Thirumaalai(35)

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-19
 

“kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti

  vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki

  kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu

  vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!” 

In this paasuram, Sri thondaradi podi alwar describes the beautiful
sayana thirukkOlam of periya perumal.  He says how periya perumal lies in
different directions. 

kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti:  Emperuman’s
thirumeni glows in whichever direction we see him from.  That is why in
Srirangam people consider it as their bhakyam to stay in any of the four
streets around the temple.  In the east and west we find perumal’s
thirumudi and thiruvadi.  Generally, it is considered more sacrad to stay in
the thiruvadi side since we srivaishnavas consider the thiruvadi to be
the most important.  All the acharya thirumAligais were located only in
the thiruvadi side.  Here Sri PVP recollects the incident in
Mahabharatha.  Krishna has given appointment for both arjuna and duriyodhana at
the same time to come and invite him for the war.  Duriyodhana arrived
first when Krishna was resting on his bed.  There were two seats one in
the thiruvadi side and other on the thirumudi side.  First DuriyOdhana
sat on the seat at the thiruvadi.  Then his ego rose and feeling
ashamed to sit under the feet of a cowboy Krishna, he being a big king went
and sat at the thirumudi side.  Then arjuna came.  He and Krishna are
very close friends still he had come to give a formal invitation.  He
came and sat under the feet of Krishna and started enjoying the sweet
thiruvadi’s beauty.  Arjuna thought in mind that he could even sacrifice
the kingdom or anything else if he could stay under the bhagavan’s
thiruvadi shade for ever.  Bhagavan then woke up and first could see only
arjuna at his feet and hence welcomed arjuna.  DuriyOdhana jumped and
reported that he was the first to arrive and that he should be granted what
he requires first.   But Krishna bhagavan said that he saw only arjuna
first and that arjuna being younger should be given the first
preference.  But then due to the complain of DuriyOdhana that he was always
partial to the pandavas, Krishna decided to give, one the full yadhava sEna
and other himself without any weapons.  DuriyOdhana jumped and asked
for the army whereas arjuna was happy to have Krishna alone on his side. 
This was the thiruvadi bhalam.  Arjuna was a parama bhagavatan who
wanted nothing other than bhagavat kataksham and hence he won everything
ultimately.  So the thiruvadi side still in thiruvarangam is considered
as arjuna pakkam and the thirumudi side as DuriyOdhana pakkam and hence
the thirumudi side has less value among the bhagavatas though any place
in a divya desam has its equal status.  Bhagavan is equal to all
“samOham sarva bhoodheshu”.  He has no friend or enemy, “na mE dwashyOsthi na
priyaha”.  He is like a mirror if we have evil thoughts then the result
we get is also evil but if we are good in thoughts we get good results. 
A mirror reflects our external features but bhagavan reflects our
internal mind.  So we can never hide anything from him and we have to always
think good things and try to practice what we think. 

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki: Emperuman  is not only
beautiful when we see him in the front but he is “munbhilum pinbhu
azhagiya perumal” who is beautiful at the back even more than the front. 
In thirunArAyana puram special sattupadi(make up) is done to perumal on
his backside.  In Srirangam, the back of the perumal is in the northern
direction.  In most of the divya desams, perumal faces only the east. 
It is sometimes even forbidden for perumal to face south.  Sastras
forbid us from prostrating in the southern direction.  But here in
Srirangam all those sastras will not work as perumal faces only the southern
direction.  We Srivaishnavas, prostrate the direction facing the temple
and emperuman.  We do not mind any other sastras when it comes to
sampradayam.  Even in Ramanyanam, Anjaneya who was considered to be a great
scholar prostrated in the southern direction since piratti was in lanka. 
Even today wherever we are, we are supposed to give our prayers facing
the directions in which our beloved divya desams are located.  We
should never prostrate with our legs facing the temple for that matter our
elders never even lie with the feet facing the temple.  This is supposed
to be a matter of disrespect.  Why is periya perumal lying facing south
against the norms?  The reason is emperuman is eagerly waiting for
vibheeshanAzhvan .  Vibheeshana has to come from lanka which is in the
southern direction.  So emperuman is also lying facing south(thendisai
elangai nOkki).  We consider the direction where the divya desam is there
to be auspicious but perumal considers the direction where his bhakthan
stays to be auspicious and that is why he even today awaits vibheeshana
eagerly.  VibheeshanAzhvan is a chiranjeevi.  He was there during the
mahabharata(the next yuga) and even today he is supposed to do
thiruvArAdhanam to periya perumal during the nights. 

  kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu: Emperuman is kadal
nira vannan, neela mEga Shyamalan.  Alwar now enjoys the thirumEni of
bhagavan and he says the one who is so beautiful is none other than my
father, endhai.  When I see him sleeping on the bed of Adishesha! Oh! My
god, 

  vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!:  my body looses
its strength says alwar.  Even Nammazhvar says, “ArAvamudhE! Adiyen
vudalam nin pAl anbhAyE, neerai alaiyindhu karaiya vurukkugindra nedumAlE!”. 
Thondaradi podi alwar suddenly turns to our side and asks what should
he do to regain his strength.  All along alwar had conversation only
with perumal,  why does he suddenly ask us for suggestions?

PVP vyakhyAnam:  “samsArigalai pArththu vungal errukkuvAra
parigAraththilE enakkum oru sirAngai eda valleergalO engirAr”

Alwar was conversing with bhagavan and getting deeply involved in the
beauty of bhagavan, started loosing strength.  Bhagavan cannot
understand alwar’s position since only a bhakthan can do so.  So he turned to
face the world when he found many people coming and having darshan of
periya perumal and returning back without any sort of change in their
body.  So alwar wonders what medicines these people have to make themselves
so strong even after seeing periya perumal’s divine beauty.  “avargal
elaikkAmal pOga Azhvar vurugugirAr”.  So azhvar now says can you people
please recommend me the medicine which you consume to keep yourself so
strong?  Here alwars words are little sarcastic.  He being a parama
bhagavatan has nothing else in mind other than emperuman but the lowkika 
people are more materialistic though they do visit perumal once in a
while.  Worldly people are always different from bhakthas in all aspects. 
Kabir says, “Duniya kAyA sOyA kabir tho rOyA rOyA”  Others in the world
eat well and sleep well but then kabir alone always keeps weeping
thinking of his separation for the paramatma.  Here alwar is also in the
same state. 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan