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thiru mAlai , some thoughts.. part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Rengarajan • July 31, 1998 


2.  AzhwAr   while  doing  so,  also   expresses   his   inability
(karpanyam) to execute his prathi kooly avarjanam and request Lord
Arangan to either prevail clear the way.

In the next line as expressed by Sri PV pillai and as presented by
Badri  clearly  states that  AzhwAr is once again  pleading to Sri
Arangan to prevail on this  situation  as well, a "true state of a
prapannA" pleading for Lord's thiru uLLam to prevail all the time.

*********************************************
Sri PV pillai's vyAkyAnam as translated by Sri Badri:


"kaNdaay" - no one will listen to me if I tell them this. But, you
- the Lord who destroyed the enemies of the sages in the
dhaNdakaaraNyaa - will understand. That is why I am telling you!

"aranga maa nakaruLaanE" - The reason you have incarnated in this
form in Sri Rangam is to avenge your enemies, right?  Therefore it
is your duty to destroy the enemies like Jains and Saivites.

**********************************************

The time of thondar adip podi AzhwAr and thirumangai  AzhwAr  were
challenging  times for  Srivaishnavam.  There has to be references
in their deliverances on those that are impediments to the path of
Srivaishnavam ie ., the vigour with which the  other  faith   were 
acting at that time to put down Srivaishnavam.

Thiurmangai   delivered  in  thiru  vezhuk   kooRRirukkai  on  Sri
Aravamudan  that HIS thiruvadi  sAmeebyam  is unavailable to those
belonging to six other faiths  (including  saivam and boudham) who
often question the validity of SrimanarAyana's uniqueness in being
para  deivam.  This is echoed by Swami  desikan when he delivers a
pasuram on SriRanganathar's thirvadi in adikAra sangraham in Swami
desika  prabhandam  (oru  sagada  mudaiya  ....aru  samaya  arivari
vathAyniar).

Swami  Desikan   delivered  para  matha  bangam  a  separate  tamil
prabandham denouncing all these six faiths.  It was required to do
so at that  time.  It  doesnot mean that one can conclude now that
"someone has crticised other faiths 600 years ago" and so they are 
not "sAthvik" etc. In fact it is recorded in our guru parampariyam 
that during those days saivites and advithins, used to come to the 
doors of  Srirangam  temple in groups and SHOUT and challenge  (in  
later days as - that bagwath  Sri  Ramanuja SiddhAntham also) that
AzhwAr aruLicheyaLs are invalid and that if one of the Srivaishnava  
cannot debate with them and win them in intra scholastic   debate,  
then  one  must   give  up  their   faith on Sriman nayrayana para 
thatthuavm  etc. This is called "veembukku sandai" in tamil. Swami  
Desikan and many of our AcharyAs have to deal this time and again.  
Swami  Desikan  delivered  100  kuRai's  or dhOsham  in  advaitham  
and  the  literature  is  known  as  satha dhOshAni. It  is  still  
a  valid  literature  and  as  per  many SrivaishnavAs  it is  yet 
to be countered so far.

Since Swam  Desikan as similar  to two  AzhwArs  criticised  other
faiths,  one cannot mean that these AcharYAs and AzhwArs are  less 
than compared  to some  current Acharays of the other faith who is 
not delaing any inter religious matters.

This being the situation there were "prathi  koolya  vAthis"  else 
where  that AzhwAr donot meet one  to  one,  eye to eye on a daily  
basis,  those  days. But then when there is a situation that arise 
such that AzhwAr may have to face a prathi koolya  vAthi,  talking 
ill of Lord Srimana  nArAyana, AzhwAr  has to avoid such  persons.  

If he is forced to be in such company and couldnotavoid   such 
company  (koodumEl) then AzhwAr is helpless  and pleads to Lord to 
clear such  situation (by  Lord's  own  efforts).  ie., due to his  
inability  or Due to his  karpanyam, AzhwAr pleads to Lord Arangan 
to help him clear such prathi koolya vAthis one or the other  from 
his scene (for Lord's  thiru uLLam to prevail  for such).  

thoNdar adi podi AzhwAr thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan