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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all, 

Today is kaartthigai Kritthigai- Thirunakshathram of
our Thirumangai AzhwAr. I was planning to send a post
for paying our obeisance to AzhwAr. I suddenly
remembered Smt KalyaNi Krishnamachari's wonderful post
few years ago - written by Sri PB aNNan Swami. [Thanks
to her for her permission]. 

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE saraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
dasan
**********

Following is the excerpt from the above mentioned book
compiled by SrI T. krishNamUrti. This topic deals with
tirumangai AzhvAr, who is also known by the name
kaliyan.  SrI PBA gives 12 comparisons between KaNNan
and Kaliyan and shows that tirumangai AzhvAr shines
like Lord Kr*shNa.

SrI PBA gives the following verse (probably his own
composition) to bring out this comparison: 

sUryatvAt sUcitatvAt  apahruti-karaNAt
gokuloddhArakatvAt baddhatvAt SAstra-datvAt
paTu-jana-sahayOgAcca lakshmIpatitvAt nIlatvAt
nItimArgacyuti matibhajanAt antataScAvatArAt
SatrutvamSa utpaTatvAt kali-ripu-muni-rAt krishNa
tulyO vibhAti||

We will look into each of the twelve comparisons in
detail in the following paragraphs:

1. sUryatvAt:

When parASara maharishi talks about kaNNapirAn's tiru
avatAram in SrI vishNu purANam, he calls Him 'bhAnu",
which refers to sUrya:

"tatOkhilajagat padmabOdAya acyuta bhAnunA, devakI
pUrvasandhyAyAm AvirbhUtam mahAtmanA"

tirumangai AzhvAr is also called sUrya (divAkara)in
Kaliyan's stuti padyam (author is not specified): 

"kalayAmi kalidvamsam kavim lOkadivAkaram" Thus both
kaNNan and kaliyan have been compared to sUryan (the
sun).

2. sUcitatvAt:

sUcitatvAt means that which has been predicted before
hand.  Both kaNNan's and kaliyan's avatArams had been
predicted long before they happened.  When devaki and
vasudeva were married and kamsan (devaki's  brother) 
was charioting them, the AkASa vANi declared that the
eighth child born to devaki will cause his destruction
and the saying came true.

In tiruvAimozhi(5-2-1),nammAzhvAr says:  "kaliyum
kedum kaNdu koNmin".  This is interpreted as
predicting the appearance of tirumangai AzhvAr,
uDaiyavar, etc. by maNavALa mAmunigaL in AcArya
hr*dayam:  

kaliyum kedum kaNDu koNmin - Know ye that kali will be
destroyed with the avatAra-s of the likes of
tirumangai AzhwAr , udaiyavar etc.

Thus both the appearance of KaNNan and that of Kaliyan
were forecast. kaNNan destroyed kamsan; kaliyan
destroyed kali purushan.

3. apahrutikaraNAt:

kaNNan was well known as a kaLvan  (thief);  kaliyan
was also a famed thief. kaNNan stole butter and the
hearts of devotees; kaliyan stole riches to build the
SrI rangam temple gOpura prAhAra mandapam.

4. gOkulOddhArakatvAt:

kaNNan brought glory to gOkulam:  "Ayar pAdikku
aNiviLakke",  "Ayar kulattinil tOnRu maNi viLakkai" -
these expressions  clearly prove this statement.

kaliyan also has done gOkulOddhAraNam.  SrI PBA
derives how.  He points out that we are all ignorant
'paSu-s' - j~nAnena hInah paSubhih samAnah, and the
AzhvAr took birth in our midst to uplift us, and he
has done the uddhAraNa of the gokula with all of us
paSu-s in it.  

5. baddhatvAt:

That kaNNan was tied by YaSodA is a well-known fact: 
"matturu kadai veNNai kaLavinil uravidaiyAppuNdu",
"kaNNikkuRunkayiRRAl kattuNDAn".  

kaliyan was also jailed by the king, when he spent all
the king's money in bhaghavad ArAdhanam and bhAghavata
ArAdhanam.

Thus both kaNNan and Kaliyan were tied.

6. SAstra-datvAt:

Both gave SAstram, which delivers mankind from life.
kaNNan gave the great, enlightening SAstra for
cetana-s, namely, the gItA ("arivinAl kuraivillA agal
g~nAlattavar aRiya, neRiyellAm edutturaitta niRai
g~nAttorumUrti").

kaliyan gave the  divyaprabandha mahA SAstram -
"nenjukkiruL kaDidIpam aDa~ngA nedumpiRavi na~njukku
nalla amudam, tamizh nannUl tuRaigaL anjukkilakkiya
mAraNa sAram, para Samaya pa~njukkanalin poRi
parakAlan panuvalgaLe".

Just as kaNNan's SAstram is called  "gItOpanishad",
kaliyan's works are called  "pongu pugazh ma~ngaiyar
kOn Inda maRai Ayiram".

7. paTujana sahayOgAt:

kaNNan had many sakhAs - friends;  "tannErAyiram
piLLaigaLoDu taLar nadai ittu varuvAn"; He had many
accomplices for His mischiefs.

tirumangai AzhwAr also had friends to carry  out his
works; nIr-mel naDappAn, nizhaLil odunguvAn,
tAl-UduvAn, tOlAvazhakkan were all his accomplices.

8. LakshmI patitvAt:

kaNNan is none other than nArAyaNamUrti or
lakshmIpati. kaliyan was married to kumudavalli whose
name was riginally "tirumAmagaL". When tirumangai
mannan wanted to marry her, she put several conditions
including one which required the AzhvAr to feed 1008
brahmins for one year continuously, and other
conditions which made him an ardent SrIvaishNava, and
made her the benefactor and protector of
SrivaishNava-s.  Thus the AzhvAr ultimately married
kumudavalli, who proved to be a SrIvaishNava lakshmi,
and he was the pati of this 'lakshmi'.  

9. nIlatvAt:

kaNNan was "karundeyvam" and as  the statement
"kAnagamellAm tirindu un kariya tirumEni vADa" shows, 
He was the blue-hued azhagan.  tirumangai AzhvAr's
name was nIlan (" taNDamizh seyda nIlan tanakku" -
rAmAnuja nURRantAdi.

10. nIti mArga cyuti bhajanAt:

kaNNan's mischiefs, bordering on violation of all that
is considered fair, has been praised by all the
AzhvArs, svAmi deSikan, etc.  ("maccoDu mAligai ERi
mAdargaL tammiDam pukku kaccodu pattai kizuttu kAmbu
tugilavai keeRi niccalum tImaigaL seyvAi".

So also Kaliyan has been praised for his bhagavad
kainkaryam even though he has done things that can be
considered outwardly not morally justified. In truth,
both KaNNan and Kaliyan are exemplary cases of those
who were followers of the nIti or justice.  

When uttara's unborn child was being destroyed by
aSvattAmA's brahmAstra, Lord kr*shNa proclaimed "yadi
me brahmacaryam syAt satyanca mayi tishThati,
avyAhatam mamaiSvaryam tena jIvatu bAlakah" -
declaring that He never slips from the path of Truth, 
and the child was brought back to life.  In SrI
rangarAja stavam, SrI BhaTTar has pointed out that
tirumangai mannan is a person who has never swerved
from the path of justice.

11. antataSca avatArAt:

krishNAvatAram is the last vibhava avatAram (so far). 
tirumangai is also the last of  all the AzhwArs.

12. Satru-dhvamSa utpatatvAt:

kaNNan is a destroyer of foes ("dEnukan pilamban
kALiyan ennum teeppappodugaL adanga uzhakki").  AzhwAr
also was known as parakAlan ("aruL mAri arattamukki
adaiyAr seeyam", "oRRalar tangaLai vellum AdalmAvalan
kalikanRi"); he defeated enemies in other religions.

Thus, SrI PBA establishes 12 similarities between
kaNNan and kaliyan.  It can be noted that some of the
comparisons can be applied to any devotee of our Lord
(for example, apahrutikaraNat can be applied to
vAlmIkI,  baddhatvAt can be applied to rAmadAsar,
SAstra-datvAt can be applied to nammAzhwar, vyAsar
etc., Satru-vamSOtpatatvAt to SrI vedAnta deSikar, who
defeated others' religious outbursts.   However,
Kaliyan is unique in having all these similarities
with Lord Kr*shNa, and this is the greatness that SrI
PBA brings out.

"nAmam nAn uyya nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam"

adiyen,
kalyani Krishnamachari 



 
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