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Sri MadhavakkaNNan's extraordinary Kaimkaryam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • October 26, 1998 


Dear BhakthAs :

What a grand finale it has been  to the extraordinary
kaimkaryam by our dear Sri MadhavakkaNNan ! In some 
calendars , today is the birthday of both Sri MaNavALa
Maamuni ( Iypaasi Moolam ) and Thirukkuruhai PirAn PiLLAn 
( Iypassi PoorAdam ). Moolam is 10-25 Naazhikai 
and PoorAdam thereafter .

The one who intrepreted Bhagavadh Vishayam 
before Sri RanganathA and the one who wrote 
the first commentary on NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi 
(Bhagavadh Vishayam ) at the request of his AchAryA ,
Sri RaamAnujA are coming together TODAY . We received 
Sri M.KaNNan's "Saatthumurai" in the krama it deserves
to be concluded ! Such kaimkaryams do not simply
happen .Purva SamskAram (latent impressions) from
previous janmAs are the causative factors for such
anugraham .After completing this Kaimkaryam , Sri
M.KaNNan should feel like a Krutha Kruthyan . I join
with all BhakthAs , who have immensely enjoyed the postings
on NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi to wish Sri MaadhavakkaNNan and
his family long life to do many such kaimkaryams ,
vajra sariram , service to his AchAryA  and professional
success . May Lord Lakshmi HayagrIvA's paripUrNa anugraham
be with our Sri M.KaNNan always and bless him with
many other Kaimkaryams for the cause of Sri VaishNavism !

What NammAzhwAr celebrated in his Thiruvaimozhi was 
the Brahma soothrAs . These are 545 in number and when
you add them (5+4+5) , we get a figure of 14 suggesting 
Chathurdasa Bhuvanams (Fourteen Universes ).NammAzhwAr's
Thiruvaimozhi , just as Brahma soothrams cover everything 
in our Lord's 14 lokams .

The Brahma SoothrAs have four quarters (padaas):

(1) Samanvaya dealing with the nature of Brahman
(2) AvirOdhA devoted to the dismissal of the views 
    of Schools of thought , which are opposed to
    those of Vedas and Upanishads (Vedanthic views).
(3) Sadhana dealing with the means of attaining MokshA
(4) Phala describing the nature of MokshA and its fruits

When we reflect upon the Thiruvaimozhi Paasurams ,
we can map them across the four chapters of Brahma 
Soothrams . Sri MadhavakkaNNan brought forth lovingly 
these connections in a sampradhAyic manner preserved 
by successive AchAryAs from Sri RaamAnujA onwards .
 
NammAzhwAr passionately longed for Sriman NaarAyaNA ,
" apunarjanma Saayujathan " ( One who grants the boon of
release from the cycles of births and deaths )and saluted
Sriman NaarAyaNA as "niradhisaya-oujjvalya- sougandhya-
soukumArya-lAvaNya-Lakshmi BhUmi NeeLadhi divya Mahishi 
sevitha ,divya bhUshaNa bhUshitha -SeshasEshAsana Garuda 
divya Parijana sEvitha CharaNa naLina YugaLan ".The celebration
of the anantha KalyAN aguNams of Sriman NaarAyaNan housed 
in the Thiruvaimozhi paasurams and the intensity of
the Bhakthi (parama Bhakthi) led to the final patthu .
AzhwAr's wishes were fulfilled . He joined with his Lord
in paramapadham .

This great anubhavam is ecstatically celebrated by 
NammAzhwAr this way : " yenn avaa aRa soozhndhAyE " 
First , AzhwAr claims that his yearning 
to join his Lord was even larger than his Lord's sankalpa
Jn~Anam (Jn~Ananadhamaya DevarAjan) in magnitude. 
AzhwAr quickly admits in a state of wonder in the last 
pasuram that his Lord encompassed him fully and quenched 
this deep yearning for samslEsham to his full satisfaction .
Azhwaar in all humility admits now that 
he became a small drop in the vastness of nectar
ocean of the Lord's nithya VibhUthi at Sri Vaikuntam .
AzhwAr concedes joyously that his pent-up and long
time ambition of gaining Moksham and eternal service
to Sri VaikuntanAthan has now been totally fulfilled .

We have been tasting this nectarine narration by 
Sri MadhavakkaNNan all these days and weeks about
NammAzhwAr's incomparable journey , where he lamented  
" mudal taniyunnaiunnai yeaninALL vanthu kUduvan naan ?".
Here AzhwAr asks the tannoppArilappan , who is 
the Jagadh KaaraNan , Jagadh Sareeran , Jagadh NiyanthA 
as to when he is going to join Him in His Parama Padham .
AzhwAr insists that he must join Him , where the Lord 
has aprAkrutha divya mangaLa vigraham .The Lord hears 
AzhwAr's alaRal ( intense and soulful cry for union )
and blesses the AzhwAr with anthamil pErinbham ,
Moksham . The joyous AzhwAr describes himself as
" avAvaRRu veedu PeRRa KuruhUr SatakOpan " .AzhwAr 
declares that his status is that of one , whose longings
are over and he has secured Moksham , which is 
the limitless (niravadhika) MahAnandham known as 
BrahmAnubhavam .

With the parama kriupA of the Divya Dampathis ,
this kaimkaryam has been completed and once again ,
we pray for the blessings of AchAryAs and AzhwArs 
for additional Kaimkaryams by our Sri MadhavakkaNNan .

Subhamasthu ,
Oppiliappan Koil VaradaachAri Sadagopan