Thirumaalai(27)

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-13
 

“eriyuneer veri kol vElai mAnilaththu vuyirgalellAm

  verikol poonthulavamAlai vinnavarkOnaiAththa

  arivilA manisar ellam arangamendrazhaipparAgil

  poriyil vAzh naragamellam pullezhunthozhiyummandrE”

 

eriyuneer veri kol vElai mAnilaththu vuyirgalellAm:  Whenever we go
near a beach we smell something.  This smell never leaves our nose whether
we go this way or the other.  Similarly we are all held up in the ocean
of samsara which makes us run hear and there but never realizes us. 
This is common to anyone in this world.  One more thing is also common to
all of us.  There is no differentiation for the miseries people undergo
in this world.  All are held in this samsara similarly all are eligible
to do nAma keertanam of bhagavan.  Only way to get ourself realized for
these samsaric pressures is bhagavan nAma keertanam which can be done
by one and all without any caste, creed or gender difference.

 

verikol poonthulavamAlai vinnavarkOnaiAththa:  When we talk of anyone
just the name doesn’t make us think great of him.  We would like to know
more of his greatness.  Emperuman has so many vibhutis that cannot be
explained fully.  When arjuna asked Sri Krishna to tell him his
greatness, the lord himself says ‘hantha!’ it is very difficult even for me to
say all my vibuthi’s.  Then a question may arise, we have heard that
emperuman is capable of everything and everything is under his control
then is there something which he himself cannot do(explain his glories)? 
The answer is, the limit to a thing can be said only when a limit
exists.  Can anyone define infinity.  No.  Emperuman’s glories are also
infinite and there is no limit to it.  So if emperuman gives out his
glories then it means his glories have a limit so he says even he cannot
explain his vibhuthi’s fully.  Here alwar points out one of the qualities
of the bhagavan.  We all like and enjoy various smells in this world. 
But emperuman is glorified as ‘divya gandhan’ one who has a divine
smell.  To add to his natural smell he is adorned by his bhakthas with a
tulasi garland.  Other flowers give good fragrance only at the time of
blossoming.  But tulasi has a quality to spread its fragrance all around
from the time it starts growing.  In our sampradayam, tulasi is
considered to be like a mother and great respect is given to her.   She is a
favourite of emperuman.  Others wear diamonds and gold ornaments to
decorate themselves and make themselves beautiful.  Emperuman being
devAdirAjan, king of the devas, it is normal to expect him to be adorned with
the most precious ornaments but he prefers to wear only a garland made
of green leaf(tulasi).  This is because for others the ornaments give
added beauty but emperuman gives beauty to the ornaments.  That is why
the jewellery earlier in the shop when worn by bhagavan gets the name
thiruvAbharanam.  So no ornaments is required to glorify him.  Another
thing is if bhagavan likes to wear these precious ornaments then his
bhakthas who are poor and not capable of buying such ornaments will feel
bad.  But tulasi garland can be purchased by all so emperuman prefers to
wear only tulasi garland given by his bhakthas with atmost love. 
Emperuman is not worried about the cost of what we take to his temple rather
he values the love behind it.

Here we can get to memory the story of rukmani and satya bama.  Krishna
sat in one of the plates of a balance.  Satya bama kept all her jewels
in the other balance.  The balance didn’t rise.  Then rukmani kept just
a single tulasi leaf with great devotion in the second side  which
proved to be even heavier than Krishna.  The moral of this story is that
emperuman considers all other wealth as cheap articles but values the
bhakthi in the hearts of his bhakthas as great gift to him.  All other
articles where created by him and can be possessed by him but he cannot
have bhakthi towards anyone so bhakthi is one thing emperuman adores.

 

arivilA manisar ellam arangamendrazhaipparAgil:  In the previous line
alwar explained to all the mandha bhuddhi jeevatmas that there is no use
in making grand ornaments and offerings to emperuman without bhakthi. 
There is no use in doing business even with bhagavan saying that if you
do this for me I will make so and so offering to you.  It is enough
even if you get a small tualsi garland with love and devotion to him.  Now
he says it is not even necessary for you to take the strain of going to
the temple with a tulasi garland, no need of any jnana just say arangan
and call him.  Emperuman, is no doubt vinnavar kOn, he is paramatma,
the king of kings but he is filled with sowlabhyam so he accepts what
little we give him and when we call him he comes running to us.  Can we
imagine such a great person coming running like a servant?  Inspite of he
doing all these, we still refrain from even calling his name.  What a
pity!  He is ready to do everything for us but we, who can talk all
rubbish cannot utter his nAmA? Is it so difficult?  When alwar said this,
one person asked what will happen if I say the bhagavan nAma so alwar
answers,

 

poriyil vAzh naragamellam pullezhunthozhiyummandrE:  All the narakas in
this world will become empty.  There will be no person who will visit
the narakas and hence it will be filled with bushes.  All mahatmas and
scholars say “lokAsamastA sukuno bhavanthu” and pray for the welfare of
the whole world.  But even they want one place to get ruined.  Even
alwars do not want this place to flourish.  Do you want to know which
place it is?  Yes. The naraka.  Everyone including each one of us want it
to be destroyed.  Alwar says the easiest way is, everyone uttering the
nAma of bhagavan say ranganatha, aranga once and see the city of naraka
filled with only grasses and no one visiting the place.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan