Thirumaalai(30)

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-16
 

“soodhanAi kalvanAgi dhoordharOdu esaindha kAlam

  mAdarAr kayarkanennum valayul pattu azhundhuvEnai

  pOdharE endru solli pundiyutpugundhu * thanpAl

  Adaram perugavaiththa azhaganoor arangamandre”

 

In this paasuram alwar actually recollects his own experience. 
Generally we all say that talking is easy and doing is difficult.  In the case
of other alwars they have always been in the thought of bhagavan and
hence had no chance to undergo the miseries of the samsAram.  So people
may say, only if they undergo the same they will know how difficult it
is to overcome it.  But in case of thondaradipodi alwar he has also been
caught in the hold of kamam and undergone all the miseries we jeevatmas
undergo.  So he now gives out his personal experience and says if you
really go and fall in the feet of bhagavan, Sri Ranganathan, then it is
sure you will come out of this samsara sAgaram and enjoy the divine
bliss under his feet. 

Sri PVP says, “thanmudaiya poorva vriththAntham arulicheikirAr”.

 

Here let us also get to memory the story of Sri thondaradi podi alwar. 
Alwar was born in a Brahmin family in mandangudi and was named vipra
Narayanan.  As he grew up he was thought all Vedas and vedantha and he
was so much involved in bhagavat kainkaryam that he left his birth place
and decided to go to Srirangam.  He sold whatever property he had in
mandangudi and in srirangam he purchased a small land where he grew a
beautiful garden with variety of flowers.  His main job was to take care
of the plants in the right way and to pluck the flowers and make
garlands for aranganagarappan.  He not only made beautiful garlands out of
flowers he was deeply involved in the bhakthi towards the lord that he
sang two prabhandams, one for waking up the lord in the morning,
thirupalliyezhuchi and one thirumaalai(garland of words, this he sang at a later
part of his life).  When this went on for sometime, emperuman decided
to play a little bit with the alwar.  He wanted to test alwar’s bhakthi. 

 

One dasi by the name devadevi once visited the kingdom of urayoor to
entertain the king.  On the way back due to rain she and her sister
wanted to find some shelter hence came towards the garden of alwar.  Alwar
didn’t even release their presence and he was busy with his kainkaryam. 
Devadevi who was considered the most beautiful was really surprised to
see one man who didn’t even lift his head and see her.  Her sister told
her that he was a  para bhAgavatan and will never bother about her
beauty or get impressed.  But devadevi challenged that she will make him
follow her.  Then the two decided that this will be a challenge and if
devadevi won then the sister will become her servant and viceversa.  That
day they left but then another day devadevi came simply dressed without
any ornaments and started crying in front of vipranArayanar.  When
asked why she replied that she belonged to the dasi kulam and that she was
not interested in the kula thoZhil and wanted to do service to the
lord.  So she requested him to give some kainkaryam in his garden and a
small place to live.  Vipranarayanar was innocent and didn’t understand
her intensions but feeling sorry for her obliged to her request.  Days
passed and they became close and Devadevi made VipranArAyanar to fall in
her net.  Now, vipranarayanar forgot all about the kainkaryam and was
always enjoying the lowkika kama with devadevi.  One fine day devadevi
returned back to her house leaving vipranarayanar all alone.  But he
couldn’t stay without her and hence he followed her to her place.  She
refused to even open the door to him still, he layed crying in the
doorsteps of devadevi.  The lowkika kAma has such effect.  It has totally
changed vipranarayanan who was well versed in vedam and who left even his
bhandhu mitrargal(relative and friends) and came to Srirangam for the
purpose of doing service to lord ranganatha.  Now he has forgotten
everything and is lying in the doorsteps of a vEsi.  One day Sri ranganatha
came in veedhi purappadu and also visited alwar.  But he was in a state
not to even identify perumal and give the due respects.  So emperuman
returned  back with disappointment but thayar who is filled with karunai
couldn’t stand their kid undergoing such miseries.  She talked to
perumal and asked why he has left his bhakthan in this state.  Perumal
replied that even when perumal visited him, he never even saw him.  So he
cannot do anything about it.  But thayar replied with apAra karunyam, how
ever the bhakthan may me it is the duty of bhagavan to correct him. 
This is called as purushakAram in our sampradayam.  Piratti talks on our
behalf to the bhagavan.  So now bhagavan accepted to make
vipranarayanar understand his mistake.

 

Again the bhagavan has a different approach towards anything.  He took
his own silver vessel and went to the house of devadevi and gave it to
her and asked her to call vipranarayanar and make him happy.  She did
the same thinking, that the boy who came to deliver was a servant of
vipranarayanar.  The next day the temple authorities were shocked to see
the vessel missing and they reported to the king.  The king started
investigation and the servant maid in devadevi’s house who also worked in
the temple told that she saw the vessel in devadevi’s house.  The king
sent for devadevi who told that vipranarayanar only gave it to her. 
When asked vipranarayanar replied that he didn’t know anything about this
and also that he didn’t have any servant boy as stated by devadevi. 
The king couldn’t decide anything but still arrested vipranarayanar and
prayed to the lord to show him the justice.   The lord in his dream said
that he was the one who gave the vessel to devadevi on behalf of his
bhaktha and hence to release vipranarayanar.  The king did the same that
night itself and explained whatever bhagavan told to alwar.  It was
then that alwar really understood his mistake of forgetting perumal and
his kainkaryam and going at the back of this temporary kama.  He cried
for his mistake and came to the conclusion that only the bhagavatas padha
dhooli(the dust under the feet of a bhagavat bhakthan) can purify his
sins.  So he also changed his name from vipranarayanar to thondar-adi-
podi(the dust under the feet of a bhakthan) and from then on  did
service to emperuman and bhAgavatas without any break.  From alwars story we
realize that whatever sin we may have committed, emperuman has the
power and karunyam to forgive us and take us in the right path.  So it is
our duty to fall under his feet and beg for forgiveness.  And each one
of us how bad we may be have the right to go to emperuman for nullifying
our sins and also enjoy his kainkaryam.

 

Let us see the meaning of the paasuram in the next posting.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan