ThirumangaiAzhwAr ThirukkuRunthANdakam - adiyEn next rash and daring venture.... May AzhwAr bless the brazen attempt

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all

 

[After the journey through PerumAL Thirumozhi of

Kulasekara AzhwAr, adiyEn dares to undertake

Thirunmangai manna’s ThirukkuRunthANdakam and

ThirunedunthANdakam. We were reciting the same in last

sathsagam (NAMA event) we had at Singapore and were

enjoying these wonderful verses. It is adiyEn’s greedy

attempt again to rush in where angels fear to tread.

Only with Acharyan anugraham, AzhwAr’s blessings, this

tough task needs to be completed. Please forgive me

for adiyEn indulgence. ]

 

Thirumangai AzhwAr one of the most learned Tamil

poets, the great AzhwAr, the last of AzhwArs, has

contributed six wonderful and divine compistions: They

are:

 

1. Periya thirumozhi

2. Periya thiru madal

3. SiRiya thirumadal

4. Thiru nedunthANdakam

5. Thiru KurunthANdakam

6. Thiru vezhukkuRRirukkai

 

His pAsurams are marvelous; simply excellent and

lilting in rhythms. They are unparalleled. These works

of AzhwAr have contributed a major portion of 4000.

This AzhwAr also has contribiuted 1296 verses. We had

covered Periya Thirumozhi few years ago (with adiyEn

rambling called translation). This Periya Thirumozhi

is a composition of large number of verses describing

the greatness of archA avathArams, the kalyANa gunAs

of the Lord, their divine beauty as well the charm and

divinity of the divya desams poetically described by

AzhwAr. Besides these describtions, AzhwAr also

laments about the human suffering caused by bondage,

and the ways and the means of overcoming the same,

ultimately leading to the attainment of God. As

Vedantha Desika says: Periya Thirumozhi provides a

deep insight into the spiritual knowledge [aRivu

tharum periya thirumozhi].

 

ThirukkuRunthANdakam and ThirunedunthANdakam:

ThANdakam literally, as per Sri SMS Chari in his book

on ‘Philosophy and Theisctic Mysticm of the Alvars’

means a staff used as a support while walking up a

hill. In the context of the poetry, it refers to a

particular type of poetical composition addressed to

God as comparing Him to such a support. Or in other

words, a source of sustenance for the soul. The words

kuRu or nedu simply means short or long denoting the

meters adopted.

 

The main theme of ThirukkuRunthANdakam is that the

soul is wholly dependent on God who is the sole

supporter and it hope to escape the suffering by means

of sincere prayers and worship to Him.

ThiruneduthANdakam is a longer composition portraying

the mystic experience of God by the AzhwAr.

 

Let us enjoy ThirukkuRnthANdakam first.

[avathArikai from Sri V Satakopan Swami Article]

 

In the magnificent Periya Thirumozhi, Thirumangai

expressed his immense aanandhAnubhavam of

MangaLAsAsanam of the EmperumAns of the 86 dhivya

dEsams as well as the VibhavAvathAra PerumALs . He

celebrated the Moola manthram and its glories and yet

did not see any hint from the Lord about invitation to

join Him in Parama padham to enjoy the Paripoorna

BrahmAnubhavam there.

 

As a result , AzhwAr experienced nirvEdham .Sri

Vaikunta Nathan however had other ideas .He wanted to

enjoy some more paasurams from His dear devotee.

AzhwAr restated his case for joining the Lord at Sri

Vaikuntam and thus were born the two ThANDakams. In

these two ThANDakam , AzhwAr jumps over ( thANDuthal)

the sorrows of SamsAram and is immersed in the

Bhagavath anubhavam. ThANDakam is also a type of

Prabhandham in Tamil poetry .

 

The one set in shorter length ( aRuseerkkazhi

nedilAsiriya viruttham ) became ThirukkuRunthANDakam

(TKT)and the one with eight fold symmetry (yeNN Seer)

came to be known as ThirunedumthANDakam(TNT).Latter is

an elaboration of the last two paasurams of

ThirukkuRunthANDakam .

 

Parasara Bhattar described TNT as a Saasthram and used

one of the slOkams to defeat the advaitha VedAntha

Muni of Melkote and accepted him as his disciple and

recognized him as Namm Jeeyar.Rest is history in

AchArya Paramaparai PrabhAvam. Namm Jeeyar benefited

from Ubhaya VedAntha GrahaNam under the sacred feet of

Sri Paraasara Bhattar and we have the good fortune of

having the 9,000 Padi commentary for ThriuvAimozhi and

the BhAshyam for Sri Sookthi, KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu

et al. from him and a glorious AchArya paramparai.

That is the power of ThirunedumthANDakam .

 

UtthamUr Sri VeerarAghava MahA Desikan has blessed us

with insightful commentaries on these two Prabhandhams

as well as the other Prabhandhams of Thirumangai

Mannan that adiyEn would like to refer you to for

additional studies. His summation of the purport and

message of TNT is:

 

" This prabhandham is one, which has to be studied

always as a VedAntha Saasthram. This describes first

the Tatthva-Hitha- PurshArthams and asserts next the

unbreakable sEshathvam of the Jeevan to the Sarva

Seshi, the Lord in His forms as Para, VyUha , Vibhava

,antharyAni and ArchA .This salutation to the Lord is

set in the mood of Naayika-Naayaka Bhaavam. Through

these ThANDakam paasurams , Thirumangai expressed his

deep desire Moksha Sidhdi and Rakshakthvam of the

Lord. "

 

May we all be blessed to study and understand the deep

Tatthvams embedded in the two ThANDakam Prabhandhams.

 

Vaazhi ParakAlan Vaazhi KalikanRi

Vaazhi KurayalUr Vaazh VEndhan-vaazhiyarO

MayOnai vALL valiyAl manthiramkoLL MangayarkkOn

ThUyOn SudarmAna vEl

 

Let us enjoy the verses from tomorrow

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dasan

 

 

______________________________\

____

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs