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"ThiruppANAzhwAr Charitham ": Input for the new CD ROM on AzhwArs and the 108 Dhivya Desams: Part I

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 8, 2000 


Dear BhakthAs :

As you might rcall , Both Sriman Alwar of Mysore 
and adiyEn are working on the creation and release 
of the Second CD ROM under the auspices of the International
RaamAnujA Society .Many of you have helped with financial
support. Thank you all !

The pilot version focusing on the Life and works 
(AmaladhipirAn Dhivya Prabhandham ) will arrive here 
for study. 

The background materials for " the Tell Me
More sections " of this AzhwAr's vaibhavam 
prepared by adiyEn for inclusion as excerpts
would be interesting to you inview of the special
relationship this AzhwAr had With Sri RanganAthan .

Sriman TCA Venkatesan is posting extensivea
and most enjoyable articles on the Paasurams 
of ThiruppANar following the PoorvAchAryA's 
commentaries. They are a joy to read.AdiyEn's 
three postings written for the new CD ROM on
AzhwArs are to detailed postings of Sri VenaktEsan . 

There are number of versions as to how Loka Sarnga Muni
and ThiruppANar interacted culminating in ThiruppANar
being brought to the Sannidhi of Sri RanganAthan
for the AzhwAr's MangaLAsAsanam. We will stay with
one version that has led to ThiruppANar being
addressed reverentially as "Muni Vaahanar".

The sources of these articles are from
the scholarly contributions of Sri D.RamaswAmy 
Iyengar and U.Ve. Sri SrirAma DesikAcchAr Swamy
of Oppiliappan Koil with few additions from adiyEn . 

Here is the first in the series of three articles 
on ThiruppANar's Vaibhavam. We plan to have simlilar
inputs on the other AzhwArs during the next few weeks
as a part of the creation of the new CD ROM .

Daasan, V.SatakOpan 

Part I:
*******
Thiruppanazhwaar Vaibhavam
**************************

Thiruppaana azhwaar is the ninth among 
the 12 Azhwaars. He has ten paasurams 
among the divine collect Four Thousand 
revered as "Amalanaadhipiraan " Prabhandham .

This Azhwaar's prabhandham is different from 
all the other aazhwaar's prabhndhams in that 
it does not contain any upadesams , critique
of Veda-Baahya Mathams , messages sent to the Lord 
as His Naayaki et al. Thiruppaanar's prabhandham
is an aanandha-lahari ( limitless outpourings of
the bliss of aanandham ) at the anubhavam of 
the Lord's Sarvaanga Soundharyam and its redeeming
effect . Azhwaar is totally lost in that 
blissful anubhavam and the ten paasurams arose 
from him as " the revelational hymns "
 
Thiruppaanar was born in the caste of untouchables. 
he felt therefore unqualified to enter into Srirangam
to have the darsanam of Sri Ranganathan that he longed for.
Hence , he stood on the bank of Cauvery river , 
closed his eyes and sang with deep anubhavam 
about the kalyana gunams of the Lord every morning .

A great scholar by the name of Loka Saaranga Muni
was the temple servant at that time at Srirangam 
and was assigned the duties of bringing Thirumanjanam 
water (holy water for the bath of the iconic form of 
Lord Ranganaathan)every morning . During the collection of 
the water from cauvery , Loka Saaranga Muni will have 
a cloth over his mouth and will not speak to anyone 
until he brought the Cauvery waters to the Lord's 
sannidhi. 

On one particular day , Thiruppaanar was singing
on the banks of Cauvery as usual totally unaware
of the fact that the place he was singing from 
was very close to the site , where Loka Saaranga 
Muni fetched water for the Lord. Since Muni could 
not speak , he threw a small stoone at the Azhwaar
signaling him to move away . That stone hit Thiruppaanar's
forehead and blood began to ooze out of the wound.Recognizing
his mistake , Thiruppaanar moved away to permit 
the uninterruted access to the river by Muni to collect 
thirumnajanam water for the Lord . 

Muni collected the water, reached the temple and 
the sacred bath was conducted for the Lord .
That night , Muni had  a dream in which 
Lord Ranganaatha ordered him (Muni) to carry His dear
Bhakthan on his (Muni's ) shoulders to His sannidhi.

Next morning , Muni rushed to the site , where 
Thiruppaanar was engaged in singing with his lute
and begged him to ride on his shoulders as commanded
by Lord Ranganaathan . Although Thiruppaanar was
uncomfortable , he obeyed the Lord's command
and rode on the shoulders of Muni with closed 
eyes until he reached the Lord's sannidhi .
When he opened his eyes at the Sannidhi to see the Lord's 
auspicious and majestic Thirumeni , he(Thiruppaanar)
was overwhelmed by that blissful experience . He began 
to salute the beauty of the Lord from Thiruppadhams 
( sacred feet ) to His head in ten most moving paasurams.

At he end of his salutations through the ten paasurams 
of Amalanaadhipiraan , he (Thiruppaanar) declared that 
his eyes will not care to see anything else anymore 
and he merged rightaway in the divine jyothi of Periya Perumaal 
at His aasthaanam .

Thiruppaanaazhwaar Thiruvadigale Saranam ,
V.Satakopan 



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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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