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AarAvamudhan Paasurams : Part 2 , The Second Paasuram

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • May 18, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs of Lord AarAvamudhan :

Thirumangai's love(prEmai) and deep attachment 
for the Lord of Thirukkudanthai is profound. 
He went ahead and saluted the Lord of Thirukkudanthai 
in every one of his Divya prabhandhams .He built a car 
( Chitthirai thEr ) for Him and seated Him there with
His ubhaya NaacchimAr and offered at their feet 
the extraordinary poem of ThiruvEzhukURRirukkai 
in the chithra kavi format .

After the AzhwAr left Thirukkudanthai and travelled
to other divya dEsams , the memory of the enchanting
Lord AarAvamudhan would not leave him . While he stood
performing mangaLAsAsanams to EmperumAns of the other
divya dEsams , his tongue slipped into praising the glories 
of the Lord of Thirukkudanthai .Thirumangai lost himself 
over the delectable smaraNam of the great Lord of Thirukkudanthai
and His great upakAram of initating him into the mUla 
manthram as his AchAryan  and thereby saving him 
from samsAric terror.

AzhwAr visualized the Kidantha nambi ( reclining 
parpUrnan ) of Thrukuddanthai effortlessly in front of 
ThirunarayUr SrinivAsa nambi .The images of the two archA
mUrthys merged in his mind and the form of Sriman NaarAyaNan
came to the fore .This happened to him at many divya dEsams like
Thiruneermalai , ThirunarayUr , ThiruvAli , ThiruvazhundhUr ,
Thiru Naagai , ThirucchERai ,Srirangam ThiruppEr nagar,
SaaLagrAmam and ThiruviNNagaram .

Thus from the cold mountains of north to the green Cauvery 
delta , the memory of AarAvamudhan of Thirukkudanthai 
persisted in the mind of Thirumangai .That sweet memory
would never leave him  . His mind melted quickly over 
the experience of the delectable tasting of the insatiable
nectar of Thirukkdanthai . During such times , he will call 
aloud the name of the Lord of Kudanthai and address Him as  "aaviyE , 
amudhE ,Kudanthai UttamA ,TaNN Kudanthai nagarALA , Kudanthai kudamADee ,
YenthAi , Yenthai tanthai tamm ammAnE ,EmpirAnE  , Kudanthai 
kidanthu uhantha MyndhA , Kudanthai kidantha MaalE , pacchai thEnE ,
PaimponnE , amarar sennippoovE , kunreduttha ThOLA  and 
NediyAnE (Oh my soul! my nectar ! Oh the noble One of Kudanthai ,
Oh Lord of the cool city of Kudanthai , Oh Lord who balanced
many pots on Your limbs at the crossings of the streets of
Kudanthai , Oh my Father ! Oh the Lord of my father's
father , Oh Supreme Master , Oh little Lord ( KuttikkaNNAn)
who enjoys Your yoga nidhrai at Thriukkudanthai , Oh young
and sweet honey , Oh unadulterated gold !Oh the flower that
glistens on the heads of the devAs , Oh Govardhana GiridhAri 
and the tall One ).

He will conclude these lucid reveries with the statement ,

" Kudanthia talaikkOvinai KudamAdiya koothanai--
  YemmAnai YempirAnai yetthAl maRakkEnE "

How can I forget Him , the Lord of Thirukkudanthai ,
my Sarva Swami ? There are no ways to forget Him ,
even if I wanted to .That would be the AzhwAr's conclusion . 

In this context was born the Periya Thirumozhi 
Paasuram ( 6.10.1), which will be the subject of 
this posting :

Kidantha Nambi Kudanthai mEvi kEzhalAulahai
  idantha Nambi , YengaL Nambi yeRign~raranazhiya
kadantha Nambi kadiyAr Ilangai ulahai yeeradiyAl
  nadantha Nambi Naamam sollil NamO NaarAyanamE 

Thirumangai uses the name of Nambi five times here
to remind us that He is the PanchAvathAran 
manifesting in His Para , VyUha , Vibhava ,
ArchA and AntharyAmi forms . 

During May , 1998 , Sri Sampath Rengarajaan ,
a native of Thirukkudanthai posted a short
article on the significance of the name Nambi .
He pointed out that the name Nambi stands for 
the most perfect One (ParipUrnan )and AchAryan . 
Thirumangai was following the path of Swami NammAzhwAr , 
when he called the Lord of ThirunaRayUr as his nambi or ParipUrNa 
AchAryan as a result of receiving SamAsrayaNam directly
from the sacred hands of SrinivAsan of NaacchiyAr Koil .
Swami NammAzhwAr had shown the way earlier by addressing 
the Lord of ThirukkuRungudi as Nambi Ten times in his 
mangaLAsAsanam ( ThiruvAimozhi :5.5 ).Swami NammAzhwAr 
saluted the dasAvathAran at ThirukkuRungudi 
and Thirumangai eulogized the PanchAvathAran 
at Thirukkudanthai and concluded that the "Vaishnava 
Nambi " of Thirukkudanthai is the fundamental meaning 
of NaaraayaNa sabdham .

In his paasuram on Thirukkudanthai uttAna sayana Nambi ,
Thirumangai reveals the fundamental truth that AarAvamudhan  
is the kernel of NaarAyaNa sabdham . AzhwAr says that 
the Kudanthai kidantha Nambi is the same Nambi , who 
lifted the World ( BhU Devi ) on His tusk as BhU VarAhan
(Ulahai idantha Nambi) ;He is the same One , who crossed 
the ocean and reached LankhA through Raama sEthu during His
RaamAvathAram ( Ilankai kadantha Nambi ); He is OUR Nambi
(YengaL nambi); He ( Thirukkudanthai Nambi )is the same
Nambi , who measured the earth and sky with His two steps 
as Thrivikraman (Ulahai YeeradiyAl nadantha Nambi ).

Azhwar concludes this paasuram with the assertive 
statement that the naama sankIrthanam of this ParipUrNan
(Nambi ) of Thirukkudanthai is equivalent to His AshtAkshara 
Manthra Japam .AzhwAr says : " Kidantha nambi naamam 
sollil , namO NaarAyaNamE " .AzhwAr asks us to remember
that this Kidantha Nambi of Thirukkudanthai , the sarva 
KalyANa GuNa nidhi , is the AadhArap poruL of NaarAyaNa
sabdham . 

NamO NaarAyaNAya ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan