Search:
Bhakti List Archives

MahA VidvAn PerukkAraNai Swamy's ThiruppAvai Commentary: Part VI : ParAsara Bhattar's Taniyian

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • December 15, 2000 


Srimathyai GodhAyai Nama:
SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

Dear BhakthAs:

Sri ParAsara Bhattar's Taniyan and its meanings 
as covered from previous posting  are : 

NeeLA-Tunga sthanagiri-taDI Suptham udhbhOdhya KrishNam
  PaarArTyam svam sruthi-satha-siras-siddham adhyApayanthI
svOcchishtAyAm sraji nigalitham yaa balAthkruthya bhunkthE
  GOdhA Tasyai Nama idhamidham bhUya yEvAsthu BhUya:

Meaning according to Dr.V.N.S.Raghavan: 
***************************************

May I offer my obeisance again and again to Goddess ANDAL 
alias GOdhA --to Her alone--who awakened Lord KrishNA (taking
rest and) sleeping on the mountain-like lofty breasts of
Goddess NILA alias Nappinnai PirAtti; GOdhA , who has 
imparted to Him ( Lord KrishNA )Her dependence ( on Him )
as established in the hundreds of the texts of the crown
of the VedAs( Viz. the VedAnthA or the Upanishads); and 
GOdhA , who forcefully enjoys Him after binding Him with 
flower-wreaths that were already worn by Her.

Realtionship of the Taniyan to ThiruppAvai Paasuram
****************************************************
Parasara Bhattar's Taniyan arose from reflections
on " the Kutthu ViLakkeriya " 19th ThiruppAvai Paasuram ,
where ANDAL's PurushakAra prapatthi to NeeLaa Piraatti
is covered .

NeeLA devi has utmost importance in KrishNAvathAram 
and AzhwArs have celebrated this sambhandham in their 
NaalAyira Dhivya Prabhandhams(NDP):

" AayanAhi Aayar Mangai vEya ThOLL VirumpinAi"  (Thirumazhisai)

" Soottu nann maalaikalL ( Thiruviruttham)

" VaLa VEzh MuRuval PinnaikkAi( ThiruvAimozhi 1.5.1)

NamaskAram to ANDAL by ParAsara Bhattar
***************************************

" GodhA Tasyai idham idham nama:" To that Godhai ,
all SaasthrA-ordained namaskArams be ! 

SaasthrAs prescribe SaashtAnga praNAmam ,DhaNDavath
PraNAmam, Anjali PraNAmam ( vide : Anjalai Vaibhavam
of Swamy Desikan's ChillaRai Rahasyam postings ) et al. 
There is one kind of praNAmam known as "Sukrutha praNAmam " , 
which has the phalan of hundreds of AsvamEtha Yaagams 
and yields Moksha Siddhi ( Prapatthi !). Parasara Bhattar 
performs PraNAmam to Godhai repeatedly and in many ways .

" BhUya yEvAsthu BhUya :"  May those PraNAmams be 
repeated in ascending order and be repeated !

Bhattar is guided here by the directions given by 
AchAryAs , Smruthi and Sruthi:

(1)"UtthAya UtthAya  Puna: Puna: PraNamya"..SaraNAgathy 
    Gadhyam Paasage by AchArya RaamAnujA

(2)" BhUyishtAm tE nama ukthim vidhEma.. Vedam/Sruthi 

(3)" NamO namasthEsthu sahasra kruthva...ArjunA in Geethai 

Who Is this Godhai receiving such adulation ?
**********************************************

The multiple meanings of the name "Godhai" has
been covered in an earlier Bhakthi Special postings
for  a previous Margahazhi celebration ( December 1996:
http://www.ramanuja.org/new/tp96/pavai96.html ).

Why is GodhA being saluted profusely by Bhattar?
It is because of what She did for us :

(1) She woke up Her Lord , KrishNan (udhbhOdhya KrishNam) , 
who was sleeping blissfully on the vale of the hillock-like 
breasts of Nappinnai and instructed (remided)Him (adhyApayaNTHI)
about His sworn duties attested in hundreds of Upanishads 
about His Sarva Seshithvam and His Seshi-Sesha relationship
to Jeevans. She became the AchAryan to GeethAchAryan 
Himself and reminded Him to wake up and go about His
sworn duties instead of lazing away comfortably 
enjoying the Sukham of the lofty breasts of Nappinnai . 

(2) She also reminded Him whether He with the name 
KrishNan ( Krishir BhUvAchaka: Sabdha Nasccha 
nivrutthi Vaachaka:/ You are the One , who gives
aanandham to BhUmi ) . Have You forgotten that 
I am Your other consort , BhUmi in ANDAL form 
while You rest joyously with NeeLai? She reminded KrishNA 
about their Sambhandham ( UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam).
She questioned Him about His special Moham (infatuation)
for NeeLai , while He should be equally attentive to all
the Three Devis including Herself (" Hreesccha tE
LakshmIsccha Pathnyou" ).

(3) She reminded HIm of Her Seshathvam to Him 
( Svam PaarArthyam adhyApayanthI).She reminded 
Her Lord that all the chEthanams of the land (BhUmi)
are Sesha BhUthars to Him and that He should wake up
and accept their preethi-poorvaka kaimkaryams and
bless them as their Sarva Seshi. With rights as 
the compassionate AchAryan , She instructed Him on 
His sworn duties .She is SaakshAth BhUmi PirAtti 
(SaakshAth KshamAm --Swamy Desikan ), who pleaded for 
the boon of a Laghu UpAyam from Her Lord for us , 
the suffering Jeevans ( VarAha Charama SlOkam ).
That is what She was instructing the Lord about
His relationships and responsibilities ( PaarArdhyam
AdhyApayanthI) in the spirit of "Thvanm mE , 
aham mE" of Bhattar's Thirumanjanakkattiyam , where 
the Lord in wet clothres adorned by TuLasi garland
vouches for His sarva Swamithvam to an arrogant jeevan. 
This is the Sruthi satha sira siddham PaarArdhyam .
This PaarArdhya Tatthvam is incorporated in the meaning of 
Pranavam.This is Sruthi Sira Siddham. She as BhUmi Piratti 
( NDP: 614, 1100 and 3772) reminded Her Lord of 
this fundamental tatthvam and awakened Him from 
His deep slumber to perform His sworn duties.  

How did She plead for us ?
***************************
She tied Him (Lord KrishNA) down with the TuLasi Maali 
that She adorned (svOcchishtAyAm sraji nigaLitham )
and enjoyed Him forcefully ( balAthkruthya BhungthE).
Just as NelA Devi tied down the Lord with Her 
Dhivya Soundharyam of Her Tunga Sthana Giri, ANDAL
tied Him down with her TuLasi Maalai and instructed Him 
to go about His duties.He was powerless to resist Her
and later married Her and settled down at His 
father-in-law's house at SrivilliputthUr and
stayes there to do His duties.

Second Taniyan : Anna Vayal Puthuvai ANDAL--
******************************************** 
UyyakkoNDAr visualizes SrivilliputthUr as
a special djivya dEsam , where the Hamsam (Anna
Pakshi) known for its power to separate milk
from water are abundant. It is also a reference
to HamsAvathAra BhagavAn , who instructed BrahmA
on the meanings of Vedams. Parama Hamsa ParivrAjAkAs 
also adorn this dhivya desam (Tathra KaashAyiNO VruddhAn-- 
as stated by Sumanthran in Srimath RaamAyaNam).
She is the Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr for Vatapathra Sayee.
She married (garlanded) Sri RanganAthan .Both 
garlands of ANDAL are saluted by UyyakkoNDAr .
For Sri RangarAjan , She offered the garland
of ThiruppAvai verses( " ArangaRkkup Pannu ThiruppAvaip
Palpathiyam innisayAl Paadik kodutthAL NaRRppAmalai"). 
For Vatapathra Saayee , She offered TuLasi Maalais 
that She adorned and sent with Vaadhyam and parisaram through
the sacred hands of Her father, PeriyAzhwAr.UyyakkoNDAr
asks us to sing about Her (Godhai's) glories 
(SoodikkodutthALai sol ).

The other Taniyan of UyyakkoNDAr : Soodikkoduttha SudarkkodiyE
***************************************************************

In his first Taniyan, UyyakkoNDAr said that
the Naama SankIrthanam of ANDAL alone is enough
to be blessed. Here, He states that we should also
follow the path shown by Her through Her observance of
Vratham to attain the anugraham of Her Lord.

ANDAL declared : " uRavEl namakku ozhikka ozhiyAthU'
and " Unn tannOdu uRROmEyAvOm , UNAKKE naamm aatccheyvOm".
UyyakkoNDAr prays to Godhai to bless us to emulate her
and to study and follow the meanings of Her "Thol Paavai".
Godhai's Vaak was " VenakatavaRkku yennai Vithi" ( Make me 
the Sesham for Thiru Venkatavan ). UyaakoNDAr prays
to Her to be near Him ( Her Lord)and us so that we can 
follow Her path (Maarga darsanam ) without transgression 
("imARRAM naam kadavA vaNNam naadi nalhu" ).UyyakkoNDAr 
asks Her to come near us with her EmperumAn and help us to
perform this vratham of ThiruppAvai nOnbhu.AchArya Seshathvam 
is also implied here.  

Dhivya: kanyAvratha Para SudhAsyanthi Sookthi PrabhandhO
Devi GodhA dhadhathu Gurava: Srinidhisccha Sriyam na:
--- (Sri UtthamUr Swamy's PraNAmam to GOdhai)

Tomorrow , with her blessing , we will start with
the short daily versions of individual Paasurams of
ThiruppAvai and enter into this Kaimkaryam.

Sarvam KrishNArpanam asthu
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan   
  
   





--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@eGroups.com
Search archives at http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/index.html#SEARCH