thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 21 - nAttam othukkiyE naduvOm arangamE !

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Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 21 - nAttam othukkiyE naduvOm arangamE !

 

Dear bAgawathAs,

 

thudikkum minnal thoorigai Oviyam

padikkum pinnalil Oriru kAviyam

thOttam sethukkiya thondar kulAmE

nAttam othukkiyE naduvOm arangamE !

 

meaning:

The ligtening is quivering. It is suffering and throbbing such,

in mental agitation due to its separation from Sri Arangan. Such

thudippu or " pulse " is so powerful such that it is using its beam

as its thoorigai or paint brush and is painting an Oviyam or

sirpam in the sky. Such Oviyam is very beautuful. This Oviyam is

nothing but a reminder for all jivAthmAs to surrender to Sri

Arangan. The most beautiful women of Srirangam have their back

combing or " pinnal " in a classic style. Even that " pinnal "

resembles the minnal and as well tells us a kAviyam or two on the

perumAi or speciality of doing saranagathi to Sri Arangan. Those

thoNdars who do nurse, trim and chisel a garden (of bAgawatha

koottam) for Sri Arangan's thiru nanthavana kainkaryam, we appeal

to you all. Oh! thondar kulAmE, let us all unite and keep aside

our misunderstanding in the form of " nAttam " on other lowkeeka

vishayAs and let us all seek to surrender to our pradhama

AchAryAL Sri Arangan. It also mean those bAgwatha utthamAs and

AchAryA purushALS who treasured and nurtured by kAlakshEbhams

the vyAkyAna granthams of poorvAchAryAs such as Sri periavAcchAn

pillais, will always keep aside anyother nAttam and seek to

Sri Arangan's thiru AruL all the time. They do so through the

path or upAyam shown by poorvAchAryA'L and Sri ANDAL's and Sri

nammAzwAr's granthams.

 

AchArya thatthuvam, oru SiRu viLAkkam:

Many times one may argue that substance is more important than

symbol etc. But the substance sometimes " appear " as symbol. One

has to see this using their own Athma swaroopam to see that the

substance is in the disguise of symbol as well. So, when the

symbol itself becomes a substance one cannot ignore it. In this

episode it is important to note the bearer of the lamp or deepam

as pointed by Sri Arangan to Sri thiru mangai AzhwAr himself. The

deepam can be substance and the bearer can be the symbol. But

then why would peria perumAL show Sri Utthama nambi to AzhwAr and

makes Sri utthama namabi do the upadEsam about the upAya rahasyam

of Athma samarppanam to AzhwAr?

 

The word utthama means superior. It also means suddha satthvam

or " sath " , because suddha saththuvam is superior to other. The

word " nambi " (*) means " AchAryAL " . Together these tamil words

" utthama " and " nambi " , mean a sadhAchAryAL. So it is not a mere

symbol that one may ignore Sri utthama nambi's presence in

this episode altogether. It is considered in manyways that Sri

nAmmAzwAr is thiru mangai's AchAryAL though thiru mangai received

mantra upadEsdam from the pradhAna AchAryAL peria perumAL HIMself.

On realising the importance of the AchAryA thatthuvam Sri Thiru

mangai immediately wanted to invite HIS AchAryAL Sri nammAzhwAr.

It is interpretted by some that by making one's Athma *directly*

as " suddha satthva Athma " one can enjoy mOkshAnubavam as similar

to nitya sooris in Srivaikundam. Such interpretations sometimes

mean ignoring AchAryA sambandham altogether for obtaining mOksham.

While reading the term suddha sathvam often in such

interpretation one should note that one cannot attain it by their

own efforts. Or else AzhwAr could have used some other means for

" attaining suddha sathva AthmA " and could have avoided an

AchAryAL altogether. AzhwAr didnot merely interpret the thiruk

kArthigai deepam as one's own effort to make his athmA as " suddha

sathva AthmA. He didnot merely sought to make his AthmA as

" suddha sathva AthmA " through " some other " means or on his own

efforts. Though he is an AzhwAr himself in order to show us the

AchAryA thatthuvam he sought to Sri nammAzhwAr, his (mAnaseeka)

AchAryAL. Hence the presence of Sri Utthama nambi is interpreted

by Sri thirumangai's own " conduct " (of inviting Sri nammAzhwAr).

The interpretation is such that the sadAchAryA sambhandam for

mOksham through prapatti or saranagathi is very important.

 

Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiruk kudanthai Rengarajan

 

note: For a quick reference, please read from Bhakti archives on

some simple meanings for Nambi written by adiyEn.

http://www2.be.com/~mani/bhakti/archives/may98/0124.html

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