Thirumaalai-65

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

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-43

 

“amaravOr angam aRRum vEda mOr nAngum vOdhi

thamargalil thalaivarAya sAdhi andhanargalElum

numargalai pazhipparAgil nodippadhOr alavil* AngE

avargal thAm pulaiyar pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE!”

 

amaravOr angam aRRum vEda mOr nAngum vOdhi: The main job of the Brahmins in

those days were to learn the Vedas and Veda-angas thoroughly and teach them to

others. Alwar says ‘amara….. Odhi’ meaning they have learnt them without any

hurry since their only job was to learn. If such Brahmins, who have spent most

of their lifetime in learning the Veda angas (shikshai, vyAkaranam, kalpam,

niruththam, chandas and jhOdhisam) and the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, sAma,

atharvana),

 

thamargalil thalaivarAya sAdhi andhanargalElum: and if they are also the head

of all such high class Brahmins still,

 

numargalai pazhipparAgil nodippadhOr alavil* AngE: if they talk ill of bhagavat

bhakthas or bhAgavatas then in the very instant, at the very same place(AngE-

not in the next birth),

 

avargal thAm pulaiyar pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE!: they become the lowest of the

lowest (Alwar says pulaiyar, as low as a man who eats flesh of dogs) Oh the lord

of Srirangam, says alwar.

 

Even emperuman considers bhagavatas to be his master, like in ambhareesha

charitram in Srimad BhAgavatam. DurvAsar was a great rishi. But since he did

apachAram to a bhAgavathan, ambhareeshan, the lord’s sudarshana chakra chased

him. He ran to all the lOkas and begged help from all devas, Indran, sivan and

brahma. No one was able to help him out. He finally came to vaikundam and

begged Sriman narayanan but even perumal refused help saying that since he has

done an apachAram to a bhAgavatan only that bhAgavathan can save him even

perumal cannot. Such is the greatness of the bhAgavatas.

 

Just because one is born in a high class or since one has learnt the Vedas from

top to bottom it doesn’t mean he has to insult a bhAgavatan born in a low caste.

Emperuman comes running even for a call of an elephant but how many Veda

vithpannAs have seen him? Some may appear to be agnAni’s but inside they are

filled with knowledge (like jadabharatar). But some though they have learnt a

lot are actually jnana heenas due to the lack of understanding mainly due to the

lack of bhagavat krupai.

 

Alwar in the past few paasurams, talked about the greatness of the bhAgavatas

and how we have to regard them, give and take knowledge and even accept their

uchchistam. Now he says, the Brahmins who ill-treat the bhAgavatas based on

their birth are to be considered equal to chandAlas. In those days, the

Brahmins were so haughty that they were always concentrated on their AchAram and

anushtAnams that they didn’t even know the magimai of nAma sankeetanam and

thereby they considered all bhAgavatas who were engaged in nAma sankeertanam of

bhagavan to be lower than them, though the bhAgavatas were actually filled with

jnAnam and bhakthi. So in this paasuram alwar strongly condemns such acts.

Thirumangai alwar has praised the Brahmins in many places but this alwar in

spite of being a Brahmin has condemned strongly the egoistic nature of the

haughty Brahmins.

 

With this, we are left with just the sattrumurai(concluding) paasurams which we

will enjoy in the forth coming postings.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New DSL Internet Access from SBC &