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thiru viNNagarath thEn - part 8 - iRuththa "thEn"

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Sampath Rengarajan • July 8, 2001 


Srimadh Azhagiya Singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

(Summary: This being the "kavi" or poetry of Sri thirumangai  AzhwAr
many possible usage of poruL and inam are revealed. It  is  not very
easy to interpret Sri thiru mangai AzhwAr's pAsurams.  An  elaborate
explanation is derived from poorvAchchAryA's  vyAkyAnams.  This  2nd  thEn 
is referred to Sri Maniappan of thiru viNNagaram)

thiru viNNagarath thEn - part 8 - iRuththa"thEn"

Dear bAgawathAs,

       iRuththa "thEn" means why did one give up certain things ? It
also means the  "thEn" or the Lord who  let  one  give up  all these
materialistic pursuit and kAmA.  Sometime one gets to use the ArtthA
and kAma to the fullest extent. Many  scholars have said  that "alai
kadal kooda Oyalam, Asai OyvathE illai Enru". ie..  Even the roaring
sea may take rest and cease to produce waves and  may settle down to
stay stale. "Ottagam kooda oosi munaiyil  nuzhaiyalAm,   poruL  uLLa
oRuvaraL poruL Asaiyai vittu vilagA iyalAthu". ie..   It may even be
possible for a camel to enter through the ear of the needle,  but it
is impossible for a well-to-do person to relinquish his  desire  for
more wealth and other materialistic pursuit. But the desire in human
is subject to karma. It is karmA  that  activates  or   kindles such
desires in a human. Such  desire  would  would  never end untill the
assigned karmA cease to  exist in a given birth. However  since  Sri
AzhwAr was not subject to  karmA, it can also be said   that  having
exhaustively used Arttha and kAmA (as per the thiru uLLam of perumAL)
he felt saturated with them and gave them up. ie..  One  would  have
reached  the  limit of these and felt  fulfilled. If one feels vexed
up so much, there is no where to go further. ie.. If  one reach  the
peak,  one  can  only  fall  down  or follow the slope to a downward
descent.  Where else one  can go ? Someother feels that it was one's
"kadamai" to give  away all those "poruLs" to others. It may also be
considered that adiyEn  gave up those "poruL and inbam" as if adiyEn
was finishing up on my assigned "kadamai".

       Earlier AzhwAr uses the word "sol" while delivering "pun sol
nenchil poRuth"thEn". When AzhwAr uses the  word  "sol" (the  tamil
word sol means a word or a phrase or saying) it throws in  a lot of
weight  to  interpret  everything that follows after in  terms of a
poetic sense. Usually  the  word "sol" is used in  poetry  to  cite
"kavithaigaL" or poetry itself. When adiyEn was doing "thuthi pAdal"
on aRpars (praising the unworthy)  I used  my  words that were  the
treasure that I had. Infat those "kavi pAdum" words or poetic words
were much more than the materailistic things that I gave to many of
those  bhandhukkaLs.  Those  words  are  the worthiest  "ArthAs"  I
possessed. Those Arthas or  word  materials  had  many  arthams  or
inner meanings in tamil when I used them in my "sthuthis" or songs.
Those arttham or meanings of the words were so  sweet as similar to
thEn. "inbam" comes from the word "in".  The  tamil word "in" means
sweetness. When one talks about sweetness what else can they  think
of, other than the "poruL 'thEn'" or the  sweet meanings  of  those
poetic words. adiyEn felt that  adiyEn exhausted those "arthAs"  in
those  mortal  poems  sometimes. However many of those turned up as
avaishnava and began criticizing Sri AzhwAr.

      Arttham and kAmam are two of the four purushArttham that are
offerred as the blessings by this Lord when someone prays  to  HIM
seeking the same.  This  is  the  same  Lord who  also removes our
"paRRu" or attachment to these Arttham and kAmam. HE is none other
than Sri MaNiappan of thiru viNNagaram. The tamil word "MaNi"  has
several meanings.  In  the  current  reference  it  is  derived as
"maNiyai   ottha niRam koNda appan" or HE is known as  the one who
is so radiant, bright and mesmerising with HIS "thiru mEni varNam"
(color) being similar to   pricelsss, incomparable precious stone.
Sri nammAzhwAr had a darshan of Sri oppiliappan  as  Sri Ponnappan
(Ursavar), Sri Maniappan, Sri Mutthu appan and Sri ennappan.   Sri
maNiappan comes between  Sri ponnappan and  Sri  mutthappan. Among
great jewelry the costliest is maNi. If one is referred as  "poruL
udaiyavan", he  must  have  "vilai uyarntha navarathnams"   and in
particular certain rare collection of "maNi"  with  him.  MaNi  or
stone  is  worthier  than  pearls  and gold ie.. "mutthu and pon".
Certain maNi are known for their power to revive the dead to alive.
"Aga poruL enum idatthu maNiyaik  kuRitttha thAga  sollak  koodum".
ie.. Hence  in  this  second phrase it is  derived that Sri AzhwAr
is citing Sri maNiappaan and delivers that HE is the one who  gave
HIM  all  his wealth  and joy. It  is  also  understood  that  Sri
maNiappath "thEn" is also the one who made Sri AzhwAr give up  his
attachment for all this material wealth and materialistic pleasure.

Sri kumuthavaLLi nAcchiyAr samEtha Sri thirumangai AzhwAr
thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri boomidEvith thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE saraNam.
adiyEn irAmAnusa dAsan
thiruk kudanthai Sampath Rengarajan

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