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ThiruppANAzhwAr :Input for the New CD ROM on Azhwars and the 108 dhivya Desams .

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 8, 2000 


Dear BhakthAs: 

Here is a summary of the highlights 
of AmalanadhipirAn .
 
ThiruppAnar's prabhandham :
***************************

Swamy Desikan was so moved by the Prabhandham 
of ThiruppANar that he addressed the AzhwAr as
PaaN PerumAL. He wrote a beautiful commentary 
for AmalanAdhipirAn ,the Prabhandham of ThiruppANar.
It is pertinent to observe that this is the only 
prabhandham among the assembly of 24 dhivya Prabhandhams
that Swamy Desikan has chosen to comment upon in 
extensive detail(muni Vaahana BhOgam) .The other 
commentaries relating to the Dhivya Prabhandhams 
by Swamy Desikan such as Madhura Kavi Hrudhayam , 
Nigama ParimaLam are no longer available to us .

The Prakrutham (current) Srimath Azhagiya Singar,
HH Sri NarAyaNa Yathindhra MahA Desikan has written
a series of most informative articles in the recent 
issues of Sri Nrusimha PriyA . 

AdiyEn is following the older commentary here
of Parama padha vaasi Sri U.Ve.Srirama DeasikAcchAr
Swamy . 
 
Part III
*********
Highlights of AmalanAdhipirAn
******************************

1) The ten verses arose out of the AzhwAr's 
lips as the anubhava pravAham (an overflow of 
the ecstatic joy ) from the experience of
of the divine beauty  of the limbs and the body
(ThirumEni) of RanganAthan resting in His 
inner sanctum at Srirangam .

2) The first nine verses progressively describe 
AzhwAr's immersion in the beauty of the Lord's Lotus feet , 
the red garment on His waist , His navel that created BrahmA ,
His Waist band , chest , neck , coral red mouth ,
bewitching eyes and the whole body (samudhAya- 
soundharyam).In the final paasuram , AzhwAr 
concedes that his eyes can not see anything else in
this world , now that they have seen and enjoyed
the Lord's ThirumEni,His soundharyam and svaroopam .

3) The 15 kalyANa guNams of RanganAthan celebrated by 
Azhwar in the first paasuram are :

(a) His Power to give Moksha siddhi (b)His Jagath-kAraNathvam
(c)Him Being the world's protector (d)His Disposition to rush
to the help of His bakthAs(e)His Special DayA to His BhakthAs
(f)His SvAtanthryam (not being controlled by anybody)
(g)His remaining blemishless always (h)His Power to be 
the Lord of ALL (i)His ease of accesibility by one and
all(j)His Souseelyam (k)His Vaathsalyam for us
(l)His being parama prApyathvam/the loftiest of all 
attainments for chEthanams (m)His Aaasritha pakshapAtham
(n)His most sacred Thiruvadi , which is bhOgyam
for BhakthAs (o)His ability to let His BhakthAs
enjoy Him without any deep effort like harsh penance.

(4)In the second paasuram , the AzhwAr's eyes 
lift up from the enjoyment of and reflection on
the Lord's sacred feet and focus on the PithAmbharam
adorning His waist . AzhwAr's course during the enjoyment
of the Lord's ThirumEni is "AapAdha chooDam or 
PaadhAthi kEsAntham " ( from the sacred feet to
the Lofty crown on the Lord's head). Azhwar mentions
that his mind went after the red dress effortlessly.
AzhwAr's  mind leaves him and goes towards that 
beautiful dress on the Lord's waist and gets 
riveted there without any goading from him.

(5)The third paasuram deals with the extension of 
the AzhwAr's gaze from the PithAmbharam to His navel,
where BrahmA was created. AzhwAr uses the word " adiyEn "
for the first time in this paasuram . In the earlier 
two passurams ,he had used the word ,"Yenn " .The use of 
adiyEn implies that the daasya aspect overwhelming him 
in the spirit of " Aathma dasyam , HarE: Swamyam " 
(Our servitude and Hari's Lordship over us).

(6) It has been pointed out that the first three 
paasurams start with A (Amalan) ,U (Uvantha) and
M (Manthi).The combination of A+U+M gives us
the esoteric PraNavam . Swamy Desikan is of
the opinion that the ten paasurams of  AmalanAdhipirAn 
are the distilled essence of the three VaishNavite 
rahasyams ( Moola Manthram , Dhvayam and Charama SlOkam ).

(7) In the fourth paasuram, AzhwAr covers the meaning
of Nama: sabdham of the Moola Manthram.Here AzhwAr
says that the waist band (udhara bandham ) of 
the Lord has entered into his heart , stayed
there and is enjoying joyous strolls there .
The Udhara Bandham is that small rope ( KaNNI nuNN
SirutthAmpu ) used by YasOdhai,which led to Him
being saluted as  DaamOdharan . Even today , it is
said that the Tazhumpu (welt) formed by  Yasodhai's
rope is seen  on the waist of the Moola BhEram of
SriranganAthan.Thoughts about that udhara bandham will 
remove our samsAra bandhams and lead us to Moksham.
AzhwAr is saluting the golden waist chain , which
has allegorical links to the small rope used by YasOdhA . 

(8)In the fifth paasuram , AzhwAr feels the impact
of Lord RanganAthA's abundant grace .He has now entered 
into AzhwAr's heart instead of just letting the AzhwAr
enjoy the beauty of His waist aabharaNam .Azhwar now 
enjoys the beauty of the Lord's broad chest 
adorned by the vana Maalai (Vyjayanthi garland )
and MahA lakshmi. That auspicious chest enslaved AzhwAr
and made him become immediately a servant (Daasan)
to the Lord.This happened without the performance of
any special penance as stated by AzhwAr.

(9) The tattvams associated with the Lord's grace 
covered by the fifth paasuram are:
(a)VirOdhi nigraham /Chasing away of the inner and outter
enemies (b)Ishta prApthi ( gaining of desired goals)
(c)His pervasive presence inside and outside the Jeevans
(d)His enduring dayA (e)His soulabhyam , which stands
behind Him serving as UpAyam/means for Moksham
(f)His Parathvam (Supermacy)which stands behind 
Him to serve as Phalan/fruit of Prapatthi 
(g)His presence as Lakshmi-Kaanthan or Sriya:Pathi
with Yeka-sEshithva Yogam (h)His bearing the world 
as prAkAram and adorning His ThiruvAbharanams
(i)Being the SvarUpam of the Jeevan , who is His
Daasan and (j)the Kaimkaryam ,which is the fruit
of being a Daasan .

(10)The sixth paasuram has the Lord's throat as 
its focus.AzhwAr states here that the throat of 
the Lord , which has performed many miracles before,
has now performed another one (viz).,infusion of life 
into AzhwAr and saving him (nall vAzhvu and Ujjeevanam)
forever.  

(11)In the seventh paasuram ,AzhwAr addresses 
Sri RanganAthan as "IyaanAr " -our Saviour and
Rakshakan . AzhwAr's  mind is now captivated by 
the whole ThirumEni of the Lord and particularly 
carried away by His coral red lips .He can no longer
enjoy the beauty of rest of the ThirumEni. He cries
out in the mixed mood of ecstacy and anguish for His
helpless state with the expression : IyyO ! AzhwAr
suffers over his inability to fully digest and
enjoy the unimaginable beauty of those coral lips .

(12) In the eighth paasuram , AzhwAr tears away 
from the additional enjoyment of the coral lips
and shifts his attention to those magnificent eyes
of the Lord ,which are lustrous and inviting 
(SvAgathOdhaara nEthram ).AzhwAr salutes those 
deep and dayA-laden eyes and concedes that those
eyes have reduced him to a helpless state through
the spell that they cast on him.

(13) In the ninth paasuram , AzhwAr feels much closer
to the Lord and feels secure and comforted as a result
of enjoying the individual limbs of the Lord . AzhwAr 
begins now to celebrates the beauty of the entire 
ThirumEni of the Lord.That greater anubhavam drives
away the sense of self-satisfaction that he had
possessed until now. His erstwhile complascence 
and contentment derived from the enjoyment of
the individual limbs are gone as he begins to
absorb the matchless beauty of the entire ThirumEni
of Sri RanganAthan. AzhwAr is Knocked off his feet
as he avidly enjoys the Lord's ThirumEni ( Dhivya
MangaLa Vigraham ) as well as His Svaroopam 
( DhivyAthma Svaroopam).Bowled over by the double
power of the Lord's Svaroopam and Roopam , AzhwAr
cries out again: IyyO !  PeriyavAcchAn PiLlai 
describes the pitiable state of the AzhwAr this
way: " Having donned a green coat (pacchai maamalai 
pOl mEni), the Lord has shown to me every thing within 
Him without exception . He has taken away every thing of me "
Sri D.Raamaswamy Iyengar adds : " Like a magician
attractively dressed hypnotising a person and taking
away all his wealth ", the Lord has performed this 
magic on me and captivated me totally.

(14) The last paasuram is marked by SaathvIka ahankaram.
As a result of being the beneficiuary of the Lord's grace ,
AzhwAr is totally fulfilled and states a fact that His eyes 
will not be able to see any one or anything else in all 
the worlds except Sri RanganAthan (yenn amudhinaik kaNDa
kaNNkaL maRRonRinaik kaaNAvE )After experiencing this nectar,
which is the Sarva Mangala Vigraha nectar , AzhwAr has no 
need for any thing else .He indicates that the Lord alone is
worth seeing , worth experiencing and naught else.The Lord
heard that firm statement of the AzhwAr and permitted 
the AzhwAr to merge into Him infront of every one assembled
at His sannidhi. Azhwar entered into that Svyam JyOthi
(Lord RanganAthan) now that His avathAra kaaryam was completed. 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,
Sri SrirAma DesikAchArya Nama:
Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
SrimathE RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan   
    



  


  
      


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