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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00085 Feb 2008

 
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Sri:
SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:
Dearest all,

Thanks for your constant motivation and encouraging
words on adiyEn's rambling called free translation of
ThirukkuRunthANdakam. adiyEn continues to dare and 
venture into Thirumangai AzhwAr's TNT
(ThirunedunthANdakam). 

Thirumangai mannan has blessed us with SIX
Prabhandhams, which are recognized traditionally as
the Six angams, for the four brilliant works of Swamy
NammAzhwAr, which are considered as the essence of the
Four Sanskrit Vedhams ("MaaRan PaNittha Tamizh
MaRaikku AaRangam ooRavatharitthavar MangayarkkOn"
according to Sri MaNavALa Maamuni). 

Thirumangai AzhwAr one of the most learned Tamil
poets, the great AzhwAr, the last of AzhwArs, has thus
contributed six wonderful and divine compositions:
They are: 

1. Periya thirumozhi
2. Periya thiru madal 
3. SiRiya thirumadal 
4. Thiru nedunthANdakam 
5. Thiru KurunthANdakam
6. Thiru vezhukkuRRirukkai 

His pAsurams are marvelous; simply excellent and
lilting in rhythms. They are unparalleled. These works
of AzhwAr have contributed a major portion of 4000.
This AzhwAr also has contribiuted 1296 verses. We had
covered Periya Thirumozhi few years ago (with adiyEn
rambling called translation). This Periya Thirumozhi
is a composition of large number of verses describing
the greatness of archA avathArams, the kalyANa gunAs
of the Lord, their divine beauty as well the charm and
divinity of the divya desams poetically described by
AzhwAr. Besides these describtions, AzhwAr also
laments about the human suffering caused by bondage,
and the ways and the means of overcoming the same,
ultimately leading to the attainment of God. As
Vedantha Desika says: Periya Thirumozhi provides a
deep insight into the spiritual knowledge [aRivu
tharum periya thirumozhi]. 

ThirukkuRunthANdakam and ThirunedunthANdakam:
ThANdakam literally, as per Sri SMS Chari in his book
on ¡Philosophy and Theistic Mysticm of the Alvars
means a staff used as a support while walking up a
hill. In the context of the poetry, it refers to a
particular type of poetical composition addressed to
God as comparing Him to such a support. Or in other
words, a source of sustenance for the soul. The words
kuRu or nedu simply means short or long denoting the
meters adopted. 

The main theme of ThirukkuRunthANdakam is that the
soul is wholly dependent on God who is the sole
supporter and it hope to escape the suffering by means
of sincere prayers and worship to Him.
ThiruneduthANdakam is a longer composition portraying
the mystic experience of God by the AzhwAr. 

[Extract from Sri Satakopan Swami¡¦s write up based on
Srimath Azhagiya Singar teleupanyasam] AchArya
RaamAnujA saluted Thirumangai Mannan as:

"MaayOnivALL valiyAl manthiram koLL MangayarkkOn"
EmperumAnAr states here that Kaliyan "overpowered" the
Lord at ThirumaNamkollai with the power of his sword
and received the AshtAkshara ManthrOpadEsam directly
from the Lord.

Kaliyan became blessed immediately with "MayaRvaRa
Mathi nalam". Kaliyan received the anugraham of "the
faculty of Jn~Ana-Bhakthi, which effaces the weakness
of the intellect that doubts, confuses, argues and
fails to see what ought to be seen". That
extraordinary direct anugraham from the Lord Himself
stirred Kaliyan to compose right away the First
Thirumozhi of Periya Thirumozhi, "VaadinEn Vaadi",
which is a profound celebration of the glories of the
meanings of AshtAkshara MahA Manthram. This Moola
Manthram is an elaboration of two of the most
important auspicious attributes of the Lord:

His Swamithvam (Lordship) and ?nSoulabhyam (Ease of
access by one and all)

Sriman NaarAyaNan, the Para Devathai for the Moola
Manthram, blessed His dear bhakthan, Kaliyan with His
sEvai at the 86 dhivya Desams he visited and in return
received garlands of chaste Tamizh verses of Periya
Thirumozhi steeped in Bhagavath anubhavam. Sriman
NaarAyaNan noticed that Kaliyan's immense enjoyment of
His anantha kalyANa GuNams had resulted in Kaliyan's
loss of focus on His Parama Padham and the lowliness
of the SamsAric world.

The Lord thus gently reminded Kaliyan about the
lowliness of SamsAric life with a view to lead Kaliyan
to His Parama Padham (Supreme Abode, Sri Vaikuntam).
Kaliyan realized quickly his helpless state and
described it movingly in the last Thirumozhi of Periya
Thirumozhi (MaaRRamuLa). In that Thirumozhi filled
with despondency (nirvEdham) about his helpless state,
Kaliyan compared himself to a tree living on the banks
of a fast flowing river, which could collapse any time
and be destroyed. His sudden recognition of the
terrors of SamsAric Life made him compare his avala
(pitiable) nilai in a state of naicchiyam to:

1. a storm-tossed boat in the middle of the deep ocean
2. a person , who lives in the same house with a
poisonous snake
3. an ant that is caught in the middle of a log that
is burning on both ends.
4. a pack of foxes caught up in the middle of a flood.

Kaliyan begged the Lord to show him the way to the
safe haven of His Thiruvadi. The Lord did not react to
this appeal. Kaliyan was disillusioned and began to
enjoy the Lord with his mind, speech and body
(MukkaraNams) just as a thirsty man would pour cool
water all over himself , when he is thirsty and
parched. Kaliyan began to convince himself that the
ThrikaraNa anubhavam of the Lord arose out of the good
fortune of his mangaLAsAsanams at the Dhivya Desams.
His outpourings celebrating the bhAgyam of those, who
have sevais at the dhivya Desams, took the form of
ThirukkuRumthANDakam, his second prabhandham.

Kaliyan's state now was like that of a thirsty man,
whose thirst increases with more consumption of water,
when one is totally parched. Kaliyan's desire to reach
the Lord grew further and further. This feeling-state
led to the creation of ThiruvEhukURRirukkai, his third
Prabhandham addressed to Thirukkudanthai AarAvamudhan.
In this prabandham, with great aarthi (immense haste
to reach the Lord's Thiruvadi at Parama Padham without
any further waiting), Kaliyan declared:

"Ninn adi iNai paNivan varumidar ahala maRRE vinayE ".

Kaliyan prayed to AarAvamudhan to deflect any
obstacles resulting from his bad karmAs and to help
him to worship at the Lord's Thiruvadi in Parama
Padham.

Kaliyan had thus performed SaraNAgathi at
Thirukkudanthai at the Periya Koil to Amudhan. Nothing
happened. There was no response from the Lord. Kaliyan
got agitated and vowed to destroy his svaroopam as
JeevAthmA (seshan) and the Lord's svaroopam as
ParamAthmA (Sarva Seshi) so that he (Kaliyan ) can
reach him by any means at his disposal. The two
Thirumadals - SiRiya and PeRiya Thirumadal - arose
from this mood of desperation.

Now Sriman NaarAyaNan got worried. He felt that if He
still stays away from Kaliyan, the world will become
nirIsvaram (without Isvaran). Hence, Sriman NaarAyaNan
appeared immediately before Kaliyan just as He
appeared before PrahlAdhan in the split second out of
the pillar in the court of HiraNyakasipu. Sriman
NaarAyaNan revealed the mysteries of the three eternal
Tatthvams:

Prakruthi, ChEthanam (Kaliyan) and Isvaran (The Lord)
and their relationships. Kaliyan was ecstatic and his
great joy poured forth through the thirty paasurams of
ThirunedumthANDakam known for their richness of
SaasthrArthams dealing with Tatthva Thrayams, Parama
Hitham and Parama PurushArtham.

Kaliyan reached a state similar to that of Swamy
NammAzhwAr had attained earlier at the very end of His
ThiruvAimozhi (avAvaRRu Veedu PeRRa KuruhUr
SatakOpan/Swamy NammazhwAr who joined the Lord with
all of his ambitions fulfilled).

Sriman NaarAyaNan, saluted as:

1. The Vaikunta Nilayan
2. Niradhisaya-oujwalya-Sougandhya-SoukumArya-LaavaNya
dhivya
Roopan
3. Lakshmi-BhUmi-NeeLAdhi Dhivya mahishI Sevithan
4. Dhivya BhUshaNa BhUshithan
5. Niradhisaya KalyANa Dhivya-aayudha jaala sObhithan
6. Dhivya parijana sEvitha SaraNa NaLina Yugalan
7. Aparimitha udhAra GuNa Saagaran,
8. Parama Purushan

mingled with Kaliyan with yearning. Kaliyan felt like
Swamy NammazhwAr, who declared his joy in
ThiruvAimozhi 10.10.10 (translation by Dr.V.N.VedAntha
Desikan ):

"Oh the AntarAthmA of Moola Prakrithi, which evolves
into Mahath, ahamkArA etc, and which pervades all
space and is infinite." "Oh the AntharAthmA of
MukthAthmAs, who encircle, extend over and are larger
than the Prakrithi in extant, whose Jn~AnA excels and
whose very nature is characterized by Jn~AnA, AnandA
and Tejas." "Oh the unique possessor of
Sankalpa-Jn~Ana , which extends even beyond still
further, which is pure AnandA in nature." 

"My yearning to join You was even larger than Your
Sankalpa-Jn~AnA in magnitude!"

"But You covered me up , quenched this yearning . I
became a drop in Your vastness of nectar Ocean. My
long time ambition has been fulfilled".

Thus Srimad Azhagiya Singar very eloquently covered
the introduction to THRIU NEDUNTHANDAKAM.
Thanks to Sri Satakopan swami for his permission. 

Now let us enjoy the wonderful verses from next post.
AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaqraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
narayanadasan madhavakkannan




      
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