"muppadUm thappAmE" -- CONCLUSION
From the Bhakti List Archives
• January 14, 2000
Dear friends, Today (14th January 2000), AndAl in her "tiruppAvai" sings the concluding and 30th benedictory stanza beginning with "vangak kadal mAdhAvanai kEsavanai....". In this Verse the poetess decalres that those who: ---- merely recite this hymn ("ip-parisu uraippAr") even without fully comprehending its meaning or significance --- and recite all its 30 verses ("muppadUm thappAmE") --- will now and herein in this world ("ingu") --- and also later and therein in the other world ("engum") --- reap the Lord's Grace ("selvat-tirumAl") and enjoy plentiful pleasure, happiness and peace ******** ********* ********* Now, reading the above some questions may arise in our minds: Question 1: Why does AndAl speak so highly of her own composition? Is it a form of self-adulation? Answer: No, it is not. This stanza is called "phala-sruti", a poetic convention in all religious poetry of India where the concluding verse will briefly name the author of the work, sum-up the nature and scope of the work and also extol the benefits accruing by a study thereof. Such a convention lends a happy and auspicious note of ending to the work. AndAl too was following this poetic convention. Question 2: We know the name of the author of tiruppAvai. But what is the subject-matter and nature of the work, if we were asked to put it in a nutshell? Answer: The subject matter of the "tiruppAvai" is the substance of the Upanishads. AndAl in this poem dealt completely with Upanishad-sAram... the essential truths of the "upanishads". In the "muvAiyapadi" of Sri.PVPillai it is said, "pirAtti andAlAnAr pOla upanishattu tamizhAnapadi"." ie. If "thAyyAr", the Consort of Lord Narayana descended on earth in the avatar of AndAl then the Vedantic Upanishads too took their avatar in Tamil as her "tiruppAvai". Question 3: The benefits of reciting "tiruppAvai" is spelt out clearly. But it says that even recitation without knowing the meaning of the stanzas will do alright! Why should God shower His Munificence on us if we were to recite the tiruppAvai like parrots or children with no inkling of its real substance? Answer: Yes, the benefits will definitely accrue. Nobody could have given the reason for this matter in a better way than Sri.Parashara Bhattar who said, "kanru-izhanda talai-nAgu tOr-kanrukkam irangumAp-pOlE ip-pAsuramkondu puga namakkUmm pallikkUm." i.e. The mother-cow that has lost its own calf will continue to secrete copious milk at the mere sight of a stuffed effigy of its dead calf. Similarly God will bestow His Grace upon us even if we recite blindly the tiruppAvai with neither the "anukAram" (the endearing God-love") of an AndAl nor the "anushTAnam" of the "gopikAs" (the enduring faith of the 'aayarpAdi" girls). Question 4: Why does AndAl say "muppadUm tappAmE"? Why is it so important to recite ALL 30 verses? Why is it not sufficient to recite only the few, say 6 or 7 stanzas which we know are the most significant and contain the heart and soul of the entire hymn? Answer: No. Reciting all 30 verses is not negotiable. Reciting a few important verses is NO SUBSTITUTE for all 30. The reason has again been given by the "muvAiyarapadi": "oru rathnam kuraindhAlum nedUmpAzhAy irUkkUmirE!" i.e." Will you accept to receive a precious necklace of 30 rare gems with even one of them missing?" Question 5: But what if one is unable for reasons of ignorance or incapablity to learn all the 30 verses? Suppose one falls ill? Suppose one is travelling in far-away and alien lands? What if one has no time to recite all the 30 everyday? What then? Answer: There is no substitute for reciting all 30. But under special and exceptional circumstances as above, it is said that reciting Stanza#29 may just about barely do. Even if that is not possible for a person let him/her simply imagine in his mind a large gathering of devotees who are immersed in the joy of reciting the entire 30 pAsurams. It may perhaps suffice. In this regard, please recollect that Sri.Parashara Bhattar died young at the age of 32. He was stricken with an incurable malignant tumour in his neck which in the last days of his life was given medical attention but to no avail. When it became insufferably painful, Bhattar's tumour was surgically operated upon. No local or general anaesthesia was however available in those days. It is said that since Bhattar was a man who was thoroughly "soaked" in the beauty of the 30 stanzas of the "tiruppAvai" he reportedly told everyone that his "tiruppAvai" is my anasthesia. When I recite the tiruppAvai I shall feel no pain!". Question 6 The world is not all filled with Parashara Bhattars and Peria-vAchAn-pillais. What happens to those people amongst us who are either unaware of the "tiruppAvai" or simply don't care about it? Answer: Sir, those who choose to remain unware or indifferent to the "tiruppAvai" can please consider themselves as an "unqualified burden to this earth." : "pAthagang-gaL theerkumm paraman-adi-kAttum vedam-anaittukkum vitthAkum kOthai tamizh aiy-aiyndu maiynddum ariyAda mAniddarai vaiyanja sumappathum vambu". meaning; "The tiruppAvai eradicates the sin of men; it contains the distilled essence of the holy Vedas.Hence, knowing this to be true, if there is one among the species of men, with all his senses intact, who yet chooses to remain ignorant of the 30 verses of the Song Celestial.... then what can be said of such a one save that he is an unqualified burden to Earth?" andAl tiruvadigaLE sharanam ******** CONCLUDED ********* dAsanu dAsan, Sampathkumaran __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! 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