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Thirumaalai-56

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • September 16, 2002 


Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

“ Mattrondrum vEinda Maname Madhilarangar

  Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra

  Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai

  Eppozhudum peesu”

 

“ Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave 

  yetkadAkshai kalakshyAnAm sulabha: Sridara: sadaa”

 

Pranams,

 
Paasuram-37
 

“thelivilA kalangal neer soozh thiruvarangaththulOngum

  oliyulAr thAmE andrE thandhaiyum thAyum AvAr

  eliyathOr arulum andrE en thiraththu empirAnAr

  aliyan nam paiyal ennAr ammavO! kodiyavArE!”

 

thelivilA kalangal neer soozh thiruvarangaththulOngum:  Emperuman who lay amidst the pralaya water like a small baby now lies in Srirangam.  In Srirangam he lies, with kAveri on all his sides, surrounding him like a garland.  Here alwar says, kaveri is not clear but the water in kAveri is unclear(confused).  Generelly, ponni, kAveriÂ’s water is saffron in color.  Even if we wash our clothes in this water some sort of kAvi (saffron color) gets settled in our clothes.  This is because different river waters have different metal contents and kAveri has iron content in it.  Usually TulA kAveri(water during the Tula month) is the most dirty.

 

Andal in ThiruppAvai says “Tooyapperuneer yamunai” and celebrates yamunai to be crystal clear but here alwar says kAveri to be unclear and to be confused.  Then doesn’t Yamuna get greater importance than kAveri?  No explains Sri PVP.

 

A bhakthan is never clear.  He is not in a state of steadiness before and after having darshan of emperuman.  Before having bhagavat darishan the eyes of the bhakthan is filled with tears due to the sorrow of Krishna viraham(separation from the lord).  Ok then wonÂ’t he feel happy while seeing perumal?  While seeing perumal all his sins and perumals magimai comes to his memory and makes him lament his mistakes, then when the time comes for him to leave, then again he starts crying thinking about the trouble of separation he has already experienced.  So a bhakthan is always in the state of unsteady mind (sorrow and confusion) even though he enjoys the ectasy of bhagavat krupai and gunAnubavam in between.

 

Mother kAveri is one of the greatest bhakthais of Ranganatha.  Until she reaches Srirangam she flows as a thin line, like a virgin approaching her beloved.  When she reaches ranganatha she is extremely happy and flows with great vigour but then when she leaves Srirangam she again leaves with a great amount of sorrow and hence she is not clear but mixed up.  So though kAveri is “thelivilA kalangal neer” still she is even more sacred than ganga.  What an extra ordinary explanation.  If there wasn’t one PVP then we would have never understood alwar’s thiruvullam(heart).

 

oliyulAr thAmE andrE thandhaiyum thAyum AvAr:  Emperuman has his special charm and brightness.  It is more prominent in his archAvatArams which are the ‘ellainilam of sowlabhyam’(the most prominent place where his kalyana guna, sowlabhyam is clearly seen).  He is our Athma bandhu.  Sastras say, “mAtru DevO bhava; Pitru dEvO bhava;” etc but in our sampradayam, thirumangai alwar calls even father and mother to be a disease, if they are against bhagavat kainkaryam (“thAyE thandhai endrum thAramE kilai makkalendrum nOyE pattu ozhindhEn”).  One doubt may arise then are the alwars talking against the sastras? 

 

No not at all.  These are two different things.  What the sastras say is sAmanya dharmam.  Any son or daughter has to consider their father or mother to be equal to god and do kainkaryam to them.  This is their duty for what all their parents and teachers have given them.  But when the same parent or teacher goes against the bhAgavata dharmam then they are supposed to be regarded as disease.  According to bhAgavata dharmam our prime duty is to do kainkaryam to our Athma bhandhu emperuman.  These relatives or parents are temporary and stay only for this janma as our father or mother.  But one father and mother are permanent how many ever janmAs we may take.  So is it not important to give that permanent bandhus the prime importance and do kainkaryam to them at all times and all places?  If the sareera bandhus help us out (anukoolars) for bhagavat kainkaryam then they also become part of the bhAgavata kudumbam(family) and hence can be considered our athma bandhus .  Thirumangai alwar surrenders to thiruvEngada

 

In Ramayana, lakshmana showed the same dharmam.  He left his father, mother and wife and followed perumal and piratti to the forest considering them to be his parents and everything.  But lakshmana was indeed blessed with a great mother who advised him saying, “rAmam dasaradham viddhi mAm viddhi janakAthmaja ayOdhya matareem viddhi kachchdham yathA sukam” Oh! Lakshmana don’t make the mistake of staying in ayodhya thinking it is your duty to take care of your parents and the kingdom.  Consider perumal to be equal to dasarathan and piratti to be myself and the forest in which they live to be ayodhya and do kainkaryam to them, which is the purpose of your birth.

 

What a great mother she was?  Can a mother send her son to forest just like that?  This is bhAgavata dharmam.  BhAgavatas can sacrifice anything for the sake of bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam.

 

(To be continued)

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 



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