nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-28

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

 

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

Paasuram-21

 

 

 

" evaiyA pilavAi tirandherikAndra

 

evaiyA erivatta kangal- evaiyA

 

veripongik kAttum emaiyOr perumAn

 

aripongik kAttum azhaghu "

 

 

 

Listening to the sweet words of azhvar, emperuman was filled with great ecstasy

and his divine lips, divine eyes and the whole divine body blossomed with

happiness. Azhvar enjoyed the beautiful reaction of emperuman but at the same

instant azhvar was reminded of elders adorning emperuman as " avikArAya " (one who

undergoes no change) but now emperuman's thirumeni has undergone change for the

sake of azhvar. What an amazing thing! But haven't he done the same earlier?

Yes, remembered azhvar the great narasimhAvatara where emperuman showed his

extreme anger and pain for the state of his beloved bhaktha prahlada. Reminded

of Narasimha, azhvar sings the following paasuram.

 

 

 

(evaiyA pilavAi) " avAkya anAdhara: " the one who shows indifference towards all

and has no wants or dislikes. " vruksha eva stapthO dhivi dhistati " [like a tree

he stays in paramapadam unknowing to prostrate]. The above are respectively

verses from chandokya and mundaka Upanishads that praise emperuman's unique

greatness. While the sastras talk about the emperuman as above, what is the

actual state of the same tattva when it comes to his devotees! Admires

thirumazhisai azhvar.

 

*evaiyA pilavAi* " mAyanAr seyya vAi IyyO! Ennai sindhai kavarindhadhuvE "

(ama-7) " valiyadOr kanikol vinaiyAttiyEn valvinaikol, kOlam thiral pavala

tundankolO ariyEn, neelanedumugil pOl thirumEniammAn thondaivAi "

(thiruvai-7-7-3) this is how the azhvars enjoy the divine mouth of emperuman but

what an amazing thing! The very same mouth now opens like an entrance of a big

cave emitting hot fire.

 

 

 

The above line can be either read as " tirandhu erikAndra pilavAi evai " or

" pilavAi evai tirandhu eri kAndra " . Again " evaiyA " is either split as " evai+Aa "

where " Aa " is an expression of surprise or " evaiyA? "

 

 

 

Azhvar wonders, " Oh! Is this the same divine mouth that I am deeply enjoying

today that opened like a big cave and emitted fire during the narasimhavatAra? "

 

 

 

(evaiyA erivatta kangal) " sudarmAmadhilpOl vuyirkkellAm thAyAyirukkindra

taNthAmarai kannA! " (periya thirumozhi 7-1-9) " soozhavum thAmarai nAnmalar pOl

vandhu thOndrum kandeer " (thiruvai 7-7-1) " kariyavAgi pudaiparandhu milirindhu

sevvariyOdi neenda apperiyavAya kangal ennai pEdhaimai seidhanavE " (ama-8) Such

is the appearance of the divine eyes to bhagavatas. But are the same eyes

capable of burning the bhagavata virodhis just at sight?

 

 

 

It can be considered that azhvar is comparing the divine beauty of the

emperuman's thirumeni in front of him in contrast to that of the beauty of

narasimhan or that azhvar has totally lost himself to the beauty of narasimha

and hence sings solely about the emperuman during narasimhAvatara who has now

appeared in the mental eyes of azhvar (vutkan/manakkan)

 

 

 

(evaiyA eripongi kAttum emaiyOr perumAn aripongi kAttum azhaghu) The lord, with

a divine body, the head of the nithya sooris, appeared as Narasimha for the sake

of his devotee and expressed his beauty in a different manner.

 

 

 

(eripongi kAttum) " na tatha sooryO pAdhi na chandradhArakam

 

nE mO vidyuthO bhAnthi kudhO yamagni " [mund.

2-2-1]

 

[in front of the lord the sun, moon or lightning doesn't shine then what to say

about fire?] Declares the shruthi.

 

 

 

(emaiyOr perumAn) Even the nithyasooris were taken aback by the sudden

appearance of the narasimha perumal and started singing " pallandu " for the

welfare of the divine lord.

 

 

 

(eripongi kAttum emaiyOr) In a yaga " ahoothi " is given in the fire to kindle the

fire. The devas starting with indra accept the havis through the fire. Here it

can be said that azhvar refers to these devas by the words 'eripongi kAttum

emaiyOr'

 

(emaiyOr perumAn) the head of these devas is none other than the divine lord who

for the sake of the devas killed hiranya. Thoroughly astonished by the divine

act of emperuman the devas fell of the lord's divine feet and surrendered.

 

 

 

(aripongi kAttum azhaghu) this divine beauty of Narasimha has won over the

appearance of paramapadanAthan.

 

 

 

Thirumangai mannan enjoyed the divine beauty of narasimhan like milk mixed with

sugar in his " angan jnAlam " padhigam (peri-thiru-1-7). In this paasuram

thirumazhisai azhvar enjoys the same divine beauty of the lord mixed with the

divine kalyana guna where the lord adorned as 'avikArAya' undergoes 'vikAram'

for the benefit of his devotees.

 

 

 

(To Be Continued)

 

 

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

 

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

Note: Dear devotees, to add on to the enjoyment of just reading the beauty of

Narasimha perumal through the words of thirumazhisai azhvar please visit

www.pbase.com thiruvallikeni section to visualize the divine beauty of azhagiya

singar/thelliya singa devu- photos taken during the ani brahmotsavam this year.

Just as a matter of fact see what thirumangai azhvar says about this perumal.

" palliyil Odhi vandha than siruvan vAyil OrAyiram nAmam olliya vAgi pOga

Angadhanukku ondrumOr poruppilanAgi pillayai seeri vegundu toonpudaippa

pirayettru anal vizhi pEyvAi thelliya singa mAgiya thEvai thiruvallikeni

kandEnE " Again kaliyan repeats the words of thirumazhisai azhvar " pEsittrE pesa

allAl " . Though here in thiruvallikeni the moolavar is seen in yogam and the

utsavar a total embodiment of azhaghu (divine beauty)- AzhagukkE azhaghu sErkkum

azhagiya singar ( " azhagiyAN thAnE ari vuruvam thAnE " )