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Thirumaalai-61

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • September 23, 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,

Nammazhvar and thondaradipodi alwar gave us the dvayArtham in their paasurams but the grace of our nAchiyar, Sri Andal is that she practiced and showed dvayam.  That is why in thiruvAimozhi and thirumAlai paasurams, first the uttara kandArtham is given followed by the poorva kandArtham.  But in thiruppAvai the dvayArtham is in order.  Sri Andal is none other than our mother, who has a special liking for her kids hence she guides us practically.

In the previous three postings we enjoyed the divine meanings of the 38th paasuram in thirumaalai, which is considered as the essence of this whole prabandham.  In this paasuram, alwar gave the important rahasya artham in our Srivaishnava sidhdhAntam(meaning of dvayam or the manthra ratnam).  In bhagavat geetha, KrishnaÂ’s main aim was to give the charama slokam but he gave chapters 1 to 18.65 to arjuna, to make him mentally prepared to receive the charama slokam.  Again geetha doesnÂ’t end with sloka 18.66, but there are  more slokas as conclusion part.  Similarly though Veda Vyasa, wrote Srimad Bhagavatam mainly to say the Krishna leela, he had to write the first 9 cantos as an introduction or to mentally prepare the readers to enter the 10th canto and enjoy the Krishna leelai. 

Here too alwar followed the same procedure.  He first gave the importance of bhagavan nAma, he then proceeded to establish the srivaishnava siddhantham, by opposing all other philosophies.  Then after declaring emperumanÂ’s supremacy, he lamented over his incapability to attain the divine feet of emperuman and over all the mistakes he has committed so far.  Then he requested perumal to help him out of these samsAric miseries.  Then when asked, what punyam he had for perumal to help him?  Alwar replied he hasnÂ’t done anything good but perumal has his nirheduka krupai, which is the source for him to beg for bhagavanÂ’s support.  Then finally alwar after enjoying the kalyana gunas of bhagavan did saranagathi in his feet by meditating on the dvayArtham in the 38th paasuram.  Alwar doesnÂ’t stop with this.  He proceeds to give the conclusion part.  In geetha, bhagavan instructed arjuna not to give any of these divine arthas to anyone who doesnÂ’t have bhakthi towards perumal and his words, in the conclusion part. Her

With this brief summary let us now proceed with the meanings of the concluding paasurams.

Paasuram-39

“adimaiyil kudimai ellA ayal saduppEdhimAril
  kudimaiyil kadaimai patta kukkaril pirapparElum
  mudiyinil tulabham vaiththAi! moikuzharkku anbhu seiyum
  adiyarai vugaththi pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE!”

adimaiyil kudimai ellA ayal saduppEdhimAril:  In those days there were many chaturvEdi mangalams.  In those, lived many pandits who were well versed in all four Vedas.  If a person belonging to such a family and well versed in Vedas, but still wasnÂ’t interested in the kainkaryam to bhagavan, then alwar here says, perumal doesnÂ’t even turn his face towards him.

kudimaiyil kadaimai patta kukkaril pirapparElum:  On the contrary, even if a person is born in a most lowly considered kulam (kukkar – shudra kulam) but is a bhAgavatan then,

mudiyinil tulabham vaiththAi! moikuzharkku anbhu seiyum:  Emperuman gets pleased just with the submission of a small thulasi leaf in his feet.  He is not interested in costly svarna pushpams(golden flowers) but he considers a small thulasi leaf submitted in his feet by a poor bhagavatan with utmost love, as a great gift.  Similarly he considers a bhAgavatan involved in his kainkaryam, though born in a low caste to be more important to him than even a chatur vEdi, though well versed in all the Vedas, not interested in his kainkaryam.  This paasuram, is actually the extension of the previous paasuram where alwar instructs us to beg for the kainkaryam in the divine feet of the divine couples.  Here he says only the kainkaryam makes the emperuman happy and nothing else.

adiyarai vugaththi pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE:  Here comes to our memory the story of Sri thirupAnAzhvar.  Though he was born in a panchama kulam, still emperuman sent lOkasAranga munivar, high class Brahmin to fetch him just because thirupAnan was a great bhAgavathan.  So emperuman regards bhAgavatas, irrespective of their birth, close to his hearts, declares thondaradi podi alwar in this paasuram.

Sri pillai perumal Iyengar, a great scholar, in his thiruvaranga kalambhagam, one among his ashta prabhandam says,

“sAdhiyAl vozhukkaththAl thakkOrElum, chaturmaraiyAl vElviyAl mikkOrElum
 pOdhil nAnmugan paniya palli kollum ponnarangam pOttrAdAr pulayar thAmE”

(Even if one is from a high caste and has excellent character, and is one of the great experts in all the 4 vedas and has performed many yagas, still if he doesnÂ’t talk the praise of Srirangam and the bhagavan who even brahma the four headed dEva praises, he is to be considered to be the lowest of the lowest).

“pAdhiyAi azhugiya kAl kaiyarElum, padu thozhil ezhi kulam padaithArElum
 AdhiyAi aravanaiyAi enbhArAgil avar andrO nAm vanaggum adigalAvAr”

(Even if a person is diseased and belongs to a lowly family still if he says the bhagavan nAma and does kainkaryam to bhagavan in some way then he has to be regarded with great respect and we have to fall into his feet and show our regard to such a bhAgavathan.)

Thus alwar shows the magimai of a bhAgavatan, irrespective of the family in which he is born and his talents in this paasuram.

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan


 



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