Thirumaalai(52)

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-33
 

“MeiyellAm pOga vittu vizhi kuzhalAril pattu

  poiyellAm podhindhu konda pOikkanEn vandhu nindrEn

  IyanE! AranganE! Vunarul ennum Asai thannAl

  PoiyanEn vandhu nindrEn poiyanEn poiyanEnE.”

 

MeiyellAm pOga vittu vizhi kuzhalAril pattu:  Alwar in the previous
paasurams told that he has no good in him to make perumal show his krupai
on him.  So perumal asked if he atleast followed any sAmanya dharmas
like sathyam.  In this paasuram alwar says I do not have any sort of
truth in me.  When we have dushta sangam then all our good qualities
vanishes.  Similarly I got attracted by the evil effects of lowkikam and got
attracted to beautiful ladies and hence lost all my good qualities.

 

poiyellAm podhindhu konda pOikkanEn vandhu nindrEn:  I am full of
untruth.  Generally emperuman is like a mirror.  If a person is 100% true to
him emperuman is also 100% true.  But if a person is only 50% true then
emperuman reflects the same.  The jeevatmas lack mahavishvAsam in
bhagavan and argue that they will accept only if they see him but then
bhagavan argues that he will give darshan only if they believe him totally. 
This argument will never come to an end without a mediator.  Periya
piratti and our beloved acharyas act as purushakara and make us realize
the bhagavan and also make him accept us.  If we think he is there, then
he is fully present.  If we think otherwise he acts otherwise says the
Vedas(“asan nEva sa bhavathi asath brahmEthi”).  Only way to realize
the truth is due to satsangam.  Since alwar lacked satsangam he says he
has lost all his good qualities and now he is standing in front of
emperuman as a personification of falsehood. 

 

‘Mei’ in tamil refers to sareeram but in actual it is temporary and
hence false.  So alwar says I didn’t think about the soul and hence left
it in the sun to get burnt but I considered the sareeram which is ‘Poi’
as the most important and hence did everything to decorate it and take
atmost care of it(‘dehaththai nizhalilE vaiththu AthmAvai veiyililE
ettAr’).  So now I come and stand in front of you as a collection of all
falsehood. 

 

  IyanE! AranganE! Vunarul ennum Asai thannAl:  ‘Iyan’ refers to a
father.  When perumal asked alwar with so many untruth and no good
qualities why do you come and stand in front of me?  Alwar says because you are
my father.  There is one saying, “pettra pAvikku vida pOgAdhu”.  How
ever bad a son may be can the father just ignore him?  He still has the
affection towards his son.  So though I am not eligible to get your
karunyam still since you are my father I have no other go than to come and
stand in front of you.  Only wish I have Oh! Ranganatha is to get your
divine grace on me so I am standing here inspite of all my mistakes.

 

PoiyanEn vandhu nindrEn poiyanEn poiyanEnE:  But since I have come to
your sannadhi and is begging for your grace it doesn’t mean that I have
changed still I am not true to what I am doing.  Emperuman in some way
or the other wanted to shower his grace on alwar so he said, you may
not possess any of the good qualities but you have one good thing in you
that is to accept your mistakes and declare in front of me that you are
akinchanyan and you do not have any other gathi and hence you have come
to surrender to me(ananyagathi sharanya).  But alwar refutes this also
and says, oh my lord I am such a great cheat that even you have got
cheated.  What all I declared till now is not whole hearted.   I am a
cheat and remain to be the same. 

 

In the next paasuram, alwar says more, how he has cheated emperuman. 
We will continue in the next posting.

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan