nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-70

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

“manakkEdham sArA madhusoodhan tannai

tanakkEthAn tanjamAk koLLil-enakkEthAn

endRondri nindRulagai Ezh Anai OttinAn

sendrOnRi nindRa thiru”

 

Pleased with azhvar’s words, “virunbhuvadhE villEn manam” emperuman rushed to

settle in the divine heart of thirumazhisai piran taking a strong vow, “oh!

Azhveer even if you and your heart forget me I will never leave you”

[“marappanendRu senthAmarai kaNNOdu marappaRa ennullE manninAn”] (thiru

1-10-10) Azhvar’s ecstasy reached no bounds, so in this paasuram azhvar

wonders, “In the case of others, emperuman enter their hearts after they

surrender to his divine feet but in my case he has entered and filled my heart

due to his unconditional grace. Who else will be blessed with such a great

fortune?”

 

(manakkEdham) In Sanskrit “mana:kEdha:” means sorrow in the heart. Whereas

while split as “manaththukku yEdam” in tamil it means ignorance and other

defects in our heart.

 

(manakkEdham sArA madhusoodhan tannai tanakkE tanjamA koLLil) Two asuras madhu

and kaitapa stole the Vedas from brahma and thereby hindered the process of

creation and thereby tried to spread the darkness of ignorance everywhere.

Emperuman rushed to the rescue of brahma killing madhu and kaitapa. If we hold

on to the divine feet of that divine lord as the means (upaya) emperuman also

removes all the defects and ignorance in our minds just like killing madhu and

kaitapa and handing over the vedas back to brahma.

 

(tanakkE thAn tanjamAk koLLil) This type of one holding to the divine feet of

emperuman (like a small monkey holding to its mother) is called as ‘svagatha

sveekAram’. Prapannas are classified into two based on markata sisu nyAyam and

mArjAla sisu nyayam. One who holds on to the lord’s divine feet by his

self-effort just like a baby monkey holding on to its mother is called as

svagatha sveekara nishtan. Another category is one who is held by emperuman

himself like a mother cat holding on to its kid-paragata sveekAra nishtan. The

first two lines in this paasuram talks about the way emperuman handles the

svagata sveekara nistan and the last two lines talk about the specialty shown

by emperuman towards paragata sveekara nishtan like thirumazhisai piran.

 

(EnakkEthAn endRondri nindRulagai Ezh Anai OttinAn sendrOnRi nindRa thiru)

 

The lord is omnipresent “andhar bahischa tat sarvam vyApya nArAyana stita:” But

it is me who has been fortunate to get his divine grace that had made that

omnipresent lord to come and reside in my heart. It is me who has received

this valuable treasure and that too only today. Comparing those who go and

fall to his divine feet with those who are waiting for his divine grace to fall

on them the second category is of the greater status and more closer to the

lord. Thus this paasuram reiterates the meaning conveyed by the following veda

mantra; “prajApatis tvam veda I prajApathim tvO veda II yam prajApathir veda sa

punyO bhavathi” [The paramapurushan attains one; one attains the paramapurusha;

Among these two the one who is attained by the paramapurushan is great/special]

 

(To Be Continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan