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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00103 Dec 2003

 
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The divine mystic who gave esoteric truth

The great Tamil poet Kambar the author of Ramayana Christened by him as 
?Ramavatharam? was very much devoted to ?Maran? alias Satakopan, the divine 
mystic of ? Azhwar Thirunagari? on the banks of the river, Tamaraparani in 
Tirunelveli. He was immersed in the Ocean of ?Bhakthi? towards Satakopar and 
drank the ambrosia called ?Thiruvaimozhi? given to the world by that esoteric 
personality. The poet in praise of his devotion towards his Achraya, ours too, 
has made a special mention of it both subtly and plainly in the beginning of 
his great work, Ramayana thus invoking the blessings of Satakopar. Not being 
satisfied with it Kavi Chakravarthi has written one hundred verses in praise of 
?Kurugaipirran? called ?Azhwar Anthathi? or ?Satakopar Anthathi?.

In his first verse Kambar declares, let Sriman Narayana the nucleus for 
everything that excisted in the universe and is also the Supreme Gosd beyond 
the precincts of Vedas and Sastras, let Lord Brahma and the likesucceed 
thoroughly and comprehensively in their search for ?Truth?, hewill not deviate 
from the path laid by Satakopar in the form of ?Thiruvaimozhi?. The 
interpretation to the invocation gives room to indicate thateven Lord Narayana 
would not infringe the footpath of Kurugoor Satakopar. In this sequence an 
event that tool place at Azhwar Thirunagari is narratedwhere Sri Satakopar and 
his Thiruvamozhi are held supreme in all aspects.

It was the practice in Azhwar Thirunagari, one of the 108 DivyaDesams, to treat 
Satakopar alias Nammalwar equal to Adhinatha Perumal, thepresiding deity. The 
Sri Vaishnavites and other belonging to the place were celebrating the annual 
festival to the icon of Nammalwar by bestowing temple honours and the 
concomitant paraphernalia just as they did in the case of the Lord of the 
temple. This generated a controversy among the scholars of Tamil sangam, 
Madurai due to a manifestation of egoism and envy. They took exception to the 
equal treatment being meted out to Nammalwar commentingthat Satakopar is after 
all a Bhaktha and not the Lord himself and hence it is not in keeping with 
established tradition to deify Azhwar equal to Lord Adhinatha and also decried 
by calling his divine outpourings, ?Thiruvaimozhi? as ?Tamil Vedha?. According 
to them it does not deserve such an exhalted position to be called so in as 
much as it beeds to be recogonised through the medium of the
floating plank (Sangappalagai) in the Golden lotus Tank in the Madurai Temple 
and they derided the temple authorities.

This action on the part of Tamil Sangam wounded the feelings ofSri Vaishnavites 
of Azhwar Thirunagari and had created an agitation in their minds over the 
embargo placed on their divine hereditary practice in vogue. Straight they went 
to the Sanctum Sanctorum of ?Nammazhwar and prostrated before the archamurthi? 
and made a fervent appeal to the effect thatthose assembly of poets from 
Madurai are to be chastised for their irreverence towards him and profanity 
towards ?Thriuvaimozhi? and that they should be made to repent for their 
action. They took an oath with a grim determination not to budge from the 
premises until and unless their above solicitation is conceded. They remained 
in the same posture for three days foregoing ablutions, recital of Vedas, 
oblations and the other daily rituals to which they are accustomed as ordained 
by scriptures.

At this juncture, there appeared in the scene an old Bhramin who requested the 
Sri Vaishnavites nobilities to let him know the cause for their resoluteness 
and retraction from their routine. With tears in their eyes and with quivering 
mouths they narrated what all had happened and expressed their anguish over the 
incident which they considered as an affront towhat they held as sacrosanct. 
They expected a solution and justice at the hands of Nammalvar and to make the 
personalities from Madurai realize theirfolly and make amends therefore.

The reverential old man jocularly commented that, what they seek after cannot 
be accomplished in ?Kaliyuga? and that their purpose will only end in a futile 
exercise. The Sri Vaishnavites took the remark seriously to their hearts and 
decided to immolate themselves by avoiding food, water, etc. appreciating their 
steadfastness, the holy Brahmin although had come with predetermined plan to 
resolve this tangle, took pleasure in not showing keen interest to the 
entreaties at the first instance became a trouble shooter taken by suggesting 
with a smile a way out and disappeared.

Accordingly, particular lines from a verse in ?Thuvaimozhi?should be written in 
a small piece of palm leaf and has to be placed on the plank (Sangappalagai). 
As directed ?Sri Vaishnavites of Azhwar Thriunagari? went to Madurai carrying 
with them the manuscript and placed it on the floating Sangam Plank on which 
were already seated the poets of Tamil Sangam. No sooner the palm leaf was 
placed on the Plank than happened a miracle in that as against its usual divine 
convention and to the bewilderment of the scholars of Tamil Sangam, the plank 
got drowned carrying them and also the Palm script. The Pandits however managed 
to swim across and reach thesteps that mark the margin of the tank. The Plank, 
returned to the surfaceof the water with the Palm leaf on it intact, to utter 
dismay of those whoonce scoffed at.

The curiosity assembled there knew no bounds and they read thefour lines that 
were inscribed on the Palm leaf reading.

?Those who piously hold fast in their minds

the Holy feet of Lord Kanna be assured that

they in reality think only the name of Lord

Narayana which is a synonym?

The Tanil Savants of the Sangam realized and commented that thePlank which gave 
space to a small Palm script, a compendium of Lord Kanna who keeps the entire 
universe in His Bosom and protects it would treat themas its equal and give 
space! Nay, They also exuberantly revealed and acknowledge that the divine 
hymns of Nammalwar are the quintessence of Vedas andSastras which came to him 
spontaneously without being taught and have the divine sanction and that his 
erudition and divinity their knowledge is but nothingness and pale into 
insignificance.

Kambar has subtly touched this incident in his Satakopar Anthathi where he says 
that Satakopar as an elephant assailed the mountain peak of Tamil Sangam. The 
metaphor elephant used in this sequence denotes that Nammalwar is the 
incarnation of ?Lord Vishvaksena?.

The learned but arrogant representatives of Tamil Sangam regretted their 
stupidity and felt penitent about it. They gracefully accepted their defeat and 
sang some verses in describing the greatness of Nammalwar and Thiruvaimozhi, 
one of which appended

? What is a fly before Garuda

What is a glowworm before Sun,

What is a dog before a ferocious tiger,

What is a jackal before a rearing Lion

Whether a ghost can dance before beautiful Oovasi 

Can the poems of the world be equal to

One word of the Great Tamil Vedha of Vahulabaranan (Nammalwar)?  

Later after several years it happened that ?Thiruvalluvar?,the author of 
?Thirukurral? which is also considered to be a Tamil Vedha, Avvayar, the divine 
poetess and another great Tamil Poet had to meet ina place. During a discussion 
a question was posed to ?Thiruvalluvar? as to what has he to say about his work 
?Thirukurral?. His reply given below reflected his humility and his reverence 
to ?Thiruvaimozhi? of Nammazhwar.

?The three subdivisions that constitute the Tamil literature viz. ?Iyal Isai 
Natakam? created by Sage Agasthya and my ?Thirukkural? are the children of 
Thiruvaimozhi given by the son of ?Udaya Nangai? the mother of Nammazhwar?

The Sri Vaishnavites resumed the celebration of the annual festival to 
Nammazhwar and reintroduced the recitation of ?Thirvaimozhi? and the 
paraphernalia connected with it as before and as being done to the presiding 
deity of Thirukkurugur.  

This article was written by Sri (Late) L.P.Sampath Iyengar

Commets and feedback can be sent to suprajaiyengar@xxxx

 



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