Inputs for CD ROMs : Part VIII-- Thirumazhisai AzhwAr : Part II

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Swamy Desikan's Tribute: In his Prabhandha Saaram , Swamy

Desikan pays tribute to Thirumazhisai this way: Thirumazhisai

was born in the MahIsAra KshEthram during one Thai month, when

the Maha nakshathram was in ascendance. He examined many

religions/faiths and evaluated their deficencies and through

his " Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi Prabhnadham " revealed that

Sriman NaarAyaNan alone is the Para Dhaivam ( Supreme Being)

fit for upAsanai and SaraNAgathi as per the teachings

of timeless Vedams. He also established that Sriman NaarAyaNan

is the quintessence of Vedaarthams.He blessed us with

Thirucchandha viruttham containing 120 passurams and

through that Prabhandham established that all the chEthanams

and achEthanams of the universe serve as sarIram for the Lord.

Swamy Desikan prayed to MazhisaippirAn to bless him

with the power to recite his two Prabhandhams and

comprehend fully their true meanings.

 

Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr's Tribute

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AmudanAr states that AchArya RaamAnujA holds firmly

the sacred feet of Thirumazhisai in his heart because

of the AzhwAr's universal fame arising from his

upadesam about VishNu Paaramyam ( Supermacy of

Sriamn NaarAyanan among all gods ) through his

visEsha Svaroopa Jn~Anam.Thirumazhisai AzhwAr is saluted

as the One , who never put back his sword in its sheath ,

when it came to the subject of Para Tatthva NirNayam

(Sriman NaarAyaNa's status as the ParamAthmA).

 

Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi

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It has 96 paasurams containing commentaries on core Vaishnavite

doctrines.The essence of this Prabhandham is about the highest

bliss of God realization through the path of Surrender

to the Highest Being (Sriman NaarAyaNan ) alone ;

AzhwAr reveals to us that The Lord of Sri Devi is

the ultimate cause and is " capable of sublimating

the humans , even as He stated in His GitA that all

(other ) tastes are discarded , when the Ultimate (Para)

is seen and experienced ( param dhrushtvA nivarthatE).

AzhwAr himself states in his first paasuram that

" Lord NaarAyaNa is the primordial creator " and

that we should contemplate on this tatthvam , remember

it without fail and act on it.

 

Illustrative Paasurams of Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi

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Dr.V.N.Vedanthadesikan explains With the help of PramANams

like , " DhivyO Deva yEko NaarAyaNa: , yEka yEva JanArdhana: ,

yEkO ha yEva NaarAyaNa aaseeth , na BrahmA nEsAanaha " ,

AzhwAr proves that Lord NaarAyaNa is the Jagath KaaraNan and

the primordial creator.AzhwAr goes on to develop

for the first time the VyUhA theory of PaancharAthra

Aagamam in dhivya Prab. He takes on all the followers of Veda-Baahya

mathams as well as the atheistic mImAmsa and refutes

firmly their doctrines as unsound and untenable. He

performs upadesam to the mImAmsakAs that Lord is

the ordainer of all fruits and the granter of

the results of all actions in His role as karmAdhyakshan

(paasuram 2: yetthavam cheythArkkum aruL mudivathu

AazhiyAn paal)).

 

In the fourth paasuram, AzhwAr points out that

Sriman NaarAyaNan is the " Sarva-Vaachaka sabdha "

svarUpi. Every word and name in the final analysis

connotes Him only. AzhwAr recognizes the nearness

(saamIpya) of the Lord to us in our struggles and

points out that it is " only through His grace ,

not by our works or intellect or by our charity

that we attain Him " .

 

In the seventh paasuram, AzhwAr has an intimate conversation

with Sriman Naarayana and confides: " Oh Lord Naarayana !

You are my Lord and Master . I am Your vassal and servant .

This relationship is unconditioned and unbreakable. Your

grace is to flow towards me , surely and certainly , whether

be it today or tomorrow or after some time , however long

it might be. This is well nigh certain. Because You can not

exist without me (You calling Yourself , the Lord and Master)

and I can not have an existence without You ( I being known

as Your vassal and servant) . What a wonderfful relationship

that binds us ! " ( Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan ).

 

In the 12th paasuram , AzhwAr performs upadEsam to us and says that

every one of our limbs should be devoted to serving Him in utter

humility ( jihvE keeerthya Kesavam slOkam of Mukundha Maalai).

AzhwAr reminds us that Sriman Naarayanan is the true siddhOpAyam

with the power to grant us Moksham ( Paasuram 13).He chastises us

for sinking deep into misery by not reciting His names (Paasuram 14).

Sarva VyApakathvam of Sriman Naarayana is saluted by Azhwar

in his 20th paasuram ( Ulahu yellAm neeyE , ninnaruLE

niRpanavum , neeyE tavatthEva dEvanum).

 

Azhwar has equal affection for Vibhava avathArams of the Lord

as well as ArchaavathArams. He has a special affection for

Bhaktha Vathsala Narasimhan ( AzhahiyAn taanE Ariuruvan taanE

PazhahiyAn taanE paNimin)and Prapanna SamrakshaNa-dhIkshitha

Raaman , Nappinnai paramAnandhan ,KrishNan. He is totally

enchanted by ThiruvEnkatamudayAn (veRppenRu Venkatam paadinEn,

veeDAkki ninRu ninaikkinREn/Paasuram 40 )and RanganAthan

(Paasuram 60).He had special affection for the ArchA moorhtys in

Sayana ThirukkOlam ( AarAvamudhan, YathOkthakAri, Kapisthalam ,

ThiruvevvuL , Anbil and ThiruppARkkadal : NaahatthaNai Kudanthai--

Paasuram 36 ).In his 63rd Paasuram, AzhwAr describes how

he spends his time on the Lord's earth (LeelA VibhUthi):

" Oh Lord ! I sustain my life by activities , namely ,of learning

about You, writing about You , reading Your dhivya charithram ,

prostrating before You , performing Thiru AarAdhanam for You

and engaging in all types of Kaimkaryams to You. Indeed my

life is sustained only because of such an engaging mode

of existence " (Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan).

 

In the 85th paasuram , AzhwAr confirms that his job

in this life is to chant the Lord's sacred naamams

and that activity is his recreation as well.In his magnificent

85th paasuram ( uLan kaNdAi nannenjE) , AzhwAr describes

himself as an upAya Soonyan ( indigent and unqualified for

the Lord's grace through appropriate anushtAnam )and

yet the Lord rushes to his rescue out of His limitless

DayA gunam ( TamiyERkku yen oppArkku tAnnAi uLan kaNN).

 

In yet another paasuram ( paasuram 72)distilling

the essence of Lord's charama slOkam of Bhagavath Geethai ,

AzhwAr performs this upadesam for us: " It is not correct to

assume that either the dharmAs of the four Asramams

(Brahmacharyam et al)or the different paths (Karma , Bhakthi

and Jn~Ana yOgams) themselves serve as means for Moksham.

No action , no penance ,no atonement by itself can yield

the fruit of Moksham. All is NaarAyaNa , all is dependent

on His grace and His will to grant , " Whomever He chooses ,

Whomever He likes , he or she will attain the Lord. Will

anybody refuse this Tatthvam ? No. Emphatically , I say, He

is the Supreme UpAyam.This is the essence of the Lord's

charama slOkam (NaraNanE eethu aavathu yenRu).

 

In a moving summation of Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi ,

Thirumazhisai reminds the Lord that he will never

ever forget His RakshaNam ( Kaapu maranthu aRiyEn:

Paasuram 93) and concludes this prabhandham on

a majestic note distilling the essence of Sri VaishNva

doctrines:

 

iniaRinthEn IsaRkkum NaanmuhaRkkum dhaivam

iniaRinthEnem PerumAn unnai -iniaRinthEn

KAARANAM NEE KARRAVAI NEE KARPAVAI NEE , NARRKKIRISAI

NAARANAN NEE NANKARINTHEN NAAN --Paasuram 96

 

(meaning according to Dr.VedAntha Desikan ): Oh My Lord!

What have I learnt ! I have learnt that You are the Lord to

Siva and Brahma and the like. I have correctly comprehended

Your innate nature. I have learnt also that You are

the cause of all things; that You are the subject of

all learning , that You are going to be the subject matter

of all future knowledge as well. That is a, things learnt

or to be learnt are all out of You and depend on You. All

good acts constitute You (This is unlike what pertains

to other gods). Thus by acquiring the wisdom on all fronts,

I have become fully fit to speak of as 'my self' (only

knowledge would signify the soul). Thus , I have acquired all

the knowledge that should mark one in at the stage of Mukthi

endowed with Jn~Ana VikAsam (blossoming of true Jn~Anam).

 

(To be continued)

 

Thirucchandha Viruttham

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