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TherazhundhUr MahAthmyam : Part 10

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • March 15, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs :

As a direct response to the extraordinary 
Kaimkaryam that Sri MadhavakkaNNan (MK )is doing 
with respect to the facile and Bhakthi-laden 
translation of the Sri Sookthis of NammAzhwAr 
and Thirumangai , I will focus on Kaliyan's
paasurams that enjoy Aamuruviappan as Gopaalan ,
the kuttikkaNNan . 

Sri MK's transaltions on the ThiruvallikkENi
paasurams are simply beautiful , when one recognizes 
the complexity of these paasurmas as translation
material. Overcome by his darsana soubhAgyam 
of Sri ParthasArathy , Gajendhra Varadhan ,
TeLLiya Singam , Sri Raamachandran and Sri Ranganathan
in the same divya desam , Kaliyan packed so many references 
to all of them in a dense array of word garlands
( soll maalai )that defies easy translation . 
Because of his AchArya Bhakthi ,Sri MadhavakkaNNan 
has come thru with flying colors in translating these 
moving ThiruvallikkENi paasurams with their inherent bhAvam .
  
I would like to focus in this posting on how 
Kaliyan enjoyed TherazhundhUr Aamuruviappan as 
GopAlan . He is indeed Gosakhan or the friend of 
Cows .His ThirumEni soiled from the exertions of 
the day grazing cows and tending to their needs 
as GopAlan is captured beautifully by LeelA Sukhar's
KrishNa karNAmrutha slOkam :

gOdhULi dhUsaritha komaLa kunthalAgram
  GovardhanOddharaNa kEli krutha PrayAsam
Gopijanasya kucha kumkuma mudhrithAngam
  Govindham indhu vadhanam SaraNam bhajAma :

Here , LeelA Sukahr takes refuge at the sacred feet 
of the RaajagOpAlan , whose curly locks of dark hair
had become soiled with the dust raised by the hoofs
of the wandering cows as He moved them from one 
grazing area to the other of BrundhAvanam .The dust 
raised by the cows and calves had settled on the tips 
of the beautiful tresses ( GodhuLi dhUsaritha 
komaLa kunthala agram )of this divine cowherd ,
Gopaalan . 

Aamuruviappan grew up in AayarpAdi and BrindhAvanam 
and was celebrated as RaajagOpAlan . He is a Gopala
MahA Desikan who blessed His distraught sishyan ,
Arjunan in the battle field of KurukshEthram . After
tsting ArjunA as a sishyan , out of His nature as
a Parama dhayALu , he blessed ArjunA and us with
the Charama slOkam . 

Today in the PoundarIkapuram Aasramam sits another 
Gopaala MahA Desikan , who pleads with the GeethAchAryan
on behalf of those , who perform prapatthi at his sacred
feet . As a parama dhayALu , this mahA Desikan helps us
face the battle field of samsAram and removes our Bharam
and prepares us through his upadEsams for Parama padham 
and nithya Kaimkaryam to his name sake there .

There is another item that is common to both the Gopala
Desika Maha Desikans . Both share the constellation of
RohiNi . One incarnated in the rainy month of Simha srAvaNam
( AavaNi ), when the RohiNi constellation was in ascendance 
at vada mathurai . The other Gopaala MahA Desikan came into
this world for our ujjIvanam during Panguni RohiNi . Both
Desikans have illustrious sishya paramparai . 

On a GokulAshtami night lit with RohiNi star , one 
GopAla MahA Desikan was born ( Jayanthi sambhavam
DhAma Vaijayanthi vibhUshaNam ). On that dark Krishna
paksham night , skies opened up and heavy rain was
pouring .YamunA river was flooded. The land was cool
from the welcome rain . All of Mathurai was deep in
slumber . King VasudEvan and his consort , Devaki Piraatti 
were in cruel Kamsan's Jail . Outside that jail cell, 
the guards were doing rhOnthu. Our Lord , the GopAla 
MahA Desikan incarnated at this time inside the jail house 
of Kamsan . 

Our Lord incarnated in that jail house as a child with 
four hands carrying Sudarsanam ,Sankham ,gathai and 
a lotus flower as Sriman NaarAyaNAvathAran with MahA lakshmi
seatd on His chest  . The parents enjoyed the daranam of 
Sriya: pathi , the DevAthi Devan and were worried 
about the cruel Kamsan doing any harm to this divine
"child " . They begged Him to assume " the Maanusha Baala
vEsham " and He obliged them . Thereafter , He loosened the 
chains on His father's feet , made the jail guards sleepy ,
caused the locks on the jail door to open and made 
the flood waters of YamunA subside . His father took 
this MaayAvi child in a basket and placed the basket on 
his head and proceeded to the other bank of the YamunA river ,
while Adhi Seshan protected the divine "cargo " with
his hoods during the journey across the river to Gokulam .
There VasudEvan left the child by the side of YashOdhA
Devi, the wife of NandhagOpan and took the girl child 
that was just born to YasOdhai and brought it back 
to the jail .Thus the Lord got the mangaLAsAsanam ,
" Orutthi mahanAi piRanthu , Oriravil orutthi 
mahanAyoLitthu " vaLarnthAn . The maayais performed
by our lord during the time of His avathAram and His 
divine beauty as Baala GOpAlan has been saluted as 
" ambhOruhastha kalahamsa kisOra ramyam " ( the beautiful
infant swan resting on the top of a lotus flower as 
Kuttik KaNnan ).  

Thirumangai visualizes this moving avathAram scene 
(appan avatharittha KathAmrutham )of GopAla MahA Desikan 
in one of his dasAvathAra Paasurams on Aamuriviappan :

Tanthai kaaliR peruvilangu thALa vizha , nallirutkaNN
vantha venthai PerumAnAr maruvi ninRavoor pOlum 
munthi vaanam mazhai pozhiya moovAvuruvin maRayALar
anthi moonRum analOmpum ANiyAr veethi AazhunthUrE 

Thirumangai recognizes the divya desam of ThErazhundhUr
with VaidhikAs performing agni kaaryms at three sandhis
as " Nallirutk KaNN vantha yenthai PerumAnAr maruvi 
ninRavoor pOlum " . Our dark hued Lord incarnated 
(vantha Yenthai) during the nall iruLk kaalam  
( the deep dark night )of VarshA kaalam ( rainy season).
Kaliyan wonders that ThErazhundhUr must then be the home of 
this Lord ,who took His avathAram on a dark rainy night 
( PerumAnAr Maruvi ninRavoor pOlum ).

Sri NaarAyana Bhattadhiri describes this avathAra
kaalam , the Lord's beauty at the time of His incarnation
and His Soundharyam with SarvAbharaNams and MahA Lakshmi 
in three beautiful slOkams of Sri NaarayaNIyam modelled
after Sukha Brahmam's Srimadh Bhagavatham 's original text :

Aanandha roopa Bhagavannayi thEvathArE
  prApthE pradhIptha bhavadhanga nireeyamANai:
Kaanthi vrajairiva gaNAgana maNdalairdhyAm
  aavruNvathi viruruchE kil avarshavElA 

(Meaning): Oh Lord , the embodiment of Bliss !
When you incarnated , the sky was completely
covered with dark water-laden clouds of 
the rainy season . That dark sky shone as though 
it was covered with the blue effulgence of Your body.

Baalya sprusApi vapushA vibhUthi:
  udhyath kirIDa kaDkAngadga Haara BhAsA
ankAri Vaarija gadhA paribhAsithEna 
  mEghAsithEna parilEsitha sUthigEhE 

(Meaning ) : Oh Lord of GuruvAyUr ! Even though
You were sporting as a beautiful blue-hued 
infant at Your avathAra kaalm , You were resplendent 
in the prasava room with Your shining crown , 
shoulder AabharaNams , golden bangles ,pearl necklace , 
Sankham , Sudarsanam , Mace and a lotus flower in 
Your right hand .

VakshasthalI sukhanileenavilAsi LakshmI-
  mandhAksha lakshitha KatAksha vimOkshabhEdhai:
tanmandhirasya kalakamsa kruthAmalakshmim 
  unmArjayanniva virAjitha VaasudEva 

(meaning ): Oh VaasudEvA ! The Lotus lady , who 
permanently resides on Your chest with aanandham 
cast with modesty Her auspicious glances on that 
dingy prasava room to which the evil Kamsan had cast 
Your parents and with that sObhana dhrushti 
removed all the amangaLams there instantly 
and made it full of riches.

After celebrating the avathAram of our Jayanthi
Sambhavan , Thirumangai goes on to celebrate 
the Bala kreetais of our Gopaala Desikan 
in the subsequent paaurams .

Thirumangai mannan  ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Koil varadAchAri SadagOpan