The ordinary ways of enjoying TiruppAvai-5

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Dear friends,

 

The traditional commentators ( " vyAkhyAna-kartAs " ) of the TiruppAvai were not

ordinary mortals... And the way they celebrated the work was certainly far from

" ordinary " .

 

They were formidable scholars and first-rate theologians steeped in the ancient

Vedic disciplines and lores. Periavaachaan-pillai, Azhagiya Manavaala-perumAl

naayanaar, JananyAchArya-swAmi (alias " aay " of TirunArAyana-puram),Nampillai,

Pillai-perumAl ayyangaar, Pinnb-alagiya-perumAl jeeyar, Prativadibhayankara

AnnangarAcharya of Kanchi --- all these medieval stalwarts (the last mentioned

was 20th century AD) truly made up the hallowed " Roll Call of Honour " , as it

were, of SriVaishnavite orthodox theology.

 

These commentators employed their prodigious intellectual calibre and skills to

interpret the sublime work of the AzhwArs viz. the 4000 'divya-prabhandhams "

entirely in the light and context of formal SriVaishnavite scripture or creed.

And the " TiruppAvai " of ANdAl and the " TiruvoimOzhi " (of NammAzhwAr) seem to

have been particular favorites of these great master-commentators.

 

AndAl's poetic genius especially, shining through the sparkling

phrases/metaphors of the TiruppAvai, served these commentators as so much

'ready-made', 'pre-fabricated' building-material with which they could easily

construct an imposing and elaborate edifice of theology. They did it by writing

copious and magnificent exegeses in a rather peculiar but felicitous idiom,

script and dialect known as " mani-pravALam " , a highly stylized hybrid of

Sanskrit and Tamil. The grand edifice eventually came to be bequeathed to

SriVaishnava posterity as a sacred compendium of scriptural theses, doctrines,

theories and commentaries known under the titles of " muvaayira-padi " , " aaraayira

padi " , " naalayirapadi " , " Iraayirapadi " and the " eedu " . 

 

Reading these medieval theologians today is undoubtedly a very arduous task

especially for the " ordinary " reader unschooled (or inadequately schooled) in

SriVaishnava thought, faith, ritual and the lifestyle of an yester-age. Only

specially trained " mani-pravALam " scholars (the equivalent of a medieval

language PhD) today can fathom the beauty and depth of the " mani-pravALam "

originals. To the " ordinary " reader, on the other hand, the traditional

commentary will perhaps be just about as accessible as the original " Illiad " of

Homer or Dante's " Inferno " . The language will be found to be archaic; the

approach to the subject highly erudite (occasionally densely doctrinaire or

pedagogic too); and it may leave one wondering how so much of daunting and

elaborate theology came to be churned out of the seemingly simple and charming

poetry found in the original works. To understand this point we only to have

recall the illustration given in the last posting of

mine -- i.e. the example of how the traditional commentators could skillfully

demonstrate (as " svApadEsArtham " ) the abstruse but sacred theological doctrine

of " artha-panchakam " lying latent and deep within AndAl's simple metaphor of

" cotton-bedding " in the 19th stanza of the TiruppAvai:

 

                " ... metthenra pancha-sayanattin mEleri " .

 

If one didn't know anyting about the SriVaishnava doctrine of " artha-panchakam " ,

there was simply no way he/she could appreciate the poetic metaphor of

" pancha-sayanam " in the TiruppAvai much less enjoy or savor the expression as

elaborated in grand and cerebral " mani-pravALam " style. Period.

 

No, Sir, the medieval TiruppAvai " vyAkhyAnams " were definitely not " ordinary " by

any standard.

 

More in the  next postings.

 

Best Regards,

Sudarshan MK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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