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Srimath Azhagiya Singar's UpanyAsam on ThirunedumthANDakam of today : Part I.

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Sadagopan • August 25, 2001 


Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 

Dear BhakthAs:

HH The Revered Jeeyar of Sri Matam , Sri NarAyaNa YathIndhra
MahA Desikan continued with His 8th UpanyAsam (?)today on Thirumangai
Mannan's Charama ( Last ) Prabhandham : ThirunedumthANDakam(TNT) . 
The previous seven upanyAsams were detailed and wonderful 
introductions to Thirumangai's Six prabhandhams in general 
and TNT in particular.

Approximately 130 bhakthAs from the different parts of USA , 
Singapore and India were blessed today to hear this marvellous 
UpanyAsam . adiyEn is summarizing the upanyAsam for the benefit
of those BhakthAs , who could not participate in this moving
UpanyAsam . All the errors in the summary are adiyEn's . It is
impossible to translate the most scholarly and yet personalized
UpanyAsams of Srimath Azhagiya Singar into other languages.
adiyEn is engaging in this endeavour only to serve fellow bhakthAs to
enjoy this insightful , nectarine upanyAsam of the revered Jeeyar.

Srimath Azhagiya Singar is basing His UpanyAsam on the Commentary of
VyAkyAna Chakravarthi, Swamy PeriyavaacchAn PiLLai published by 
Sri U.Ve. Sri KrishNaswAmy Iyengar of PutthUr agrahAram in 1993 .
Without Srimath Azhagiya Singar's commentary on Swamy PeriyavAcchAn
PiLLai's text , it would be impossible to gain access to the rich
SaasthrArthams embedded in the Sri Sookthi of VyAkyAna Chakravarthi. 
Please register for these upanyAsams and enjoy the divine flow of 
amrutham from the Vaak of HH The Revered Jeeyar in the coming weeks. 

Thirumangai has blessed us with SIX Prabhandhams , which are recognized
traditionally as the Six angams for the four Prabhndhams of Swamy
NammAzhwAr , which are considered as the essence of the Four Sanskrit
Vedhams ( " MaaRan PaNittha Tamizh MaRaikku AaRangam kooRa avatharitthavar
MangayarkkOn " according to Sri MaNavALa Maamuni). 

The Six Prabhandhams of Thirumangai in the order of their 
composition are:

1. Periya Thirumozhi 
2. ThirukkuRumthANDakam 
3. ThiruvezhukURRikkai
4. SiRiya Thirumadal
5. Periya Thirumadal
6. ThirunedumthANDakam 

AchArya RaamAnujA saluted Thirumangai Mannan as " MaayOni
vALL valiyAl manthiram koLL MangayarkkOn " . EmperumAnAr 
states here that Kaliyan " overpowered " the Lord at 
ThirumaNamkollai with the power of his sword and recieved 
the AshtAkshara ManthrOpadEsam directly from the Lord.
Kaliyan became blessed immediately with "MayaRvaRa Mathi nalam ".
Kaliyan recieved the anugraham of " the faculty of Jn~Ana-Bhakthi ,
which effaces the weakness of the intellect that doubts , 
confuses , argues and fails to see what ought to be seen ".
That extraordinary direct anugraham from the Lord Himself 
stirred Kaliyan to compose right away the First Thirumozhi of
Periya Thirumozhi , "VaadinEn Vaadi" , which is a profound 
celebration of the glories of the meanings of AshtAkshara
MahA Manthram. This Moola Manthram is an elaboration of 
two of the most important auspicious attirbutes  of the Lord:
His Swamithvam ( Lordship) and Soulabhyam (Ease of access by 
one and all ). These two KalyANa GuNams find their limit in
the Lord's ArchAvathArams . Therefore , Kaliyan had a great 
desire to enjoy the Lord in the "uhanthu-aruLina NilangaL "
or the Dhivya Desams that are located all over India , from
BhadrikAsramam nestling in the mighty HimAlayAs appearing
as the measuring rod for the Universe (Sthitha : PruthivyA
iva Maana DhaNda: according to KaaLi DaasA in mEga sandEsam)
to the southern ocean at Raama Sethu ( ThiruppullANi)and from 
DwArakai in the west to ChOLa Naadu Thiruppathis in the East. 

Sriman NaarAyaNan , the Para Devathai for the Moola Manthram ,
blessed His dear bhakthan, Kaliyan with His sEvai at these
dhivya Desams and in return recived garlands of chaste Tamizh
verses of Periya Thirumozhi steeped in Bhagavath anubhavam . 
Sriman NaarAyaNan noticed that Kaliyan's immense enjoyment of 
His anantha kalyANa GuNams had resulted in Kaliyan's loss of focus
on His Parama Padham and the lowliness of the SamsAric world. 
The Lord thus gently reminded Kaliyan about the lowliness of
SamsAric life with a view to lead Kaliyan to His Parama Padham
(Supreme Abode , Sri Vaikuntam).Kaliyan realized quickly his 
helpless state and described it movingly in the last Thirumozhi of
Periya Thirumozhi ( MaaRRamuLa --).In that Thirumozhi filled
with despondency (nirvEdham ) about his helpless state , Kaliyan
compared himself to a tree living on the banks of a fast flowing 
river , which could collapse any time and be destroyed. His sudden
recognition of the terrors of SamsAric Life made him compare his
avala (pitiable ) nilai in a state of naichciyam to:

i.   a storm-tossed boat in the middle of the deep ocean
ii.  a person , who lives in the same house with a poisonous snake
iii. an ant that is caught in the middle of a log that is burning
     on both ends.
iv.  a pack of foxes caught up in the middle of a flood.

Kaliyan begged the Lord to show him the way to the safe haven of
His Thiruvadi.The Lord did not react to this appeal.Kaliyan was
disillusioned and began to enjoy the Lord with his mind , speech
and body (MukkaraNams) just as a thirsty man would pour cool water
all over himself , when he is thirsty and parched .Kaliyan began
to convince himself that the ThrikaraNa anubhavam of the Lord arose 
out of the good fortune of his mangaLAsAsanams at the Dhivya Desams.
His outpourings celebrating the bhAgyam of those , who have sevais
at the dhivya Desams , took the form of ThirukkuRumthANDakam , his
second prabhandham.

Kaliyan's state now was like that of a thirsty man, whose thirst 
increases with more consumption of water , when one is totally
parched . Kaliyan's desire to reach the Lord grew further and
further .This feeling-state led to the creation of ThiruvEhu-
kURRirukkai , his third Prabhandham addressed to Thirukkudanthai
AarAvamudhan. In this prabhndham , with great aarthi ( immense
haste to reach the Lord's Thiruvadi at Parama Padham without any
further waiting ) , Kaliyan declared: " Ninn adi iNai paNivan
varumidar ahala maRRE vinayE ". Kaliyan prayed to AarAvamudhan 
to deflect any obstacles rsulting from his bad karmAs and to help
him to worship at the Lord's Thiruvadi in Parama Padham.

Kaliyan had thus performed SaraNAgathi at Thirukkudanthai
at the Periya Koil to Amudhan. Nothing happened. There was no
response from the Lord. Kaliyan got agitated and vowed to
destroy his svaroopam as JeevAthmA(seshan) and the Lord's savroopam
as ParamAthmA(Sarva Seshi) so that he (Kaliyan ) can reach him 
by any means at his disposal. The two Thirumadals --SiRiya and
PeRiya Thirumadal-- arose from this mood of desperation. 

Now Sriman NaarAyaNan got worried. He felt that if He stayed
away from Kaliyan , the world will become nirIsvaram ( without
Isvaran). Hence , Sriman NaarAyaNan appeared immediately before
Kaliyan just as He appeared before PrahlAdhan in the split second 
out of the pillar in the court of HiraNyakasipu. Sriman NaarAyaNan
revealed the mysteries of the three eternal Tatthvams :Prakruthi,
ChEthanam (Kaliyan ) and Isvaran ( The Lord) and their relationships.
Kaliyan was ecstatic and his great joy poured forth through 
the thrty paasurams of ThirunedumthANDakam known for their
richness of  SaasthrArthams dealing with Tatthva Thrayams ,
Parama Hitham and Parama PurushArtham.

Kaliyan reached a state similar to that of Swamy NammAzhwAr had
attained earlier at the very end of His ThiruvAimozhi( avAvaRRu 
Veedu PeRRa KuruhUr SatakOpan/Swamy NammazhwAr who joined the Lord
with all of his ambitions fulfilled ). 

Sriman NaarAyaNan saluted as " The Vaikunta Nilayan , 
Niradhisaya-oujwalya-Sougandhya-SoukumArya -LaavaNya dhivya 
Roopan ,Lakshmi-BhUmi-NeeLAdhi Dhivya mahishI Sevithan, Dhivya 
BhUshaNa BhUshithan , Niradhisaya KalyANa , Dhivya-aayudha 
jaala sObhithan , Dhivya parijana sEvitha SaraNa NaLina Yugalan , 
Aparimitha udhAra GuNa Saagaran, Parama Purushan " mingled with
Kaliyan with yearning. Kaliyan felt like Swamy NammazhwAr ,
who declared his joy in ThiruvAimozhi 10.10.10 ( translation 
by Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan ):

" Oh the AntarAthmA of Moola Prakrithi , which evolves into
Mahath , AhamkArA  etc, and which pervades all space and is 
infinite.

Oh the AntharAthmA of MukthAthmAs , who encircle , extend over 
and are larger than the Prakrithi in extant, whose Jn~AnA 
excels and whose very nature is characterized by Jn~AnA ,
AnandA and Tejas.

Oh the unique possessor of Sankalpa-Jn~Ana , which extends 
even beyond still further, which is pure AnandA in nature.

My yearning to join You was even larger than Your 
Sankalpa-Jn~AnA in magnitude!

But You covered me up , quenched this yearning . I became
a drop in Your vastness of nectar Ocean. My long time
ambition has been fulfilled". 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar covered all these vishayams in 
His introduction (avathArikai) . Today , He started
describing the SaamAnyArthams of the tattvam-laden words 
and passages of the first Paasuram of ThirunedumthANDakam .
HH The Jeeyar will cover the visEshArthams of the first paasuram
in His next UpanyAsam.

adiyEn will cover the contents of the UpanyAsam of today
in the next posting .

Daasan, Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi: Oppiliappan Koil
VaradAchAri SatakOpan  



 
  




  

     


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