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THIRUPPAVAI 15

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Padmanabhan • December 31, 2002 


                           emperumAn vs srEvaishNavites

The fifteenth pAsuram of thiruppavai consists a brief discussion on emperuman vs srEvaishNavites. The discussion veers around whether emperumAn should  be preferred to srEvaishNavites or vice-versa. 

The commentary for the terms 'vunakkenna vERudaiyai' runs as follows:
'pancha laksham kudip peNgaLukku vuLLadhoyiya, thaniyE swayampAkam paNNuvAraip pOlE vEREA sila vuNdO? vaishNava vishayathai bagishkarithu-p-paRRum bhagawadh vishayathOdu dhEvadhAndhrathOdu vAsiyillai; nE oruvarukkum virOdhi illai; nE pukkuth thiruvadi thozhu" enna AzhwAn vArthaiyai ninaippadhu'.
Even after deliberations the gopikA inside does not start with the group for krishNAnubhavam. These words 'vunakkenna vERudaiyai' is mentioned at this juncture. Do you have anything to be enjoyed and experienced alone -without us, meaning that bhagwadh vishayam is best suited for experience only alongwith srEvaishNavi ghOshti. 

Here the incident of sri kUrath AzhwAn is recalled wherein SrE kurath AzhwAn is initially refused entry into the temple of Lord nam perumAL as he is seen as an associate of Sri RAmAnujA. However, on realising that he is a very learned scholar they permit him inside on the grounds that he is not harmful. SwAmi kUrath AzhwAn returns without entering the temple     as he feels that he cannot reach the  Lord without dissociating himself with sri RAmAnujA. He prefers srEvaishnavic sambandham rather than the Lord's sambandham. 

We should also see the seriousness of the words " bhagwadhvishayathOdu -dhEvadhAnthrathOdu vAsiyillai" in the commentary. If we indeed prefer the Lord overlooking srEvaishNavites, worshipping the Lord is deemed equal to that of other deities. The Lord is way above incomparable to other deities. When the same scale is applied, the srEvaishNavites are kept in a very high pedestal above the Lord. The essence is that the Lord should be worshipped only alongwith srEvaishNavites. 

The rAmAnuja nURRandhAdhi-p-pAsuram 'kayil kani ennak kaNNanaik kAttith tharinum, vundhan meyyil piRangiya sER anRi vENdilan yAn'- rAmAnuja nURRandhAdhi -104 and
' seithalai sangam sezhu mutha mEnum, thiruvarangar kaithalathAzhizhum sangamum yEandhi,
nangaNmugappEa, moithalaithu, vunnai vidEan enRu irukkilum, nin pugazhE moithalaikkum vandhu'- rAmAnuja nURRandhAdhi -75 are pertinent pAsuram-s to be recalled in this context.
vAnamAmalai padmanAbhan


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