ThiruvahIndhrapuram series: Part XXVII:SrImathi GeethA Rangarajan's Question on ThiruvaImozhi: 5.1.1

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrImathi GeethA Rangarajan :

 

You have focused on a very important paasuram of

Swamy NammAzhwAr. This is a gem of a Pasursam

where Swamy NammAzhwAr challenges the Lord directly

(SavAl viduhirAr and asks the Lord to dare his challenge).

The mood shift in AzhwAr from this Paasuram to the last

Paasuram in this decad is delightful to experience.

 

Srimans T.C.A.Venkatesan, M.G.VasudEvan and SrI PadmanAbhan Iyengar

as well as Dr.Sarathy have reponded to you alrady . The references of

Periya Thirumozhi verses (3.5.5 and 3.5.8) by SrIman PadmanAbha

Iyengar is very apt in this context.

 

I will just add a few more comments . Let us start with

the word by word meaning for the Paasuram of TVM 5.1.1

and follow that up by extended comments :

 

kaiyAr sakkaratthen KarumANikkamE yenRenRu

poyyE kaimai sollip puRamE puRamayAdi

meyyE peRRu ozhindhEn vidhi vaaykkinRu kappArAr

ayyO ! KaNnapirAn ! aRayO inipponAlE

 

ThiruvAimozhi: 5.1.1

 

puRamE puRamayAdi = (While) wandering amidst all external

and transient pleasures (Vishaya sukhams)

 

yenn kai aar sakkarutthu}

KarumANikkamE } = I uttered " Oh my invaluable dark jewel

of a Lord with the Hand adorning

the beautiful disc named Sudarsanam

although I did not have any preethi

or esteem for You or for that radiant

Sudarsanam shining Your hand .

I pretended as though I am filled

with affection for You . My intent

was to cheat the world .

 

yenRu yenRu poyyE }

kaimai solli } = I acted as though I have deep devotion for You ,

which you knew was a deceitful act on

my part and through that deciet , I misled

others about my state of devotion to You.

 

What did you do on witnessing this vanchakam of mine?

How did you respond to my deception?

 

meyyE peRRu ozhindhEn = Out of Your NirhEthuka krupA ,

You accepted my insincere act as

true devotion and showered me with

the immense grace that You reserve for

Your Bhaktha SirOnmaNis.

 

How should I react to what happened ? How should I react

to this totally undeserving gift of Yourself to this

decietful person ?

 

Vithi VaaykkinRu kappAr aar? = When Your nirhethuka /avyAja

KrupA showers on one , who can

stop that ?

 

During this process , the deceitful me got the better of

the deal . How am I to react ?

 

ayyO KaNNapirAn = Oh MahOpakAri! Sarva SulabhA! It is a pity

that You lost Your svatanthram in this contest

with me . I cheated You but You granted me

victory and lost your independence (SvAtantryam)

in the process .

 

This exclamation , " AyyO " comes out of AzhwAr

as a joyous reaction (yekkaLippu /exultation).

AzhwAr could not believe what happened to him .

He thought PerumAL will see thru his kapata naatakam

intended for the people of the world and ignore him.

The nirhEdhuka KrupA of KaNNan however created in Him

vismruthi ( forgetfulness) ,ajn~Anam ( absence of

knowledge ) and asakthi ( powerlessness). As a result,

He overlooked the deceit of AzhwAr and granted

AzhwAr His full anugraham. AzhwAr is now joyous and

he blurts out " ayyO " because he got this unexpected

and undeserving anugraham of the lord ( " poyyE solli

meyyE peRRu ozhindEn " ). What a grand prize winner

I am shouts the AzhwAr in joy over this incredible

turn of events.

 

arayO inip-pOnAlE = It is victory for me . After recieving this

MahA BhAgyam , even if You want to leave me ,

it would not be possible for You , since You

have lost Your independence (Svatanthram).

You have become adhInam to me. " aRayE aRai "

declares the AzhwAr exulting with the dhvani

of a victor shouting at the one , who has been

defeated in the contest . Ingu ,AzhwAr savAl

viduhiRAr. AzhwAr challenges the Lord to leave him

and predicts that He can not , since He is no longer

a Svatantra Purushan.AzhwAr says: " I won thru my

deceitful act. You lost . This is true. athanAl ,

nAnn yengum ithai paRayadippEn " AzhwAr shouts

with joy : " arayO arai ,aRayO aRai " .

 

Overcome by His dayA for the soul, the Lord did not use

the full power of His Sarvajn~athvam (Omniscience ) and

Sarva sakthithvam ( Omnipotence) to see through the AzhwAr's

acting .His nirhEthuka KrupA took over , every thing

else was pushed aside and the soul became the beneficiary.

 

In the same spirit , AzhwAr exclaims in the next paasuram that

he is a perfect impostor calling the Lord's names with

feigned affection . Inspite of it , The Lord did not ignore

the AzhwAr but entered in to his soul with all His VibhUthis

due to His nirhEthuka krupA. Dahara VidhyA upAsana Phalan has

now been gained by the AzhwAr. He exults and declares: " With You

in me now , Oh Lord , You the possessor/owner of my soul

have become subservient to me ! This is indeed a reverse

of the normal order of things " .

 

The seventh Paasuram in this decad is another jewel of

an anubhavam by Swamy NammazhwAr as to how the nirhEthuka

krupA of the Lord swept him of his feet even as he was

pretending to be full of devotion . The mighty Lord's

limitless grace to a lowly person like him moves

the AzhwAr and he declares that there is hope for

even the vilest of sinners amongst us:

 

" AmmAn aazhip-pirAn Avan yevvidatthAn yAnAr

yemmA Paaviyarkkum vidhi vaaykkinRu vaaykkum kaNDeer " .

 

In the next paasuram , AzhwAr whose anubhavam of

the nirhEthuka KrupA of the Lord trasformed him

declares in all sincerity that the Lord KannapirAn

is all to him (VaasudEva saravam ithi) . AzhwAr

states unambigously that KaNnapirAN , who showered

His avyAja krupA is the integrated essence of all

the objects dear to the humans : their wealth, adoring wife ,

loving parents and earthly power.

 

In the tenth paasuram of this decad , Swamy NammazhwAr

reflects with utter humility about the transformation

in him as a result of the Lord entering in to him out

of His nirhEthuka krupA . AzhwAr declares solemnly:

" He IS NOW in me. He is WITH ME NOW. We enjoy each

other . Through this blissful experience , I have understood

that this bhAgyam of union with Him did not arise from

my effort at all , but from His immense DayA pravAham " .

 

Swamy NammAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan