Thiru naRaiyoor - thirumadalum "bagwath kaamam"um (or Love for God via Love Letter) - Part3B

From the Bhakti List Archives

• March 31, 1996


Sri SadagOpan (nammazhwaar) opted naayigaa bhaavam and worshipped "tholaivilli
mangalath themperumaan" as his naayagan. Parakaalan (thirumangai) conceived
naayaki bhaavam and worshipped "thiruvaali"emperumaan. Sri Raamaanujar
"adopted" thiru naaraayaNapuram perumal as his "chellap pillai" or favourite
son or pet son. Periyaazhwaar assumed him as the mother and krishna as the son.
However thirumangai's sentiments excelled all these as he fell in love (Sri
Bagwath kaamam) for this Lord of thiru naRaiyoor and sent him a madal or love
letter through this periya thirumadal. He prised "his" nambi's pErazhagu
(beauty) in his love lettre periya thiru madal as

mannu maRai YOr thiru naRai yoor maa malai pOl
ponn iyalum maadakkal aadam kadanthu pukku
ennudaiya kaN kaLippa nOkkinEn- nOkku thalum
mannan thiru maarbum vaayum adiyinaiyum
pannu kar athalamum kaNkaLum pankayaththin
ponn iyal kaadOr maNI varai mEl pooth thathu pOl
minni oLi padaippa veezh naaNum thOL vaLaiyum
maNNIya kuNdalamum aaramum neeN mudiyum
thunnu veyil viriththa sooLaa maNIyimaippa

 ie he called him as the glittering emrald mountain that is standing in
 thiru naRaiyOr. I take an exception for a second to "think" and visualise his
beasuty before I can continue. No doubt he is one of the best, of all ninRa
kOlam perumaal. As he was saying this he took note of piraati standing by, and

inniLa vanchik kodi yonRu ninRathu thaan
annamaay maanaay aNimayilaay aankidaiyE
minnaay iLavEy iraNdaay inaich cheppaay
munnaaya thoNdaiyaay keNdai kulamiraNdaay..

ie she was standing in such beutfiul posture similar to an Annam and
Deer (maan) and peacock and the kodi or branch that bends and bears the
vanchiLa flowers and that her uncomparable two lightening eyes and
....

(please note that this is naachchiyaar kOil and imagine how beautiful
naachchiyaar must be if the prominance of the temple protocol is given to her
first) and continued that though such beautiful piraati is standing by your
side, with such a great charm, my mind reaches out to you only my Lord, by

anna "thiru" vuruvam ninRath aRiyaathE
ennudiya nenchum aRivum ina vaLaiyum
ponn iyalum mEkalaiyum aankozhiyap pOnthERku
mannum maRikadalum aarkkum mathiyukuththa
innilaavin kathirum enRanakkE veythaakum

and thus said that even moon light is hot for HIM as he is so much occupied in
his conception of Sri bagwath kaamam. A modern poet writes that in vishayak
kaamam "thaneeril niRkum pOthE vErkkinRathu" ie one will sweat even while
standing in knee deep water due to his feeling of kaamam. Kaamam and veppam are
co-existant and that aazwaar describes his extent of bagwath kaamam or love for
God here that even the moonlight which is supposed to cool the night is hot for
him.

parakaalan kalikanRi thiru vadikaLE saraNam

pErazhudaiyaaL vnchuLavalli piraati samEthara pErazhagudaiyaan srinivasan
thiru vadikaLE saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan