Thirumaalai-69

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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-45 (contd)

 

tuvalath thondAya tholseer thondaradi podi sol: It is customary for all alwars

to complete their prabhandam by adding their signature in the last paasuram.

PeriyAzhvar ends saying “puduvayar kOn vittuchittan”, or “villiputtur pattan”.

Thirumangai alwar and kulasekara alwar adds all their greatness saying, “

AlinAdan,arulmAri, arattamukki, adaiyAr seeyam…..mangai vEndhan” and “kolli

kAvalan, koodal nAyagan kOzhikkOn kulasekaran” etc. But here thondaradi podi

alwar politely gives his identity. He says, this is, the

alwar(thondar-adi-podi, the dust under the feet of all bhagavatas) one with a

small axe to cut flowers and a flower basket to collect tulasi, and make a

beautiful garland and take the same to thiruvarangan. One bhaktha feels for not

having got the bhAkyam of thondaradi podi alwar saying, ”kudalai sumakkAmal

vudalai sumandhEnE?” (Instead of carrying the flower basket and doing service to

perumal all these time I carried my own body uselessly.)

 

When thirumangai alwar was constructing the golden madhil in the Srirangam

temple, the garden of thondaradi podi alwar was on the way. Thirumangai alwar

gave due respects to the garden and diverted the wall and proceeded

construction. Thirumangai alwar knew the importance of the pushpa kainkaryam of

alwar and that perumal will regard it even more important than even the golden

madhil. Similar story happened in the time of bhattar when a king was

constructing a wall to the temple, koorathAzhvAn thirumAligai came in the middle

but the king didn’t know the bhAgavata magimai and inspite of bhattar requesting

him to leave the thirumAligai he didn’t listen and continued with the great

apachAram. But thirumangai mannan was not like that ordinary king but was a

alwar himself. He had due respects to thondaradipodi alwar. We can see the

proof in his thirukurundhandagam were thirumangai alwar has repeated 2 lines

from thirumAlai prabhandam of thondaradi podigal.

 

elaiya pun kavidhai yElum empirArkku eniyavArE: We have been enjoying the

divine meanings in this prabandham as shown by our poorvAcharyas and have drank

the essence of the sastras in this prabhandam. But alwar says, this is just a

small poem written by a kid or a beginner. This prabhandam is not flooded with

thatvArtham nor is it very difficult tamil but alwar assures that this poem will

be close to namperumal’s heart. True. Even today namperumal listens with great

interest, many times only to this prabhandam. He may listen to any number of

paasurams but when one recites one paasuram from thirumAlai namperumal becomes

very very happy and his lips blossom out with a sweet smile. Namperumal may

skip his thirumanjanam but not listening to divya prabandams. He considers

alwar paasurams to be the most purifying thing.

 

What is the speciality of thirumAlai, which makes it even greater than the other

prabandhams and gives such happiness to namperumal?

ThirumAlai doesn’t dwell deep with vedAnta vishayam though it gives the essence

of the same still emperuman cherishes hearing it since throughout the prabhandam

thondaradi podi alwar talks only to ranganatha – arangamA nagarulAnE!

Secondly, it has been sung by ‘nam payal’ (emperuman’s kid). A mother teaches

her kid a small story from bhagavatam. After sometime, the kid repeats the same

story. Though the mother only thought the kid the story still she cherishes

listening to the kids way of repeating the story. Similarly emperuman only

bestowed “mayavaru madhi nalam” to alwar but he likes to listen to the mazhalai

chol (kid’s talk) of alwar.

 

Sri PVP ends his vyakhyAnam saying that alwar has sung this excellent

prabhandam. Though alwar has sung due to his naichyAnusandhAnam in many places,

many of it truly wholes good only for us. Here again only when we sing this

prabhandam, it really becomes “elaiya pun kavidhai” and we also become close to

emperuman’s heart since we have repeated alwar’s words. We are incapable to

sing paasurams of our own but surely we can become close to perumal if we sing

the above alwar’s paasurams.

 

With this the series of thirumAlai postings come to an end. The last posting

will be a conclusion note.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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