Thirumaalai(1)

Sri Parthasarathi thunai,
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha,

Pranamamulu,

Emperuman Sriman Narayana played his leela and changed Vipra Naraya to Sri Thondaradipodi Alwar.
After experiencing the hardship due to the kama of worldly pleasures alwar realizes the ultimate joy In bhagavat vishayam. Book knowledge is valid only to a  level, experience is absolute.  When even for a lowkika job experience is asked for.  Similarly to attain  kainkarya of bhagavan in paramapadam also we need experience in this world on the same.  Alwar thus advices us to fall under the Divine feet of Emperuman, telling us his experience of miseries in this world and also the joy he got from Bhagavat Bhaagavata Sheshatvam.

By the divine grace of the Sriya:pathi Sriman Narayanan let us all now enjoy the beautiful meanings in the Prabhandam of Sri Thondaradipodi Alwar’s, THIRUMAALAI.  Adiyen’s posting will be based on the upanyasams of Sri Sri Krishna Premi anna on Thirumalai based on Sri Periyavaachan Pillai’s Vyakhyanam.  This is a great task which adiyen hopes to complete successfully by the divine grace of Sri Parthasarathi emperuman.  I beg the pardon of the members for any errors which may arise due to adiyen’s ignorance and lack of knowledge.

“ Mattrondrum Venda 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”

Thirumaalai is not very short like Amalanaadhipiran  nor is it very big like Thiruvaimozhi or Periya thirumozhi.
Thirumaalai is short and sweet in easy Tamil..  Within this small prabhandham Alwar gives almost all the essential arthas.  It doesn’t contain Vedanta like Thiruchandavirutham but contains all the necessary arthas for the upliftment for any jeevatma. Alwar talks the parathvam of  Emperuman in such a superb manner that we can say  no other alwar has so explicitly talked about the same.  Though this prabhandam is basically to prove only the thirunAma magimai.  Alwar talks about the govinda nAma at large.  Suddenly the alwar gets involved in the divya mangala vigraham of the bhagavan when he says “pachaimaamalai pol Meni” etc. Then he does Jnana and vairakya upadesam to samsaris like us.  He also condemns the durmathangal and establishes the vaideka matham that too the vaishnava matham . Then he preaches bhakthi and prapatti.  He even teaches us how to sing/cry in front of the bhagavan whole heartedly(“Voorilane Kaaniyillai vuravu mattroruvarellai”). He gives us the jist of how a bhagavat bhaktha should be.

Sri Periyavaachan Pillai whose glory cannot be explained with words has  given an excellent vyakhyanam to this prabhandam.  When we read alwar’s prabhandam we feel that we understand the meaning(due to the easy tamil used by alwar) but when we go through the vyakhyanam of Sri PVP we will surely find many more arthas(inner meanings) that can never strike our mandha bhuddhi. That is why our acharyas always talk only with respect to the vyakhyanams  and others who talk as they feel are considered as moorkhas.  As Sri Mamunigal says “Thanjenjil thoondrinadhaye solli edu suttha upadesa vaarthai enbaar moorkaraavar”.

We all think that we are undergoing so much miseries in this world .  Very often people curse bhagavan to have put us into such difficulties and think what ever effort they do is great but actually emperuman undergoes more pain by seeing his children suffering and tries to take us out of this in some way or the other.  But we samsaris stick to the world and refrain from even going near bhagavan.  Even though Emperuman is Sathya sankalpan and has all divine qualities we prove to be more powerful and so we make it a point not to give bhagavan even a small chance to release us from this samsarakadal.  As she Nammazhvar said we prefer to eat and say here itself(“atthai thindru ange kidakkum”).
So Sri PVP starts his avadharikai asking who is a samsari?  Why does PVP ask such a question?  He could have asked who is a Jnani who is a Nityasoori etc since we cannot find many Jnani here or a Nitya soori but why does he ask who is a samsari?
 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan