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RE: Alavandar

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Madhavakkannan, Vasudevan • July 28, 1999 


Sri:

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

Sri SR Rangarajan and Sri Sadagopan have written so crisply and beautifully
on Yamunacharya. 
Simply excellent posts on the Great AchArya. Smt Sheela blessed us with the
AchArya
Rathna haaram. 

Here's my ramble on Alavandhar.

It is he who spotted Emperumaanaar- Udayavar- Ramanujar 
saying "Aaam mudhalvan ivan"..

His (Alavandhar's) sthOthrams are the two beautiful ones namely,
ChathuslOki on PiraaTTi and SthOthra Rathnam. ChathuslOki (4 slOkams)
is on the most ausipicious attributes of PiraaTTi, and decsribed the 
theme of Purushaakaaram Prapatthi and Eka sEshithvam principles. 
He mentions that the Divine Consort of Emperumaan Sriya: Pathi Sriman
Narayanan possesses the KalYANa guNAs., jnAnam, Bhalam, Aishwaryam,
Veeryam and tEjas, like Emperumaan. Paraasara Bhattar says "Oh Lord!
Even though You dress like PiraaTTi, in Mohini avtaar, Your (butter
Thief- thiruttu) eyes have failed You! 

SthOthra Rathnam is the most excellent one and is the forerunner for all
Other AchAryAs' works.. 

Sri BN Suresh has been writing the meanings of each of these 65 excellent 
anubhavm , emotion filled slOkam of Sri Yamunacharya. It suits each one of
us so
well, that when we read them, we will feel that the sthOthram is written for
us
(and not for Alavandhar!). I was reading Sri Abhinava Desika Utthamoor
Swami's
excellent commentary on this sueprb sthOthram. It really captivates one's
heart.

Some great ones which come to my mind readily:

1.  When Alavandhar says, "I had committed lot of sins in the past and
they have started acting and yielding dividends. I am scared of those
sufferings.
Please save me, and bless me for no more births.. I shall attain Your Lotus
Feet!
Lord says ... "Wait.. Wait.. Not to worry. I will grant you more pleasures..
You will not feel 
pains. Alavandhar replies.. "Oh No! then, I shall dissolve them and again
have to 
undergo for the paapams committed.. None will opt for a boat (when he is
sinking) to
the river bank (if it is visible and easily accessible..) Don't put me in a
boat.. Take me
 to the shore (i.e You..) 

2. When Alavandhar says.. "I don't want anything except serving Your Lotus
Feet",
the Lord responds... "AlavandharE! Are you sure your mind says that? Or is
it lip
service? " Alavandhar says.."I think it is form my heart.. But You are
Sarvagnan;
Sarva Shakthan; You know better. Let it be so. Still, You alone can enable
my heart
to get transformed.. - What a narration! Simliar to Ramanujar's SaraNAgathy
Gadyam!

3. There is one slOka, where Alavandhar says "There is no paapam (sin) in
the
world that is not committed by me.. (What a naichyanusanthanam-)- ahamasmi
aparaadha Chakravarrtthi - says Swami Desikan in Dayasathakam.

4. Alavandhar also says (*in his 62nd slOkam- as mentioned by Sri Sadagopan)
"amaryaatha kshoodra:. - Amaryatha: The one who has crossed (or
transgressed)
the VarnAshrama dharmam- may be he feels bad that he performed
saayam sandhyavandhanam one day at 7.00 p.m- that's why he laments??
where do we go?? - we are personification of amarytaatha:) Khsudra:
aRpan. neechan. He also calls himself with various lowly adjectives, similar
to ThirumangaiAzhwAr's naayEn vandhadaindhEn; NammAzhwAr's
seelamilla siRiyOn; siRiya jnAnatthan..- If one does not feel moved by this
sloka
(after knowing its meanings), he will not get any heart problem at all! -
implies
no heart..)

5. His namO namO.. and nadharma nishTosmi is so great that one can easily
by heart and recite everyday during morning prayers.. 

Let me reproduce extract from Sri Suresh's post for these two slOkams for
your 
ready reference and reading..

slokha 21 :-

Namo namo vaan-manas'aati bhumaye
namo namo vaan-manas'aika-bhumaye;
namo namo'ananta-mahaavibhutaye
namo namo'ananta  day'aika sindhave.

Obeisance again and again to you who are beyond
the reach of speech and mind; obeisance again and
again to you who are the sole object of speech and mind;
obeisance again and again to you of infinite great  powers;
obeisance again and again to you, the one ocean of infinite
mercy.

slokha 22 :-

Na dharma-nishtho'asmi na c'aatma vedi
na bhaktimaan tvaccaran'aaravinde;
akincano'ananya-gatih saranya!
tvat-paada-mulam saranam prapadye.

O you worthy of being sought as refuge! I am not one
established in Dharma, nor am I, a knower of the self.
I have no fervent devotion to your lotus-feet. Utterly
destitute as I am, and having none else for resort, I
take refuge under your feet.

Alavandhar ThuiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Narayana Narayana

Narayana dAsan