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Re: A correction to the posting on 2'nd thiruvandhAdhi

From the Bhakti List Archives

TCA Venkatesan • March 15, 2002 


Dear Sri Mani,

The following is strictly adiyEn's opinion. As
such all errors and poor interpretations are
also strictly mine.

I don't think we can literally take all of our
Azhvar's outpourings as their direct experiences.

A lot of it has to be taken as messages for us
given in a simple, elegant and understandable
form. As such we hear them lamenting their
separation, enjoying their association, talking
about their mortal sufferings, speaking of
their joyous ascension to paramapadam, etc.

If it were not, as an example, one should be 
confused by Nammazhvar stating that one needs to 
be at Tiruvengadam and performing kainkaryam there 
and yet we know that he never physically went to 
Tiruvengadam.

For most of us who wallow in the karmas of this
world, it is a fact that we do not experience Him
directly, as a vision or otherwise. Most of us
are even incapable of seeing His presence in 
everything that surrounds us even though we 
believe that to be true. Azhvar's various 
messages/experiences apply to all of us at some 
point or other. The times that he and other 
bhAgavatas had direct experience of Him is also 
a message to us, as to what we can aspire to.

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan
TCA Venkatesan

--- Mani Varadarajan 
wrote:
> 
> But why is it that PerumaaL so often  *does*
> hesitate to show himself,
> even to the Alvars? What game is he playing? I am
> reminded of 
> one of  Nammalvar's paasurams from the "ArAvamutE"
> patikam of Tiruvaymoli.
> This has always been a riddle to me, even after
> reading the
> commentaries.  Here, the Alvar cries out that he can
> visualize
> PerumaaL in his mind, he can even feel the subtle
> presence
> of the PerumaaL within him, but he is still not
> satisfied. He wants
> the external experience of PerumaaL, not just
> similar to vision,
> but actual vision:
>
>
> In other places the Alvars make it clear that if one
> has
> the unbearable thirst for Him, He shows Himself. Why
> is
> Nammalvar here denied His grace?
> 
> ramanuja dasan,
> Mani

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