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some thoughts

From the Bhakti List Archives

Kalyani Krishnamachari • March 3, 1998 


Dear bhakti members!  Just wanted to share a few thoughts:

1. If pANAzhwAr was looking just at ranganAthar's arcA mUrti, he would have
sung "kariya tirumEni ayyo ennai cindai kavarndaduve"; but, he
sang "neelattirumEni ayyo".  This obviously suggests that the Lord was 
presenting His original tirumEni to pANAzhwAr. 

2. periyAzhwAr imagines himself as yasodha and sees krishna
through various stages - crawling, walking, accO paruvam, etc.  yasOdhA saw 
kaNNAn only as her baby, without being aware of His real identity.  But, 
periyAzhwAr while enjoying kaNNan as his baby, ends up calling Him by so 
many names like kadiyAr pozhilaNi vEngadavan, kudandaikkidanda vengO, 
mannu namuciyai vAnil Suzhatriyavan, sitA manALa etc.  

To yasOdhA, krishNa was kannaiyA, not cukkiran kaNNai turumbAl kiLariya 
cakkarakkaiyan or OrAlilai tuyil koNdavan or kadiyAr pozhilaNi vEngadavan. It 
is amazing to note how periyAzhwAr cannot help bringing in his great love for 
arangan, vEngadavan and the great paramAtmA that kaNNan really is.

However, there is no doubt that both yasOdhA's simple, innocent, pure, 
motherly love and periyAzhwAr's knowledge-laden, bhakti-soaked, 
motherly love are equally divine in nature.

Getting excited about learning more and more on all the AzhwArs' devotional
outpourings,

adiyEn,
Kalyani Krishnamachari