Thirumaalai(43)

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-26
 

“pOdellam pOdhukondu vunponnadi punaiyamAttEn

  theedhilAmozhigal kondu vunthirukkunam seppamAttEn

  kAdalAl nenjam anbhu kalandhilEn, adhuthannAlE

  AdhilEn arangarkku EllE! EnseivAn thOndrinEnE?” 

pOdellam pOdhukondu vunponnadi punaiyamAttEn:  We should do kainkaryam
to bhagavan with all three karanAs, viz., mano, vak, kAyam.  Adhisesha
does kainkaryam to bhagavan at all times.  Poigaialwar says, “sendral
kudaiyam erundhal sinhAsanamam nindral maravadiyam neelkadalul endrum
punaiyam manivillakkAm poompattAm pulgum anaiyam thirumArvukku
aravu”(when emperuman goes somewhere, adhisesha becomes his umbrella like in
krishnAvatara, if perumal sits he becomes the throne as in vaikundam, and
if bhagavan stands then adhisesha is his paduka as in thiruvallikeni Sri
Venkatakrishnan stands on adhisesha, when emperuman lies in parkadal as
vyuha moorthi adhisesha is his bed).  When emperuman took rAmAvataram
adhishesha became lakshmana who did all services,”aham sarvam karishyAmi
jAgradaha svapathaschathE”.  Nammazhvar says, “ozhivil kAlamellAm
vudanAi manni vazhuvilA adimai seiya vEndum nAm”(alwar here requests perumal
for kainkaryam at all times, being along with him).  In this paasuram
thondaradi podi alwar says ‘I am not used to do what iam supposed to do. 
I do not do service to your divine feet at all times’.   Though alwar
was involved in pushpa kainkaryam to bhagavan always still he talks out
of his naichyam. 

theedhilAmozhigal kondu vunthirukkunam seppamAttEn:   First alwar
talked about the physical kainkaryam (kAyika kainkaryam).  The second type
of thondu is to talk the kalyana gunas of bhagavan.  Even when they are
physically drained out or not well bhagavatas get utmost enthusiasm if
they are asked to say bhagavat gunam.  Our mouth should always utter
only the bhagavan nAmA and his kalyana gunas.   Thondaradi podi alwar
says that he will not talk about the bhagavan with sweet words.  Can we
really believe it after having so much divine anubhavams from his
thirumaalai prabhandam?  He first did pushpa kainkaryam to bhagavan and seated
him in a beautiful swing, decorated with beautiful and sweet smelling
flowers.  Now that perumal is enjoying the lAlli of the swing, alwar
started to sing in his sweet voice the thirumaalai, a garland made of
mesmerizing words.  Probably perumal started sleeping due to the swing’s
movement and the sweet song of alwar so alwar then sang the next
prabandam thirupalliyezhuchi to wake perumal up.  Still alwar says he is not
satisfied with his vachika kainkaryam to make us all understand the
importance of the kainkaryam.  Alwar also tells us how we should do this
kainkaryam.  We have to talk the bhagavat gunam.  The talk should never be
made on our own instead we have to follow what our elders and sastras
say(“pEsittrE pEsalallAl”).  Only those are ‘theedhilAmozhigal’
(flawless words).  Sri ManavAla Mamunigal in his Upadesa ratina mAlai
beautifully says, “munnOr mozhindha murai thappAmal kEttu pinnOrindhu thAm
adhanai pEsAdhE than nenjil thondriyadhe solli edhu suththa upadEsa varthai
enbar moorkarAvAr “(One who doesn’t follow his poorvacharyas words and
says whatever comes to his mind and declares that to be authoritative
is not to be considered a sadhoo, he is a moorkan).  So theedhila
mozhigal, those taught to us by our acharyas should be always kept in mind
and the same has to be told to others.  Our words reflect our mind.  If
our mind is full of kama, krOdha and lowkika vishayams then we talk the
same.  But bhagavatas are constantly thinking about the kalyana gunas
of bhagavan and hence even if they sit amongst a group of lowkikas still
they talk only bhagavat vishayam, passed on along the guru paramparai. 
If we consider ourselves to be very knowledgeable and start talking
what ever comes to our mind then we thereby misguide the masses so before
talking or doing upanyasam we have to get ourselves trained under a
good acharya.  Krishna is geetha says, “thath vidhdhi pranepAthEna
pariprashnEna sEvaya! UpadEkshanthi thE jnanam jnaninas-thathvadarsinaha:!!
(4.34) .  Actually there are so many collections made by our
poorvAcharyas that even for learning all those one janma is not enough so why try
to make new ones. 

  kAdalAl nenjam anbhu kalandhilEn, adhuthannAlE:  Emperuman has divine
kalyana gunas(thirukgunam).  Only our mouth is impure.  Still if we
have the love and devotion in our minds then the utterance of the bhagavat
kalyana gunas purifies our whole body.  Emperuman cherished
nAmmazhvar’s thirumEni so much, because it was that mouth which sang
thiruvaimozhi, that he wanted alwar to come to moksha along with the body.   So
bhagavat gunam is capable of making us so sacrad.  Periazhvar says, “vakku
thooimai ellAmayinAlE mAdhavA! vunnai vai kolla mAttEn”.  But he didn’t
stop with this he still continued his vachika kainkaryam since it is
his svaroopam to always talk the bhagavat gunams.  Next, thondaradi podi
alwar talks about mAnasika kainkaryam.  When rain falls on a stone it
drops down but if the same water falls on mud it is absorbed inside. 
Our minds should not be like rocks instead it should have deep bhakthi
and love so that when bhagavat gunam is showered on us by bhagavatOthamAs
it should seep deep into our minds.  In Srimad bhagavatham Sri sukar
explains the gopi’s bhakthi as “than manaska: thatha lAbha: thath
vijeshtA:” That is how each one of us should get deeply involved in bhakthi
towards the paramatma.   

  AdhilEn arangarkku EllE! EnseivAn thOndrinEnE?:  Emperuman doesn’t
need any kainkaryam from us.  But he surely enjoys when we do kainkaryam
to him with atmost love and devotion.  Alwar in this paasuram says that
he doesn’t do kainkaryam with all his trikaranas but it actually
doesn’t suite alwar.  It is like alwar is sarcastically point to all of us
who live without doing kainkaryam to the bhagavan.  Alwar finally wonders
without doing kainkaryam to arangan, for what is this birth taken for?   

Let us also think the same and start right now to do what all
kainkaryams possible immediately to add some meaning to our life. 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan