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Thirumaalai-30

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • July 23, 2002 


Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

“ Mattrondrum vEinda Maname Madhilarangar

  Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra

  Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai

  Eppozhudum peesu”

 

“ Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave 

  yetkadAkshai kalakshyAnAm sulabha: Sridara: sadaa”

 

Pranams,

 
Paasuram-16
 

“soodhanAi kalvanAgi dhoordharOdu esaindha kAlam

  mAdarAr kayarkanennum valayul pattu azhundhuvEnai

  pOdharE endru solli pundiyutpugundhu * thanpAl

  Adaram perugavaiththa azhaganoor arangamandre”

 

In this paasuram alwar actually recollects his own experience.  Generally we all say that talking is easy and doing is difficult.  In the case of other alwars they have always been in the thought of bhagavan and hence had no chance to undergo the miseries of the samsAram.  So people may say, only if they undergo the same they will know how difficult it is to overcome it.  But in case of thondaradipodi alwar he has also been caught in the hold of kamam and undergone all the miseries we jeevatmas undergo.  So he now gives out his personal experience and says if you really go and fall in the feet of bhagavan, Sri Ranganathan, then it is sure you will come out of this samsara sAgaram and enjoy the divine bliss under his feet.  

Sri PVP says, “thanmudaiya poorva vriththAntham arulicheikirAr”.

 

Here let us also get to memory the story of Sri thondaradi podi alwar.  Alwar was born in a Brahmin family in mandangudi and was named vipra Narayanan.  As he grew up he was thought all Vedas and vedantha and he was so much involved in bhagavat kainkaryam that he left his birth place and decided to go to Srirangam.  He sold whatever property he had in mandangudi and in srirangam he purchased a small land where he grew a beautiful garden with variety of flowers.  His main job was to take care of the plants in the right way and to pluck the flowers and make garlands for aranganagarappan.  He not only made beautiful garlands out of flowers he was deeply involved in the bhakthi towards the lord that he sang two prabhandams, one for waking up the lord in the morning, thirupalliyezhuchi and one thirumaalai(garland of words, this he sang at a later part of his life).  When this went on for sometime, emperuman decided to play a little bit with the alwar.  He wanted to test alwarÂ’s bhakthi.  

 

One dasi by the name devadevi once visited the kingdom of urayoor to entertain the king.  On the way back due to rain she and her sister wanted to find some shelter hence came towards the garden of alwar.  Alwar didnÂ’t even release their presence and he was busy with his kainkaryam.  Devadevi who was considered the most beautiful was really surprised to see one man who didnÂ’t even lift his head and see her.  Her sister told her that he was a  para bhAgavatan and will never bother about her beauty or get impressed.  But devadevi challenged that she will make him follow her.  Then the two decided that this will be a challenge and if devadevi won then the sister will become her servant and viceversa.  That day they left but then another day devadevi came simply dressed without any ornaments and started crying in front of vipranArayanar.  When asked why she replied that she belonged to the dasi kulam and that she was not interested in the kula thoZhil and wanted to do service to the lord.  So she requested him t
and give the due respects.  So emperuman returned  back with disappointment but thayar who is filled with karunai couldnÂ’t stand their kid undergoing such miseries.  She talked to perumal and asked why he has left his bhakthan in this state.  Perumal replied that even when perumal visited him, he never even saw him.  So he cannot do anything about it.  But thayar replied with apAra karunyam, how ever the bhakthan may me it is the duty of bhagavan to correct him.  This is called as purushakAram in our sampradayam.  Piratti talks on our behalf to the bhagavan.  So now bhagavan accepted to make vipranarayanar understand his mistake.

 

Again the bhagavan has a different approach towards anything.  He took his own silver vessel and went to the house of devadevi and gave it to her and asked her to call vipranarayanar and make him happy.  She did the same thinking, that the boy who came to deliver was a servant of vipranarayanar.  The next day the temple authorities were shocked to see the vessel missing and they reported to the king.  The king started investigation and the servant maid in devadeviÂ’s house who also worked in the temple told that she saw the vessel in devadeviÂ’s house.  The king sent for devadevi who told that vipranarayanar only gave it to her.  When asked vipranarayanar replied that he didnÂ’t know anything about this and also that he didnÂ’t have any servant boy as stated by devadevi.  The king couldnÂ’t decide anything but still arrested vipranarayanar and prayed to the lord to show him the justice.   The lord in his dream said that he was the one who gave the vessel to devadevi on behalf of his bhaktha and hence to release v

 

Let us see the meaning of the paasuram in the next posting.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 



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