SrI:
SrImatE rAmAunjAya nama:
SrImath varavara munayE nama:
From the onset of the sixth pAsuram, AndAL wakes up ten bhAgavathOththamargaL, each of whom are addressed by a distinct designation such as “piLLAy”, “pey pennE”, “nAyaga pen piLLai” and so on. This act of awakening her fellow damsels is instructive of one of the foundational aspects of our sampradAya tenets, which is beautifully elucidated in the detailed avathArikai of this pAsuram in which several quotes from nammAzhwAr’s pAsurams are mentioned. Below are glimpses of thiruppAvai vyAkyAnam expounding the svApadEsArtham relevant to the context.
Materialistic Vs transcendental love
There are two types of kAmam (love/desire)- lowkIka kAmam and bhagavath kAmam. lowkIka kAmam refers to mundane love, which must be renounced. bhagavath kAmam refers to transcendental love, i.e. the jeevAtmA’s desire to enjoy the supreme Lord, the paramAtmA. This bhagvath kAmam is supreme in nature and is to be developed by all. As conventionally known, the lowkIka kAmam is such that it is enjoyed in seclusion. Contrastingly, bhagavath/vaidhika kAmam is such that it is only enjoyed best en masse (in the company of bhakthAs).
களிப்பும் கவரும் அற்றுப் * பிறப்புப் பிணி மூப்பு இறப்பற்று
*ஒளிக்கொண்ட சோதியுமாய் * உடன்கூடுவது என்று கொலோ?
துளிக்கின்ற வானிந்நிலம் * சுடராழி சங்கேந்தி *
அளிக்கின்ற மாயப்பிரான் * அடியார்கள் குழாகளையே
In his thiruvAimozhi (2-3-10), nammazhwAr says “kaLippum kavarvum atRup * piRappup piNi mUppu iRappatRu * oLikkoNda sodhiyumAy * adiyArgaL kuzhAngkaLaiyE udankUduvadhu enRu kolO?” Here, AzhwAr states that a mundane being, who derives short-lived pleasure and distress from material life (kalippum karavum), after being subject to birth, disease, old age and death (pirappu piNi mUppu irappu), gets a transcendental (shudhdha sathvam) body after crossing the virajA nadhi(oLikondu sOdhiyumAi). AzhwAr further states that more than such divine body that is obtained, he deeply longs for enjoying emperumAn and His abode collectively along with His adiyArs rather than experiencing such bliss alone, driving home the point that only if such congregational anubhavam is revered here, while at bhUlOkam, will a similar anubhavam be rejoiced by one at paramapadham.
The mesmerizing potent of emperumAn’s kalyANa-guNAs
“senjchoR kavigAL! uyir kAththu Atseymmin” (thiruvAimozhi 10-7-1). In his vyAkhyAnam, nampiLLai points out three tiers of kavigaL- kavigaL, sor kavigaL and senjchor kavigaL. The superlative, senjchor kavigaL, is befitting of the mudhal AzhwArgaL- poygai AzhwAr, bhUdhathth AzhwAr and pey AzhwAr, who were blessed to sing for emperumAn and enjoyed his thirukkalyANa guNangaL in the association of each other. In this pAsuram, “uyir kAththu Atseymmin” is important. It denotes that if one is engaged in emperumAn’s kalyANa guNAnubhavam, then he would automatically become deeply absorbed in meditating upon His divya guNAs, which would leave him mesmerized, rendering him unable to sing.
A beautiful example is stated in this context. In the old days of AzhwAr’s times, the flow (pravAham) of the thiru-kAvEri at thiruarangam was always heavy. There were marked degrees of depth, i.e. at a certain distance, the depth would be up to one’s chest, further away, the waters would hit one’s throat, one’s head and finally the depth would be such that it could drown a man. Hence, the practice was to go bathing at the thiru-kAvEri with the inhabitants of thiruarangam, who were well-acquainted with the place. These marked degrees of depth can be compared to empeurmAn’s thirukkalyANa guNAs such as sowlabhyam, karuNai, vAthsalyam etc. Our AchAryAs explain that one can be joyfully immersed in the anubhavam of any of these guNAs of emperumAn but when one takes to the anubhavam of the ‘sowsheelya’ guNa, he would be completely drowned and cannot come back to the surface. The anubhavam of sowsheelyam is like the point of depth in the river, which could drown up to 10 people. swAmi ALavandhAr says “vashI vadAnya: guNavAn ruju: shuchi:…” (Storaratnam, 18)- here, among all kalyANa guNAs, he points out that it is this particular attribute- sowsheelyam that is fitting of the title “guNa” (guNyathE iti guNa:), the anubhavam of which is to be enjoyed exponentiallly or in what we call geometric proportions. It is thus warned that one will not be able to sing when experiencing such transcendental bliss that is capable of drowning a person.
The cowherd girls (iDayargaL)of thiruAyppAdi though innocent, were those who were knowing of the tattvArthAs (tattvArtha gyAnam udaiyavargAL). Hence, they understood that enjoying emperumAn’s thirukkalyANa guNAs would be possible only in groups and not in solitude.
The nithyasUrIgaL’s search for divine congregation
"அடியார்கள் குழாகளை யே- உடன்கூடுவது என்று கொலோ?" என்று சொல்லுகிறபடியே பராவஸ்தையில் புருஷோத்தமனை அனுபவிக்கும்போதும் விச்ருங்
nammAzhwAr says, “imaiyOrgaL kuzhAm- sevvE nenjchAl ninaipparidhAl * veNNey UNennum Inach sollE ”(thiruviruththam, 98).
The nithyasUrigaL (imaiyOrgaL) are the embodiment of unobstructed, transcendental knowledge (visringhamana gyAnam padaiththavargaL). Even such great nithyargaL, when thinking about SrI kannan’s beautiful pastimes of stealing butter, find it very difficult to partake in such anubhavam in the absence of congregation (kooTu). Similarly, the iDaiyargaL find kooTu in the ten pAsurams, 6-16, of the thiruppAvai.
The adiyArs to be revered as prApyam and prApakam
AndAL’s words, “seyyAdhana seyyOm” denote that those approaching emperumAn must do so by first taking shelter of His adiyArs.
nammAzhwAr says, “vEdham vallArgaLai kondu vinnOr perumAn thiruppAdham panindhu”. It is explained here that adiyArgaL (vEdham vallArgaL) are to be considered as both prApyam (goal) and prApakam (means). It is indeed very difficult to do so as one cannot easily accept the fact that he would have to bow down to someone whom he considers similar to him in material aspects. Not only is this thinking commonplace today but such attitude was also present in the older days. A drishTAntham commonly mentioned is that of an AchArya purushar, who approached nanjeeyar to listen to bhagavath viShaya kAlakshEpam. nanjeeyar, in response, said that he was too weak and that he had rendered this kAlskshEpam over a 100 times in the past. He requested the person to seek SrI nampiLLai, his shiShyan, who is very adept at rendering kAlakshEpam. The person replied, “I know nampiLLAi is very accomplished and can even give kAlakshEpam better than dhEvarir. However, hearing from him would mean I would have to fall at his feet, which I do not want to do”. Surprised at this, nanjeeyar assured him that he needn’t do so and that he shall instruct nampiLLai to this effect. nampiLLAi was in fact asked to pay respects to the feet of this swAmi prior to rendering kAlakshEpam to him every day, which he did gracefully. Finally, it was upon hearing the vyAkhyAnam for the “payilum sudaroli” pAsuram that the person realized what was AzhwAr’s thiruvuLLam with respect to adiyArgaL. He thus stood up at once and fell at nampiLLAi’s feet. The story goes that nampiLLAi refused to continue the kAlakshEpam as this was against his AchAryan’s instructions.
Therefore, though the idea of accepting adiyArs as both prApyam and prApakam may be difficult for one to absorb, one must at least understand them to be puruShakAram, a recommending authority to attain emperumAn.
TRANSLATED from the works of Mūāyirappadi (swAmi Periyavāchchān Piļļai),Ārāyirappadi (swAmi Azhagiya Manavāļā Perumāļ Nāyanār)and kAlakshEpams rendered by revered vidvAns of our sampradAya.
AndAL thiruvadiklaey sharanam | emperumAnAr thiruvadikaley sharanam
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