Sri Vishnuchitta kulanandana kalpavalli (Part-6)

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE namaha

Sri Vanachala mahA munayE namaha

 

Bhoomi piratti otherwise called kshamA, always filled with grace asked varahamoorthi, “You rushed to save me from danger but all my kids are suffering in this samsAra. What is the easiest way for them to reach your divine feet?” Emperuman said, “ There are many ways karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakthi yoga etc but let me tell you the story of one of my bhakthas who easily attained my feet by just singing songs on me” Then varaha moorthi told bhoomi piratti the kaisika puranam that is read in all temples on kaisika dwadasi day every year. Sri Parasara bhattar has graciously given an excellent commentary to this puranam. The episode of nampAduvan, a great ardent bhaktha of thirukurungudi nambi as given by varaha perumal in the kaisika puranam has been recently well narrated by Sri Ramanan in these groups in his posting on thirukurungudi divya desam and hence adiyen is not going to elaborate on the same.

 

The brahma rakshas refused to leave nampAduvan. So nampAduvan did a number of promises to the rakshas. The last and the most important among the nearly 18 promises is, “If I don’t return back as your food after singing about nambi then let me get the sin that will be actually attained by those who consider the anya devatas to be equal to Sriman Narayanan” Earlier he talked about worshipping other devatas leaving the parabrahmam Narayanan. Then he said it is a great sin to equate emperuman and other devatas. On hearing this brahmarakshas had no other go than to believe nampaduvan and hence he let him go. So Anya devata worship and saying that all devatas including Vasudevan are on the same footing is a very great sin.

 

Andal nAchiyar who was the avatara of bhoomi devi thereby stressed these points very clearly in her thiruppavai, the importance of singing (ganam) and the importance of Eka bhakthi nistai (nArAyananE namakkE parai tharuvAn, vunakkE nAM AtseivOm’) Thondaradi podi azhvar in his thirumAlai explains in detail the greatness of nAmasankeertanam. In the very first paasuram itself he says that with the help of the nAma balam he will even put his foot on the heads of eman (god of death) and his servants,

 

Andal sang two prabhandams ThiruppAvai and Nachiyar thirumozhi. The second prabhandam arised mainly to show her acharya nishtai. That is why she never fails to call herself, “vishnuchittan kOdai, pattarbiran kodai etc” indicating that she is only a part of her acharya, Sri Vishnuchittar, Periazhvar. Our acharyas group the first ten azhvars who were immersed in the bhakthi towards emperuman in one category (“azhvargal pathinmar”) and andal and madurakavigal who were immersed in acharya bhakthi in the second category. That is why swamy manavala mAmunigal in his upadesa ratinamalai says, “azhvAr thirumagalAl Andal madurakavi Azhvar ethirAsar Am evargal” Here swamy has included swamy emperumAnAr also in the list as he was also immersed in acharya bhakthi.

 

The greatness of thiruppavai is beyond words. Starting from our poorvacharyas till the present day scholars all are trying to complete talking about thiruppavai every marghazhi month just to land in another place for upanyasam the very next year with more different anubhavams. Thiruppavai is an ocean adorned as “vEda manaiththukkum viththu” by our acharyas. From the next posting we will try to enjoy a few drops from that ocean of divinity.

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan