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4000 -A different look on its arrangement (structure)

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • January 9, 1996 


Thanks to Dr. Sadagopan for his views on 4000 structure. I would like to take
the liberty and present an other school of thought that view this composition
of 4000 in a little different structure. ie the 4000 has pranavam,
ashtaaksharam and dvyam and sarama sloKam ie all the three rahsyaas (also dealt
in magnum opus -  of Swami desikan's srimath rahasya thra saaraa) in a
comprehensive way in Tamil.

First group of paasurams

>From thiruppallaaNdu to amalanaathiu piraan (on pranavak krithi, please refer
to my earlier article) are the essence of pranavaarthangaL.. (the inner meaning
of pranavam). and hence all these were placed in the first for the 4000.

Second group of paasurams
KaNNiNun siruththaambu describes "nama" sabtham .
(joint total of groups 1 and 2 is 947)

Third group of paasurams
Periya thirumozhi and periya thirumadal are the vivaaraNam or detailed
description of "Naaraayana" saptham and hence they are arranged next to the
first tire.
(total of periya thirumozhi is 1134)

Fourth group of paasurams
"Dvaya" artham is detailed by thiruvaay mozhi (1102 PAASURAMS)

Fifth group of pasurams
sarama sloka explanations are offered through "iyarpaa" is muthal to moonRaam
thiruvanthaathis and others such.

There is no controversy on "thirup pallaaNdu and amalanaathi piraan as
pranavaartham and kaNNinun siruththaambu as nama sabptham. Since thirumangai
aazhwaar starts periya thirumozhi with his "kaNdu kondEn Naaraayanaa vennun
Naamam" we can also equate that the periya thirumozhi represents "naaraayan"
sabptham.

I am not sure how dvya artham is equated to thiruvaay mozhi. However, the
sarama slokam artham can very well be equated to "iyarpaa". Referring to
desikan's saram  sloka surukku

"vallaar muyalka valiyizhanthaar enRanaith thozhuken
Rellaath tharuma muraiththavan"

states that of the two ways (bakthi and prapaththi) prapatti is the most
suitable for even the bakthi maarg devotee. In iraNdaam thiruvanthaathi,
boothath thaazhwaar,

ariya thElithaakum aaRRalaal maaRRip
peruka muyalvaaraip peRRaal- kariyathOr
veNkOttu maalyaanai venRi mudiththanRE !
than kOttu maamalaraal thaazhnthu                                   (irandaam
thiruvanthaathi 22)

"Mode of praying emperuman and the mode of getting to emperumaan (bakthi neri)
are also subtiyuyed by prapaththi neri that is prompted by HIS own grace." this
can also be re written as a bakthi maargam only. That is this song has two
meanings one suit bakthi and the other prapaththi.
There may many other references to sarama sloka artham in other parts of 4000.
I t is also intersting to note that these tiruvanthaathis are thefirst of 4000
in chronology.

On a conclusion, this is one of the ways I read from the book I have. This is
in no way to contest Dr. Sadagopan's views. I presented this as a mere second
thought only.

Sri Oppiliappan Sri Boomi dEvi thirvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengi



For refernce I have cut and pasted sri sadagopan's explanation of 4000
structure also.
**********************************************************************
To gain a perspective on TVK, we have to understand the structure of
Naaliyra Divya Prabhandham and its relationship to Ashtaksharam,
which Thirumangai received as Upadesam from the "Peethaka Vaadai
PirAnAr as Brahma Guru ".The first thousand or MudalAyiram is associated
 with the meaning of OmkArA or Pranavam; the second thousand (Thirumozhi
Aayiram) of Thirumangai has the purpose of Nama: Sabdhaartham (significance
of salutation and performing SaranAgathi at the Lotus feet of the Lord);
the third thousand (Thiruvaimozhi of NammAzhvAr ) explains
 the Narayana -SabdhArtha ; the fourth thousand  (IyarPaa) explains the
Chathurthyartha
(the significance of the dative suffix-"AAYA" in NARAAYANAAYA ).
**************************************************************************