Thirumaalai(39)

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-23
 

“gangaiyir punidhamAna kAvirinaduvupAttu

  pongu neer parandhupAyum poompozhilaranganthannul

  engalmAl eraivan Esan kidanthathOr kidakkai kandum

  enganam marandhu vAzhkEn? YEzhaiyEn yEzhaiyEnE”

 

gangaiyir punidhamAna kAvirinaduvupAttu:  Ganga is considered as the
most sacrad river in India.  Ganga got this fame since she appeared as a
SripAda theertham of Trivikrama bhagavan.  Even the name ganga is
supposed to be sacrad, “gangai gangai endra vachagaththAl”, says periazhvar
and many other rishis have also explained the greatness of ganga in
similar lines.  But here Sri Thondaradi podi alwar says that kaveri is
even greater than that ganga.  Sri Ranga Mahatmiyam says, “gangA sAmyam
purAprAptha deva deva prasAdinath, ranga  vadharanath oorthvam
Adhikanchava AvApasA”.  Let us now see the purAna story which shows how kaveri
attained greater mahatmiyam than ganga.  Once there occurred a fight
between the various nadhi devis, viz., ganga, yamuna, kaveri, narmada and
so on.  Each one claimed themselves to be greater than the others.  They
finally decided to get the judgement from brahma.  Listening to the
claims of the various rivers, brahma without any hesitation gave the
judgement in favour of ganga.  All the other rivers accepted brahma’s
decision as final.  Kaveri did believe and accept brahma’s words but she
decided to do tapas to get more power than ganga.  The place where kaveri
did tapas is presently called ‘ThiruchchErai’(sAra kshetram) near
kumbakonam.  This is a divya desam, famous as pancha sAra kshetram(sAra
kshetram, sAra theertham, sAra vimAnam, sAranatha perumal and sAranAyaki
thAyAr).  Pleased with kaveri’s tapas, perumal first appeared as a small
child and crawled into her lap.  Sensing a child in her lap kaveri
opened her eyes and found in front of her, perumal vAsudEvan with sanghu and
chakram in his hands.  Emperuman asked kaveri, why she did such a great
tapas, leaving the river to dry while she is responsible to keep all
the lands surrounding the river fertile.  Kaveri replied explaining the
fight with ganga and the judgement of brahma.  Emperuman replied with a
smile,”Why didn’t you come to me directly?  ganga appeared from the
kamadalu of brahma and fell from my feet and hence he considers her to be
more sacrad.  But then the water from brahma’s kamandalu was capable of
washing not my two legs, not even my whole leg it was sufficient for
only a finger(thumb).  Even in that finger only the tip of the nail. 
That water only flows as ganga now.  But oh! Kaveri  in your case from the
sahyAchalam where you started(Adi rangam) till thiruindaloor
parimalarangan , on all sides you are washing the feet of various ranganatha
perumals lying in various temples”.  That is why thirumazhisai alwar says,
“attrangkarai kidantha kannan”.  When kaveri reaches srirangam she
spilts into two and it is like she is embracing ranganAtha with her two
hands. So emperuman declared that kaveri to be more sacrad when compared
to ganga and hence alwar revebrates the same in this paasuram. 

  pongu neer parandhupAyum poompozhilaranganthannul:  At the start
kaveri flows as a thin line.  As she approaches srirangam she flows with
great enthusiasm and after embracing periya perumal she now gives birth
to number of small rivers.  After her wedding with periya perumal,
kaveri becomes a mother and gives birth to number of small rivers like
vettaru.  In this process, kaveri makes all the soil on her way fertile
adding on greenery and beauty to the area along with flourishing and
nourishing the cultivation on her way.  That is why Thiruvarangam is filled
with greenery and with number of cultivated lands and beautiful gardens. 
Just by this single line alwar gets to our thoughts the beautifully
flowing kaveri and the greenery around which gives peace to our mind.  In
between all these, rests namperumal. 

Let him similarly rest in our minds till the next posting. 

(To be continued) 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan