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Inputs for CD ROMs : Part XI.2 -->Swamy NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham

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Sadagopan • March 1, 2001 


NamO NaarAyanAya!

Dear BhakthAs: adiyEn will cover the first of  
the FOUR Sri Sookthis of Swamy NammAzhwAr , 
THIRU VIRUTTHAM(TV) in this posting .

Introduction & Comments
************************
**TV is the first of the four prabhandhams of
Swamy NammAzhwAr (SN). It is considered as the essence
of Rg Vedam .It has 100 paasurams set in the AndhAthi
manner, where the last word of one paasuram becomes 
the beginning word of the next paasuram.

** TV of SN is set in the Viruttham metre and deals with
the description/narration of an impotant event (VrutthAntham)
in SN's life.This event is the realization of the Divine Lord
by SN. He experiences the union with the Lord and that 
dhivya anubhavam causes him bliss and the paasurams are 
the narration of that ultimate ecstasy after disspiriting 
trials and tribulations.

** The name Thiruviruttham has been explained as 
the viruttham of Thiru (ParAnkusa Naayaki).The divine 
love of SN for the Lord as a woman in a Rg rk sense is 
being developed as a theme here.The Rg rk is I.164.16:

Sthriya: sathIsthAm u meh pumsa aahu:
pasyadh akshNvAn na vi chEthadh andha:
(Meaning): They , though females , have been 
called males, so we hear! He who has eyes beholds.

That the Supreme Being (Sriman NaarAyaNaa) is the only
Male , who can save the souls , which are all females
is brought out by this Rg rk. AchAryAs prepare us
as brides for the Lord , even if we may be gender wise
males. Using this doctrine, SN enters the divine love
stage as a woman and surrenders to the Lord as 'her"
Naayakan .The paasurams describe the experiences of
a love-smitten Naayaki , who through prayer , eulogy
and constant rememberance(avicchanna smruthi) of her Lord ,
overcomes dEhAthma Bramam and climbs through several
levels of SaadhanA to conclude the spiritual pilgrimage
at the feet of the Lord's (Naayakan's) Thiruvadi to
enjoy the ParipUrNa BrahmAnubhavam.  

** Kidambi AacchAn points out that TV was composed by SN
to save the masses of samsAris , who have fallen into 
the deep pit of inferior births and further have descended
into another pit of KaamA and are aimlessly wandering there
throughout  their lives without hope for any salvation .SN
through TV gives a powerful helping hand to lift them 
out of their miseries experienced in these deep , dark pits 
so that they can see the light (have Jn~Anam) and enjoy 
the anantha kalyANa GuNams of Sriman NaarAyaNA and set 
themselves on the course to gain Moksha Siddhi. 
SN performs uplifting Upadesam for these suffering 
samsAris out of his daya befitting a ParamAchAryan .

** The 100th paasuram of TV sums up SN's purpose in 
composing TV as his First prabhandham : " SatakOpan
born in noble ThirukkuruhUr celebrated by BhaagavathAs ,
cherishes adorning on his head the flowers from the sacred
feet of such BhAgavathAs , whose joyous vrutthi is 
the singing of the Lord's nAmams.SatakOpan has composed 
a paasuram garland of one hundred verses housing the choicest
words that are of the optimal length.This prabhandham is 
a humble samarpaNam to the Lord . Those who study and 
comprehend the inner meanings of this prabhandham will be
guranteed a life that from then on will be freed from
the cycles of births and deaths . They will be freed
from the mess of worldly existence from which relief 
is not easy ".

** SN pleads on our behalf to Sriman NaarAyaNan and 
requests Him to listen to his prayerful appeal (ViNNappam/
VigyApanam) seriously . In the very first verse of 
TV , SN appeals movingly to the Lord (Sri VaradarAjan of 
Kaanchi):" Thou impeller of eternals ! Thou who wert born
in all manner of wombs for the sake of saving souls 
so that we may not be touched henceforth by 
the consciouness in the false , by the performance of
evil deeds ,posession of dirty body and the qualities
that are therein . Oh Lord of the DevAs!Oh Supreme One
without equal or superior ! Condescend to give ear to
the true words of Thy slave/servant".

** This first paasuram of TV has been identified 
as the distillation of the essence of artha panchakam.

** SN's archai at Kanchi VaradarAja PerumAL's temple
has its right hand on his heart to illustrate this 
ViNNappam. In all other temples , SN's archai has
upadEsa or anugraha mudhrai . Since SN addressed 
the Lord as DEvarAjan ( ImayOr TalaivA ) in TV ,
his archai at Kaanchi has the ViNNappa mudhrai . 

** In TV the beginning and the end deal with 
the viNNappam of SN. In the first paasuram ,
SN appeals to the Lord : " Mey ninRu kEttaruLAi
adiyEn seyuum viNNappamE". In the final paasuram,
he reminds the Lord that has made the ViNNappam
on behalf of us: " MaaRan viNNappam seytha soll".

** SN's viNNappam is to banish the obstacles of 
prakruthi sambhandham that stand in the way of 
Moksham. It is an appeal on our behalf.His prayer
is to save the AathmA from the mire/ mud of
samsAram , which is not easy to brush and remove ,
without the Lord's anugraham.

** SN takes on the role of a Naayaki deeply in love
with the Lord and engages in the enjoyment of 
the limitless auspicious guNams of her Lord and
begs for parma hitham and parama purushArtham in TV.

** In the 64th paasuram of TV , SN connects to Rg Vedam:
" irukkAr mozhiyAl-- ThirutthAL iNai --nilatthEvar
vaNanguvar" ( with Rg vedic Rks, the great ones of
this earth will perform AarAdhanam for the sacred feet 
of Sriman NaarAyana. Rk Vedam in all its prayers
to various devathais (Agni, Indhran, Vaayu , Varunan 
et al) is only saluting the indweller of these Deavathais ,
who is none other than Sriman NaarAyaNan , who empowers
them( TadhEvAgni: tadhu Soorya: Tadhu ChandramA).

** The First ,third , fifth and the 17th paasurams 
of TV can be identified as prayers to the antharyAmi
of Indran, Agni , Vaayu and VaruNan respectively.

** SN spoke until the 87th paasuram in the role of
a Naayaki .From then on to conclusion , SN speaks
with his own identity .Some of the memorable lines 
in TV are : 

(1) adiyEn adi aavi adaikkalamE (Paasuram 85);
    Here in the role of Naayaki SN states that her 
    aathmA as a daasa bhuthai is the object of
    His protection (Rakshya Vasthu).

(2) maathAvinai pithuvait ThirumAlai VaNanguvanE
    ( Paasuram 95).Here SN states that he is performing
    Prapatthi at the sacred feet of the Lord , who is
    both his Father and Mother.

(3)Jn~Anap PirAnai allAl illai nAnn kaNda nallathuvE
   (Paasuram 99).Here , SN declares that there is nothing
   at all in this world as hitham except BhUvarAhan ,
   the EmperumAn , who performed Jn~AnOpadesam through 
   VarAha Charama slOkam .Swamy Desikan created the rahasya 
   grantham of Rahasya SikhAmaNi based on this slOkam 
   to celebrate the greatness of VarAha Charama slOkam.

** Swamy Desikan viewed the four Prabhandhams of SN as four
   ViNnappams. According to him , the first prabhandham (TV)
   of SN described that SamsAric afflictions are unbearable. 
   In the second Prabhandham ( ThiruvAsiriyam/Tamil Yajur Vedam),
   SN enjoyed the SvarUpa-rUpa gunams of the Lord .In the third 
   prabhandham ( Periya ThiruvandhAthi/Atharva Veda saaram),
   SN had the ViNNappam to the Lord that the bliss of enjoying
   the Lord be uninterrupted. In the final prabhandham 
   (ThiruvAimozhi/Saama Veda Saaram), SN enjoyed without let
   the anantha kalyANa guNams of the Lord and entered 
   the feet of the Lord ( adikkeezh amarnthu puhunthAr).

** The link between Thiru Viruttham  and ThiruvAimozhi(TVM) 
   according to our PoorvAchAryAs is that the pilgrimage
   of the Soul that started in TV is celebrated in greater
   detail in ThiruvAimozhi and in this context , TV can be
   considered as the epitome of TVM .

Swamy NammAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan  
   

 

      


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