Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Thirumaalai-8

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • 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,
In the last postings we were enjoying the first line
in the first paasuram of Sri Thondaradipodi alwarÂ’s
Thirumaalai.  The great credit of this alwar is that
even today periya perumal gets up in the morning only
after listening to this alwarÂ’s Thirupalliyezhuchi. 
In Thirupathi and other temples the sevai next to
vishvaroopam is Thomaalai sevai.  This alwar was also
doing this pushpa kainkaryam to Sri Ranganatha.  That
is why even the archA vigraham of Thondaradipodi alwar
is seen with a pookudalai(Flower basket).  Alwar
didnÂ’t stop with this.  Remembering the paasuram of
Sri Nammazhvar “vAdAmalarittu vaizhtumin” he did this
Thirumaalai prabhandam which is a flower which is
giving fragrance even today and adorning Sri Rangantha
always.  That is why the saying goes “Thirumaalai
ariyar Thirumal-ai ariyar”.  It seems to be a
repetetion of the same words.  But the meaning
conveyed is, those who do not know the Thirumaalai
prabhandam will not know the Thirumal or Emperuman. 
Alwar shows us clearly how emperuman is superior in
this prabhandam which we have discussed earlier.  So
each one of us who are trying to know about bhagavan
should learn the deep inner meanings of this
prabhandam which will clear all our doubts and give a
insight into our Srivaishnava sampradhayam.

Let us now proceed with the first paasuram.
We have seen PVPÂ’s explanation for kAvalil pulanai
vaiththu now the next is:

“kali thannai kadakkappaiyindu” – Like Hanuman crossed
the Lavana sAgaram we jump over our papakadal(sea of
papas).  Initially hanuman said he was not capable of
crossing the big sea but when jambhavan told him about
his capacities hanuman got the confidence.  He chanted
the rAma nAma and said with the power of rAma nAma he
can cross any ocean.  Again here also alwar reflects
the words of Anjaneya.  There with the help of
bhagavan nAma hanuman crossed only the ocean of water
but we jeevatmas can cross the ocean of papas we have
done till now with the help of the bhagavan nAma. 
This is wonderfully explained by PVP in his
Vyakhyanam.

“NAvalittu vuzhitarukindrom” – naval ! is the
exclamation used to show victory.  In those days a
person dances shouting nAval nAval after he wins over
someone.  It is similar to ‘Jitanthe!’.  But here the
alwarÂ’s words seem to be filled with a little self
pride.  But can alwar talk with pride.  But this is
due to the highness of what he has obtained.  A lady
after getting married to a king cannot be without
pride so alwar also realizes the worth of bhagavan
nAma and shows his happiness in these words.  PVP
gives a great explanation here.  He shows it with an
example.  “eRamadam vootuvAraipole mugam TottRame
nindru vupagarikkaiyAle” says PVP.  Alwar knows that
everything is done only by bhagavan still he says
since he has the nAma bhalam he will dance with
victory though alwar hasnÂ’t done anything.  The
explanation for PVPÂ’s words goes as follows: There is
one person who is fit for nothing.  He never goes to a
job or earns anything instead he lazily keeps roaming
here and there.  Once his mother scolds him for being
like this and he gets angry with the mother and goes
out of the house without eating.  At the end of the
street there is a dharmashala where he goes and lies
down.  The mother feels sorry that her son didnÂ’t even
eat and hence will feel hungry.  When she comes to
call him he refuses in anger.  Then the mother calls
the manger of the dharmashala gives to him some food
for his son and asks him to give to his son without
telling him that she gave it.  Thereby the manager
also gives the son the food.  After eating the son
proudly says ‘asif I will stay hungry if she doesn’t
feed meÂ’.  Actually even now only the mother has given
him food to eat but he didnÂ’t realize it.  Similarly
when emperuman condemns us for doing an act against
the sastras we donÂ’t listen to him and want to get
away from him.  So now emperuman gives us the palan
through the nAma.  The nAma takes the role of the
manager who took the food from the mother and gave it
to the son.  Similarly bhagvan nAma also takes the
fruit of moksham from the lord and grants it to us. 
But we like the son, feel that we have gained it due
to the chanting we have done.  But actually we do not
do anything but only the bhagavan does.  Emperuman
stays as antaryami inside us and makes us to chant his
nAma and gives us the palan too.  As Ajamilan in
BhAgavatam says ‘The bhagavan made the nAma, NarAyana
come out of my mouth otherwise my mouth is only
accustomed to say other wrong things.  It was he who
made my mouth utter this divine nAmamÂ’.

“Naman thamar thalaigal meedhe”- Alwar here says that
now that all my sins have been washed due to the
Bhalam of the bhagavan nAma I will dance in the head
of the yaman( god of naraka) and his servants shouting
nAval! NAval! (Victory!Victory).  Even Thirumangai
alwar says in his paasurams about such a victory
dance.  But how does yaman feel about this.  Actually
he enjoys bhagavathotamas like alwar keeping their
feet on his head.  In Dhruva charitram it is said that
when Dhruvan ascends to paramapadam he puts his feet
on MrithyuÂ’s(Yaman) head and goes to Srivaikundam. 
Yaman feels very happy when bhagavatas escape from the
miseries of the narakam and ascend to Paramapadam so
he bows before them happily so that they can climb
over his head and go.  Yaman says to his servants
never go near a person who is a srivaishnavan.  I am a
master to those who are involved in this wordly
pleasures but not  to a person who is a prappannan or
a bhAgavatan(Madhusoodana Prappannaha).  PVP says this
in a very great manner.  If incase by mistake yaman or
his servants go to a bhAgavatan to take him to naraka
considering his previous sins now the bhAgavatan
questions yaman to show his accounts written by chitra
gupta(like a criminal demanding for an arrest warrant
nowadays).  When yaman looks at the book of accounts
of papams of various jeevatmas,  to his surprise he
finds no entry  corresponding to this jeevatma(who has
uttered the bhagavan nAma) and there by  realizing his
mistake yaman bows in front of the jeevatma like
apologizing and this jeevan (alwar) now with pride
dances over the head of yaman  shouting nAval! nAval.

“moovulaguvundumizhdha mudalvA”- Now alwar clarifies
that not all nAmas have this power.  Only the nAma of
the bhagavan(Sriman nArAyana) who eats the whole world
during pralayam and keeps it in his stomach and spits
it out during the creation has a power to wash all our
sins and grant us moksham.  Here alwar clearly shows
that during pralayam only Emperuman nArAyanan was
there he was the only person who was there initially
and then he created  the universe and at the end he
destroys the whole universe and does this process
again and again as his leela.  That is why
Gajendrazhvan called him Adhimoolam and Sri Nammazhvar
says “Ondrun devum vulagum vuyirum mattrum yAdum ella
andru nAnmugantannodu devarulagOdu vuyir padaiththan”.

“ninnAmam kattra Avalippudaimai”- what is the
avalippu(pride) here for alwar.  Alwar feels that he
has the richest thing in the world and when compared
to the power of Bhagavan nAma all the worldly wealths
are like dust.  So alwar is highly proud to say that
he has learnt the greatest thing in this world which
can be compared to nothing else.   In our sampradAyam
self pride is not at all accepted but even our
Acharyas accept and praise the alwarÂ’s pride.  We can
be(have to be) proud to be a srivaishnava, proud to be
his dAsas doing nithya kainkaryam to him, the ultimate
power of this universe.  Can anyone  in a such a
position where we are very close to the most powerful
and richest person in this world and in the
paramapadam (other world) too, be without pride?
Some people trying to reduce the effect of their sins
do offerings and darpanam to yaman and chitraguptan
but we are not like them we donÂ’t need the help of
yaman or chitraguptan because we have the bhagavan
nAma which is capable of giving us the power even to
place our feet in the heads of yaman and chitraguptan.

“kandAi arangamAnagarulAne”- Now alwar’s pride goes to
the level of challenging Sri Ranganatha himself. 
Emperumane! see my face and yours, which glows more?
“Man tindra vun mugam pol errindhado en mugam” says
PVP.  Alwar is asking emperuman Sri Ranganathan to see
his face.  Alwar feels that his face is more beautiful
than even perumalÂ’s face because perumal ate only mud
but alwar has eaten the bhagavan nAma which is tasting
sweetly in his mouth always.  When a person eats
something delicious his face expression will be
pleasant but when a person eats something which
doesnÂ’t taste good his face expression will be bad
similarly alwar has eaten the most delicious substance
in this world so he feels his face will be more
beautiful than emperuman who has eaten mud which is
tasteless.  Badrachala Ramadas in one of his kritis
explains the ruchi of rAma nAma and he says no other
drink including deva amrudam can be equal to the
sweetness of rAma nAmam.  Saint thyagaraja also gets
involved in the same manner.  So we see many mahans,
have practically experienced and shown us what alwar
has portrayed in this paasuram.

In the next posting we will continue with the next
paasuram.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/