Bhagavata sEshatva Day!!!

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha

 

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

We celebrate many days, Mother’s day, Father’s day etc. But today is a very

very special day for all of us-bhAgavata sEshatva day. Why is it so? Lets see,

 

 

 

“manniya seer mArgazhiyil kEttai endru mAnilaththeer

 

ennidhanukku EttrameniluraikkEn-tunnupugazh

 

mAmaraiyOn thondaradi podi Azhvar pirappAl

 

nAn maraiyOr kondAdum nAl” (upadesa ratina malai-11)

 

 

 

One azhvar who has taken birth in this divine month of mArgazhi celebrated as

“mAsAnAm mArgaseershOham” by Parthasarathi emperuman and as “mArgazhi thingal

madhi niraindha nannAlAm” by his consort Sri bhoomi piratti, gOdhA nAchiyar is

none other than our dear thondar adi podi azhvar. This is the month in which

the divine adhyayana utsavam is celebrated in all our divya desams. But on top

of all this, this month got its significance only after the thiruavadhAram of

our thondaradi podi azhvar who did the divine prabhandam “thirupalliezhuchi” to

wake up ranganatha in this month of mArgazhi (this is the intermediate period

between dakshinAyanam and uttarayanam similar to the early morning, ushat kAlam

time which appears after the night and before the day.). Not only the month but

also the birth star of thondaradi podi azhvar has his significance. Like the

month of margAzhi being considered as topmost among the months, the star kEttai

is considered prominent among the stars (jhestA).

The star also gained more significance after the birth of azhvar. Thereby this

day has a very special significance in many ways.

 

 

 

Thondaradipodi azhvar’s avatharam was primarily to show the greatness of

bhagavata seshatvam to the world. “So Oh! Those who are blessed to live in this

world in which the great azhvar who considered him to be a bhagavata pAda dhooli

took birth listen- Do you wonder why this mArgazhi kEttai has such significance

amidst all the other days in this month? Let me tell you why”-Says Swamy

manavAla mAmunikal and proceeds to bless us with the answer. This day gets its

divinity because this is the day that gave birth to that azhvar who has,

“tulabhaththondAya tholseer” (the greatness of doing tulasi kainkaryam to the

divine emperuman) and “kattrinam mEiththa endhai kazhaliNaikkeezh-uttra

thirumAlai pAdumseer” (the wealth of singing the praise of the divine lord who

went at the back of the cows). He is the “mikka seer thondar” who is celebrated

by thiruvarangathamudhanAr as “seiyum pasumthulabhath thozil mAlaiyum

sentamizhil peyyum maraithamizh mAlaiyum-pErAdha seerarangaththu Iyan”. This

azhvar like periazhvar and andal did both pushpa mAlai kainkaryam and pAmAlai

kainkaryam. Like elaiyAzhvar to ramapiran, thondaradipodi azhvar always

remained in the kainkaryam of Periya perumal (“aham sarvam karishyAmi”) not

turning his face even towards any other divya desa perumal. So this day gets

its greatness due to azhvar’s birth [“azhvar pirappAl”- only that is ‘pirappu’

birth what we all have attained is still a question mark “enseivAn thOndrinEnE”

(these words were uttered by azhvar for our sake only)].

 

Great scholars who are well versed in vedas celebrate this day. Azhvar himself

was born in a good Brahmin clan and his birth is celebrated by nAn maraiyOr

(those well versed in the four Vedas). So oh! People in this world all of you

understand the significance of this day and celebrate it.

 

 

 

This is day in which one another great mahan took avatharam. Who is that? He

was the acharya to the jagadhAcharya, Sri Periya nambigal who did pancha

samskArams to swamy EmperumAnAr. The bhagavata abhimAnam of this great acharya

is beyond words. Though there was a great opposition to him doing charama

kainkaryams to mAranEri nambi, who was supposed to be born in a lower caste

still Periya nambi didn’t hesitate even a bit as he considered mAranEri nambi to

be a great bhagavata and a uththama shisya of Swamy Alavandaar he felt it was

his prime duty to do the necessary rites to that divine soul. In the later part

of his life history we find that lord ranganatha also supported his act. This

great mahan even stopped the gruhapravesam ritual in his newly built house since

he considered the stepping in of a bhagavata inside the house itself purifies

the whole house and there was no need for any other ritual.

 

 

 

So we find that this day, the mArgazi kEttai is a day to show the importance of

dhadheeya seshatvam (bhagavata seshatvam). Let us all on this divine day take a

vow to have great respect towards the fellow bhagavatas and refrain from any

sort of bhagavata apacharam (illtreatment to the bhagavatas) with all the three

karanas (mano-mind, vAk-speech, kAyam-physical)

 

 

 

 

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

 

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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