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Thirumaalai-65

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • September 27, 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-43

“amaravOr angam aRRum vEda mOr nAngum vOdhi
  thamargalil thalaivarAya sAdhi andhanargalElum
  numargalai pazhipparAgil nodippadhOr alavil* AngE
  avargal thAm pulaiyar pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE!”

amaravOr angam aRRum vEda mOr nAngum vOdhi:  The main job of the Brahmins in those days were to learn the Vedas and Veda-angas thoroughly and teach them to others.  Alwar says ‘amara….. Odhi’ meaning they have learnt them without any hurry since their only job was to learn. If such Brahmins, who have spent most of their lifetime in learning the Veda angas (shikshai, vyAkaranam, kalpam, niruththam, chandas and jhOdhisam) and the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, sAma, atharvana),

thamargalil thalaivarAya sAdhi andhanargalElum:  and if they are also the head of all such high class Brahmins still,

numargalai pazhipparAgil nodippadhOr alavil* AngE:  if they talk ill of bhagavat bhakthas or bhAgavatas then in the very instant, at the very same place(AngE- not in the next birth),

avargal thAm pulaiyar pOlum arangamA nagarulAnE!:  they become the lowest of the lowest (Alwar says pulaiyar, as low as a man who eats flesh of dogs) Oh the lord of Srirangam, says alwar.

Even emperuman considers bhagavatas to be his master, like in ambhareesha charitram in Srimad BhAgavatam.  DurvAsar was a great rishi.  But since he did apachAram to a bhAgavathan, ambhareeshan, the lordÂ’s sudarshana chakra chased him.  He ran to all the lOkas and begged help from all devas, Indran, sivan and brahma.  No one was able to help him out.  He finally came to vaikundam and begged Sriman narayanan but even perumal refused help saying that since he has done an apachAram to a bhAgavatan only that bhAgavathan can save him even perumal cannot.  Such is the greatness of the bhAgavatas.

Just because one is born in a high class or since one has learnt the Vedas from top to bottom it doesnÂ’t mean he has to insult a bhAgavatan born in a low caste.  Emperuman comes running even for a call of an elephant but how many Veda vithpannAs have seen him?  Some may appear to be agnAniÂ’s but inside they are filled with knowledge (like jadabharatar).  But some though they have learnt a lot are actually jnana heenas due to the lack of understanding mainly due to the lack of bhagavat krupai.

Alwar in the past few paasurams, talked about the greatness of the bhAgavatas and how we have to regard them, give and take knowledge and even accept their uchchistam.  Now he says, the Brahmins who ill-treat the bhAgavatas based on their birth are to be considered equal to chandAlas.  In those days, the Brahmins were so haughty that they were always concentrated on their AchAram and anushtAnams that they didnÂ’t even know the magimai of nAma sankeetanam and thereby they considered all bhAgavatas who were engaged in nAma sankeertanam of bhagavan to be lower than them, though the bhAgavatas were actually filled with jnAnam and bhakthi.  So in this paasuram alwar strongly condemns such acts.  Thirumangai alwar has praised the Brahmins in many places but this alwar in spite of  being a Brahmin has condemned strongly the egoistic nature of the haughty Brahmins.

With this, we are left with just the sattrumurai(concluding) paasurams which we will enjoy in the forth coming postings.

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan


 



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