Thirumaalai-64

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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-42

 

“pazhuthilA ozhughalAttru palasadu pEdhimArgal!

ezhikulaththavargalElum emmadiyArgalAgil

thozhumineer kodumin konmin endru ninnOdum okka

vazhipada arulinAi pOl madhil thiruvarangaththAnE!”

 

pazhuthilA ozhughalAttru palasadu pEdhimArgal!: Here emperuman refers to the

chatur vEdis who are well versed in Vedas but due to their ego they consider

bhAgavatas born in a lower birth to be inferior. Here in the vyakhyanam Sri PVP

says, such Brahmins though well versed in Vedas are considered to be like a

donkey carrying saffron on its back (“kumkumam sumandha kazhudhai OpAdhi”).

Though the donkey is carrying saffron on its own back it never realizes the

sweet smell and worth of the same. Similarly these haughty Brahmins though

capable of chanting the veda mantras from top to bottom they do not know the

meanings and hence cannot put them to practice. Emperuman calls such Brahmins,

who though having a very clear ancestral history still are stringent in their

behavior and instructs them to do as follows:

 

ezhikulaththavargalElum emmadiyArgalAgil: Even if a bhAgavatan is born in the

lowest of the lowest class, still if he is my bhakthan then,

 

thozhumineer kodumin konmin: fall into the feet of such a bhAgavata, give him

the knowledge you possess and take the knowledge from him.

 

endru ninnOdum okka vazhipada arulinAi pOl madhil thiruvarangaththAnE!: Quoting

the above instruction of bhagavan alwar wonders, Oh Ranganatha! Residing in

thiruvarangam surrounded by huge walls, you were the one with so much grace on

your bhakthas who ordered even the chatur vEdis to consider the bhAgavatas,

though born in a low caste to be equal to you and prostrate them, as given

above. In the vyakhyAnam, Sri PVP wonderfully says, emperuman has such grace

that he actually wanted to say consider bhAgavatas to be greater than me but

then since no one can ever be greater than bhagavan he then changed it and made

them equal to him. Such was the jnana paripAgam of our acharyas.

 

Accepting a jAthi heenan as great, considering his Jnanam and bhakthi is not

only alwars or acharyas philosophy. It is seen even in the puranas. SounakAdhi

maharishis were high class Brahmins doing tapas in naimisAranyam. When soodar,

a bhAgavatan born in a low caste came over there all the rishis prostrated him

and gave him a seat with due respect. They requested him to shower bhagavat

gunam to them. Though born in a low birth, due to guru (veda vyasa) krupai,

soodhar was well versed in all sastras and was a great jnani and parama

bhAgavathan. So from this too it is proved that irrespective of the birth, if a

person is a bhAgavatan then we should prostrate him, and give and take

knowledge.

 

A piece of wood can be used to burn some object or can be made into a padhuka.

When the same piece is used for burning then it has no value but when it is made

into a padhuka then it gets due regards. One interesting incident in the life

history of Sri manavAla mAmunigal goes as follows: Once mAmunigal asked his

shisya erumbiappa to get his thiruvArAdhana perumal. Erumbiappa returned with

mAmunigal’s perumal in one hand and with mAmunigal’s pAdhukai on the other.

MAmunigal got very angry and scolded the shisya for doing such a great

abhachAram of carrying the padhukai equal to perumal. The shisya without any

hesitation replied “vumadhu perumAllukku em-perumAl kuraindhavarO?”(Is my

perumal in way less greater than yours?). The shisya had so much acharya

bhakthi that he considered his acharya padhuka to be his thiruvArAdhana perumal.

When even a pAdhuka can get such greatness just due to the sambhandam of a

jnanAcharyan, then shouldn’t the bhAgavatas who have great jnanam and bhagavat

sambhandam be regarded as equal to perumal?

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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