CD ROM Write Ups: part IV--- pEyAzhwAr & MoonRAm ThiruvanthAthi

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Here is the write up for pEy AzhwAr and

His prabhandhams. Please send me your

comments /Suggestions prior to finalization

of this draft as private notes.

 

Please also let me know privately , if you wish to

receive the other texts on the rest of the AzhwArs

that are getting ready .

 

The front end of the CD ROM on AzhwArs will emphasize

stright " story telling " with Images and Graphics without

the complication of esoteric terminology .The " back end "

like the " Tell Me More " sections that you see in this write up

will have the needed sampradhAyic language .

 

Thanks in advance for your help ,

Daasan, V.SatakOpan

 

>General remarks

>***************

>PeyAzhwAr is the third of the Mudhal AzhwArs.

>He was born in Mylapore ( Maada Maamayilai)

>inside a red lotus flower bloomin in the well

>at AdhikEsava PerumAL Koil as the amsam of

>the Lord's Sword (Nandhakam).

>

>This AzhwAr was PerumAL-obsessed (pitthan )and

>hence was called pEy AzhwAr. Just like PeriyAzhwAr ,

>he was able to have the direct sevai of PerumAL

>effortlessly through his Parama Bhakthi . He performed

>MangaLAsAsanam for PerumAL, ThAyAr and PerumAL's weapons at

>ThirukkOvalUr just as PeriyAzhwAr did at Tenn Mathurai.

>pEy AzhwAr is considered as an AchAryan for Thirumazhisai

>AzhwAr in our sampradhAyam.

>

>Dr.VedAntha Desikan points out that Poygai elaborated

>upon manana Paryantha Jn~Anam (transcendent knowledge)

>as his way of experiencing the Lord. Bhootham focused on

>the derivative of Jn~Anam , dhyAnam/nithidhyAsanam

>to similar effect. pEy AzhwAr joined both experiencs

>to arrive at Para Jn~Anam for the total vision /sevai

>( ParipoorNa-SaakshAthkaram ) of the Lord with His PirAtti.

>Poygai saluted the Lord as Ubhaya Vibhoothi Yukthan ( possessor

>of the wealth of both leelA vibhoothi and nithya Vibhoothi/

>this world and Sri Vaikuntam).Bhootham pointed out that

>the NaarAyaNa Naamam stands for the Ubhaya Vibhoothis

>of our Lord. pEy AzhwAr asserted that this Ubhaya Vibhoothi

>yuktha NaarAyaNan should be addressed with the prefix

>of " Srimath " ( Sriman NaarAyaNan ) in recognition of

>His Eka Seshithva Yogam .

>

>pEy AzhwAr performed MangaLAsAsanam for 15 dhivya dEsams:

>(1)Thiru atta bhuyakaram (2) Thiru AtthiyUr (3)Thiruvarangam

>(4)ThiruvallaikkENi (5) Thirukkatikai (6) Thirukkudanthai

>(7)ThirukkOttiyUr (8)Thirupparama Padham (9)ThiruppAdakam

>(10)ThiruppARkkadal (11) ThirumAlirum ChOlai (12)ThiruviNNagar

>(13)Thiruvehha (14)ThiruvEnkatam and (15) ThiruvELukkai .

>

>Tell Me More section

>*********************

>Dr.K.C.varadachari describes the unique greatness

>of pEy AzhwAr this way : " His greatness lies in his

>knowledge-vision of the Divine from deeper perception

>of God's eternal di-unity as Divine Two , comprising

>NaarAyana and His consort Sri ( Thiru). This perception ,

>which is subtle and deep profoundly revealing the divine's

>Integral Nature , goes beyond the intuition of Poygai

>and the dream (meditation)of Bhootham in so far as it shows

>the redemptive Grace of God to one , who has verily

>entered into Him.The impersonal or logical highest of

>Poygai melts imperceptibly into the Personal Highest of

>Bhootham and grows into the experience of Grace inseperably

>united with the Person , who is the primal cause of ALL ,

>the support and sustenance of all the worlds...The Divine

>Mother has been brought into the vision of God , and

>this experience has become cardinal to the entire theology

>of Sri VaishNavism , which emphasizes that Sri Devi is

>the redemptive grace , which operates on and through

>every function of the Divine Lord-Cause.Nothing in

>the World is Graceless (i-e) all evil; for , at the bottom

>of all is the operation of the purest Grace , a grace-power

>that is omnipotent, leading the soul to its transcendent

>destiny , acting as the Teacher and Mother and all " .

>

>Illustrative Examples of pEy AzhwAr's parama Bhakthi

>*****************************************************

>According to Dr.K.C.VaradAchAri , we have to remember

>three gems of spiritual experience of God in pEy AzhwAr's

>prabhandham : (1) The Supreme Lord is Sriman NaarAyaNan

>possessing Sri Devi in His divine heart(2) He is the most

>beautiful and satisfying Being and (3) He is the most tender

>healer of of all sorrows and abolisher of sins and fear of

>samsAram as well as granter of Moksham .

>

>In the very first verse pEy describes with exultation

>the great joy of the seeing the Lord with Sri Devi and

>His dhivya aayudhams (weapons) :

>

> " Today is a great day .I secured the privilege of

>seeing the Lord's Form (ThirumEni) , by His grace.

>I saw MahA Lakshmi;I saw Her on a pure gold body of

>the Lord;His effulgence was like that of the Sun;I saw

>the enemy-destroying , fiery , but beautiful chakram

>(in one hand);I saw also the bent Conch (Paanchajanyam)

>in the other hand . All of these I saw in my dear

>Ocean-hued Lord , Sriman NaarAyanan " (Dr.V.N. Vedantha Desikan).

>

>In the second paasuram , pEy addresses the Lord as

>ThirumAl ( Lord of Lakshmi) and says: " Today , I saw

>Your feet and clasped them as my refuge for ever.Thus ,

>I have successfully obviated all my future births.

>

>In the third paasuram , AzhwAr points out that

>Sriman NaarAyanan is " the sure medicine with which

>we can cure ourselves of the maladies like SamsAram " .

>In the fourth paasuram, Sriman NaarAyaNan's ThiruvadigaL

>are pointed out as our Means , Goal and the bhOgyam(enjoyemnt).

>

>The Holy feet of the Lord has the greatest fascination

>for pEy because of its redemptive power. In the 24th

>paasuram, He begs his mind to hold onto His lotus feet

>and asks the mind to keep on worshipping them without

>a break forever.

>

>pEy AzhwAr's " God-madness " finds its outlet in the 35th

>Paasuram this way: " My eyes long and yearn for seeing

>the golden form of the Lord with His many aabharaNams

>and flower garlands adorning His divine chest.Meanwhile,

>my hands wish to supplicate and serve at the feet golden ,

>with well-set songs in tandem with the beetles that hum

>in His garlands , in praise of His valorous feats " .

>

>The Upanishadic insights of the divine attributes

>of the Lord and His svaroopa VisEshams are brought out

>beautifully by pEy Azhwar .We will cite a few :

>

> " If one were to define and describe the Lord fully ,

>it would be an impossible task..There is no one like

>Him ..He is singular and incomparable.He is the soul to

>all beings and things , which are , so to say ,His Body...

>Such a personage is indeed the Only One , namely,

>the Lord " ( Paasuram 38)...(Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan)

>

> " The Lord is the sustaining force for our existence.

>We exist only because He so wills it...Remember He has

>sworn , as an oath, to protect us " (Paasuram 40).

>

> " He was alone at first. He is the material cause

>of the world (Paasuram 46).This statement is a direct

>echo of MahOpanishad Vaakyam : " yEkO ha vai NaarAyana

>aaseeth " .

>

>The message (upadesam) given to us in the 88th Paasuram is

>some thing that we have to reflect with intensity always

>because of its greatness and optimism: " Oh Men of

>the World! You obviously suffer from a misgiving : The path

>prescribed by the SaasthrAs is good and to be adhered to.But ,

>I have been on the wrong and sinful path forever. Where is

>the hope for my redemption ? This doubt , this diffidence ,

>is not warranted. Once You surrender at His feet , which are

>golden and which are most delectable , with an absolute faith

>in His nature to intervene on behalf of a surrendered one ,

>then all your piNyams and pApams will disappear from

>the very moment of the act of surrender(prapatthi) " ..Dr.V.N.V

>

>The 95th paasuram is a great anubhavam of AzhwAr's Parama Bhakthi.

>Here , the Azhwar says: " I lit a lamp--a lamp of realization

>that He is THE UpAyA well-set for us.I caught Him in the bright

>light of my lamp , netted Him as though in my firm vow to be

>in implicit obedience to His commands.He gladly entered my heart ,

>stood, then sat and finally laid Himself down , making my

>heart His perennial abode " ..Dr.V.N.V

>

>In the 100th and concluding paasuram , pEy AzhwAr pays

>tribute to Sri Devi in recognition of this Prabhandham

>being One , which enjoys the Union of the Lord with

>Sri Devi , His PirAtti.He declares " thEn amarum poo

>mEl Thiru , namakku yenRum Saarvu " . AzhwAr concludes his

>powerful prabhandham this way: " That MahA Lakshmi is

>the sure resort to us , of discerning ability in all

>the stages--PurushakAra (Commendation/sipArsu) , UpAya

>( Prapatthi performance) and UpEya (bliss enjoyment as

>fruit of our effort).

>

>pEy AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

>Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

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