In order to uplift the jeevAtmAs from the quagmire called samsArA, emperumAn created the shAstrAs and even took various avatAras like rAma and Krishna. Still, they engaged themselves in worldly pleasures. So, emperumAn decided to send the first three AzhwArs to correct the jeevAtmAs. The mudal AzhvArs as they are referred, are revered at par with nityasooris as they were endowed with deep knowledge and great devotion towards Lord shreeman nArAyaNa. Like the river that flows everywhere and stagnates as a puddle in some low-lying places, these AzhvArs enjoyed all the five forms but were greatly involved in the TiruvikramAvatAra of the vibhava form and TiruvEnkaTamuDaiyAn of the archA form.
The three AzhwArs experienced the presence of the divyadampatis amidst them and lighted lamps to remove the darkness called ignorance. Poigai AzhwAr with his parabhakti, used the earth as a lamp and started the Mudal TiruvandAdi, 'vaiyam tagaLiyA'.
Next bhUdattAzhwAr with his paragyAna bakthi, using devotion or love, lit a lamp saying anbE tagaLiyA, which is the second TiruvandAdi.
The third AzhwAr, pEyAzhwAr with his paramabhakti was able to see emperumAn as the sAkshAtkAram, and poured out the third tiruvandAdi - tirukkaNDEn, ponmEni kaNDEn..'. Hence the three states of bhakti, gyAnam and sAkshAtkAram are mentioned in these three TiruvandAdis.
"TRIVIKRAMA AVATARAM UNLIMITED" is what we can quote about these three tiruvandAdis.
Let us now delve into the Mudal TiruvandAdi of Poygai AzhvAr.
POYGAI AZHVAR
AUDIO LESSONS BY GURU SMT. SEETHA SARANATHAN
TANIYAN
கைதை சேர் பூம்பொழில் சூழ் கச்சி நகர் வந்துதித்த
பொய்கை பிரான் கவிஞயர் போரேறு வையத்து |
அடியவர்கள் வாழ அரும் தமிழ் நூற்றந்தாதி
பாடி விளங்க செய்தான் பரிந்து ||
kaidai chEr poompozhil choozh kachchi nagar vanduditta
poygai pirAn kavigyar pOrERu vaiyattu |
aDiyavargaL vAzha arum tamizh nooRRandAdi
pADi viLanga cheydAn parindu ||
Poygai pirAn, the best amongst eminent poets (kavingyar pOrERu - bull amongst debating poets) incarnated in kAnchi nagaram filled with fragrant screw pine groves (kaidai/kEtaki/tAzhampoo). With love for the Lord, he composed and propagated 100 tiruvandAdi pAsurams in excellent tamizh for the salvation of shreevaishNavas of the world.
2082. With earth as the lamp, seawater that surrounds the earth as the ghee and the sun having its hot rays as the light, I offer this garland of words at the divine feet of the Lord who holds the resplendent chakra in His hands, for the ocean of hurdles to disappear.
As this samsArA is a swirl that never ends, AzhwAr prays to the Lord who is the master and controls both the worlds - leelAvibhUti and nityavibhUti.
LeelA vibhUti is the material manifestation of Lord nArAyaNa as the five elements, referred here by 'vaiyam (earth), vArkaDal (water), and veyyekadirOn (hot fire)'.
Nitya vibhUti is the highest abode of Lord nArAyaNa referred here by 'suDarAzhiyAn'.
AzhvAr offers his servitude by way of surrendering at His divine feet, pleading to remove all the hurdles that stop him from doing kainkaryam to the Lord.
The interpretation goes thus:
Vaiyam tagaLiyA - The earth is surrounded by water on all sides and appears like a floating log. Still, the earth doesn't get dissolved, rather stays hard until bhagavAn thinks of destroying it. Here it can be understood that the earth is the possession of someone and that it is under His control. So AzhwAr takes this hard substance as the vessel (the lamp).
VArkaDale neiyAga - One can never say that the ocean gets filled because of the inflow of the rivers and gets dried when there is no inflow. The rising high tides slow down on reaching the shores, thereby maintaining the sea level. From this, one can infer that all this can happen only under the command of a superior one. In the same manner, the blowing of the wind, waxing, and waning of the moon, the daily rising of the sun all happen because of the supreme power of Lord Vishnu.
Veyya kadiron - The sun is a radiant material that brightens up itself and brightens everything that falls under it. Hence, the light of the lamp is considered here as the sun. It is understood from the scriptures that the Sun rises out of the fear for Lord Vishnu and travels in the path without any deviation. Ultimately, if we understand that He is the supreme head with extraordinary qualities added with great power and all things that are created are His possessions, one can realise the nature of service that one has to offer to this supreme master, that is mentioned ahead in the song. Surrendering at His feet and offering eternal servitude becomes the only means.
AzhwAr has strung this garland of verses for the sake of samsAris who have not realised the nature of EmperumAn. The learning of these texts would have their ocean of sins cleaned up. (1)
2083. enRu kaDal kaDaindadu evvulaham neerERRadu
onrum adanai uNarEn nAn anradu |
aDaittu uDaittu kaN paDutta Azhi idu nee
paDaittu iDandu uNDu umizhnda pAr || (2)
2083. I am totally unaware of the details as to when the milky ocean was churned and the measure of the world for which You accepted water. You built a bridge across that ocean and later destroyed it in your rAmAvatAra. It is on the ocean that You recline. You created this world, dug it out ( in varAha avatAr) and swallowed it in your stomach during the deluge, and spat it out later. How is all this possible?
Do we have to accept the presence of the Lord just by assumption? The core idea of the song is that one can prove the Lord's presence through His deeds which are beyond human capabilities (atimAnusha aghaTitaghaTanA sAmarthyam ).
As AzhwAr is blessed by EmperumAn with mayarvara madinalam, he is able to see what happened, is happening, and will happen all at the same time. That's why he says enRu KaDal kaDaindadu? He feels it happened just now. Further, he says, the footprints of the Lord when He measured this world stays still fresh. Instead of eulogising His greatness, we engage ourselves in other unwanted activities is what AzhwAr feels. (2)
2084. pAraLavum OraDi vaittu OraDiyum pAruDutta
neeraLavum Sella nimirndadE sooruruvin |
pEyaLavu kaNDa perumAn arihilEn
neeyaLavu kaNDa neri || (3)
2084. You measured the whole extent of this world with one foot, and raising the other foot, extended it to the extent of the AvaraNa waters surrounding the periphery of this aNDa kaDAkam (universe). Oh! Lord who finished the life of the demoness PootanA who came in the guise of the ethereal YashodA. I am unable to comprehend the measure of your deeds.
Do we need all the deeds to prove His supremacy and say He is above all? Is this one deed of His not enough to speak for itself?
In this pAsuram, AzhwAr on a lighter vein questions the Lord, What is His norm for measuring? "நீ அளவுகண்ட நெறி அறிகிலேன் என்கிறார்". While measuring any place the person who measures has to move his legs from the place where he stands, to the next place. Whereas when you measured you never moved from your place. With one leg down and one leg up, you finished measuring. How is this acceptable? he wonders. Even NammAzhwAr in his 'Tiruviruttam', says the same thing, in pAsuram (58) "கழல்தல மொன்றே நில முழுதாயிற்று ஒருகழல் போய், நிழல்தர எல்லா விசும்பும் நிறைந்தது,... அழறலர்தாமரைக் கண்ணன் என்னோ லிங்களக்கின்றதே? Can anyone understand Him by measuring? The demoness PootanA who came to measure and finish Him was measured and finished by the Lord. This is the plight of any person who tries to measure Him. [Here measuring in other words is also called killing]. (3)
2085. neri vAsal tAnEyAi ninrAnai aindu
porivAsal pOrkkadavam sArtti arivAnAm |
Ala mara neezhal aram nAlvarkku anru uraitta
alam amar kaNDattu aran || (4)
2085. Lord ShivA who withheld the hAlahAla poison in his throat, in the days of yore, sat under the shade of the banyan tree and gave a discourse on dharmagyAnam to four rishis Agastya, Pulastya, Daksha and MArkaNDEya. He tried hard to perceive the Lord (who is the means and the goal Himself) by controlling and closing the doors of all the five senses. Is that possible?
Even with the unblemished knowledge given by EmperumAn, AzhwAr is unable to perceive or measure him totally. It is impossible to measure entities that cannot be measured. Vedas which set out to measure Him, returned saying - He is "mahAntam" (very great) [taittireeya Upanishad ]
nerivAsal tAnEyAy - Neri refers to the path (upAyam) and vAsal refers to the goal (prApyam). So here it is mentioned that he becomes the ways and means and the goal Himself. So unless and until He wishes to show Himself, no one can find Him with their own effort.
aindu poRivAsal - the five sensory organs ( ears, nose, mouth, eyes and skin). These distract a person from attaining their goal.
sAtti - if one tries to control one particular sense, the other opens its door automatically, similar to a rapidly running water which is stopped at one point finds another way out to flow. Even Arjuna says in bhagavath geetA 6-34 " chanchalam hi mana" (mind is restless).
arivAnAm - 'Even Lord Shiva cannot know the Lord with his own efforts' - is the underlying point referred to here. (4)
2086. aran nAraNan nAmam AnviDai puLLoordi
urainool maraiyuraiyum kOyil vari neer |
karumam azhippaLippa kaiyaduvEl nEmi
uruvam eri kAr mEni onru || (5)
2086. AzhvAr giving analogies to prove the supremacy of EmperumAn in this pAsuram.
One is named haran (Shivan), other NArAyaNan. Bull is the vehicle for Shiva, whereas nArAyaNa has Garuda who is the form of vEdas as his vehicle. Scriptures composed by men are the authentic proof (PramANam) for Shiva whereas vEdas themselves speak about nArAyaNa. The dwelling place for Siva is the hard mountain, as against water for nArAyaNa. Shiva is involved in destruction, whereas protection is the work of nArAyaNa. The weapon for Siva is vEl (trident) and chakra for nArayaNa. One has the form of fire, whereas the other has the form of clouds. One is the body for the other.
In comparing Shiva and VishNu, AzhwAr takes each aspect starting with their names, profession, vehicle, residence, weapon, and so on. Because of the tAmasic nature of Lord Shiva, everything related to him has the same nature too, which is not the case with Lord nArAyaNa. Further, he says when one forms the shareeram, the other has to be the AtmA which is the paramAtma. Shiva forms the body for the paramAtma. From this, one can infer who is predominant, he says. (5)
2087. onrum marandariyEn Odaneer vaNNanai nAn
inru marappanO EzhaihAL anRu |
karuvarangattuL kiDandu kaitozhudEn kaNDEn
tiruvarangam mEyAn tiSai || (6)
2087. Even as a child in the womb, with His grace, I paid my obeisance with folded hands to the Lord who reclines in Tiruvarangam, realising and comprehending His natural qualities. I have not forgotten this ocean-hued Lord even for a bit. Oh! famished people bereft of divine experience, how can I forget Him today? (6)
For a query on how AzhwAr can ridicule Lord Siva when he himself is a servitor to the Lord, AzhwAr replies saying, Lord Shiva learns about EmperumAn when his sattva guna predominates and claims himself to be Ishvaran when His rajO and tamO guNa predominates. EmperumAn Himself has revealed about Himself to me, so there is no means of forgetting.
AzhwAr was born in a lotus flower. So the flower is considered as the womb here. His vAzhitirunAmam too says "வனசமலர்க் கருவதனில் வந்தமைந்தான் வாழியே". As EmperumAn blessed AzhwAr even before he was born, he has only the sAttvik qualities. As said in mahAbhAratam ShAnti parvam 358-73 “jAyamAnam hi purusham yam pashyEt madhusUdhana: sAttvikas sa tu vigyEya: sa vai mOkshArtha chinthaka:” [meaning, only that person who is blessed by the Lord at the time of his birth, has sAttvik qualities and thinks of attaining moksha]
2088. tiSaiyum tiSaiyuru deivamum deivattu
iSaiyum karumangaL ellAm aSaivil Seer |
kaNNan neDumAl kaDal kaDainda kArOda
vaNNan paDaitta mayakku || (7)
2088. The unblemished Lord with immeasurable love, who took KrishnAvatAr, created the world with all the directions, their respective demigods assigned with appropriate duties. He is the very same KaNNan, who churned the ocean, for the sake of those dEvas who surrendered at His feet.
To a question, "Why Lord NArAyaNa is the only paradEvata?, AzhvAr tries to give a befitting answer:
People are under the illusion that other dEvatas are powerful. EmperumAn has created such illusions for those who are not devoted to Him so that they try to find Him out with their own efforts.
The interpretation here goes thus : As there are priceless gems for the sake of the wealthy people, there are replicate or semiprecious gems for the sake of others too. Those who cannot enjoy the costlier things get attracted by the duplicate things and get satisfied. The same logic applies here too. (7)
2089. mayanga valamburi vAi vaittu vAnattu
iyangum erikadirOn tannai mayanga maruL |
tEr AzhiyAl maraittadu en nee tirumAlE
pOr AzhikkaiyAl porudu? || (8)
2089. Oh! Lord, the consort of Lakshmi, keeping the divine conch pAnchajanyam in your mouth and holding the sudharshana chakra that is engaged in war in your hand ! You fought against bheeshma and others in the great mahAbhArath war. For what purpose did you hide the sun that travels in the sky, with the chariot wheel (referring to the divine disc)?
For the sake of his devotees and followers, EmperumAn goes to any extent to protect them.
Here, the doubt arises, whether it is fair on the part of EmperumAn to exhibit such discrimination when He has to be unbiased. One can get convinced with the fact that " dushTa nigraham and sishTa paripAlanam is the order for a fair rakshakatvam. He goes to any extent for the sake of those who surrender at His feet (dEvas), whereas excludes those who refuse to accept Him (demons).
2090. porukOTTOr EnamAi pukkiDandAikku anru un
oru kOTTin mEl kiDandadanrE viritOTTa |
SEvaDiyai neeTTi tiSai naDunga viN tuLanga
mAvaDivil nee aLanda maN || (9)
2090. Oh! Lord with radiant ear studs! Enlarging your reddish-hued divine feet similar to the reddish lotus with bloomed petals, You measured the earth keeping it under your foot, which made the people of the world and the upper world tremble with fear, taking the huge form of Tiruvikrama . This very same earth was on your tusk ( which are meant for battle) when you took the unique form of a boar and dug it from the deluge water. What a great feat that was!! (9)
At times of danger, EmperumAn does not discriminate between His followers and disbelievers. He protects each and everyone stooping down to any level, which is what AzhwAr tries to tell here.
Not only does he break His vows to protect His devotees, but also changes His form from a huge one to an inferior one like the wild boar, and comes down to any level, just with a single goal of protecting the world.
2091. maNNum malaiyum marikaDalum mArutamum
viNNum vizhungiyadu mei enbar eNNil |
alagaLavu kaNDa SeerAzhiyAikku anru
ivvulagaLavumuNDO unvAi ? || (10)
2091. The sages and the Vedic Brahmins endorse the fact that you swallowed the earth with its mountains, oceans that throw constant waves, air, and space. If one starts to analyse this fact about You who has limitless auspicious qualities holding the divine chakra, back then, was your mouth so big to hold this earth?
Taking a magnificent form and doing a menial job of begging alms was discussed in the previous verse. Now AzhwAr is amazed about the great task of swallowing the whole universe in the form of a small child floating on the banyan leaf during praLaya. (10)
MUDAL TIRUVANDADI 11 TO 20
PASURAMS 2092 TO 2101
ULAGALANDA PERUMAL
Poigai AzhvAr establishes the supremacy of Shreeman nArAyaNa, contemplating on His wonderful incarnations like trivikrama avatAra.
2092. vAy avanai alladu vAzhttAdu kaiyulagam tAi avanai alladu tAntozhA pEymulainanju | ooNAha uNDAn uruvoDu pErallAl kANAkaN kELA Sevi || (11)
AzhvAr’s para bhakti is so one-pointed that even His indriyas are tuned to meditate only on KrishNa and not other dEvatas (dEvatAntara sambandha varjanam). He sings:
My mouth shall not praise anyone other than the sarvEshvaran Shreeman nArAyaNa.
My hands shall not worship anyone other than Lord Trivikrama who measured the three worlds. (ulaga tAyavan means that He is always ready to save those who approach him - Ashrita rakshaNam).
My eyes shall not see any other form and my ears shall not hear any name other than that of KrishNa who consumed the poisoned milk from the demon pootanA, thereby proving His duShTha nigraham – destruction of the evil. (11)
In a similar fashion, KulasEkhara AzhvAr’s in his MukundamAlA 16, pleads his panchEndriyas and his mind to engage in the service of Lord RanganAtha.
Oh tongue, sing the glories of Lord Keshava! Oh mind, worship the enemy of demon Mura (MurAri)! Oh hands, serve the Lord of Shree! Oh ears, hear the stories of Lord achyuta! Oh eyes, gaze upon KrishNa! Oh feet, go to the temple of Lord Hari! Oh nose, smell the tulasee on Lord Mukunda's feet! Oh head, bow down to Lord adhOkshaja! (11)
AzhvAr affirms thought we engage our senses in Hari smaraNam, it is Shreeman NArAyaNa who is the upAyam (means) and the upEyam (goal).
People say that the pancha gyAnEndriyas namely ear, mouth, eye, nose and body (skin), the body constituted of panchabhootas namely fire (sen tee), earth (puvi), air (kAl), neer (water) and viN (sky), the unstinted devotion (aviyAda gyAnam), the resulting sacrifices of fire vElvi), the righteous deeds (nala ram); all of them serve as means (upAyas) to attain the Lord.
In truth, it is Lord Shreeman NArAyaNan alone who is the means to attain Him. This can be inferred from His incarnation of the varAha avatAra (Enam) in which He took it upon himself and rushed taking the form of an enormous boar in order to save Bhoomi dEvi lying submerged into the waters by the cruel act of the demon HiraNyAkshan. Having taken the vow of shishTa paripAlanam – protection of the virtuous, His heart melts for His devotees. (12)
AzhvAr tells us not to have doubts on whether mOksha is certain.
Who is eligible to do nitya kainkaryam at the feet of the Lord wearing the fragrant tulasi garland? Of course, it is the nityasooris who have attained that status owing to their austere penance. But that does not mean that we samsAris are ineligible to attain mOksha. It is for our upliftment that the Adi bhagavAn (AdiyAy ninRa avar) made the vEdas and shAstras available for us through brahmA and maharishis, for us to read, understand and practice. All we must do is to live according to our swadharma (neediyAl) natural to our birth (iyalvAga), and the Lord who is always waiting to liberate us will show His nirhEtuka krupai (unconditional compassion) and assure the rest. We need not worry about mOksha. (13)
2095. avaravar tAm tAm irandavAru Etti ivarivar emberumAn enru suvarmiSai | SArttiyum vaittum tozhuvar ulagaLanda moortti uruvE mudal || (14)
AzhvAr says with conviction that Shreeman nArAyaNa is the supreme Lord.
People having rajo and tamo guNas worship demi-gods corresponding to their guNas. They proudly praise their God to be supreme, draw pictures of them on walls (suvar misai) and prostrate in front of such consecrated idols. In truth, the supreme and foremost Lord is Lord UlagaLanda moorti (trivikrama) who brought all the worlds and all the other Gods too under His divine feet. (14)
AzhvAr clarifies further doubts on the previous pAsuram.
It is true that the foremost of Gods are the trinity – Brahma, VishNu and Shiva. But, out of the three, the ocean-hued emperumAn Shreeman NArAyaNa (moori neervaNNan) is the greatest because He is full of kalyAna guNas like vAtsalyam which bestow us with the highest fruit called “mOksha” and grants us paramapada siddhi. All other deities can give us only trivial or rather temporary happiness in this earth surrounded by oceans. (15)
AzhvAr talks about His past, present and future positions.
pazhudE pala pagalum pOyina – By this line, AzhvAr regrets that he has spent many years in vain without bhagavat sambandham.
aravaNai mEl kaNDu tozhudEn kaDalOdam kAl alaippa kaNvalarum SengaN aDalOda vaNNar aDi – In this line, AzhvAr expresses his present status that He got to witness and prostrate the beautiful lotus-eyed Lord VishNu having the hue of the ocean and reclining on the serpent AdishEshan, while the waves (kaDal Odam) of the milky ocean gently touch His feet as if offering a lullaby for His yOga nidrA.
enRu anji azhudEn – Through this line, AzhvAr expresses his fears about spending the rest of his life in this dark samsAra. Though prahlAda was a vishNu devotee, He was put to hardship by His own father HiraNyakashyapu. While AzhvAr is happy about the present darshan of VishNu, He wishes that it stays forever, and no hurdles come in the way of attaining mOksha.
As said in the last pAsuram, AzhvAr regrets that He was not lucky enough to witness the magnificent trivikrama, narasimha and shrihari avatAra in previous yugas but is at least blessed to hear Lord VishNu's miraculous deeds.
They say that emperumAn Shreeman nArAyaNa incarnated as Narasimha and tore the chest (Agam) of the demon Hiranyakashyapu with His sharp nails (vaDi ugir). The same Lord Shri Hari, mounted on the huge winged GaruDa (puL oorndAn) and came rushing to relieve the elephant Gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile. He is none other than Lord UlagaLanda PerumAL who grew huge in size placing His tiruvaDi across the entire earth, His shoulders expanding in all the directions and his crown rising tall to measure the skies. I am indeed blessed enough to hear His amazing feats? (17)
AzhvAr’s thoughts continue to travel to the times of KrishNa avatAra where bhagavAn displayed His parAkramatvam (valour) and sausheelyam (simplicity) to the cowherds through His fabulous deeds.
He stealthily gobbled the butter kept safely in pots (uri) and got punished by mother YashOdA publicly thereby revealing His mischief. This act shows his sausheelyam – His simplicity.
Baby KrishNa sucked the poison smeared heavy breasts of the disguised pootanA, rendering her lifeless.
He then destroyed with valour, the two ferocious elephants that were instigated by kamsa to kill krishna at the dhanur-yaga.
He was the one who split open the beak of bakAsura who came to gobble KrishNa.
Dragging the mortar to which He was tied to, krishNa split the twin maruda trees and liberated them. The two maruda trees were nalakoopara and manigreeva, the sons of Lord kubEra. They were cursed by nArada to become trees because they once disrespected nArada by standing cloth less.
Wasn’t He the magnificent one who measured the three worlds once upon a time as UlagaLandAn – maN ALanda mAl. All these acts show His parAkramatvam. (18)
Lingering in viraha tApam, AzhvAr wishes to know the details of pArkaDal’s nOnbu so that he could also get nitya kainkaryam like him, without any delay.
Oh, dark, milky ocean drenched in bhagavat anubhavam! Tell me. What vrata did you observe to get the nitya sambandham of tirumAl, Lord Vishnu, the beholder of the chakra, and the amazing one who floats on the banyan leaf during pralaya? You are supposed to be white in color but how do you look blue all over? It seems you have absorbed the blue color of the dark-hued Lord VishNu because your bouncing waves caress Him continuously without leaving Him. (Hence karungaDal). How extremely fortunate you are to be in constant touch ( tirumEni sparsham) with the dark-hued, lotus-eyed Lord who reclines endlessly on your waters, doing yOga nidrA!
AzhvAr is again emotional that He missed the chance to be among the ones who witnessed the marvellous krishNAvatAra and vAmanAvatAra.
To fulfill his avatAra kAraNams, KrishNa sacrificed his lovely life in the Ayarkula and went to MathurA to relieve his sad parents (peRRAy) VasudEva and Devaki from Kamsa’s manacles (taLai).
To make mahAbali realise his conceit about being the owner of the entire world, Lord VishNu descended from his abode and begged alms as a dwarf brAhmin boy vAmana (Kural uruvAi).
When vAmana asked for three steps of land, mahAbali agreed presumptuously. To his surprise, vAmana grew huge measuring the entire earth with one foot and the upper worlds with the other foot. In that rare and spectacular moment, all the dEvas humbly prostrated the lotus-eyed trivikrama’s lotus feet with folded hands and offered colorful and fragrant flowers. Oh, what a miss that I was not present to witness and worship this splendid Lord at that time! (20)
MUDHAL TIRUVANDADI 21 TO 30 PASURAMS 2102 TO 2111
In these pAsurams, AzhvAr portrays emperumAn's sowlabhya and paratva gunas and tells his nenjam that this swAmi of two contrasting characteristics is the one who is ever ready to come to the rescue of His devotees when they are in distress.
2102. Oh nenjE! Realize that you can find respite and peace only at the divine feet of the emperumAn, sEshashayanan, who reclines gracefully on His serpent bed.
This emperumAn went to the sacrificial grounds of mahAbali chakravarthi, extending His beautiful arms (am kai), seeking alms (nilam). He ended up measuring the entire universe with three measures of His feet (moovaDi). This Lord who has eyes like the red lotus (senkaN mAl), wields the divine chakrAyudam ( paDai Azhi) ready to slay the enemies of His devotees. He has the bird, GaruDa, for His vehicle, ever alert to rush to His devotees when they are in need. (21)
2103. emperumAnE! The omniscient one who has the golden (uvuNam), colourful, lustrous ( poRi koL siRai) feathered garuDa as Your vehicle. (paratvam).
Not just me, but the entire world knows that You were punished and bound by Your mother during krishnAvataram. (sowlabhyam).
Aren't You the same swAmi who retains the scar on Your waist, that resulted from being bound by a rope by yashOdA? YashOdhA who has slender shoulders like the tender bamboo shoot, bound You with a rope when You stole and gobbled up the freshly churned butter from the pots in AyarpADi. (22)
2104. Continuing the same note, AzhvAr goes on to point out the other scars which decorate emperumAn's tirumEni.
On the beautiful hands of this emperumAn who is colored like the deep, blue ocean, one can notice the scars born out of holding the divine bow, shArngam.
On His feet are the marks that remained after He playfully knocked down the cart (shakaTam), to kill shakaTAsuran, during krishnAvatAram.
His fingers bear the scars that resulted from tearing apart the chest of the asurA king, hiraNyan (pon peyarOn), much to the anguish of periya pirATTi who has beautiful braids (poongOdaiyAL). (23)
2105. O kaNNA! Coloured like the turbulent, deep ocean (Ongu Odha vaNNA)! On seeing Your mouth and fingers smeared with butter, the annoyed yashOdhA, wanting to punish You, tied You to the mortar. You wailed and cried aloud, the entire neighbourhood watching You in amusement. Tell me, can You deny any of this? (24)
2106. urai mEr koNDu ennuLLam OvAdu eppOdum varaimEl marahadamE pOla tiraimEl | kiDandAnai keeNDAnai kEzhalAi Boomi iDandAnai Etti ezhum || (25)
2106. PerumAnE! My heart and mind race with joy while uttering Your nAmA and calling out to You.
As the one who reclines ( tirai mEl kiDandAn) in the milky ocean, just as though a large emerald is embedded on a blue mountain.
As varAhamoorti (kEzhal), who rescued and scooped Bhooma Devi (bhoomi iDandAn), by killing hiraNyAkshan.
I am able to survive only because I constantly utter Your nAmA and contemplate on Your leelas. (25)
2107. In this pAsuram, AzhvAr hails the prabhAvam of the holy kshEtram, the tirumalai. He says...
There are three types of devotees who seek favours from emperumAn....
The AishwaryArthi, who seek materialistic favours. They leave Him (ezhuvAr) as soon as their prayers are addressed.
The kaivalyArthi who seek to revel in AtmAnubhavam and turn away (vidal koLvAr) from Him, as soon as their wishes are granted.
The bhagavan lAbhArthi, are devotees who seek to be eternally (vazhuvAvagai ninaindhu) subservient to the emperumAn who wears the fragrant tulasi garland.
This kshEtram, tirumalai, snuffs (nanduvikkum) the flame of misdeeds (vinai sudar), that prevent the devotees from attaining their goals.
This kshEtram also helps trigger (manachudar thoondum) the flame of bhakti in the hearts of the nityasooris, inspiring them to come down to the earth to bask in the sowlabhya guNa of emperumAn. (26)
2109. Surrendering to the beautiful tirumEni of tiruvEnkaTamuDaiyAn, AzhvAr says....
emperumAnE, coloured like the dark, beautiful clouds (Kar vaNNattu aiya)! You hold the divine weapons, shankam and chakram in Your hands. Periya pirATTi, seated on the lotus, permanently decorates Your chest. BrahmA, who is constantly chanting the four vedas, is seen on the lotus that arises from Your navel. Lord Shiva who burnt down the well protected city of tripurA, occupies a part of Yourself! (28)
2110. He is the Lord of srivaikuNTam! The nityavibhooti.
He manifests as the five elements, the Earth, the Space that spans over it, the Air, the Ocean with all its turbulent waves and the Fire with red flames.
NenjE! Know for a fact that He is indeed the red lotus eyed emperumAn, who rushed to rescue the grieving elephant, gajEndran, who had tusks like the crescent moon and eyes that shone green, when he was caught in the clutches of the crocodile’s jaw. (29)
2111. AzhvAr now reveals the path to attaining paramabhakthi....
Restrain the indriyas from straying.
Focus entirely on emperumAn alone.
Believe that emperumAn can be attained only with pure bhakti and understand that He is the swAmi and we are sub servient to Him/sEshi.
Those who realize this completely can effortlessly seek and attain the divine feet of emperumAn who wears the cool, fragrant tulasi garland, in the same way as a calf reaches its mother in the midst of a herd of cattle. (tAi nADu kanRE pOl). (30)
MUDAL TIRUVANDADI 31 TO 40 PASURAMS 2112 TO 2121
2112. puriyoru kai paRRi Or ponnAzhi Endi
ariyuruvum ALuruvumAgi eriyuruva | vaNNattAn mArbiDanda mAlaDiyaiyallAl maRRu eNNattAn AmO imai || (31)
2112. One who stands holding the conch (puri kai paRRi) in one hand and the powerful attractive sudarshana chakra (ponnAzhi Endi) in the other hand! AzhvAr says these two weapons were left with no work during Narasimha avatAram.
EmperumAnE! Due to your agaTitaghaTanA sAmarthyam (a kalyANa guNa to make the impossible happen with ease) you incarnated with the beautiful tirumEni of half man-lion (ari uruvum An uruvum) and effortlessly tore the chest of the powerful fire like fierce hiraNyan using your nails as a weapon!
I sincerely contemplate on your kalyANagunA of balam and Ashrita pAratantryam (One who is bound by the love of His devotees). My mind reaches out to your tiruvaDis alone (aDiyai allAl)!! Hence, how will my mind wander in search of other Gods? (31)
2113. The shastras have laid the path of karma and gyAna yoga to attain you. If we find that difficult, a chetAnan can attain you merely by getting immersed in bhakti realizing and accepting that You are the master and we are your servants who must inherently aspire to do kainkaryam to you alone (sEsha-sEshi bhAvam).
Due to our karma vAsanas we succumb to the offensive invasion of our sense organs and misuse it having sunk in the ocean of ignorance of the true knowledge; failing to realise our true self (swaroopam).
Inspite of all this when we get spiritually awakened (imaiyAda kaNNum-the opening of the inner eyes) due to the nirhEtuka krupai (showering abundance grace without expectation) of sriman nArayaNa; the veil of ignorance gets dissolved and we start contemplating on emperumAn (agattu aNaippAr) holding on to him very firmly.
We are then bound to reach SriVaikunTam (nagar) of emperumAn who is reclining on the thousand-faced AdisEsha (ayiravAy nAgattaNaiyAn)! (32)
2114. nagaram aruL purindu nAnmugarku poomEl pagara maraipayanda paNban peyarinaiyE | pundiyAl sindiyAdu Odi uru veNNum andiyAl Am payanangu en || (33)
2114. Lord Shreeman nArAyaNa filled with the inherent quality of vAtsalyam (paNpan-compassion) and pure goodness gave a permanent place to brahmA (nAnmugaRku) on the lotus which sprang from his navel! Furthermore, due to his nature of sousheelyam (the trait of the supreme to descend to the level of any being), he instructed brahmA into all the vEdas and shastras and gave him the authority to impart it to others!
What is the use of being obsessive about performing nitya karmas if one does not chant and ponder over the Lord’s countless meaningful nAmas? One should be able to give equal importance to both, says AzhvAr. (33)
2115. Oh! mugilvaNNa! One with the complexion of the dark clouds! Long ago, in order to protect the seven worlds during the deluge, incarnating as an infant lying calmly on a tender banyan leaf as vaTapatrashAyee, you swallowed and protected them in your stomach to release them later during creation.
At that point of time, there was none to help you! There was neither brahmA nor Shiva! ‘Eko vai nArAyaNa aaseet, na brahmA na eeshAnah’ (mahOpanishad). He is anantan (the only one with endless entity)! proclaims AzhvAr.
In AyarpADi, when you were an infant, the rAkshasi pootanA disguised as yashOdA (pEy tAy) fed you with poison smeared on her breasts. You sucked away her life and left her stone dead while she struggled to get rid of your hold! Hearing the news yashOdA pirATTi (Ay tAy), whose bhakti towards you is unparalleled, came running to your rescue and breast fed you to remove your fear of pootanA! You also enjoyed the milk as if it were nectar! I am awestruck! Being the paratvam your humility towards yashOdA is astounding!
Even great seers say this incident is unbelievable and incredible to digest emperumAn’s aghaTitaghaTanA sAmartyam and his quality of sausheelyam and vAtsalyam towards yashOdA.
These incidents are true, say the great sages like vyAsa and parAshara. “Isn’t it amazing and difficult to comprehend?”, says AzhvAr. (34)
2116. AzhvAr pleads to the Lord while contemplating on His trait of nirmalam (trait of overlooking the shortcomings of his devotees).
neDumAlE! Be generous to forgive the inadequate bhakti (aRiya anbil) expressed by your devotees despite the fact that they have accepted and surrendered to be subservient to you alone. As you admire the good deeds done by us (samsArees) accept and forgive our mistakes too. AzhvAr cites an example to emperumAn.
As rAmapirAn, you severed the ten heads of the mighty rAvana for his heinous crime of abducting sitA pirATTi. Yet, in his next birth as wicked sishupAla, he got emancipated (attained mOksha) by reaching your lotus feet despite his antagonistic attitude towards you! (35)
2117. AzhvAr ponders over the attribute of satyasakalpatvam of emperumAn (being successful in all his resolutions).
Oh! The one who wields the sudarshana chakra! Earlier in Narasimha avatAram you subdued the pride of the egoist hiraNyan, who considered this earth as his possession. You by split his chest effortlessly with your nails (ugirs)! This feat was dushTa vinAshanam and it was satyasankalpatvam to accomplish the words of young prahlAd.
Contrastingly, in vAmana avatAram, you humbly begged for three paces of land from the prideful King mahAbali for the sake of the dEvas.
These acts of yours are for us to contemplate upon your humility devoid of selfishness and attaining the goal and protecting your devotees at all times! (36)
2118. Azhvar says that the lord willingly chose to reside in tiruvEnkaTam hill.
He is the one who blew the pure white pAnchajanyam during the mahAbharata war.
Why did he choose to reside in tirumalA?
Vedic scholars (vEdiyargaL) from far and wide hasten to have darisanam of this emperumAn carrying holy waters, incense sticks and flowers to offer him. These learned men are realized souls who have shunned the trivial benefits and dEvatAntara sambandham (worshipping other demi-gods). Such vaidikAs with immense subtle wisdom have realized that sriman nArAyaNa is the supreme being. Hence emperumAn who is Ashrita pakshapAdi (mAl- one who prefers to support his devotees) chose to reside in tirumalA as he knew this is the best kshEtram (mAl uganda oor) for Ashritarakshanam (protecting his devotees). (37)
2119. AzhvAr captures an interesting feature in the tiruvENkaTam hills.
The black mountains of tirumalA are very tall and extremely rich filled with gem stones strewn on the hillside. A class of tribal hunters named kurava (kuRavar) reside here for generations.
A snake comes out of its burrow and suddenly out of fear slithers back into its den. AzhvAr beautifully reasons out.
Mighty dark hued elephants trespass the territory of the kuravas. They seemed like dark clouds to the snake. The kuravas hurl huge stones (resembling gemstones) to drive them away. When the stones touched the black skin of the elephant, the snake assumed it to be a sparkle of lightning from the dark clouds and hence slithered away!!
The nitya sooris or the eternal beings in srivaikuNTam seem to cherish this kshEtram as their favourite abode (mElasurar emmennu) which belongs to their beloved Lord sriman nArAyaNa. (38)
2120. AzhvAr enjoys the various endeavours of emperumAn.
In days of yore, emperumAn with a dark hued complexion like that of the ocean retrieved mother earth from the ocean bed (iDandu) incarnating as the massive boar (varAha avatAram) during the mahapraLayam; exhibiting his attribute of shakti.
As govardhanadhAri in Krishna avatAram He effortlessly lifted the gOvardhana mountain (eDuttadu) holding it like an umbrella. This act of vAtsalyam and shakti was to protect the cows and cowherds of BrindAvan and escape the wrath of incessant hailstones showered by Indra.
In the same avatAram, with deftness and parAkramam (virtue to destroy the opponents effectively) he killed the powerful kamsa (anja kaDandadu) who was constantly under terrible fear of attack by Krishna.
KsheerAbdhishAyee, the source of all these incarnations reclines peacefully (kiDandaduvum) between various avatAras on the waves of the surging milky ocean.
The karuNA moorthy tiruvENkaTamuDayAn stands elegantly (niRaduvum) on tiruvENkaTam hill making it His permanent abode to relieve the jeevAs from the bondage of samsara and truly protect us (Ashrita rakshanam) from our sufferings. (39)
2121. AzhvAr articulates an imagination in the enchanting hills of Tirumala.
In the dark night the kuravas (the hunters) tread their way back into the dense forest carrying big bows, arrows (peruvil pakazhi) and burning fire-stick (anjum). The elephants (vEzham) in the jungle are frozen with fright seeing the burning sticks imagining them to be shooting stars falling from the sky.
It is here in this exemplarily beautiful hill of vENkaTam, the divine abode of the sarvEshwaran where tiruvENkaTamuDaiyAn stands to vanquish the Ashrita virOdhis. It is this emperumAn who killed hiraNyan the rakshasa who was roaming as a possessor of the world and an epitome of bhAgavata apachAram. (40)
MUDAL TIRUVANDADI 41 TO 50 PASURAMS 2122 TO 2130
2122. kunranaiya kuRRam seyyinum guNam koLLum
inru mudalAga en nenjE enrum |
puranuraiyE Ayinum ponnAzhi kaiyAn
tiranuraiyE sindittu iru (41)
Poigai AzhvAr deliberates on the deeper aspects of bhakti and prapatti.
2122. Poygai AzhvAr instructs his heart - ( Nenju). He says, “Oh my dear heart! From now on, (even if it comes only from the tongue) think and talk only about those matters relating to the Lord who holds the Sudarshana Chakra. If you do so, EmperumAn would overlook your sins (which are plentiful and heaped like a mountain) and consider only your good deeds. We can recall a similar explanation in 4-9-2 of PeriyAzhvAr Thirumozhi. (41)
2123. tirumagaLum maNmagaLum AimagaLum sErndAl
tirumagaTkE teerndavAru en kol tirumagaL mEl |
pAlOdam sinda paDa nAgaNai kiDanda
mAlOda vaNNar (42)
2123. Poigai AzhvAr describes the beautiful scene at tirupArkaDal.
EmperumAn (whose giant tirumEni resembles the vast ocean) reclines in deep thought on the thousand headed divine serpent-bed TirivanantAzhvan while little drops from the milky ocean splash on Him.
The heart of EmperumAn always leans more towards Periya PirATTi (who is an epitome of mercy and kindness) though he adores the other two devis namely Bhoodevi and NeelAdevi equally.
(The same meaning is beautifully interpreted by Sri Parasara BaTTar in his Sri Guna Ratna kOsham (slokam 26, bhOgyA VAmapi nAnthareeyakathayA pushpAngarAgai: Samam - Oh, MahAlakshmi, When You and periya pirATTi are together, bhoodEvi and neelAdEvi serve you, taking the insentient form of a flower and sandal paste) (42)
2124. manamAsu teerum aruvinaiyum sArA
danamAya tAnE kaikooDum punamEya |
poonduzhayAnaDikkE pOdODu neerEndi
tAm tozhA nirpar tamar (43)
2124. For bhAgavatas who voluntarily carry tiruvrAdhAna upakaraNas like flowers and water, and prostrate before the Lord who adorns the fragrant Tulasi garland (which is as fresh as a plant still in the soil) on his divine shoulders, the dirt in their mind will be removed (manamAsu teerum), accumulated sins would stay away (aruvinaiyum sArA) and abundant wealth (bhakti) would pour in. (The same meaning has been explained by NammAzhvAr in the 20th pAsuram of Tiruviruttam, "SooDu nal maalaigal tooyana Endi”) (43)
2125. tamarugandadu evvuruvam avvuruvam tAnE
tamarugandadu eppEr maRRappEr tamarugandu |
evvaNNam sindittu imaiyAdirupparE
avvaNNam AzhiyAnAm (44)
2125. In response to the previous pAsuram, when one wonders where to find Him and where to pray, AzhvAr beautifully explains. EmperumAn who resides in SriVaikuntam with ChakrattazhvAr and other Nityasooris, would willingly take the form and tirunAmam as desired by His bhakta and would transform as the one desired by His bhAgavata (who meditates about Him continuously.) (44)
2126. AmE amararku ariya adu nirka
nAmE arigirpOm nannenjE poomEya |
mAdavattOn tALpaNinda vALarakkan neeNmuDiyai
pAdamattAl eNNinAn paNbu. (45)
2126.The neermai (simple kindness) of EmperumAn is reflected in this verse.
EmperumAn, with his gentle feet, counted and revealed the ten heads of the pretentious rAkshasa king RAvaNa when He fell at the feet of Lord BrahmA who dwells in the lotus and appeared from the naabhi of EmperumAn. Such magnificent qualities of emperumAn are not being realised even by the devas including BrahmA. However, we humans are blessed to be able to realise and admire His kalyAna guNas”, boasts Poigai AzhvAr.
** Once rAvana, concealing his identity and hiding his ten heads, approached BrahmA, seeking boons to help him win and rule over the world. Though well learned, BrahmA was easily deceived. Lord NArAyana, taking up the form of an infant, lay on BrahmA's lap and with His tiny feet, counted the ten heads of RavanA and exposed his true identity. He pointed out RavanA's ulterior intention and warned brahmA that granting rAvana's boons will lead to suffering and hardship to the world. (45)
2127. paNpurinda nAnmaraiyOn senni baliyERRa
veNpurinool mArban vinaiteera puNpurinda |
AgattAn tALpaNivAr kaNDeer amarartam
bOgattAl boomiyALwAr. (46)
2127. Once, Lord Shiva who wears the divine yagyopaveetam across His chest, had severed the head of Lord BrahmA (who possesses the four vedas ). As a result, he had suffered from severe Brahmahatti Dosham. The kapAlam got stuck in his hand and he took alms with that in his hand. Then, due to the super natural powers Lord Vishnu, wounded His chest and gave him blood and relieved Lord Shiva from that dOsham. Thus, Poigai AzhvAr pleads to all to surrender at His lotus feet and enjoy the paramapadam with Nityasooris and rule this world. (46)
2128. vAri surukki madakkaLiru aidinaiyum
sEri tiriyAmal senniree kooriya |
meigyAnattAl uNarvAr kANbarE mElorunAL
kainnAgam kAttAn kazhal. (47)
2128.Here, AzhvAr states the qualities required to enjoy the process of surrender; Those who could control their five senses and prevent them from gazing and swaying towards to unwanted places and those, who with their magical powers and gyaanam, are able to feel the divine soul are the ones who can devoutly surrender at His lotus feet. (47)
2129. kazhalonRu eDuttu orukai SuRRi Or kaimEl
suzhalum surAsurargaL anja azhalum |
seruvAzhi EndinAn sEvaDikkE sella
maruvAzhi nenjE magizh (48)
2129. “Oh heart like that of a vast ocean! Oh Heart! Please enjoy soulfully the pleasure of surrendering only at the TiruvaDi of the Lord who showed His omnipresence and magnificence in His trivikarama avatAra.
First He appeared as vAmana and asked mahAbali for three steps of land measured with His little feet. After mahAbali accepted to do so, He grew extraordinarily huge and started measuring the world and skies with his enlarged feet. MahAbali's son Namuchi accused trivikrama of being fraudulent and asked Trivikrama to resume the small form and measure the world with His small feet. Trivikarama refused with a rhetorical statement that change is the nature of the body. Namuchi got furious and retaliated. The Lord kicked him up into the sky. Seeing this, the devas and asuras stood terrified watching the power of Lord VishNu wielding the chakra spinning like hot fire. (48)
2130. magizhalagu onrE pOl mArum palyAkkai
nehizha muyalgirpArkku allal mugizhvirinda |
sOdipOl tOnrum suDarpon neDumuDi en
Adi kANbArkkum aridu (49)
2130. AzhvAr insists that only those who detach themselves from Prakruti and surrender to EmperumAn totally can get His divine darshan. It has been explained by an example: The seed of Magizham flower (This is called the Spanish cherry flower and is from the smallest tree. It is the favourite of some Indian Gods of the Indian subcontinent.) takes the lowest place (kaani) and also the highest place (koti) depending on the context, just as "x" takes various positions in Algebra. Similarly, the sareeram (human body) takes different forms (maybe that of an ant or Brahman) according to their poorva janma karma (virtues from previous births). However, only those who shed all these and attempt to see the ultimate Emperuman (who is bright as a jOti) can reach Him. The same concept is stated by Sri Parasara Battar in Sri Rangaraja Stavam, 2-88. (49)
2131. ariya pulanaindaDakki Aimalar koNDu Arvam
puriya parisinAl pulgil periyanAi |
mARRAdu veeRRirunda mAvalipAl vaNkaineer
ERRAnai kANbadeLidu (50)
2131. In this verse, AzhvAr expresses that those who detach themselves from worldly pleasures and surrender to Him devotedly will reach Him.
Inspite of the fact that MahAbali (grandson of PrahlAd) granted a boon to VAmana with pride and lost his entire kingdom and worldly possessions, Lord Vishnu forgave MahAbali’s attitude and pride and inturn poured his unconditional love and blessed him and his people. (with utmost forgiveness).
Such is the divine hand of the Lord who always grants boons to His devotees inspite of their innumerable sins. Hence, only the one who controls his five senses and bows before the Lord with extreme bhakti will get the opportunity and find a way to reach the Lord”, says AzhvAr, in this pAsuram. (50)
MUDAL TIRUVANDADI 51 to 60 PASURAMS 2132 TO 2141
2132. eLidil irANDaDiyum kANbadarku ennuLLam
teLiya teLidozhiyum sevvE kaLiyil |
porundAdavanai poraluRRu ariyAi
irundAn tirunAmam eN || (51)
2132. Oh! My heart ! Leave aside your wavering mind and be clear that if you determine yourself to worship the divine feet of the Lord, He will become very clear and happy You. So keep meditating upon the Lord who took the form of Nrisimha in order to put an end to the egoistic HiraNyAkshan by waging a war against him. (51)
He will forgive and be indifferent to our sins if we surrender at His feet. Here AzhvAr clearly gives the example of PrahlAda who took His name and as a result, EmperumAn appeared before him. On the contrary, the fate of his father who took pride in his valour and the boons he acquired, thinking of himself to be equal to the Lord saw death in the end. So always think of His lotus feet that stands to destroy the evil for the sake of His devotees.
The twin Ashvini dEvas, all of them approach Lord EmperumAn daily, holding flowers of different colours, chanting the matchless garland of words,(purushasooktam), at all times worshiping the consort of mahAlakshmi, eternally without any break. (52)
For the query, whether it is not possible to live without chanting His name, AzhwAr replies in this pAsuram stating that even the dEvas who sit egoistically holding sensitive posts exhibit their command only after holding on to EmperumAn's feet.
53. senrAl kuDaiyAm irundAl singAsanamAm
ninrAl maravaDiyAm neeL kaDaluL enrum |
puNaiyAm aNiviLakkAm poompaTTAm pulgum
aNaiyAm tirumArku aravu || (53)
2134. TiruvanantAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan) becomes the umbrella when the Lord goes out walking, becomes the royal throne when He sits and the footwear when He stands. He becomes the reclining bed or the float (புணை - தெப்பம்) on the extensive ocean whenever EmperumAn thinks of reclining. He becomes the auspicious lamp whenever the Lord wishes to see something and the divine dress ( பரிவட்டம் / திருபீதாம்பரம்) according to His wish. He at times even becomes the cuddling pillow for Shriya:pati, the Lord who is always with pirATTi . (53)
Unlike the dEvas who seek the Lord and leave once their problem gets solved and their needs fulfilled (as mentioned in the previous pAsuram), in this pAsuram AzhwAr talks about the Nityasoories who are constantly engaged in the service to the Lord.
Desiring to serve the Lord at all times in all ways possible, similar to TiruvanantAzhwAn, AzhwAr elaborates his deeds. Owing to the extent of his servitude, he is referred as sEShan as mentioned in StOtra Ratnam. He offers his service not according to his interest but to the desires of the Lord. He does this service to both perumAn and pirATTi similar to lakshmaNa who offered his services to rAma and SeetA.
Pillai PerumAl Iyengar's tiruvarangattu mAlai also has similar verses which goes with this pAsuram :
சென்றாற்குடையாங் கடற்புணையாந் திருத்தீவிகையா
நின்றாலிருதிருப்பாதுகையா நித்திரைக்கணையாங்
குன்றாமணியொளியாசனமாம் புனைகோசிகையா
மன்றாலிலையிற்றுயிலரங்கேசர்க்கரவரசே.
2135. aravamaDalvEzham An kurundam puLvAi
kuravai kuDamulaimar kunram karavinri |
viTTiruttu mEitosittu keeNDu kOttADi uNDu
aTTeDutta sengaNavan || (54)
2135. The beautiful lotus eyed Lord KaNNaN, under no disguise revealing Himself to the world, drove away the poisonous kAlia snake from the yamunA river ( aravam vittu ), (aDal vEzham iRuttu ) killed the aggressive kuvalayApeeDam elephant that came to attack, by plucking its tusk, (An mEyttu ) grazed the cows, (kurundham osiththu ) uprooted the kurunda tree where a demon was hiding, (puL vAy kINdu ) tore open the mouth of the demon in the guise of the heron, (kuravai kOttu) performed rAsakreeDai ( dance form) with gopikAs, (kuDam ADi ) did kuDakoottu (dance by balancing pots on the head), (mulai uNDu ) slurped the life of PootanA by drinking her milk, (mal attu) killed the wrestlers (mushtika, chANura) deployed by kamsa and (kunRam eDuttu ) lifted the gOvardhana mountain. What wonderful feats these were !!
Leaving all such comforts given by TiruvanantAzhwAn, He came down taking krishAvatAra for the sake of His leelAvibhUti to be protected. For the people of this world to offer servitude like that of Adiseshan, He comes down even ignoring His greatness.
NIRAL NIRAI ANI is the form of Tamizh grammar handled in this pAsuram. It is referred as यथासंख्य अलंकार (yatha sankya alankar) in sanskrit (i.e) Each of the subjects mentioned in the first part of the pAsuram corresponds to the activities mentioned in the second part.
The subjects are,
aravam, adal vEzham, An, kurundham, puL vAy, kuravai, kudam, mulai, mal and kunRam.
The activities in the same order are,
viTTu, iRuttu, mEyttu, osittu,kINDu, kOttu, ADi, uNDu, aTTu and eDutta.
So we have to pair it like aravam viTTu, aDalvEzham iRuttu and so on. (54)
2136. avan tamarevvinaiyarAhilum engOn
avantamarE enrozhivadallAl namantamarAl |
ArAyapaTTariyAr kaNDeer aravaNaimEl
pErAyarkku ATpaTTAr pEr || (55)
2136. One can notice that the agents of yama (yamadoothAs) have no other choice than to leave the devotees who show their servitude to the Lord who took to being a cowherd boy leaving His Adiseshan bed. Considering the fact that they are the devotees of their master, yamadootas do not even scrutinise the deeds of EmperumAn's bhaktas and that of those who posses His name too.
Who can even dare to look at EmperumAn's bhaktas, with anger in their eyes, when He is there to look and finish any kind of foes for them?
Yama is appointed by sarvEshvaran to probe into the sins of the jeevAtmAs. His assistants called yamadootas have been directed by him not to scrutinise the sins of Vishnu bhaktas. As Vishnu is the Lord of their master, they never try to even go near them. When the question arises why it is so, the convincing reply goes thus : Even in case pirATTi, the embodiment of purushAkAram and the protector of bhaktas indicates meagre follies, EmperumAn denies and disagrees stating that they are His devotees and they never do such things. Then the yama dootas leave saying, 'Who are we to punish them?' (55)
2137. pErE varappidaRRal allAl em pemmAnai
ArE arivAr adu nirka nErE |
kaDikkamalattu uLLirundum kANgilAn kaNNan
aDikamalam tannai ayan || (56)
2137. Other than uttering and blabbering His divine names while talking or mentioning about Him, who can understand or perceive my Lord EmperumAn? Leave alone that. BrahmA himself, who always resides closer to tirumAl, on the fragrant lotus that evolved from the navel of Lord Narayana, could not have the darshan of sarveshvaran KaNNAn's feet.
To receive the grace that He showers, when it falls on us without rejecting is the only way to show our gratitude and servitude to Him. Other than that none can measure His greatness is what AzhvAr conveys here.
Even a person residing near the shore cannot evaluate the depth of the ocean. Similarly it has been impossible even for brahmA who stays perpetually on the lotus from EmperumAn's navel to understand the magnitude of His greatness. AzhvAr knew about EmperumAn since He showed Himself to him. One can only cry out His names like how GajEndra the elephant did to save himself from the clutches of Makara, the crocodile. Even the VEdas state that unless He determines to show Himself, none can understand with their own effort. Hearing the calf cry, the mother cow reaches out to the calf. In the same way, EmperumAn will reach out to us hearing the cry of His names, without the need for us to know Him fully. (56)
2138. ayaninra valvinaiyai anjinEn anji
uyanin tiruvaDiyE sErvAn nayaninra |
nanmAlai koNDu namOnAraNA ennum
sonmAlai kaRREn tozhudu || (57)
2138. I was anxious about the vicious sins that kept nagging, always standing next to me. In order to get liberated from these sins and attain your divine feet, I worshipped You, coining these series of words, thereby creating this great prabandham and got to learn the tirumandiram with its eight syllables.
To clarify the doubt, when it is hard even for Brahma to learn and know about the Lord, how did AzhvAr get to know about Him? AzhvAr states that by chanting the names of the Lord, he reached out to Him. As the Lord came and showed himself, he was able to realise Him. Other than holding His feet there's no way to get relieved from this samsAric world too, he explains.
Tirumandiram reveals, the nature of the Lord,
Nature of the jeevAtmAs that reach Him,
The means to reach Him,
The fruit gained after reaching Him,
The nature of the hurdles that come in between.
These are the principles discussed in this Prabandham.
2139. tozhudu malar koNDu doobam kaiyEndi
ezhudum ezhuvAzhi nenjE pazhudinri |
mandirangaL karpanavum mAlaDiyE kaitozhuvAn
andaramonrillai aDai || (58)
2139. Oh! My heart, hail to thee! Get ready to get liberated by worshiping the Lord, with the collected flowers and incense for offering. There is hardly any time to wait to reach the Lord's feet by learning and chanting the hymns (slOkAs) without any flaws. So reach out faster without any delay.
There is not a single minute to be wasted, other than talking and learning bhagavat-vishayam ( the knowledge about the Lord).
The main aim of learning slOkAs is to worship the Lord and not for anything else. Further the learning of slOkAs has to be done in a proper way, only by means of gurukulam or learning through a guru (AchAryan) and not by ones own effort. It is similar to climbing on an elephant, which has to be done only with the help of the mahout. Otherwise the elephant will throw and stamp him. (58)
2140. aDainda varuvinaiyODu allal nOi pAvam
miDaindavai meeNDozhiya vENDil nuDangiDaiyai |
mun ilangai vaittAn muraNazhiya munnorunAL
tanvilangai vaittAn SaraN || (59)
2140.To relinquish the sins that got attached to us due to ignorance; the sorrows of the mind; along with the diseases of our physical body and our bad deeds and the karma or the sins which are the reason for acquiring this physical body, the only way is to take refuge under the lotus feet of rAma who held the bow in His hand during His incarnation to put an end to valorous rAvaNa who earlier abducted the slender waisted SeetA pirATTi. (59)
RAma is the only means to get rid of the obstructions that come our way in reaching the Lord, conveys AzhvAr.
Those who don't realise the fact that this Atma is the possession of the paramAtma, will face the consequences as rAvaNa did. Whereas for those who agree the fact, EmperumAn will clear all the obstructions that come their way, as He did for SeetA pirATTi.
2141. SaraNAm maraipayanda tAmaraiyAnODu
maraNAya mannuyirgaTkellAm araNAya |
pErAzhi koNDa pirAnanri maRRariyAdu
OrAzhi soozhnda ulagu || (60)
2141. Lord tirumAl is the only protector for all sentient beings (who have eternal and indestructible AtmA) including brahmA who is enlightened by EmperumAn Himself through the four vEdas and is subject to natural death. Irrespective of whether they are great or low in this world surrounded by water, none other than EmperumAn who possess the chakra in His hand knows the means to protect each and everyone. (60)
According to the norm of the world, one who enjoys the fruit, should be knowing the means to attain it. In that way the chEtana should be knowing the means to attain EmperumAn. But why do we say only EmperumAn is the means for attaining Him?
The reason well explained here is that, chEtana who is 'agyAnan' and 'asaktan', is incapable of anything. Only EmperumAn who is the sarvagyan and sarvasaktan is capable of everything, in the sense, chEtanas are not aware of what happened in the past, what they suffer now and what is in store for them. Only EmperumAn is aware of all these and has the power to remove the troubles at all stages. Hence He becomes the only means.
AzhvAr reiterates that a jeevAtmA's ultimate goal is Shreeman NArAyaNa and until He reaches the final goal, He should continue to engage his body, mind and knowledge in bhagavat kainkaryam alone and not waste time in worldly pursuits.
In the previous pAsuram, AzhvAr said that bhagavAn is the means and the end for the jeevAtmAs. In this pAsuram He explains why.
BhagavAn creates the earth and the other worlds due to His own free will. Forgetting their eternal relationship with the Lord who is like their father, the jeevAtmAs get entangled in the never-ending cycle of birth and death. At one stage, they become like birds that have lost their wings.
But bhagavAn never forgets His children. He patiently waits for the suffering jeevAtmAs to realise His power and return to His abode. Until that time, He preserves them by first creating praLaya (ulagarinda oozhiyum) and then absorbing all the worlds (ulagum), the dark oceans with its beautiful waves (ONkEzh karungaDalum vilagu), the mountains (verpum), the raging red fires (senteeyum), the winds (mArudamum) and the skies (vAnum), all of them into his little stomach. (During PraLaya, baby krishNa showed all the worlds inside His stomach to MArkanDEya).
All chara and achara (moving and non-moving things) are tirumAl’s creations (puNarppu) that emerge again due to His gyAna sankalpa (pundiyil). That explains why BhagavAn Shreeman NArAyaNa has to be regarded as the ultimate upAya (means) and upEya (goal).
leelA ashEsha jagat prapancha jaThare vishvesharE shreedarE gOvindE kuru chitta vRuttam achalam anyai: tu kiM vartanai: ||
As an endless pastime, Lord Shreedhara known as VishvEshvara manifests the entire universe from His abdomen and controls it. Hence, fix your wavering mind on GovindA. What is the benefit of other engagements? (61)
2143. puNarmarudinooDu pOi poongurundam sAittu maNamaruvamAl viDaiyEzh seRRu kaNamveruva | Ezhulagum tAyinavum eNDisaiyum pOyinavum soozharava pongaNaiyAn tOL || (62)
AzhvAr glorifies the dutiful shoulders of Lord VishNu who rushes to the call of the devotees by taking many avatAras and performs humongous tasks for the emancipation of the jeevAtmAs.
Though Lord VishNu has a cool and cozy serpent bed to take rest, He does not behave like a doorastha (one who stays far away). Once, He took efforts and went crawling between the twin maruda trees and liberated the kubEra sons who were standing together for years. He destroyed the demon disguised as a full bloomed kurunda tree. He subdued the seven gigantic bulls to marry Nappinnai pirATTi and measured the seven worlds growing huge in all the eight directions to the astonishment of everyone witnessing the trivikrama avatAra. PallANDu to His arms that always shoulder the responsibility of protecting the struggling jeevAtmAs! (62)
2144. tOLavanai allAl tozA ensevi iraNDum kELavanadu in mozhiyE kETTirukkum nAnALum | kONAgaNaiyAn kuraikazhalE kooruvadE nANAmai naLLEn nayam || (63)
AzhvAr explains that it is important to engage all our sense organs in devotion.
My hands shall not pray to anyone other than Shreeman nArAyaNa who is the ultimate savior.
My ears shall only enjoy hearing the glories of emperumAn who is everything to me. (emperumAn is sakala vidha bandhu).
My tongue shall always speak about the divine feet of Lord VishNu who has the multifaceted AdishEshan as His recliner.
As my indriyas are perfectly aligned, I shall never go shamelessly after worldly desires (nayam). (63)
The worldly pleasures threatened AzhvAr, “What if we capture you?” Poygai AzhvAr reverts boldly:
I shall not regard the AtmA as mine. (nayavEn pirar poruLai – jeevAtmA is the property of the Lord. The kaustubha mani that He wears permanently is equated to the jeevAtma. Hence jeevAtmA is referred as pirar poruL)
I shall not associate myself with people inclined towards lowly thoughts. (naLLEn keezhArODu)
I shall not spend my free time with people other than shreevaishNavas. (uyavEn uyarndavar ODu allAl)
I shall not enjoy the worship of any God other than tirumAl nArAyaNa. (viyavEm tirumAlai alladu deivam)
That being so how will sins near me? (I believe I have the poorNa anugraham of emperumAn). (64)
How is it that devotees of VishNu get rid of their karmas?
Those who do anjali with folded hands unto the lotus eyed dark hued Lord VishNu who has thousand names; who is difficult to comprehend and is far beyond the reach of the worldly beings, are sure to be free from both pApa and puNya karmas. They will not have to face even a grain’s measure of hellish experience (naraga vedanai). Washed of all their dirt, they will reach a state of equanimity, never to turn towards sin. Such is the compassion of Lord VishNu and the power of VishNu bhakti. (65)
Learned vEdAntis aspiring for mOksha (mumukshus) rise early in the morning, recite vEdas and excel in different facets of knowledge. (keezhE talai marai – karma kANDa of the vEdas, mElai talai marai – gyAna kANDa of the vEdas which is vEdAnta).
Even they surrender at the feet of Lord VishNu holding the resplendent chakra and crave to spend their time singing and remembering the thousand names of Lord VishNu whose tirumEni is like the big ocean (pEr Azhi – big ocean). (66)
1.Knowledge of bhagavAn alone is real knowledge (vigyAna).
2.AtmA belongs to bhagavAn alone, not anyone else (ananyArha sEshatvam)
3.When we say bhagavAn it includes Lakshmi as she is inseparable from him. Hence being subservient to shriya:pati (emperumAn and pirATTi) is jeevAtmA lakshaNam (mithuna sEshatvam).
The river travels through a long course to merge with the surging ocean.
The lotus, waiting to bloom, looks up to sunrise.
The life breath of jeevAtmA awaits the arrival of yama dharmarAjA.
But the AtmA whose knowledge is ripe, eagerly looks forward to reach emperumAn, the beloved of Lakshmi born out of the lotus (tAmaraiyAL kELvan). The mention of the word tAmaraiyAL kELvaN brings out the importance of Shree Devi as being at par with Lord vishNu as the savior.
It is apposite here to reflect upon swAmi desikan’s concluding paragraph of his manipravAla work - sArasAram (charama shloka adikAram):
இப்படி ரஹஸ்ய अर्थ விஶேஷங்களெல்லாம் தெளிந்தவன் பின்பு கற்குமதெல்லாம் கைங்கர்யம். இது தெலியாதவன் கற்குமது தெளிகைக்கு உறுப்பாம். இவற்றோடு துவக்கற்ற विद्यै शिल्पनैपुणம்.
The realisation that jeevAtmA is Shriya:pati’s servant, is true knowledge. There are different types of knowledge – jOtisham, tarkam, AyurvEdam, mantram, tantram, vyAkarana, meemAmsam, etc. Every person well versed in his field calls himself knowledgeable. But after sharanagati, all this knowledge has to be construed as bhagavat krupa and bhagavat kainkaryam only. Knowledge per se only displays one’s own skill. (shilpa naipuNam). Knowledge that does not lead the jeevAtmA towards bhagavat kainkaryam is of no use to the AtmA. (67)
2149. uNarvAr Ar unperumai oozhidOroozhi uNarvArAr un uruvam tannai uNarvAr Ar | viNNahattAi maNNahattAi vENgaDattAi nAlvEda paNNagattAi neekiDanda pAl || (68)
In the last pAsuram, AzhvAr declared that one who knows about emperumAn is a true gyAni. In this pAsuram, He states that knowledge about emperumAn is endless and hence no one can know Him in entirety.
Oh Lord of Paramapada (viNNagattAi – nitya vibhooti nAtha)!
Oh Lord who incarnates on the earth time and again to save people during crisis! (maNNagattAi – leelA vibhooti nAtha)!
Oh, Lord VenkatEshwara standing in the Tirumalai hills! (vENgaDattAi). Who can understand You? (uNarvAr Ar)
Aeons of life on the worldly planets will not suffice to understand You, who is described extensively in the four melodic vEdas (paN agattAi). Is there anyone who understands the purpose of your yOga nidrA on the cosmic ocean? None! (68)
AzhvAr continues to be astonished by emperumAn’s incredible exploits.
Oh, GovardhanagiridhAri! As a small child, You effortlessly lifted the GOvardhana hill covered with groves! Learned scholars believe that during praLaya kAla, You float as an infant on a banyan leaf after absorbing all the seven worlds into your stomach.
Tell me! During that time, where does the banyan leaf come from?
Does the banyan leaf come from the floods of the praLaya waters? (vElaineer uLLadO) or
Does it come from the sky (viNNadO) or does it rise from the earth (maNNadO)?
Azhvar suggests that emperumAn performs such miraculous deeds with His aghaTitaghaTanA sAmarthyam – His amazing skill of making the impossible possible. (69)
Understanding bhagavAn is beyond human capacity but AzhvAr suggests that there are simple ways of earning His compassionate glance.
This temporary body will fall any time. Until the time it perishes (sellum tanaiyum), let us worship Lord VishNu with His consort Shri (tirumAlai tozhumin), by offering fresh flower garlands (dAmattAl), performing sat karmas like homas (vELiviyAl), through specific kriyas (tandirattAl) or reciting vEdas (mandirattAl). Even if all these offerings are not possible, let us at least glorify Him with His divine names (nAmattAl) like krishNa, mAdhava, kEshava, trivikrama, madhusoodana, etc) so long as we can speak and as much as we can utter (sollum tanaiyum). NAmOchchAranam itself shall suffice to debond us from samsAra.
KulasEkara AzhvAr also echoes the same sentiment in MukundamAlA, verse 37
इदं शरीरं परिणाम पेशलं पतति अवश्यं शत संधि जर्जरम् | किं औषधं प्रच्छसि मूढ दुर्मते निरामयं कृष्ण रसायनं पिब ॥
idaM shareeraM pariNAma peshalaM patati avashyaM shata sandhi jarjaram kiM aushadhaM prachchasi mUDha durmatE nirAmayaM kRuShNa rasAyanaM piba ||
This body, the beauty of which is changing, shall succumb to death after its hundreds of joints have weakened. Oh foolish one, why are you asking for medication? Just drink krishNa rasAyanam - the prophylactic elixir for life. (KrishNa is indeed the medication to prevent the disease of samsAra ). (70)
MUDHAL TIRUVANDADI 71 TO 80 PASURAMS 2152 TO 2161
Poigai AzhvAr tried preaching to the people of the world about the kalyANaguNam of emperumAn. Realizing that they lacked the essential quality of enjoying His bhagavatguNas and His endless compassion, he decides to direct his attention to his own heart.
2152. nanru piNimooppu kaiyagaRRi nAngoozhi
ninru nilamuzhudum ANDAlum enrum |
viDalAzhi nenjamE vENDinEn kaNDAi
aDalAzhi koNDAn mATTu anbu || (71)
2152. O nenjE! I appeal to you to stay immersed in emperumAn's anubhavam, which is the ultimate bliss.
Even if you attain AtmAnubhavam, where you are rid of the samsAric travails of aging and falling sick (piNi, mooppu) ..
Even if you are deemed to exist through all four yugas ( nAngu oozhi ninRu) ruling over the entire universe including the brahmalOkham, I advice you to shun these temporary pleasures.
Never cease to be devoted to the emperumAn who wields the chakrAyudham, always ready to defend you from your adversaries. (71)
2153. anbAzhiyAnai aNugennum nA avantan
paNbAzhi tOLparavi Ettennum munboozhi |
kANAnai kANennum kaNsevi kELennum
pooNAram pooNDAn pugazh || (72)
2153. In the previous pAsuram, AzhvAr, in the capacity of an AchAryan, instructs his nenjam to pray to emperumAn. In this pAsuram, his nenjam, assuming the role of an AchAryan, instructs AzhvAr to do the same.
AzhvAr says, "My nenjam ( anbu), now tuned to enjoy bhagavat guNas in its entirety, instructs me to reach (aNugu) sarvEswaran (AzhiyAn) and revel in worshipping Him."
"My tongue (nA) bids me to sing in praise of His strong, broad and valorous shoulders (paNpAzhi tOL)."
"My eyes guide me to look up and worship this compassionate perumAl, who decides not to consider (kANAnai) all the misdeeds committed by me till this day, when I have resolved to surrender unto Him."
"My ears (sevi) urge me to listen to the kalyAnagunas of the emperumAn who is adorned with ornaments and jewellery (pooN Aram pooNdAn)." (72)
2154. pugazhvAi pazhippAinee poonduzhA yAnai
igazhvAi karuduvAi nenjE tigazh neer |
kaDalum malaiyum iruviSumbum kARRum
uDalum uyirum ERRAn || (73)
2154. Oh nenjE! You may prefer to glorify and sing in praise ( pugazhvAi) of the emperumAn who wears the fragrant tulasi garland.
Or you may prefer to malign His glory (pazhippAi) ( like sishupAlan).
You may abuse Him (igazhvAi).
Or you may supplicate to Him ( karuduvAi).
Whatever your attitude may be, understand that it will not dent His eminence. Understand that He is the one who manifests as the ocean (kadal) brimming with water, as the mountains, as the huge expansive space, as the air, as the physical matter ( achEtanam) and the conscious material ( chEtanam). (73)
2155. ERRAn puLLoorndAn eyilerittAn mArviDandAn
neeRRAn nizhalmaNi vaNNattAn kooRRorupAl |
mangaiyAn poomagaLAn vArsaDaiyAn neeNmuDiyAn
gangaiyAn neeLkazhalAn kAppu || (74)
2155. In this pAsuram, AzhvAr lists out pairs of contrasting characteristics of rudran and nArAyaNan alternately and in the end asserts that NArAyaNan indeed is superior and rudran is subservient to Him.
Rudra has the bull (known for its tAmasic gunA) for His vehicle (yERRAn). He burnt to ashes, the city of tripuram ( eyil erithAn). (Tripuram is the city of His fervent devotee). He smears himself with ash (neeRRAn). He shares half of himself with his consort, PArvati ( kooRRorupAl mangaiyAn). He has long, matted hair ( vAr sadaiyAn). He holds the Ganges in his matted lock ( gangaiyAn).
On the other hand, nArAyaNan has the royal bird, Garuda (puLLUrndhAn) for His vehicle. (Garuda is vEdam personified). He tore open the chest of the asuran hiraNyan( mArvidandhAn). ( HiraNyan was killed because he gave trouble to His ardent devotee, prahlAd). He is like the cool sapphire gem(maNivaNNan). He has periya pirAtti as His loving consort ( poo magaLAn). He wears the beautiful crown on His head ( neeL mudiyAn). His lotus tiruvadi are beautiful (neeL kazhalAn). (His divine tiruvadi lent purity and divinity to the ganges that is held by rudran in his matted lock). NarAyaNan alone is the protector. (74)
2156. kAppunnai unna kazhiyum aruvinaigaL
Appunnai unna avizhndozhiyum mooppu |
unnai sindippArkkillai tirumAlE ninnaDiyai
vandippAr kANbAr vazhi || (75)
2156. Oh tirumAlE! The beloved of mahAlakshmi!
To those who surrender unto You, taking You, the sarvEswaran as their sole protector, You absolve them of all their sins.
To those who contemplate on You, their misdeeds and the bondage that results from it are also absolved.
Those who constantly worship You are rid of old age and other accompanying afflictions. ( Six types of changes are mentioned in the life of a human being from the time of conception to death. Termed as 'shaDbhAvam', they are, fetus, toddler, adolescent, youth, old age and death).
To those who surrender at Your divine feet, You bless them by showing them the path to eternal bliss, the SrivaikuNTham. (75)
2157. vazhininru ninnai tozhuvAr vazhuvA
mozhininra moorttiyarE Avar pazhudonrum |
vArAda vaNNamE viNkoDukkum maNNaLanda
SeerAn tiruvEngaDam || (76)
2157. In this pAsuram, poigai AzhvAr says that the emperumAn in tirupati grants his devotees nothing less than mOksham.
Devotees who stand by the tenets of bhakti mArgam ( vazhi ninRu) in their pursuit of attaining Your divine feet, will indeed become like the nityasooris as described in the holy text, the upanishads ( vazhuvA mozhi).
The Lord who measured up the entire universe( maN ALandha seerAn) resides in the tiruvEnkaTa divya kshEtram, waiting to grant mOksham to His devotees, without giving any scope for disappointment. (76)
2158. ngaDamum viNNagarum veKAvum aKAda
poongiDangin neeLkOval ponnagarum nAngiDattum |
ninrAnirundAn kiDandAn naDandAnE
enrAl keDumAmiDar || (77)
2158. In the divya desams tiruvEnkaTam, SrivaikuNTam, tiruvekkA and tirukOvalur with its flourishing ponds filled with flowers, emperumAn can be seen in the standing, sitting, reclining and striding postures respectively. Meditating on these emperumAn's Divya swaroopams will ensure that all our grief and sorrows vanish. (77)
2159. iDarAr paDuvArezhu nenjE vEzham
toDarvAn koDu mudalai soozhnda paDamuDaiya |
painnAga paLLiyAn pAdamE kaitozhudum
koinnAga poombOdu koNDu || (78)
2159. O nenjE! Come, let us pray to the Lord who slayed the crocodile who caught hold of the elephant (vEzham), GajEndran 's leg, in its jaw, and saved the elephant. ( In the same way, emperumAn will appear at our time of need and rescue us from our enemies).
Let us pray at the divine tiruvadi of the perumAl, who has the hooded (padam) green hued serpent, AdisEshan as His bed and worship Him with punnai (mastwood) flowers. He will relieve us of all our sorrows. We are incapable of bearing with the sorrows. (78)
2160. koNDAnai allAl koDuttArai yAr pazhippAr
maN tA enavirandu mAvaliyai oNDArai |
neerangai tOya nimirndilaiyE neeLvisumbil Ar
angai tOya aDuttu || (79)
2160. EmperumAn went seeking three feet of land from mahAbali. Consenting to gift Him what He sought, the king initiated the dAnam by sprinkling the holy water ( oN dhArai neer) on emperumAn's divine hand ( am kai). At the same instant, He grew boundless, reaching up to the brahmalOkam. When His tiruvaDi reached high to measure the upper worlds, the dEvas worshipped Him by offering water to His tiruvaDi.
The Lord had meticulously changed His divya roopam to retrieve (koDuttAn) the possessions of the devas. But He is being mocked and discredited as having tricked mahAbali into parting away with his kingdom.
Why is it that nobody finds fault with mahAbali who contrived and forcefully seized ( koNdAn) the deva's lands and claimed to be his? Isn't this unfair? (79)
2161. aDutta kaDum pagaijnarkku aRREn enrODi
paDutta perumpAzhi Soozhnda viDattaravai |
vallALan kaikoDutta mAmEni mAyavanukku
allAdum AvarO AL || (80)
2161. Who else will I surrender to, but to the emperumAn who made GaruDan the custodian for the poisonous serpent sumukhan, poigai AzhvAr asks.
When the poisonous snake ( vidathu aravu), sumukhan, the sworn enemy ( kadu pagai) of Garudan, scrambled to the tiruvaDi of the reclining emperumAn ( padutha perumpAzh) and wound himself to His bedstead, pleading for abhayam, He gave the responsibility to garuDa to safeguard him!
With my emperumAn, the mAyavan of resplendent form ready to protect me, will I ever seek any other dEvatAntaram? (80)
2162. The countless tirunAmams of sriman nArAyaNa are more powerful than the Lord Himself, affirms AzhvAr.
Reciting his names is the absolute upAyam (path) to reach him.
The names of emperumAn are like a ferry which helps us to cross the ocean of samsAra with ease which is compared to the various horrific hells (tOl naragai). Even if He is beyond our reach, His nAmAs will come to our rescue (His nAmas came to the rescue of Draupadi and gajEndra).
AzhvAr says that one must recite the names of that emperumAn who incarnated as koormam, who will always protect us.
Long ago a fierce battle raged between the dEvas and the powerful asurAs (ALamar venRi aDukaLattul). In order to protect the dEvas and churn the ocean for the sweet nectar (amrutam), emperumAn suggested that they team with the asuras for help as they are very strong. He used the huge mandaragiri as a churning rod and asked the vAsuki snake to be the rope to churn the ocean. The devas and asuras proved unsuccessful as the mountain started sinking due to its heaviness. Immediately the Lord took the form of a massive tortoise (koormam) and bore the weight of the huge mountain on his back and helped to churn the ocean.
AzhvAr thus applauds and glorifies the aghaTitaghaTanAsAmarthyam of the lord in this avatAram. (81)
2163. AzhvAr claims that the Lord on the tiruvENkaTam hill is a sulabhan (easily accessible) to every bhakta. Irrespective of caste or creed, all can offer their prayers (even the tribal women) without inhibitions. He is the Ashrita pAratantryan (One who is bound by the love of his devotees).
The srivaishnavAs who fasted on ekAdashi proceed to visit the lord the next day (dwadasi-pArasinAL) early in the morning before breaking their fast. Beautiful women with spear like (padai Arum) sparkling eyes carry fragrant flowers and burning incense sticks to offer prayers to the Lord on that day. The fragrant smoke from the sticks covers (mAsooNum) the sky blurring the visibility of the stars.
This is the abode of chakravarti tirumagan ramapirAn who subjected himself to please seetA pirATTi for a deer and killed the trickster rakshasa mAreechan by shooting an arrow (eydAn). He submissively stands on the tiruvENkaTam hill to protect his devotees so that every jeevA gets bhagavat sambandham. He is amenable to do what we want by hiding his quality of anantatvan (endless entity)! (82)
2164. AzhvAr enjoys the kalyANagunAs of shakti, Ashrita rakshanam and dushTa nigraham.
Oh upakAranE(pirAn)! While reclining on the ksheerAbdhi (neer AzhiyuL kiDandu) showering compassionate glances, you killed the rAkshasAs madhu and kaiTaba (nishAcharar) by wielding the sudarshana chakra (pErAzhi koNDa pirAn) when they came to attack you.
Why is it that in all your endeavours, you used astonishing means to destroy your enemies when you could have destroyed them with the powerful sudarshana chakra?
pirAnE! In Brindavan, you effortlessly lifted the gOrvardhana giri (varia kuDai) which acted as an umbrella to protect the cows and cowherds (A nirai kAttu). You supported it on your little finger; your shoulder acted as the rod of the umbrella (kuDai tOL kAmbAga)! You could have easily killed Indra with your chakra!
The way you subdued the seven ferocious bulls(niraiviDai Ezh) all alone to win the hands of nappinnai piraTTi was astounding when you could have easily sent your discus to kill them. What was the necessity to perform this act on your own, inflicting your tirumEni?
AzhvAr says that emperumAn’s vAtsalyam towards his devotees is the reason for these acts. He loves to plunge into their distress state and resolve it by himself due to abundance compassion or kAruNyam. (83)
2165. AzhvAr questions the conflicting yet amazing avatAras of the Lord.
emperumAnE! When you incarnated as trivikraman, your feet grew enormously big to fit the size (alavu pOnda) of the vast earth (ulagaLandadu anRu). Contrastingly when you assumed the form of the massive varAha moorty (varAkattu) to rescue bhoomA dEvi, she appeared to be a mere fragment whom you carried lovingly and effortlessly on one end of your tusks (eyiRu aLavu)! How were these awe-inspiring exploits possible (en koL) which is difficult for a chEtanan like us to comprehend?
upakAranE! Other than you, who else can understand (piRar yAr aRivAr) your incredible endeavours and your quality of rakshagatvam? It is possible for us to perceive your kalyanagunAs only if we get your nirhEtuka kataksham and impossible if we try to understand using our own budhdhi. (84)
2166. AzhvAr addresses his heart (manam/nenjE) in this pAsuram.
Oh nenjE! You seem to have successfully controlled the five sense organs (poRi aindum uL aDakki-the panchEndriya ) without indulging in worldly pursuits. You were very firm to attain the Lord and get his darisanam. You are holding fragrant flowers and holy water in your hand waiting to offer to the Lord.
Oh nenjE! Please tell me. Did you have the divine vision (kaNDu aRudiyE) of recognising, witnessing and enjoying the beautiful tirumEni (paDi kaNDu) of the Lord reclining on AdisEsha or His flag sporting his vehicle garuDa?
2167. In this pAsuram AzhvAr gets the sAkshAtkAram of perumAL and pirATTi in tirukkOvalur!!
Oh! guNashaliyE! paNpALA! To protect the cowherds from the severe hailstorms you uprooted the gOvardhana giri (kunRu eDuttu) and held it like an umbrella to prevent them from getting afflicted by the hailstorm sent by Lord dEvEndra. You stood among the innocent cowherds out of sheer vAtsalyam shedding your paratvam.
Similarly, in the prosperous divine kshEtram of tirukkOvalur we three (poigai AzhvAr, pEyAzhvAr and bhootatAzhvAr) were standing in a small room near the doorstep (vAsal kaDai). We felt a strong presence of a fourth person.
Discarding the samsArees who await to have your darisanam; you (neeyum tirumakaLum) stood at the threshold along with mahAlakshmi tAyAr squeezing between us (iDai kazhiyE-dEhaleesha)! You manifested to us in a subtle manner proving your kalyAnagunam of Ashrita vAtsalyam!! We are blessed that you favoured our company to that of the samsArees, says AzhvAr.
Swami vEdAnta dEsikan has composed the stotram named ‘dEhaleesha stuti’ on this emperumAn of tirukkOvalur.(86)
2168. The chEtanAs of the divine and attractive land of jambudweepam (bhAratam-am nAval soozh nADu) are realized souls even though they may be involved in worldly pursuits. Those who are living around the divya dEsam of tirukkOvalur have decided to hold on to the anklets (kanai kazhalE) adorned tiruvaDis of the handsome shouldered Lord Krishna. They are certain that they will reach srivaikuNTam being aware that he is the shaktan. He hurled vatsAsura (kanRu-disguised as a calf) onto the wood apple tree or viLampazham maRam (kani) which was actually kapitthAsura in disguise, killing both of them simultaneously.
Oh! yamadharmarAja! Henceforth, who will appear (yaar puguvAr) at your gates of the seven hells (Ezhu naraga vAsal) after death? Having surrendered to Him they will all be emancipated by the Lord. Bolt your gates securely with big locks (moori tAL kOmin) without resentment and anger!, says AzhvAr.
The seven hells - raurava, maharaurava, atisheeta, nikruntana,apratishTa,asipatra and taptakumbham. (87)
2169. In this pAsuram poigai AzhvAr applauds his achievement (swa lAbham) of having felt the presence of emperumAn by controlling his three karaNAs- mind , tongue and body (manasa, vAchA, kAya or karNatrayam). He looks upon emperumAn as the purushArtham and aspires to use these three means to enjoy bhagavat vishayam and attain His abode paramapadam.
He says, “when my mind starts wandering, I will contemplate in search of your divine tiruvaDis alone (nADilum ninnaDiyE nADuvan).
If I wish to say something, I will speak only about your glories (pADilum nin pugazhE pADuvan).
If I desire to adorn myself (desiring His dEhasanbandham), I will adorn the tiruvaDis of the one who holds the golden sudarshana chakra (pon Azhi EndinAn).
Why should I worry about myself when I have bedecked myself with his beautiful divine tiruppAdaNgaL?” (88)
2170. enakku AvAr AroruvarE em perumAn tanakkAvAn tAnE maRRallAl punakkAyAm poomEni kANa podiyavizhum poovaipoo mAmEni kATTum varam || 89 ||
2170. Having experienced the bhagavadanubhavam, poigai AzhvAr humbly expresses his gratification due to bhagavad sEshatvam and the lord’s krupA katAksham.
AzhvAr observes several kAyAm poo (dark purple colour flowers) which have started blooming in his fields. Seeing them he starts contemplating on the gorgeous tirumEni of emperumAn which resembles the kAyam poo. He realizes that he has reached a state of mind which is inclined to see lord nArAyaNa in everything; having refrained from invoking any other god other than emperumAn (avoiding devatAntara sambandham).
AzhvAr feels contended about it.
“Enakku AvAr Ar oruvarE? I consider myself to be extremely fortunate among the samsArees. I am an incarnate of bhagavat sEshatvam!”, says AzhvAr with great confidence.
emperumAnE! I humbly acknowledge that your kalyANagunAs are incomparable! The nityasooris enjoy you in you paramapadam. On this earth among so many distractions of materialistic pleasures filled with agnyAnam, you chose to grace me and thus instigated me to surrender unto you!
I have been fortunate to get the highest state of bhagavadanubhavam having completely surrendered unto you by controlling my senses purely due to your nirhEtuka kaTAksham (selfless compassion). Enjoying bhagavad-bhAgavata sambandham is experienced only by those who are blessed with your kaTAksham!
The samsArees are drowned in the thoughts of worldly pursuits and worshipping other gods (itara sEshatvam). Obviously they are not competent to enjoy bhagavat vishayam. Hence, I assert that there is none equal to me on this earth who enjoys your favour and abundant blessings! (89)
2171. AzhvAr eulogises the exceptional kalyANagunas of emperumAn in Narasimha avatAram.
Oh mAdhavA! lakshminAtha! The prideful and mighty asura hiraNyakashipu had become unethical and misused his power to trouble all beings after receiving the boons from brahmadEva. He was an epitome of bhAgavata apachAram and bhagavat Virodhi.
tirumAlE! He deserved to be punished. Hence you took the form of narasimhamoorthy (Or ariyAy) and tore apart this mighty asura (eer ariyAy) effortlessly with your attribute of balam (urattinal) and parAkramam using your nails as a weapon to kill him without causing disrespect to brahmA (who gave the boon)!
Was this the only reason to kill him? Were you angered because he refused to surrender to you?, wonders AzhvAr.
AzhvAr opines probably the Lord could not tolerate those who torment his devotees (bhAgavata apachAram). HiraNyakashipu was subjecting his beloved devotee prahlAda to unpardonable sufferings. Hence these feats of Ashrita rakshaNam and dushTa vinAshanam! (90)
MUDAL TIRUVANDADI 91 TO 100 PASURAMS 2172 to 2181
Poygai AzhvAr lists the qualities necessary to attain emperumAn's lotus feet and recalls the incidents that happened during his various avatars.
2172. oona kurambaiyinuL pukku iruL neekki
jnAna chuDar koLee nADOrum Enattu |
uruvAi ulahiDanda oozhiyAn pAdam
maruvAdArkku uNDAmO vAn. (91)
2172. In this pAsuram AzhvAr says that it is emperumAn who removes our ignorance of thinking that our body which is made of mere flesh and blood, gives bliss. He removes this myth and enlightens us to realise the truth by taking many avatAras. ( Lord VarAha’s promise to Bhoomi pirATTi that He will remember His bhaktas during their last moments is the proof that He is the saviour). Those who fail to bow before Him will never attain His abode. (91)
2173. vAnAhi teeyAi marikaDalAi mArudamAi
tEnAhi pAlAm tirumAlE AnAichchi |
veNNei vizhunga niraiyumE munnorunAL
maNNai umizhnda vayiru. (92)
2173. AzhvAr raises a question. Oh emperumAn! We all know that you are the one who controls/governs the five elements, and you are the one who is as sweet as honey and milk. But tell us whether your stomach which once consumed the entire universe during the time of pralaya would ever get filled up by the butter (raised by the Aiychchi girls) fed with love by YashOdhA. He concludes that it would never get filled that way. (92)
2174. vayirazhala vALuruvi vandAnai anja
eyirilaha vAimaDuttaden nee poriugirAl |
poovaDivai eeDazhitta ponnAzhi kaiyA nin
sEvaDimEl eeDazhiya seRRu. (93)
2174. Oh Lord holding the chakra! interrogates the AzhvAr. With your divine hands softer than that of a flower, You placed the sword held, haughty HiraNyakashyapu on your legs and tore Him apart with your multi-coloured nails. Even after destroying HiraNyakashyapu why where You still angry, folding your tongue and showing your fierce teeth (eyir ilagu nee vAy maDittadu en?) The only answer to this question is that bhagavAn shows His anger only to prove to the world about His vAtsalyam towards prahlAda. He can never tolerate bhAgavata apachAra. (93)
2175. In this pAsuram AzhvAr says that his tongue will not utter anyone else's name other than the lord who destroyed the world when atrocities happened, consumed all the worlds, and opened his mouth widely (ஆவென்று) to prove to mArkAnDEya that the destroyed universe is inside His stomach. (94)
2176. nA vAyiluNDE namO nAraNAya venru
OvAdu uraikkum uraiyuNDE moovAda |
mAkkadikkaN sellum vahaiyuNDE ennoruvar
teegadikkaN sellum tiram (95)
2176. AzhvAr says that each soul is....
1. Gifted with a tongue to utter His 1000 names.
2. The divine eight syllable mantra which has to be uttered in one breath is gifted to all as a means to reach the ultimate destination paramapadam from where one never returns.
Hence, AzhvAr wonders why people take the wrong path instead of uttering His tirunaamam. (5)
2177. tirambAden nenjamE sengaNmAl kaNDAi
aram pAvam enru iraNDum AvAn puram tAn |
immaNtAn marikaDaltAn mArudam tAn vAntAnE
kaNDAi kaDaikkaT piDi || (96)
2177. AzhvAr requests the BhAgavatas to firmly believe the truth that tirumAl is the administrator of the entire world, seas, sky, air and the tattvas starting from mahat etc. He is also the silent observer of our sins and good deeds (pApa and puNya). Thus, the lotus eyed Vishnu is the paramAtmA, reminds AzhvAr. (96)
2178. piDisEr kaLiraLitta pErALA unran
aDi sErndu aruLpeRRAL anrE poDiSEr |
anar gangai ERRAn avir saDaimEl pAinda
punar gangai ennum pEr pon (97)
2178.Oh lord! You saved the elephant who lived happily with his spouse (GajendrazhvAn). The beautiful lady who flowed from the divine strands of Lord Shiva (to purify him) acquired the name ganga (purifying river) because she got the blessings of Trivikrama’s divine feet. AzhvAr recalls these incidents to prove His forgiveness and kindness. (97)
2179. pon tihazhum mEni purisaDaiyum puNNiyanum
ninrulaham tAya neDumAlum enrum |
iruvar angattAl tirivarElum oruvan
oruvan angattu enrum uLan. (98)
2179. Poigai AzhvAr narrates that though the golden bodied saDai muDiyan Rudran and Trivikraman who measured the entire lOkas with His Tiruvadi possess two different forms, undoubtedly Lord Shiva would ever be a part of NeDumAl, drawing all His strength from Him. (98)
2180. uLankaNDAi nannenjE uttaman enrum
uLankaNDAi uLLuvAr uLLattu uLan kaNDAi |
veLLattin uLLAnum vEngaDattu mEyAnum
uLLattin uLLAn enru Or (99)
2180. Oh my dear nenje! Do realise that our protector is our emperumAn; Do realise that He is always in the thought of protecting us; Do realize that He is in the hearts of His baktas; Do realise that the one who is relaxing in a reclined posture with Sri Mahalakshmi at TirupArkadAl and the one who stands at TirumAlai now, enters our heart on His own will to shower His blessings, states AzhvAr. (99)
2181. OraDiyum sADudaitta oNmalar SEvaDiyum
eeraDiyum kANalAm ennenjE OraDiyil |
tAyavanai kESavanai taNDuzhAi mAlai SEr
mAyavanaiyE manattu vai (100)
2181. Oh manamey ! AzhvAr pleads the heart to devoutly seek emperumAn, who killed the demon kEsi and who wears the fragrant tulasi garland on his divine bhujas (shoulders) and to surrender at His lotus feet.
AzhvAr adds on....Manamey! If you cling on to Him firmly as upAyam (the means), you can get an opportunity to worship His one TiruvAdi which measured the entire Universe (Trivikrama Avatar) and the other TiruvAdi with which He kicked the cart - wheel (Krishna AvatAra) and finished shakaTAsuran.
Thus Poigai AzhvAr repeatedly insists in this set of 100 andAdi pasurams that holding bhagavAn's tiruvaDi is the foremost UpAyam (route) to attain mOksham and obtain the chance to serve the Lord in ShreeVaikunTham. (100)
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