Fw: Poikai AzhwAr Thirunakshathram- Aippasi ThiruvONam - today

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Madhavakkannan V <srivaishnavan Poikai AzhwAr Thirunakshathram- Aippasi ThiruvONam - today , , acharya , nama-singapore , oppiliappan , parakalamatham , , desikasampradaya , bakthi-indonesia , andavan , Srisathyanarayanaperumal Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 9:06 PM

SrI:SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:Dearest all,Today aippasi thiruvONam is Poikai azhwar ThirunakshathramsarObhoothavEthALa SaarasvathAnAmsatadhvitkhalidwams i mukhyOdhithAnAm |avicchinna satsampradaayaartth avEdhI guroorvEnkatESO gurukthishvathulya: ||[sapthathi Rathnamaalikaa – 26]Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan is the Prime and foremost acharya of Sri VisishtAdvaita darsanam, Srivaishnava sampradayam. He took avathAramas on His own accord as well as sent His divine messengers (Nithyasuris) as AzhwArs and Acharyas to propagate this unparalleled darsanam. As per His command, AzhwArs and Acharyas appeared and hence are called His amsAvathArams. Poikai AzhwAr to num Kaliyan- Thirumangai mannan are 12 AzhwArs. Sri Madhurakavi and AndAL are not included in AzhwAr padhinmar (ten AzhwArs) as these two AzhwArs considered Nammazhwar and PeriyazhwAr respectively as their acharyas. Nathamuni

– Yamunauni- Ramanujamuni- Swami Desikan – Manavala maamuni- till present day acharyas are all Sadacharyas sent (being sent) by the Lord for our sake. Here we are drawing parallel between the first AzhwAr Poikai AzhwAr and Swami Desikan. If there is anything good- it is due to the wonderful article written by Sri TE Ranganathachar Swami. Any mistakes, faults are only due to adiyEn’s lack of understanding. Please forgive me. He sent the trio Poikai, Bhoo and Pey AzhwArs to be born on three consecutive days, to propagate the Sri vaishnava visishtAdvaita darsanam. These trio are called by Swami Desikan as “paattukuriya pazhaiyavar moovarâ€. Poikai AzhwAr is the first of the three azhwars who are called as “mudhal azhwaarsâ€. The star of perumAL is ThiruvONam (SravaNam). srONA nakshathram vishNur dEvathA says Vedas. Even the tamil Vedas (Divya prabandhams) mention the same. PeriyAzhwAr in the role of Yasodha, says: nee

piRandha thiruvONam inRu, nee neeraada vENdum. (Today is your janma namskahthram- ThiruvONam; hence you need to take oil bath… - calls Kutti Krishna). Same PeriyAzhwAr when referring to Sri Nrusimhan, “ThiruvONatthiruvizh avil anthiyampOdhil ariuruvaagi. .†Poikai AzhwAr himself was born in the same ThiruvONa star. In fact he was not born of a human being. The first three azhwars were all ayonijars. – not born of humans. They simply appeared as infants and were brought up. The three AzhwArs namely Poikai, Bhoo and Pey are the three mudal (first) AzhwArs who were not only contemporary azhwArs; but were born on three consecutive days in SiddhArti year, Aiyppasi month on TiruvONam, Avittam and sadhayam nakshathrams respectively ;and the babies appeared on flowers of different kind (and not were born like us actually!- They are ayOnijars). Their period was estimated as 7th century CE. (Though we are not attaching any significant

importance to it, it is better to have a datum). poigaiAzhwAr, was born (made to appear by the Lord) in kancheepuram, while bhoodaththAr in mahabalipuram and pEyAzhwAr in thirumylai (present Mylapore). 1. PoigaiAr, an incarnation of MahAvishNu's paanchjanyam (Divine conch, sanghu in Tamil) is also called Adhi kavi. poigaiAr appeared on the ThAmarai mottu (lotus bud) in a pond in tiruve:ka near kancheepuram. 2. BhoodhaththAr appeared in a flower called "kurukkaththi" (?) in a garden at kadalmallai port of pallava rajyam (kingdom) in mahAbalipuram (south of madras). He was an incarnation of Divine mace (called kaumOdaki) of our Lord mahAvishNu. 3. PEyazhwAr, (called pEyar later by people due to being crazy, mad, piththan, pEyar after the Lord and even used to roll down with ecstasy and bhakti- He even says" others look crazy to him for their being crazy after material pursuits; and sensual pleasures), as an incarnation of the sword

of mahAvishNu (called nandaki), appeared in sevvalli (Red alli-lily) flower in a well of AdhikEsava perumAL koil at mylapore (in madras). All three azhwArs were blessed with jnAnam(knowledge) and bhakti uLLam; All of them, though were not known to each other, were singing the glories of sriman nArAyaNan, and were going from place to place visiting the PerumAL temples to get blessed with Lord's Darshan. They had no other thoughts but for nArAyanan and lived like sanyAsis (recluses); The Lord, may be, wanted them to get together (like what He has done now through maNi) and liked to listen to their discussion about Him and His kalyANa guNAs. Hence, He brought them to Thirukkovilur separately (at the same time) and what happened there; how they met and recognised each other's bhakti; they were sharing their bhagavad anubhavam with each other... So, they had come to Thirukkovilur and each of them had a separate Darshan of Trivikraman

(the Lord who appeared as vAmanan, a small brahmachari boy, took viswaroopam and measured the entire universe in one step in vAmanAvatAram) called "UlagaLandha perumAL" and obtained His katAksham. Due to heavy rain, poigaiAr had to take shelter in a small narrow koodam( hall/veranda) of a house nearby, and being exerted himself so much due to walking, lied down in that place; After some time, BhoodhaththAr knocked the house and requested if he can be accommodated due to heavy rain outside. Being a bhakta, (a) bhaktA does not see who asks for; (b) He offers help as long and as much as he can even if it amounts to more inconvenience to him- (a lesson we all have to learn) he welcomed bhoodhaththAr lovingly saying "Inside, there is place for one man to lie down; but two can sit; please come in "(oruvar padukkalAm; iruvar amaralAm). After formal introduction, it took little time to realise that they are birds of the same feather; and they talked

and discussed about emberumAn's leelA's and guNAs. There is yet another knock and there stands our pEyar asking for a favour to accommodate him due to heavy downpour. Not surprisingly, both bhaktAs said in chorus "Please come in; We can stand and accommodate you also" (oruvar padukkalAm; iruvar amaralAm; moover niRkalAm). It is in Giving that we receive; All three joined themselves in discussing Glorious attributes of Trivikraman Sriman nArAyaNan and were deeply excited to describe what each one of them felt and feel towards their (our) Lord. They felt happy exchanging information of various sthalam(temples) visited by them and were getting more and more excited to know from one another their great anubhavangaL. While they were standing all the time (in a space that is just sufficient for only three people to stand) discussing namperumAls' nityakalyANa guNas, suddenly they found themselves cramped; and they could not even move about; It

was real squeezing against each other; They were perplexed as to why all of a sudden, there is less space as if there are more than three persons; And there appeared (with the help of their Divine vision blessed by the Lord Sriman nArAyaNan), sakshAth sriman nArAyaNan (chathur bhujam, chandra roopam, sanghu, chakram, Bright ThirumaN and srichoorNam on His beautiful forehead; pattu peethAmbharam, karpoora vasam, etc..... ) Three AzhwArs were literally crying, tears rolling down their cheeks, Goose pimples all over their bodies; Chests expanded as if they are going to burst with full of happiness; Their palms were glued to each other; and they were feeling highly elated; Each one of them (one by one) sang 100 poems(pasurams) flowing from their mouths as if they are clear "neerOdai", stream of river; BhagavAn listened to them with His full concentration and satisfaction all their pasurams and after blessing them, disappeared. They

always went together to other temples, and On their way, the three azhwArs also were blessed with 1. a darshan of sit apiratti, lakshmana, bharatha, sathrukna, hanumathsametha Sri Ramachandra at Ayodhdhi, 2. a darshan of Lord ThiruvEnkadamudaiyA n down the hill (not at tirumala, but at tirupathi), when they hesitated to step on the Hill and turned back; such a place is called "AzhwAr theertham" even today. 3. Offering a charkAyudhA to Vishnuvarthanan, a king at kanchipuram for winning a battle. and 4. later, joining with another azhwAr, by name Thirumazhisai azhwAr (on their way) A Glance at Poikai azhwar's marvellous compositions: 1. poigaiAzhwAr composed the first 100 pAsurams "mudhal thiruvandhAdhi" (andhAdhi means the first word of one verse will be last word of the previous verse )starting with the first one: vaiyam thagaliyA, vArkadlE neyyAga/ veyyakkadirOn viLakkAga/ sudarAzhiyAn adikkE soottinEn son mAlai/ Idar

neenghugavE enRu/ Lord Sriman nArAyaNa, who holds the Divine chakrAyudha, is the cause of this wonderful universe and the seas. I am singing these mAlai(Garland) of verses(pAsurams) and dedicating to Him, whose vision I had is the light of the lamp of the earth, and oil being the seas, the sun being the source of the light; Empoikai piraan maRaiyin kurutthin poruLaiyum senthamizh thannaiyum kootti onRatthiritthu anRu yerittha thiruviLakku. Comparing Poikai azhwaar and Swami Desikan:Swami Desikan combined the Vedanthic subjects in both Sanskrit texts and in Tamil verses in more than 120 granthas. Thus the veda vedanthic subjects were borught out in Tamil by both Poikai azhwar and Swami. By the lamp lit by Poikai azhwaar – the external darkness was dispelled. The lamp of knowledge lit by Swami thorugh his more than hundred works, dispelled both external and internal darkness in us. We are able to comprehend the

Lord’s Swaroopa, roopa, guNas etc in crystal clear manner through their works. Poikai azhwaar composed 100 verses called “mudhal thiruvanthAthiâ€. Swami Desikan refers these verses at various places in Srimad Rahasyathrayasaram to establish his point and prove in unambiguous manner. ubOdhgAdha adhikAram- verse no. 53- senRaal kudaiyaam arthapanchaka adhikAram – verse no. 86 – neeyum thirumagaLumuttharakrithya adhikAram – verse no. 11 – vaayaRai alladhu uttharakrithya adhikAram – verse no. 44 – thamarugandhadhu uttharakrithya adhikAram – verse no. 63 – thOLanai allaal uttharakrithya adhikAram – verse no. 64- nayavEn piRar poruLaisiddhOpAya sOdhanAdhikAram – verse no. 67 – peyarum karunkadalEmoolamanthrAdhikAra m – verse no. 57 – ayalninRamoolamanthAdhikAram – verse no. 95- naavaayiluNdEAlso, referred in ChillaRai Rahasyams virOdha parihaaram – peyarum

karunkadalEmunivaahana bhOgam – baalanthanadhuruvaa y paramapadha sopAnam – nirvEda parvam – pazhudhE palapakalumparamapadhasOpAnam – nirvEda parvam – nayavEn pirar poruLai paramapadha sOpAnam – Divya desa praapthi parvam – senRaam kudaiyaam ThirukkOvallor Lord is called dhEhaLeesam or idai kazhi maayavan. This name was given to Him due to mudhal azhwaars only. Kaliyan in his Periya Thirudal refers this to kOvaloor ennum idaikazhi yem maayavani. Kaliyan urai kudi koNda karutthudaiyOn – num Swami Desikan. Swami in all respects brings out the essence of what Kaliyan had in his mind always. Hence Swami composed a brilliant sthora called dhEhaleesa sthuthi. After composing numerous hymns in Tamil, Sanskrit, and Prakrit, on the Lord of Thiruvaheendrapuram , Swami desika had to return to his place Kanchi. While on his way, he developed a craze, a dotage for Ayanaaar or Trivikrama, at the divya desam of

Thirukkoviloor. Based on my limited knowledge, we have brought out the parallel between Poikai azhwaar and Swami. Please learn from erudite scholars further. aruNmiguttha thoruvadivaayk kacci thannilaippasimaa thatthiruvO Natthu naaLiRporuNmiguttha maRaiviLangap puviyO ruyyappoygaithanil vanthuthittha punithaa munnaaLiruLathaniR RaNkOva lidaika ziccenRiruvaruda NniRkavumaa lidainNe rukkaththiruviLakkaa menumvaiyanN thakaLi nooRuNYsezumporuLaa venakkaruLsey thiruntha neeyE.Sri Brahmathanthra swathanthra jeeyar composed: Thulaayaam sravaNE jAtham kaanchyAm kaanchana vaarijAth |dwAparE paanchajanyAmsam sarOyOginam AsrayE. ||Third Brahmathanthra swathanthra jeeyar blessed us with:Aippasiyil thiruvONatthu avatharitthAn vaazhiyEAzhagu amarndha kacchinagar siRakka vandhaan vaazhiyEaRpudhamaa nal vaiyanthakaLi seydhaan vaazhiyEaarvamigu vaarkadalaa neyitttaan

vaazhiyEnaRpadhatthu kadhiravanE viLakkam enRaan vaazhiyEnum poruttaal anthAthi nooRu aLitthAn vaazhiyEpoRpadhatthu sOthithanaik kaNdu uraitthAn vaazhiyEpoikai muni adi iNaiyum vadivazhagum vaazhiyE.