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NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi : Decad 10: First Ten: Part 2

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • September 26, 1998 


>The author of AchArya Hrudhaya sookthi says:
>"maarga bhandhu chaithyam mOhanatthE maduvidum ".
>This KshEthram is Mohana KshEthram because 
>of the residence of the One , who took 
>MohanAvathAram to disburse nectar (amrutham )
>to the DevAs . Recognizing the Lord KaaLamEghan
>as " TanjamAhiya Tanthai ThAyodu thAnumaai ",
>AzhwAr recognizes Him as the secure Maarga Bhandhu.
>The amrutham that AzhwAr received was the nectar
>of singing the glories of the Lord's name as 
>pointed out by the garuda PurANa slOkam quoted by 
>Acharya Hrudhaya grantha karthA :
>
>gacchathAm dhUram adhvAnam trushNA mUrchitha chEthasAm
>paadhEyam PundarIkAksha nAma sankIrthanAmrutham 
>
>(Meaning ): For those , who are about to commence their
>long journey , there would be worries about hunger ,
>thirst during that journey .For this journey , the Journey
>of the soul to Sri Vaikuntam , the nectarine anubhavam 
>of singing the glories of the names of the Lord 
>will remove all the worries about hunger and thirst .
>
>Therefore Azhwar comes straight out and states that 
>he has no other support , means and succour (gathi )
>than KaaLamEghap PerumAL: " KaaLamEghatthayanRi
>maRRoniRalam gathiyE ".The Lord takes us to His nithya VibhUthi
>with Himself serving as the protective guide . He is 
>indeed the right KaalamEgham ( dark , nourishing 
>rainy cloud), drenching us with life-giving amrutham .
>
>He is the Kattu saatham for us during this journey .
>Azhwar recognizes this Lord of ThirumOhUr , who
>is amrutham as " amuthamaLittha Dayarathan peRRa Kovalan"
>according to AchArya Hrudhaya grantha karthA .
>He is the Mohini avathAran presenting us with nectar ;
>He is the cool emerald pond ( maragatha maNit tadam),
>SriRamachandran , the son of Dasarathan(Daasarathy) ; 
>He is the KudamAduk Kootthan , Kovalan, the KrishNAvathAran .
>Hence, AzhwAr decalres : ThirumOhUr aatthan , Taamarai
>adiyanRi maRRilam aRaNE ( I do not have any other 
>refuge except His lotus feet for my protection ).
>AzhwAr invites us all to come and worship this Lord 
>to get rid of our sorrows ( idar keda adi paravuthum 
>ThondIr VammInE ).
>
>Azhwar asks us to arrive at ThirumOhUr temple 
>and asks us to perform perambulations, sing
>and dance with overwhelming Bhakthi ( koilai
>valam seythu ingAduthum kootthE ).He assures us
>that such bhakthipUrva prathakshiNams will destroy
>immediately all of our samsAric ills ( ThirumOhUr
>suRRi valam seyya nam thyuar kedum kadithE ).
>He points out that by doing so , we have secured safe 
>protection in His storm free harbor ( nallaraNN naam
>adainthanamE ).
>
>In the beautiful tenth paasuram, Azhwar says :
>" We have now sought and received His assured protection
>at His divya desam , which is also sought by the wise
>devAs , when they are in danger from the torments of 
>the asurAs. At those times , Our KaaLamEghap PerumAL 
>takes a suitable wished-for-form (kaama rUpam kondu
>yezhundhaLippAn ) like NarasimhA , VaamanA or Mohini 
>and protects the devAs. This is that divya desam ,
>where He performs such a miracle as aasritha rakshaNam .
>All my people (namarkAL) shall recite His thousand names ,
>meditate on their auspicious meanings , eulogize Him ".
>
>Swami Desiakn in his DramidOpanishadh Taathparya RathnAvaLi
>sums up the ten slOkams beautifully in his inimitable style:
>
>dhaithyAnAm naasakthvAth taruNa-
> tuLasikAlankruthE vikramithvAth
>sarpAdhIsE sayathvAthniravdhika 
>mahasthvAccha salAsyabhAvAth I
>
>lOkaanAm srashtrubhAvAth Dasaratha-
>tanubhUsathsarasvAth bhalithvAth
>rUpAth kaamAnurUpAth gatanapaDou
>Sadhgathithvam BhabhAshE II

The essence of the ten paasurams of the first patthu of 
the Tenth decad have been summarized by Swami Desikan 
and there is a namskaraNam in DramiDOpanishad
naama sahasram for each of the ten paasurams of TVM 10.1:

Please add PraNavam in front of each of these naamams:
1.-- DhaithyAnAm nAsakAya nama : 
Reference here is to 10.1.1 paasuram ,
where Azhwar salutes the Lord as " Asurarai Taharkkum
ThOLum naankudai--" 

2.--TaruNatuLasyalankruthAya nama: ( TVM 10.1.2)
Reference : " yeen taNNthuzhAyin alangal an.kaNNI"
portion of the paasuram , which recognizes Him as the One
wearign tender , young TuLasI garland on His kirItam 

3. --VikramiNE nama: (TVM 10.1.3)
Reference : devarhaLodu naada --venRu 
immUvalahu aLitthu uzhalvAn ".When the devas 
seek His refuge in times of distress , He goes out
there and wins th ewar for them and blesses them 
with the three worlds and then returns to ThirumOhUr .

4. --SarpaadhIsa SaayinE nama: 
Rference : Sesha Sayee aspect( " padarkoLL 
paampaNai paLLik KoLvAn ' from TVM 10.1.4)

5. --niradhika mahasE nama:
( Reference : 10.1.5/ "namm sudaroLi 
oru tani mudhalvan= our limitless 
paramjyOthi at ThirumOhUr)

6.--sallAsyAya nama: 
( reference : kUtthan KOvalan"
in TVM 10.1.6= the one who performs
the laasyaa dance balancing the pots
at the four cornered junction of the Road )

7. --lokasrashtrE nama: 
( reference : suRRum neer padaitthu
--devarOdu ulahu seyvAn of TVM 10.1.7)
One who created this universe is saluted
here .

8. --Dasaratha tanuja sathsarasE nama:
( Reference :" Dayarathan peRRa maragatha maNi 
tadatthinayE " of TVM 10.1.8) ; the green cool
pond , the son of dasarathA , who removes our 
samsaric heat .

9. --BalinE nama: ( Ref: TVM 10.1.9)
"asurarai yenrum thuNikkum vallarattan "
The reference is to Trivikrama/Vaamana 
avathAram of ThirumOhUr AatthAn .

10.--raagaanurUparUpAya nama:
(Reference is to TVM; 10.1.10
paasura passage , "kaama rupamkondu
yezhunthu aLippAn ). The Lord of ThirumOhUr
will take Ishta Kaamya rUpam and present
Himself as Narasimhaa, Vaamana , Trivikrama,
KrishNA , RaamA .

In summary , in this TVM 10.1 paasurmas , 
Azhwar is in the mood of a newly married 
girl ready to travel with her husband 
to His home .Azhwar engages as it were 
to say goodbye to his relatives from 
his piRantha veedu ( the archA murthys )
and seeks their blessings .

First , he takes leave of Sri KaaLamEgha 
PerumAL of ThirumOhUr . In the first paasuram
of this set , he salutes the oudhAryam(genrrosity)
of the Lord as the KaaLamEgham ( dark, water-laden cloud
of the rainy season ); in the second paasuram ,
the salutation is to the naamms of the one wearing 
TuLasI garlands; in the third the reference is
to His anugrahams to BrahmAs and dEvAs .

In the fourth paasuram , acknowledegement 
of His presence for us at this divya dEsam ;
in the fifth , His blessing of the three 
worlds from His seat at ThirumOhUr , in the sixth ,
His affection for the residents of ThirumOhUr ,
who are equivallent in glory to the nithya sUris
(celestial eternally free souls ).

In the seventh paasuram, His engagement in Samashti
srushti of the worlds ; in the eighth paasuram ,
His anugraham to the people in His vibhava 
avathAram as Chakravarthi Thirumahan ; 
In the ninth paasuram , the focus is on 
His Veeram and Soundharyam ; in the tenth 
paasuram , reference is to His taking 
many rUpams from His archaa state at
ThirumOhUr and blessing him .

Thus concludes the first patthu of the tenth 
decad of AzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi as he rushes 
to get ready for his ascent to parama Padham .

Subhamasthu,
AxzhwAr , AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .
Oppiliappan Koil VaradachAri Sadagopan