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Upadesa Rathna maalai: Part 14 ( 46-49)

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Sadagopan • November 12, 1999 


The unique place of PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai among commentators 
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PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai punpu ullavaikkum
  theriya--vyAkkiyakaL seyvAl--ariya
aruLichceyal poruLai Aariyarkatkku ippOthu
  aruLicheyal aaythtu aRitthu....(46)

(meaning):Today , it is possible to provide pravachanams
(lectures) on the deeper meanings of all the four thousand
blessed collect thanks to the great effort of PeriyavAcchAn
PiLLai(PVP), who commented on all of them for our benefit.

(Comments) In the five paasurams preceding this one,
MM has paid tribute to the five different commentators
of Swami NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi including PVP .Now ,
MM salutes the great help (MahOpakAram ) of PVP in 
blessing us with detailed commentaries on all of 
the four thousand Paasurams .Dhivya prabhandha DhivyArhtams
would otherwise not have come our way .No one could 
conduct kAlakshEpams on them , if PVP had not blessed us so.
Today those who sit in AchArya Peetams are able to instruct
us on the deeper meanings of the Four Thousand thanks to
the unique help of PVP.The commentary of PVP on PeriyAzhwAr's
dhivya prabhandham was eaten up by white ants and were lost.
Sri MM made up for it by writing a commentary largely from
memory along the lines of PVP. 

Salutation to other commentators of few other Prabhandhams
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Nanjeeyar seytha vyAkkiyaikaL naalirandukku
  yenjAmai yAvaikkum illayE-tanjeerAl
Vyaa guruvin tampi mannu MaNavALa Muni
  seyyum avai thaamum sila.....(47)

(Meaning):The commentaries created by Nanjeeyar are 
limited to a few dhivya prabhandhams.He did not cover
all of them.Similarly , the brother of PiLLai Lokam Jeeyar
(Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NaayanAr), and Vaadhi Kesari
Azhagiya MaNavALa Jeeyar blessed us with commentaries for 
few other dhivya prabhnadhams as well.

(Comments): Sri MM is still on the track of celebrating 
the enormity of the task that PVP undertook in completing
the commentaries for all of the four thousand paasurams 
of the blessed collect .Here , he offers his salutations
to three more AchAryAs , who commented on some of these
dhivya Prabhandhams :(1) Nanjeeyar's commentary on ThiruppAvai
ad kaNNinuNN SirutthAmpu (2) The brother of PiLLai LokAcchAr's
commentary on NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi (AchArya Hrudhayam ),
ThiruppAvai and kaNNinuNN SorutthAmpu as well as 
AmalanAdhip PirAn (3) VaadhikEsari Jeeyar commented only 
on Swamy NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham besides PanneeRAyirappadi,
the padha urai for ThiruvAimozhi . 

History of the birth , eclipse and rebirth of 36,000 PaDi 
*********************************************************

SeerAr Vadakku Thiruveedhip Pillai--yezhu..
  thErAr Tamizh Vedatthu eedu tanai --thaarumena 
vaangi munn NampiLLai EeyuNNi Madhavarkkut-
  thAmm kodutthAr -pinn athanait thaan ...(48)

(Meaning ): NampiLLai asked his talented sishyan,
Vadakku Thiruveedhip PiLLai to give to him 
the MuppatthARaayirappaDi commentary written
wihtout his permission  and held it back from circulation; 
after Lord RanganaathA intervened and commanded NampiLLai 
to release it , he (NampiLLai)gave it to EeyuNNi Maadhavar ,
one of his dear sishyAs . Thus did we receive back
the blessed commentary of Vadakku Thiruveedhip PiLLai(VTP)
known as Eedu MuppatthARAyirappaDi .

(Comments): There are 5 commentaries on Swami NammazhwAr's
ThiruvAimozhi. The one known as Eedu by VTP is the most used
in KaalakshEpams.Therefore , MM takes the time to perform
upadEsam to us on the history of the avathAram of this 
important commnetary and the temporary set back to it prior to 
general availability .

VTP was the disciple of NampiLLai along with PVP.
NampiLLai asked PVP to write a commentary on ThiruvAimozhi
based on his attnedence at his (NampiLLai's) KaalakshEpams.
PVP carried out his AchAya niyamanam and received 
his AchAryan's blessings . Meanwhile , VTP who also 
attended the same kaalakshEpams wrote his own commentary 
durnng the night and when he completed that monograph , he placed
that vyAkyAnam at the sacred feet of NampiLLai. The AchAryan
was impressed with the high quality of the commentary and
yet was angry that his sishyan wrote that commentary without 
telling him about it. Hence NampiLLai took that commentary
and held it back from circulation to others. It languished
for a few months/years under lock and key. Another disciple of
NampiLLai by the name of EeyuNNI Maadhavap PerumAL (EMP)knew
about the excellence of VTP's commentary and wished for that 
to become available to all .Hence ,EMP prayed to Lord RanganAthA 
and did many pradakshiNams around the garbhagraham of
the Lord in Srirangam for the softening of the anger of 
NampiLLai at VTP . Lord RanganAtha responded to 
the sincere prayers of EMP and commanded NampiLLai
to forgive VTP and release the Eedu grantham to EMP.
NmapiLLai obeyed the command of the Lord and that is
how we got back the great commentary of VTP .The other
name for EeyuNNi Maadhavap PerumAL was SiRiyAzhwAn PiLLai.
In the next paasuram, MM refers to the transmission
of the Eedu from EMP/SiRiyAzhwAr to his successors.

The transmission of EEdu Grantham from EMP to others
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Aangavar Paal peRRa SiRiyAzhwAn PILLai
  thaam kodutthAr tamm mahanAr tamm kaiyyil--paangudanE
NaalUr PiLLaikku avar thaamm nalla mahanArkku avar thaamm
  mElOrkku eenthAr avarE mikku...(49)

(meaning): EMP alias SiRiyAzhwAn PiLLai , who was
devoted to NampiLLai handed over the eedu to his
son PadhmanAbha perumAL , who in turn gave it to
NaalUr PiLLai with affection. With the passage of time , 
NaalUr PiLLai entrusted the Eedu to his gifted son
and it was he who made it available to a wider circle
of disciples .

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sdaagopan