Bhagavad Ramanuja Vaibhavam- 1.8- sweetness of Nammazhwar- Satakopa name.. and benefits

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Let us continue to enjoy the acharya’s glories. More on our Kulapathi's sweet

name (as described by Sri Madhurakavi AzhwAr).

 

Madhuram itself means honey. This AzhwAr himself writes verses (prabandhams)

which are like honey; and if he says, the name of NammAzhwAr itself is sweet and

gives us instant everlasting sweetness which is sweeter than the Lord's name,

then where is the question of denying it?

 

Madhurakavi AzhwAr being a great devotee of the Lord Sriman Narayanan, went on a

pilgrimage trip to North India. He went to ayOddhi, and from there he could have

desired to go to dwaraka. He describes the Lord KrishnA first.

 

kaNNinuN chiRutthaambinaal kattuNNap paNNiya peru maayan- en appan..

en appan- My Swamy- My Father; My Lord- who is the Mysterious Lord (maayan)-

who is the primordial Chief; Supreme Lord- Lord of all; - He out of His

greatest sowlabhyam, and sowseelyam (neermai - in Tamil), [easily accessible

nature of His] stooping down to an ordinary cowherd boy of an illiterate YasOdhA

PiraaTTi (the blessed mother). Angered by His mischief of stealing eating

butter, she threatened him with a stick, and grabbed a rope to tiem Him down to

a mortar.

 

The rope was short of the circumference of His

ThirumEni (divine Body) and she (wondering- as to how the rope can be

shorter than this little boy's body- when she knew that it is longer), took

another longer rope and attempted. Again, it became smaller than the body.

 

The Boy was standing with His mouth and lips quivering, tears rolling down

cheeks, eyes full of water; Hands shutting the mouth not to let the cries

heard by His mother (then she gets more angry); and He does this mystery of

making the rope shorter than His body circumference.

 

She gets fed up.. Kutti KaNNan crying externally (and smiling inside), could not

digest his mother getting troubled anymore and makes Himself available and

accessible for being tied down to the mortar. YasOdhA now smiles when the rope

(at last- not knowing it is due to KaNNan's sankalpam only) is just nice. She

ties Him tightly with that thin, slender rope with strands, to mortar. The Lord,

who is never bound by anything, is now bound by a simple rope, tied by a simpler

human being. (NammAzhwAr faints adoring the

sowseelyam of this Lord's, when he sings.. etthiRam uralinOdu

iNaindhiandhEngiya eLivE.... - How and what sowseelyam to be tied down to

mortar!]

 

In the world, generally people run to human beings (bosses, chief, kings and

others) and the demi gods for material benefits and worldly pleasures. The

Lord of Devas is sought by few knowledgeable people to seek what they need

in this world. Knowing his Parathvam unambiguously, and realizing his

greatest sowseelyam and sowlabhya kalyANa guNas in its entirety, there are

rare few who consider Him alone as the means as well as the end and nothing else

do they aspire for. Our Madhurakavi AzhwAr being one among those rare few went

everywhere and finally landed at AyOddhi where he saw a light in the sky from

the south. Wondering that rare and uncommon light in the sky, he traced to reach

at Thirukkurugoor (the light was not seen by anyone else- is to be noted..).

 

Thus, he skipped going to Dwaraka and landed at

Thirukurugoor where NammAzhwAr (at the age of 16) was in his trance.

NammAzhwAr had not spoken since birth and now when Madhurakazi AzhwAr came

and stood, AzhwAr opened his eyes and answered the query from NammAzhwAr

(first time he opened his eyes and spoke...)

 

Our NammAzhwAr has become Parama bhOgyam now for me- says Madhurakavi

AzhwAr. That does not mean that I have not realized about the Lord's

greatness. I know that He is Sarva dEvathA Saarvabhouman. He is the Swamy

for all and for me too. Look at His sowlabhyam and sowseelyam (and that's

why I mentioned the tying the rope incident). When one thinks of such

greatest Lord with such accessible nature of His, how can one not get

sweetness.. Sure-one can get the utmost sweetness. But when I saw this

Kurugoor Nambhi, NammAzhwAr, the divine utterance of His name (AzhwAr's

name) itself has become sweet instantly. At the very moment of uttering his

name makes it (the utterance) sweeter than anything else. The tongue which

is blessed to recite the Divya SrI Sookthis of this AzhwAr has now been

relishing the sweet nectar flowing therein by uttering his name.

 

When the name itself is so sweet granting, how can one talk of the sweetness of

having the darshan of SaTakOpar (Sri nammAzhwAr)? Indescribable. Also, down the

ages, people will not be able to see the vibhava avatar of this AzhwAr and can

relish the sweetness by simple utterance of his name.. realize that oh folks!

That's why I have been uttering his name (sweetness for myself and for you all

to follow the same.)

 

En appanil- From my Swamy- Father (leaving Him)I have come to this AzhwAr.

Is that correct? Can one leave the Lord and come to Acharya as everything?

Is that correct? One can get such doubts.

 

Swamy Desikan says: It is strictly in accordance with saasthras. It is

oldest ancient tradition (thol vazhi) and the correct, most accurate

tradition and practice- nal vazhi to surrender at the feet of Acharya. Like the

life can not sustain without food, the means of Bhakti yoga and Prapatti will

not hold water without AcharyasrayaNam. This way of surrendering at the feet of

Acharyan is the way (old way through which many - our Poorvacharyas - have

walked and hence well laid out and reaching destination is certain) and it is

the correct way in line with saasthrAs (nal vazhi). Those who have realized this

understanding the meaning of KaNNinunChiRuthaambu are the intelligent and brave

ones (DhIrA:) who have taken this path which is ancient and correct. Swamy

Desikan has not just given his interpretation on his own. He has followed (as

always) the sruthis and smurthis to mention this. The word DhIrA: is referred in

MuNDakOpanishad where it mentions " AcharyaasrayaNam alone can grant all fruits

and those who do that are DhIrA " says the Upanishad.

 

sa vEdhaithath paramam bhramha DhAma yathra viswam nihitham bAthi Subram |

upAsathE purusham yE hyakAmA: thE SukthamEthadhathivarthanthi DHEERAA:

Sathyaki Tantram gives us the same message , when it says: " GurO: Gurutaram

naasthi " ( There is nothing more sacred than one's AchAryA) . Upanishad

asserts : " AchArya dEvO Bahva " .

 

In the second slOkam of Sri NyAsa Vimsathi , Sri NigamAntha MahA Desikan

gives us the reasons for worshipping the AchAryan as equivalent to

SarvEsvaran. He also states emphatically in the spirit of Saathyaki Tanthram

that no one can ever pay back the debt of gratitude to one's AchAryA for their

mahOpakAram. It is for this reason that , Swami Desikan says that we have to

worship our AchAryAs as the Lord Himself ( AchArya : sadhbhi: aprathyupakaraNa

dhiyA dEvavath upasya: syAth ).

 

Swamy says: Achaaryaadhiha dEvathAm samadhikaam anyaamna manyaamahE.. We

will never ever consider anyone as Superior to God than The Acharyan. (In

line with Madhurakavi's dhEvu maRRaRiyEn.. (I do not know any God other than

NammAzhwAr- my AchArya).

 

Acharyan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

namo narayana

dAsan