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"Mannia Seer Tondaradippodi"

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sadagopaniyengar • December 9, 2002 


               
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vednta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

           "Manniya Seer Tondaradippodi"

 

           There are two versions of the number of Azhwars. According to one, the Azhwars are twelve. The second version puts the number at ten, excluding Kodai Nacchiar and Sri Madhura Kavi. Sri Andal is counted as one of the Divine Consorts and excluded as such from the Azhwar group, while Sri Madhura Kavi, who considers himself to be a mere appendage of Sri Nammazhwar, is also counted out. The second version is supported by Swami Desikan's Sreesookti, "ParAnkusa ParakAlAdi roopatthAlE abhinavamAga oru DasAvatAram paNNiyum", in which he says that the Lord took another ten avataras as Azhwars, to emancipate errant humanity. Sri Bhattar too, in his thanian to the Divya Prabandas, takes note of only ten Azhwars- "Bhootam, Sarasya, MahatAhvaya, BhattanAtha, Sri BhaktisAra, Kulasekhara, YogivAhAn, BhaktAnghrirENu, ParakAla.Srimat ParAnkusa munim pranatOsmi nityam"

 

        It is extremely difficult, if not impossible and unwarranted, to evaluate the comparative contribution of different Azhwars. Each of these MahAtmAs has poured out his emotion and enriched our knowledge in his own way. While Sri Tirumangai Mannan has the distinction of having performed mangalasasanam of the Lord in the maximum number of divyadesas, Sri Nammazhwar has that of not having undertaken any human activity and devoted his short life solely to devotion, not leaving his birthplace of the Tamarind tree at Tirukkurugur for a second. Sri Bhattarpiran has the distinction of having drunk in the Lord's beauty in the Garuda vahanam to his heart's fill, an experience normally reserved for the residents of Sri Vaikuntam. And so on.

 

   What would you say is the cornerstone and distinguishing tenet of our Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya? Leaving alone complicated philosophical and doctrinal pronouncements, what distinguishes our Sampradaya is its emphasis on BhAgavata SEshatvam. Be it the exalted Ashtakshara Mantra or any other work of distinction, all our pramANAs point to devotion, not to the Lord Himself, but to His devotees, as the prime reason d'etre of our existence.

 

"ArAdhanAnAm sarvEshAm VishNO: ArAdhanam param

  tasmat parataram prOktam tadeeya ArAdhanam subham"

 So goes the adage, putting even the worship of the Lord on a lower pedestal than worship of His devotees. 

 

People may ask, "What is in a name?" The name is often an indicator of what a person is, or is at least supposed to be.

 By this token, the only Azhwar who considers BhAgavata Seshatvam important enough to display it in his name, is Sri Tondaradippodi. The name the Azhwar is proud to sport describes vividly his undying desire to be of service to BhAgavatAs of all hues.

 

We may say that other Azhwars too advocated "Sapta parva dAsyam" or devotion not only to the Lord's devotees, but also the devotees of the devotees, their servants, and so on and on, for seven generations or more. Says Sri Nammazhwar, " adiyar adiyar tam adiyar adiyar tamakku adiyar adiyar tam adiyar  adiyOngaLe", highlighting this concept.

 

 Sri Kulasekharazhwar says the same in Sanskrit, in Sri Mukunda Mala-

"Tvat bhritya bhritya parichAraka bhritya bhritya

  bhrityasya bhritya iti mAm smara Lokanata!", 

beseeching the Lord to consider Azhwar as the lowliest in the hierarchy of devotees to devotees.

 

What distinguishes Sri Tondaradippodi is his longing, not to be the devotee of devotees, but for an even lowlier status as the insignificant dust sticking to the feet of BhAgavatAs. Azhwar's extreme humility and BhAgavata pAratantryam are evident from his tirunAmam. Forsaking a beautiful name given by his parents, if the Azhwar proudly assumed the nomenclature

"Bhakta anghri rENu" (the dust of devotee's feet), it speaks volumes of the Azhwar's penchant for BhAgavata kainkaryam.

If the tirunAmam of any Azhwar proclaims his philosophy, not only his philosophy but also that of the Sampradaya itself, in a nutshell, it is that of Sri Tondaradippodi.  Even if other Azhwars have waxed eloquent about devotion to the devotees, we have to plough through their works consisting of hundreds of pasurams, to identify where their emphasis lies and what is the crux of their outpouring. We have no such difficulty with Sri Tondaradippodi, whose very name is an indicator of where his loyalties lie. This Azhwar is not a "Vishnuchitta" fixing his eyes and mind on the lofty Lord, he is not a "Tirumangai Mannan" or the chieftain of Mangai, he is not "SEralar Kon " or the King of Cheras. He is not a "ParAnkusa" or "ParakAla", spelling doom to votaries of other faiths. This Azhwar is a simple person, with devotion to the Lord's devotees being his only avocation.

 

  Further, here is an Azhwar we can readily identify with. He has gone through the same reformation process, which we are still to adopt. He has fallen prey to weaknesses of the flesh, much like us. His pasurams, especially in Tirumalai, appear as though they could be our own.

Consider this one for example-

"TavattuLAr tammil allEn, dhanam padaitthAril allEn

  uvarttha neer pOla endan utravarkku ondrum allEn"

"Manatthil Or tooymai illai, vAyil Or insol illai

  sinatthinAl settram nOkki teeviLi viLivan vALA"

 

How beautifully Azhwar does picturise our own failings-we cannot be counted among those with true bhakti or Yogic achievements, we are not among those endowed with abundant riches, both material and spiritual, we are absolutely of no use to our near and dear (counting both the relatives by birth and the relatives by avocation, which refers to BhAgavatAs, who are our only true relatives in the Lord), our speech is often full of choice invectives, we are plagued by anger, the deadliest of all sins, our minds lack purity and are filled with hypocrisy- the list is endless. Azhwar's pasurams appear to be less of a self-portrait than a mirror reflecting our own dreadful state with benumbing and unflattering clarity.

 

Coming back to the point, here is an Azhwar we mortals can identify with. There is no attempt in the Azhwar's prabandas to enunciate high philosophy, nor do we find in it bombastic, high-flown terminology aimed at display of scholarship or at impressing the reader. These are pasurams making a direct, fervent and strong appeal to the reader's heart, invariably moving the reader, reciter or listener to tears. He seems to describe us with unerring precision, when he talks about "irumbu pOl valia nenjam", "vanjanEn", "moorkhanEn" "EzhaiyEn" etc.

 

He seems to be speaking of us and our refusal to engage our faculties in the Lord's service, when he says "PodellAm pOdu koNdu un ponnadi punaya mAttEn, teedilA mozhigaL kondu un thirukkuNam cheppa mAttEn, kAdalAl nenjam anbu kalandilEn" etc.

 

  Focusing uncannily on pseudo-devotees like adiyen, who bear all the outward marks of a Sri Vaishnava but lack even an iota of real bhakti, Azhwar reminds us that if we think we are deceiving the Lord by masquerading as devotees, we are indulging only in self-deceit, for the person whose eyes we seek to pull wool over, is our Inner Dweller who knows each and every thought of ours intimately, the moment it takes shape or even before. This thought should make us ashamed and laugh at our own hypocritical posturing in trying to deceive the Undeceivable Paramatma. Here is the beautiful pasuram-

"uLLatthE urayum Malai uLLuvAn uNarvondrillA

  KaLLatthEn nAnun toNdAi toNdukkE kOlam pooNdu

  ULLuvAr uLlitrellAm udan irundu aridi endrE

  VeLgi pOy ennuLE nAn vilavara siritthittEnE".

 

This Azhwar's verses are so simple and direct that we need no commentaries to comprehend them. There do not appear to be esoteric inner-meanings for which we should search these pasurams laboriously. Commentators do not have to fight over what a particular word or phrase in these verses refer to. There are no complicated "svApadEsams" and "anyApadEsams" for us to ponder over in puzzlement.

 

 Even a casual reading of this Prabandam cannot but move us and instill in us at least a fraction of the Azhwar's deep emotion and boundless bhakti. For all their simplicity, these rapturous verses are full of aesthetic perfection and enthralling beauty, each word employed to telling effect, each phrase striking a blow at the hardened heart, each indescribably sweet verse incorporating the plaintive cry of the lost soul seeking succour. We too feel like crying out to the Lord, "enakku ini gati en sollAi, ennai ALudaya KOvE".

 

  "TirumAlai" ranks among the best of scriptural works, for its strong emotional appeal and devotional fervour. It was no idle mind, which coined the saying "TirumAlai ariyAdAr TirumAlai ariyAr" (one who doesn't know Tirumalai is unfamiliar with the Lord). There was a time when this beautiful Prabandam was a household word and everyone had its verses etched in their heart and ringing on their lips. We need to return to those times, if we need to recapture our lost spiritual treasure and rediscover our moorings. A verse of TirumAlai a day would surely keep sins away!

  "EmpirArku AtcheyyAdE en seivAn thOndrinEnE"

   

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

Dasan., sadagopan.

        



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