SrI UpakAra Sangraham -- III (16)

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srI:

SrI UpakAra Sangraham - III (16)

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niryANa adikAram

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Section - 10: SrI NammAzhvAr reveals all these so far described, in the first

verse of his work, Thiruviruttham.

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Sub-section: 1- Word-by-word meaning of the first verse (continued)

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SwAi Desikan continues with the word-by-word commentary:

“ninRu kEttaruLAi†– ‘avAvaRac coozhnthAi’ ennumpadi nAn avAvaRRu

veedu peRumaLavum anyanAkAthE abhimukhnaik koNdu kETTaruLAi.

SrI NammAzhvAr asks the Lord, “Please stand and listen to me!†He wants

the Lord to stop for a little time, so that he can tell Him what is in his mind.

Swami Desikan explains this beautifully:

“‘avAvaRac coozhnthAi’ ennumpadi nAn avAvaRRu veedu peRumaLavum

anya-paran-AkAthE abhimukhnaik koNdu kETTaruLAi.†–

The AzhvAr wants the Lord to listen to his words till all his desires are

exhausted. SwAmi Desikan quotes a passage from the AzhvAr’s own verse:

‘avAvaRac coozhnthAi’ – You covered me up quenching my yearning.

(ThiruvAimozhi, 10-10-10). How big was his yearning? The AzhvAr says:

“choozhnthakanRu Azhnthuyarntha mudivil perum pAzhEyO

choozhnthathanil periya para nan malarc-chOtheeyO

choozhnthathanil periya chudar j~nAna inbamEyO

choozhnthathanil periya ennavA aRac choozhnthAyE.â€

This verse contains an interesting dialogue between the AzhvAr and the Lord. If

we follow the dialogue, we can fully realize the message of the verse.

The AzhvAr has been yearning to join the Lord for so long a time, without the

Lord responding. At last one day the Lord appears before the AzhvAr.

The Lord: Why are you calling Me all the time?

AzhvAr: Oh Lord! AdiyEn has been yearning for you so much.

The Lord: How much is your love for Me?

AzhvAr: It is larger than this large prakruti, which is larger than Mahat,

ahankAra and all the space and is infinite.

The Lord: Oh, Your love for me is that big? You know, My svaroopa (Form) is

vibhoo, larger than this moola-prakruti (pAzh – known as Tamas). I am beyond

it. (Tamasah parastAt!)

AzhvAr: Oh Lord! The intensity of AdiyEn’s love is bigger than that, Lord!

The Lord: Is it so? Do you know my knowledge – consciousness, known as

dharma-bhoota-j~nAna—is larger than My svaroopa?

AzhvAr: Oh Lord! My deep love for You is still bigger!

The Lord: Oh AzhvAr! Are you aware of My love for you? Now, you yourself see, it

is larger than your love for Me. I am yearning more than you do. See it for

yourself.

AzhvAr: Oh My Lord! What a sight! Your love for me has enveloped mine totally.

All my yearnings have been drowned in yours. You have covered me up and quenched

my yearning. AdiyEn has become a drop in Your vast nectar-like love. My longest

ever ambition is now totally fulfilled!

This is going to happen later after the AzhvAr completes his mission for which

he has been sent by the Lord to this world. But, now he is at the beginning of

his mission.

Even now, the AzhvAr is full of love for the Lord. So, he says, according to

SwAmi Desikan:

“nAn avAvaRRu veedu peRumaLavum anyanAkAthE†-- Until I attain mOkSha

after getting my yearning fully satisfied, You should remain here before me

without turning towards anywhere else.

The Lord asks him: What do you want Me to do?

AzhvAr: “abhimukhnaik koNdu kETTaruLAi†-- You should look at me and kindly

listen to what adiyEn says.

SwAmi Deikan gives another interpretation:

“meininRu ennavumAm;†– It can also be like this:

“appOthu nee avatharitthathellAm saprayOjanamAmpadi un avatAra-vigrahatthOdE

‘oru nAL kANvArAi’ enRu irukkiRa enakku prakaSitthu ninRu enkiRathu.†–

Then the meaning of what Azhvar says will be this:

“You should stand before me, so that the purpose of all Your incarnations will

be fulfilled. For that, You should stand before me in the same form of Yours as

You took the incarnation.

The Lord asks the AzhvAr: Why so?

AzhvAr: “‘oru nAL kANvArAi’ enRu irukkiRa enakku prakaSitthu ninRu†–

AdiyEn has been longing for your appearance before me, calling, “One day You

please come before me!†Here, Swami Desikan quotes from the AzhvAr’s own

verse:

“mAyak kootthA vAmana vinaiyEn kaNNA kaNkaikAl

thooya ceyya malarkaLAic chOthic chevvAi mukizhathA

chAyal chAmattthirumEni thaNpAsadaiyA thAmarai neeL

vAsatthadam pOl varuvAne oru nAL kANa vArAyE.†(ThiruvAimozhi, 8-5-1)

(Oh Lord! Please come at least one day! You appeared as VAmana and KrishNa and

performed fascinating tricks! You must come before me with the eyes, hands,

feet, mouth all shining like lotuses in a pond. )

For my sake, who is with such eagerness to see Your form, You must come before

me, says the AzhvAr.

SwAmi Desikan gives an alternative explanation:

“anngananRikkE, ‘adiyEnuLLAn udaluLLAn’ ennumpadi en azhukkudambukkuLLE

jugupsai paNNAthE aNiyanAi ninRu ennavumAm.†-- If not so, it can be like

this:

The AzhvAr wants the Lord to appear in the form as He is present in his body,

without any disgust against it as dirty, as stated in the verse:

“adiyEnuLLAn udaluLLAn aNdakatthAn puRatthuLLAn

padiyE yithuvenRuraikkalAm pdiyanallan parampran

kadicEr nARRatthuuLLAlai inbatthunbak kazhinErmai

odiyAvinbap perumaiyOn uNarvilumbar oruvanE.†(ThiruvAimozhi, 8-8-2)

(He is in my soul. He is in my body. He is the Great One, Who is in the universe

and outside it; Whose character cannot be described as such and such; Who is

superior to superiors; Who is also in fragrance of a flower, in the taste of

honey; Whose Bliss is unalloyed, flawless, continuous without breaks; Who is

above all dEvas and nitya-sooris.)

The AzhvAr’s point is: “When You can continuously stay in my soul and body,

without any disgust for the dirty body, You should not avoid appearing near me

now.â€

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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