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Tenth Day of Danur Maasam: Thiruppavai & Artha Panchakam--Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • December 22, 1996 


Dear Bhakthi Group Memebrs :

I had some trime this week end and I am going 
to be tied up during theforst part of  the coming week and I may be 
out in Buffalo ( weather permiting ) during the Dec 27
to December 29th for the Sathsangam meeting . I may not hence  be 
able to write every day and synchronize the postings with the exact
dates of Margazhi Maasam , much as I would like to do . 
Hence You may get some  advance copies and some times 
late copies . I will with GodhA Piratti's blessings try to
bring to an end the  Yajnams of completing this 
Margazhi Maasa Vratham of celebrating AndAL and the uttara
Khandam of Raghuveera Gadhyam. Thereafter , I will take the 
" Avabritha SnAnam " as it were on Makara Sankaranthi day .

After that I will take a rest in the month Of Thai . I am still
not sure whether there is interest in these postings or not. 
I hear back from a very few. I will go ahead and complete these two
commitments and fade away ( for a while or longer ) to give you
some rest .In the absence of any substantive feedback ,  I continue
to write on the assumption some body out there is interested to 
read these postings. I would dearly love to hear  from each of you
and receive your feedbacks on whether these are the kinds of inputs
that are interesting or useful to you and your family . I do not want to 
steer these postings in the uncertain environment of unclear interest.
As you can imagine , it takes a lot of personal time and I do not mind 
that at all as long as I know that atleast one third or half of this group 
is in favor of receiving these postings. I must confess that I do not even
know how many people are in this private mailing list . 

Please accept my best wishes for a happy holiday  season 
and a peaceful , healthy New Year  1997. 

V. Sadagopan

Thiruppavai  and Artha Panchakam : Part 1
************************************************

Dear fellow students of Thiruppavai and NAcciyAr Thirumozhi :

In the previous two postings , We concentrated on the Vaibhavams
of the Naamams of GodhA and Govindhan . Before we leave 
this string of thought , let us enjoy the  Paasuram of PeriyAzhwAr ,
where he offers his homage to the name of Govindhan. In his 
Periya Thirumozhi verse ( 4.6. 5 ) , he says :

malamudai ootthail thOnriru ohr mala ootthayai
malamudai ootthayin perittAl marumaikkillai
KULAMUDAI GOVINDHAA ! GOVINDHAA! enru azhaitthakkAl
nalamudai nAraNan tammannai naraham puhAL 

(Meaning and comments ) : The set of Pasurams of Periya Thirumozhi 
4.6 is about  the importance of giving the names of the Lord and Piratti 
to the children . He is appealing to the parents to enjoy calling 
the children with the sacred names of the Divya Dampathis so that 
they can indirectly improve their lot and not end up in Narakam. 
AzhwAr is thinking particularly about the blessings that came the
way of a sinner like AjAmiLan , who escaped narakam and ended 
up in VaikunTam by calling the name of his son (Naarayanan ) 
during his last moments on earth. In this particular Paasuram , 
the compassionate AzhwAr appeals to the parents to call their
male children Govindhan and Maadhavan so that the mother 
that gave birth to the child will assuredly avoid entry into Narakam .
Such is the power of calling the name of the Lord , Govindhan ,
the object of adoration of AndAl in her AruLiccheyalgaL .

The Artha Panchakam 
************************* 
We will be following closely the thoughts of Dr. R. Arangaraajan
in writing about Artha Panchakam and its connection to Thiruppavai.
The purpose of this essay is to show that Artha Panchakam 
is brilliantly covered by AndAL in Her Thiruppavai. Afterall ,
AndAL was the incarnation of the Lord's consort, Bhumi Devi .
It should not be a surprise that she so brilliantly wove in the most
important TattvAs like Artha Panchakam in the heart of Thiruppaavai
paasurams. 

It is our sampradhAyam to equate AndAL to Bhumi Piratti . 
MaNavALa maamuni, Azhagiya MaNavALa perumaL nayanAr
have established this sampradhAyam very well . Infact , AndAL
herself refers to Her own svarupam as Bhumi Devi in one of the 
NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi verses ( N.T. 11.8 ) . PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai
has pointed out about the Saamyam of AndAL with Bhumi Piratti
and the Saamyam of Tamil Thiruppavai with Upanishads  .
He says : " Piratti AndAL aanAppolE Upanishad Tamizhaanapadi " .
Hence it is no wonder that Thiruppavai is considered as 
GodhOpanishad to the Draavida Vedam of Thiruvaaimozhi of 
NammAzhwAr . Upanishad is considered the Siras of Vedams .
Hence GodhOpanishad has  a special place in the intrepretation
of Vedanthic  truths such as Artha Panchakam . The greatness
of the exposition of Thiruppavai is multiplied many times by the fact 
that  the author is none other  than the consort of the Lord . 
Our AcharyAs have established that  the prameyam for Thiruppavai
is Artha Panchakam. Premeyam means the demonstrated conclusion .
Therefore Artha Panchakam assumes a specially important role 
as the key message elaborated in AndAL's Thiruppavai. 

There are two ways to look at Artha Panchakam. The five topics
constituting Artha Panchakam in one view are : ParamAthma
Svarupam , JeevAthma Svarupam , UpAya Svarupam , Pala
Svarupam and Virodhi Svaruppam . Attainment of  correct 
Knowledge about them leads one to Niradisaya Aanandham
according to the author of Acharya Hrudhayam . The three 
RahasyArthams are considered to be an abridgement of the meanings 
of the Five topics of Artha Panchakam . Another way of 
listing the five topics of Artha Panchakam is to group 
them as an assembly of Chith , Achith , Iswaran (the three
TattvAs) , Hitam and PurushArtham . Thiruppavai is an 
exposition of Tatva, Hitha and Purushaarthams . 

We will cover the details of the coverage of Artha Panchakam
in AndAL's Thiruppavai in the subsequent postings .

Bhoomi NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE saraNam .

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan