Thirumaalai(69)

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-45 (contd)

tuvalath thondAya tholseer thondaradi podi sol:  It is customary for
all alwars to complete their prabhandam by adding their signature in the
last paasuram.  PeriyAzhvar ends saying “puduvayar kOn vittuchittan”,
or “villiputtur pattan”.  Thirumangai alwar and kulasekara alwar adds
all their greatness saying, “ AlinAdan,arulmAri, arattamukki, adaiyAr
seeyam…..mangai vEndhan” and “kolli kAvalan, koodal nAyagan kOzhikkOn
kulasekaran” etc.  But here thondaradi podi alwar politely gives his
identity.  He says, this is, the alwar(thondar-adi-podi, the dust under the
feet of all bhagavatas) one with a small axe to cut flowers and a flower
basket to collect tulasi, and make a beautiful garland and take the
same to thiruvarangan.  One bhaktha feels for not having got the bhAkyam
of thondaradi podi alwar saying, ”kudalai sumakkAmal vudalai
sumandhEnE?” (Instead of carrying the flower basket and doing service to perumal
all these time I carried my own body uselessly.)

When thirumangai alwar was constructing the golden madhil in the
Srirangam temple, the garden of thondaradi podi alwar was on the way. 
Thirumangai alwar gave due respects to the garden and diverted the wall and
proceeded construction.  Thirumangai alwar knew the importance of the
pushpa kainkaryam of alwar and that perumal will regard it even more
important than even the golden madhil.  Similar story happened in the time
of bhattar when a king was constructing a wall to the temple,
koorathAzhvAn thirumAligai came in the middle but the king didn’t know the
bhAgavata magimai and inspite of bhattar requesting him to leave the
thirumAligai he didn’t listen and continued with the great apachAram.  But
thirumangai mannan was not like that ordinary king but was a alwar
himself.  He had due respects to thondaradipodi alwar.  We can see the proof
in his thirukurundhandagam were thirumangai alwar has repeated 2 lines
from thirumAlai prabhandam of thondaradi podigal.

elaiya pun kavidhai yElum empirArkku eniyavArE:  We have been enjoying
the divine meanings in this prabandham as shown by our poorvAcharyas
and have drank the essence of the sastras in this prabhandam.  But alwar
says, this is just a small poem written by a kid or a beginner.  This
prabhandam is not flooded with thatvArtham nor is it very difficult
tamil but alwar assures that this poem will be close to namperumal’s heart. 
True. Even today namperumal listens with great interest, many times
only to this prabhandam.  He may listen to any number of paasurams but
when one recites one paasuram from thirumAlai namperumal becomes very very
happy and his lips blossom out with a sweet smile.  Namperumal may skip
his thirumanjanam but not listening to divya prabandams.  He considers
alwar paasurams to be the most purifying thing. 

What is the speciality of thirumAlai, which makes it even greater than
the other prabandhams and gives such happiness to namperumal?
ThirumAlai doesn’t dwell deep with vedAnta vishayam though it gives the
essence of the same still emperuman cherishes hearing it since
throughout the prabhandam thondaradi podi alwar talks only to ranganatha –
arangamA nagarulAnE!
Secondly, it has been sung by ‘nam payal’ (emperuman’s kid).  A mother
teaches her kid a small story from bhagavatam.  After sometime, the kid
repeats the same story.  Though the mother only thought the kid the
story still she cherishes listening to the kids way of repeating the
story.  Similarly emperuman only bestowed “mayavaru madhi nalam” to alwar
but he likes to listen to the mazhalai chol (kid’s talk) of alwar.

Sri PVP ends his vyakhyAnam saying that alwar has sung this excellent
prabhandam.  Though alwar has sung due to his naichyAnusandhAnam in many
places, many of it truly wholes good only for us.  Here again only when
we sing this prabhandam, it really becomes “elaiya pun kavidhai” and we
also become close to emperuman’s heart since we have repeated alwar’s
words.  We are incapable to sing paasurams of our own but surely we can
become close to perumal if we sing the above alwar’s paasurams.

With this the series of thirumAlai postings come to an end.  The last
posting will be a conclusion note.

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan