared as a small child and crawled into her lap. Sensing a child in her lap

kaveri opened her eyes and found in front of her, perumal vAsudEvan with sanghu

and chakram in his hands. Emperuman asked kaveri, why she did such a great

tapas, leaving the river to dry while she is responsible to keep all the lands

surrounding the river fertile. Kaveri replied explaining the fight with ganga

and the judgement of brahma. Emperuman replied with a smile,”Why didn’t you

come to me directly? ganga appeared from the kamadalu of brahma and fell from

my feet and hence he considers her to be more sacrad. But then the water from

brahma’s kamandalu was capable of washing not my two legs, not even my whole

leg it was sufficient for only a finger(thumb). Even in that finger only the

tip of the nail. That water only flows as ganga now. But oh! Kaveri in your

case from the sahyAchalam where you started(Adi rangam) till thiruindaloor

parimalarangan , on all sides you are washing the feet of various ranganatha

perumals lying in various temples”. That is why thirumazhisai alwar says,

“attrangkarai kidantha kannan”. When kaveri reaches srirangam she spilts into

two and it is like she is embracing ranganAtha with her two hands. So emperuman

declared that kaveri to be more sacrad when compared to ganga and hence alwar

revebrates the same in this paasuram.

 

pongu neer parandhupAyum poompozhilaranganthannul: At the start kaveri flows

as a thin line. As she approaches srirangam she flows with great enthusiasm

and after embracing periya perumal she now gives birth to number of small

rivers. After her wedding with periya perumal, kaveri becomes a mother and

gives birth to number of small rivers like vettaru. In this process, kaveri

makes all the soil on her way fertile adding on greenery and beauty to the area

along with flourishing and nourishing the cultivation on her way. That is why

Thiruvarangam is filled with greenery and with number of cultivated lands and

beautiful gardens. Just by this single line alwar gets to our thoughts the

beautifully flowing kaveri and the greenery around which gives peace to our

mind. In between all these, rests namperumal.

 

Let him similarly rest in our minds till the next posting.

 

(To be continued)

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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