PeriyAzhwAr Thirunakshathram today

[Guest guest]

Sri:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today is Aani Swathi – Sri Vishnu Chitthar -

PeriyAzhwAr Thirunakshathram. Let us pay our obeisance

to Periya AzhwAr… today… I have tried to translate [as

usual adiyEn's crude rambling] the wonderful piece

appeared in 75th Thirunakshathra malar release for

Swami Srivaikuntavaasi Sri U Ve Purisai

Krishnamachariar 75th TN)

 

Soodikkoduttha Naacchiyaar- GodhA PiraaTTi’s dear

father is PeriyAzhwAr, VishNu Chitthar or Bhattar

Piraan. Since his mind was always on VishNu, he was

called VishNu chitthar. He was conferred by the Pandya

king, Vallabhadevan, the title of Bhattar Piraan, when

he uttered Vedic statements to prove Parathvam of

Sriman Narayanan and was given a bag of gold coins.

 

Swami Desikan says (in GodhAsthuthi) in thaathasthu

thE madhumidha slOkam, the last line -lEbE

mahattharapadhaanuguNam prasaadham.. Because You had

adorned Yourself with those garlands, Emperumaan

conferred Your father with the title mahattharapadham

(PeriyAzhwAr..)

 

Sri Manavala maauni says

 

mangaLaasaasanatthil maRRuLLaazhwArgaL/

thangaarvaatthaLavu thaananRi- ponghum/

parivaalE villiputthoor bhattar piraan peRRaan/

periyAzwArennum peyar.

 

Due to that pongum parivu of PeriyAzhwAr on Lord [when

He appeared with Sri Mahalakshmi on Garuda to witness

the glorious award being conferred on Sri Vishnu

chitthar and being on the procession on Royal

elephant], PeriyAzhwAr was worried and had an

apprehension that there will be evil glances from the

world on the Lord with such resplendent Beauty [AzhwAr

with overwhelming vaasthsalyam- compassion like a

mother towards her child], AzhwAr is thus called

PeriyAzhwAr says Yatheendra PravaNar.

 

Now, just for our enjoyment: - Why should VishNu

chitthar be called

PeriyAzhwAr

 

It should have been NammAzhwAr more suited for this

Periya AzhwAr title for

 

1. being in AchArya Parampara

2. For being an avayavi with all other AzhwArs as his

parts of the body [avayavam]

 

or It should have been PeyAzhwAr (who is called

mahathaahvayar), who burst out with ThirukkaNdEn

ponmEni kaNdEn .. on the first pAsuram itself…

 

But it is VishNu chitthar who is called PeriyAzhwAr.-

WHY???

 

1. NammAzhwAr: He sang a thousand… But till the tenth

decad, He was

longing to join Emperumaan. He declares only in

10.10..

ini naan pOgalottEn...onRum maayam seyyEl ennaiyE

(Hereafter

I shall never ever leave You; Don?t deceive me and

leave me..). So

When NammAzhwAr was almost through in 10.10, he

declared that

he would NOT let Emperumaan go away from him. Since it

is only

in the fag end of Thiruvaymozhi, NammAzhwAr loses the

race of being

called PeriyAzhwAr.

 

2. pEyAzhwAr: Mahadhaahvayar: He was blessed with the

vision

of Lord even before AzhwAr started composing pAsurams.

But AzhwAr

did never get that fear of losing Him and did not

utter to that effect. He just said ThirukkaNdEn pon

mEni kaNdEn.. He was blessed

With the saakshaathkaaram like what Dhruvan was

blessed with.

Since AzhwAr did not have fear of losing Him, nor was

he worried

about and started with his kshEthraadnam with other

two AzhwArs,

pEyAzhwAr also loses the race for being called Periya

AzhwAr.. .

 

Now, what about PeriyAzhwAr? He was blessed with

Emperumaan’s Kattaksham on GarudA and that’s when

AzhwAr burst out with long

live; long live.. – Pallandu Pallandu..

 

The Lord, Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan appeared on

Garuda to enjoy and

witness His bhaktha’s roaring success, Bhattar

Piraan’s procession on elephant along with whole lot

of citizens of Pandya kingdom. That’s when VishNu

chitthar saw the Most exquisitely Beautiful Emperumaan

on Garuda and with the outburst of Pongum Parivu (as

nicely explained by Sri Manvala maamuni) (aiyO! ivLO

azhagaa irukkaanE! VeLiyE vandhuttaanE! KaN padumE!?),

sang PallaaNdu, PallaaNdu? Long live and Long live

Your Lotus Feet!

 

PeriyAzhwAr, the moment he sings first pAsuram

pallaaNdu, pallaaNdu,

He gets worried whether he will lose this Bhagyam of

having Him as He

Was present in front of AzhwAr. Immediately, he

sings(adiyOdum ninnOdum

PirivinRi aayiram pallaaNdu..) Long live Your

relationship with me (Your eternal servant) without

any gap / separation and then only, AzhwAr proceeds to

even pray for longevity of PiraaTTi and other

PanchAyudhams.

 

Since he had realised this etrnal sEshathvam of jeevan

and eternal association with the Lord, and sought for

an eternal bondage with the Lord right in the first

two pAsurams itself, He ALONE DESERVES BEING CALLED

PeriyAzhwAr

 

Also from Sri Anbil mama’s write up: Vishnuchitta was

called " Periya Alwar " - the great Alwar for very many

reasons as below:

 

1. It is the greatness of his love for the Lord that

made him pour out the Pallandu hymns.

 

2. Ordinarily only elders would bless the young ones

for a long life.

" Periya' means elder and therefore he was called

Periyalwar. To the objection that such an attitude was

'unnatural' ( Swarupa Viruddham), Pillai Lokacharya

has argued that as it was a 'Mangala Aasaasanam', it

was quite in order and because IT WAS A STRANGE CASE

OF KNOWLEDGE RIPENING INTO AN IGNORANCE OF SORTS DUE

TO AN EXTRAORDINARY LOVE AND AFFECTION.

 

3. King Janaka laid a challenge through the Siva

Dhanus in Sri Sita's

marriage; Kumbar, the Aayar Chief laid a challenge in

the form of the 7 bulls in the marriage of Nappinnai;

But, Vishnuchitta laid no hallenges in the marriage of

his daughter, Andal because of his obvious conviction

that in due time, 'THE OWNER WOULD CLAIM WHAT HE

OWNED.'

 

4. It is natural to honor anyone who brings relief

from suffering. That is how Rishyasringa was honoured

when rains came to the parched land of

Angadesa as he set foot there. Vishnuchitta also

performed a similar miracle. When a famine raged in

the northern city of Kandam Kadinagar on the banks of

Ganges, he was invited to the city to solve the

crisis. As he set foot there, welcome rains showered

and the place was relieved of the famine. His

greatness was honored. Periyalwar himself is said to

refer to this incident thus " Venkali Naliyaa

Vittuchittar "

 

5. Parasara who wrote Vishnu Purana known as Purana

Ratna deals with the story of Sri Krishna only in the

5th Amsa of his work; Sukhabrahmam who wrote Srimad

Bhaagavatam has dealt with the story of Krishna only

in the 10 th Skaandam; But, Vishnuchitta fills his

entire Tirumozhi with the story of Lord Krishna

vividly portraying every detail of the Lord's

childhood ' leelas ' in his own inimitable style.

 

6.Another esoteric aspect concerning Periyalwar that

really makes him ' Periya' is the fact that he is the

incarnation of Garuda. Garuda reincarnated himself as

Ajuna's chariot and as such he witnessed the Lord

delivering the Bhagavad Gita - especially the Charama

Sloka to Arjuna. Thus, apart from Arjuna, he was the

one who was the direct recipient of the Lord's

message. Andal refers to this when she says " Meymei

Peru Vaarthai Vittu Chittar Kettiruppaar " .' Vaarthai'

is Moolamantram;' Peru Vaarthai is the Mantra Ratna of

Dwayam and ' Meymei Peru Vaarthai ' is the Charama

sloka.

 

7. He was great also in a different way. He became the

father- in- law of Lord Vishnu when his daughter,

Andal married the Lord. - - an honor none else could

claim. Periya PerumAL’s Father in lwa- Naturally

PERIYA AZHWAAR.

 

PeriyaahwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan