ThirunedunthANdaka Saasthram- Thirumangai AzhwAr's divine verses- Introduction

[Guest guest]

Sri:

SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Thanks for your constant motivation and encouraging

words on adiyEn's rambling called free translation of

ThirukkuRunthANdakam. adiyEn continues to dare and

venture into Thirumangai AzhwAr's TNT

(ThirunedunthANdakam).

 

Thirumangai mannan has blessed us with SIX

Prabhandhams, which are recognized traditionally as

the Six angams, for the four brilliant works of Swamy

NammAzhwAr, which are considered as the essence of the

Four Sanskrit Vedhams ( " MaaRan PaNittha Tamizh

MaRaikku AaRangam ooRavatharitthavar MangayarkkOn "

according to Sri MaNavALa Maamuni).

 

Thirumangai AzhwAr one of the most learned Tamil

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

contributed six wonderful and divine compositions:

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 Theistic 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.

 

[Extract from Sri Satakopan Swami¡¦s write up based on

Srimath Azhagiya Singar teleupanyasam] AchArya

RaamAnujA saluted Thirumangai Mannan as:

 

" MaayOnivALL valiyAl manthiram koLL MangayarkkOn "

EmperumAnAr states here that Kaliyan " overpowered " the

Lord at ThirumaNamkollai with the power of his sword

and received the AshtAkshara ManthrOpadEsam directly

from the Lord.

 

Kaliyan became blessed immediately with " MayaRvaRa

Mathi nalam " . Kaliyan received the anugraham of " the

faculty of Jn~Ana-Bhakthi, which effaces the weakness

of the intellect that doubts, confuses, argues and

fails to see what ought to be seen " . That

extraordinary direct anugraham from the Lord Himself

stirred Kaliyan to compose right away the First

Thirumozhi of Periya Thirumozhi, " VaadinEn Vaadi " ,

which is a profound celebration of the glories of the

meanings of AshtAkshara MahA Manthram. This Moola

Manthram is an elaboration of two of the most

important auspicious attributes of the Lord:

 

His Swamithvam (Lordship) and ƒnSoulabhyam (Ease of

access by one and all)

 

Sriman NaarAyaNan, the Para Devathai for the Moola

Manthram, blessed His dear bhakthan, Kaliyan with His

sEvai at the 86 dhivya Desams he visited and in return

received garlands of chaste Tamizh verses of Periya

Thirumozhi steeped in Bhagavath anubhavam. Sriman

NaarAyaNan noticed that Kaliyan's immense enjoyment of

His anantha kalyANa GuNams had resulted in Kaliyan's

loss of focus on His Parama Padham and the lowliness

of the SamsAric world.

 

The Lord thus gently reminded Kaliyan about the

lowliness of SamsAric life with a view to lead Kaliyan

to His Parama Padham (Supreme Abode, Sri Vaikuntam).

Kaliyan realized quickly his helpless state and

described it movingly in the last Thirumozhi of Periya

Thirumozhi (MaaRRamuLa). In that Thirumozhi filled

with despondency (nirvEdham) about his helpless state,

Kaliyan compared himself to a tree living on the banks

of a fast flowing river, which could collapse any time

and be destroyed. His sudden recognition of the

terrors of SamsAric Life made him compare his avala

(pitiable) nilai in a state of naicchiyam to:

 

1. a storm-tossed boat in the middle of the deep ocean

2. a person , who lives in the same house with a

poisonous snake

3. an ant that is caught in the middle of a log that

is burning on both ends.

4. a pack of foxes caught up in the middle of a flood.

 

Kaliyan begged the Lord to show him the way to the

safe haven of His Thiruvadi. The Lord did not react to

this appeal. Kaliyan was disillusioned and began to

enjoy the Lord with his mind, speech and body

(MukkaraNams) just as a thirsty man would pour cool

water all over himself , when he is thirsty and

parched. Kaliyan began to convince himself that the

ThrikaraNa anubhavam of the Lord arose out of the good

fortune of his mangaLAsAsanams at the Dhivya Desams.

His outpourings celebrating the bhAgyam of those, who

have sevais at the dhivya Desams, took the form of

ThirukkuRumthANDakam, his second prabhandham.

 

Kaliyan's state now was like that of a thirsty man,

whose thirst increases with more consumption of water,

when one is totally parched. Kaliyan's desire to reach

the Lord grew further and further. This feeling-state

led to the creation of ThiruvEhukURRirukkai, his third

Prabhandham addressed to Thirukkudanthai AarAvamudhan.

In this prabandham, with great aarthi (immense haste

to reach the Lord's Thiruvadi at Parama Padham without

any further waiting), Kaliyan declared:

 

" Ninn adi iNai paNivan varumidar ahala maRRE vinayE " .

 

Kaliyan prayed to AarAvamudhan to deflect any

obstacles resulting from his bad karmAs and to help

him to worship at the Lord's Thiruvadi in Parama

Padham.

 

Kaliyan had thus performed SaraNAgathi at

Thirukkudanthai at the Periya Koil to Amudhan. Nothing

happened. There was no response from the Lord. Kaliyan

got agitated and vowed to destroy his svaroopam as

JeevAthmA (seshan) and the Lord's svaroopam as

ParamAthmA (Sarva Seshi) so that he (Kaliyan ) can

reach him by any means at his disposal. The two

Thirumadals - SiRiya and PeRiya Thirumadal - arose

from this mood of desperation.

 

Now Sriman NaarAyaNan got worried. He felt that if He

still stays away from Kaliyan, the world will become

nirIsvaram (without Isvaran). Hence, Sriman NaarAyaNan

appeared immediately before Kaliyan just as He

appeared before PrahlAdhan in the split second out of

the pillar in the court of HiraNyakasipu. Sriman

NaarAyaNan revealed the mysteries of the three eternal

Tatthvams:

 

Prakruthi, ChEthanam (Kaliyan) and Isvaran (The Lord)

and their relationships. Kaliyan was ecstatic and his

great joy poured forth through the thirty paasurams of

ThirunedumthANDakam known for their richness of

SaasthrArthams dealing with Tatthva Thrayams, Parama

Hitham and Parama PurushArtham.

 

Kaliyan reached a state similar to that of Swamy

NammAzhwAr had attained earlier at the very end of His

ThiruvAimozhi (avAvaRRu Veedu PeRRa KuruhUr

SatakOpan/Swamy NammazhwAr who joined the Lord with

all of his ambitions fulfilled).

 

Sriman NaarAyaNan, saluted as:

 

1. The Vaikunta Nilayan

2. Niradhisaya-oujwalya-Sougandhya-SoukumArya-LaavaNya

dhivya

Roopan

3. Lakshmi-BhUmi-NeeLAdhi Dhivya mahishI Sevithan

4. Dhivya BhUshaNa BhUshithan

5. Niradhisaya KalyANa Dhivya-aayudha jaala sObhithan

6. Dhivya parijana sEvitha SaraNa NaLina Yugalan

7. Aparimitha udhAra GuNa Saagaran,

8. Parama Purushan

 

mingled with Kaliyan with yearning. Kaliyan felt like

Swamy NammazhwAr, who declared his joy in

ThiruvAimozhi 10.10.10 (translation by Dr.V.N.VedAntha

Desikan ):

 

" Oh the AntarAthmA of Moola Prakrithi, which evolves

into Mahath, ahamkArA etc, and which pervades all

space and is infinite. " " Oh the AntharAthmA of

MukthAthmAs, who encircle, extend over and are larger

than the Prakrithi in extant, whose Jn~AnA excels and

whose very nature is characterized by Jn~AnA, AnandA

and Tejas. " " Oh the unique possessor of

Sankalpa-Jn~Ana , which extends even beyond still

further, which is pure AnandA in nature. "

 

" My yearning to join You was even larger than Your

Sankalpa-Jn~AnA in magnitude! "

 

" But You covered me up , quenched this yearning . I

became a drop in Your vastness of nectar Ocean. My

long time ambition has been fulfilled " .

 

Thus Srimad Azhagiya Singar very eloquently covered

the introduction to THRIU NEDUNTHANDAKAM.

Thanks to Sri Satakopan swami for his permission.

 

Now let us enjoy the wonderful verses from next post.

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaqraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

narayanadasan madhavakkannan

 

 

 

 

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