PeriyAzhwAr's ThiruppallaNDU Paasurams: Part IX ( The Sixth Paasuram )

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Dear BhakthAs :

 

Today we will study the Sixth Pasuram of ThiruppallANDu :

 

Yenthai Tanthai Tanthai Tanthai Tamm-Mootthappan

yEzhpadik-kaal thodangi

vanthu vazhi vazhi aatcheyhinROm ,

ThiruvONat-thiruvizhavil

anthiyam pOthil Ari uruvAi

Ariyai azhitthavanai

panthanai theerap-pallANDu pallAyiratth--

AaNDu yenRu paaduthumE

 

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

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We have been doing service to the Lord incessantly

all through genealogy of our race, generation after generation,

Viz., from the period of seven progenies , i.e., from my father

to his father , his father and onward to his grandfather. Let us sing

in praise of Him : May You live long for many thousands of years !

Let us sing in adoration of Him to ward off all our limitations ,

Him who assumed a " Lion's form " ( ariuru = simha vRsham)

and destroyed His enemy , HiraNyakasipu , at the time of a pleasant

evening- twilight during the grand ThiruvONam festival. (Though Swathi

is the birth star of Nrusimha , VishNuchitthA ( PeriyAzhwAr ) ascribes

SravaNam as the birth nakshathram for Narasimha Swamy to throw

the ill wishers of the Lord off their track) .

 

1. Upanishad BhAshyakArar's Commentary

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In the last three paasurams , AzhwAr invited ParamaikAthi

Mumukshus ( Bhagavath parars) , KaivalyArthees and IswaryArthees

to join his ghOshti . Now that Bhagavath Parars have join the ghOshti ,

AzhwAr celebrates their union with his ghOshti . Bhagavath Parars

describe their unique qualifications to join AzhwAr's ghOshti :

" We are Bhagavath Parars. In our kulam , for seven generations ,

we are free of any blemishes .We do not consider anyone worthy

of adoration except BhagavAn . We strictly adhere to Bhagavath

Saasthrams. We do not swerve from those injunctions of the Lord .

We are following the Daasya vrutthi , which is our svaroopAnuguNam

( Conductance as the Lord's servants befitting our inherent nature/

Svaroopam as the DaasAs of the Lord ) " .

 

During the ThiruvONa nakshathram and during the evening sandhyA

Kaalam , BhagavAn took on the beautiful form of Narasimhan for

protrecting His Bhakthan , PrahlAdhan and destroyed HirNyakasipu .

During the avathArA time , many asurAs in the court of HiraNyakasipu

saw the beautiful form of the Lord . AzhwAr says that his ghOshti is

singing PallANDu for dhrushti parihAram and for the banishment of

any inauspiciousness arising from the KaNN yecchil of the asurAs.

AzhwAr prays that his MangaLAsAsanam ( PallANDu ) last forever.

 

2. Sri Periya ParakAla Muni's commentary

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Brahma VidhyA Nishtars ( ParamaikAnthis) join the group of

AzhwAr after establishing their sva-yOgyathai ( statement of credentials) .

AzhwAr welcomes them and declares that the seven generations of

these ParamaikAnthis including his own family never committed

the apachAram (wrong doing ) of worshipping gods other than

Sriman NaarAyaNan . AzhwAr points out that for seven generations ,

the families of ParamaikAnthis performed vaidhika KarmAs as sanctioned

by Sruthis and Smruthis ( Nithya , Naimitthika karmAs) and stayed as

the Dhaasa BhUthAs of the Lord.Those good deeds qualified them

to sing PallANDu for their Lord.

 

" ThiruvONa Thiruvizhavil " : Lord Narasimhan's avathara nakshathram

is Swathy . AzhwAr hides that and declares that Lord Narasimhan's

birth star is SravaNam ( ThiruvONam) , which is really the birth star of

VishNu . AzhwAr deliberately deflects the birth to SravaNa Nakshathram

to distract followers of other faiths , who might harm the Lord , if they

knew that the real birth nakshathram is Swaathy .

 

3. Thirukkudanthai Desikan's commentaries

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In this paasuram , AzhwAr describes the ananya prayOjanar

( One who does not seek anything except the Lord and Moksham)

and their entry to the Ghoshti ;they describe their svaroopam ( as

Sesha BhUthAs of the Lord) and svaroopAnuroopamana ( befitting

that Aathma Svaroopam ) pravruthi ( entry in the GhOshti of AzhwAr).

 

The ananya PrayOjanAL say : " We have arrived at the dEsam fit

for Bhagavath Kaimkaryam.Here , we without any crimping

perfrom MangaLAsAsanam to the Lord as dhAsa Kruthyam .

We perform the kaimkaryams to the Lord as dictated by

ShAsthrAs and SishtAchAram ( the way shown by revered delders).

 

" anthiyam pozhuthil AriuruvAhi ariyai azhitthavanai " : During the Soorya

asthamanam time , DevAs' strength wanes and asurAs' strength

waxes. At that time , the Lord came to the rescue of His devotee

with a form that had a lion's head and human trunk (Ari uruvAhi) .

With that Narasimha roopam , the Lord destroyed His sahaja

enemy , HiraNyaKasipu (ariyai azhitthavanai ).

 

" panthanai theera pallANDu paaduthumE " : AzhwAr sings PallANDu

for removing the amangaLam arising from the Lord touching the dhuhstan ,

HiraNyakasipu . Feeling that performing MangaLAsAsanam once is

not satisfactory , AzhwAr prays for eternal well being of the Lord.

 

4. Thirukkudanthai Sri RanganAtha Swamy's commentary highlights

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The statement of qualifications of ananya prayOjanar ( Sva-yOgya

kaTanam) is the theme of this paasuram . These ananya prayOjanar

are " maRanthum puRam thozhA mAnthar " ( even in forgetfulness , they

wont perform aaraadhanam for gods other than Sriman NaarAyaNan ).

 

" Panthanai theera " means PeetA parihAram for coming into contact

with the body of the MahA Paapi , HiraNyakasipu , who had committed

the heinous act of apachAram to a Parama BhAgavathan( PrahlAdhan).

AzhwAr performs MangaLAsAsanam ( PallANDu ) to Lord Narasimhan

to remove the inauspiciousness of Him touching and tearing apart the body of

the BhAgavatha aparAdhi , HiraNYakasipu. PrahlAdhan had the JaayamAna

katAksham of the Lord and was " KaruvilE Thiruvudayavar " . He belonged to

the community of BhagavathAs, who say : " namaithyEva vaadhina: " .

Bhagavath Bhakthi and devathAnthara Vaimukhyam ( indifference towards

any god other than Sriman NaarAyaNan are their lakshaNams (defining

traits ).

 

Thus ends the 6th Paasuram , which celebrates the Vaibhavam of

ParamaikAnthis 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: