PART VII: Thiru Adhyayana Uthsavam at Lord RanganAthar Temple at Pomona , NY : Swamy Desikan's Taathparya RathnAvaLi:Fourth SlOkam

[Guest guest]

Dec 18, 2001: " Ongi UlahaLantha Utthaman " ThiruppAvai Dinam

 

ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

SrI:

 

Dear RasikAs of Swamy NammAzhwAr's dhivya prabhandhams:

 

On this Third ThiruppAavi day , adiyEn will continue with

the Fourth SlOkam of DTR:

 

BhAshAgIthi: prasasthA Bhagavathi vachanAth rAjavacchOpachArAth

Saa chAgasthya-prasUthAthvithi parijagruhE bhUmikA-bhEdha-yOgyA

yatthath kruthyam SruthInAm munigaNa vihithai:sEthihAsai: PurANai:

tathrAsou sathvaseegna:SaThapaTana MunE:SamhithA SaarvabhoumI

 

(Meaning): Swamy NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi is supremely

auspicious samhithai in Tamizh , a language sanctified by

the renowned Vedic Rishi , Agasthyar , who had his home

in the southern region of Bhaaratha Desam . Agasthya Muni

created grammar for Tamizh and made it sacred for eulogizing

BhagavAn by those , who had no familiarity with Sanskrit

(Deva Bhaashai) or who were not adhikAris for learning

Sanskritic Vedam . Swamy NammazhwAr out of compassion

for those , who either did not know Sanskrit or disqualified to

learn Vedams , transformed for their benefit the quintessence of

Vedic and Upansishadic doctrines into his Tamizh paasurams

(Vedam Tamizh seytha Maaran).

 

There are many pramANams for the use of language

other than Sanskrit for the eulogy of the Lord

and His KalyANa GuNams.The situation is similar to

the case , where the citizens of a kingdom praise

their king(RaajA) through their own languages. Therefore for

eulogizing the RaajAthi-Raajan (BhagavAn) , it is appropraite

for those , who can not use Sanskrit to offer their

salutaions in their own languages . It is only for Vaidhika

Kaaryams that Sanskrit alone has be used as ordianed by

AchArya RaamAnujA. For all other adhyAdhmic pursuits ,

languages like Tamizh blessed by Sage Agasthyar

can be used without hesitation.

 

Just as IthihAsams and Saathvika PurANams assist

VedAs in intrepreting the dcotrines housed in latter ,

Swamy NammAzhwAr's paasurams serve to focus

on the doctrines adumbrated in the Vedams .

ItihAsams , PurANams and ThiruvAimozhi may not

be Svathanthra PramANams like Vedams ,but they help

the Vedic doctrines to reach out to the many , who can not

access the Vedams. Likewise , Swamy NammAzhwAr's dhivya

prabhandhams make it easy for one and all to

benefit from the comprehension of Vedic doctrines

such as Tatthva Thrayams,Tatthva-Hitha-PurushArthams ,

arTa Panchakam and SaraNAgathi in Agastrhya BhAshai

and help to develop them as Mumukshus (those who seek

Moksham ) and instruct them about SaraNAgathi

as the unfailing means to gain Moksha Siddhi.

 

Swamy Desikan has won the debates at Srirangam and

Kaanchi with those who did not accept dhivya prabhandhams

set in Tamizh language as suitable for worship.

The opponents insisted that the Tamizh language

is not as sacred (apabramsam ) as the Deva bhAshai of

Sanskrit and therefore the Tamizh Paasurams of AzhwArs

should not be recited at Temple Uthsavams and

SaaRRumuRais during Bhagavath AarAdhanam.Swamy

Desikan refuted soundly all these views in debates and

established the legitimacy of AzhwAr Paasurams

in worship of Sriman NaarAyaNan. Kaanchi VaradarAja

PerumAL was so pleased with the defense of Swamy

Desikan that He homored the kaimkaryam performed by

His dear devotee with the present of one of His twin

Thirucchinna Vaadhyams used during His PuRappAdu.

Even today , only one Thirucchinnam is used in front of

Lord VaradarAjan at Kaanchi during His uthsavams .

Swamy Desikan thanked the Lord for His precious gift

and eulogized in Tamizh the significance of Thirucchinna

Vaadhya dhvani and its connection to PraNava Naadham .

 

Such is the glory of the Paasurams of AzhwArs

set in Tamizh language ! Thiru Adhyayana Uthsavam

gives us all opportunity to celebrate these Tamizh Marais

during the sacred month of Maarghazhi.

 

Please join the other BhakthAs during this occasion

and have sathsangam!

 

Sri RanganAyaki SamEtha Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VardAchAri SaThakOpan