PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.1
PASURAMS 1148 to 1157
TIRUVAYINDIRAPURAM
Aheendran is another name for Adiseshan or anantAzhwAn. Since this place was worshipped by Aheendran it is called Tiruvayindrapuram.
All the ten verses commence with the first two lines mentioning about the qualities of the Lord residing at this divyadesam and then AzhwAr portrays the beauty of the place and brings out the picturesque scenes in the next two lines.
karundaN mA kaDal kaN tuyinravan iDam kamala nan malar tEral |
arundi inniSai muranru ezhum aLikulam poduLiambozhilooDE
serundi nAN malar senru aNaindu uzhitaru tiruvayindirapuramE || (1)
1148. The lord who graces by reclining in a meditative state on the dark, vast, cool ocean, rescued the huge pleasant mother earth by lifting her with His crescent shaped tusks from the cosmic deluge, taking the form of a wild boar (varAham ).
‘Tiruvayindirapuram', where this Lord resides is surrounded by orchards where the humming bees drenched in the honey from the lotus flowers dance and rejoice. In order to drink more, they swarm again together and reach the freshly bloomed flowers of the Serundi tree. Such is the beauty of this place. (1)
In this place called Tiruvayindirapuram, the Sri VaishNava clan gather together like the swarm of bees and drench themselves in the bhagavat and bhAgavatha qualities, singing and humming the sweet vedas and cluster themselves under the lotus feet of the Lord. (1)
pannu nAn marai pal poruLAgiya paran iDam varaichchAral |
pinnu mAdavi pandalil peDai vara piNiyavizh kamalattu
tenna enru vaNDu inniSai mural taru tiru vayindirapuramE || (2)
1149. The Lord who carries the resplendent TiruvAzhi (chakra) in his beautiful hands, who has Goddess (periya pirAti) seated on his chest forever and the lord who himself forms the various meanings and essence of the four VedAs that are being chanted, dwells in 'Tiruvayindirapuram'.
The beauty of this place is such that, the bees while making honey from the lotus flowers along with their female counterparts, get into a romantic conflict and the female bees leave towards the (mAdhavi pandal) kurukkatti pergolas. The male bees that suffer due to the separation, sing sad notes ( like tenna tenn) from the half bloomed lotus flower calling them back to join them. (2)
meyyanAgiya deivanAyakan iDam meidagu varaichchAral |
moikoL mAdavi SeNbagam mayangiya mullaiyangkoDiyADa
seyya tAmarai SezhumpaNai tigazh taru tiruvayindirapuramE || (3)
1150. After swallowing all the seven lokAs in his stomach at the time of dissolution the Lord ( mAyavan), lies over the tender Banyan leaf on the pralaya waters. He is the supreme master who reveals himself to his ardent devotees.
The place from where this Lord ‘DeyvanAyaga PerumAl’ graces is a small hillock resembling the lord’s dark complexion, where the mullai creeper grows embracing the kurukkatti and shenbagam trees. The lotus flowers are seen bloomed all over the water bodies. Such is the beauty of 'Tiruvayindirapuram'. (3)
kooru koNDu avan kula magarku innaruL koDuttavan iDam miDaindu|
SAru koNDa men karumbu iLam kazhai tagai viSumbura maNi neezhal
Seru koNDa taN pazhanamadezhil tigazh tiruvayindirapuramE || (4)
The very same Lord stays in this divine place called 'Tiruvayindirapuram', where the juicy rich, well grown sugarcane shoots touch the sky and spread shade everywhere. The beauty of the water bodies glow along with the excess slushy sugarcane juice all over. (4)
poongoDikku inaviDai porudavan iDam pon malar tigazh vEngai |
kOngu SeNbaga kombinil kudikoDu kurakkarinam iraittu ODi
tEn kalanda taN palangani nugar taru tiruvayindirapuramE || (5)
1152. The Lord went as a seeker to the yAgasAlai of king MahAbali, asking for three measures of land and upon getting it immediately grew and measured all three worlds . For the sake of winning the slender and beautiful cowherd girl Nappinnai PirATTi, the lord fought against seven oxen of a kind and defeated them.
In the divine place 'Tiruvayindirapuram', where this Lord is seated, one can see group of monkeys happily jumping between the branches of the vEngai, kongu and shenbaga trees with its golden coloured flowers. They can also be seen relishing the sweet honey dripping jackfruit now and then. (5)
THE INNER MEANING/ SWAPADESHAM:
The monkeys here represent the inconsistent human beings (samsAri) who always keep jumping within the worldly pleasure. They at times indulge themselves in divine experiences (bagavat anubhavam) which is like the monkeys enjoying the honey filled jackfruit.(5)
kAnulAviya karumugil tirunirattavan iDam kavinArum |
vAnulAviya madi tavazh mAlvarai mAmadiL puDai soozha
tEnulAviya Sezhum pozhil tazhuviya tiruvayindirapuramE || (6)
1153. The dark cloud hued Lord RAmA who went on an exile to the forest along with the slender hipped SeethA pirAtti, due to the wicked words of the cruel hunchbacked mantarA, is seated in this place called ‘Tiruvayindirapuram’.
The scenic beauty of this place is such that the moon that wanders in the sky crawls in between the high raised mountains. Tall ramparts stand majestically here. Further the city is surrounded by orchards swarmed by bees that come to drink honey. (6)
mannan neeN muDi poDi Seida maindanadu iDam maNi varai neezhal|
anna mA malar aravindattu amaLiyil peDaiyoDum inidu amara
SennellAr kavari kulai veeSu taN tiru vayindirapuramE || (7)
1154. 'Tiruvayindirapuram', is the abode of lord RAmA, who for the sake of the compassionate slender seetA PirATTi with her hip as thin as the lightning, slew down the ten heads of rAvaNA-the king of LankA which is situated well protected atop trikooda on the SuvelA mountains.
This place has lotus ponds amidst the rich paddy fields adjacent to the mountains that surrounds the whole place. Here the swans lie and relax on the lotus bed with their mates while the paddy stalks gently fan them with their breeze. Such cool is this place known as ‘Tiruvayindirapuram’. (7)
THE INNER MEANING/ SWAPADESHAM :
The mention of Annam here refers to the great AchAryas who involve in divine activities separating themselves from the worldly life similar to the quality of the annam that can separate water from the milk.
Those who delve themselves in divine experiences and relish being with religious people amidst their worldly life are denoted by mentioning of the annam (swan) that stays with its mate here.
The fanning of the paddy stalks here is referred to the services rendered by the sishyas to their gurus by way of reverence. (7)
nirai kalangiDa varai kuDai eDuttavan nilaviya iDam taDamAr
varai vaLam tigazh mada kari maruppoDu malai vaLaragil undi
tirai koNarndaNai Sezhu nadi vayal pugu tiruvayindirapuramE || (8)
The river water that joins the canals of this place brings along with its waves the tusks of the elephants that adds beauty to the mountain terrains with its water bodies in addition to the logs of agil trees and flows into the fields of 'Tiruvayindirapuram'. (8)
kOl koL kaittalattu endai pemmAn iDam kulavu taN varaichchAral |
kAl koL kaN koDi kaiyezha kamugum iLam pALaigaL kamazh sAral
sElgAL pAitaru Sezhunadi vayal pugu tiruvayindirapuramE || (9)
The mountain slopes of this place are covered with creepers of betel leaves grown from each and every node. The fragrance from the tender shoots of the Arecanut (pAkku) tree fills the whole environment and the river water filled with fishes jumping and playing flows into the paddy fields. Such is the beauty of this place. (9)
dEvar dAnavar Senru Senru irainja taN tiruvayindirapurattu |
mEvu SOdiyai vEl valavan kalikanri virittu uraitta
pAvu taNDamizh pattivai pADiDa pAvangaL payilAvE || (10)
1157. Thirumangai AzhwAr bearing a sword in his hand also known as Kali kandri has elaborately sung in Tamil ten songs about the Lord who is the embodiment himself of all three forms of creation, protection and destruction as brahmA, ViShNu and Shiva, who measured all three worlds, protected it by swallowing during the cosmic deluge and brought it out later, and who has taken 'Tiruvayindirapuram', as his abode so that even the devas and asuras can come and worship him. Those who sing these ten songs will be devoid of their sins forever. (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.2
PASURAMS 1158 TO 1167
TIRUCHITRAKOODAM-1
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| TIRUCHITRAKOOTAM GOVINDARAJA PERUMAL, CHIDAMBARAM |
After visiting the two naDu nADu tirupatis - tirukOvalur and tiruvayindirapuram, Tirumangai AzhvAr wishes to visit chOzha nADu divya dEshams. He begins with ‘tillai tiruchitrakooDam’ well known as 'Chidambaram'.
Seeing the grace of the Lord, AzhvAr is reminded of the blessed prapannas who have performed sharanAgati to this Lord. He advises that they should not strain themselves physically, doing hard penances and rituals to attain bhagavAn. The very kaTAksham of tiruchitrakooDam Shree GOvindarAja PerumAl with Shri in his chest is enough to purify them and destroy all their sufferings.
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| TIRUCHITRAKOODAM PUNDARIKAVALLI TAYAR |
As usual, AzhvAr captures the natural beauty of this kshEstram filled with tillai trees, a species of mangroves. This place is an extension of the Pichavaram mangrove forests at the Killai backwaters. The mangroves attract a wide variety of birds and aquatic species. ChitrakooDam is the beautiful dance hall where Lord Shiva and Goddess PArvati had engaged in a dance competition for which Lord Govinda RAja perumAL was the judge. The event was attended by 3000 brAhmaNas called tillai moovAyiravar.
uDalil piriyA pulan aindum nondu
tAm vADa vADa tavam SeiyyavENDA
tamadA imaiyOr ulagALagirpeer |
kAnADa mangai kaNamADa mADE
kayalADu kA neer pazhanam puDai pOi
tEnADa mADa koDiyADa tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE (1)
1158. Dear prapannas who wish to attain mOksha and rule Paramapadam,
Do not try the strenuous path of the aShtAnga Yogis to attain liberation. Do not shrink your bodies (oon vADa) by undergoing rigorous fasting so much that you can hold only your breath. Do not make the sense organs tired. They will perish only with your body. Do not exhaust yourselves by undertaking time-consuming, hard penances.
Rather, set off to 'tillai chitrakooDam', the beautiful mangrove forest where the Lord of Paramapadam is easily accessible to us as gOvindarAja PerumAl. The green groves here seem to be swaying in rhythm with the dancing peacocks. (manjai kaNamADa mADe). The fishes jounce in joy in the waters of the fields. Enjoy the hum and wander of the honeybees and the gentle swinging of the climbers/flags on the tall mansions. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (1)
kaDangAl nugarndu neDungAlam aindu
teeyODu ninru tavam seyyavENDA
tirumArbanai SindaiyuL vaittum enbeer|
vAyOdu vEdam maliginra tolSeer
maraiyALar nALu muraiyAl vaLartta
teeyOnga Onga pugazhOngu tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE || (2)
1159. Dear prapannas who always wish to hold ‘the Lord embracing Shree’ in your heart (tirumArbanai),
Do not try to perform meditation amid the fire of the panchAgnis. (‘PanchAgni vidyA is a vedic practice of performing deep meditation amid four fires (agnis) and under the sun construed as the fifth agni). Do not breathe in this hot air and live on just raw vegetables and dry fruits.
Rather, worship Lord Govindarajan in the highly acclaimed tillai chitrakooDam which has already been well purified by the fire sacrifices of learned agnihOtris who have recited the vEdas without any mistake!
(‘vAy Odum vEdam’ refers to the fact that the vEdas are not taught through written material but only through recitation by mouth. The recitation involves perfect metrics (chandas) and accents (swaras), characterized by the tones - udAtta (normal), anudAtta (lowered tone), swarita (single raised tone) and deergha swarita (double raised tone)). tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (2)
virineer mudu veLLam uL pukkazhunda
vambuN pozhil Soozh ulagu anru eDuttAn
aDipOdaNaivAn viruppODiruppeer |
paimbonnum muttum maNiyum koNarndu
paDai mannavan pallavar kOn paNinda
Sembon maNi mADangaL Soozhnda tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE | (3)
He once took the form of a terrific angry wild boar and lifted the bounteous, green, fragrant (vambu) earth which was submerged in the vast waters of the ocean (viri munneer) by the merciless act of the demon HiranyAksha.
The Lord of such stature is residing as Lord gOvindarAjan in tillai tiruchitrakooDam which is filled with forts decorated with gold and precious gems. Do visit this divya dEsham where even the great Pallava King and his family members humbly offered their riches like golden flowers, pearls and precious gems to the Lord. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (3)
avuNan peruvELviyil Senru iranda
perumAn tirunAmam pidaTTri numdam
piravittuyar neengudum ennagirpeer |
karu mA kaDaluL kiDandAn uvandu
kavai nA aravin aNai paLLiyinmEl
tirumAl tirumangaiyODu ADu tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE || (4)
1161. Dear prapannas who sing the names of Lord vAmana to get rid of the cycle of birth and death,
MahAbali, an asura (avuNan) king possessed a drop of the amRuta nectar that came out of the Samudra manthan. He became powerful enough to rule the entire world. The dEvas were worried that the universe would be under the control of the asura clan under Mahabali. To end his ego, Lord VishNu appeared in the Ashwameda yAga performed by king mahAbali, as vAmana, a dwarf (kuraL) brahmin boy. He then asked alms from mahAbali who agreed to offer anything. VAmana cleverly asked for three footsteps of land. Seeing His small feet, mahAbali beamed with pride. But vAmana quickly transformed into a huge trivikrama avatAra. With one footstep, He measured the earth; with the next footstep, He measured the upper worlds and for the third footstep of land, mahAbali offered his head in surrender, realizing that it was none other than the supreme Lord VishNu.
That magnificent Lord is residing here in tillai tiruchitrakooDam. Simply experience the beauty of this wonderful scene where tirumAl, Lord GovindarAjan is enjoying and doing nitya vAsam with his consort Shree (tirumangai Odu ADu), on the serpent bed formed by AdisEshan having a forked tongue (kavai nA) and floating on the dark vast ocean! tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (4)
kula mannar angam mazhuvil tuNiya
tAm angu amaruL paDai toTTa venri
tava mA muniyai tamakkAkkagirpeer |
poo mangai tangi pula mangai manni
pugazh mangai engum tigazha pugazh SEr
SEmangoL paimpoombozhil Soozhnda tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE | (5)
Lord ParashurAma was born in Maharishi bhRugu’s race to Jamadagani and RenukA Devi. A king called kArtaveeryArjuna, a great devotee of ViShnu had gained a boon of dying only in Lord VishNu’s hands. He chanced to visit Jamadagni’s Ashram. Jamadagni honoured him with great hospitality and sumptuous gifts granted by his divine cow kAmadhEnu. kArtaveeryArjuna wanted to have this wish yielding cow for himself. He ordered his sons and his army to take it by force. In the process, they killed his innocent father Jamadagni. An enraged ParashurAma vowed to save the inhabitants of the earth from the unjust kshatriyas. So, He destroyed all the kshatriya kings (gO manga) with his weapon - an axe called ‘Parashu’. Even though he killed them, He is referred to as ' tava mA muni' because of His will to protect the people of the earth from tyrant kings.
To experience this Lord, reach the most fertile tillai tiruchitrakooDam where the resplendent Lord Govindarajan resides with Shree Devi on this right side (poo mangai), and Bhoo dEvi (pulam mangai) on his left side. AzhvAr gives a divine form for emperumAn’s fame and praises one more dEvi called Keerti Devi (pugazh mangai)- the Goddess of Fame who spreads everywhere in the world. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (5)
tuNiya paNi koNDu aNiyArndu ilangu
maNiyAr maNi vaNNanai eNNi numtam
manattE iruttumpaDi vAzhavalleer |
avvAyiLa mangaiyar pESavum tAn
arumA marai andaNar Sindai puga
SevvAi kiLi nAn marai pADu tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru sErmingaLE | (6)
1163. Dear prapannas who wish to live their lives always thinking of Lord rAma who looks like a shining dark gem decorated with ornaments,
When Lord RAma set out with His vAnara army for Lanka, He wanted the help of SamudrarAjan to dry up the ocean for constructing a bridge. He lay down on darbha grass for three nights without food in a place called TirupullAni. (darbha sayana) to invoke Him. But Samudrarajan ignored His penance. An angry rAma tied his bow to shoot a sharp fiery arrow into the ocean inorder to dry it up. But this act itself was so powerful that the earth trembled, the waters rose high, the sea animals popped out, the wind velocity increased, and the mountains were shaking. The terrified samudrarAjan immediately came out and surrendered to Lord rAma. He made the waters shallow and agreed for the construction of the sEtu bridge over Him. This is how he too was set in Lord rAma’s kainkaryam.
Go and visit this valourous Lord rAma who is reclining in tillai tiruchitrakooDam which reverberates with the auspicious sounds of the vEdas recited by austere brAhmaNas. You will be amazed to see that in their homes, not only do the vedas pour naturally from the lips of their dear daughters but also from the red beaks of their pet parrots. Such is the sanctity of tillai tiruchitrakooDam. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (6)
makaram Suzhala Suzhal neer payandu
deiva tiru mA malar mangai tangu
tirumArbanai SindaiyuL vaittum enbeer |
kouvai kaLiTTrin maruppum poruppil
kamazh Sandum undi nivA valangoL
deiva punal Soozhndu azhagAya tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam senRu sErmingaLE || (7)
1164. Dear prapannas who wish to hold your beloved Lord krishnNa in your hearts,
He takes pride in caring for his beloved consorts. He lovingly embraces the slender shoulders of his beautiful consort Nappinnai (mouval kuzhal Aychchi) whose beautiful tresses are decked with mauval flowers (mullai poo). He never separates from His lotus-born consort periya pirATTi (tiru mA malar mangai), who emerged from the ocean filled with fishes that jump along the movement of the waves.
Visit your dear KrishNa in tillai tiruchitrakooDam filled with sacred puskarinis. Here the river NivA called ‘veLLAru” carries to Lord GovindarAjan fragrant sandal logs and broken tusks of elephants that once engaged in a tiff with lions. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (7)
mazhai mA mudu kunru eDuttu Ayar tangaL
kOvAi nirai mEittu ulaguNDa mAyan
kurai mA kazhal kooDum kurippuDaiyeer |
moovAyira nAn maraiyALar nALum
muraiyAl vaNanga aNangAya SOdi
dEvAdidEvan tigazhhinra tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru SErmingaLE | (8)
1165. Dear prapannas who wish to attain the shining feet of emperumAn mAyan,
He is the one who does titanic deeds in a tiny form. Once Kamsa sent a demon horse named ‘kEshee” to kill little Krishna. KrishNa effortlessly tore open his mouth and his body into two pieces. Out of anger, when Indra showered incessant rains in Gokulam, KrishNa held up the huge Govardhana hill balancing it on his little finger to protect the cows and cowherds of the village. Even during praLaya kAla, he consumes all the worlds taking the form of an infant.
Go and see this dEvAdi dEvan shone with an extra-ordinary brilliance (aNangu Aya jOti) at tiruchitrakooDam where 3000 vaidika brAhmaNas (tillai moovAyiravar) worship with devotion every day. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (8)
SinattODu ninru manattAl vaLarkum
aruneela pAvam agala pugazh SEr
amararkum eidAda aNDattu iruppeer |
peruneer nivA undi muttam koNarndu
engum vittum vayaluL kayal pAindu ugaLa
tiruneelam ninru tigazhhinra tillai
tiruchchittirakooDam Senru SErmingaLE || (9)
1166. Dear prapannas who have opted to set their minds on attaining paramapadam rather than falling into the endless trap of longing for young women (maDavAr) who have eyes that resemble the blue spear weapon of war, (cheru neela vEl kaN),
You have escaped from the vicious circle (aru) of 'mahApApa karma' that would have sent you to the dark world of no return. (neelam pAvam). You are blessed to have a heart that craves for paramapadam, the state not getable even by the mighty and famous dEvas like brahmA.
This paramapadanAthan is reposing here as gOvindarAjan in tillai tiruchitrakooDam. In this kshEtram, the river veLLAru also called NivA brings pearls along its course and scatters them into the green fields. Fishes that play in the field waters jump, wondering if the pearls are sown seeds. The blue water lilies (tiru neelam) are always in bloom. Reach this place now. tillai tiruchitrakooDam sErmingaLE! (9)
1167. seerAr pozhil Soozhnda azhagAya tillai
tiruchchittirakooDattu urai SengaN mAlukku
ArAda vuLLattavar kETTu uvappa
alai neer ulagukku aruLE puriyum
kArAr puyarkai kalikanri kunrA
oli mAlai oronbadODOnrum vallAr
pArAr ulagamaLandAn aDikkeezh
palakAlam nirkumbaDi vAzhvar tAmE || (10)
1167. This garland of ten resounding tamizh verses has been crafted by Kalikandri (tirumangai AzhvAr who is generous like the rain clouds), exclusively for the happiness of prapannas whose hearts crave for more and more bhagavat anubhavam. Anyone who recites these ten pAsurams on the lotus-eyed Lord of tillai tiruchitrakooDam surrounded by mangroves, will live happily forever under His divine feet that measured all the worlds. (10)
The greatness of Periya PirATTi, Shree.
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 7.3.2, 7.3.5 AND 7.3.7
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| TiruchitrakooDam utsavar Devadidevan, Pundareekavalli |
He has also mentioned the other consorts bhoodevi as pulam mangai, nappinnai as mauval kuzhal Aycchi and one more keerti dEvi as pugazh mangai, the Goddess of fame.
SRIMAN NARAYANAN is referred as 'bhagavAn', meaning - the one who has all the auspicious qualities. In the same way, His consort SHREE DEVI or Lakshmi is referred as 'bhagavati, the repository of all kalyAna guNas. They together control and manage the nitya and leelA vibhootis.
Of all the thousand Lakshmi nAmas, it is 'shree' or 'tiru' which is the most famous and most favorite to bhagavAn and also to Lakshmi herself. The meaning of Shree explained in 'Ahirbudnya Samhita' illustrates why the name and sound 'Shree' is the most auspicious for jeevAtmAs.
Six meanings for Shree श्री:
1. ShreeyatE श्रीयते
Lakshmi is the one who can be attained by all jeevAtmAs. Everything takes refuge in Her. She is called 'jagateeshvaree' or 'lokaikEshvaree', the sole queen of the the whole universe (paTTamahishI).
2. ShrayatE श्रयते
Though Lakshmi is the storehouse of all the good qualities, she surrenders to the supreme Lord inorder to protect those who seek her for protection.
3. ShrunOti श्रुणोति
Lakshmi first listens patiently and kindly to the jeevAtmAs who are earnestly looking for her. She cannot bear the miseries of her children. Hence, She is called jagan mAtA.
4. ShrAvayati श्रावयति
Lakshmi then makes sure that bhagavAn listens to the worried voices of the jeevAtmAs. She also guides the jeevAtmAs to listen to bhagavAn's words of advice and dharma. She makes sure that even the enemies hear about bhagavAn's greatness. This is Her dayA guNam.
5. ShrunAti श्रुणाति
Lakshmi supports the prapannas and helps them face the karmas with ease. She helps in diffusing the endless sins committed by the chEtanas.
6. ShreenAti श्रीणाति
Lakshmi draws the prapannas towards the right direction and diverts them towards emperumAn's kainkaryam, thereby purifying them like crystal.
These are the reasons why Shree never separates from Lord VishNu. She stays close to His heart on the lotus, solely for us in three capacities - 'AkAra traya sampannAm' -
Shri is
1. the upAyam (the means),
2 upEyam (goal) and
3. purushakAram (mediator cum supporter).
आकारत्रयसम्पन्नां अरविन्दनिवासिनीम्।
अशॆषजगदीशित्रीं वन्दे वरदवल्लभाम् ॥
AkAra-traya sampannAm Aravinda nivAsineem
ashESha jagadeeshitreem vandE Varada vallabhAm
-----Shri nADadoor ammAL’s Prapanna pArijAtam
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.3
PASURAMS 1168 TO 1177
TIRUCHITRADOODAM-2
In the previous pAsurams, AzhvAr instructed the devotees to reach tiruchitrakooDam and make it their destination. In these 10 pAsurams, AzhvAr elucidates the various kalyAna gunAs of perumAl , in His vibhava avatAras and declares that he experiences them in this tiruchitrakooDam divya kshEtram.
AzhvAr beautifully depicts perumAL's unique characteristics in these pAsurams... viz. saulabhyam ( accessibility), paratvam ( awe inspiring character), shishta paripAlanam (providing refuge to His devotees) and duShTa nigraham( punishing the wrong doers).
ADal nal mA uDaittu AyarAniraikku anru iDar teerpAn |
kooDiya mA mazhai kAtta koottan ena varuhinrAn
SEDuyar poombozhil tillai tiruchchittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (1)
He killed the wrestlers, (mallars who were employed by Kamsa to kill Krishna).
As kEshavan, He killed the evil asura kEsi, who, in the guise of a horse, came trotting and prancing ( with the intent to kill Krishna).
As Gopala Krishna, once upon a time, He gave recourse and comfort to the AyarpAdi clan and protected them from the heavy downpour, by lifting the gOvardhan mountain and performed so many amazing leelas.
He is the one who is in chitrakooDtam, which is surrounded by the robust floral groves. ChitrakooDattuLLAnE. (1)
mAnila mAmahaL mAdar kELvan ivan enrum vaNDuN |
poomahaL nAyakan enrum pulangezhu kOviyar pADi
tEmalar toova varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (2)
This perumAl, who roamed about the streets of tiruAyarpAdi, where the gopis scattered honey laden flowers along His path, is the one who is in tiruchitrakooDam, \giving us His benign darshan. (2)
eNDiSaiyOrum vaNanga iNai marudooDu naDandiTTu |
aNDrum vAnattavarum Ayira nAmangaLODu
tiNDiral pADa varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (3)
1170. Once, as a little child, You were teased and spoken lightly by the AyarpAdi women for stealing and eating the butter. But Your feat of crawling between the two maruda trees, thereby making them fall, had the AyarpADi people (aNdar) and the dEvAs as well, looking up in awe and reverentially chant Your thousand nAmAs and praise Your mighty valour.
This valorous perumAl resides here in chitrakooDam. (3)
taLaittavizh tAmarai poihai taN taDam pukku aNDar kANa |
muLaitta eyiTTrazhal nAhattu uchchiyil ninradu vADa
tiLaittamar SeiduvaruvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (4)
1171. On hearing that Krishna had ventured into the pond inhabited by the poisonous snake kALiyan, the frightened AyarpADi maidens with large, wide eyes and wearing bangles, called to the menfolk for help. They reached the banks of the cool pond, which was filled with blooming lotuses, only to see Krishna standing on the hoods of kALiyan, who had poisonous fangs and breathed out poisonous fumes all around. He danced on the hoods of kALiyan, making it exhausted and came back victorious.
This valiant perumAl resides in tiruchitrakooDam.(4)
aruvi tiraL tihazhhinra Ayiram pon malai ottu |
uruva karunguzhal Aichchi tirattu inamAlviDai SeTTru
teruvil tizhaittu varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE ||(5)
1172. PerumAL is like the rain laden dark cloud! He is like the pearl bearing, vast ocean. He is resplendent like a thousand golden mountains, with innumerable waterfalls!
For the sake of winning the hands of nappiNNai pirATTi, with beautiful black braids, He killed the ferocious bulls and came happily striding down the streets of AyarpAdi.
He is the one who resides in tiruchitrakooDam. (5)
uyya paruvarai tAngi Anirai kAttAn enru Etti
vaiyattu evarum vaNanga aNangezhu mA malai pOla
deiva puLLEri varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (6)
1173. The one arrow that He shot, resulted in the complete destruction of Lanka!
When all the cattle and people of gOvardhan were put to great grief because of the heavy downpour, He lifted the gOvardhan mountain to shield and protect them from the rain.
He blesses all of us, seated on the godly ( aNangu), mountain like, divine avian mount ( deiva puL Eri), the garuDa, such that the people of the world pray and worship Him, in this divya kshEtram, tiruchitrakooDam. (6)
mEvu Sinattu aDal vEzham veezha munindu azhahAya |
kAvi malar neDungaNNAr kaittozha veedi varuvAn
dEvar vaNangu taN tillai chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (7)
1174. When He, in rage, killed the formidable, huge, black, mountain-like elephant, the kuvalayApeeDam ( which was one of the designs of Kamsa to kill Krishna), the maidens with long eyes like the neelOtbhavA flowers, exclaimed that who else but Krishna could accomplish such a feat and prayed to Him with joined palms, as He strode along the streets of MathurA.
This Perumal, who is also worshipped by the nityasooris resides in this beautiful (thaN) tiruchitrakooDam. (7)
angavan Aham aLaindiTTu AyirandOL ezhundADa |
paingaN iraNDu erikAnra neeNDa eyiTTroDu pEzhvAi
Singa uruvil varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (8)
1175. Once You appeared suddenly in the form of Narasimha, frightening the asuran HiraNyan ( pon peyarOn) and at the same moment, placed Your hands, as mighty as a thousand arms on him. With eyes glowing like fire, with Your long, sharp canine teeth and huge gaping mouth, You slayed him.
This Narasimha is the one who resides in tiruchitrakooDam. (8)
1176. karu muhil pOlvadOr mEni kaiyana Azhiyum Sangum
peruviral vAnavar Soozha Ezhulahum tozhudEtta |
oru mahaL Ayar maDandai orutti nila mahaL maTTrai
tirumahaLODum varuvAn chittirakooDattu uLLAnE || (9)
1176. The Lord, whose tirumEni is like the rain-laden clouds, holding the divine conch and discus in His hands is worshipped by the powerful dEvas as well as the people of this universe alike.
Together with the incomparable neeLa devi(Ayar madandhai), the unparalleled Bhooma devi (nila madandai) and Sri devi, He graces this kshEtram tiruchitrakooDam.
( Ayar madandhai, is nappiNNai PirATTi , who is the preferred consort of Krishna). (9)
vAnavar tangaL pirAnai mangaiyar kOn maruvAr tam|
oonamar vEl kali kanri oNDamizh onbadODonrum
tAnivai kaTTru vallAr mEl SArA teevinai tAnE || (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.4
PASURAMS 1178 TO 1187
TIRU KAZHISEERAMA TADALAN KOYIL
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| TIRU KAZHI SEERAMA TRIVIKRAMA PERUMAL (TADALAN) |
AzhvAr proceeds to the next divya dEsam tiruKAzhi cheerAma viNNagaram from TiruchitrakooDam. The emperumAn here is TRIVIKRAMA PERUMAL fondly called THADALAN.
As AzhvAr, enters the seerkAzhi divya dEsam along with his disciples, he is warmly welcomed with praises like-
nAlukavi PerumAl vandAr!
ParavAdee mattagaja KaNdeer avar vandAr!
Nam kaliyan vandAr!
Nam paRakAlan vandAr!
ThirugnyAnasambandar was a great and popular young saiva poet-saint who resided in seerkAzhi. The disciples of TirugynAnasambandar stopped AzhvAr wanting to test his proficiency. Sambandar invited azhvAr for a healthy religious debate to prove his poetic skills (kavitvam).
Sambandar gave two words to AzhvAr. They were ‘oru kuRaLAy’. AzhvAr outpoured the first pAsuram using these two words and adeptly used his poetic skills using the numbers one to seven to describe Lord nArAyaNa in the first pAsuram.
Sambandar was extremely pleased with the poetic flair, the thundering voice and the terrific command of the language. He thus acknowledged by giving his spear (vEl)as a gift to AzhvAr which was presented to him by parAshakti herself. Hence we can see AzhvAr always carrying this spear(vEl) with him.
 |
| TIRUMANGAI AZHVAR WITH TIRUNGYANASAMBANDAR'S VEL |
ulahanaittum eeraDiyAl oDukki-onrum
taruha enA mAvaliyai Siraiyil vaitta
tADALan tALaNaiveer takka keerti |
arumaraiyin tiraL nAngum vELvi aindum
angangaL avai Arum iSaigaL Ezhum
teruvil vali vizhA vaLamum Sirakkum kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 1
1178. Lord shreeman nArAyaNa, taking the form of VAmana (kuRaLAy), asked for just three feet of land from king mahAbali. When the king offered argyam, the Lord grew measuring the upper and the lower worlds in two steps and for the third step, the king offered himself and the Lord pushed him into the prison in pAtAla lOkA. Oh bhAgavatAs! those who wish to seek Him, surrender to this Lord who resides in the holy land of KAzhi cheerAma viNNagaram where great seers recite the four vEdAs (aRu maRaiyin tiral nAngum), the six branches of the vEdAs (aNgaNgal avai Arum), perform the five yAgnyas (vElvi aindum) . This kshEtram is always busy, pompously celebrating utsavams and melodious music with the saptasvarAs for the trivikrama perumAl who is named tADAlan.
AzhvAr glorifies sarvashEshitvam in trivikrama avatAram---Sriman Narayana is the sole owner and all others are only a part of Him. (1)
nalam mihu Seer urOmaSanAl naviTTru nakkan
oon muhamAr talaiyoTTooN ozhitta endai
oLi malar SEvaDi aNaiveer uzhu SEyODa |
Soon muhamAr vaLaiyaLai vAi uhutta muttai
tol kurugu Sinai ena Soozhndu iyanga engum
tEn mugamAr kamala vayal SEl pAi kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 2
AzhvAr praises the Ishvaratvam of emperumAn—He is the lord of lords. (2)
maNNellAm iDandu eDuttu madangaL Seidu
neyyaNainda tikiriyinAl vANan tiNDOL
nErndavan tAL aNaigirpeer neidalODu |
maiyaNainda kuvaLaigaL tAm tam kaNgaL enrum
malar kumudam vAi enrum kaDaiSimArgaL
SeyyaNaindu kaLai kaLaiyA tErum kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 3
1180. Long ago, the chivalrous act of Lord nArAyanA who took the amazing giant form of varAha Moorthy (varAgam onRAy), retrieved mother earth from the depth of the ocean with his single sharp canine tooth(kODu). In krishnA avatArA, the Lord shattered the arrogance of the powerful banAsurA by slaying his thousand strong hands (vANan tin tOL) with His sharp edged sudarshana chakra (nei aNainda tigiri). Those who aspire to see him, proceed to cheerAma viNNagaram. The beautiful women of the farming clan (kaDaichi mArgaL-uzhavar kulam)go to the fields to remove the weeds of colourful flowers. Mistaking the neidal (red and blue water lily)and kuvalai(red water lily) flowers to be their eyes and kumudam flowers (Ambal)to be their lips, they leave the field without plucking them, not to hurt their body parts, describes AzhvAr.
AzhvAr extols the SarvAdhAratvam attribute of perumAl as varAhan—Supporter of all (3).
pAi viDaigaL EzhaDartu ponnan paimbooN
nenjiDandu karudi uha uhirvEl ANDa
ninmalan tALaNaihirpeer neela mAlai |
tanjuDaiya iruL tazhaippa taraLam AngE
taN madiyin nilAkkATTa pavaLam tannAl
SenjuDar veyil virikkum azhagAr kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 4
1181. During Krishna avatAra, the Lord controlled the seven ferocious bulls (Ezh adartu) to marry Nappinai pirATTi whose feet were as soft as cotton. Using HIS nails as a sharp spear (ugir vEl aNDa), emperumAn as NarasimhA, split the chest (iDandu)of the jewel decked hiraNyan (ponnan) causing blood to flow and spread all over. Those who wish to seek asylum unto his lotus feet, proceed to cheerAma viNNagaram. The towering mansions and the temples here are studded with precious gems that seem as if the sun, moon and darkness co-exist! The blue sapphire increases the darkness in the evening. The pearls (taraLam) studded in-between them spread the cool light of the moon and the corals(pavaLam) seem to spread the rays of the rising sun(seeDai sem veyil).
AzhvAr applauds the SarvavyApakatvam of Lord Narasimha—Pervader of everything (4).
tirukkulattil irandOrku tirutti Seidu
vevvAya mA keeNDu vEzham aTTa
viNNavar kOn tAL aNaiveer vikirta mAdar |
avvAya vAL neDungaN kuvaLai kATTa
aravindam mugam kATTa arugE Ambal
SevvAyin tiraL kATTum vayal Soozh kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 5
1182. EmperumAn incarnated as ParashurAma vanquishing the race of the kshatriya enemy kings and offered their blood (kurudi kOnDu)to his deceased ancestors. kaNNan slayed the ferocious wide mouthed asura(kEsi) who came disguised as a horse and killed the mighty elephant (vEzham atta) of kamsA . HE is the dEvAdi dEvan (viNNavar kON). Those who wish to surrender unto him, proceed to cheerAma viNNagaram where the womenfolk are extraordinarily beautiful. Their eyes are like the red water lily (neidal poo), face like the lotus flower(tAmaRai), lips like the red lily petals(chevaLLi) blooming in numerous ponds in this kshEtram.
AzhvAr praises the NyAyatvam attribute of parashurAma—Providing justice for all (5).
paDar vanattu kavandanODum paDaiyAr tiNkai
vengaN viral virAdan uha vil kunitta
viNNavarkOn tALaNaiveer verpupOlum |
tunga muha mALihai mEl Ahangoorum
tuDiyiDaiyAr mugakkamala SOdi tannAl
tingaL muham pani paDaikkum AzhahAr kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 6
1183. The daring, courageous and brilliant rAma with calm eyes(paiNkaN) was red faced due to anger (sem mukam). He bent his bow and shot arrows, killing the monkey king vAli. In the vast dandakAraNya forest, he vanquished the rakshasas kavandan and virAdan who had several weapons and warring eyes. Those who wish to prostrate at the feet (tAL aNaiveer) of this dEvAdi dEvan, residing in cheerAma viNNagaram, proceed to this ksEtram. The charming women with slender waist (tuDi iDaiyAr) are seen standing atop the towering ramparts, happily chatting (Ayam kooRum)with each other. The cool radiance from their lotus like big bright faces lit up the kshEtram causing the moon (tiNgaL) to hide behind the clouds, feeling inferior and upset.
AzhvAr glorifies Lord rAma with His attribute of Veeratvam—Being a hero (6).
paTTrum arindana pOla puvimEl Sinda
Seruvil valamburi Silaikkai malaittOL vEndan
tiruvaDi SErndu uigirpeer tirai neer teLhi |
maruvi valamburi kaitai kazhi ooDADi
vayal naNNi mazhai taruneer tavazh kAl manni
teruvil valamburi taraLam eenum kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 7
1184. Lord rAma, the son of the great Dasharatha Chakravarty with mountain-like shoulders (malai pOl vEndan) strung his powerful kOdaNDam (valam puri-bow) in the war. HE shot arrows and effortlessly slayed the ten heads of ravaNa of unparalleled strength (valam puri) who collapsed like a mound of anthill (puRRu maRindana pOl).Those who wish to firmly hold on to the feet of the victorious kOdanDa rAman proceed to cheerAma viNNagaram. This kshEtram is so divine that conches (valam puri saNgu) in the seas prefer to reside here! Azhwar describes this very beautifully. The shells pushed by the huge waves of the sea, land up in between the strong stems of the fragrant screwpine plants (thAzhampoo- kaidai kazhiuDu). They are then pushed into the fields due to rains. They then travel through canals in the fields. The heavy rain showers further push the kom into the streets where they settle down once the land dries. These scattered white shells of pearl seem to further beautify the city.
AzhvAr lauds the parAKramatvam of Lord rAma—valor. (7)
paNai neDundOL piNai neDungaN pAlAm inSol
maTTavizhum kuzgalikkA vAnOr kAvil
marangoNarndAn aDiyaNai veer aNilgaL tAva |
neTTilaiya karungamuhin SengAi veezha
neeL palavin tAzh Sinaiyil nerungu peena
teTTa pazham Sidaindu maduchchoriyum kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 8
1185. SatyabhAmA was one of Lord krishna’s consort who had hips like the hoods of a serpent covered by a veil of silk cloth (pattu arasu Er agal alkul),red coral like lips, round arms like bamboo, long eyes of a doe, sweet-milk like speech(pAl am in chol) and honey-laden fragrant flowers in her tresses. She desired to have the parijAta tree (night flowering jasmine or pavazhamalli) which she saw in indrA’s garden in dEva lOkA. kaNNan uprooted the pArijAta tree for her and planted it in her garden DwArakA. Those who wish to securely grasp on to the feet of that kaNNan, proceed to cheerAma viNnagaram where the Lord resides. Here, as squirrels jump and run on the branches, they cause the ripe fruits (teTTa pazham) of arecA nut trees to fall on the ripe jackfruits (neeL palavin)hanging low due to heaviness. These ripe fruits thus break and the sweet-smelling honey in them flows on the ground.
AzhvAr praises the attribute of PrEmam of Lord Krishna—One who showed pure love (8).
piramanai tan undiyilE tOTTruvittu
karai tanguvEl taDangaN tiruvai mArbil
kalandavan tAL aNaihirpeer kazhu neer kooDi |
turait angu kamalattu tuyinru kaitai
tODArum podi SOTTru chuNNam naNNi
Sirai vaNDu kaLi pADum vayal Soozh kAzhi
cheerAma viNNagarE SErmin neerE || 9
1186. EmperumAn shreeman nArAyanA holds Shiva with matted hair and cresent moon (piRai taNgu)on His right side. The red-edged spear-like eyed periya pirATTi (tiruvai)on His chest and brahmA on his navel (undi-nabhi kamalam). Those wish to firmly hold on to the feet of this emperumAn who is the ultimate-refuge, proceed to cheerAma viNNagaram. This beautiful kshEtram is filled with abundant water resources. The bees mate on the flowers of the perennial water plants(red water lily- seNkazhuneer)and proceed to sleep on the lotuses in the ponds. Next day as if intoxicated they roll on the pollen grains (chuNNam) of screw-pine plants(thazhampoo)with soft leaves and fly away joyfully singing along the fields.
AzhvAr glorifies Lord Shreeman nARAyaNa as the jagatkaraNatvam—The cause of the universe (9).
cheerAma viNNagarE en SengaN mAlai
angamala taDa vayal Soozh Ali nADan
aruL mAri araTTamukki aDaiyAr Seeyam |
kongu malar kuzgaliyar vEL mangai vEndan
koTTravEl parakAlan kaliyan Sonna
Sanga muha tamizh mAlai pattum vallAr
taDangaDal Soozh ulagukku talaivar tAmE || 10
1187. AzhvAr (kaliyan), the chief of tiruvAli (ALi nADan) surrounded by huge fields wrote these ten beautiful verses praising the compassionate red lotus eyed emperumAn(seNkaN mAl) of cheerAma viNNagaram. Here learned men are always seen chanting the vEdAs just like Lord brahmA. azhvAr establishes the truth that Lord Sriman nArAyana is the supreme being. AzhvAr is one who generously blesses the noble, like the rain bearing clouds(aruL mARi). Along with his army, holding the victorious spear (koRRa vEl) he subdues his enemies never to rise up again (araTTamukki), a lion to his foes (aDaiyAr seeyam) and yama to the opponents (parakAlan). He is also a favourite of beautiful women who adorn fragrant flowers on their long braids (kONgu malar kuzhaliyAr vEL) and an excellent administrator of tirumangai (maNgai vEndan). Those who dedicatedly recite these ten verses which were hailed and praised by the great sangam poets will gain a position of importance above all beings on the earth. (10)
ROMASA MAHARISHI
Romasar was a maharishi and a great devotee of Lord NArAyana. He wished to live a long life devoting his time in the thoughts of MahA VishNu. Hence he did tapas on the banks of river NarmadA. The lord appeared before him and granted a boon. With folded hands, he asked the lord to grant him the life of several thousands of BrahmAs. He wished to just meditate upon Him. This rishi’s body was covered with hair like a bear. EmperumAn granted the boon saying that when one BrahmA’s life comes to an end, one hair from the rishi’s body will fall off and hence he will live a life till he becomes hairless.
When BrahmA became arrogant thinking that he is immortal, emperumAn sent him to this Maharishi to know the truth. ROmasa rishi told brahmA that he had seen several BrahmAs. Thus, Lord BrahmA realized that he was not immortal.
PARIJATA APAHARANAM
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| KRISHNA AND SATHYABAMA RETURN WITH PARIJATA TREE TO DWARAKA |
Krishna and SatyabhAma reached IndralOka to return the earrings to aditi dEvi. They were welcomed with respect by Indra and his wife IndrAni.
IndrAni had adorned her braids with the fragrant pArijAta flowers(red coral jasmine or pavazhamalli pookkaL). SatyabhAma expressed her desire for the flowers. IndrAni arrogantly retorted saying that these flowers were worthy only for women of the swargalOka and not for mere humans like her.
SatyabhAma hurt by these words, expressed her desire to her Lord. Unable to bear the insult inflicted on his dear SatyabhAma, immediately Krishna summoned for his vehicle GaruDa and left for dEvalOka. He uprooted the pArijAta tree, carried it on GaruDa and planted it in the garden of SatyabhAmA in DwArakA.
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.5
PASURAMS 1188 TO 1197
TIRUVALI - 1
1188. vandunadu aDiyEn manam pugundAi
pugundadarpin vaNangum en
Sindanaikku iniyAi tiruvE ennAruyirE
andaLir aNiyAr aSOkin iLam
taLirgaL kalandu avai engum
Sendazhal puraiyum tiruvAli ammAnE || 1
1188. (VandunadaDi…) With great pride, AzhvAr realises that the Lord prefers to reside in the bhAgavata’s heart rather than in KsheerAbdi or Sri VaikunTham.
(Pukundadarpin vanangumen…) An interesting incident to connect this phrase follows.
When Srikrishna went as a messenger of the PANDavas to Duryodana’s court, inspite of Duryodana’s order to the co-emperors/rulers to not bow on Krishna's arrival, the entire court including Duryodana bowed before Krishna, stunned by his eternal glory. Thus, AzhvAr is no exemption from those who are stunned by the Lord’s glory. AzhvAr surrenders to the Lord and concludes that the TiruvAli, a place wherein the branches of Ashoka trees spread and make the entire area bright and red, is where Emperuman decided to stay in AzhvAr’s heart forever. (1)
kiDandadu pOl aravaNai
vElai talai kiDandAi aDiyEn manattu irundAi |
SOlaittalai kaNa mAmayil naDamADa
mazhaimugil pOnru ezhundu engum
Alai pugai kamazhum aNiyAli ammAnE || 2
1189. The peak of AzhvAr’s imagination can be felt in this pAsuram. It seems that, mistaking the smoke emitted from the jaggery extraction process at the sugarcane factory to be dark clouds, the peacocks would dance and celebrate the onset of rain.
AzhvAr sees the Lord even in nature and thus, personifies the majestic blue mountains which seem as if precious sapphire gems have fallen on them, to be Him, resting on Adisesha with Kaustubham at TirupaarkaDal. AzhvAr further rejoices and states that Emperuman has entered and chosen to reside in his heart. (2)
irAmai en manattE pugundadu
immaikku enru irundEn eri neer vaLam Seruvil
Senner koozhai varamboreee arivAr
mugattezhu vALai pOi karumbu
annal kADaNaiyum aNiyAli ammAnE || 3
1190. In this song, AzhvAr describes the fertile fields of TiruvAli and how the fishes swim to the neighboring sugarcane fields from paddy fields, fearing that the farmers would harm them. Farmers usually crop the paddy to half the length for easy harvest and during this time fishes would jump out. ("Erineer valanj seruvil…")
"immaikku enrirundEn"…By these words, AlinAdan valiantly narrates that vayalaali maNavaalan has come into his soul for the whole of this birth. (3)
1191. minnin mannu nuDangiDai maDavAr tam
Sindai marandu vandu nin
mannu SEvaDikkE maravAmai vaittAyAl
punnai mannu Serundi vaN pozhil
vAyagan paNaigaL kalandu engum
annam mannum vayal aNiyAli ammAnE || 4
1191. AzhvAr continues to describe the beauty of TiruvAli. He says that Narayana rests in an admirable place called ‘TiruvAli’, surrounded by the punnai (mast wood) groves, where swans swim joyfully in beautiful ponds. ("annam mannum kalandu vayal")
AzhvAr is surprised by the magnificent deed of the EmperumAn, who had urged him to forsake desirous thoughts of attractive women residing in TiruvAli and divert his attention to surrender at His Lotus feet.(4)
iNaiyaDi tozhudu Ettum en manam
vADa nee ninaiyEl maram eida mA munivA
pADal innoli Sangin OSai
parandu pal paNaiyAl malindu engum
ADalOSai arA aNiyAli ammAnE || 5
1192. Oh Lord! You are giving a divine darshan to all in a place where divine music is heard always; A place where the sound of the conch is heard and several cultural art forms like Koottu are performed. You are the one who skillfully aimed at the seven trees. I dedicate and offer fragrant flowers at your holy feet and I plead that you should never detach yourself from me. Thus, laments Tirumangai AzhvAr at TiruvAli. (5)
kAmar SEvaDi kaitozhudezhum
pundiyEn manattE pugundAyai pOgaloTTEn
Sandi vELvi SaDangu nAnmarai
Odi Oduvittu AdiyAi varum
andaNALar arA aNiyAli ammAnE || 6
1193. AzhvAr continues to express his elation in this pAsuram. Oh! AniyAli ammaaney! The Earth where you are gracing all, has several credits. It is the sacred sthalam where Nitya karmas (daily ablutions and duties to be performed by brahmins) like SandhyA Vandana, and Naimittika karmas like yagnas (sacred pyres) are being performed devotedly by Vedic scholars/brahmins. You chose to be in my heart and settled there willingly. Hence, I assure you that I will perform no deeds that convince you to move to another place. AzhvAr firmly decides that he will not allow the Lord to leave his heart. (6)
un aDiyEn manam pugundu ap
pulava puNNiyanE pugundAyai pOgaloTTEn
nilavu malar punnai nAzhal neezhal taN
tAmarai malarin miSai mali
alavan kaN paDukkum aNiyAli ammAnE || 7
1194. The Tirumangai King praises the fertile land of TiruvAli and says, Oh! AniyAli ammaaney! You are residing in a place where the male crabs rest on lotuses which blossom on the shadow of the NyAzhal tree (a tree that produces pollen only) and Punnai (mast wood) trees.
AzhwAr firmly decides that he will not allow the Lord, who has descended as a boon to him from Tirupaarkadal, to leave his manam. (7)
1195. Sangu tangu taDangaDal kaDan mallai
uL kiDandAiaruL purindu
ingu ennuL pugundAi inippOiyinAl araiyO
kongu SeNbaga malligai malar pulgi
inniLa vaNDu pOi iLan
tengin tAdaLaiyum tiruvAli ammAnE || 8
1195. Oh! Vayalaali ammaney! Earlier you were peacefully resting at Tirupaarkadal and Tirukadalmallai. Now you have chosen TiruvAli, the most beautiful place where the sweet bees after embracing, leave the champak (a flowering plant) due to its heat and fly away from the jasmine flowers to the coconut paalai trees. AzhvAr compares this action with that of dipping one’s hand into sandal paste during fevers or while running temperature. He further claims that even if the Almighty decided to vacate his soul, he would still taste victory and feel like a winner. (8)
ninnaDaindErku oru poruL
vEdiyA araiyA uraiyAi oru mARRam endAi
neediyAgiya vEda mA muniyALar
tORRam uraittu maRRavarku
AdiyAi irundAi aNiyAli ammAnE || 9
1196. The Tirumangai king who devoutly prays by uttering the sahasra namaas (1000 divine names of the Lord) repeatedly pleads to TiruvAli EmperumAn and says, Oh! vayalaali bagavaney! You are the one who is the ultimate creator. You are responsible for bringing mankind the vedas; The one for delivering the history of holy sages who are well versed in the veda - vedAntams. I believe in "oru porul vuraiyai, oru maatramuraiyai", that is, holding your sacred feet and completely surrendering to you (sharanAgati) is the only path to attain moksha. I plead to you and seek that you utter the one word,"Maashuchah" (meaning: don't be in distress/sorrow, I am there to guard you) and bless me abundantly. (9)
1197. pulli vaNDaraiyum pozhil puDai Soozh
tennAli irunda mAyanai
kallin mannu tiNDOL kaliyan oli Seida
nalla inniSai mAlai nAlumOr
aindum onrum navinru tAmuDan
vallarAi uraippArku iDamAgum vAnulagE || 10
1197. AzhvAr firmly concludes that one who faithfully chants these ten musically woven verses will definitely attain salvation and reach VaikunTha. He says, "Vallarayirupaarku idam vaanulagu aagum", in other words, wherever a Bhaagavata chants these pAsurams (which are sung in praise of the fertile TiruvAli grove wherein the songs of the chirping bees are constantly heard), that place itself becomes as divine as Paramapadam. One need not go in search of it separately, claims the magnificent and strong-shouldered AzhvAr in these beautiful set of pAsurams. (10)
PERIYA THIRUMOZHI - 3.6
PASURAM 1198 - 1207
TIRUVALI - 2
TALAIVI PASURAM
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| TIRUVALI MANAVALAN |
This decade is also about TIRUVALI MANAVALAN. In the previous decade AzhwAr experienced the nearness of the Lord in his mind and went to the extent of embracing Him but with a disillusion. AzhwAr's disappointment leads him to lament transforming himself to the feminine form as 'ParakAla NAyaki upon the separation of her lover.
In the first four pAsurams AzhwAr sends bees and birds on errands to the Lord. In the rest of the pAsurams he cries to the Lord lamenting his frustrations.
1198. too viriya malar uzhakki tuNaiyODum piriyAdE
pooviriya madu nugarum pori variya Siru vaNDE |
tee viriya marai vaLarkum pugazhALar tiruvAli
Evari venjilaiyAnukku ennilaimai uraiyAyE || 1
1198. Oh! Tiny bee with stripes and dots! You spread your tiny wings to drink honey from the bloomed flowers squashing the petals without separating from your partner. Please go to "TIRUVALI", the abode of Lord "TIRUVALI MANAVALAN" who holds the bow with the arrow, where the Vedic scholars are revered because of the flawless sacrifices they do with high rising sacred fire and explain to Him about my state.
The Shreevaishnavas who follow the karma-gyAna yogas are generally referred to the bees with their two wings. By asking the bees to go to the Lord, he indirectly refers to the srivaishnavAs to surrender to the Lord and also requests them to ask the Lord to grant the same bhagavat anubhavam for AzhvAr perpetually. It is the general custom to attain the supreme Lord through Vedic scholars. (1)
aNimalar mEl madu nugarum aru kAla Siru vaNDE |
maNikezhuneer marungalarum vayalAli maNavALan
paNiyariyEn neeSenru en payalai nOi uraiyAyE || 2
1199. Oh! Tiny bee with six legs, (அறு கால் சிறு வண்டே) sitting on the slowly blooming beautiful aromatic blue water lily (நீல மலர்,) you make honey from these flowers along with your partner squashing the petals in the process. I am unaware of the intentions of my Lord MANAVALAN who is seated in the beautiful place surrounded by well bloomed beautiful groves called TIRUVALI. I don't know if He has forgotten me or even keeps thinking about me? Whether he plans to take me to Him or does he even know that I am suffering due to His separation? You please go to Him and inform about my present suffering due to this (பயலை நோய்) disease. (2)
1200. neer vAnam maNNeri kAlAi ninra neDumAl tan
tArAya naruntuLavam perundagaiyErku aruLAnE |
SeerArum vaLar pozhil Soozh tiruvAli vayal vAzhum
koorvAya Siru kurugE kuripparindu koorAyE || 3
Stork/crane as a messenger.
1200. Oh! Tiny crane with a sharp beak, my Lord the supreme TirumAl who governs from within the water, space, earth, fire and wind [Five elements/Panchabhootas] has not given His fragrant garland of tulasi to me who is most deserving. You live in the fields of the great TIRUVALI surrounded by well nurtured orchards. Please go find out and let me know what His intentions are about me. (3)
1201. tAnAga ninaiyAnEl tanninaindu naivErku Or
meenAya koDi neDuvEL vali Seyya melivEnO |
tEn vAya vari vaNDE tiruvAli nagarALum
AnAyarku en uru nOi ariyachchenru uraiyAyE || 4
Bee as a messenger.
1201. Oh! Sweetly speaking striped bee, even though my Lord does not think about me, I am getting emaciated constantly thinking about Him. Can I become weak and thin impacted by Manmadan who holds the fish flag? You please go and explain about my disease to the cowherd head KaNNan who rules the place called TIRUVALI.
After sending them on errands, as the nAyaki was constantly thinking about her Lord, she now feels as though He is present before her and starts lamenting. (4)
nANALum nin ninaindu naivErku Oh maNNaLanda |
tALALA taN kuDandai nagarALA varai eDutta
tOLALA entanakkOr tuNaiyALan AnAyE || 5
1202. Oh! Lord, possessing the feet with which you measured the world, Oh! ruler of the cool TirukkuDandai, Oh! Lord who lifted the Govardhana mountain with your strong shoulders, tears roll down my sword like eyes, my breasts become pale and I get depressed thinking about you day in and out. So please come and become my best companion.
P.S. The mentioning of breasts in this pAsuram is indicative of bhakti which AzhwAr connotes might fade away and lose color if He does not show up. (5)
pOrAnai komboSitta puTpAgan ennammAnE |
tErArum neDuveedi tiruvAli nagarALum
kArAyan ennuDaiya kanavALaiyum kavarvAnO || 6
1203. My Lord who has chest as strong as a mountain is adorned with Tulasi garland which is slushy due to the furrowing of the bees while drinking honey. He who broke the tusks of the kuvalayApeeDam elephant that came to attack Him and who drives on Garuda is my master. This cloud hued Lord KaNNan who rules TIRUVALI with its chariot parading broad streets, has abducted my bangles too. [as she became lean and thin due to the separation, even her bangles slid from her hands]. (6)
paNDaravin aNai kiDandu pAraLanda paNbALA |
vaNDamarum vaLar pozhil Soozh vayalAli maindA en
kaN tuyil nee koNDAikku en kanavaLaiyum kaDavEnO || 7
1204. Oh! Lord, you reclined on the snake bed Adiseshan over the TirupArkadal with its magnificent tides and you measured this world out of compassion. Oh! hero of TIRUVALI which is surrounded by fields and orchards where bees live! You disturbed my sleep and took it away. Isn't that enough? Do I have to lose my thick bangles too? (7)
tuyilAda kaNNiNaiyEn ninninaindu tuyarvEnO |
muyalAlum iLamadikkE vaLai izhandErku idu naDuvE
vayalAli maNavALA koLvAyO maNi niramE || 8
1205. Oh! Lord who performed kuDa koottu dance, you are present in the cool Tirukkudanthai surrounded by well grown groves and where the cuckoos rejoice. With sleepless eyes I become depressed and saddened constantly thinking about you. As the moon having a shadow like a rabbit rises, I lose my weight and my bangles. Amidst all these sufferings is it fair on your part to make me pale and take away my colour? Oh! TIRUVALI MANAVALA ? (8)
mulaiyALa orunAL un agalattAl ALAyE |
SilaiyALA maram eida tiralALA tirumeyya
malaiyALA neeyALa vaLaiyALa mATTOmE || 9
1206. The Master of the ShArnga bow, the mighty Lord who pierced all the seven sAlA trees (for Sugreeva to gain trust)! Oh! ruler of the place Tirumeyyam, even if you are not willing to accept me as your servant, at least for a single day won't you give me the pleasure of embracing you? If at all you govern me I wouldn't have to worry about the state of my bangles. (9)
1207. mai ilangu karunguvaLai marungalarum vayalAli
neyyilangu SuDarAzhi paDaiyAnai neDumAlai |
kai ilangu vEl kaliyan kaNDu uraitta tamizh mAlai
aiyiraNDum ivai vallArku aru vinaigaL aDaiyAvE || 10
From ParakAla nAyaki, he returns to his original self and gives phalashruti.
1207. Tirumangai AzhwAr also referred as Kaliyan bearing a spear in his hand has written these ten verses on Lord TirumAl bearing the sharp discuss (ChakrAyudham) and who resides in TIRUVALI which is abundant with the bloomed dark lily flowers (கருங்குவளை). Those who practice singing these ten pAsurams shall be devoid of all the sins. (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.7
PASURAMS 1208 TO 1217
TIRUVALI- 3
'TAY PASURAMS'
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| PARAKALAY NAYAKI WITH TIRUVALI VAYALAI MANAVALAN |
In the previous decad, AzhvAr assumed the form of ‘parakAla nAyaki’ and expressed her restlessness to unite with vayalAli maNavAla perumAl of tirvAli tirunagari.
In this decad, ‘parakAla nAyaki’ is missing. Her mother, 'tiru tAyAr' sleeps beside her love-stricken daughter trying to console her. She wakes up to see her daughter missing. She wonders if vayalAli maNavALan could have taken her away. She gets up and looks outside and to her surprise she sees both of them holding their hands and walking away in triumph. She is shocked and worried. She contemplates, 'Will my playful daughter be happy? 'Will He put her in a trance in on the way? Will He straight away take her to paramapadam? Or will they reach the nearby tiruvAli so that I can go and see my dear daughter?' Hence, the repetitive phrase 'Ali puguvarkolO?'
The mother’s anxiety curve relating to the wellness of her darling daughter has been wondrously portrayed by AzhvAr in these ten ‘tAy pAsurams’.
vaLLi marungul endan maDa mAninai pOda enru |
veLLi vaLai kai paRRa peRRa tAyarai iTTu aganru
aLLam poongazhani aNiyAli puguvar kolO || 1
1208. The mother exclaims:
Oh! Is He a thief? (kaLvan kol), I really don’t know! (yAn aRiyEn). A dark young boy (kariyAn oru kALai - vayalAli maNavAlan) persuaded my daughter who looks like a fawn and has a waist as slender as a creeper to go with Him! He grasped her hands decorated with white bangles, and my mesmerized daughter went away with him leaving me all alone.
In the mutual passion for each other, I doubt whether they will reach the flower filled green lands of tiruvAli safely? “Ali puguvarkolO!”(1)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.7.1
KALVAN KOL YAAN ARIYEN
In this pAsuram, the mother refers to vayalAli manavALan as kaLvan. She calls Him a thief because He carried away parakAla nAyaki without her permission.
We also call KrishNa as the thief of butter when he stole butter from the houses of cowherd women, thief of clothes when He stole the clothes of Gopikas at the pond and the thief of hearts when He mesmerized the Gopikas into rAsa leelA.
But the mother says this with a doubt – ‘kaLvan kol - ? yAn aRiyEn! - I am not sure’. She probably realised in a second that KrishNa owns everything. KrishNa loves those who love Him. If parakAla nAyaki became so dear to Him that He took her away, can He be charged as 'a thief'. Is this a theft?
This can be understood from the following shloka.
किम् तेन कृतम् पापम् चोरेन आत्म अपहारिणा ||
yO anyathA santam AtmAnam anyathA pratipadyatE|
kim tEna na kRtam pApam chOrEna Atma apahAriNA||
(mahAbhArata, udyOga Parva 42.35)
Our soul is the property of the Supreme Lord. Those jeevAtmAs who consider it to be their own property, preach something and pretend to be something else are verily thieves. What could be more sinful than the sin of ‘Atma apaharaNam’ - the theft of self from the Supreme Self?
toNDai am SenganivAi nugarndAnai ugandu avan pin|
keNDai oN kaN miLira kiLi pOl mizhaRRi naDandu
vaNDamar kAnal malgum vayalAli puguvarkolO || 2
Oh, virtuous young lady (nangAy)! Once upon a time, this Ali maNavAlan was a thief among the cowherds. (paNDivan Ayan), stealing butter and gOpis. But now, He entered my house and has relished the amRutam of my daughter’s lips that are red like kOvai fruit. My daughter was enticed by Him. Her fish like eyes rolled in gleam. Prattling like a parrot, she has gone behind him now.
Will they both safely reach tiruvAli which is rich in mangroves and fields hovered around by bees. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (2)
venjina mookkarinda viralOn tiram kETkil meyyE |
panjiya mellaDi em paNai tOLi parakkazhindu
vanji andaN paNai Soozh vayalAli puguvarkolO || 3
1210. Another lady tries to comfort the mother in a sweet voice. The mother replies:
Oh, young lady with a sweet speech! (ven chol nangAy). I am really afraid!! (meyyE anjuvan). I heard that as in the days of yore, in danDakAraNya forest, Shoorpanakha, the daughter of the rAkshasha kula came in disguise and forced Lord rAma to marry her. But rAma followed the Ekapatni dharma. Upset with her, He asked LakshmaNa to cut her nose. (After this Lord rAma and seetA were separated). Thinking of all this, I am worried about my dear daughter whose feet are as tender as cotton and shoulders are as beautiful as bamboo.
She has gone with Him. Hope all is well. Will they safely reach tirvAli, the beautiful place surrounded by cool water bodies? “Ali puguvarkolO!” (3)
tooduvan Ayavanoor SolveergaL Solleer ariyEn |
mAdavan tan tuNaiyA naDandAL taDam Soozh puravil
pOdu vaNDADu Semmal punalAli puguvarkolO || 4
1211. The next lady asks: “Who is the boy who took her away? Do you know his whereabouts? Is he a kshatriya or a vaishya? The mother replies:
Oh, I don’t know which community he belongs to. (He was born in yadukulam, lineage of King Yadu, but he was raised in iDaikulam, the race of cowherds). But I just saw him. He is young and handsome. I have heard that he was a messenger for the pANDavas and he was the one who blew the conch for the mahAbhArata war. I don’t know which place he belongs to. If any of you know about him, please tell me. He called her to tiruvAli and she left with him saying that mAdhavan is her companion.
Will they safely reach tiruvAli, the famous place filled with rivers, lakes, and groves in which bees drink honey from beautiful flowers. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (4)
mAyanai mAdavanai madittu ennai aganra ivaL |
vEyena tOL viSiri peDaiyannam ena naDandu
pOyina poongoDiyAL punalAli puguvarkolO || 5
1212. My broad-shouldered daughter walked away with her favourite mAdhavan, the charmer mAyan. Though she knows well that a daughter should love and respect her mother, she ignored me and went away behind vayalAli maNavaLan. She thinks that I am less important because she has attained the supreme bliss of uniting with the great tirumAl. Oh! She knows that He is well experienced in taking care of Shree Devi, so she will also be pampered well. How do I explain the way my daughter walked away stylishly like a swan sporting her slender waist and her bamboo like shoulders?
Let it be. If she is happy with Him, it is enough. Will they both safely reach tiruvAli, the place abundant with water. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (5)
tan tuNaiyAya endan tanimaikkum irangiRRilaL |
van tuNai vAnavarkAi varanSeRRu arangattu uraiyum
in tuNaivannODum pOi ezhilAli puguvarkolO || 6
1213. I brought her up thinking that she will take care of me when I need her. But look at her. She has no mercy for me. She is not even worried that her mother will be all alone. She has gone behind RanganAtha perumAl of Srirangam, the protector of the dEvas. He won over RAvana who was wandering with pride that he was indestructible (varam cheRRu).
It seems she has gone with the best companion, tirumAl. Will they both reach tiruvAli safely. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (6)
pinnai tan kAdalan tan perundOL nalam pENinaLAl |
minnaiyum vanjiyaiyum venru ilangum iDaiyAL naDandu
punnaiyum annamum Soozh punalAli puguvarkolO || 7
1214. My daughter neither cared for her mother nor her father. She only wanted to enjoy the broad shoulders of KrishNa, nappinai’s beloved (pinnai tan kAdalan). Oh! My dear daughter has a waist slenderer than a lightning or a creeper. Will she be able to walk so long with him?
Will they safely reach tiruvAli which has a good spread of punnai trees (mast wood), water resources and swans? “Ali puguvarkolO!”(7)
SiRRil men poovaiyum viTTu aganra SezhungOdai tannai |
peRRilEn muRRizhaiyai pirappili pinnE naDandu
maRRellAm kaitozhappOi vayalAli puguvarkolO || 8
1215. I wonder! My daughter was a little girl playing with a winnow (muRRil-muram), a green parrot (piengkili), a ball (pandu), a swing (oosal-oonjal) and with little starling birds (poovai birds) chirping in the bird houses (siRRil). ( Little girls used to sieve sand with a small winnow and make small sand houses called ‘siRRil’ for small birds). I can’t believe that she has forgotten all her favorites behind and gone with Him.
My daughter who is like a soft fragrant flower garland is decked fully with jewelry and is walking behind the eternal Lord who is birthless (pirappu ili). Oh, What a beautiful sight it would have been? Everyone on the way must be enjoying watching them walk together. They may be feeling so lucky to have got a glimpse of the divine union. How unfortunate I am! Because I am her mother, I am missing all this.
I only wish they safely reach tiruvAli. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (8)
pAviyEn peRRamaiyAl paNaittOLi parakkazhindu|
tooviSEr annam anna naDaiyAL neDumAlODum pOi
vAvi andaN paNai Soozh vayalAli puguvarkolO || 9
1216. The mother seems to settle down. Now, she does not want to give up her daughter. She talks in support of her daughter’s excellence.
My daughter has pleasant eyes like that of the blue lotus (kAvi am kaNNi). She is no lesser than periya pirATTi (kaDi mAmalar pAvai) to be a fit consort for Him. And what to say about her shoulders! They are elegant like bamboo.
It is unfortunate that she was born from me. That’s the reason why she is bearing the blame of running away, although she has gone with the supreme Lord, neDumAl.
I hope they both will safely reach tiruvAli surrounded by ponds and cool lakes. “Ali puguvarkolO!” (9)
tAimanam ninru iranga taniyE neDumAl tuNaiyA
pOyina poongoDiyAL punalAli puguvar enru |
kAiSina vEl kaliyan oliSeida tamizh mAlai pattum
mEviya nenjuDaiyAr tanjamAvadu viNNulagE || 10
1217. The mother of parakAla nAyaki was worried whether her slender daughter who went away alone from the house with vayalAli maNavALa perumAL would reach the beautiful tiruvAli safely. Those who love to sing this garland of 10 tamizh verses composed by kaliyan, the one with the spear, the one whom enemies fear, will attain paramapadam without doubt. (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.8
PASURAMS 1218 TO 1227
TIRUNANGUR DIVYA DESAMS - 1/11
TIRUMANIMADA KOVIL
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| TIRUMANIMADA KOVIL, TIRUNANGUR |
Starting with this tirumozhi, tirumangai AzhvAr performs mangalAshAsanam to each of the eleven divyadesams, which together constitute what is popularly known as the tirunAngur Divyadesam. It is referred to as nAngoor nAlAyiram, owing to the fact that four thousand clans lived here. In this tirumozhi, AzhvAr's mangalAshAsanam is dedicated to the presiding deity, nArAyanan of tirumaNimADa kOvil.
In all these ten pAsurams, AzhvAr describes the avatAra vishEsham in the first part and gives a vivid description of the flourishing fertility of the kshEtram in the second part.
tadangaDalai kaDaindu amudam koNDu uganda kALai
nalam koNDa karumugil pOl tirumEni ammAn
nADOrum magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
Sanlam koNDu malar Soriyum malligai oN Serundi
SeNbagangaL maNa nArum vaN pozhilinooDE
valam koNDu kayalODi viLaiyADum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 1
1218. The Lord is the resplendent, perpetually glowing lamp exuding wisdom (nandA viLakkE)
He is of immeasurable glory, not limited by time, space or object ( aLatharku ariyAy).
He took avatAr as nara and nArAyaNA and preached the divine ashtAkshara mantram for the salvation of mankind (nara nArAyaNanE).
He is dark hued like the rain laden clouds ( karumAmugil).
Thus, lauding the glory of the Lord, the dEvAs assembled in this kshEtram and prayed to be blessed.
In this kshEtram, the honey sucking bees buzz around humming melodious tunes, and beetles sing along ( mizhaRRu) as if in an opera. The pArijAta trees grow aplenty, giving shade and spreading fragrance.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to the maNimAda kOvil. maNimADa kovil vaNangen manamE! (1)
dEvaroDu dAnavargaL tiSaippa iraNiyanai
naNNi avanmArvagalattu ugir maDutta nAdan
nALtOrum magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
eNNil migu perum Selvattu ezhil viLangu maraiyum
EzhiSaiyum vELvigaLum iyanra perunguNattOr
maNNil migu maraiyavargaL maliveidum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 2
1219. Long back, on the banks of the deep pond, the crocodile ferociously bit into the leg of the elephant, gAjEndran, who had come to pluck the lotus to offer to Lord nArAyanA. The Lord came rushing to the spot on His GaruDa vAhanam ( vidalaitalai) to give solace to the shuddering (vidhalai) elephant whose eyes had become red because of the pain caused.
The perumAl who relieved the agony of gajEndran resides in this kshEtram.
This kshEtram is dotted with tall fortresses reaching the sky, with spires (padalai). The balconies (mADam) are studded with bright gems. The portico (neRRi) has beautiful pillars made of corals! In the nooks (madalai talai) of these pillars, the pigeons and doves (peDai) strut happily together.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kOvil! maNimADa kOvil vaNangen manamE ! (2)
amudu Seidu tiru vayiTTrin aran koNDu tiriyum
muNDamadu niraittu avan kaN SAbamadu neekkum
mudalvan avan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
eNDiSaiyum perum Sennel iLan tengu kadali
ilai koDi oN kulai kamuhODu iSali vaLam Soriya
vaNDu pala iSaipADa mayilAlum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 3
1220. The Lord once saved the wild elephant whose head bears the injury marks (caused by the elephant goad, ankusham, pricks made by the mahout who tames it -puNN thalai), from the savage clutches of the crocodile. Delighted with perumAl for His benevolent deed, pirAtti, who was born from the fragrant lotus surrounded by its large, wide leaves, embraced Him. It is this perumAl who resides in this kshEtram.
In this kshEtram, the river Cauvery flows, bringing along, the ivory tusks of elephants slayed ( alaipuNda) by the ferocious lions, beautiful pearls, white chAmaram ( white hair of yak, used as fly whisk.... an insignia of royalty), aghil trees (agarwood) and the wealth from the mountains along the course of the river.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kovil! maNimADa kovi vaNangen manamE! (3)
kAdoDu mooku uDanariya kadari avaL ODi
talaiyil angai vaittu malai ilangai puga Seidu
taDandOLan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
Silai ilangu maNimADattu uchcgimiSai Soolam
SezhungoNDal agaDeriya Sorinda Sezhu muttam
malai ilangu mALigai mEl maliveidum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 4
1221. This kshEtram is the residence of the Lord, who once riding on the wonderful, winged garudA (uvaNappuL) entered the battlefield and shattered the rAkshasA army, which was armed with blood stained spears, making them scatter in all the eight directions. He destroyed the city of Lanka, which is surrounded by the sea.
The austere brAhmaNAs living in this kshEtram perform hOmams with the three sacrificial fires( gArhapatyam, Ahavaneeyam and dakshinAgni). They are well versed in the four Vedas ( rig, yajur, sAma and atharva). They perform the five mahA yagnas( brahma, dEva, bhootha, pitru and manushya yagnam). They have learnt the six branches of the vEdas ( shikshA, vyAkaraNam, chandas, niruktam, jyOtisham and kalpam). They know the seven swaras in music.
These brAhmaNAs pay obeisance to the Lord in this famed kshEtram, due to which it has gained prominence.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kOvil! maNimADa kOvil vaNangen manamE!! (4)
THE STORY OF MALYAVAN, SUMALI AND MALI.
These rAkshasas ruled over Lanka, much before rAvaNA became the ruler. They were a menace to the dEvAs and harassed them. They sought the help of LORD NARAYANA, who, mounting on His Garuda vAhanam, destroyed the rAkshasA army. While mAli was slayed, sumAli and mAlyavAn went into hiding.
vEndan muDi orupadum tOLirupadum pOyudira
tannigaril Silai vaLaittu anru ilangai poDi Seida
tadandOLan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
SenneloDu sEngamalam SEl kayalgaL vALai
sengazhuneeroDu miDaindu kazhani tigazhndu engum
mannupugazh vEdiyargaL maliveidum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 5
1222. The Lord who dwells in this kshEtram is none other than krishNA, who sucked the poisoned milk along with the soul from the bejeweled breasts of the evil pootanA.
Krishna flung the asuran who came in the guise of a calf (vatsAsuran) on another asuran who had taken the form of a wood apple ( kapithAsuran) and killed both of them.
He also slayed the asuran who had planted himself as a well rooted kurundha tree and crushed it such that its leaves were desiccated ( thazhai vAda).
( These were all asuras sent by kamsA to kill krishnA.)
He entered the large pond filled with lotuses and joyfully played with the AyarpAdi girls.
In this kshEtram, the leaves of the trees sway gently in the breeze, and flower creepers (valli kulam) nearby (mAdE) also sway along with it. The cuckoos coo and the peacocks dance in the groves, as the clouds gather.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kOvil in tirunAngoor where there are many palaces with tall masts (needu) with flags fluttering atop. maNimADa kOvil vaNangen manamE! (5)
taDa thAmarai poigai pukku.... He entered the pond and won over the poisonous snake kALiyan who lived in it with his wives.
pEyinadu uruvukoDu mALa uyiruNDu
tiNmai migu marudoDu narcgakaDam iruttu aruLum
dEvan avan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
uNmai migu maraiyODu narkalaigaL nirai poraigaL
udavu koDai enru ivaTTrin ozhivillA periya
vaNmai migu maraiyavargaL maliveidum nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 6
1223. The Lord who resides in this kshEtram is indeed krishnA, who sucked the poisoned milk unfit to be consumed (uNNA mulai) along with the soul of the evil (vanja) pootanA with gaping mouth (pagu vAi). The AyarpAdi women with musical voices were awe struck to see this deed of Krishna.
After heartily munching away on the well grown sugarcane, the young buffaloes with mud on its beautiful horns, lay in the ponds filled with senkazhuneer flowers, unable to move! Such is the fertility of this kshEtram.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kOvil! MaNimADa kovil vaNangen manamE! (6)
vEl neDungaN AichcgiyargaL vaitta tayir veNNai
uLanguLira amudu Seidu ivvulagu uNDa kALai
ugandu inidu naLtOrum maruvi urai kOyil |
iLambaDi narkamugu kulai tengu koDi Sennel
een karumbu kaNvaLara kAl taDavum punalAl
vaLam oNDa perum Selvam vaLaru maNi nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 7
1224. In the pond filled (vaigu) with the buds and blooms of the lotuses, lived the savage, poisonous snake, the kAlingan. Krishna entered this pond and placed His holy feet on the hood of kAlingan. He danced on it until the snake was exhausted. It is this perumAl who resides in this kshEtram.
The gypsies who have adorned their hands with bangles walk along the streets lined with palaces with tall flag masts reaching the moon, stopping at each door step. They barter their fine, pure, precious pearls for the white paddy grains.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kovil! maNimADa kovil vaNangen manamE! (7)
SwApadEsham for this pasuram as envisioned by our AchAryas:
The value of precious gems are not realised by the common people. They dispose it off for a tuppence in exchange for trivial gains. The jeweller who buys it knowing it's worth, sells it at a lucrative price to the king. The king prefers to enjoy the priceless gem!
Similarly, the simple samsAri, who hasn't realised the real purpose of prapatti, is satisfied asking for simple worldly pleasures in return.
However, the elevated souls, realizing the worth of prapatti, aspire for mOksham and use it as a platform to attain the same.
The enlightened souls do not even consider prapatti to be a path leading to mOksham, but prefer to meditate on it and consider it as the primordial goal of life. They perform prapatti as a yagna and as a kainkaryam for its own sake, without any menial expectation.
aDalAzhi taDakkaiyan alarmagaTkum ararkum
koorAga koDuttu aruLum tiru uDamban imaiyOr
kula mudalvan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
mArAda malar kamalam Sengazhuneer tadumbi
maduveLLam ozhuga vayal uzhavar maDai aDaippa
mArAda perun Selvam vaLarum maNi nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 8
1225. This kshEtram is the residence of the perumAl who hid the garments of the dark, curly haired gopis, while they were bathing.
He trampled on the sandcastles built by them.
He indulged in playing joyously with the dainty young girls of AyarpAdi and made them yearn for Him.
This kshEtram rings with the chanting of vedas.
The pet parrots with red beaks (kiLLai), raised by the brAhmaNas, sweetly chirp ( mudhirAdha insol) the vEdAs with their clear tone.
The brAhmaNa women, with eyes like the spear and shining teeth, also chant the vEdA, having assimilated the verses as the vaidikAs chant.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to the maNimADa kovil which reverberates with vedic chants. maNimADa kovil vaNangen manamE! (8)
mAmunivar palarkooDi mA malargaL toovi
engaL tani nAyaganE emakkuaruLAi ennum
eeSan avan magizhndu inidu maruvi urai kOyil |
Sengayalum vALaigaLum Sennel iDaikkudippa
SEl ugaLum Sezhum paNai Soozh veedidOrum iDaindu
mangul madi agaDurinjum maNimADa nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagaram vaNangu maDanenjE || 9
1226. In this kshEtram, the dEvAs pray and worship the Lord as...
The extraordinary perumAl (vikirthA) who controlled and bridled the seven rogue bulls and embraced nappinnai pirAtti (Aychi) with slender arms.
He holds the resplendent weapon chakra and the incomparable shankam.
This kshEtram's rich and diverse natural wealth includes the beautiful ponds where swans with red webbed feet, along with their mates (peDai) nestle inside the lotuses, making the nectar from the flowers flow into the canals and ducts.
Oh mind! Pay obeisance to this maNimADa kovil! maNimADa kovil vaNangen manamE! (9)
Sangumali taNDu mudal Sakkara mun Endum
tAmaraikkaN neDiya pirAn tAn amarum kOyil
vangamali kaDa lulagil maliveidu nAngoor
vaigunda viNNagar mEl vaNDaraiyum pozhil Soozh |
mangaiyar tam talaivan maruvalar tam uDal tuNiya
vAL veeSum parakAlan kalikanri Sonna
Sangamali tamizh mAlai pattivai vallArgaL
taraNiyoDu viSumbALum tanmai peruvArE || 10
1227. Tirumangai AzhvAr who contents in performing kainkaryam to perumAl, dedicated this tamil garland of ten pAsurams to the sarvEshwaran of this kshEtram, maNimADa kovil. This temple is surrounded by groves with buzzing bees. Kaliyan, is the chieftain of the country of mangai, which is abounded with fields.
Those who recite these pAsurams will attain the exalted position, where people will fall at their feet. Seated on an elephant, they will rule over the earth surrounded by the sea. (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.9
PASURAMS 1228 TO 1237.
TIRU VAIKUNTA VINNAGARAM
TIRUNANGUR DIVYA DESAM- 2/11
After doing maNgalAshasanam to the Lord at tirumaNimADa kOvil, AzhvAr proceeds to tiruvaikuNTha viNNagaram in tirunAngoor divya dEsam. Witnessing the charming Lord VaikuNThanAthar (moolavar) in seated posture (veeRRurunda kOlam) as in paramapadam, AzhvAr does maNgalAshAsanam to the Lord.
In these ten verses he coaxes his mind (nenjam or manasu) to prostrate and do prapatti to this lord. vaikuNTa viNNagaram vaNangu maDa nenjE! says AzhvAr.
nara nAraNanE karu mA muhil pOl
endAi emakkE aruLAi ena ninru
imaiyOr paravuvm iDam ettiSaikkum |
kandAram andEn iSai pADa mADE
kaLi vaNDu mizhaTTra nizhal tudaindu
mandAram ninru maNam malhum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 1
1228. nenjE! Worship this lord in tiruvaikunTha viNNagaram who resides here!
He is the one who split the broad chest of the asura king hiraNyan, churned the surging ocean (taDakkaDalai) and gave sweet nectar (amrutam) to the dEvAs making them happy. He is the emperumAn with a dark hued complexion, ever youthful, contended (bhOgyamAnavan-inidu) and gratifying (magizhndu) . This kshEtram is filled with sweet smelling jasmine, the majestic mast-wood trees (soorapunnai) and the ever-fragrant champak trees (shenbakam ) surrounded by ponds. The fishes in them attracted by the fragrance from the trees, jump and play in the water. (1)
mudu neer taDattu chengaN vEzham uyya
vidalai talai chenru adarkE udavi
vinai teertta ammAn iDam viN aNavum |
padalai kapOdattu oLi mADa neTTri
pavaLa kozhungAla paingAl puravam
madalai talai men peDai kooDum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 2
1229. nenjE! Glorify this lord who does nityavAsam in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram.
He is Shreeman nArAyana who created fear in the asurAs and gave relief to the dEvAs and humans, incarnating as lord Narasimha (tiNNiyadu Or aRi uruvAi). Using his long sharp nails (ugir) as a weapon, he pierced them into the chest of the powerful and ferocious hiraNyan and slayed him. This beautiful holy place is filled with eminent vEdic scholars, highly knowledgeable men with great discipline and character, endowed with immense wealth of saptaswarAs and vEdAnta. (2)
ilai puNDareehattavaL inbam anbODu
aNaindiTTa ammAn iDam ALariyAl |
alaippuNDa yAnai maruppum ahilum
aNi muttum veN SAmaraiyODu ponni
malaippaNDam aNDattirai undu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 3
1230. nenjE! Prostrate the jagatkAraNabhootan (mudalvan avan) and sarvEshwaran who cheerfully and gladly dwells in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram.
He is the emperumAn who ingested (amudu seidu) the upper and lower worlds, the universe, the water bodies and the sentient and non-sentient in his stomach during the deluge. He is the one who absolved Lord Shiva of the sin (avan kaN shApam adu neeNga) incurred due to brahmahatti dOsham, begging to fill the skull stuck to his palm. All around this kshEtram, tall healthy paddy crops, young coconut trees and banana trees (kadali) can be seen. It is further beautified by betel vines intertwined in the thick branches of the fragrant areca-nut trees. Hence, here, bees seem to be humming in different rAgas and peacocks dance gracefully. (3)
tiSai nAngum nAngum iriya Seruvil
karaiyAr neDuvEl arakkar maDiya
kaDal Soozh ilangai kaDandAn iDam tAn |
muraiyAl vaLarkinra mutteeyar nAl vEdar
aivELvi Arangar EzhiniSaiyOr
maraiyOr vaNanga puhazh eidum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 4
1231. maDa nenjE! Without fail, worship this emperumAn who resides peacefully in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram concealing his attribute of veeratvam.
The princess of the asura clan (soorpanakhA-arakkar kula koDiyai) approached Lord rAma making Herself appear very beautiful. The broad shouldered emperumAn (taDa tOLan) caused Lakshmana to cut off her nose and ears. She fled screaming with pain holding her palms on her head to her brothers in janasthAna and lankA atop the mountain. Later the valorous lord vanquished all these asurA clan. This city has beautiful gem-studded ramparts, says AzhvAr. The skewers (soolam) planted at the tip of the mansions for protection, seemed to split the lower portion of the beautiful dark clouds (chezhu konDal)and droplets of water trickled from them like string of pearls and decorated the houses in these mansions. (4)
iLanganru koNDu viLangAi erindu
tazhai vADa van tAL kurundam oSittu
taDamtAmarai poihai pukkAn iDam tAn |
kuzhaiyADa valli kulamADa mADE
kuyil koova neeDu koDi mADam nalhu
mazhaiyADu SOlai mayilAlu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 5
1232. nenjE! With reverence, prostrate the parAkramashAli and mahAveeran Shreeman nArAyana who resides cheerfully in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram which is a unique divya dEsam.
rAvana had abducted seetA pirATTi whose waist was subtle like the lightning. Lord rAma, the great warrior (taDa tOLan), strung his incomparable kODanDam (tan silai), cut the ten hands and twenty shoulders of the asura king, vanquished lankA and thus rescued his dear pirATTi. Highly honoured and learned scholars who extolled in the vEdAs (mannu pugazh vaidikarkaL) reside here. The kshEtram is further beautified by the lotuses, red water lilies growing in these ponds where the carp fishes (kayal), sword fishes (vALai ) are seen in close proximity among these water plants. (5)
puhuvAi kazhudukku irangAdu avaL tan
uNNAmulai maTTravaL AviyODum
uDanE suvaittAn iDam Ongu paindAL |
kaNNAr karumbin kazhai tinru vaihi
kazhuneeril moozhhi Sezhuneer taDattu
maN EndiLa mEdihaL vaihu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 6
1233. NenjE! Totally surrender yourself (bharasamarpaNam) to this dEvAdidEvan in tiruvaikunTa viNNagaram who performed amazing feats in Krishna avatAram as an infant and appears to be sitting calmly here.
kaNNan sucked the soul and easily took the life of the rakshasi pootanA revealing her huge original form (periya pEyinadu uruvu) when she came disguised as a beautiful noble woman (peNmai miku) to kill him. He kicked the wheel putting an end to shakaTAsuran disguised as a shakaTam (wheel-nal shakaTam). The crawling kaNNan uprooted the strong ArjunA trees (tinmai migu marutoDu)as dAmOdaran. This kshEtram is the residence to learned scholars who have mastered vEdAs, itihAsAs and purAnAs and can give exemplary commentaries on them too. Patience (poRaikaL) and generosity (udAratvam) are some attributes of these great men who have completely surrendered themselves (Atma samarpaNam-periya vaNmai miku) at the feet of this perumAL. (6)
taDam pukku aDangA iDam kAlaravam
iLaikka tizhaittiTTu adan uchchi tan mEl
aDivaitta ammAn iDam mA madiyam |
tiLaikkum koDi mALihai Soozh teruvil
Sezhu muttu veNNerkena Senru munril
vaLaikkai nuLai pAvaiyar mArum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 7
1234. nenjE! Bow down and worship the emperumAn who exhibits the attributes of paratvam and Ashrita rakshanam whose eternal abode is the beautiful tiruvaikuNTha viNNagaram in tirunAngoor.
kaNNan as a young lad flung vatsAsura (disguised as a calf) onto the wood apple tree who was kapitthasura in disguise, causing the ripe fruits to fall and kill both the asurAs. Krishna contentedly hogged the butter and curd stored in the earthen pots by the gOpis. Pretending to be still hunger-struck, he consumed the whole universe (ivvulagu uNDa) and stored them in his stomach. AzhvAr says that this kshEtram is full of wealth and prosperity (peru Selvam vaLarum). It’s beauty is further enhanced by healthy young areca-nut trees, well grown coconut trees, slender betel vines (koDi), paddy crops (chennel) and sweet sugarcane plants nourished with water flowing beneath them. (7)
tuhil vAriyum SiTTril Sidaittum muTTrA
iLaiyAr viLaiyATToDu kAdal veLLam
viLaivitta ammAn iDam vEl neDungaN |
muLai vALeyiTTru maDavAr payiTTru
mozhi kETTirundu mudirAda inSol
vaLaivAya kiLLai marai pADum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 8
1235. Oh, courteous nenjE! Offer your sincere prayers to this Shreeman nArAyana! The sarvEshwaran who is cheerfully sitting in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram divya dEsam.
Krishna holding his powerful sudarshaNa chakram, slayed the notorious narakAsura possessing unrelenting anger and pride. He is the emperumAn who has magnanimously offered a place for periya pirATTi (alar makal) and lord Shiva (aran) to reside in His divya maNgala vigraham. He is the master of the nityasooris. This kshEtram is so prosperous that the honey from the lotuses and the sweet-smelling water lilies flood the canals. The farmers are seen blocking their canals to avoid the spoilage of crops. (8)
paDaiyODu Sangonru uDaiyAi ena ninru
imaiyOr paravum iDam paindaDattu |
peDaiyODu SengAla annam tuhaippa
tohai puNDareehattu iDai Sengazhuneer
maDaiyODa ninru madu vimmum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE || 9
1236. nenjE! Prostrate to this emperumAn of tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram for his persistent kAruNya katAksham.
Lord brahmA, Shiva, Indra, all DevAs and maharishis are waiting at the doors of pArkaDal (taDakkaDalum) filled with boats and canoes. They are carrying fragrant garlands woven with the best flowers for the Lord to merely gain His katAksham. They invoke the Lord with reverence saying,” Oh! Our unique, peerless master! Please shower your compassionate glance on us!” (eNgaL tanee nAyakanE! Emakku aruLAy!). AzhvAr says this lord is the one who graces us in sitting posture in tiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram. The carp and sword fishes playfully jump over the ripe crops along the beautiful lakes near the ocean. The tall-towering mansions seem to cause the lower portion of the moon to wither away as it travels touching the mansions. (9)
10. vaNDAr pozhil Soozhndu azhahAya nAngoor
maNimADa kOyil neDumAlukku enrum
toNDAya tol Seer vayal mangaiyar kOn
kaliyan oli Sei tamizh mAlai vallAr |
kaNDAr vaNanga kaLiyAnai meedE
kaDal Soozh ulahukku oru kAvalarAi
viNDOi neDu veN kuDai neezhalin keezh
viri neer ulahANDu virumbuvarE || 10
1237. These marvelous ten verses have been written by tirumangai AzhvAr, the head of tirumangai enveloped by groves with swarming bees. He was also known as parakAlan, a great warrior who could confront and vanquish the enemies efficiently. AzhvAr does maNgalAshAsanam to the compassionate lotus eyed sarvEshwaran, holding the divyAyudhams like the pAnchajanyam, kaumOdaki and sudarshana chakram whose eternal abode is tiiruvaikuNTa viNNagaram tirupati temple. This kshEtram surrounded by beautiful lakes situated in tirunAngoor by the sea is seen with several boats docked on the shore. Those who recite these ten verses praised by the sangam poets will experience the miracle of ruling this world and paramapadam. (10)
PERIYA TIRUMOZHI 3.10
PASURAMS 1238 TO 1247
TIRU ARIMEYA VINNAGARAM
TIRUNANGUR DIVYA DESHAM – 3/11
 |
| TIRU ARIMAEYA VINNAGARA GOPALAKRISHNAN KUDAMADU KOOTTAN |
The Happiness God, HARI
The Lord is called Hari because He destroys sins. (HaryashTakam by PrahlAda)
Everything about this arimEya viNNagaram divya dEsham and the perumAL is delightful. AzhvAr urges us to submit our hearts (maDa nenjE) to the ultimate savior, Lord Hari in this temple. (‘ari’ – Hari, ‘mEya’ - seated, vinnagaram – temple).
teevinaigaL pOyagala aDiyavargaTku enrum
aruLnaDandu ivvEzhulagattavar paNiya vAnOr
amarndu Etta irundaviDam perumbugazh vEdiyar vAzh |
tarum iDangaL malargaL migu kaidaigaL Sengazhuneer
tAmaraigaL tadangaLdOrum iDangaLdOrum tigazha
aruviDangaL pozhil tazhuvi ezhil tigazhum nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 1
1238. Shree Devi (tiru maDandai) and Bhoo Devi (maN maDandai) accompany Lord Hari on either side as ‘purushakAra bhoota - our representatives ” to liberate the devotees from terrible sins accrued from time immemorial. Shree Devi always forgives the jeevAtmAs (kshamA) and Bhoo Devi patiently bears with all our mistakes. (kshAnti). Since the Lord is always with His virtuous consorts, He acquired the virtue of unconditional kindness towards the inhabitants of the seven worlds and for this reason, He is eternally extolled by the nityasooris.
This kshEtra, inhabited by sacred vedic scholars is blessed by diverse gifts of nature like colorful flowers, screw pines, red lilies and lotuses, abundant water resources, gardens, and beautiful skies. Oh, my dear heart, Surrender to Lord Hari in the auspicious nAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (1)
viralAzhi taDakkaiyan viNNavargaTku anru
kunru koDu kurai kaDalai kaDaindu amudam aLikkum
kurumaNi en Aramudam kulavi urai kOyil |
enru migu perunjelvattu ezhil viLangu maraiyOr
EzhiSaiyum kELvigaLum iyanra perunguNattOr
anrulagam paDaittavanai anaiyavargaL nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 2
1239. In this sthalam, Lord Hari with a generous hand (taDa kaiyan) is seen holding His chakra that was hurled to vanquish the proud, unconquerable NarakAsura. He once helped the dEvas to churn the ferocious ocean and partake the nectar. But He is indeed the most precious gem (kuru maNi) and the eternal nectar (amudam).
This emperumAn always appears in a joyous mood in this divya desham which is the dwelling place of prosperous people, austere brAhmaNas who not only follow the shAstras but also possess the 8 Atma guNas, experts in the sapta swaraas and their angas, proficient vedic scholars, enlightened jeevAtmAs akin to BrahmA. Oh, my dear heart, Submit yourself to Lord Hari in the prosperous tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (2)
uNDapirAn aNDargaL mun kaNDu magizhveida
kumbamigu madayAnai maruppoSittu kanjan
kunji piDittu aDittapirAn kOyil marungengum |
paimbonoDu veN muttam pala punnai kATTa
palanganigaL tEn kATTa paDa aravEralgul
ambanaiya kaN maDavAr magizhveidu nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 3
1240. During the cosmic deluge called praLaya, this Lord Hari absorbed into His stomach, all the seven worlds and the seven seas and all the divine beings inorder to save them for the next creation. He first controlled the big-headed mad elephant called ‘kuvalayApeeDam’ sent by kamsa and then annihilated kamsa by pulling him by his hair.
This Lord ‘pirAn’ or ‘upakArasheelan’ resides solely to help his dear devotees coming to this divya dEsham that gleams with the beautiful white punnai flowers that look like gold, and punnai buds that look like pearls (mast wood). Jackfruits hang in plenty waiting to be combed by honeybees. Beautiful women having waist like a raised snake hood; and eyes like sharp arrows, are seen chatting cheerfully. Oh, my dear heart, Pay obeisance to Lord Hari in the charming tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (3)
ulappil migu peruvaratta iraNiyanai paTTri
vADAda vaLLugirAl piLandu avantan maganukku
aruLSeidAn vAzhum iDam malligai Sengazhuneer |
SEDEru malar Serundi SezhungamugampALai
SeNbagangaL maNanArum vAN pozhilinooDE
ADEru vayal Alai pugai kamazhum nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 4
1241. Once upon a time, Lord Hari took a ferrocious man-lion form called Narahari to annihilate HiraNyakashyapu who acquired the boon of invincibility. Oozing with anger, He tore Hiranyan with His long sharp nails in order to save his son PrahlAda.
This Lord does nitya vAsam in this divya dEsham which is filled with the beauty and fragrance of gardens rich in flora like the jasmine, lotus, fascinating beds of golden champak flowers( surapunnai - serundi), spathe of areca nuts (kamugu pALai), and champa flowers (shenbhagam). The air here is filled with the smoke and aroma of sugarcanes that have entered the extraction plants. Oh, my dear heart, Submit yourself at the feet of Lord Hari in the aromatic tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (4)
kaLavil migu SirukuraLAi moovaDi enru irandiTTu
aNDamum ivvalai kaDalum avanigaLum ellAm
aLanda pirAn amarum iDam vaLangoL pozhil ayalE |
aNDamura muzhavoliyum vaNDinagaL oliyum
arumaraiyin oliyum maDavAr Silambin oliyum
aNDamurum alaikaDalin olitigazhu nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 5
1242. In the form of a cute dwarf boy vAmana who begged for three steps of land, Lord Hari granted joy to everyone who witnessed the magnificent event in which He measured the huge earth, and all the other worlds with His divine feet.
This Lord Hari resides eternally in this bounteous charming garden where sounds of musical instruments reach the sky, the bees keep buzzing around amidst the serene sound of the vEdas, the anklets of beautiful women keep tinkling endlessly like the sound of never-ending waves. Oh, my dear heart, Bow to Lord Hari in the buzzing tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (5)
mannan muDi orupadum tOLirupadum pOyudira
tAL neDundiN Silai vaLaitta tayaratan SEi entan
tanichcgaraN vAnavarkarasu karudum iDam taDamAr |
SENiDangoL malar kamalam SEl kayalgaL vALai
SennelODu maDuttariya udirnda Sezhu muttam
vAL neDungaN kaDaiSiyargaL vArum maNi nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 6
1243. This Lord Hari was born to King Dasharatha as rAma. This mahAveera’s arrow chopped the 10 heads and 20 shoulders of the wicked Lanka King rAvaNa who abducted His beautiful wife seetA dEvi having sharp and long sword-like eyes and decked with flowers.
This Lord Hari who is the Lord of nityasooris is the ultimate saviour. He dwells on his own will in this divya dEsham where lotuses and fishes grow in the abundant field waters. As tirunAngur is near the sea, the waves push pearls into the fields. When the farmer women with beautiful sharp eyes gather the crops for harvest, the lotuses, fishes and pearls hidden inside them also pop out. Oh, my dear heart, Submit yourself to Lord Hari in the affluent tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (6)
dEnukanum pootanai tan Aruyirum SeguttAn
kAmanaittAn payanda karumEni uDai ammAn
karudumiDam porudu punal turai turai muttundi |
nAmanattAl mandirangaL nAlvEdam aindu
vELviyODu Arangam navinru kalai payinru
angu Amanattu maraiyavargaL payilum maNi nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 7
1244. This Lord Hari as KrishNa, saved the cowherd clan from the cruel king Kamsa, who was roaming around plotting wicked ways of killing Him. He vanquished the terrible demons sent by kamsa - dEnukAsuran (guised as a donkey) and pootanA (guised as a mother). The dark hued KrishNa is the father, (ammAn) of His son Pratyumna (an amsha of Manmada), born from RukmiNi.
( NACHCHIYAR TIRUMOZHI 1 - It is this Lord Pratyumna, the amsha of Manmada whom ANDAL prayed to, performing the tai and maasi nOnbu. Addressing Him as ananga dEvA! (one without a body-anga), kAmadEva! and manmadanE! ANDAL pleaded Him to unite her with KrishNa.)
This Lord Hari resides eternally in this divya dEsham abundant in water bodies and inhabited by austere brAhmaNas who are pure in mind, speech and deed. The vaidikas here are ‘AchAra nishThas’ who are proficient in the 4 vEdas and the 6 vEdangas. Oh, my dear heart, Offer your salutations to Lord Hari in this religious tirunAngUr! ‘aNi nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (7)
kAmaru Seer mugil vaNNan kAligaL munkAppAn
kunradanAl mazhai taDuttu kuDamADu koottan
kulavum iDam koDimadiLgaL mALigai gOpurangaL |
tunru maNimaNDapangaL SAlaigaL toomaraiyOr
tokkeeNDi tozhudiyoDu migappayilum SOlai
anralarvAi maduvuNDu angu aLi muralum nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 8
1245. Lord KrishNa once cleverly attacked 2 demons at a time. He flung the calf demon vatsAsuran on to the wood-apple tree demon kapitAsuran, thereby destroying both. This rain cloud hued Lord Hari endowed with ananta kalyAna GuNas lifted the huge Govardhana hill just with one little finger to give shelter against the torrential rain to the cows and cowherds of Gokula. As if it was an effortless act, He then danced with the butter pots to the awe of the yAdavas. (KuDamADu koottan)
The favorite residence of this ‘kuDamADu koottan’ is this divya dEsham filled with palaces, tall ramparts sporting flags, temples with tall gOpurams, numerous gem studded temples (manimanDapams) and charitable institutions (dharmashAlAs). How sanctifying it is to see the gathering of highly pure bhAgavatas in large numbers here! The birds also seem to chatter along with them (tozhudi). See how the captivated bees are drinking honey from the freshly bloomed flowers in the green groves of tirunAngur. Oh, my dear heart, Consign yourself to Lord Hari in this sacred tirunAngUr! ‘nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (8)
tayiruNDu veNNai amuduNDu vali mikka
kanjan uyiradu uNDu ivvulaguNDu kALai
karudum iDam kAviri Sandagil kanagamundi |
manjulavu pozhilooDum vayalooDum vandu
vaLangoDuppa mAmaraiyOr mAmalargaLtoovi
anjalittu angu ari SaraN enru irainjum maNi nAngoor
arimEyaviNNagaram vANangu maDanenjE || 9
1246. Baby KrishNa drank from the poisonous breasts of pootanA only to suck the life out of her. As a medicine for the poison, He consumed all the available curds and butter from the pots of cowherd women. Later, He had to steal Kamsa’s life by killing Him. As if all this food was not enough, during praLaya kAla, He becomes an infant and again ingests all the worlds into His stomach.
This ever-youthful Lord Hari dwells here in this divya dEsham where rivers transport along its course, sandal wood, agil wood and gold to the tall groves and green fields. Hence, every bit of place seems to be wealthy here. The brAhmaNas here humbly offer flowers at GopAlan’s feet saying ‘Hari Charan’. Oh, my dear heart, Take refuge at Lord Hari’s feet in this spiritual tirunAngUr! ‘aNi nAngUr arimEya viNNagaram maDa nenjE”. (9)
1247. Senru SinaviDai Ezhum paDa aDartu pinnai
SevvittOL puNarndu uganda tirumAl tan kOyil
anru ayanum aranSEyum anaiyavargaL nAngoor
arimEya viNNagaram amarnda Sezhum kunrai |
kanri neDuvEl valavan mangai tamkOmAn
kalikanri oli mAlai aindinoDu moonrum
onrinoDu onrum ivai kaTTru vallAr ulagattu
uttamargaTkuttamarAi umbarum AvargaLE || 10
1247. Gopala kRishna embraced Nappinnai’s shoulders after he proved his might to her father by controlling the seven troublesome, ferocious bulls. This Lord Shri Hari is residing in this divya dEsham of brAhmaNas who have attained the celestial level of dEvas like BrahmA and SubrahmaNya, the son of Lord Shiva.
Tirumangai AzhvAr, the leader of the kingdom called tirumangai, vEl valavan who holds the long sharp spear and Kali KanDri who destroys the evils of kali yuga, has made this garland of ten pAsurams in praise of tiru arimEya viNNagara perumAl of tirunAngUr whose tirumEni is akin to an opulent green mountain. Those who sing these set of ten pAsurams well, will become the best among the best and finally join the group of nityasooris. (10)
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| KUDAMADU KOOTTAN, ARIMEYA VINNAGARAM, GOPALAN PRATYAKSHAM TO UTTTANKA MAHARISHI |
MUSINGS ON KRISHNA'S DANCE
Krishna, the charmer seems to have learnt and taught us many types of dance through His mesmerizing avatAra.
Ancient Indian dance forms had many regional names. The epics of the Sangam period contain knowledge of ancient tamizh cultural dances performed to the tune of 'PaN isai' and accompanied by the melody of musical instruments like 'yAzh-lute', 'kuzhal - flute', 'tannumai - drum', 'ekkam - trumpet' and 'mattali - drum'.
The subject of interest here is the 'koottu கூத்து' dance referred by AzhvArs in Divya Prabandhams.
There were more than 6 broad categories and 7 sub-types in koottus. Out of which Krishna seems to have performed dances from a specific category called 'vinOda koottu வினோத கூத்து, a folk dance meant to entertain friends.
1. KuDa koottu குட கூத்து
Krishna, the pot dancer
KuDa koottu is a type of vinOda koottu, performed by cowherds in the junction of streets. The dancer skillfully balances tiers of pots on the head and hands. Sometimes he or she juggles the pots or balances many pots walking on a rope.
Some modern-day improvisations of this dance are 'Karagam கரகம்' of tamilnADu and 'BhavAyee பவாயீ dance of Rajasthan.
KrishNa, the entertainer
Krishna used to learn and perform this 'kuDa koottu' dance along with the cowherd women in the junction of streets to entertain them. That is why He is called 'KuDam ADu Koottan by our AzhvArs.
(PeriyAzhvAr tirumozhi - 2.9.6
NAchchiyAr tirumozhi 10.7
Periya tirumozhi 3.10.8)
Govardhana uddhArana Significance:
After balancing the Govardhana hill on his little finger, Krishna used to entertain the cowherds with this dance which reminded them of His Govardhana fame.
Tattva: The dance portrays the 'para tattvam' that Hari is the source, cause and balance of all movable and immovable creations of the whole universe.
2. Kuravai Kootu குரவை கூத்து
Kuravai koottu also forms part of the 'vinOdha koottu' in which a specified number of women dance together in circles. There is one to one interaction either by joining hands, clapping hands or beating sticks of partners.
Today, we see this Kuravai koottu style in the DandiyA Raas of Gujarat/ Rajasthan, Garbha of Gujarat, Kummi and kOlATTam of Tamil Nadu, dinDi dance of Maharashtra and kaLi Attam of Kerala
Krishna, the aesthetic dancer
The Raasa KreeDa dance of KrishNa with His dear gOpis, in the enchanting backdrop of the Brindavan forest, is a scene to reminisce. The dance steps go hand in hand with the rhythm of Krishna's flute and the tinkling bangles of the gopikas. This is referred as Kuravai koottu by our AzhvArs.
(Bhagavatam, Dashakam 10.33, PerumAl tirumozhi 7.9 Periya tirumozhi 2.1.9)
Swami Desikan attributes this style of dance to the 'lalita vrittam'(charming) under the 'kaiseeka vrittam (graceful style) of nATyashAstra. (GopAla Vimshati 16)
Tattva: This dance portrays the ‘jeevAtmA- paramAtmA’ eternal bond.
3. nOkku koottu (நோக்கு கூத்து)
This is another type of vinOdha koottu. Its a majestic dance and a treat to the eyes. It depicts special themes such as heroism, victory, energy and anger.
Today, we can see thematic dances like Shiva tANDavam and KrishNa tANDavam in the bharatanATyam of Tamilnadu, mOhini ATTam of Kerala, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh and in many more classical dance forms and cultural dramas in India.
Krishna, the vigorous dancer
The kAlinga nardanam of KrishNa in the kAlindi river is an example of this nOkku dance. Celebrating His victory over the black poisonous serpent kAliya, Krishna danced on its hoods to the admiration of the celestials and the cowherds who played drums of different sizes. The sound from His anklets also matched the waves of the river that served as drum sounds.
It seems Krishna danced to victory even after He conquered the wrestlers called 'mallars' directed to fight against Him. (PeriyAzhvAr tirumozhi 1.6.6)
Swami dEsikan attributes this dance style to the ArabhaTee vrittam (heroic anger) of nATya shAstra. (yAdavApyudayam 1.2.1)
Tattva: Only when the mind is filled with love for KrishNa, the uncontrollable senses like the kAliya serpent, get subdued. In other words, KrishNa is the only saviour.
(Bhagavatam 10.16, Periya Tirumozhi 3.8.7 and many more pAsurams)
4. Navaneeta nATyam, நவநீத நாட்டியம்
This is the 4th type of dance that KrishNa performed to lure the gOpis, just to get a gob of butter.
Krishna, the butter dancer
Swami Desikan explains this scene so beautifully in GopAla Vimshati (4).
YashodhA is churning curds to get butter in nanda-bhavanam, the home of Nanda. The 'layam' or rhythm of the curd churning process matches with the resonating sounds of the mother's gold necklaces, bangles and anklets.
(tiruppAvai 7 - kAsum pirappum kalakalappa kai pErttu
vAsa naRungkuzhal Aychchiyar mattinAl
Osai paDutta tayir aravam kETTilayO)
Our smart KrishNa choreographs a dance on the spot, for the rhythm of the sound of the churning butter. He dances with one leg fixed and the other leg moving in different directions. Dancing to Krishna's tune, the butter slowly appears on the top of the pot. The mother is then amused, and she gives him a handful of "Navaneetam' (butter mixed with sugar).
Tattva: This dance portrays the prapatti tattvam, in which chEtanas surrender unto the supreme Lord Hari to attain mOksham.
5. marakkAl koottu மரக்கால் கூத்து
Tirumangai AzhvAr mentions in his Periya Tirumozhi 11.5.6 that krishNa danced with tall wooden legs, a dance form called "marakkAl koottu". (The alternative is dancing with the toes on top of a wooden pole that is fixed on the ground).
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