nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-36

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

 

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

Paasuram-27

 

 

 

" mAlthAn pugundha madabebjam maRRadhuvum

 

pErAga kolvanO pEdhaigAl-neeRAdi

 

thAnkANa mAttAdha thAragala sEvadiyai

 

yAnkANa vallErkku edhu "

 

 

 

Azhvar requested perumal, " eRRaikkum kaNdukoL kaNdAi kadalvaNNA yAnnunnai

kandukolkirkku mAru " in the previous paasuram. Emperuman immediately showered

his ultimate grace on azhvar and said, " appadiyE Aguga " (Let it happen as

requested). Immediately some around azhvar objected saying, " Is it enough if

you remain a vaishnavite always don't you want to go to moksha and enjoy the

ultimate joy over there? Azhvar replies, " Oh! When the lord who is supposed to

be in moksha has shed living there and prefers to come and stay in my heart why

should I love anything other than my heart "

 

 

 

(mAl thAn pugundha mada nenjam) " yat.abhisam vishanthi that vijijjnAsasva that

brahmEthi " [understand that into which the jeevatmas enter after mukthi to be

the brahmam] " bhakthyA tvananyayA shakya: ahamEvam vidhOrjuna I jnAtum drashtum

cha thatvEna pravEshtum cha paranthapa II [ Oh! Arjuna you make the enemies

struggle. One can understand, see and enter me only due to ananya bhakthi

(ultimate devotion)] , " Esha brahma pravishtOsmi greeshmE seethamiva hrutham " [i

have entered the brahmam like diving into a cool pond during peak summer] The

above pramana verses show that jeevatma enters the emperuman/brahmam after many

hardships. But azhvar says, that very emperuman has now entered me all by

himself. What a credit my mind has in store!

 

 

 

(mAl than pugundha) The one who has entered is the sarvEshvaran, mAl- periyOn

(very great person). Mal as another meaning mAl-anban the one who has entered

is a personification of love.

 

 

 

(maRRadhuvum pErAga kolvanO pEdhaigAl) Will I ever think of anything else

including moksha other than my dear credited mind/heart? [ " en amudhinai kanda

kangal mattrondrinai kAnAvE " , " sindhai maRRondrin thiRaththathallA " , " achchuvai

perinum vEndEn " , " bhAvO nAnyethra gachchathi " ]

 

 

 

(madanenjam maRRadhuvum pErAga kolvanO) Nammazhvar declares the same in his

words as, " nin pugazhil vaigum tham sindhaiyilum maRRinidhO, neeyavarkku

vaigundham endrarulum vAn " , " mAyAperuviralulagam moondrinoodu nalveedu perinum

kolvatheNNumO thelliyOr kurippE "

 

Periazhvar says, " vadathadamum vaikundhamum madhil duvarApathiyum edavagaigal

egazhindhittu enpAl edavagai kondanaiyE "

 

When emperuman has left all his divya dhAmams and has come to settle in my

heart will I ever think of going to moksha?

 

 

 

(pEdhaigAl) Oh! If you don't understand this then what else should I call you

than senseless people ( " aruvu kEdargalE " ) so those who understand this secret

are considered to be intelligent and the rest stupid.

 

 

 

Azhvar was questioned- How did you know this?

 

 

 

(neerAdi than kAnamAttAdha thAragala sEvadiyai yAn kAna vallErkku edhu) Even

the rudra, wearing the ashes all over his body, who tries by his own efforts to

have the darshan of the big divine feet of emperuman decorated with beautiful

garlands failed but I due to the nirheduka krupai of emperuman has got that

divine darshan. So my mind will never forget that and wish for moksha. Rudra

who is supposed to grant knowledge to all is himself incapable of having the

darshan of the lord's divine feet. Not the feet he is incapable to even have

the darshan of the garland adorning the lord's feet.

 

 

 

(thAr agala sEvadiyai) the lord's divine feet is always decorated with the

divine thiruthuzhAi mAlai (tulasi garland). Azhvar says, agala sEvadi extended

feet probably having the divine feet of thiruvikraman in mind.

 

 

 

(neerAdi than....thAragala sEvadi) During the trivikramAvathAram rudran took the

divine sripAda theertham of emperuman over his head (neerAdi) but he was unable

to see the big extended thiruvadi of emperuman.

 

" kadikamalththul erundhum kAngilan kannan adikamalam thannai ayan " says

poigaiazhvar. Emperuman's thiruvadi is so soft that it becomes red even if a

soft thulasi garland touches it.

 

 

 

I due to his nirhEduka krupai has got the darshan of that divine thiruvadi will

I then wish for moksha leaving enjoying emperuman in my heart?

 

 

 

There is one another interpretation to the above paasuram. On azhvar's request

to perumal " eRRaikkum kaNdukoL kaNdAi kadalvaNNA yAnnunnai kandukolkirkku mAru "

some questioned azhvar when the sastras talk about many great goals like

attaining the svargaloka, sivaloka and brahmaloka why should you choose to

suffer in this samsAra loka being just a Srivaishnavite? Azhvar answers, when

the siva who is the lord of the sivaloka himself is unable to have the divine

darshan of emperuman's thiruvadi and my mind has got the bhakyam of that divine

darshan due to his nirheduka krupai why should I wish for anything else?

 

 

 

(To Be Continued)

 

 

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

 

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan