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Re[2]: Thirumala / Thiruvarangam

From the Bhakti List Archives

TV.Venkat • August 7, 1998 


                       Srimathe Narayanaya Namaha


On Date:    8/5/98 1:31 PM
     Sri Mohan wrote

Sri Vijayaraghavan and I were discussing a popularly held belief that seems
to resemble the controversy between devrAjan and atthigiri perumAl in
kAnchipUram.  According to this belief, since the azhwArs and many of the
achAryans felt themselves unworthy to climb the sacred hills, they sang
their pAsurams and performed prapatti to this Deity.  Consequently, it is
this temple which is the  actual divya dEsham.  I was wondering whether the
more erudite could confirm the validity of this belief, and also the story
behind the other Deities in the main sannidhi.

Whether the belief is true or not, though, I must admit to having a certain
affinity for this quiet pristine temple and beautiful Lord who resides
there.

adiyEn,

Mohan

     Well to my knowledge it is not. This can be confirmed from the
     following paasurams.

     1) In Naanmugan Thiruvandhadhi, (Verses 44 to 48) Thirumazhisai AzhwAr
        says "... pozil vEngada malaikE.."  (verse 44) and "..taNNaruvi
                                ^^^^^^^^                      ^^^^^^^^^
     vEngaDamE.." (verse 45). The aruvi form of the water is attributed
     only to the hills or mountains hence it is the PerumAL in Thirumalai
     which the AzhwArs sang. This is continued in verse 47 ".. panmaNi
     neerOdu poruduruLum kAnamum vAnaramum, vEdumudai vEngadam.". Here he
     describes Thirumalai as the one which has forests, and goods rivulets
     and the monkeys (because of which this perumAL was referred to as
     Kurangan by Thondaradippodi AzhwAr).

     In verse 48 he says
     " vEngadamE viNNOr thozhuvaduvum, meimayAl
       vEngadamE meivinai nOi theerpadhuvum - vEngadamE
       thAnavaraiveezha thannAzhip padai thottu
       vAnavarai kappAn malai"
                        ^^^^^
     This also confirms that Thirumalai is the actual Divya DEsam.

     2) NammAzhwAr in his ThiruvAimozhi MoondrAm patthu "Ozhivil
     kAlamellAm" says in verse 3 "..theNNiraich chunai neer
                                                ^^^^^^
     thiruvEngadathu..". Once again "Sunai" is the name for a small water
     fall which of course could be only in hills or mountains.

     Again in verse 7 the AzhwAr says " .. namandrezhum thiruvEngadam
     nan~gatku, saman koL veedu tharum thadan~kunramE"
                                              ^^^^^^^
     which consolidates the claim.

     Once again in verse 8 the AzhwAr says
     " kundramEnthi kuLir mazhai kAthavan
       andru ~nalam aLandha pirAn, paran
       sendru sEr thiruvEngada mAmalai,
                               ^^^^^^^
       ondrumE thoza nam vinai OyumE ". Here he refers to his abode as
     "mAmalai", the best of all the hills and mountains.

     All these consolidates that the AzhwAr has sung only about the PerumAL
     in Thirumalai.

     All the paasurams that I have cited above are one that I have learnt
     to recite. However there could be other paasurams which all other
     great scholars in our group can cite to consolidate this claim

     Also I have cited these paasurams to my limited knowledge, if any of
     my citations are wrong please do correct me and forgive me.

     vAsaka dOsham kshandavyaha

     Sri AlarmElmangA samEtha Sri SrinivAsa parabrahmanE namaha.

     adiyEn RAmAnuja dAsan

     Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh