You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Jan 2008

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00265 Jan 2008

 
Jan 2008 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

Jan 25th Thai makham is Thirumazhisai AzhwAr
Thirunakshathram. 

MakhAyam Makare MAse Chakramsham Bhargavodbhavam
MahisArapurADhEsham BhaktisAramaham Bhaje.

I worship Bhaktisara, who was born as the son of
Bhargava in Mahisapuram (Tirumazhisai) in the month of
Makaram (Jan-Feb) under the asterism of 
Makham as a manifestation of the Chakram of Lord
Narayana (Sudarshana Chakram).

[Extract from Sri P. Dileepan Swami?s write up on
azhwar] 

This Azhvaar gave us 216 verses in two prabhandhams,
nanmugan thiruvandhaathi (96) and thiruch chandha
viruththam (120). 

It is this Azhvaar's instruction that the Lord of
Thiru Veqaa (poygai Azhvaar's birth place and near
Kanchipuram periya kOvil) followed and came to be
known as "sonna vaNNam seydha perumaaL" (the Lord
who obeyed). This wonderful story involves
KaNikaNNar, a disciple of the Azhvaar.  KaNikaNNar
provoked the wrath of the local king and got himself
exiled when he refused to restore the king's
youthfulness unlike the devout old lady for whom
KaNikaNNar had obliged.  Not wanting to be separated
from his pupil, Azhvaar went to the temple and
declared to the Lord, "I am leaving town with
KaNikaNNan, fold Your serpent bed and follow me." 
Ever waiting to please His devotees,  (true to
namaazhvaar's words in the 53rd paasuram of periya
thiruvandhaathi -- "unnadiyaarkku en seyvadhu enRE
iruththi nee"), the Lord got up immediately, folded
his "painnaagap paay", and went behind the Azhvaar. 
Thus, He came to be known as "sonna vaNNam seydha
perumaaL".  Then, the story goes, the king apologized
to KaNikaNNar and brought all three back to Kanchi.

It is claimed that the Azhvaar was born to Bhargava
munivar and his dEvi Kanakaangi, but was abandoned
because the baby, at the time of birth, was a lifeless
mass.

Upon the grace of Lord Sriman Narayana, the abandoned
lifeless mass turned into a fully formed and perfect
baby in every way.  The baby was then found and raised
by a "low caste" devout family.  Due to this, it is
clear that the brahmins of his time did not readily
accord respect to our Azhvaar.  The Azhvaar himself
declares in Thiruchchandha viruththam (90) that he was
not born into one of the four castes ("kulangaLaaya
eeriraNdil onRilum pirRandhilEn").

During an encounter with the brahmins of Thiru
Mazhisai, our Lord had to directly intervene, by
appearing with His sangu and chakram in Azhvaar's
body, to stop the brahmins deriding our Azhvaar.

In another interesting episode Azhvaar rescued a group
of brahmins from the ignominy of getting stuck during
a recitation of the vEdhaas.  The brahmins had halted
their recitation upon noticing the Azhvaar
approaching.  The aazhvaar moved away to make the
brahmins comfortable. Then, the brahmins tried to
resume, but couldn't.  They had forgotten the place
where they had halted.  Noticing this from a distance,
the Azhvaar gave a sign to the brahmins and helped
them resume at the correct place.
At this time the Azhvaar shined with such luminosity
that the brahmins where put to shame.  Swami Sri
dhEsikar reminds us of this instance when he
characterizes this Azhvaar as "mazhisai vandha jOthi"
(the shining light of Mazhisai).

Another interesting story I once heard about this
Azhvaar involves Thirukkudandhai aaraamudhan.  After a
long and arduous journey the Azhvar reached the
Kumbakonam temple, tired and hungry.  When he
entered the temple the thirumancanam (ritual bathing
of the Lord) was just getting underway.  Intent on
comforting the Azhvaar, the Lord interrupted the
thirumancanam and instructed the Bhattaachar to take
"amudhu" to the Azhvaar immediately.  It seems this
practice is continued to this day with the "ThaLigai"
(food) offered to the Azhvaar sannithi first, and only
then to the Lord.  (This needs verification.)

Thiru mazhisai Azhvaar is said to have dabbled in a
variety of religions of his day, and was finally and
firmly turned to Sri Vaishnavam by his acharya and
guru, pEy Azhvaar.  In his paasurams the Azhvaar is
unequivocal in asserting that Sriman Narayana is the
supreme Lord declared by the vEdhaas.  He starts out
his naanmugan thiruvandhaathi (NT) with:

"naanmuganai naaraayaNan padaiththaan,
    naanmuganum thaan mugamaay
        sankaranaith thaan padaiththaan"

     --   Narayanan created the four-faced Brahma,
          and Brahma created Sankaran

and ends NT with:

"ini aRindhEn kaaraNan nee, kaRRavai nee,
    kaRpavai nee, naRkirisai naaraNan nee,
         nan_gaRindhEn naan."

     --   I have finally found these truths, You are
the primordial reason, what is comprehended is You,
what is to be comprehended is You, all good deeds is
You, I have now realized these without any doubt.

Between the first and 96th verses of NT, the Azhvaar
repeatedly asserts the theme that Sriman Narayanan is
the only Lord we need to worship for salvation.

Let us pay our obeisance to this greatest AzhwAr.
AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan



      
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page. 
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs


Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org  
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:Oppiliappan-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    mailto:Oppiliappan-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list