ThiruppAvai Jeeyer in ThiruppAvai

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

Srimathe rAmAnujaya Namaha

 

Sri vara vara munayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

Our srivaishnava sampradayam is called as EmperumAnAr darshanam not because

EmperumAnAr invented this sampradayam but our vaishnava matham is a parama

vaidhika matham that was brought to light by EmperumAnAr. Andal’s vAzhi

thirunAmam says, “perumbhoodur mAmunikku pinnAnAl vAzhiyE”. How did andal

being an azhvar become the younger sister of EmperumAnAr who took birth so many

years later? Our acharyas immediately reply that since swamy udaiyavar made

andal’s words come true by submitting 100 vessels of butter and akaravadisal as

per andal’s paasuram “maliruncholai nambikku nAn noor thadA niraintha vennai vAi

nErdhu parAvi vaiththEn nooru thadA niraintha akkAravadisal sonnEn” andal

herself accepted him to be her brother and called swamy with pleasure as “nam

kOil annano!” So even more than the other Azhvars EmperumAnAr had a special

attraction towards andal and her prabhandams.

 

 

 

When we start reciting the thaniyan for Periya thirumozhi we say, “engal gadhiyE

rAmAnusa muniyE sangai keduththu Anda thava rAsa pongu pugazh mangaiyar kOn

Endra marai Ayiram anaiththum thangu manam nee enakku thA” and while reciting

thaniyans for thiruvAimozhi we say, “A-indha perunkeerthi rAmanusamunithan

vAintha malarpAdham vanangugindren AindhaperunseerAr sadagopan senthamizh vEdham

tharikkum pErAdha ullam pera”. This shows the involvement and deep knowledge of

emperumAnar in the above two prabhandhams. But we don’t find anything about

emperumAnar in the thaniyan for thiruppavai. Even while writing sribhasyam

emperumAnar is supposed to have taken guidance from azhvar’s erachchorkal

(nectarine words). Here we have to know the difference between learning and

anubhavam.

 

 

 

ThiruvAimozhi is the essence of sAma vedam and Periya thirumozhi is a veda

angam. No doubt that EmperumAnAr was well versed in all the vedas and veda

angas but is just learning enough? What about putting it into practice? And

that anubhavam swamy got only from thiruppAvai and hence swamy is praised by our

acharyas as “THIRUPPAVAI JEEYER”. Among the many thirunamams of swamy this is

one of the special thirunamams.

 

 

 

Each day when swamy started to unja vruththi, it was his practice to recite the

thiruppavai and go from one door to the other. Once he stood in front of Periya

nambigal thirumAligai (some say it as thirukkoshtiyur nambi thirumaligai) and

nambi’s daughter andal (or devaki piratti) opened the door with akshadhai and at

that very instant udaiyavar fell to the feet of andal. Perplexed by swamy’s

sudden action andal ran inside and told nambi about swamy’s action. Nambigal

immediately came outside and asked udaiyavar, “vundu madhagalitran anubhavamO?”

(Where you enjoying andal’s vundu madhagalitran paasuram?). In this paasuram

andal says, “seerAr valaiolippa vandhu thiravAi” Andal begs nappinai piratti to

come and open the door amidst the sound of the divine bangles in her hands.

While swamy was reciting this line, andal opened the door and hence swamy

considered nambi’s daughter to be nappinai piratti and hence prostrated her.

What a deep anubhavam? And that is why swamy is praised as thiruppAvai Jeeyer.

 

 

 

For further anubhavam, our acharyas show places in thiruppavai which points to

EmperumAnAr. How andal enjoys talking about her brother we will see from the

next posting.

 

 

 

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

 

 

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

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