PeriyAzhwAr's ThiruppallaNDU Paasurams: Part X ( The Seventh Paasuram )

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Dear BhakthAs :

 

Today we will study the Sixth Pasuram of ThiruppallANDu :

 

TheeyiR polihinRa senjudarAzhi thihazh Thirchakkaratthin

kOyir PoRiyAlE oRRuNDu ninRu kudi kudiyAtccheyhinROm

Maayapporupadai VaaNaani Aayiram thOLum pozhi kuruthi paaya

suzhaRRiya Vazhi vallAnukku pallANDu kooRuthumE

 

Meaning according to Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan

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Bearing on our upper arms , the imprint of holy chakraa

(Sudarshanam ) , (the imprint) caused by the special

consecrated instrument with the red-hot-wheel emblem ,

which is blazing more fiercely than fire , we have been

at the Lord's service , generation after generation .

Lord KrishNa , the mighty wielder of ChakrAyudham

(Aazhi) , whirled the wheel at the decitful BhANAsura

and his army . Lord KrishNA's whirling the wheel was

so fierce that it cut off BhANAsuran's thousand shoulders

and blood gushed forth from his body .Let us sing in praise of

that Lord and wish Him " May You live long for Many years " .

 

1. Upanishad BhAshyakArar's commentary highlights

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In the fourth Paasuram ( yEdu nilatthil-- --) , AzhwAr invited

Kaivalyam seekers to join his ghOshti to sing PallANDu.

They responded positively and stated their fitness to join

and were accepted .

 

The erstwhile Kaivalyam seekers advanced their cases

this way : " We are Sri VaishNavAs. Following the Aagama

prAmaNyam of wearing the VishNava chinnams (marks) ,

we have attained VaishNava Svaroopa satthai . As a result ,

our desire for goals other than seeking the Lord have ceased

to interest us . Our leaning now is only for matters dear to VaishNavAs

(abhinivEsam in VaishNava anukoola vishayams).Therefore , we are

confident that we will gain Moksham. We have the mudhrai of

Lord Sudarshanar , who is more lustrous than chandran and Sooryan ,

on our right shoulder . We have thus Taapa SamskAram ( tapta

chakrAnkaana ,the important VaishNava dheekshA ) recommended by

the AagamAs on our right shoulder . Therefore , we follow the margam

prescribed for VaishNavAs. For generations , we have been observing

the Dhasya Vrutthi unique to VaishNavAs. To that extent , we sing

PallANDu to the Lord. You may ask why we do so . When we think of

the heroism displayed by Lord KrishNa in the war with the wily

BhANAsuran and the way in which our Lord whirled the ChakrAyudham

to cut off the 1,000 arms of the asuran and made his blood flow all over

the battle ground. When we think of that Veera SrI of the Lord ,

we are moved to sing PallANDu to our Lord.

 

2. Sri Periya ParakAla Muni's commentaries

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In the 4th Paasuram PeriyAzhwAr asked the Kaivalyam seekers

to abandonn their limited goals and seek Moksham , become

ParamaikAnthis and thereafter join his ghOshti. Kaivalyam seekers

responded in the affirmative and joined the ghOshti after stating

their qualifications ( aahUthars became sangathars).They announced

that unlike Maayees , they adorn the Chakra mudhrai on their shoulders

to qualify themselves for Vaidhika and SmArtha kaaryams .They stated

that they have stayed in the Vaidhika maargam for many generations

and follow the VarNAsrama dharmams in a blemishless way . ChakrAngitham

is essential for performing all kaimkaryams dear to the Lord as His Dhaasa

BhUthars. Seshathva Jn~Anam through the adornment of Chakra

Mudhrai to denote the life as a Sri VaishNavan creates yOgyathai(Fitness)

for performing MangaLAsAsanam forthe Lord , who is aasritha pakshapAthan

( preferrence to help those who seek His refuge and destroying those ,

who show dhvEsham towards Him such as BhANAsuran) . Hence , it is

natural for us to sing PallANDu to Him based on our Svaroopa Jn~Anam

as His dhAsa BhUthars (servants) .

 

Thirukkudanthai DEsikan's Commentaries

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In the fourth Paasuram , AzhwAr suggested that the Kaivalyam

seekers banish their insignificant pursuits ( Varam pozhivanthellai

KooduminO ) and asked them to seek the Parama PurushArTam of

Saayujya Moksham . The erstwhile Kaivalyam seekers recognized that

the ParamaikAnthis will recognize them as anukoolars , only when they

adorned the chakra Mudhrai .They recieved the Pancha samskArams

and were accepted by the GhOshti . The power of that chakra Mudhrai

makes one recognized immediately as VaishNavan and even Yama dhUthAs

stay away from them ( ChakrAdhi-dhAraNam pumsAm Parasambhandha

vEdhanam ). When the DhwAra PaalakAs at DhwArakai asked Lord KrishNa

as to who they should let inside His palace and who they should turn away ,

while He was away from DhwArakai , Lord KrishNa replied : " Yaa MudhrithA:

pravEshtavyA yAvath aagamanam Mama " ( Until I return , any one wearing

the signs of Chakram on his shoulder (VaishNava LakshaNam) should be

permitted to enter and the others should be turned away .

 

Former Kaivalyam seekers state that they are VishNavAs with Chakra

laanchanam and have been performing kaimkaryam for generations

to the Lord ( VaishNavOchitha maargE sTirayA nishtayA varthamAna:

santhAna sasanthAna roopENa saanubhandhikA: ) . We perform DhAsya Vruthti

( DhAsya Vrutthim kurvAma: ) . We are thus DhAsAs to the Lord with Veera SrI

,

who cut off the thousand arms of BhANAsuran in the battle field

and as such singing PallANDu to such a Lord is but natural to us

as VaishNavAs.SrEshta Janmam as VaishNavan results from Svaroopa

Jn~Anam blessed by the clear comprehension of Moola Manthram.

 

Thirukkudanthai Sri RanganAtha Swamy's commentary

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In the fourth Paasuram of ThiruppallANDu , AzhwAr asked Kaivalyam seekers

to abandon their limited goal /trivial pursuit and asked them to join his

ghOshti

as ananya prayOjanars reciting Moola Manthram so that Naadu (avisEshaj~nar)

,

and naharam ( VisEshaj~nar) will recognize them as fit to join the

ParamaikAnthi

ghOshti. They responded positively to AzhwAr's suggestions and became part

of

this special pallANDu singing group. They quit chasing after Kshudhra (

insignificant )

PurushArTams ( goals of life) . They performed Kaimkaryams acceptable to

Bhagavath anukoolars ( BhAgavathAs) and abandoned those that Bhagavath

Parikoolars love to engage in . They recognized that the adornment of the

emblem of Chakram on their right shoulder would permit them to do anukoola

kaimkaryams and abandon the prathikoola activities.They recognized that

the power of that ViashNava chinnam will lead to Moksham and not to other

janmAs

( rebirths in samsAram).They performed Prapatthi and became nirbharAs and

NirbhayAs ( without burden and fear ) . AzhwAr concludes this paasuram with

a recall of the former Kaivalyam seekers joining to sing PallANDu to the

Veera SrI of

Sudarshanar and the Veera Sri behind Sudarshanar , Lord KrishNa , who

taught a lesson to BhaaNAsuran and his protector in the battle field and yet

spared the life of BhANAsuran out of His divine compassion .

 

Thus ends the 7th Paasuram , which celebrates the Vaibhavam of

KiavalyArthees performing MangaLAsAsanam to the Lord.

 

PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

ThUppul KulatthadiyArkaL adiyAr poRRp-padham pORRi

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka

SrivaNN Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: