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Thirumaalai-6

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varadarajan_tcs • May 24, 2002 


Sri Parthasarathi thunai,
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

" Mattrondrum Venda 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,

As we already saw that Sri Thondaradipodi Alwar wrote his Thirumaalai 
prabhandam based on the Vishnu Dharma Sastram let us now see some 
features of Vishnu Dharmam and Thirumaalai.  Vishnu Dharmam appears 
to be a dialogue between Sathaneekar, a king and Sownakar, a rishi.  
The king questions the rishi "Which is the easiest method for
people in kaliyuga(Acharaheena, VairAkhyaheena jeevatmas) to attain 
Bhagavan?" The answer given by Sownakar to this question is
Vishnu Dharma Sastram.  In contrast, in Thirumaalai, Alwar is the 
Vaktha (person who lectures) and Periya perumal Stota(one who 
hears).  Here one doubt will arise.  Sathaneekar was a raja and he 
wanted to clarify his doubt and learn more from the rishi.  But 
Periya Perumal has no doubt and he has all the knowledge why should 
he listen to alwar?  Our great PVP clears our doubt in the avatArikai 
to Thirumaalai.  Emperuman listens to Alwar not because he doesn't
know the nAma magimai but because he wants to hear it from Alwar.  
Like a mother after teaching her kid a short story enjoys listening 
it back from the kid emperuman also enjoys the paasurams of the 
Alwar. There is one saying in Sanskrit "Kim Vrishtam -Srutha
vachanam"(which is the thing which is very sweet to hear? It is
the child's innocent talk).  When we ask more than that which is
sweet to hear again it is child's innocent talk `Punarapi
tateka 
sruthavachanam'. Even Thiruvalluvar says "kuzhal enidhu Yazh
enidhu enbar than makkal mazhalaisol kelAdhavar".  So the
Mazhalai 
elam sol of a kid is an atmost sweetest thing to hear.  Here alwar is 
the kid of emperuman and emperuman enjoys hearing alwar's
Mazhalaisol(child talk-Thirumaalai paasurams).

So the speciality of Thirumaalai is that it was not listened by an 
innocent king but it was listened by Periya Perumal himself.  In our 
Sampradhayam even very learned elders sit and listen to younger 
peoples upanyasams since they consider that Bhagavat vishayam has its 
value whether it is told by a kid or a young man or an elderly 
person.  Even emperuman cherishes listening to his bhakthas words.  
There is one story in our guru paramparai.  Once Sri Nampillai was 
delivering kalashepam in the mandapam near Sri Ranganatha sannadhi. A 
person by name Thiruvilakku picchan was standing in front of the 
sannadhi with a lamp in his hand.  Periya Perumal was so impressed by 
hearing Nampillai's bhagavat guna kalashepam that he left his
archA samAdhi and came to see the kalashepa ghosti of Nampillai.  
Suddenly Thiruvilakku picchan saw somebody near him and realizing 
that it was Periya Perumal he ordered perumal that he should not do 
this and he has to go back to his archA SamAdhi.  Such was the 
attraction of bhagavan to listen to his adiyars lectures.  

The next speciality of this prabhandham is it explains the paratvam 
of Sriman Narayanan without any doubt arising in any of our minds.  
For instance even in Thiruvaimozhi we find places like "sivanAi 
ayanaiÂ…", "muniye mukkanappa" were one tends to think
that alwar is talking about Thrimoorthi samyam(equality of the 
trios).  In these places only the vyakhyAnams clearly explain that it 
refers to the paratvam of Bhagavan alone.  But in Thirumaalai alwar 
doesn't give room to any such doubts.  He clearly says
"MattrumOr deivam vundO"(Is there any other deivam other than
lord 
Krishna?)and "Elangayai settra dEvane dEvanAvAn"( the deva
who won
langa is the only deva, here he refers to rAmaavatAra).  So without 
any doubt alwar confirms that the only god is Narayana who took 
avatarams as rAmA and Krishna.

After seeing the specialty of the prabhandam let us now see the 
specialty of Thondaradi podi alwar.  Maharishis had divya jnanam but 
we consider alwars higher than the maharishis since they 
were "Mayarvaru Madinalam Arulapettravargal" that is they
were bestowed on with good Jnana and bhakthi by the lord himself 
unlike the rishis who got it due to their tapas.  The mudalalwars and 
Thirumazhisai alwar were involved in the antaryami, Nammazhwar was 
immersed in the paratvam of bhagavan, Kulesekara alwar and 
periyazhwar enjoyed singing the praise of Rama Krishna avataaras and 
Thirumangai alwar was impressed by the charm of the archavataaras. So 
the hierarchy goes as follows.  The alwars are considered more 
special than the Maharishis.  Among the alwars, Nammazhvar is more 
special than the mudal alwars and Alwars involved in vibhava moorthi 
more special than Nammazhvar and Thirumangai alwar more special than 
all the above.  Now Sri PVP says Thondaradipodi alwar is regarded 
more special than even Thirumangai alwar.  How is that?  

"Periya Perumalai alladu veru ariyadu erruppaar Oruvar Aiththu
evar" 
(He was one person who knew no other emperuman other than Periya 
Perumal).  Thirumangai alwar went from sedhu to Himalayas and did 
mangalaasasanam to the maximum number of divyadesams more than any 
other alwar but Thondaradipodialwar has a credit that he never sang 
anyother emperuman other than Sriranganathan.  All other alwars sang 
Thirupathi venkatesa perumal but even today Srirangam holds the first 
place only because of this alwar singing only about Ranganathan.  He 
refused to sing even about the great thirupathi Srinivasan.  Even 
Thirupanalwar who sang only 10 paasurams that too as paadadi kesantha 
varnanai of Periya Perumal in the very first paasuram says
"virayAr pozhil venkadavan" but Thondaradi podi alwar in his
55 paasurams of thirumaalai and Thirupalliyezhuchi has never given 
room for any other divya desa perumal other than Sri Ranganathan.  
Even when he talks about the vibhavaavatArams he attributes them only 
to Arangathamman. This alwar alone lived like this with parama 
Ikantyam towards ranganathan.  He has not gone to anyother temple, he
hasn't taken a dip in any other pushkarini and he has never taken
the 
prasaadam of any other perumal other than arangan.

>From his vyakhyanam we find that PVP is very attached to this alwar.  
We find that Thondaradi podi alwar's avadhAra 
stalam(Thirumandangudi) 
and PVP's avadhara Stalam(Senganoor) are very close by.  Probably
PVP considered thondaradipodigal as an alwar of his place and hence 
was attached to him and to add to this both were poorvashika 
brahmanas.  Even though their birthplaces were different both of them 
came and settled in Srirangam and spent their whole time under the 
feet of Periya Perumal.

With this let us complete the introduction to Thirumaalai and from 
the next postings we will dive deep into the divine arthas of the 
alwar's paasurams.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan




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