nAcciyAr tirumozhi Conclusion PART II.
From the Bhakti List Archives
• July 4, 2003
SrI: SrI ANDAL samEta SrI rangamannAr tiruvaDigaLE SaraNam nAcciyAr tirumozhi – Conclusion – PART II. In this concluding section, we will enjoy the greatness of gOdai in her incarnation as a human being amongst us. 1. gOdai as a natural nAyaki: In their overflowing love and affection for emperumAn, the different AzhvArs try to place themselves in the position of a mother to Him and fondle Him and feed Him and decorate Him and play with Him (e.g., periAzhvAr), or in the position of a nAyaki to Him (e.g., parakAla nAyaki in case of tiruma’nagai AzhvAr, parA’nkuSa nAyaki in case of nammAzhvAr etc.)., etc. But it is to be noted that when nammAzhvAr or tiruma’ngai mannan try to place themselves in the position of a nAyaki to emperumAn, there is still a level of “adjustment” they have to get used to. A born woman knows the feelings of a nAyaki better than any of the other AzhvArs could. This added innate nature of ANDAL as a woman saint in her incarnation, when added to the intense devotion and love that she had for emperumAn, resulted in the supreme outpouring towards Him that is a class by itself that cannot be excelled by any of the other AzhvAr-s. Enjoying the union with emperumAn and suffering when He leaves is a natural behavior for pirATTimAr. Based on SrI PVP’s comment, in the case of ANDAL, “adu irrukiRa paDi Ayttu”. SrI kRshNasvAmi aiyengar expands futher - “ANgaLAgap piRanda avargaLukku adu mETTu maDayAi uLLadu. PeNNAna ivaLukku paLLa maDaiyAi iyalvAgave irukkiradu” – for other AzhvArs who are imitating nAyaki bhAvam, it is like “mETTu maDai” – it is like attempting to store water on a tank up on a steep slope, and for ANDAL, it is like “paLLa maDai” – trying to store water in a tank that is below the ground level. Or, imagine trying to make water flow upwards on a steep slope (the effort needed for all the other AzhvArs to adopt the nAyaki role), compared to ANDAL for whom the effort involved is like making water flow downwards in a steep slope. The intensity to which her feelings are expressed are thus orders of magnitude higher than that expressed by the other AzhvArs in their outpourings of their intense love to Him. Of course, added to this is the fact that unlike the other AzhvArs who are nitya sUri-s who have taken incarnation in this world, ANDAL is pirATTi who took incarnation in this world. So in addition to being born a woman, she is also the actual nAyaki of emperumAn, and so, if anything, ANDAL had the tough ordeal of acting out the human role, being separated from Him. 2. ANDAL and kaNNan’s tiruviLaiyADalgaL: Among ANDAL’s great contributions is her description of kaNNan’s tiruviLaiyADalgaL that are described in detail in SrImad bhAgavatam, but she has provided us this nectar in the form of her anubhavam-s in easy-to-understand tamizh through her two SrI sUkti-s, tiruppAvai and nAcciyAr tirumozhi. SrI SaDagopan has captured the significance of ANDAL’s contribution in this area by her assuming herself to be one among the gOpi-s, by reference to SrImad bhAgavatam itself: Sruta mAtropi ya: strINAm prasahyAkarshate mana: | urugAyorugIto vA paSyantInAm kuta: puna: || yAh samparyacaran premNA pAda samvAhanAdibhi: | jagadgurum bhartR-budhyA tAsAm kim varNyatE tapa: || (bhaga. 10.90.26-27) “kaNNan is the great Lord who forcefully entices the minds of those who have heard His name even once, or who merely sing His praise through stotra-s etc. Given that, what is the great wonder in His completely taking over the minds of the girls who constantly have the bhAgyam of seeing Him always? How can the tapas and dedication of these girls - who considered Him verily their nAthan, and who were dedicating themselves to His antara’nga kaimkaryam such as comforting His Feet with their hands etc. – be described in words?” Having learned about kaNNan through SrImad bhagavata SravaNam and through her father periyAzhvAr’s tirumozhi, ANDAL imagined herself as one of the gOpis in tiruvAippADi and experienced the samSlesham and viSlesham anubhavams and finally got to see her kaNNan in SrI bRndAvanam. Not being able to contain her extremely delightful anubhavam, she has shared this delight with all of us. One is reminded of one of the comments that SrI VelukkuDi kRshNan svAmi made in one of his upanyAsams: Those who meditate on kaNNan’s stealing butter will be absolved of all sins of any wrong-doing that they have committed by way of any stealing etc. 3. Our pUrvAcArya-s have given us diverse anubhavam-s of the greatness of gOdai’s incarnations amongst us. SrI SaDagopan captures some of these anubhavam-s in his ma’ngaLASAsanam in his tamizh vyAkhyAnam. In gOdA stuti 11, svAmi dEsikan sings the greatness of the dakshiNa diSai (southern part of bhaAratam), wherein lies SrIvilliputtUr, ANDAL’s place of appearance in this world. His anubhavaam is that the reason why Lord ra’nganAtha is lying in SrI ra’ngam facing the south because of gOdai’s presence in that direction. Another rasAnubhavam of svAmi deSikan is that viTTu cittar got the unique title “periAzhvAr”, that no other AzhvAr was able to get from emperumAn, purely because of his association with gOdai. All the AzhvArs including periAzhvAr sang in praise of Him with extreme devotion, but only viTTu cittar was able to offer to Him the garlands that had been first worn by godai. This was what pleased emperumAn so much that He conferred the title “periAzhvAr’ on Him (“tAtastu tE madhubhida: stutilESavaSyAt, karNAmRtai: stutiStai: anavApta pUrvam, tvan mouLi gandha subhagAm upahRtya mAlAm, lebhE mahattara padAnuguNam prasAdam”). We have already alluded to the ma’ngalASAsanam of SrI maNavALa mAnunigaL on the greater purpose of ANDAL’s incarnation for our sake: “inRO tiru AdippUram, emakkAga anRO ingu ANDAL avadarittAL – kunRAda vAzhvAna vaikuNtha vAn bOgham tannai igazhndu AzhvAr tirumagaLarAi” “Today is tiruvADippUram; it is only for the sake of protecting us and recommending to her nAthan about us, that ANDAL made her appearance on earth here. Forsaking the great bhOgam of being with emperumAn in the great SrIvaikuNtham, she came here as the divine daughter of periyAzhvAr”. SrI uyyakkoNDAr (also called SrI puNDarIkAkshar), a disciple of SrI nAthamunigAL, has also sung the praise of gOdai through the following 2 tanians: “anna vayal puduvai ANDAL arangRkup pannu tiruppAvai pal padiyam – inniSaiyAl pADik koDuttAL naRpAmalai pUmAlai SUDik koDuttALaic collu” “SUDik koDutta SuDark koDiyE tolpAvai pADi aruLa valla pal vaLaiyAi – nADi nI vEnkaTavaRkku ennai vidi enna immARRam nAm kaDavA vaNNamE nalgu” “Always remember gOdai, who made her appearance in SrIvilliputtUr surrounded by fields laden with swans, who sang the great tiruppAvai and submitted the pAmAlai and pUmAlai after gracing herself to tiru ara’ngan.” “Oh gOdAdevi! With your exquisite, beautiful hands wearing several bangles, you gave emperumAn the garlands you wore! Please create in us a sthira bhakti for tiruvEnkaTam uDaiyAN and bless us with the knowledge of the nAcciyAr tirumozhi that you sang.” SrI tiruvarangattamudanAr who composed the great work “rAmAnuja nURRantAdi” in praise of his AcAryan, sings the praise of his AcArya as well as that of ANDAL in the same breath, which is one of the greatness of this work that pleased bhagavad rAmAnuja himself: “ara’ngar mouLi SUzhginRa mAlaiyaic cUDik koduttavaL tol aruLAl vAzhginRa vaLLal irAmAnujan ennum mAmuniyE!” “tiruvara’ngan wears on His head the flower that ANDAL first wore on her head. Such is her greatness. Our rAmAnuja mAmuni lives by the blessings of this great SUDik koDutta nAcciyAr”. The well-known tiruppAvai taniyan that is chanted at the very beginning of tiruppAvai chanting, was composed by SrI parAsara bhaTTar, the son of kUrattAzhwAn who was a primary disciple of SrI rAmAnujar’s disciple. He did managaLAsAsanam to gOdai saying he wants to serve her for ever: “nILA tungasta nagiri taTI sUptam udbOdhya kRshNam pArArthyam svam sRti Sata Siras siddham adhyApayantI | svOccishTAyAm sraji nigaLitam yA balAtkRtya bhunktE gOdA tasyai nama idamidam bhUya EvAstu bhUyah || “ 4. SrI UV adds additional dimensions to the anubhavam of the greatness of gOdai. He points out that gOdai’s love for kaNNan was at a level far above the love that the AyarpADi cowherds had for Him, and much greater than the love of the AyarpADi girls to Him which itself was greater than the first one. At another level of comparison, ANDAL’s love for kaNNan was much greater than that of the Rshi-s for Him, and greater than the love that the Rshi patni-s had for Him (refer to the bhakta vilocanam incident referred to in NT 12.6). Yet another dimension of this anubhavam: ANDAL had more love for emperumAn than any of the other AzhvArs not only that, it is even greater than the composition of SrI vAlmIki. Recall that vAlmIki appeared from the “ears of bhUmi” – from the holes made by the ants on the mound of earth, for the purpose of pleasing “the ears of the inhabitants of the bhUmi”. Above all, ANDAL’s upadESam-s to us are greater than even those of emperumAn. Her upadESam to us has as its basis sheer dayA towards us out of her sole concern for us. To make sure that we reach His Feet without returning to this ocean of samsAra (Recall that the extent of the enormity of our sins is such that without pirATTis’ purushakArattvam, we will not be forgiven). 5. phala sruti: We will be bestowed “vAyu nan maKKal” (good offsprings with great qualities, NT6.11); we will be stripped of all sins (illai pAvame – NT 4.11) and will not be drowned in the sea of sorrow (tunbak kaDalul tuvaLAre – NT 13.10) and will be blessed with saying His tirunAmam for ever (namO nArAyaNa enbAre – NT5.11) and become “aNukkar” (NT 7.10) (get to live with Him closely) by being tirumAl aDiyAr. We shall live forever under His lotus feet (perum tAL uDaiya pirAn aDikkIzh piriyAdu enRum iruppAre – NT 14.10). Chanting gOdai’s endearing outpourings for her “perum tAL uDaiya pirAn” will earn for us a place in SrI vaikuNtham - viNNavar kOnaDi naNNuvare (NT 1.10), kuRaivu inRi vaikuNtham Servare (NT 2.10), vaikuNtham pukku iruppAre (NT 3.10), iDam vaikuNthame (NT 12.10). With our Mother gOdai’s blessings and our AcAryan’s anugrahams, we will be blessed with nitya kainkaryam to perumAL and pirATTi – pallANDu, pallANDu, pallAyirattANDu. ANDAL gives her final blessings to us in NT14.10: piriyAdu enRum iruppArE – “Unlike me, who had to ask everyone “kaNDIrE” (have you seen Him?), the devotees who understand this tirumozhi as the final remedy for the bondage of samsAra (namely, meditate on Him and Him alone as the Object to be attained and the means to be attained), will be permanently and inseparably united with Him, and will have the anubhavam of enjoying Him always. Meditating on Him and His glory will become their permanent pastime. 6. Thanks: To the following great bhAgavatOttamas – SrImAn oppiliappan varadAcAri SaDagOpan (for everything, including expressing happiness over the “ratham coming to a nilai”), SrI maNi varadarAjan of San Fransisco (for providing the cyber space for the write-up and re-opening the bhakti list so that the ratham can reach its original nilai), SrI t.a. varadan of Denver/San Fransisco and SrI nArAyanan of Milwaukee (for providing a copy of SrI PBA’s vyAkyAnam and the book by SrI puttUr kRshNasvAmi aiyengAr with explanations of the vyAkyAnam by SrI PVP) SrI Anand karalapAkkam of Chennai (for providing a copy of the vyAkyAnam by SrI UV, who invariably added new dimensions to the anubhavam of nAcciyAr tirumozhi), Sri r. rAghavan of Chicago (for providing a copy of the book by SrI T.S. rAjagOpAlan), and SrI venkaT aiyengAr of SrI villiputtUr (for kindly undertaking to collect and post all the write-ups on the web and doing such a great job with patience), and to all the other bhAgatOttamas who have been encouraging aDIyAL through the bhakti list and through personal emails, aDiYal offers with folded hands: “talai allAl kaimmARu ilane”. tiruvADipUrattu jagattudittAL vAzhiyE tiruppAvai muppadum SeppinAL vAzhiyE periyAzhvAr peRReDutta peN piLLAi vAzhiyE perumpudUr mAmunikkup pinnAnAL vAzhiyE oru nURRu nARpattu mUnRuraittAL vAzhiyE uyar arangaRkE kaNNi ugandaruLinAL vAzhiyE maruvArum tirumalli vaLa nADi vAzhiyE vaN puduvai nagark kOdai malarppadangaL vAzhiyE Abbreviations: ------------------ PVP= SrI periyavAccAn piLLai PBA= SrI prativAdi bhayankaram aNNangarAcAriyAr UV = SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcAriyAr sarvam SrIman nArAyaNAyEti samarpayAmi. SrI ANDAL, SrI rangamannAr tiruvaDIgaLE SaraNam. SrImatE vEdAnta rAmAnuja mahAdEsikAya nama: SrImatE rangarAmAnuja mahA dEsikAya nama: kalyANi kRshNamAcAri (Articles on nAcciyAr tirumozhi are available at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/7673/azhwars/nachiyar.html maintained by SrI VenkaT aiyengAr of SrI villiputtUr) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com -------------------------------------------------------------- - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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