Thirumazhisai Piraan Thirunakshathram Jan 25th- Thai makham - Let us pay our obeisance

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all,

 

Jan 25th Thai makham is Thirumazhisai AzhwAr

Thirunakshathram.

 

MakhAyam Makare MAse Chakramsham Bhargavodbhavam

MahisArapurADhEsham BhaktisAramaham Bhaje.

 

I worship Bhaktisara, who was born as the son of

Bhargava in Mahisapuram (Tirumazhisai) in the month of

Makaram (Jan-Feb) under the asterism of

Makham as a manifestation of the Chakram of Lord

Narayana (Sudarshana Chakram).

 

[Extract from Sri P. Dileepan Swami’s write up on

azhwar]

 

This Azhvaar gave us 216 verses in two prabhandhams,

nanmugan thiruvandhaathi (96) and thiruch chandha

viruththam (120).

 

It is this Azhvaar's instruction that the Lord of

Thiru Veqaa (poygai Azhvaar's birth place and near

Kanchipuram periya kOvil) followed and came to be

known as " sonna vaNNam seydha perumaaL " (the Lord

who obeyed). This wonderful story involves

KaNikaNNar, a disciple of the Azhvaar. KaNikaNNar

provoked the wrath of the local king and got himself

exiled when he refused to restore the king's

youthfulness unlike the devout old lady for whom

KaNikaNNar had obliged. Not wanting to be separated

from his pupil, Azhvaar went to the temple and

declared to the Lord, " I am leaving town with

KaNikaNNan, fold Your serpent bed and follow me. "

Ever waiting to please His devotees, (true to

namaazhvaar's words in the 53rd paasuram of periya

thiruvandhaathi -- " unnadiyaarkku en seyvadhu enRE

iruththi nee " ), the Lord got up immediately, folded

his " painnaagap paay " , and went behind the Azhvaar.

Thus, He came to be known as " sonna vaNNam seydha

perumaaL " . Then, the story goes, the king apologized

to KaNikaNNar and brought all three back to Kanchi.

 

It is claimed that the Azhvaar was born to Bhargava

munivar and his dEvi Kanakaangi, but was abandoned

because the baby, at the time of birth, was a lifeless

mass.

 

Upon the grace of Lord Sriman Narayana, the abandoned

lifeless mass turned into a fully formed and perfect

baby in every way. The baby was then found and raised

by a " low caste " devout family. Due to this, it is

clear that the brahmins of his time did not readily

accord respect to our Azhvaar. The Azhvaar himself

declares in Thiruchchandha viruththam (90) that he was

not born into one of the four castes ( " kulangaLaaya

eeriraNdil onRilum pirRandhilEn " ).

 

During an encounter with the brahmins of Thiru

Mazhisai, our Lord had to directly intervene, by

appearing with His sangu and chakram in Azhvaar's

body, to stop the brahmins deriding our Azhvaar.

 

In another interesting episode Azhvaar rescued a group

of brahmins from the ignominy of getting stuck during

a recitation of the vEdhaas. The brahmins had halted

their recitation upon noticing the Azhvaar

approaching. The aazhvaar moved away to make the

brahmins comfortable. Then, the brahmins tried to

resume, but couldn't. They had forgotten the place

where they had halted. Noticing this from a distance,

the Azhvaar gave a sign to the brahmins and helped

them resume at the correct place.

At this time the Azhvaar shined with such luminosity

that the brahmins where put to shame. Swami Sri

dhEsikar reminds us of this instance when he

characterizes this Azhvaar as " mazhisai vandha jOthi "

(the shining light of Mazhisai).

 

Another interesting story I once heard about this

Azhvaar involves Thirukkudandhai aaraamudhan. After a

long and arduous journey the Azhvar reached the

Kumbakonam temple, tired and hungry. When he

entered the temple the thirumancanam (ritual bathing

of the Lord) was just getting underway. Intent on

comforting the Azhvaar, the Lord interrupted the

thirumancanam and instructed the Bhattaachar to take

" amudhu " to the Azhvaar immediately. It seems this

practice is continued to this day with the " ThaLigai "

(food) offered to the Azhvaar sannithi first, and only

then to the Lord. (This needs verification.)

 

Thiru mazhisai Azhvaar is said to have dabbled in a

variety of religions of his day, and was finally and

firmly turned to Sri Vaishnavam by his acharya and

guru, pEy Azhvaar. In his paasurams the Azhvaar is

unequivocal in asserting that Sriman Narayana is the

supreme Lord declared by the vEdhaas. He starts out

his naanmugan thiruvandhaathi (NT) with:

 

" naanmuganai naaraayaNan padaiththaan,

naanmuganum thaan mugamaay

sankaranaith thaan padaiththaan "

 

-- Narayanan created the four-faced Brahma,

and Brahma created Sankaran

 

and ends NT with:

 

" ini aRindhEn kaaraNan nee, kaRRavai nee,

kaRpavai nee, naRkirisai naaraNan nee,

nan_gaRindhEn naan. "

 

-- I have finally found these truths, You are

the primordial reason, what is comprehended is You,

what is to be comprehended is You, all good deeds is

You, I have now realized these without any doubt.

 

Between the first and 96th verses of NT, the Azhvaar

repeatedly asserts the theme that Sriman Narayanan is

the only Lord we need to worship for salvation.

 

Let us pay our obeisance to this greatest AzhwAr.

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan

 

 

 

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