AndAL vaibhavam (II)

SrI:

SrImatE rAmAunjAya nama:

SrImath varavara munayE nama:

AndAL’s sahaja pAratantriyam

புருஷன் புருஷனைக்கண்டு ஸ்நேஹிப்பதிலுங்காட்டில் ஸ்திரீ புருஷனைக்கண்டு ஸ்நேஹிக்கை பள்ளமடை ஆகையாலே, ஆழ்வார்களிற் காட்டிலும் எம்பெருமான் பக்கல் பரம பக்தி உடையாளன ஆண்டாள் விலக்ஷனை,இங்கு அருளி செய்தது.

For a so-called puruSha in this world to show bhakti to empeurmAn, he has to adopt the mood of a sthrI. This is seen in the case of AzhwArs. nammAzhwAr, kulashEkhara AzhwAr and thirumangai AzhwAr as parAnkuşa, kulashEkhara and parakAla nAyakI respectively embraced the mood of a girl (nAyakI) to enjoy mAdhurya prEma with emperumAn.   This embracing of the nAyikA bhAvam called for overcoming their so-called masculine nature for they were puruShAs by birth.

However, AndAL was a girl by birth and hence the nAyaki bhAvam was innate to her. For a girl (sthrI), pAratantriyam or dependence is very natural (sahajam). A wife is completely dedicated to her husband and this quality of sincere dedication comes to her naturally rather than by any means of acquiring it. Similarly nAyikA bhavam toward emperumAn came to AndAL naturally (svAbhAvikamAha). Besides, being the divine incarnation of SrI bhUmi pirATTiyAr, gyAna (knowledge) and bhakti (devotion) were characteristic of AndAL just as how the fragrance (narumalam) associated with thiru-ththuzhAi AzhwAr (tulasi) is characteristic of her and inseparable from her. Thus, this innate gyAna, bhakti and pAratantiyam of AndAL, further ripened by periyAzhwAr’s divine upbringing, was evident (pratyaksham) in AndAL’s thirumEni.

AndAL embraces the gopIs’ mood

பெண்பிள்ளைகள் தங்கள் ஆற்றாமையாலே "துஷ்ட காளிய திஷ்டாத்ர க்ரிஷ்னோ ஹமிதி சாபரா" என்கிறபடியே அவர்கள் அநுகரித்து

தரித்தார்கள்' என்று கேட்டு , தானும்(ஆண்டாளும்) அவர்களைப் போலே அநுகரித்து

... ஆண்டாளும் ஸ்ரீ வில்லிபுத்தூரே திருவாய்ப்பாடியாகவும், அங்குள்ள பெண்கள் இடைப் பெண்களாகுவும், தானும் அவர்களிலே ஒருத்தியாகவும்,வடபெருங்கோயிலே ஸ்ரீ நந்தகோபர் திருமாளிகையாகவும், உள்ளே

நிற்கிறவன் கிருஷ்ணனாகவும் அநுஸந்தித்து...

அநுகாரம் முற்றி , இடைநடையும், இடைப்பேச்சும், முடைநாற்றமுமாய் விட்டது.

AndAL was born in kali yugA. emperumAn’s rAma-kriShNa vibhavAvatAra pastimes took place during the previous yugAs. So, wondering how she could associate with kannan, AndAL thought she could go to the places where kannan performed his leelais, where she could enjoy the same anubhavam as the gOpIs. However, AndAL lacked the strength to travel even a few steps since she became so weak owing to the pain associated with being separated from emperumAn (virahatApam). Was there a possibility of emperumAn coming himself to rescue AndAL? It didn’t seem so. In the case of sItA pirATTiyAr, SrI rAma ppirAn had the opportunity to meet with and marry pirATTiyAr given SrI janaka maharAja’s arrangement of the lifting-of-the-shiva-dhanuSh contest in the context of SrI sItA pirATTiyAr’s wedding. In the case of nappinai pirATTi, her father kumbhar took oath that the person who would kill the seven rAkshasa bulls would be given his daughter in marriage; and, hence, kannan emperumAn had the opportunity to kill the bulls and marry nappinnai pirATTi. However, periyAzhwAr had not made any such arrangements nor had he taken any such oaths with respect to AndAL’s marriage.

rAsa dance

AndAL’s helpless state finally found solace in the words of dhArmikAs (great saints)found in the purANAs, where they explain the state of the gOpIs of thiruvAyppAdi. The gOpIs were enjoying the supreme-most bliss when involved in the rAsa dance with kannan, also known as rAsakrIda/thirukuravaikOththu. Their transcendental happiness and ecstasy reached such heights that they were completely intoxicated by the bliss of being in the company of kannan. Since extremities of both happiness and distress could pave way for danger, kannan subsequently disappeared from the scene for a change in rasa. Following kannan’s vanishing, the gOpIs felt great pain of separation from kannan, which was very difficult for them to bear. Hence, being so attracted to kannan, they began to imitate and enact the pastimes of kannan- this adoption of another’s behavior/mood/voice is called anukaraNam. By doing so and reminding themselves of the pastimes of kannan, they obtained some satisfaction.

kriShNa playing his flute with the gOpikAs

AndAL, likewise, decided to embrace the mood of the gOpIs. She considered herself to be one of the cowherd girls (iDai pengaL), SrIvillipuththUr to be thiruAyppAdi, the vaTapathrasAyee kOvil at SrIvillipuththUr to be nandagOpan’s thirumALigai and SrI vaTapathrasAyee emperumAn to be kannan. Further, AndAL’s embracing of the gOpIs’ mood (anukAram) ripened to such extent that she began to walk like the gOpIs (cowherd girls), dress up like them and talk like them!

TRANSLATED from thiruppāvai avathārikai in mūāyirappadi of vyAkhyAna chakravarti, swAmi periyavāchchān piļļai. 

  

 AndAL thiruvadiklaey sharanam | emperumAnAr thiruvadikaley sharanam

AndAL vaibhavam (I)

SrI:

SrImatE rAmAunjAya nama:

SrImath varavara munayE nama:

Little AndAL invokes emperumAn

ஆழ்வார்கள் எம்பெருமானாலே மயர்வற மதி நலமருளப் பெற்றனர். இவள் தான் எம்பெருமானுக்கு மயர்வற மதிநலமருளினாள். இவள் அருளுகையாவது எம்பெருமானை எழுப்பித் தன்குறையை எம்பெருமானுக்கு விண்ணப்பம் செய்கை.

While Emperumān makes the effort to awaken the material souls to bestow His special mercy on the Āzhwārs, little Āndāļ surpasses all Āzhwārs by way of valiantly invoking Emperumān, awakening Him to confer His special mercy on her...

The Āzhwārs were bestowed with Emperumān’s mayarvara-madhi-nala-katāksham. Contrastingly, Āndāḷ graced Emperumān with mayarvara madhi nalam; she did so by her instructive act of waking up the Lord, reminding Him of the plight of jīvātmās (anādi māyayā supta:) thus requesting Him to offer protection to His adiyārs. 

The unique hierarchy of honor

தேஹாத்மாபிமாநிகளுக்கும், ஆத்மஸ்வரூபம் கைவந்திருக்கும் 

ரிஷிகளுக்கும் பர்வதபரமாணுவோட்டை வாசி போரும்;

ரிஷிகளுக்கும் அழ்வார்களுக்கும் அத்தனைவாசி போரும்;
பெரியாழ்வாருக்கும் ஆண்டாளுக்கும் அத்தனைவாசி போரும்.

When compared to the materialistic jīvātmās (dēhātmābhmānīs) who have forgotten their identities, the self-realized rishīs are glorified in light of their greatness. However, when compared to the rishīs, the Āzhwārs gain supremacy. In light of this, Āzhwārs are viewed as a mighty mountain (parvata) while great rishīs who strive on their own to attain emperumAn come across as a minute speck (parama anu) in this comparison.  At the next level, when compared to the Āzhwārs, Periyāzhwār assumes a special place and is glorified for his divine eminence as it is said “pongkum parivālē* villipuththūr pattar pirān petRān”. And, finally when compared to Periyāzhwār, his beautiful daughter, Āndāḷ outshines him in every respect.

At a deeper glance, the Āzhwārs are like Iḷaya Perumāḷ (Lakśmańan), Periyāzhwār resembles Bharathāzhwān and Āndāḷ’s mood resonates that of Śatrughnan. The Āzhwārs and Lakśmańan desired to enjoy Emperumān Himself (bhagavath śēşatvam). Periyāzhwār and Bharathāzhwān desired to render service to Emperumān (bhagavath samŗdhdhi/pārathanthriyam); Bharathāzhwān knew nothing but the Lord and conducted himself per Srī Rāma’s desire (thiruvuḷḷam), which in itself manifests the quality of ‘achith pondra pārathanthriyam’, i.e. exhibiting utmost dependence just as how an insentient thing is dependent on the living beings in the course of its existence. Likewise, Āndāḷ and Śatrughnan desired to serve Emperumān by offering service to His devotees (bhāgavatha sēśatvam). Śatrughnan did not know anyone but Bharatha and he solely focused on rendering service to his dear brother. Madhurakavi Āzhwār knew none but his Āchāriyan, Nammāzhwār. Similarly, Āndāḷ took the shelter of her beloved father, Periyāzhwār, and worshipped him as the means to attain Kannan Emperumān, her sought-after bridegroom.

thiruppAvai jeeyar's comment on the thiruppAvai

mAlE manivannA darshan of emperumAnAr (at SrIperumbUdUr)

“திருப்பல்லாண்டுக்கு ஆள் கிடைக்கினும், திருப்பாவைக்கு ஆள் கிடையாது” என்றருளிச் செய்தர். “மோவாயெழுந்த முரடர் கேட்கைக்கு அதிகாரிகளல்லர். முலையெழுந்தார் கேட்க வேணும்” அவர்களிலும் பரிவாணிச்சிகளான

பிராட்டிமார்க்கும் கேட்க நிலமல்ல. பல சொல்லயேன்? பத்து அழ்வர்களுடைய ஸாரபூதையான தானே சொல்லித் தானே கேட்குமித்தனை” என்று அருளிச் செய்தார்.

“bālyāth prakŗti susnigdha” -With bhāgavatha sēśatvam as the principal goal in her life, Āndāḷ, like Lakśmańan, from the tender age of childhood, showed immense love and devotion for Emperumān.  The observance of the pāvai nonbu vratham in the auspicious month of Mārgazhi sets the stage for Āndāḷ’s beautiful prayers to Emperumān. Her most-celebrated Thiruppāvai, is a loving prārthanai to Emperumān to kindly not orphan the jīvātmās in samsāram by way of bestowing upon them kainryaryams that are befitting of their svarūpam.  The in-depth meanings of Thiruppāvai  are such that Swāmi Emperumānār, when once requested to speak on Thiruppāvai ,  stated that it might be possible to at least find someone to share the meanings for Thiruppallāndu but it is utmost difficult to find a Thiruppāvai kālakśēpa adhikāri !

Emperumānār stated that any layman with a beard and moustache is not qualified to speak about the meanings of Thiruppāvai; only befitting women are qualified to do so. However, even among such women, the most compassionate ones are not qualified to say or hear the Thiruppāvai meanings. Is this not contrasting? This is to say that the darling daughter of 10 Āzhwārs, Āndāḷ [1], is the only one who is qualified to elucidate the meaning of her pāsurams. And, hence, Swami Emperumānār asserted that he was not qualified to render the vyākhyānam and likewise, those assembled were not qualified to hear it. Such is the greatness of Thiruppāvai!

[1] anjchu kudikkoru sandhadhiyAy * AzhvArgaL tham seyalai * vinjchi niRkum thanmaiyaLAy ** pinjchAyp pazhuththALai AndALaip * paththiyudan nALum* vazhuththAy manamE! magizhndhu  

TRANSLATED from the works of Īrāyirappadi (SrI. Āijananyāchāryar SwAmi), Mūāyirappadi (swAmi Periyavāchchān Piļļai) & Ārāyirappadi (swAmi Azhagiya Manavāļā Perumāļ Nāyanār).

  

 AndAL thiruvadiklaey sharanam | jeeyar thiruvadikaley sharanam