Digest Number 2583: re: tondaradipodi azhwAr

[Guest guest]

Dear SrimAn V Sadagopan,

 

Thank you for your response and interesting viewpoint below to adiyane's query.

 

You are probably right in your reasoning. In the absence, however, of

incontrovertible historical record to corroborate the traditional

" guru-parampara " accounts of the lives of the AzhwArs, I guess one reasoning is

probably as good as any other.

 

I have encountered people who reject " or dismiss the story of Tondaradipodi and

DevaDevi as " colourful " or fanciful. But I have been surprised to see them

however hesitating to reject with equal vehemence biographical accounts in the

same " guru-parampara " texts that relate to the life-accounts of other AzhwArs.

The life account of NammAzhwAr or PeriazhwAr would be acceptable; not

Tondaradipodi's! Why not?

 

Amongst generations of laity and the general community of SriVaishnavites (both

present and past), one suspects, there is always an element of selective and

subjective bias when it comes to accepting or rejecting the traditional accounts

of the lives of the Azhwars. They reject or accept the same biographical (or

hagiographical?) source, or parts of it, depending on what suits or does not

suit their taste. This inconsistency, unfortunately, tends to interfere with or

impair the enjoyment of the poetic and devotional beauty of the Azhwar's

pAsurams. Personally, I hold that either we either wholly accept the

" guru-parampara " biographical accounts or reject it altogether.

 

*********************

 

The reason why one flinches away from the details of the traditional

life-account of Tondaradipodi is because, I reckon, it makes no secret of the

fact that it deals starkly and un-apologetically with sexual passion and the

struggle the AzhwAr had to put up to conquer it finally by the Grace of his

beloved Deity, Lord Ranganatha of Sri rangam. This kind of reaction strikes one

as a rather peculiar SriVaishnavite brand of Victorian prudery.

 

The story of the Azhwar's fall from Grace, his temporary infatuation with the

sensuality of the feminine form and of his eventual redemption thanks to divine

intervention is actually a wonderful and poignant tale of human struggle against

Lust ( " kaama " ) and eventual victory. There is nothing unnatural or pruriently

unsavory in this story nor does it in any way diminish or detract from the

Azhwar's glory. On the contrary, it actually enhances the AzhwAr's stature. The

Azhwar life-story truly succeeds in endearing him to one and all because in it

we see portrayed the naked truth about the human condition: of how even the

noblest amongst us can be tempted and corrupted by the primal passion of sex

that burns within us and how easily it can lead one astray but, then again, how

redemption and reformation too is not out of the reach of a true devotee whose

faith in divine grace remains ever firm.

 

Tondaradipodi's life is a glorious celebration indeed of the human spirit's

ability to transcend and sublimate itself. It is the best illustration, I would

say, of the oft-quoted saying, " Every saint has a past and every sinner has a

future " .

 

To every aspiring saint and to every repentant sinner of this world, I would

venture so far as to say, this Azhwar's life-story, with all its unexpurgated

details, is indeed a comforting inspiration.

 

*******************

 

Whether the " tirupalli-ezhucchi " and " tirumAlai " came to be sung before or after

the Azhwar's encounter with Deva Devi, I fear, can only be a matter of

speculation or conjecture, not scholarly debate.

 

My speculation is that the former was sung by the Azhwar before the fateful

relationship with the lady who seduced him began; and the " tirumAlai " was

probably sung by him after the relationship ended and he was transformed,

ripened and enriched by that cathartic experience in life.

 

I base my speculation on nothing more than a simple and direct reading of the

two wonderful poems, each of which has a distinctive mood, tone and vocabulary

that clearly reveal the AzhwAr's mental state.

 

The " tirupalli-ezhucchi " in its poetic utterances is full of blithe and

childlike innocence whereas in the " tirumAlai " , the AzhwAr's sentiments sound

grave and deep ... as if they belong to a sombre man who has grown worldly-wise

over the years and philosophic (Vedantic?) in outlook too and to one who has

tasted both the bitter and harsh as well as the sweet and joy of life.

 

Furthermore, in some of the stanzas and phrases of the TirumAlai (which I quote

below from the original Tamil without translation), the AzhwAr makes explicit

references in quasi- or wholly autobiographical terms to those very themes of

human lust, temptation and redemption which, rather strangely and regretfully,

some of us in the SriVaishnava community are so loath to acknowledge are verily

the sacred highpoints of the AzhwAr's glorious life.

 

(1) peNdiraal sukankaL uyppaan* periyathOr idumpai pooNdu*,

uNdiraak kidakkum pOdhu* udalukkE karainthu nainthu,*

 

(2) soothanaayk kaLvaNnaakith* thoorththarOdu isaintha kaalam,*

maatharaar kayaRkaN ennum* valaiyuL pattu azhunthuvEnai

 

(3) kuLiththu moonRanalai Ompum* kuRikoL an^thaNamai thannai,*

oLiththittEn en_kaNillai* nin_kaNum paththan allEn,*

kaLippathen koNdu nampi!* kadalvaNNaa! kathaRu kinREn,*

aLiththenakku aruLsey kaNdaay* arankamaa nakar uLaanE! (25)

 

(4) thuvarththa sevvaayinaarkkE * thuvakkaRath thurisanaanEn,*

avaththamE piRavi thanthaay

 

(5) meyyellaam pOka vittu * virikuzhalaaril pattu,*

 

 

Thank you and regards,

daasan

Sudarshan Madabushi

 

 

***********************

Re: question on biographical detail of Tondar-adi-podi AzhwAr

Posted by: " Dr.V.Sadagopan " yennappan   sadagopan10510

Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:52 am (PDT)

SrIman Sudarsan :

 

It is good to hear from you .

 

As you indicated , the encounter with

Deva DEvi is referred to by some accounts

and is rejected by others .

 

Granting that such an incident took place

in this Naishtika BrahmachAri AzhwAr's life

steeped in bhakthi for Lord RanganAtha ,

we have to remember that he was engaged in

Nandavana Kaimkaryam , when this incident

is said to have happened .

 

He was engaged in carrying Morning garlands to

Lord Ranganatha and awakening the Lord of the Universe .

It is fair to imagine that the Ranganatha Pativratai AzhwAr

sang ThiruppaLLiyezucchi for SuprabhAtham and woke up

His Lord and offered His MaalA Kaimkaryam .ThiruppaLLiyezucch i

recital in front of the Lord's sannidhi must therefore have been

nithyAnusandhAnam for the AzhwAr

and we are beneficiaries of that nithyAnusandhAnam

even today at Srirangam with the auspicious sound

of VeeNA Naadham .

 

This Sevai might have been interrupted during His time of

infatuation with Deva Devi , if we concede that such an

event took place . Barring factual references , one has to

make use of ykthi vAdham here .

 

ThoNDaradipodi AzhwAr was such a VairAgyasAli

and a Naishtika BrahmachAri at that , it is very hard

for AzhwAr abhimAnis to include this colorful inccident

in His life . This incident however has educational value

about the power of Kaamam and the dhivya dampathy's

intervention to set things straight .

 

In summary , I lean towards the view that these

two Prabhandhams arose from the AzhwAr

before this incident , if it ever took place .

 

NamO SrI RanganAthAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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