Sri Alavandhaar's SthOthra Rathnam- verse 26- I am like a helpless infant holding onto Mother's feet! [even if mother pushes me in a moment of anger]

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Hopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Lord says: I do not reject or leave all. I bless the

karma yogins further more on the same to complete

their yoga. For that, if they perform Saranagathi, I

grant the fruit for that Saranagathi. Dharma, arttha,

kaama,- whatever one seeks, when they surrender, I

grant the same to them. For granting and fulfilling

all these desires of these Saranagathars, I have no

time... and there is no loss in ignoring you - who is

desirous only of mOksham and you have performed

Saranagathi only for the same. You also come on those

lines - Karma, jnana and then get rid of paapams,

perform bhakti yoga to seek Your desire.

 

This statement of the Lord is to check Alavandhar's

faith in Prapatti. Alavandhar responds:

 

niraasa kasyaapi na taavad uthsahE

mahEsa haathum thavaa paadha pankajam

rushaa nirasthOpi sisusthanandhayO

na jaathu maathus charaNau jihaasathi. [26]

 

Oh God of all [demi] gods! Even if You push me aside

and reject me, even if You drive me away, I will never

ever think of leaving Your Lotus feet at all times.

The crying breast fed infant-even if pushed aside by

the mother - would not desire for anything

but holding on to the mother's feet.

 

The mother - due to her many duties and commitments,

or due to her anger for the naughtiness of the baby-

may push the infant away and even shake legs off when

the infant holds on to her feet. But the little one-

crying incessantly - holds on the mother's feeet. It

does not think of anything else. Mother's breast milk

is the only food for the helpless little one. Not

anything else is healthy for the baby. Mother also can

not stand longer without feeding her darling infant.

 

Similarly, even if You push me aside when i hold on to

Your feet, due to Your anger on me for all my

transgressions and trespasses, I would still tighly

hold on to Your feet, crying- with complete faith that

You would foirgive me and take me back. Like that

infant, I have none else;You are the Mother to me. If

the mother does not feed, it is in fact illhealth for

her. Similarly, You need to feed me with

Your dayaa and grace alone);

 

This verse is inspired from KulasesakarzhwAr's PerumAL

Thirumozhi- arisinatthaal eenRa thaay agaRRidinum

maRRu avaLthan aruL ninaindhE azhum kuzhavi adhuvE

pOnRu irundhEnE...

 

Kulasekhara AzhvAr says the same thing

" taru tuyaram taDAyEl nin SaraN allAl SaraN illai

..... ari SinattAl InRa tAi agaRRiDinum maRRu avaL tan

aruL ninaindE aZhum kuzhavi adu pOl irundEnE " . ananya

gatittvam is best illustrated by the behavior of the

child who will unfailingly go back to its mother no

matter how angry she is with the child. This " ananya

SaraNam " is conveyed by ANDAL in her words " aRivu

onRum ilAda Ayk kulam " . This kulam does not have

knowledge of karma yoga, j~nAna yoga, or bhakti yoga -

the Akincanyam is expressed clearly.

 

ananya SaraNah - Akincanyam, ananya gatitvam are both

reflected in the choice of the words " ananya SaraNah " .

The first refers to " kaimmudal illAmai " , and the

second refers " pOkkiDam illAmai " - no means of any

kind at our disposal to get anywhere, and no place to

go also. Sri Ramanujacharya in Gadya trayam says

exactly the same thing " ananya SaraNah SaraNam aham

prapadye " .

 

The Lord's state is also like that of mother's. AFter

being fed with breastmilk for sometime, [months],

there will be other foods. Similarly, Parabhakthi,

ParajnAna, Paramabhakti are blessed on the Prapannan.

Now Iam not capable of those food- like the infant.

hecne I need only breastmilk (your grace).

 

Alavandhar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan