Isvara SAmvathsaram , Thai MOnth 3rd Dinam Thai Pooram , Friday , Jan 16 ,1998 Dear BhakthAs : Today is Thai Pooram . Thirumazhisai AzhwAr was born on this day . He sanctified Poora Nakshthram of Thai month just as ANDAL made Aadi Pooram a day of greatness thru her avathAram . Thirumazhisai AzhwAr is also known as BhakthisArar or a person known for representing the quintessence of Bhakthi to Sriman NaarAyaNa . He is one of the toughest AzhwArs in the sense that he can be combative and uncompromizing . He will challenge Lord Siva , the King of Kanchi and the Vedic Scholars , if they questioned about the Parathvam of Sriman NaarAyaNA . His prapatthi to our Lord and his mahA viswasam has few parallels . He can also be called a Research Scholar . He studied & rejected different philosophical systems and religions based on them such as Buddhism , NyAyA , VaisEshikA , SaamkhyA , paatanjala and KaapAlikA . Finally , he became an accomplished Siddhar worshipping Lord SivA . Pey AzhwAr intervened and helped BhakthisArA accept Sri VaishNavism and the supermacy of Sriman NaarAyaNA . Once he was won over in the debate that established the supermacy of ( parathvam of ) Sriman NaarAyaNA , he rejected all the other mathams as Saara Heenam ( devoid of substance ) and became a Parama VaishNavA . He became the leading exponent of Sri VaishnNavite theosophy . He is the first AzhwAr to refer to PaancharAthra Aagamam and VyuhA principles embedded in there . Thirumazhisai AzhwAr is considered as an "integral seer " in whom all the search for knowledge got transformed into the essence of devotion ( bhakthi Saaram ) that led to the divine vision at the end and a clear understanding of the Bhagavadh SvarUpa VisEsham . He combined in his vision of Sriman NaarAyaNA the parajn~Ana ( transcendental knowledge ) that Poygai stood for , para bhakthi ( transcendental devotion ) that BhothatthAzhwar represented and the parama bhakthi ( supreme devotion ) that his AchAryA , Pey was noted for . He proved with conviction and authority that Sriman NaarAyaNA is the unalterable truth behind " the primal and ultimate causality of all the Worlds " . In both his prabhandhams , Naanmukan ThiruvantdAthi (NT ) and Thirucchandaviruttham ( TCV ) , he emphasized that Sriman NaarAyaNA as the one and only ultimate cause and that ALONE is the path ( panthA ) , the goal ( upEyam ) and the means ( upAyam ) for Moksham . Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi ******************************** This Prabhandham is the first of the two compositions of Thirumazhisai . It establishes unambiguosly the supermacy ( parathvam ) of Sriman NaarAyaNA . There are 96 paasurams in NT . It follows the andhAthi style of the mudal AzhwArs . The first ten paasurams deal with the Parathvam of our Lord . Then come paasurams that establish what is parama hitham (viz)., the seeking of the saraNyan's lotus feet as the sole refuge to gain moksha siddhi . Using very assertive and unambiguous language , he instructs us about the way for our sure salvation . These paasurams are followed by salutations to VibhavAvathArams such as NarasimhA , RaamA , KrishNA and lead to moving paasurams on ArchA mUrhtys of divya desams like ThiruvEnkatam , Srirangam , Thirukkudanthai , ThiruvehhA , ThiruveLLUr , ThiruppEr , Anbil and ThiruvallikkENi . His dozen paasurams on SrinivAsan ( Thiruviruntha Maarban ) of Vada Venkatam are beautiful to reflect upon . In one of those paasurams , he plays the game of kUdal ( paasuram 39 of NT) and showed the way for ANDAL to play that game in NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi (NTM ) later . In this paasuram , he longs for his darsanam of ThiruvEnkatamudayAn and checks on the insight provided by the Kudal game . In this game , one takes a handful of sOzhi and sorts them by pairs . If one ends up with a pair , the wish will come true. If one is left with one sOzhi at the end of pairing the bunch , then one's desire will not be fulfilled . AzhwAr says that he is looking for divine indications giving the hint of good news regarding the longed-for visit to THiruvEnkatam to have the darsanam of his Lord , SrinivAsan . At the end of the twelve Paasurams on ThiruvenkatatthAn , Azhwar celebrates the dvAdasa nAmAs of the Lord ( Upavyuha mUrhtys ) . There is a complelling logic to the flow of his bhakthi outpourings . The twentieth verse of NT is a moving paasuram, where the AzhwAr celebrates the SarvAntharyAmithvam of Sriman NaarAyaNA in the spirit of VedAs and Upanishads. Such a celebration based on Vedic truths is not surprising , since AzhwAr is also a great Vedic scholar . In the twentieth verse he celebrates Sriman NaarAyaNA as the inner power of all chEthams , achEthanams , Brahma dEvan and his son SivA ,Agni , Suryan , Chandran and every entity in Your creation : neeyE ulahellAm ninnaruLE niRpanavum neeyE tavatthEva dEvanum --neeyE yerisudarum maalvarayum yeNNdisayum aNdatthu irusudarum aaya ivai ( ulahu = achEthanam ; niRpana = chEthanams ; tavatthEvan = the one who performs tapas , MahEsvaran ; dEvan= Brhama dEvan ; yeri sudar = burning Agni; maal varai = eighth towering kula parvathams ; yeNNdisai= eight directions ; andatthu irusudar= the Sun and the Moon shining in the AkAsam ; aaya ivai neeyE = You are the One in all these forms ) . " sa Brhama: sEndra: sOkshara: parama svarAt " and the other Veda Manthrams cited below are the base for his paasuram : 1. God ( Sriman NaarAyaNA ) alone is one , though known as Agni , king VaruNA MitrA , Aryaman and amsA ( TvamagnE RaajA VaruNO ---Rig Vedam II.1.4) 2. God ( Sriman NaarAyaNA ) is also known as Agni , Rudra, Maha: , PushaN ( TvamgnE RudRo --Rig Vedam II.1. 6) 3. God is Agni , DravinOdA ( wealth giver ) , DevA , savithA , RathnadhA ( the treasurehous of gems ) . BhagA ( the effulgent ) , and BNrupathi ( the king of Men ) / Rig Vedam II.1.7 4. He alone is Agni ( yerisudar ) , the same He is Aditya , and Moon ( andatthu Irusudar of Thirumazhisai) and He is the same one known as Vaayu . ( Indram Mithram ( Yajur Vedam XXXII.1) 5. He is the one , though seers call Him with various names such as IndrA , MithRa , VaruNA , Agni , DivyA , SuparNA , GaruthmAn , Yama and Matarisvan ( -- Yekam sadh viprA: bahudhA vadanthi --Rig Vedam I.164.46) 6. He creates the Universe ( DhyAvA Prithvee ) and the Universe assumes His form ( Rig Vedam X. 110.9) 7. He weaves the entire Universe through His divine thread (tantu ) of Unified Law ( Atharva Vedam : XIII.1.6) 8. The entire Universe is sustained by the great principle ( mahi praNithi ) and protected by undecaying devices of protection ( uthi ) / Rig Vedam : VI.45.3-- maheerasya praNeethaya: pUrvOrutha prasasthaya: , naasya Ksheeyantha uthaya: 9. The entire Skhambha SookthA of Atharva Vedam ( X.7.35 onwards ) salutes the cosmic creation by the Lord and His divine laws that sustain it in a marvellous manner . Thirumazhisai in His Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi celebrates Sriman NaarAyaNA as the " final reality " , the Ucchishta Brahmam and sarva sEshi . He is the only existing reality at the time of MahA PraLayam and sustains everything in his stomach and releases them again for another cycle of YugAs for His sport . He is the sustainer of the entire creation consisting of name and form ( UchcishtE naama rUpam chOcchishtE loka aahitha: ucchishtE dhyAvaa prithvee visvam bhUtham samAhitham , aapa: samudhra: ucchishtE chnadramA vAtha aahitha: -- Atharva Vedam XI.7.1&2 ) In the 26 th paasuram , he reminds Sriman NaarAyanan that Lord SivA is the witness for his vow that he will not worship anyone other than Sriman NaarAyaNan . This is a beautiful paasuram , where he begs the Lord to bless him to have avyapachAra bhakthi to Him alone . The second half of this paasuram is very reminiscent of the declaration of ANDAL yerraikkum yEzhEzh piravikkum --- and maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRElOrempAvAi ) : yeRRaikkum kandukoL kandAi kadal vaNNA yaanunnai kandukoLkiRkumARu yAnn = myself with no other desire or anticipation of any other fruits , yeRRaikkum = for all times to come , unnai kandu koLkiRkkum AaRu kandu koLL = please bless me the means to be with You alone and worship You alone . In the thirtieth verse , AzhwAr emphasizes his mahA viswAsam in the Lord"s Rakshakathvam( apadh Bhaandhavan and anAtha rakshakan ) : avan Yennai AaLi arangattharangil AVAN YENNAI YEYTHAMAR KAAPAAN --avan yennathu uLLatthu ninRAn IrundhAn kidakkumE veLLattharavaNain mEl avan= the Lord I described below (in the earlier paasurams ) Yennai AaLi = He is my ruling Sarva SvAmi arangam tarangil yennai yeythAmal AVAN KAAPAAN = He will not dispatch me to the sharp end of the spear feared as SamsAram . He will save me from this terror and suffering . He is sititng , standing and resting in my mind . I doubt now very much that he will revert to His old bed of Adhi Seshan at His home in the milky ocean after enjoying the comfort of residence in my mind . THIRUMAZHISAI AZHWAAR THIRUVADIGALE SARANAM Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan Subhamasthu , sarva MangaLAni santhu NamO NaarAyaNA , Namo NaarAyaNA
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |