Sri Periya Jeeyer's Arthi prabhandham-13

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

 

SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam

Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

 

Let us see in this posting how mAmunigal reflects madurakavi bhAvam (“madurakvai

sol padiyE nilayAgap pettrOm”). In many places we find that the Acharya bhakthi

of Sri periya Jeeyer even surpasses madurakavigal. Madurakavigal saw his

acharya nammazhvar and his greatness right in front of him but Sri mAmunigal has

such great bhakthi towards ethirAjar who lived many many years ago. Mamunigal

was blessed with such acharya bhakthi again due to his direct acharya kataksham

(the divine grace of srisailesar, ThiruvAimozhi pillai). And so the root of

acharya bhakthi in the minds of mAmunigal was very deep and hence can never be

shaken. It is really a mammoth task to write about mAmunigal’s acharya nishtai

still let us try to do what little we can with acharya kataksham and bhagavat

krupai.

 

Madurakavigal starts his prabhandam, saying that he doesn’t consider even the

kannan who was tied by yesodha with a rope (soulabhya poorthi) as his master.

His master is none other than kurugoor nambi, nammAzhvar, on saying whose name

his tongue enjoys a divine sweetness. Mamunigal in AP-10 instructs his mind,

“Oh my mind! Live in the thoughts of my master, ramanujan, who is the divine

feet of saTakOpar, who inturn enjoys the post of divine padukai of thennarangar,

who is the divine consort of poomagal, Sridevi. (“Poomagal kOn thennarangar

poongkazharkkup pAdhugamAith* thAm magizhum selva saTakOpar*-thEmalarthAtku

eindthiniya pAdhugamAm endhai erAmAnusanai vainthenadhu nenjE! VAzh”).

Nammazhvar wants to be “adiyarkku adiyarkku adiyarkku adiyan” and kulasekarar

says, “dvath brithya brithya parichAraka brithya brithya brithyasya brithya”.

Here mAmunigal wants to hold the divine feet of emperumAnAr who held the divine

feet of nammazhvar who held the divine feet of emperuman. Let us all hold the

feet of mAmunigal and join the hierarchy.

 

In his second paasuram madurakavigal says, he knows none other than his master

and his works (“dEvumattrariyEn kurugoor nambi pAvinennisai pAdiththirivanE”).

Mamunigal in Ap-11 requests his acharya, ethirajar to grant that state of mind,

which was shown by vaduga nambi, one direct shishya of ramanujar. (“vunnai

ozhiya oru deivam mattru ariyA mannu pugazh sEr vaduga nambi*- thannilaiyai

enthanakku neeyE thandhu ethirAsA!* ennAlum vunthanakkE Atkol vugandhu”).

Madurakavi was sure that he has attained that state of knowing nothing other

than his master, kurugoor nambi. But mAmunigal has such great nainchiyam

(considering himself low though he had all the great attributes) that he says,

even that state of mind has to be granted my ethirajar and then take me to his

divine feet.

 

In the third paasuram, madurakavigal says that the divine darshan of emperuman

is assured to him though he doesn’t do anything for attaining the same; due to

the relation he has with his master. Emperuman is more interested in the

adiyars of adiyars (the bhakthas who do service to bhagavatas). Mamunigal in

AP-22 says, Due to the divine blessings of Thiruvaimozhi pillai, who has a

flawless knowledge, I will overcome all my fate and will board the ship, the

divine grace of ethiraja and get transported from this samsAram to the divine

feet of mAdhavan, Sriman narayana (“theethatra JnAnath thiruvAimozhi pillai

seerarulAl* Athathtai mAttrum ethirAsar thammabhimAna mennum* pOdhaththai yErip

pavamAm punarithanaik kadandhu* kOdhattra mAdhavan pAdhak karaiyaik

kuruguvanE”).

 

In the fourth paasuram madurakavigal says, all the well-versed vedanthins

(scholars of Vedanta) will consider him to be inferior but kurugoor nambi is

like a mother, father and everything for him. Mamunigal in many places in AP

expresses this feeling. He says at the very beginning in the 3 rd paasuram

“thandhai nattrAi thanaiyar perunselvam enthanakku nEyE ethirAja” Oh! Ethiraja

you are my mother, father, brother and huge wealth. In AP-53, periya jeeyer

says, “madhaththAlE valvinaiyin vazhiyuzhandru thirindha valvinaiyEn thannai

vunnakkAlAkki konda ethaththAyum thandhaiyumA methirAsA!” Oh! Ethiraja I have

been with great pride and ego and hence have been put to all the miseries due to

my fate, but inspite of my sins today you have put me into your divine feet like

a caring mother/father. And in one another paasuram, AP-26 Periya Jeeyer says

that he is so full of sins that no one including the perumal, piratti, senai

mudaliyar and other nithya sooris, nammazhvar and all the acharyas, can ever

forgive him. But only person who is capable of forgiving all his mistakes and

uplifting him to the divine abode of emperuman is Ethirajar.

 

Adiyen thought of completing the madurakavi bhAvam of mAmunigal with this

posting but it wasn’t possible so let us continue the anubhavam in the next

posting.

 

(To Be Continued)

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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