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thiru viNNagarath thEn - part 6 - poRuththa "thEn"

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Sampath Rengarajan • July 6, 2001 


Srimadh Azhagiya Singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiru viNNagarath thEn - part 6 - poRuththa "thEn"

(Summary:
In  this  part  it  said  as  to  how the hurting words  become the
praising words. It is also talked about  why  the  Lord wait around
when HIS bhakthALs are ill-treated. But, it was not  only Sri AzhwAr and
perumAL who were tolerating and  being patient,  the real "thEn" or
honey  was  also  waiting  for  use  by perumAL. Finally, the nitya
"thEn"  is  the  thAyar  who is residing in perumAL's "nenchu"  and
waiting to bless one and cleanse all their sins).

Dear bAgawathAs,

       "After  all, a  "sol" can be  made a  "puN  sol"  (abusive &
hurting  word)  or  "pon  sol" (golden  word) only depending on the
vishayam or subject it talks  about.  Since  they  used  all  these
abusive words at me it made me think that I am after all  an  "alpa
vishyam" so that they used all these hurting words at me. or else I
may be thinking that I was something great. If one has to use these
words at the Lord  such words can never be a "pun sol".  ie..  They
will automatically become "pon sol". They become pon sol the moment
they are used for  the  Lord.  So  I  thought  about  YOU  and  all
these abusive words were replaced by nice words  that  one  can use
about YOU, and those golfen words came  to my mind.  Then, it  kind
of gave  me an incentive such that why can't I use these good words
myself to sing on YOU. ie.. Oh Lord, It made me praise YOU with  so
many good and beautiful "thEn" words. I may have tried to do thuthi
pAdal (sing in praise of)  on "aRpars" (useless people)  using  the
good and beautiful words that are meant for the Lord.  I think that
is the reason I learnt this lesson (ie.. I must sing  in praise  of
YOU using the good words given by YOU) in a hard  way. ie. probably
learnt to control my feelings (in a hard way) only  after  I    was
criticised using abusive and hurting remarks".  However Sri  AzhwAr
must have taken this as an indicator in his path to reach perumAL's
thiruvadi. In fact "Eedu" gives  a  small  story  about  how  a Sri
vaishnava  by  name  Sri miLagAyvAn,  being  happy when he was ill-
treated by an avaishnava (*). Just as how it is the quality  of  an
avaishnavan to ill-treat a Srivaishnava,  it  is  a  quality  of  a
Srivaishnava to tolerate it and understand it as  an  indicator  in
his being a Srivaishnava.

The tamil word  poRuth"thEn"  means 'poruththuk  koNdu irun"thEn".'
"poruththathu AzhwAr mattum illai. perumALum  koodaththAn. perumAL
thiru viNNagarath thEn AgaiyAl perumAlum, oru SrivaishnavaNai  oru
avaishnavar  Esiyathai prouththuk  koNdu  irunthA  "thEn". porumai
yilum thEnai pOla inimaiyAnavar perumAL".ie.perumAL is a very soft
and sweet One as similar to honey even when HE is very patient  on
certain  things.  "peumAL   poruththuk  koNdu   iruntha  thEn?" or
poRuththa"thEn"  ie.. Sri Oppiliappan  is  the  "thEn"  that   was
tolerating  this insult and  abuse   of   a   Srivaishnava  by  an
avaishnava? Why this "thEn" was  tolerating so long?  It  is  said
that  unless  otherwise  it is threatening the sampradAyam perumAL
wait  until  the  Srivaishnava goes to paramapatham to settle this
account of  insults  hurled  at  them.(**)  It  seems  after a Sri
vaishnava (prapannA)  goes to  parama patham the remaining  "sins"
that the  Srivaishnava  have  in  his  account  will   goto  those
enemies or virOdhis or bhandukkaL  who  hurled  such   insults and
used abusive words at him. The puNNiyams of that Srivaishnava goto
those who were good to him as similar to a friend.

The word "poRu" also means wait or be patient. The thEn first wait
until the bee picks it from the flowe. Then, the "thEn" is usually
collected by many bees in a  hive.  While they are being collected
they  wait  until  the  hive  somewhat gets full. PoovukkuLLE thEn
vaittha thEnappan, vAndukkum adhai  sollivaikka,  koottukkuL  thEn
irukka  namakkum  adhai  TheLLi  vaikka,  thEnukkuL  suvai  irukka
seythavanum avanEthAn. ie.. the "thEn" avanudiya  ubayOgatthukkAga
poRutthuk  koNdu  irunthathu pOlum. The  more we wait to pick this
"thEn" it is very sweet and very viscous. It was not only the turn
for Sri  AzwhAr to wait around (until perumAL blesses him). "thEn"
also has to wait around untill it is fetched by the destined "user".
ie. the best use  for  such  thEn is when it is used for perumAL's
thiru manchanam.  Sameway,  it  seems  all  the sweet words of Sri
AzhwAr were also waiting to  be  used for "Sri thEnappan ennum Sri
Oppilappan".

These are all the thEn that one can see and easily derive from the
first thEn  reference  in 'poRuth"thEn" pun sol nenchil'.  As  per
adiyEn's anubavam, Sri AzhwAr implies  that the first and the best
of all the thEn  is the thAyAr who  is "nenchil poRutthu   iruntha
thEn" for perumAL. ie. thAyAr is the honey who is  always residing
at perumAL's nenchu or chest or thiru  mArbu.  It   seems when the
amirtham was churned out of thirup pARk kadal, it  was  in  demand
not  only due to its very nature to provide  immortality and other
boons to dEvAs. It was in demand due to its sAmeebyam to thAyAr so
long in thiRup pARk kadal. Even this amirtham  obtained  its  very
nature due to its association  with thAyAr  in  thiRup pARk kadal.
Even  amirtham  knew  that it is not sweeter  or pure as  compared
to the nectarine thAyAr. She is the one and only "nechil poRuththu
iruntha thEn".  It  is  only proper that Sri AzhwAr  calls for HER
first to tell his plight.

Sri kumuthavaLLi nAcchiyAr samEtha Sri thirumangai AzhwAr
thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri boomidEvith thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE saraNam.
adiyEn irAmAnusa dAsan
thiruk kudanthai Sampath Rengarajan

(*) Please read "Eedu" vyAykAyAnam or  Sri  Nrusimhap priya  july
2001 issue for this small story.

(**) Waits to use article 356 to intervene until it is threatening
the society!!
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