Thirumaalai(8)

Sri Parthasarathi thunai,
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha,

" 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"

Pranams,

In the last postings we were enjoying the first line in the first paasuram of Sri Thondaradipodi alwar’s
Thirumaalai. The great credit of this alwar is that even today periya perumal gets up in the morning only
after listening to this alwar’s Thirupalliyezhuchi. In Thirupathi and other temples the sevai next to vishvaroopam is Thomaalai sevai. This alwar was also doing this pushpa kainkaryam to Sri Ranganatha. That is why even the archA vigraham of Thondaradipodi alwar is seen with a pookudalai(Flower basket). Alwar didn’t stop with this. Remembering the paasuram of Sri Nammazhvar “vAdAmalarittu vaizhtumin” he did this Thirumaalai prabhandam which is a flower which is giving fragrance even today and adorning Sri Rangantha always. That is why the saying goes “Thirumaalai ariyar Thirumal-ai ariyar”. It seems to be a repetetion of the same words. But the meaning
conveyed is, those who do not know the Thirumaalai prabhandam will not know the Thirumal or Emperuman.
Alwar shows us clearly how emperuman is superior in this prabhandam which we have discussed earlier. So
each one of us who are trying to know about bhagavan should learn the deep inner meanings of this
prabhandam which will clear all our doubts and give a insight into our Srivaishnava sampradhayam.

Let us now proceed with the first paasuram.

We have seen PVP’s explanation for kAvalil pulanai vaiththu now the next is:

“kali thannai kadakkappaiyindu” – Like Hanuman crossed the Lavana sAgaram we jump over our papakadal(sea of
papas). Initially hanuman said he was not capable of crossing the big sea but when jambhavan told him about
his capacities hanuman got the confidence. He chanted the rAma nAma and said with the power of rAma nAma he
can cross any ocean. Again here also alwar reflects the words of Anjaneya. There with the help of bhagavan nAma hanuman crossed only the ocean of water but we jeevatmas can cross the ocean of papas we have done till now with the help of the bhagavan nAma.

This is wonderfully explained by PVP in his Vyakhyanam.

“NAvalittu vuzhitarukindrom” – naval ! is the exclamation used to show victory. In those days a
person dances shouting nAval nAval after he wins over someone. It is similar to ‘Jitanthe!’. But here the
alwar’s words seem to be filled with a little self pride. But can alwar talk with pride. But this is
due to the highness of what he has obtained. A lady after getting married to a king cannot be without
pride so alwar also realizes the worth of bhagavan nAma and shows his happiness in these words. PVP
gives a great explanation here. He shows it with an example. “eRamadam vootuvAraipole mugam TottRame
nindru vupagarikkaiyAle” says PVP. Alwar knows that everything is done only by bhagavan still he says
since he has the nAma bhalam he will dance with victory though alwar hasn’t done anything. The
explanation for PVP’s words goes as follows: There is one person who is fit for nothing. He never goes to a
job or earns anything instead he lazily keeps roaming here and there. Once his mother scolds him for being
like this and he gets angry with the mother and goes out of the house without eating. At the end of the
street there is a dharmashala where he goes and lies down. The mother feels sorry that her son didn’t even
eat and hence will feel hungry. When she comes to call him he refuses in anger. Then the mother calls
the manger of the dharmashala gives to him some food for his son and asks him to give to his son without
telling him that she gave it. Thereby the manager also gives the son the food. After eating the son
proudly says ‘asif I will stay hungry if she doesn’t feed me’. Actually even now only the mother has given
him food to eat but he didn’t realize it. Similarly when emperuman condemns us for doing an act against
the sastras we don’t listen to him and want to get away from him. So now emperuman gives us the palan
through the nAma. The nAma takes the role of the manager who took the food from the mother and gave it
to the son. Similarly bhagvan nAma also takes the fruit of moksham from the lord and grants it to us.
But we like the son, feel that we have gained it due to the chanting we have done. But actually we do not
do anything but only the bhagavan does.

Emperuman stays as antaryami inside us and makes us to chant his nAma and gives us the palan too. As Ajamilan in
BhAgavatam says ‘The bhagavan made the nAma, NarAyana come out of my mouth otherwise my mouth is only
accustomed to say other wrong things. It was he who made my mouth utter this divine nAmam’.

“Naman thamar thalaigal meedhe”- Alwar here says that now that all my sins have been washed due to the
Bhalam of the bhagavan nAma I will dance in the head of the yaman( god of naraka) and his servants shouting
nAval! NAval! (Victory!Victory). Even Thirumangai alwar says in his paasurams about such a victory
dance. But how does yaman feel about this. Actually he enjoys bhagavathotamas like alwar keeping their
feet on his head. In Dhruva charitram it is said that when Dhruvan ascends to paramapadam he puts his feet
on Mrithyu’s(Yaman) head and goes to Srivaikundam.

Yaman feels very happy when bhagavatas escape from the miseries of the narakam and ascend to Paramapadam so
he bows before them happily so that they can climb over his head and go. Yaman says to his servants
never go near a person who is a srivaishnavan. I am a master to those who are involved in this wordly
pleasures but not to a person who is a prappannan or a bhAgavatan(Madhusoodana Prappannaha). PVP says this
in a very great manner. If incase by mistake yaman or his servants go to a bhAgavatan to take him to naraka
considering his previous sins now the bhAgavatan questions yaman to show his accounts written by chitra
gupta(like a criminal demanding for an arrest warrant nowadays). When yaman looks at the book of accounts
of papams of various jeevatmas, to his surprise he finds no entry corresponding to this jeevatma(who has
uttered the bhagavan nAma) and there by realizing his mistake yaman bows in front of the jeevatma like
apologizing and this jeevan (alwar) now with pride dances over the head of yaman shouting nAval! nAval.

“moovulaguvundumizhdha mudalvA”- Now alwar clarifies that not all nAmas have this power. Only the nAma of
the bhagavan(Sriman nArAyana) who eats the whole world during pralayam and keeps it in his stomach and spits
it out during the creation has a power to wash all our sins and grant us moksham. Here alwar clearly shows
that during pralayam only Emperuman nArAyanan was there he was the only person who was there initially
and then he created the universe and at the end he destroys the whole universe and does this process
again and again as his leela. That is why Gajendrazhvan called him Adhimoolam and Sri Nammazhvar
says “Ondrun devum vulagum vuyirum mattrum yAdum ella andru nAnmugantannodu devarulagOdu vuyir padaiththan”.

“ninnAmam kattra Avalippudaimai”- what is the avalippu(pride) here for alwar. Alwar feels that he
has the richest thing in the world and when compared to the power of Bhagavan nAma all the worldly wealths
are like dust. So alwar is highly proud to say that he has learnt the greatest thing in this world which
can be compared to nothing else. In our sampradAyam self pride is not at all accepted but even our
Acharyas accept and praise the alwar’s pride. We can be(have to be) proud to be a srivaishnava, proud to be
his dAsas doing nithya kainkaryam to him, the ultimate power of this universe. Can anyone in a such a
position where we are very close to the most powerful and richest person in this world and in the
paramapadam (other world) too, be without pride? Some people trying to reduce the effect of their sins
do offerings and darpanam to yaman and chitraguptan but we are not like them we don’t need the help of
yaman or chitraguptan because we have the bhagavan nAma which is capable of giving us the power even to
place our feet in the heads of yaman and chitraguptan.

“kandAi arangamAnagarulAne”- Now alwar’s pride goes to the level of challenging Sri Ranganatha himself.
Emperumane! see my face and yours, which glows more?

“Man tindra vun mugam pol errindhado en mugam” says PVP. Alwar is asking emperuman Sri Ranganathan to see
his face. Alwar feels that his face is more beautiful than even perumal’s face because perumal ate only mud
but alwar has eaten the bhagavan nAma which is tasting sweetly in his mouth always. When a person eats
something delicious his face expression will be pleasant but when a person eats something which
doesn’t taste good his face expression will be bad similarly alwar has eaten the most delicious substance
in this world so he feels his face will be more beautiful than emperuman who has eaten mud which is
tasteless. Badrachala Ramadas in one of his kritis explains the ruchi of rAma nAma and he says no other
drink including deva amrudam can be equal to the sweetness of rAma nAmam. Saint thyagaraja also gets
involved in the same manner. So we see many mahans, have practically experienced and shown us what alwar
has portrayed in this paasuram.

In the next posting we will continue with the next paasuram.
 
 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan