Thirumaalai(47)

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-28(contd) 

namparamAyadundE?:  Though emperuman considers all jeevatmas to be
equal still when there is a problem between his bhaktha and some one else
he comes to save his bhaktha.  Sri PVP says, “Ashritha vishayaththil
pakshapAthiyAghi rakshikkum avan”.  One doubt may arise here. If he
supports one, then how can we consider him to be equal to all?  He is equal. 
In Mahabharata he did give the same option of choosing his army on one
side or he alone on the other to both arjuna and duriyOdhana.  Is it
not equality?  But then his bhaktha (arjuna) always wants emperuman alone
and nothing else so emperuman was on his side and saved him from all
trouble but duriyOdhana thought that emperuman was less capable than his
army and hence wanted only the army.  Such is the case with others.
They think there are other modes to save themselves but bhakthas always
depend on emperuman and surrender to him and hence he comes running to
save them. 

nAykalOm sirimaiyOrA empirArku AtseiyAdhE enseivAn thOndrinEnE? 

Sri Rama piran considered both his kula guru vashistar and a tribal
king guhan to be equal.  Valmiki says, “purOhitasya Atmasamasya” while
talking about vasistar and while telling about guhan says “Ramasya
Atmasamasaka”.  We see that perumal doesn’t differentiate by birth, wealth or
education.  He sees only the pure devotion in all our minds.  He has
done so much for all of us.  Even a dog is grateful to a person who puts
a piece of bread to eat and it waves its tail to him.  If the same
person puts a piece of bread two or three days then the dog comes and stays
in front of his house and does service to him, safeguarding him and his
property.  Alwar says how sad we do not have even that gratefulness
towards the lord who has bestowed us with so many things.  We have become
even lower than a dog in thought.  For all the things given to us by
emperuman we all should be in his kainkaryam always.  We should be his
servants and enjoy doing kainkaryam to him without any tiresome.  But for
this, why have I taken birth atall? wonders alwar.  If we donot do
kainkaryam to bhagavan then our birth becomes useless.  After Sri Rama went
to forest bharathan coming to know about it cries saying, “Why did I
ever take birth? If I was not born then kaikEyi wouldn’t have asked for
the kingdom for me and sent perumal to vana vAsam”.  So bharatha curses
himself for have taken birth.  Similarly alwar here curses himself
saying that if he couldn’t do kainkaryam to the bhagavan who has showered
his krupai on him then what was the use of him taking birth? 

Thondaradipodi alwar first talked about the importance of nama
sankeertanam and then he condemned all the other madhams and supported the
srivaishnava madham.  He then involved himself in talking about the magimai
of lord Ranganatha and his divya desam, Srirangam surrounded by kaveri. 
Starting from the 25th paasuram he feels for not possessing any
sukrutham(good deeds) to enable emperuman to shower his krupai on him.  Alwar
says that he doesn’t possess karma, jnana or bhakthi.  Then he says not
only that I do not even do any sAmanya kainkaryam like archanam or
keertanam.  When perumal asked if he has atleast done any yadrichika
kainkaryam then alwar says that he has never done any kainkaryam even like
the squirrel.  Then emperuman asked if he had atleast called for him in
some danger for which alwar replies that he has never called him like
gajendran.  Finally emperuman asks if he atleast as some plus like divya
desa vAsam or some bhAgavata relation for which alwar answers in the
next paasuram which we will see in the next posting. 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan