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Periya Thirumozhi 1.1- NaaraayaNaa! NaaraayaNaa! NaaraayaNaa!

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • Wed Jan 27 1999 - 03:56:05 PST 


Sri:

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

ThirumangaiAzhwAr’s excellent periya Thirumozhi thus begins now. I Pray 
to Divya Dampatis and AzhwAr for Their blessings and "thirutthi 
paNikoOLLal" corrective actions on my "little" (or un?) worthy posts. 
Let us start with the Grand gala opening of VaadinEn vaadi – the 
recitation of which is sure to bring tears in recitor’s eyes and choking 
in his voice. Such an emotion filled ten from ThirumangaiAzhwAr.

1. I am repenting with tears; I am weltering; Being born into this life 
of terrible sorrows; I have gone behind the young women running after 
sensual pleasures from them; (But) due to the grace of our Lord Sriman 
Narayanan, I have (been blessed to have ) realised the Goal that can 
save me and yield me the Greatest blissful and eternal happiness; 
(Without my knowledge even, He had made me) searching for this stage, 
and NOW I have found the eternal happiness- in the Divine name 
"Narayanaa". (Not even in Him; in His name- I have found the eternal 
happiness- because AzhwAr saw Him and PiraaTTi first; But only after 
hearing His name from the Lord, did AzhwAr find the happiness! Hence, 
the name is grander than the Lord- Utter NamO Narayana! NamO Narayana!)
 
2. I, the mahA paavi (sinner), who had run amuck after only carnal 
desires calling and blabbering "Oh my dear! My life! My nectar!", spent 
and wasted all days and my precious life with thoughts of breasts of 
women; Such a paavi- I, have now been blessed to utter with my tongue 
the Divine name of Narayana and get saved by paying my obeisance to the 
most fertile and beautiful Thirukkudanthai (where swan mates with its 
spouse in lovely ponds- AzhwAr implies PiraaTTi’s inseparable state 
(nithyaanapaayinI) with the Lord of Thirukkudanthai) . (Naicchiyam of 
this AzhwAr is simply excellent and great! If this greatest AzhwAr had 
so much of naicchiyam- humility and kaarpaNyam- I just can’t imagine how 
on earth we should be weeping and crying for what we are; were and will 
be!- kruthaan, kriyamaaNaan, karishyamaaNaa cha sarvam kshamsva!)
 
3. In spite of desiring for doing good deeds only, I still performed 
only bad and wrong deeds (sins); sought women for sensual pleasures; 
such days have gone utter waste – and I am thinking of such useless days 
similar to the dumb person’s thinking about his past (without being able 
to narrate to others- Here AzhwAr is not able to narrate to others for 
such brazen shameful acts of his in the past- he keeps silent being 
unable to narrate to others). But now, I have realised the Divine name 
of Narayana – the name of the Lord – my Emperumaan who never leaves the 
heart of His devotees- who is the father of Cupid and who is the master 
of all of us.
 
4.  Desiring only for victories, melting and longing only for the 
transitory, non-permanent temporary objects, craving only for mating the 
darting eyed women, and having a fickle mind that never stays 
concentrated on any one thing- I was lost in this life and did not as to 
what to do and how to get saved to reach the Lord; and due to the 
Varaaha Perumaan’s grace, the One who is so stunningly beautiful and 
graceful- who has the huge Beautiful ThirumEni (Divine body) sky high- 
due to His compassion and dayA on me, I am blessed to have found the 
esoteric Great Narayana naamam (the Ashtaaksharam) to get saved.
 
5. I was loitering everywhere at the beck and call of my mind; and I had 
robbed the soul (my AthmA) from Him which from time immemorial has been 
only His property and was thinking that it is mine; In spite of all 
these misdeeds performed, today I have realised the truth and become 
crystal clear in my outlook. I am blessed to obtain His grace for 
getting such an outlook. Thus, I am qualified to go on the path to 
Paramapadham. Thinking of His grace, my past deeds, my being blessed by 
Him who came to me to save me, my heart melts; my eyes well with tears 
for His dayA on this lowly self; my voice chokes; my tongue stammers; 
The tears of joy roll down my cheeks and wet my entire body; Day in and 
day out- at all time, I am yelling and shouting "Narayanaa! Narayanaa! 
Narayanaa!".  (enna great AzhwAr! If one does not get tears in his eyes 
while he reads the meaning of this pAsuram, then my translation is so 
nonsense and bad that has negated the beauty of the pAsuram!)
 
6. Oh Bhagwathas of Sriman Narayanan, who always immerse yourselves on 
Him alone and spend all times doing that alone as your pastime! My Lord- 
My Emperumaan- My "aNNal" (Big Brother? Father?) , my Father, my 
everything, the One who helps me at all times, in all ways, who is all 
relations to me, who removes all my enemies, (klEsa naasan), who rules 
me, who is fearsome for asurAs, who is my uyir (life), - Such Emperumaan 
is here showing Himself so gracefully at Tanjore temple and by paying 
obesiance to Him at this temple, I am blessed to have found out the 
Greatest, most esoteric Narayana naamam (ashtaakshara manthram)
 
7. You do not know their life styles (their refers to those human beings 
whom you all praise and sing for few dollars more!); you don’t know 
their habits; you don’t know their births; you don’t know that they were 
poor one day (even though you see them rich now); You don’t even know 
their guNam (nature- attributes); you don’t know their karma; To such 
unworthy people, who are doing useless, insignificant work, you all 
praise "Oh Greatest! Oh KaRpaka tharu (Tree that gives all that one 
desires for) etc.. etc.. which do not at all match with their actual 
qualities. Listen to me one thing; Come here, Oh Poets! Come to 
Thirukkudanthai! Pay obeisance to this place! See this Greatest One 
ArAvamudhan! (Insatiable nectar!) And utter "Narayanaa!" (whose meaning, 
and the person are made for each other in terms of Glory!) Like me, sing 
Narayana and get saved! 
 
8. I have not learnt the scriptures/ sasthras; I have sent my heart and 
mind wherever senses longed and craved for; the foolish I (due to these 
lowly sinful nature and illiteracy- ajj~nAnam), was not blessed to 
obtain any good; My pastime was only doing harm and bad to all beings of 
the world; (by killing them and injuring them in battles); Till 
yesterday, I was like this; Due to the Greatest mercy and grace of 
Bhagwaan Sriman Narayanan, my state has been transformed; I have stopped 
doing sinful deeds; I could contemplate on doing good and way to get 
saved and am able to be blessed to obtain the ashtaaksharam (Narayana 
naamam) as the hold and support (to prevent the great grand downfall of 
my self further and get saved eternally!). 
 
9. It will fetch the Greatest Highest Kulam (of Srivaishnava kulam); It 
will yield great fortune (aishwaryam); It will alleviate and destroy all 
that can be called as sorrows of devotees; It will also grant the 
Biggest Grandest and Greatest Home (Paramapadham); It will fetch the 
Divine grace of the Lord; It will grant the strength to enjoy Him; It 
will do all good (to you) much much more than what your mother can do; 
(Which one is so great?) That is Thirumanthram- Ashtaaksharam _ 
Naaraayana naamam and I have been blessed to obtain that.
 
10. Oh Bhagawthas, who recite this ten of Thirumangai mannan! Please 
utter "Narayana" when you are down with sorrows or even when you have 
none of them ; when you are about to go to bed; Utter this at all times; 
and under all circumstances; It can stay as a Poison to all our sins and 
destroy them completely to protect us at all times; Utter Naaraayanaa 
Naaraayanaa! And be saved! 

Narayana! Narayana! Narayana!

ThirumangaiAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
      
Narayana dAsan Madhavakkannan



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