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ANDAL , PERIYAAZHWAAR THIRUMOZHIS ON SRIRANGANAATHAN : PART 16

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Fri May 01 1998 - 05:40:45 PDT 


DEAR SRI RANGANAATHA PREMIS :

Let us pay homage to AchArya RaamAnujA on 
his Thirunakshthram today and reflect on the eighteen
upadesams given by ThirukkOshtiyUr Nambi to him 
and complete the 18 steps so well described by 
Our Sri MadhavakkaNNan . Please take the steps 
to join in the 18 brick kaimkaryam for Sri RanganathA temple 
at Pomona , NY on this day , when we remember with 
affection our ThiruppAvai Jeeyar , YathirAjar .

I am so glad that Sri BharadvAj Jaganath 
is taking sankalpam to write about the 18 chapters 
of Sri Bhagavad GitA as intrepreted by the Late 
Sri Sri Thirukullam Swami . 

Please join in and help realize the one and only 
temple for Sri RanganathA in the North American
continent .

I will not have much of a chance to invite your 
attention after today on this important subject.
I will complete the 18 brick kaimkaryam of mine
with the rest of the coverage of the AzhwAr's 
MangalAsAsanams of Sri RanganathA .You will got
a lot of mails today from me . Please bear with me 
on this , since I have taken a sankalpam to finish
this kaimkaryam today on AchArya RaamAnujA's
birthday and give you some rest thereafter  .

I will start with Andal"s MangalAsAsanam 
on this day of GodhAgrajar's ( Sri RaamAnujA's
birthday : the elder brother of GodhA as She 
hailed him for his services to Her Lord at
ThirumAlirumchOlai by serving 1000 vessels
full of akkara Vadisil ) .

          
AndaL's longing to be united with Sri RangarAjan
*************************************************
All her young life was animated with a deep desire 
for uniting with Sri RanganAthA . The whole decad of the 11th
Thirumozhi of NaacchiyAr is about her expression of her 
longing for the Lord of Srirangam . Inview of the shortness 
of time today , I will cover only one paasuram from 
this decad .

THE PAASURAM FROM NAACCHIYAAR THIRUMOZHI ( 11.10 )
**************************************************
Andal had the MahA VisvAsam in the Lord's vow 
that he etched in His Charama slOkam ( Sarva 
DharmAn partithyajya MaamEkam SaraNam vraja ).
She concluded that he is not a dvhvi bhAshi 
( the one who breaks the word that he gave to
BhakthAs and reverses Himself or speaks twice about
a vow that he took to give prapannAs protection). 
She was however feeling desperate with her anxiety.
She began to console Herself with the thought 
that He will come to Her rescue even if He turned 
out to be a Dhvi Bhaashi for the simple reason 
that she was the daughter of the noble saint , 
PeriyAzhwAr , who happened to be Her AchAryan
as well as Her father.She was convinced that 
the SaraNAgatha-Vatsalan will not turn down 
those recommended by the AchAryAs like Her father . 
The paasuram containing these thoughts is :

semmai udaya Thiruvarangar thAmm paNittha 
meymaip peru vaarthai Vittuchitthar kEttiruppar 
tammai uhappaarait thAmm uhappAr yennum cchol
tammidayE poyyAnAl saathipparAriniyE ?
     ---NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi : 11.10

( Meaning ) : My Lord Sri RanganAthan had 
the unison of mind , speech and observance ,
when He uttered the noble and grand charama 
SlOkam ( Meymaip peru vaarthai) vowed to come 
to the rescue of those , who performed prapatthi 
at His lotus feet through an AchAryA . My Father,
who is my AchAryA has recited His charama slOkam 
and the Lord has heard it . The Lord will stay true
to the words of His Charama slOkam as recited by my
father and AchAryA . This was my assumption .
Alas ! He has not fulfilled His promise . 
If the established  doctrine that He will desire
those , who desire Him becomes false as a result 
of His lapse , who else can command Him to
behave properly ? Who can set this injustice 
right ? 

Two decads later, the Lord fulfilled His promise
to Her and appeared before Her and ANDAL was
thrilled and with that AnandAnubhavam , She concluded 
Her Thirumozhi .

Sri RanganAtha CharaNou SaraNam prapadhyE 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan