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Thiruppavai Acharya Param - II

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mohan Sagar • February 10, 2003 


In the first pAsuram of Thiruppavai, the qualities of the AchArya as
being the very representative of Sriman Narayana himself were extolled,
along with the concept that AchArya AbhimAnam, service and faith in the
AchArya, was in and of itself the upAyam, the path to our redemption. 
It also brought out the very important aspect of Ramanuja Sampradayam
that the AchArya is ready and willing to share his wisdom with all who
are interested, irrespective of race, caste, or gender.

In the second of his series of talks on Thiruppavai AchArya Param, Sri V
P S Varadan Swamy presented an explanation on the second pAsuram of
Thiruppavai, vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl, the esoteric meaning of which
describes the quality of a sishya, a true disciple:

vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl  nAmum nampAvaikku
seyyum kirisaigal  kElIrO !  pArkadalul
paiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi
neyyunnOm pAlunnOm nAtkAlE nIrAdi

maiyittu ezhudOm malarittu nAmudiyOm
seyyAdana seyyyOm thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm
Ayyamum pichchayum Andanayum kaikAtti
vuyyumAr enni yugandElOr empAvAi 

'vayyaththu vAzh vIrgAl' - While the path is available to anyone and
everyone, irrespective of race, caste, or gender, it is understandable
that those who actually pursue this on a serious level would have to
possess certain qualities that would allow them to do so, in spite of
the pressures of this world that would pull them away to more mundane
pursuits.   The second verse begins by addressing these rare souls, the
mumukshus, the prappanas, those who strive to surrender to the Lord,
expanding upon what was suggested by ' sIrmalgum AyappAdi selvachchiru
mIrgAl'  in the first pAsuram.  

The rare souls, the mumukshus, the prapannas, are described as those who
seek to serve Sriman Narayana by ever constantly singing the praises of
the AchArya.   

'nAmum' - This term stresses or places emphasis on these individuals,
the mumukshus,  suggesting a firm stand, showing that their service lies
in adhering to what is prescribed in sAstra, the collection of the Veda,
Upanishads, itihAsas, purAnas, and the divya prabhandam, the knowledge
of which are bestowed upon them by the AchArya.

'nampAvaikku' - the term 'pavai' can mean a vratam/nonbu, an austerity
or penance undertaken with a firm vow.  This vratam, though, is unlike
all others in that is more a philosophical approach, an devotional
attitude in which the AchArya himself is seen to be God, one's refuge,
salvation, and object of adoration and service.  Such a mood is shown to
us by example and words by Madhurakavi AzhvAr to NammazhvAr, who
expresses this to all of us in his famous work, kanninun sirrtthAmbu
with the words, '...thirithan Agilum devapirAn udai....', "....rejecting
all other deities...."

The question that will arise is if the AchArya is so important, than
what role does the Lord play?   While not denying the need for devotion
to Sriman Narayana, it is suggested we serve the Acharya first, and then
think about doing a little service to the Lord directly.  The reasons
for this is as follows:

1.  The AchArya is a direct gift that has come solely from Sriman
Narayana out of His Boundless Love.  Consequently, his presence in our
hearts and lives is something to be cherished.

2.    The AchArya's Compassionate Nature is such that he would place
himself second if we were to decide to only serve the Lord.  However,
according to our customs, it is the AchArya who is the one who should be
taking the lead in guiding us in proper service to him.  Consequently,
out of our respect for this, we should maintain our position of
servitude to him.

3.  Sriman Narayana is of the nature that He is most pleased not when He
is being adored and served, but when His devotees are being served. 
Consequently, to truly serve Him, we must serve His devotee, the
AchArya.

'seyyum kirisaigal  kElIrO ' - Sriman Narayana is the only Being in this
Universe who is completely free to do and act as He pleases.  How He
bestows His Kindness, and when He chooses to do so is solely His
Decision.  But, the Lord is also one Who is easily swayed by His
Devotees.  So, if the AchArya tells Him to do something, He will
follow.  This is suggested by 'seyyum kirisaigal  kElIrO'  This also
further warrants the need for the devotee to serve the Lord only through
service to the AchArya.

By Vedic tradition, for every 'vratam' or penance, there is a
'sankalpam', a vow that what is about to undertaken will be completed
with good intentions, and with all the rules and regulations surrounding
being followed to the best of one's abilities.  This 'sankalpam' is
revealed to us in the pAsuram by:

pArkadalulpaiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi
neyyunnOm pAlunnOm nAtkAlE nIrAdi
maiyittu ezhudOm malarittu nAmudiyOm
seyyAdana seyyyOm thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm

pArkadalulpaiyath thuyinra paramanadi pAdi - We wil sing the glory of
the Lotus Feet of the AchArya, the one in whom Sriman Narayana, an ocean
of countless auspicious qualities, finds bliss.

In our temples, we receive the sacrament of 'satAri', a crown decorated
with the Lotus Feet of Sriman Narayana that is gently placed on our
heads for a moment, as a symbolic gesture of His Grace.  The Lord's
satAri is called by the name of his chosen disciple, NammAzhvAr.  Not
only the Lord, but every teacher has his own 'satAri' which is named
after his foremost disciple.  For NammAzhvAr, the satari is Bhagavad Sri
Ramanuja himself.  For Ramanuja, it is his first student, MudaliAndAn,
and so on.  So, for a student singing the glories of his/her teacher's
feet is of utmost importance, as this is the connection that links
him/her through the lineage of teachers through Ramanuja and ultimately
to Sriman Narayana.  It is this 'thiruvadi sambhandam,' this connection
to the feet ot the AchArya, that one must be ever aware of and glorify.

neyyunnOm pAlunnOm  - Just like NammAzhvAr proclaiming that Sriman
Narayana is his water, food, dessert, and very sustenance, to us the
AchArya is all all of these.    We require nothing else to survive. 
This is what is implied here by saying that we will not take ghee or
milk.

nAtkAlE nIrAdi - We will depend on no other Vedic injunctions, consider
no other means to spiritual realization as being of relevance, other
than respect and service to the AchArya.

seyyAdana seyyyOm - This is probably the most important concept
contained within this pAsuram.  Our Vedic culture teaches us that our
fundamental obligation is to do what is good, to uphold Dharma.  But,
how do we know what is to be done and what is not to be done in this
complex world?  The answer lies in simply doing what our AchAryas'
example.  What they do, we should set as our ideal, and strive to do. 
What they do not do, we do not do, even if the scriptures dictate that
we are to do it.  Dharma is simply following the examples of these great
souls to the best of our abilities.  Nothing else is required or needs
to be known.

thIkkuralaich chenrOdOm - If we are ever to learn, we must strive to
maintain a mood of humility such that we can follow our AchAryas
teachings and examples.  So we must strive to live a life that is devoid
of selfish and vicious intention.  Such an attitude must be expressed in
our speech, which should be simple and affectionate, free of malice and
voracious intentions.  This should not only be maintained before our
AchArya, but must be the approach we should take to life in general.

Ayyamum pichchayum Andanayum kaikAtti - What is implied here is that the
AchArya gives us upadEsam into the sacred mantras without any
hesitation, unconditionally.  The sishya, the student, approaches the
AchArya with all kinds of concerns, doubts, and limitations.  The
AchArya takes none of these to heart.  He simply and unconditionally
initiates the student and bestows wisdom upon him/her without
expectation or bias.  This is proof of his magnanimity and compassion.

vuyyumAr enni - The sishya should recognize the greatness of the AchArya
and receive the wisdom with joy, knowing that it is an unconditional
gift and blessing that should forever be cherished.

'vuyyumAr enni' also pays homage to the six great messages that were
imparted by Sri Varadaraja Perumal to Sri Ramanuja through
Thirukachinambi, one of Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja's five great teachers. 
Sri Ramanuja received these as an unconditional gift, although he too
approached the teacher with concerns, which in the case of him, were
centered on seeking out his mission, his true purpose in life.  These
six messages summarize the essence of our spiritual tradition:

Sriman Narayana is the paratathvam, the Supreme Reality

There is a difference between the jeevatmas, the individual souls, and
the paramatma, the Supreme Soul, Sriman Narayana

Prapatti, surrender to His Grace, is the only means to achieving Him

Periya Nambi is Sri Ramanuja's true AchArya (implying the importance of
the AchArya)

Moksham, redemption, cannot occur while one is stil in this world, it
only occurs after the soul leaves the body.

For a prapanna, one who has surrendered to the Lord through the
connection with the AchArya, antima smriti, remembering the Lord at the
time of one's passing, is not required for one's salvation.

--continued--


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