Kulasekara PerumAn Thirunakshathram today maasi punarvasu [March 10th]

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest All,

 

Today Massi Punarvasu is the Birthday

(Thirunakshathram) of

KulasekarAzhwAr.

 

It is ourdelight and Bhagaym to meditate on him and

enjoy a couple of verses from his Mukunda mala for our

enjoyment and pay our obeisance to the Great AzhwAr.

 

krishNa tvadheeya padha pankaja pancharaantham

adhyaiva mE visathu maanasa raaja hamsa:/

praaNa prayaaNa samayE kapa vaadha pitthai:

kaNTavarOdhanavidhou smaraNam kuthasthE?//

 

(adiyEn's free translation)Oh KrishnA! At this moment,

at this spot of time, in my life, let the swan of my

manas (mind), enter the Lotus Feet of Yours.. How can

I remember You at the dying moment when my thorat is

choked with phlegm (and emotions), mucus, bile and air

(gasping..)

 

namaami nArAyaNa paadha pankajam/

karOmi nArAyaNa poojanam sadhA/

vadaami nArAyaNa naama nirmalam/

smaraami nArAyaNam tattvam avyayam/

 

At every moment, I bow down to the Lotus Feet of

Narayanan; I perform worship to Narayana; I recite the

purest Divine Name of Narayana; and I reflect upon the

Greatest truth of Narayana.

 

[Extract From Sri Anbil Ramaswamy’s article:]

He composed the divine 105 verses called " Perumal

Tirumozhi " - a classic example of the yearning of a

Bhakta to serve the Lord. Every single verse of the

105 verses of this work is so filled with touching

emotion and packed with palpable sentiments that even

a cursory reading is sure to bring tears flowing from

one's eyes and leave an indelible impression in one's

mind.

 

Distributed in 10 decads, each one vividly portrays a

different facet of Alwar's experience of the Lord as

shown below : -

 

DECAD 1 : Alwar expresses his yearnings to do service

to Lord Ranganatha and the Bhaagavatas. He asks-

 

" When ! O! When am I going to enjoy the sight of the

Lord who reclines on the serpent couch at Srirangam?

' Kanninaigal Enru kolo Kalikkum Naale?'

When! O! When am I going to offer mouthful of praise

of the Lord?

' Vaayaara Enru kolo Vaazhthum Naale?'

When O! When would I be blessed with the company of

Bhagavatas?

" Adiyavarodu Enru kolo Anugum Naale?'

When!O!Whenam I going to shower flowers at his feet?

" Kaikal Koi malar Thoo Enru kolo Kooppu Naale?'

When! O! When am I going to bow my head at the foot of

the Lord?

" Malar Chenni Enru kolo Vanangum Naale?'

When O! When am I going to develop the amount of

Bhakti that would melt my heart?

'Ullam Miga Enru kolo Urugum Naale?'

When ! O! When my eyes are going to shed tears of joy

on seeing the form of the Lord?

'Neer Malga Enru kolo Nirkum Naale?'

When! O! When am I, the worst sinner, going to redeem

my life?

' Vul Vinaiyen Enru kolo Vaazhum Naale?'

When! O! When am I going to roll on the ground

sanctified by the Lord's

presence?' Bhoothalattil Enru kolo Puralum Naale?'

When! O! When am I going to reach the proximity of the

great Adiyaars of the Lord? ' Isaindu Udane Enru kolo

Irukkum Naale?'

 

DECAD 2 : He expresses his dedication to Bhagavatas.

In verse 9, he declares that those who are overwhelmed

by the joy of serving the servants of the Lord are not

insane: It is only the others who are insane. '

Pitharaam Avar Pithar Allarkal / Matraiyar Mutrum

Pithare /

 

Decad 3 : He avers that the act of shunning worldly

pleasures and adhering to the feet of the Lord is the

ONLY REAL duty one has.

In Verse 8, he repeats the same sentiments as above .

He says -

 

I may appear crazy for others but it is they who are

really crazy. Yes! I am madly in love with my Lord!'

 

Peyare Yenakku Yaavarum - Yaanum Oru Peyane /

Evarkkum Idhu Pesi Yen? - Aayane! Arangaa! /

Enru Azhaikkinren ! - Peyanaai Ozhinden /

Empiraanukke /

 

DECAD 4 : In this, he expresses his longing to be

associated with

Tiruvenkadam- the abode of Lord Venkateswara in any

capacity- whether as an animate being or even as an

inanimate object.

 

" Can I be born ? " he asks as a kurugu bird in the

forest , or as a fish in the pond, or a temple vessel,

or a flower at his feet, or even a pillar, or aflowing

rivulet, or as a rock or even as a stepping stone

leading to the innermost sanctum sanctorum in the

temple of the Lord on which the Bhaktas would place

their holy feet- all in the sacred Tiruvenkadam? It

can be seen that such a step in every Vishnu temple

is called as " KULASEKARAP PADI " - the ' KULASEKARA

STEP'

 

DECAD 5 : In this, he addresses the Lord of

TiruVittuvakkodu saying that even if the Lord were to

forsake him, he will never ever leave him and he has

no other refuge. This he expresses drawing different

parallels:-

 

" Like a child that clings on to the feet of the mother

even when she spurns it indignantly;

Like a Pativrata who holds on to her husband

steadfastly even if he is of a despicable character;

Like the fish that stays even at the risk of death

when the waters in the tank gets dried up (having

nowhere to go);

Like a patient who loves the surgeon even though he

cuts and burns his flesh (during surgery);

Like the seagull that perches on the mast of a ship

flies all over in the mid ocean only to return to

rest on it (having no other go);

Like the lotus flower that does not blossom by the

heat of even fire but blosssoms only to Sunshine:

Like the fields that though parched always look up to

the rain bearing clouds for succor;

Like the torrential flowing rivers that ultimately

merge only in the Ocean and nowhere else and

Like fortune that favors only that person who is not

after it - I will

forever resort ONLY to your feet "

 

DECAD 6 : Here, he simulates the despair and

disappointment experienced by the Gopis when Lord

Krishna does not turn up as promised.

 

DECAD 7 : This is one of the most heart rending

portions of the poem. Here he imagines himself as

Devaki. Devaki laments that even though she gave birth

to Krishna she missed the joy of witnessing Krishna's

childhood pranks. " I am your mother only in name; How

unfortunate am I ? I did not put you in the cradle; I

did not sing any lullaby to you; I did not enjoy

seeing the various stages of your growth from babyhood

to childhood to boyhood; I lost my pleasure of breast

feeding you; I am so unfortunate to have missed all

these. But, Lo! and Behold! What was my loss became

Yasoda's gain!. How fortunate she has been to see your

pretending to be afraid of her? "

 

Azhugaiyum Anji Nokkum An Nokkum /

Ani kol Sen siru Vai Nelippaduvum /

Thozhugaiyum Ivai Kanda Yasodai /

Tollai Inbatthu Irudhi Kandaale "

 

He calls Yasoda ' Deiva Nangai " - the divine damsel.

He pleads to the Lord on behalf of Devaki tearfully "

If possible, can you reenact all these for my sake? "

 

DECAD 8 : Here, the Alwar simulates Kausalya and

describes the joy she

experienced in rearing Sri Rama in his childhood. The

cradle song to baby Rama " Mannu pugazh Kauasalai

thun " is very touching. and is being sung almost in

all households as a lullaby.

 

DECAD 9 : Here is another heart rending episode. Here,

the Alwar simulates the grief of Dasaratha on his

banishing Sri Rama to exile. As Dasaratha, he

visualizes how Sri Rama had unjustly been subjected to

the hard and harsh life of a wandering ascetic when he

should have been ruling Ayodhya in the cozy comfort in

all his royal regalia. He curses himself bitterly,

curses Kaikeyi who induced him and finally he curses

Kooni who influenced Kaikeyi - setting forth the chain

of misfortunes and finally says " O! Rama! I will also

leave the Ayodhya which you left; Nay, I will even

quit this world and go to the other world never to

return "

 

DECAD 10 : Sage Valmiki elaborately dwelt with the

story of Sri Rama in his Srimad Ramayana. Here, the

Alwar addresses the Lord in the Tiruchitrakoodam

(Chidambaram) and gives a condensed version of the

entire epic in just 11 verses.

 

THANIANS ON PERUMAAL TIRUMOZHI

 

1. Composed by Emperumaanaar [Ramanuja]

 

Innamudham Oottugen Inge Vaa Pain Kiliye /

Tenn Arangam Paada vulla Seer Perumaal - Ponnan /

Silai Ser Nudhaliar vel Seralar Kone - Engal /

Kulasekaran Enre Kooru /

 

" O! Green hued parrot! Come hither ! I will give you

some sweet nectar!. You should always mutter the name

of Kulasekara- who composed the sweet poem on the

auspicious qualities of Lord Ranganatha lying in the

South direction at Srirangam; who is the darling of

beautiful damsels with bow - like eyebrows; who is the

King of Chera kingdom; who is a great Prapanna and who

is our crown jewel "

 

2 Composed by Manakkaal Nambi

 

Aaram Kedap Paran Anbar Kollaar Enru - Avargalukke /

Vaaran Kodu Kudap Paambir Kai Ittavan - Maatralarai /

Veeram Kedutha Senkol Kolli Kaavalan Villavar Kone /

Seran Kulasekaran Mudi Vendhar Sikaamaniye /

 

" Kulasekara is the one who put his hand boldly into

the pot containing the deadly King Cobra in order to

vindicate the innocence of the Srivaishnavas when they

were accused (by his ministers) of stealing the

precious pearl necklace; Kulasekara is the one who

vanquished the valour of his enemies; He was the king

of Kolli; he was the Emperor of other kings: the very

gem of the Chera dynasty; the very crown of the

crowned monarchs "

 

DIVYA DESAMS CONSECRATED BY KULASEKARA ALWAR

1.Tiruvarangam

2.Tiruk Kanna Puram

3.Tiru Chitra Koodam

4.Tiru Vittuvak Kodu

5.Tiru Venkadam

6.Tiru Ayodhya

7.Tirup Paar Kadal.

 

Kulasekara perumAL ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards