Inputs for CD ROMs : Part X.2-- Taniyans for Madhura Kavi AzhwAr's Prabhandham

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

AdiyEn will cover the two Taniyans--one in Sanskrit and

the other in Tamil--created by Swamy Naathamuni out of his

gratefulness to Madhura Kavi and his powerful Prabhandham ;

Swamy Naathamuni had the rarest of blessings of being

initated into the divine collect by Swamy NammAzhwAr himself

as a result of reciting Madhura Kavi's prabhandham .Next ,

adiyEn will cover the insightful tribute of Swamy Desikan

to " Thunpu aRRa Madhura Kavi " ( blemishless Madhura Kavi).

 

Sanskrit Taniyan

*****************

avidhitha vishayAnthara: SatArE:

upanishadAm upaghAna-mAthra-bhOga:

api cha guNavasAth tadhEkasEshee

Madhura Kavi: hrudayE mamAvirasthu

 

(meaning): May Madhura Kavi Azhwar be forever resident

in my heart! Madhura Kavi is that celebrated AzhwAr ,

who had no interest in Isvaryam , Kaivalyam or Bhagavath-

Anubhavam since his mind was totally occupied by the thoughts

about his AchAryan , Swamy NammAzhwAr . His AchAryan's sambhandham

was the only one that mattered to him .His sole enjoyment

was the singing of the four prabhandhams of Swamy NammAzhwAr

every where as the four Tamil Vedams instead of studying

the Upanishads or the dhivya Prabhandhams of other AzhwArs.

Madhura Kavi considered Swamy NammAzhwAr as his Lord (sEshi)

and with that sEshathva jn~Anam , he was forever engaged in

the dhyAnam of the kalyANa guNams of " his Lord " . May that

illustrious Madhura Kavi , who celebrated his AchAryan's

prabhAvam through his " KaNNInuNN SiRutthAmpu " prabhandham

be the revered occupant of my heart lotus !

 

Tamil Taniyan

**************

vERu onRum NaanaRiyEn Vedam Tamizh seytha-

Maaran SathakOpan vaNN KuruhUr --yERengaL

VaazhvAm yenRu yEtthum Madhura kaviyAr yemmai

aaLvAr avarE araN

 

(meaning): Madhura Kavi AzhwAr is our Lord. He is our

refuge. He is the one , who declared that his mind

will not focus on any thing except Swamy NammAzhwAr.

He is the one , who declared emphatically that Swamy

NammAzhwAr, born at ThirukkuruhUr in the vamsam of

MaaRan and who blessed us with the essence of Sanskritic

Veda-VedAnthams in Tamil language ,is the sustenance

for his kulam. That Madhura Kavi is our Swamy and

the cause for our sustenance.

 

Swamy Desikan's moving tribute to Madhura Kavi

***********************************************

There are 11 paasurams in KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu

Prabhandham of Madhura Kavi. The last paasuram is

a Phala Sruthi describing the fruits of reciting

this prabhandham.In the rest of the ten paasurams,

Madhura Kavi conceded that all the relationships

that he should have with BhagavAn are instead with

Swamy NammAzhwAr. Swamy Desikan captured this unique

disposition of Madhura Kavi in one insightful paasuram

of his Prabhandha Saaram:

 

Inbatthil iRainjuthalil isayum pERRil

ihazhAtha pall uRavilirAgam maaRRil

tann paRRil vinai Vilakkil tahavOkkatthil

tatthuvatthai uNartthutalil tanmai aakkil

anbarkkE avatharikkum Aayan niRka

arumaRaikaL Tamizh seythAn thALE koNDu

thunpaRRa Madhura Kavi thOnRak kaattum

tholl vazhiyE nall vazhikaL thuNivAhatkkE

 

Pada URai( Word by word Meanings)

**********************************

Inbatthil = in gaining(experiencing ) bliss

 

iRainjuthalil= in performing SaraNAgathi

 

isayum pERRil= in granting desired purushArthams

 

ihazhAtha pall uRavil = in sustaining many types

of durable relationships

 

irAgam mARRil = in destroying attachment to other matters

 

tann paRRil = in giving His hand (Jn~Anak Kai)

 

vinai vilakkil = in banishing the paapa -puNyams

 

tahava Okkatthil = in exhibiitng deep compassion(dayA)

 

tatthuvatthi uNartthutathil = in generating clear

Jn~Anam

 

tanmai aakkil = in blessing the jeevan with many qualities

similar to His( above ten being

the anugrahams of the Lord for the Jeevan)

 

anbarkkE = That Lord , who incarnates in this world

avatharikkum solely for those , who have bhakthi for Him

 

Aayan niRkka = while that Sulabha-Gopaalan is waiting

to bless him (Madhura Kavi) with His

anugraham , Madhura Kavi let go of Him

 

aru MaraikaL Tamizh }

SeythAn tALE koNDu } = and took refuge instead at

the sacred feet of Swamy

NammAzhwAr --who transformed

the Sanskrit VedAs into pure

TamiL-- for gaining the above

ten anugrahams granted normally

by the Lord Himself

 

Thunpu aRRa Madhura Kavi

thOnRak-kaattum tholl = That ancient path (AchArya

VazhiyE thuNivArkatkku abhimatham) travelled by

nall VazhukaL Madhura Kavi and described in

his prabhandha paasurams for

the benefit of the people of

this world , is the noblest

path to be travelled by those

with unalloyed AchArya VisvAsam .

 

Madhura Kavi was born before Swamy NammAzhwAr , when Lord had

incarnated as KrishNaBhagavAn and He was ruling from DhvArakai.

This was at the end of dhvApara Yugam. Swamy NammazhwAr

was born on the 43rd day of Kali Yugam that follows dhvApara

yugam. While the Lord was in this world , Madhura Kavi did

not elect to seek Him out , but waited and sought refuge later

at Swamy NammAzhwAr's Thiruvadi deliberately.He sought all

the ten anugrahams normally granted by the Lord from

his AchAryan Swamy NammAzhwAr , since AchAryan was every

thing for Madhura Kavi and he restricted all his sambhandhams

to his AchAryan. The aasrayaNam of his AchAryan was the only

thing that mattered to Madhura Kavi.He performed upadesam

for us that without AchArya Sambhandham and AaasrayaNam ,

Bhakthi and Prapathti would not become fruitful. As a tathtva

Jn~Ani , Madhura Kavi practised the truism , " AchAryavatthayA

mukthou " (because of having a SadAchArya sambhandham alone ,

one gains mOksha Siddhi).

 

Swamy Desikan thus summarized in his inimitable way

the essence of Madhura Kavi's ten paasurams and

the noblest of paths advocated by him for our ujjevanam.

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan