tirucchinnamalai

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tirucchinnamalai

Introduction

There are three Taniyans (Benedictory /Laudatory) verses for this
Prabhandham consisting of 11 Paasurams. Prior to covering them , let us
enjoy the context of the avathAram of this Prabhandham.

Why This Name for the Prabhandham ?
*********************************

Thirucchinnam is a Vaadhyam (Musical instrument) played during the
occasion of PerumAL PuRappAdu . It is majestic in sound and sweet to
listen to. At Lord VaradarAjan's sannidhi a pair of this Bugle like
Vaadhyam was played in unison. The sound of this Vaadhyam with its links
to the Lord's arrival on the streets of Lord VaradarAjan enchanted the
mind of Swamy Desikan.He was reminded of the procession of the Lord , who
is the object of celebration by the three rahasyams.The association of
Thirucchinnam with the Supreme Lord made Swamy Desikan name this
Prabhandham with the Vaadhyam that announces His arrival.

Another reason for the Name
***********************
There is another tradition relating to the birth of this Prabhandham.
During one stage of Swamy Desikan's life , he had to argue with
the members of Para Mathams , who insisted that the Tamil Prabhandhams
of the AzhwArs are not fit to be recited in front of the Lord for a
variety
of
reasons.Swamy Desikan debated these people , who wanted to minimize
the sacred nature of AzhwAr's divine collect and established that the 4000
divine collect (aruLiccheyalkaL) were Parama Vaidhikam to recite in front
of the Lord just as Vedic recitation follows the Lord . Lord VaradarAjan
was
very pleased with Swamy Desikan's defense of the sacredness of Dhivya
Prabhandhams that He presented one of the two Thirucchinnam used in His
sannidhi to Swamy Desikan and ordered that only one Thiruchinnam be used
from then on.

The Structure of this Prabhandham
***************************
The first six paasurams of this Prabhnahdam deal with the essence of
Thirumanthiram , the seventh covers the meaning of Dhvayam and the 8th
and the 9th instruct us on the quintessence of Cahrama slOkam .The tenth
paasuram pays tribute to the Vaibhavam of Lord VaradarAjan .The final
paasuram reveals that only those who discard carnal desires in favor of
uninterrupted Bhagavath Bhakthi alone can enjoy this delectable
Prabhandham.

The Metre of the Prabhnadham
*************************
The whole Prabhandham is set in the metre of YeNN SeerAsiriya Viruttham
with 8 lines in each of the Paasurams . The ending with "Vanthaar thAmE "
marks these paasurams with an aura of divinity by invoking the arrival of
Lord VaradarAja in front of us.

Slokas

Commentary

Taniyan 1
***********
mannu Thirumanthiratthin vAzh dhuvayatthin poruLum
tunnu puhazh Geethai tanil sonna yeNNAnkin poruLum
anna vayal Kacchi AruLALar Thirucchina oli
innapadi yenRuraitthAn Yezhil VedAnthAriyanE

(meaning): The( ThUppul) VedAnthAcharyan of unique lustre
described exactly the significance of the majestic sounding nAdham
of the Thirucchinnam of the Lord of Kanchi , a city known for
the many swans ( Raaja Hamsam/Raaja SanyAsis) in its environs .
SrI VedAntha Desikan showed in this Prabhnadham that the paasurams
abound in the esoteric meanings of the three rahasyams: the enduring
AshtAksharam , the rejuvenating Dhvayam and Charama slOkam of 32
letters enshrined in Bhagavath GithA.

The ever lasting meanings of the AshtAsharam is saluted as "Mannu
Thirumanthirin poruLum " . The Dhvayam is saluted as " Vaazh dhuvatthin
poruLum " ( the artha visEshams of Dhvaya manthram that nourish the
chEthanams
with its deep and esoteric meanings ). The Charama slOkam with 32
aksharams
found in the 18th chapter of SrImad Bhagavath GithA is reverentially
addressed as : " Tunnu puhazh Geethai tanil sonna yeNNAnkin poruLum "
( the visEsha arthams of the glorious charama slOkam with its 32 aksharams
found in the Lord's GeethOpanishad).

Taniyan 2
********
yEkAntham mUnRum yezhilAl urai seythu
maakAntham seythu aruLum vaLlalAi -SaakAntha
DesikanAm ThUppl ThiruvEngatEsa Guru
vaachakamE yengaLukku Vaazhvu

(Meaning): The SrI Sookthis of ThUppul VenkatEsa AchAryan
are our life support . He is the most geenrous and compassionate One ,
who commented elegantly on the esoteric meanings of the three rahasyams
for our benefit and got us under His spell like the magnet that attracts
the
iron.

" EkAntham mUnRu " refers to the three Rahasya manthrams to be leant from
a SadAchAryan. Swamy Desikan elaborated elegantly about their deep
meanings ( yezhilAl urai seythu).Those commentaries enshrined in
Thirucchinna Maalai Prabhandham attracted our minds powerfully
to this Prabhandham ( maakAntham seythu ). The genrous One , who
blessed us this way is the "SaakAntha Desikan" ( VedAntha /NigamAntha
Desikan )of ThUppul agrahAram near Kaanchi . His SrIsookthis are
the ones that nourish and protect us ( DEsikan vaachakamE yengaLukku
Vaazhvu) .

Taniyan 3:
********
paricchinamAna irunAl-yezhutthin pall vaNmai yelAm
viricchu nalam peRa OdhavallOrkku intha mEdhinikkE
maricchinna meeLAp-piRavAmal vaazhvikkum Maal Varadhar
Thirucchinna Osai inimai uNDO maRRai dEvarukkE ?

Thispaasuram is shaped in the form of a rhetoric question with its
imlaid answer. This Paasuram poses a question and answers it
without hesitation :

Is there any one(dEvAs) qualified to possess the level of glory of
Lord VaradarAjan and as a result enjoy the sweet nAdham of
Thirucchinna Vaadhyam ? The answer is " defenitely not "and
the most enjoyable Thirucchinna vAdhya nAdham belongs
exclusively to the Supreme Lord of Hasthi Giri , Lord VaradarAjan .
The famous question is : " Maal Vardahar Thirucchinna Osai inimai
uNDO maRRai DEvarukkE ? " ( Can any other God or demi-god
hope to gain the sweet sound of Thirucchinna Vaadhyam as a mark of
honor to accompany the sanchArams of the most merciful VaradharAjan ? ).
Swamy Desikan states clearly that there is no one , who is equal or
superior to Lord VaradarAjan (SrIman NaarAyaNan as the archAvathAran
at Kaanchipuram) and to qualify ofr the distinction of announcement of His
arrival with the MangaLa dhvani of Thirucchinna Vaadhyam.Swamy states
further that those BhaagavathAs , who can comprehend and reflect on
the Meanings of the AshtAkshara Manthram elaborated in His Prabhandham
will never ever be born in this Karma BhUmi due to the dhivyAnugraham of
the DayALu , Lord VaradarAjan .

The structure of Thirucchinna Maalai Prabhandham
*****************************************
There are 11 Paasurams including the Phala Sruthi slOkam .
Here is how the eleven paasurams are organized:

1. Elaboration of AkAram enshrined inside the PraNavam--Creation
2. Meaning of AkAram housed inside PraNavam--Rakshakathvam
3. Meaning of UkAram, MakAram & the associated fourth vibhakthi
4. Thirumanthiram: Meaning of "Nama: " sabdham
5. Meaning of NaarAyaNa Sabdham in Thirumanthiram
6.Meaning of th 4th case associated with NaarAyaNa Sabdham
7. Meaning of Dhvayam
8. Meaning of Charama SlOkam
9. The sacred sports of VaradarAjan as Lord KrishNa
10. The collected meanings of the thre rahasyams
11. Only those who do not seek evanescent pleasures
will enjoy the Thirucchinna Maalai Prabhandham.

In the subsequent postings , we will add the line by line meanings
of each paasuram to enjoy the arrival of Lord VaradarAjan in our
homes .

Let us now study the Individual Paasurams of Thiruchinna Maalai
line by line and one by one to share the joyous experience of Swamy
Desikan
as he enjoys the arrival of the Lord accompanied by the sunAdham of
His Thirucchinnams .All VedAnthic doctrines embodied by Him ,
His anantha KalyANa GuNams , His dhivya MangaLa Vigraham
overwhelm Swamy Desikan and He bursts forth into beautiful
poetry .

PAASURAM 1: Meaning of of AkAram inside the PraNavam
***************************************************
( Condensed Meaning ): Lord VaradarAjan is the One , who creates all
the sentients and insentients through the power of His sankalpam alone.
He is the One , who created Brahma Devan in the lotus that arose out of
His navel .He is the One who transformed in to the Pancha BhUthams
( BhUmi , Jalam , Agni , Vaayu and AakAsam) and yet is not touched by
their dhOshams( blemishes). He is the forever Pure One ( Parisuddhar) ,
who accepts the Kaimkaryams offered by the Nithya Sooris ( eternally
liberated Jeevans) , who are at His Supreme Abode.He is the One
of exceptional beauty , who churned the Milky Ocean and distributed
the nectar from there to DevAs. He is the One , who protects this
Earth with the mantle of Oceans through His grace. He is the Matchless
VaradarAjan , who grants all the boons that His devout Bhakthaas seek .
This magnificent VaradarAjan has arrived now in our middle ( as indicated
by the Thiruchinna Vaadhya Naadham ) so that even we could enjoy Him
with our physical eyes here at Kaanchipuram .

Line 1. " Yeer-ulahai padaikka yeNNi irundhAr VanthAr": Yeer-ulahu stands
for the twin worlds of chEthanam and achEthanam . The CharAchara Srushti
KarthA has arrived now .This srushti (creation ) is sankalpa Maathram
( merely by the power of His volition).Our Lord celebrated in the
Upanishads
as the BhUtha yOni ( Souce of the Universe ) . He is the Jagath Srushti
karthA
(Creator of this world of sentients and insentients) .

Line 2. "Yezhil MalarOn tannai anRE yeenRAr vanthAr" Yezhil MalarOn is
Chathurmukha BrahmA with a beautiful lotus flower as His aasanam (seat).
In ancient times , Lord VaradarAjan created BrahmA (anRE yeenRAr ).
That Father of Brahma Devan has arrived now.This Brahma Devan ,
who wanted to see His creator with His own physical eyes conducted
AswamEdha Yaagam on Hasthigiri and had his wish fulfilled.
He also requested the Lord to stay on top of Hasthigiti forever
and make Himself visible to all the ChEthanams.

Line 3. " Maarutham MaNN neer aahum MaayOr VanthAr " : The Lord
with the vichithra chEstitham ( mysterious deed ) of transforming in to
the
Pancha BhUthams of Vaayu , BhUmi and Jalam without being tainted by their
blemishes ( hEya guNa rahithan) has arrived now.The freedom from dhOshams
of any kind is the very svaroopam( essential nature ) of SrIman NaarAyaNa
.
He is the Material and instrumental cause of all creations.

Line 4: " vAnOdu yeri aahum MaRayOr VanthAr " : The Lord who transforms
also in to the remaining two Pancha BhUthams ( AakAsam and Agni/tEjas)
and who is eulogized by the VedAs have arrived now as announced by
the Thirucchinna Vaadhyam.

Line 5: " Sooriyar tammudan tulangu ThUyOr vanthAr " The Lord who shines
amidst the nithya Sooris has arrived now.Here Lord VaradarAjan is
recognized
as SrI Vaikunta Naathan .Our Lord is surrounded by Nithyasooris like
AdhisEshan , Garudan , VishvaksEnar and others engaged in performing
nithya Kaimkaryam to Him.

Line 6: " SurarhaLukku anRu amudhu aruL SundaranAr vanthAr " : The most
beautiful Lord, who during the time of churning the Milky ocean
distributed
the nectar has arrived here.The Balam and Sakthi , the two of the six
main guNams of BhagavAn is being referred to here. His unmatched
beauty as Sundara VaradarAjan is being saluted here .

Line 7: " Vaarithi Soozh vaiyaham VaazhvitthAr vanthAr" : The Lord who
made this earth girdled by oceans and made it prosper has arrived now.
Lord VaradarAajan's AddhArathvam ( Being the sole supporter of
this Universe ) , Niyanthruthvam ( Controller of the Universe )and
Seshithvam ( Lord of the Universe ) is being addressed here .

Line 8. " VaNmayudan Varam taruvAr vanthAr ThAmE " : The Kali Yuga
Varadhan known for His oudhAryam (generosity ) has indeed arrived amidst
us.
His Vaathsalyam for us leads on to His OudhAryam or VaNmai .

Let us enjoy the deep Upanishdhic and SampradhAya
Vishayams housed in the second Paasuram :

270. Aru-MaRayai Oozhi tanil kAtthAr vanthAr
athu tannai anRu Ayanukku aLitthAr vanthAr
dharuma vazhi azhiyAmal kAppAr vanthAr
ThAmarayALUdan ilangum Taathai vanthAr
ThriuvurayAyAit-Thaamm PoruLAi nirpAr vanthAr
ThiruvaruLAl sezhum kalaikaL tanthAr vanthAr
maruvalarkku mayakku uraikkum MaayOr VanthAr
vAnn yERa vazhi tanthAr vanthAr thAmE

The Rakshathvam ( protective aspect ) of the Lord
echoed in the AkAram of PraNavam is elaborated in this
Paasuram .

Rahasyathraya SlOkam reminding us of the Lordship of SrIman
NaarAyaNa-VaradarAjan in Rakshakathvam has to be reflected upon
in the context of this second Paasuram:

thrANE Swamithvam ouchithyam nyAsAdhyA: sahakAriNa:
pradhAna hEthu: svAtantrya-visishtA karuNA vibhO:

(meaning ): It is befitting for Him to be the Master in protecting
ChEthanams . Prapatthi and the like are the saha-kAris ( udhavik-
kAraNangaL). The main kaaraNam(PradhAna hEthu) however is
our Lord's dayA intertwined with His SvAtantryam ( Independence ,
unquestioned Lordship).

Let us now summarize the meaning of the second Thiruchinna Maalai Paasuram
************************************************************
Lord VaradarAjan is the Supreme Being , who protected
the VedAs during the time of MahA PraLayam from destruction
and performed upadEsam on them for Brahma Devan duirng
the time of Naimitthika Srushti . He is the One , who protected
the dharma mArgam from destruction and took many avathArams
to provide protection to the SanAthana dharmam . He is never ever
seperated from Periya PirAtti ( PerumdEvi ThAyAr) and stands
as arTa savaroopam , while His divine consort stays as Sabdha
Svaroopam (Vaak) . He is the Lord , who blessed the Maharishis
to create dharma Saasthrams , IthihAsams and PurANams as
UpabrahmaNams to elaborate on and clarify the meanings of the VedAs.
He is the powerful Lord , who banishes NaasthikAs and Kudhrushtis
(avaidhikAs) to different kinds of narakams after enchanting them
with mohana Saasthrams . He is the benovolent krupA Saagaram ,
who revealed Bhakthi Yogam and Prapatthi yOgam as the means for
Moksham through His Saasthrams. Our Lord of such Vaibhavam as
a protector of VedAs , dharma mArgam , VaidhikAs has now
arrived amidst us as inferred from the SunAdham of His Thirucchinnam.

Special Notes on individual Lines:
***************************
Line 1: " aru-marayai Oozhi tanil kAtthAr vanthAr"
aru-maRai refers to the precious and scared VedAs.
These precious Veda mantrams are essential for the creation
of the world with its multifarious chEthanams and achEthanams
by Brahma DEvan according to srushti kramam. . When the VedAs
were are exposed to danger during PrAkrutha PraLaya Kaalam ,
the time during which the entire world reaches layam in ParamAthmA ,
our Lord protects the Vedams for the benefit of BrahmA during the time of
Naimitthika Srushti .There are four kinds of PraLayam ( Naimitthikam ,
PrAkrutham , Aadhyanthikam and Nithyam).The PrAkrutha PraLayam is
the one at the end of the life of BrahmA , when the charAcharams and
Pancha BhUthams attain layam inside ParamAthmA . Srushti is of
three kinds: PrAkrutha Srushti , Naimitthika Srushti and Nithya Srushti .
The Srushti Kaaryam done by the Lord using Moola Prakruthi to
create Mahath, ahankAram and related tatthvams is PrAkrutha Srushti .
At the end of BrahmA's day , there is a praLayam after which Srushti
starts and that Srushti is Naimitthika Srushti . VedAs are needed then
by Brahma Devan for carrying out his assigned responsibilities of
creation and the Lord presents the VedAs to Brahma DEvan
for enabling Srushti.

There are times when BrahmA loses the VedAs (due to carelessnes
to asurAs ) and the Lord goes after the asuras , destroys them and
brings the VedAs back and instructs Brahman again in the form of
a Hamsam. This is the vaibhavam of "Oozhi tanil aru-maRayai kAkkum
Vaibhavam " saluted in the first line.

Line 2: Athu tannai Ayanukku anRu aLitthAr vanthAr " .This refers to
Lord VaradarAjan blessing Brahma dEvan with the VedAs during
the time of Naimitthika PraLayam . The glories of the Lord as the
Protector
of the VedAs , Creator and the Dissolver of the World is saluted by
Sage ParAsarar in VishNu PurANam:

Sa yEva Srujya: Sa yEva Sarga karthA
sa yEva pAtthayathi cha Sa yEva PaalyathE cha
BrahmAdhyavasTAbhi: asEsha Moorthy
Vishnu : Varishta: VARADHO VarENya:

He enters in to BrahmA (anupravEsam) and facilitates
the creation according to the rules of the Lord's VedAs.

Line 3: " Dharuma Vazhi azhiyAmal KaappAr vanthAr ":
Our Lord protects the way of SanAthana Dharmam
through His many avathArams , when Dharma mArgam
is threatened ( Dharma samsTApanArtthAya sambhavAmi
yugE yugE ).At the end of Kali yugam , He incarnates as
Kalki and destroys all avaidhikAs and adharmikAs and starts
the cycle of the four Yugams once again .

Line 4: " ThaamarayALUdan ilangum ThAthai vanthAr" :
The SarvalOka SaraNyan , who is the Father of the entire
universe , who shines with MahA Lakshmi in an inseperable
manner has arrived now in our midst to the accompaniment of
Thirucchinna oli. They are a unique couple (MiTunam with joint
Parathvam/Supermacy) and they are never seperated from each
other as understood from the VishNu PurANa sLokam :

NithyaivEshA JaganmAthA VishNO : SriranapAyini
YathA SarvagathO VishNu: TaTaivEyam DhvijOtthama

She is the eternal , Mother of the Universe , the auspicousness
Of VishNU and is never ever seperated from Her Lord .
In the same manner as VishNu is pervasive in every object of
creation , She is also seen there together with Him . That is the Tathvam
of the Lord being resplendent with the lotus lady ( ThAmarayAL).

This Sarva RakshaNa DhIkshithan , SrIman NaarAyaNan is hailed
as the Rakshakan accompanied by His Divine Consort , MahA Lakshmi
in all siddhAnthams:

LakshmyA Saha HrusheekEsO DEvyA KaaruNyaroopayA
Rakshaka: SarvasiddhAnthE VedAthapi cha geeyathE

Line 5: " ThruvurayAyAi Thaamm PoruLAyAi niRppAr VanthAr"
Our Lord and His DEvi are like the union of arTam and Vaak.
Our Lord is the arTa svaroopan, while MahA Lakshmi stands
as the Sabdha Svaroopi ( arTO VishNu: iyam VaaNi according to
VishNu PurANam ).

Line 6: " ThiruvaruLAl sezhum KalaikaL tanthAr vanthAr": Our Lord
is Parama DayALu and is propelled by His KrupA to bless the Maha Rishis
like ParaasarA , VyAsa with the nourishing Dharma Saasthrams , IthihAsams
and PurANams as UpabrahmaNams to intrepret/comprehend the meaning of Veda
Manthrams (MaRais) .

Line 7: " Maruvalarkku Mayakku uraikkum MaayOr VanthAr" :
For those , who are NaasthikAs and avaidhikAs , Our mysterious
Lord creates enchanting Saasthrams that result in the practioner
ending up in narakams like LavaNam ( for those who put down
and deny Vedams as PramANams ). He is Maayavan and creates
the tantalizingly tempting false Saasthrams for the avaidhikAs that
lands them in cruel narakams , where they repent and return to earth
in different bodys to enjoy their karma phalans.

As MaayA Mohanan , he induces PaashaNdis through special
ukthis ( utterances) to follow avaidhika mathams like Bouddham,
Jainam and leads them on to their own demise.

Line 8: " VaanERa Vazhi TanthAr vanthAr thAmE "
Our Lord through His VarAha , Raama and KrishNAvathAra
charama slOkams , showed us the Parama Padha SopAnam or
the path to ascend to Mosham via archirAdhi mArgam. That path
(means) is the SaraNAgathy mArgam .This path to SrI Vaikuntam
is elaborated in the 21st chapter of SrImadh Rahasya Thraya Saaram
( Gathi VisEshaadhikAram) and PhalAdhyAyam of SrI BhAshyam

Lord VaradarAjan 's arrival in our midst of His BHakthAs
is announced by the sweet sound of His Thirucchinnam .

The Eleven Sri Varadaraja AshtOtthara NaamAs relating to
this Paasuram are :

Sarga sTithi upasamhAra KaariNE Nama: ( 9th AshtOttharam)
SaraNAgatha RakshakAya nama: ( 31st Naamam)
Nithyasoori SamarchithAya Nama: ( 34th AshtOttharam)
Nadha aj~nAna tamO hanthrE nama: ( 35th AshtOttharam)
SudhA PradhAya Nama: ( 54th AshtOttharam)
Jn~Ani PriyAya Nama: ( 55th Naama)
KaruNA VaruNAlaaya Nama: ( 65th AshtOttharam)
Mukthi DhAyakAya Nama: ( 82nd AshtOttharam)
Siddha sEvya BhUthAya Nama: (85th AshtOttharam)
BhUri KalyANa dhAyakAya Nama: ( 107th AshtOttharam)
Bhaktha VathsalAya Nama: ( 108th AshtOttharam).

Let us enjoy the deep Upanishdhic and SampradhAya
Vishayams housed in the Third Paasuram in this posting :

271. anaitthulaham kAkkum AruLALar vanthAr
anaitthukkum adhipathiyAi niRpAr vanthAr
tinaitthanayum ThirumahaLai vidAthAr vanthAr
tEsu otthr mikkArum illAthAr vanthAr
ninaikka namakku inn aRivu tanthAr vanthAr
nilai ninRa uyir thOnRa ninainthAr vanthAr
yenakku ivar naann avarkku yenna iniyAr vanthAr
yezutthu onRil thihazha ninRAr vanthAr thAmE

This Paasuram covers the fourth vibhakthi embedded in the first
aksharam ( akAram) of PraNavam as well as the UkAra, MakArams ,
which constitue the middle and the third aksharams of PraNavam.

This Paasuram also includes additional meanings of the AkAram ,
which was covered earlier in Paasurams 1 and 2. This paasuram has
thus comprehensive coverage.

(3rd Paasuram's meaning): PeraruLALar protects the universe and
stays as its Master .He does not leave the side of Periya PirAtti
even for a fraction of a second. In His tEjas (lustre) , there is no one
Equal or Superior (SamAdhika Daridhran) to Him. He is the One ,
who gives us the auspicious Jn~Anam to meditate on Him .
He is the One , who ordains/wills that the Jeevans that are eternal
be self-luminous ( Svayam PrakAsam) . He is the One , who manifests
as the most delectable anubhavam ( Parama BhOghyAnubhavam) ,
when every ChEthanan (Sentient being) declares sincerely that the Lord
is his Master and I am His unquestioned servant . He is the One saluted by
the one-lettered PraNavam . Lord VaradarAjan of this glorious Vaibhavam
has now appeared/arrived amidst us as revealed by the sunAdham of
His Thirucchinna oli . (Chinnam means insignia and Thirucchinnam then
is His auspicious insignia . He is thus worshipped by PraNava Naadham
arising from His Thirucchinna Vaadhyam ).

The key words of the third Paasuram are:

1." anaitthukum adhipathiyAi" : the Fourth Vibakthi linked to akAram
is referred to here to remind us that all sentients and insentients
are NirupAdhika Sesham (Unconditional servants ) to Him in His
role as NirupAdhika ( conditionless , devoid of limitations) Sarva Seshi
(Supreme Master) . Seshan is the servant , who performs
kaimkaryams with utter humility and a sense of elation. Seshi is
the One , who recieves (accepts) that Kaimkaryam from the Seshan
with joy. The need for the development of Sesha-Seshithva Jn~Anam
is reminded here .

2. The passage " ThirumahaLai vidAthAr " is linked to
the UkAram of PraNavam representing MahA Lakshmi (Thiru MahaL).
In VishvaksEna Samhithai , the Lord states that VedAnthams
and PaancharAthram aver that the Ubhaya VibhUthis ( nithya and Leelaa)
as well as PirAtti is sEsham to Him . Together , they are "yEka sEshi "
to the world ( SrISrIsayO dhvaou cha SadhaikasEshi) according to
PaancharAthram , which is Bhagavath Saasthram. She is sesham to Her
Lord only .She is the MadhyAksharam ( UkAram) in the PraNavam.

3.The passage , "tEsu otthAr mikkAr illAr " refers to the other meaning of
MahyAksharam, UkAram that thers is no one in His Ubhaya VibhUthi ,
who is equal or greater than Him .

4. The passages , " ninaikka namakku innaRivu tanthAr " and "nilai ninRa
uyir tOnRa ninainthAr" deals with the svaroopam of the Jeevan , which is
eternal, self-luminous and has the Jn~Anam given by the Lord.These two
references in the third Paasuram of Thirucchinna Maalai are associated
with the meaning of "MakAram " in the PraNavam . MakAram is the third
aksharam ( TrutheeyAksharam) of PraNavam denoting the Jeevan
and its VyApaka nyAsam :

"MakAram JeevabhUthamthu sareeram vyApakam nyasEth"

Brahma Soothram states clearly that the Jeevan represnted
by MakAram is eternal (Nithyan) and has no time point of
origin (anAdhi) :

naathmA sruthEr-nithyatthvAccha thAbhya:
--Brahma Soothram : 2.3.18

(Meaning ): " The Jeevan is not (produced ) , ( for it is so)
mentioned in the scriptures , also ( on account of its) being
eternal , ( for so it is known) from them ( the Sruthi texts) ".

The Jn~Ana Svaroopam and Svayam PrakAsthvam (Self luminosity)
of the Jeevan is also referred to by this passage .

5) The paaage " yenakkivar nAnn Ivarkku yenna iniyAr vanthAr"
gives the full meaning of PraNavam .

In the next paasuram , Swamy Desikan goes on to capture
the meaning of Nama: sabdham in the AshtAkshara Manthram.

Let us move on to the Fourth Paasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 272 of Desika
Prabhandham ) in this posting . It deals with
the significance of "Nama: " sabdham :

272. nAmm vaNanga ThAmm iNangA niRpAr vanthAr
nammai adaikkalam koLLum NaaTar vanthAr
nAmm yemekkAm vazhakku yellAm aRutthAr vanthAr
namakku ithu yenRu urayAmal vaitthAr vanthAr
sEmam yeNNi yemmai anbarkku adaitthAr vanthAr
sezhum tahavAl tiNN saraNNAm Isar vanthAr
tAmm anaitthum theevinayait-tavirppAr vanthAr
TamakkEyAi yemmai aatkkoLvAr vanthAr ThAmE

( Meaning): PeraruLALar is the One Supreme Lord , who stands
on top of Hasthigiri to grant the desired boons of His true devotees
who worship Him with bhakthi. He has accepted us the PrapannAs
as objects to be protected and has freed us from our futile efforts to
gain rakshaNam by ourselves . He is the One , who has banished
the ahankAram ( sense of We) and the MamakAram ( this is mine)
from our thinking. He has removed our false claim for Lordhip over
any thing and has taken over the Seshithvam ( rightful Ownership)
over all the objects of His creation . He has made us subservient to
the BhaagavathAs for , who are very dear to Him and this He has done
for our own well being (KshEmam). He stands as the unfailing means
( upAyam) due to His evergrowing affection ( Vaathsalyam ) for us.
He burns away in a trice all of our accumulated fierce karmAs.
He has made us His servants (Sesha Vasthu) and has gained
the fruits for that effort for Himself. The Lord of such glories
has now arrived amidst us as indicated by His Thirucchinna oli.
from their company .

THIS PAASURAM DEALS WITH THE MEANING OF NAMA: SABDHAM .

The various key words and their links to the "Nama: Sabdham "
of the Moola Manthram have been identified for us by MahA VidvAn
Vaikunta Vaasi Oppiliappan Kovil SrI SrIrAma DesikAcchAr Swamy :

1. "Naam VaNanga" refers to NamaskAram by body , mind and spech.

2. "Adaikkalam " refers to Prapatthi/Bhara SamarpaNam/Aathma nivEdhanam,
the act of unconditional surrender to SrIman NaarAyaNa .

3." Naamm yemakkAmm vazhakku yellAmm MaRutthAr " refers to
the ahankAram and MamakAram , which makes the deluded jeevan
think that it is its own Master and denies the SvAmithvam of Sarva Loka
SaraNyan , SrIman NaarAyaNan . The Thirumanjana Kattiyam of
ParAsara Bhattar is a brilliant summary of the dialog between Lord
RanganAtha and the egotistic jeevan on this subject and proves
once and for all that the jeevan has no Seshithvam ( Lordship) on
any matter in the context of the "Divine Soverignity " of our Lord :

http://www.oppiliappan.org/kattiyam.htm

4.The 5th line of this paasuram " KshEmam yeNNi anbarkku adaitthAr "
deals with the importance of Bhaagavatha SEshathvam ( NedumAl adimai
paasurams of Swamy NammAzhwAr ( ThiruvAimozhi: 8.0.1-11) and
"Payilum sudaroLi " ( ThiruvAimozhi: 3.7.1-11).

The prayer here is to become the servant of the Lord ( BhAgavathAs).
To be the servants of the BhagaavthAs is the svaroopam of the Jeevans .
Bhagavath sEsham is a most desirable purushArTam ( Life's goal) but
BhAgavatha ( TadheeyALs) Seshathvam is even more important .
The example is provided by Sathrugnan being the Servant (Seshan ) of
Bharathan , who considered Lord Raamachandra Bhagavaan as
His Seshi .Clinging to the feet of BhaagavathAs is therefore considered
very important .We should do Bhaagavath Kaimkaryam to please His
BhAgavathAs/SrI VaishNavAs ( for Bhagavatha Preethi). Once
BhAgavatha Seshathvam is realized , then Bhagavath anubhavam
will grow on and on. This Daasya Sambhandham (adiyAr kudigaL )
will make us Bhaagavatha Nishtaas.

Thirukudanthai Desikan's nirvAham in this context based on
SaakshAth Swamy's slOkam is: " SuddhAnAm thu labhEmahi
sTiradhiyAm SuddhAntha SiddhAnthinAm mukthaiswarya
dhina prabhAdha samayAsatthim prasatthim muhu: labEmahi"
( May we be blessed with Daasya Sambhandham/Bhaagavatha
sEshathvam . May we cling to the blemishless feet of Your
BhaagavathAs like anthapuram women ( pathivrathais)
and await the dawn of Moksham !).

This passage is very important in the context of not committing
BhaagavathApachAram since it is considered that the worship of
BhAgavathAs is more imprtant than worship of BhagavAn Himself:

"AarAdhanAnAm SarvEshAm VishNOr AaarAdhanam Param
TasmAth Parataram prOktham TadhiyArAdhanam Param "

"TadheeyAs " are those that are dear servants of the Lord ( BhaagavthAs).
That AarAdhanam is SrI Sampath.The BhAgavatha aarAdhanam is the sure
formula for positive deliverance from the cycles of births and deaths
since
BhAgavathAs are the dearest ones for the Lord , the Moksha Daayakan.
This doctrine of BhAgaavatha Seshathvam as the end limit of the goals
of life ( PurushArTa Kaashtai) is covered in great detail in the 16th
Chapter of SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram.For PrapannAs ( Krutha KruthyAs)
,
BhAgavatha sEshathvam is indispensable .

5. " TiNN SaraNN Isar " (6th Line): the upAyam of SaraNAgathy . The ways
of performing Prapatthi/Bhara SamarpaNam is dealt at great length in
the 12 th chapter of SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram ( Saanga-
PrapadhanAdhikAram).

6. " Thee Vinai anaitthum tavirppAr " refers to the destruction of all
anishtams
( mishaps) by the Lord that act as Moksha Phala VirOdhis ( ArTa Panchakam
chapter of SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram).

7. yemai TamakkEyAi koLvAr vanthAr" : The Lord ( sEshi) who accepts us
as sEshans for His own prayOjanam and enjoys the fruits there of has
arrived now amidst us . The 22nd chapter of SrImath Rahasya Thraya Saaram
( ParipoorNa BrahmAnuhva adhikAram) sums up the Lord's anugrahams
for the Muktha Jeevan that thas arrived at His Supreme Abode.

Let us reflect on the Fifth Paasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 273 of Desika
Prabhandham ) in this posting . It deals with
the significance of "NaarAyaNa " sabdham :

273. ulahellAm uLLE vaitthu umizhndhAr vanthAr
ulahu udambAit-tAmm uyirAi ninRAr vanthAr
alai kadakAi aanandham adaiynthAr vanthAr
aLavillA AruL Aazhip-PerumAL vanthAr
tilkam yenum thirumRni selvar vanthAr
sezhum guNangaL irufmoonRum udayAr vanthAr
ilahu sudar muzhu nalamAm iniyAr vanthAr
yellArkkum gathiyAnAr vanthAr thAmE

(Meaning): PeraruLALar is the Lord , who protected the world
during PraLaya kaalam by placing it inside HIs stomach and released
it during the time of creation . He has the sentients and insentients
as His body and stays inside them as their antharyAmi (indweller).
Just as the ocean water becomes the foam and the waves , He transforms
through pancha bhUthams as the diverse chEthanams and achEthanams.This
He accomplishes through His sanklapa Balam alone and enjoys such
transformations. He is of the form of Ocean with infinite dayA .
He has the matchless divine beauty , which stands out as the tilakam
to highlight the soundharyam of the created world. He is the BHagavAn
with the famous six guNams( Jn~Anam , Sakthi , Balam , Isvaryam ,
Veeryam and tEjas).He is of the form of infinite bliss and perfect
Jn~Anam.
He stays as the means and goal for all. Lord VaradarAjan of such
Vaibhavam has arrived now amidst as revealed by His Thirucchinna oli.

This Paasuram is the elaboration of NaarAyaNa Sabdham of AshtAksharam
**********************************************************
Line 1: " UlahellAm uLLE vaitthu umizhnthAr VanthAr " :

This refers to His being the aadharam and KaaraNam for every thing:
ChEthanams and achEthanams . The two passages of NaarAyaNAnuvAKam:
" VisvamEvadham Purusha: " , " Tattvam NaarAyaNam Para; " explains
the NaarAyaNa is the aadharam (foundation ) for all Tatthvams and
Universe.
They point out that NaarAyaNan is " Viswa SarIrikan " and Tatthva
SarIrikan
( He has chEthanam and achEthanam as His Body and is the aadharam for
both). At time of MahA PraLayam , He retains the Universe in a small
portion
of
His stomach and protcects them in a subtle form without NaamAs and Roopams
.
At the time of creation , He releases them or spits them out and they
become
later the Naama -Roopa Prapancham.He is thus the material and instrumental
cause of the srushti and dissolution of the Universe .

ChAndhOgya Upanishad ( III.14.1) supports this with the famous Manthram :
"Sarvam khalu idham Brahma--" ( " Verily , all this is Brahman , because
all
this originates from , ends in and is sustained by Brahman"). Brahman is
the entire universe of ChEthanams and achEthanams , which represents
the body ( SarIra) of Brahman. The same Brahman is the indweller
or antharyAmin and is the the self of SarIra ( SarIrin) . This is the core
doctrine of VisishtAdhvaitham:, SarIra-SarIrI sambhandham ( The organic
relationship of Brahman and the Universe of ChEthanams and achEthanams).

Line 2: Ulahu udampAi ThAmm uyirAi ninRAr vanthAr"

The relationship (Sambhandham) between the Universe and Iswaran as
SarIra ( body ) and the self of SarIra ( SarIri) is reiterated here .

Line 3: "alai kadalAi aanandham adainthAr VanthAr"

the " tanamai" (nature ) of being Leela and Nithya VibhUthi is being
referred to here . The joy that He derives from transformations
that He manifests through the power of His sankalpam (Volition)
to be bubble , foam and the wave ( the various objects of Prapancham)
is pointed out here.

Line 4: "aLavillA aruL Aazhi PerumAL VanthAr"

Here the limitless aruL (grace/compassion ) of the Lord
for us the erring jeevans is being saluted.

Line 5: " Tilakamenum ThirumEni chelvar vanthAr"

The dhivya MangaLa Vigraham of the Lord is saluted here .
SavisEsha Brahmathvam is emphasized here as underlined by
VedAntha SoothrAs is the focus.This dhivya MangaLa vigraham has
a dhivya roopam, dhivya BhUshaNam and dhivya aayudham ( Divine
Body, aabharaNams and weapons ) as saluted by the PurANams and
AzhwArs .

Line 6: "Sezhum GuNangaL iru-mUnrum udayAr vanthAr "

The six auspicious , defining GuNams of the Lord leading to Him being
addressed as BhagavAn are indicated here . These six according to
VishNu purANam are ( Jn~Aana, Sakthi, Bala, Isvarya , veerya
and tEjas/ Knowledge Power, strength , Lordship , virility and
splendour). These are the "sezhum GuNangaL ".

Lines 5 and 6 form the core of VisishtAdhvaitham as emphasized by
AchArya RaamAnujA : " Brahma sabdhEna SvabhAvathO nirastha
nikhila dOsha anavathikAdisaya asankhyEyaKalyANa guNa gaNa
PurushOtthamO abhidheeyathE /By Brahma sabdham ,the PurushOtthamn
(Supreme Being ) , who is devoid of all imperfections and endowed with
limitless auspicious attributes is indicated). It is SavishEsha Brahman
andNOT nirvisEsha Brahman that is being accepted .

Line 7: " ilahu sudar muzhu nalamAm iniyAr vanthAr"

The dhivyAthma Svaroopam of the Lord , where He shines as
Jn~Anandha Svaroopan is referred to.The svaroopam (innate
nature ) of Brahman as "Satyam , Jn~Anam and Anantam "
( according to TaitthirIya Upanishad) is being hinted here.
Ilahu or Satya Svaroopam with out undergoing any VikAram
(Change) , Sudar( Jn~Ana Svaroopam ) and Muzhu nalam
( ParipoorNa aanandha svaroopam) are covered here as
the defining features of PurushOtthaman , Sriman NaarAyaNan.

Line 8: "Yellarkkum GathiyAnAr vanthAr ThaamE "
Here the Tatthvam of SrIman NaarAyaNan being the means
and Phalan ( UpAyam and UpEyam for all ) is being saluted .

In Moola ManthrAdhikAram , there is a slOkam that sums up
SrIman NaarAyaNan being the KaaraNam for the universe
and being the upAyam as well as UpEyam as established in
VedAntha Saasthrams :

" KaarANathvam aBhAdhyathvam UpyathvamupEyathA
ithi SaarIrakasTApyam iha chAapi vyavasTitham "

The full meanings of NaarAyaNa sabdham as per
this slOkam are:

Line 1 : Aadharathvam and KaarANathvam
Line 2: SarIrAthma BhAvam
Line 3: Ubhaya VibhUthi NaaTathvam
Line 4: DayA Svaroopam
Line5 & 6: Dhivya MangaLa vigraham & KalyANa GuNams
Line 7: Jn~Anantha Svaroopam
Line 8: Being Both UpAyam and UpEyam .

Let us reflect on the Sixth Paasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 274 of Desika
Prabhandham ) in this posting . It deals with
the significance of the fourth case (Vibhakthi)
riding on the NaarAyaNa sabdham (NaarAyaNAya):

274. aruLAlE vilangu iraNDum azhippAr vanthAr
anjirayaik-kazhittharuLum anbhar vanthAr
maruL vaarA vahai nammaik-kAppAr vanthAr
VaanEra Vazhi nadatthi vaippAr VanthAr
theruL aarum theLi visumbhu taruvAr vanthAr
ThiNN kazhark-keezh vaazha namakku aruLvAr vanthAr
peruvAnil adimai namaik-koLvAr vanthAr
piriyAmaR kAtthaLippAr vanthAr ThaamE

(Meaning): Lord VaradarAjan is the One , who destroys
both the kinds of KarmAs ( PuNyam and Paapam) through
His grace( KrupA) . He is the One , who releases the chEthanms
from the prison of SamsAram that they thought was the most enjoyable
( Parama BhOgyam). He is the One , who protects us
by banishing ajn~Anam from our minds during the last
moments of our lives . He is the One , who enables us to travel
by the path of light ( archirAdhi mArgam) to His Supreme abode.
He is the One , who blesses us with permanent residence in
His Suddha Satthvamaya SrI Vaikuntam , where the svabhAvika
( inherent, natural) Jn~Anam of the AathmA is always in full blossom.
He is the One who grants us the supreme goal of performing kaimkaryam
at His sacred feet at SrI Vaikuntam . He is the One , who accepts our
Kaimkaryams and lets us gain ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham there.
He is the One , who protects us and guarantees that we will never
ever be seperated from Him. Lord VaradarAjan of such Vaibhavam
has now arrived in our midst as inferred from the mangaLa nAdham of
His Thirucchinnam .

In this Paasuram , the meaning of the "Aaya " sabdham riding on
the NaarAyaNa sabdham of the Moola Manthram is explained.
The meaning of the " aaya " sabdham ( the fourth case riding on
the NaarAyaNa sabdham) is Kaimkaryam to the Lord. For the Prapannan,
who has performed the UpAyam ( SaraNAgathy) , the Phalans
range from the destruction of both kinds of KarmAs to protection
and inseperabilty from SrIman NaarAyaNan and His Supreme abode.
Recognizing its inherent Seshathvam , the muktha jeevan performs
nithya kaimkaryam with the total blissful anubhavam . That then is
the meaning of the "aaya " sabdham .

Additional Observations on words selected by Swamy Desikan
**************************************************
1. Vilangu IraNDu: the two kinds of restrainers ( handcuffs or leg cuffs)
that limit our movement are the two kinds of KarmAs: PuNyams
and Paapams .PuNyam is described as the golden cuff and Paapam
is viewed as the Iron cuff. Gold or Iron , both limit our movement
and the Lord breaks them up and frees us once we perform
SaraNaagathy and seek His protection.

2. Anjirai: We were restrained by our cuffs and staying in
that state inside the prison of SamsAram ( amm SiRai).
This is the prison cell that looks beautiful for SamsAris .

3. MaruL Vaaraa Vahai KaappAr : During the anthima Kaalam ,
our Lord will protect us from the power of Ajn!Anam that will
invoke inauspicious rememberances.

4. VaanERa Vazhi NadatthuvAr: Upanishads , the fourth chapter of
Brahama Soothrams and Swamy Desikan's own Parama Padha
sOpAnam elaborate on the ArchirAdhi Maargam ( the Pathof Light )
through His aadhivAhikAs step by step to SrI Vaikuntam ( Vaann).

5. TeruL aarum = A place full of true Jn~Anam , the world filled
with Suddha Satthvam ( Made entirely of Satthvam without admixture of
the three guNAs associated with the cosmic matter ( Prakruthic matter).
It is self luminous. There are two kinds of Satthva: Suddha and asuddha
Satthva. Suddha Satthva is unalloyed , pure Satthva. Asuddha Sattva
is Sathtva ( one of the three GuNAs) associated with Rajas and Tamas
in different proportions in the Leela VibhUthi ( BhagavAn's playground :
this Karma BhUmi inhabited by SamsAris) .Asuddha Satthvam manifests as
JaDa dravyam in Prakruthi and Suddha Satthvam manifests as the spiritual
substance ( as ajada dravyam) in Nithya VibhUthi of Our Lord.( TeLi
Visumbhu) .

6. TiNN Kazhal : The powerful Thiruvadi , which protects us from all
dangers
and grants us Moksham ( KaNNan KazhaliNai naNNum manamudayeer:
yeNNum ThirunAmam --TiNNam NaaraNamE : Thiruvaimozhi 10.5.1).
The significane of NaarAyaNa sabdham and the fruits of meditation on it
was covered in the previous Paasuram. AzhwAr continues and instructs us:
PaaDeer Avan Naamam--VeeDE peRaLAmE ( Arhana with love and
singing about His Sahasra NaamAs will land You at His sacred feet and
secure Moksham ).Such is the power of the ThiNN Kazhals of our Lord
VaradarAjan .

7. Peru Vaann : SrI Vaikuntam

8. Peru Vaanil adimai KoLvAr : SrI Vaikunta NaaTan , who will bless us
to perform nithya kaimkaryam to Him in His Supreme abode and will
accept it with joy.

9. PiriyAmal KaatthaLippAr : He will never be away from us , protect us
and bless us with the ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham arising from Nithya
Kaimkaryam to Him .

Let us study the SeventthPaasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 275 of Desika
Prabhandham ) in this posting . It deals with
the glorious Dhvaya manthram , which is our
staff duirng wanderings on this earth prior to
reaching the Supreme abode of the dhivya dampathis .

275. ahalahillAt-ThirumahaLAr anbhar vanthAr
adi iraNDum aarAhat-tanthAr vanthAr
puhalillAr puhalAhum Punithar vanthAr
ponn ulahil ThiruvudanE ThihazhvAr vanthAr
ahilam yelAm aanandhamAnAr vanthAr
adiyiNaikkeezh vaitthu adimai koLvAr vanthAr
pahal naduvE iravu azhaikka vallAr vanthAr
pahal onRAi iravu azhitthavar vanthAr ThAmE

(Meaning): Lord VaradarAjan is the object of adoration of
MahA Lakshmi ( PerumdEvi ThAyAr) , who is never away from
Him even for a fraction of a second. He is the One , who pointed out
His matchless pair of feet ( ThiruvadikaL) as the means for Moksham.
He is the most compassionate One , who stands in place of difficult to
practise upAyams like Bhakthi Yogam for the benefit of those , who can not
undertake the pursuit of such upAyams.He is the radiant One , who shines
with His PirAtti at SrI Vaikuntam . He is the most generous One , who
makes
available His two Isvaryams ( LeeelA and Nithya VibhUthis) , auspicious
ThirumEni and GuNams to the assembly of Mukthas and NithyAs ( Liberated
Jeevans ) and let them enjoy those blisses as ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham .
He is the welcoming One , who initiates His devotees to perform
kaimkaryams
for Him and accepts them with pleasure. He is the all powerful One ,
who invited the darkness of the night to hide the bright midday Sun .
He is the illustrious One , who banishes the long , dark night of SamsAram
and makes Mukthi ( Moksham) as the bright reigning day.

Swamy Desikan has extolled the glories of the Manthra Rathnam ,
the Dhvayam , in many of His SrI Sookthis ranging from SrIMath
Rahasya Thraya Saaram to Dhvaya Churukku. This paasuram is
a succinct summation of the power and meanings of htis most sacred
Manthram dear to SrI VaishNavAs .

Let us correlate the passages from this Paasuram relating to the Dhvayam
with the sections of the Dhvaya Manthram itself :

"ahalahilA" = The Madhubh portion riding with the SrI Sabdham as the first
word of Dhvaya Manthram.

" adi iraNDum aaRAha " = this is the elaboration of the " CharaNou SaraNam
"
section of the dhvaya manthram .

"Puhal illAr " = connects to " PrapadhyE " section of the manthram.
( denoting Vinai muRRil uLLa Tanmai vihuthiyin poruL ).

" PuhalAhum " = refers to the Lord standing in the place of
other UpAyams like Bhakthi Yogam .

" Punithar " = refers to MahA VisvAsam , one of the key angams of
one's Prapatthi .

" Ponnulahil " and " Akhilam " = the elaboration of the dhavya manthra
section , " SrImathE NaarAyaNAya ".

" adiyiNaikkeezh vaitthu adimai koLvAr" = this passage refers to
the fourth case (Vibhakthi ) accompanying the NaarAyaNa
sabdham ( NaarAyaNAya ) .

" pahal naduvE Iravu" = the dark samsAric night ; the shrinking
of Jn~Anam ( JN~Ana sankOsam) for SamsAris due to their
accumulated karmAs.It is also linked to the aksharam , "Ma" of
the Nama: sabdham of the dhvaya manthram.

" IravazhitthAr" = the destruction of the encircling virOdhi
( KaaLa Raathri of SamsAram ) associated with the Nama:
sabdham of the dhvaya manthram is saluted here.

Once upon a time lost in memory , Our compassinate Mother ,
MahA Lakshmi saw the Jeevans struggling in SamsAric ocean
and was moved to ask Her Lord to bless the Jeevans with
a means ( UpAyam ) for practise ( anushtAnam ) that would
rescue them form the dangers of drowning . The ever-responding Lord
united two seperate sentences of the Upanishad and blessed the Jeevans
to recite it at all times as an ujjevana ( rescuing) manthram. Since two
parts were united , the resulting manthram is known as Dhvayam.The first
part deals with the UpAyam (means) and the second part the fruits there of
(Phalan). The first part is associated with the choice of the Lord as
the object of surrender by the Jeevan for protection.The second part
deals with the actual samarpaNam of its Svaroopam , the burden of
its (Jeevan's) protection and the fruits of that responsibility for that
protection
to the Lord Himself . This is why the Manthram resulting from the union of
two seperate Veda BhAgams is named Dhvayam .

We will study more about the detailed meanings of Dhvayam in
the other Desika Prabhandham ( Dhvaya Churukku) that is yet to
be covered .

Let us study today the Eighth Paasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 276 of Desika
Prabhandham ) in this posting . It deals with
the Charama SlOkam blessed to us by GeethAchAryan
at KurukshEthram :

276. Dharuman vida ThAmm thUthu pOnAr vanthAr
DharaNi poRa thiNN bhAram tavirtthAr vanthAr
aru maRayin poruL anaitthum viritthAr vanthAr
anjina nee Yennai adai yenRAr vanthAr
Dharamum yelAm ThAmAhi niRpAr vanthAr
ThAmE namm vinai anaitthum tavirppAr vanthAr
Bharam Yenathu nee pulampal YenrAr vanthAr
Paartthanukku tEr UrnthAr vanthAr thAmE

(Meaning ): Lord VaradarAjkan is the Supreme Being with the simplicity
and soulabhyam to accept the request of Dharmaputhrar to go to
DhuryOdhanan's court as the negotiator for the PaaNDavAs. He is the One ,
who cut to the roots the enemies of His BhakthAs and reduced the big load
on Earth . He is the most merciful One , who instructed through His
Bhagavath GitA
the precious truths about the inner meanings of VedAnthA . He is the One ,
who informed that those without recourse to the practise of difficult
UpAyams like Bhakthi Yogam to surrender to Him so that they can be
freed from the fears of falling in narakam. He stands in place of all
the UpAyams for those , who seek His refuge.He destroys all the KarmAs of
those , who perform SaraNAgathi at His sacred feet. He accepts
the full responsibility for the protection of the SaraNAgathAs and asks
them not to grieve anymore ( Ma sucha: ).He is the divine charioteer for
Arjuna.Lord PaarthasArathy of this limitless vaibhavam is now amidst us as
inferred from the sound of His Thirucchinna oli .

The links between Pasuram words and the Charama SlOkam of BhagavAn are :

1. " Dharuman vida ThAmm thUthu pOnAr" = The limitless mercy of
the Lord to be Bhaktha ParAdheenan is referred to here.

2. " DharaNi poRA tiNN BhAram TavirtthAr" = the reason for the avathAram
of SrImad Bhagavath Geethai is hinted . As a result of SrI ParthasArathy's
UpadEsam , Arjuna engaged himself in the war and when BhAratha Yuddham
was over , the burden that Mother Earth carried until then was reduced.

3. " aruL MaRayin PoruL anaitthum viritthAr " = The referecne here is that
all the meanings elaborated in the VedAs are condensed in SrImadh
Bhagavath
GitA .

4. "anjina nee Yennadai " = This is a direct echo of the Charama slOkam
passage: "MaamEkam SaraNam vraja ".

5. "Dharumam yelAm ThAmAhi NiRppAr " = The "yEka " sabdham in"MaamEkam "
is captured in this Paasuram passage.

6. " ThAmE namm vinai anaitthum tavirppAr " = This section is a direct
echo
of the Charama SlOkam passage " MokshayishyAmi ".

7. " nee pulampEl " = Lord's instrcution to the Jeevan is that it should
not
grieve anymore after performing SaraNAgathi to Him . That is connected
here ( Maa Sucha: ).

During the BhAratha Yuddham , Lord became the charioteer for HIs
friend Arjuna ; latter was overcome with grief over the sight of his
relatives and AchAryAs lined up to fight him . He recognized in a fight
with them , they will all be killed by him and feared about the sins that
he
will accumulate by the acts of killing his BhandhUs and AchAryAs.
He was devastated and was unable to stand up to fight them .
Arjuna sought refuge in KrishaNa and asked the Lord to instruct
what is hitham under te circumstances . Our most merciful Lord took
pity on the confusion of Arjuna and instructed Arjuna through Bhagavath
GeethA the eternal nature of AathmA , Karma and Jn~Ana yOgams
and the direct means for Moksham : Bhakthi Yogam with its branches .
After BhagavAn's upadEsam , Arjuna recognized that Bhakthi Yogam
is very difficult to practise and that it gives the fruit of Moksham after
a long delay. He got agitated over his deficiencies in seeking the Bhakthi
Yogam as a means for Moksham . When the ever compassionate Lord
sensed the sorrow of His friend , ArjunA , He revealed the easy to
practise
and fast fruit-yielding Prapathti Yogam and concluded His instructions .
This paasuram and the more elaborate " Charama SlOka Churukku "
SrI Sookthi focus on the glories of the unconditional Surrender to the
Lord

Let us focus today on the ninth Paasuram of
Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 277 of Desika
Prabhandham ) . It is a glorious tribute to Lord's
avathAram as SrI KrishNa , who blessed us with
the Charama SlOkam for our ujjeevanam( upliftment) .

In the previous posting , the Lord's role as PaaNdava DhUthan ,
as PaarthasAraTy , as the One who performed GeethOpadEsam
and blessed us with Charama slOkam and gave abhaya pradhAnam
to SamsAris were covered . The Paasurams for PaaNDavar DhUthan
and ThiruvallikkENi dhivya dEsams as well as the aruLiccheyalkaLs
for Pancha KrishNa kdhEthrams have to be enjoyed in this context .

In this Desika Prabhandha Paasuram , PoothanA SamhAram , destruction of
the wrestlers in the court of Kamsan , the vadham of Kamsan , BhANAsura
garva
Bhangam , granting of Moksham for offending SisupAlan and protection
of the vow of PaanchAli ( Droupathi) as well as His innumerable upakArams
for the PaaNDavAs are covered . This covers the content of many chapters
of MahA BhAratham and the Dasama Skandham of SrImadh BhAgavatham .

277. Vanjanai sey Poothanayai mAytthAr vanthAr
Mallar madha-kari mALa malainthAr vanthAr
Kanjanaip-pOr kadumchinatthAl kaDinthAr vanthAr
kaNNUthal munn VaaNan thOL kazhitthAr vanthAr
vemm soll tara veedu kodutthu uhanthAr vanthAr
vilakku illA vazhi nadattha virainthAr vanthAr
Panchavarai pallvahayum kAtthAr vanthAr
PaanchAli kuzhal muditthAr vanthAr

Line 1: " Vanchanai sey Poothanayai MaaytthAr vanthAr" :

Lord VaradarAja is the One who sucked the life out of
the raakshasi , Poothanai, who took on the deceitful role as a mother &
a wet nurse to destroy the infant KrishNa .She tried to cheat KrishNa
and pretended to serve as His caring Mother , who wanted to
feed Him with the poisonous milk from her breasts . Our Lord obliged to
be fed and during that process sucked the life out of Poothanai .
The reference is to "pEy mulaittala nanjuNDa PiLLai " /PoothanA
Naasakan ( Periya Thirumozhi:7.10.4, ThirukkaNNamangai Paasuram ).

Line 2. " Mallar madha-kari maaLa malainthAr vanthAr "

The Lord who killed the mighty wrestlers and the angry court
elephant of Kamsan ( KuvalayApeetam ) at Vada Mathurai
is saluted here . Krishna accompanied by BalarAma arrived at
the wrestling arena to watch the wrestling match between
the wrestlers of KamsA's court. At the entrance of this arena , Kamsan
had placed his royal elephant in rut to attack KrishNa and His brother.
The elephant controller ordered the elephant to charge at KrishNa
to kill the Lord of the Universe. KrsihNa fooled the attacking elephant
in to making many missteps , tired it out and killed it with a blow of His
palm
and pulled its tusk and hit it to put an end to its suffering ( Srimath
BhAgavatham: 10.43) . Next , KrishNa was challenged by the mighty
wrestlers of KamsA's court to fight them .The combat between
the boyish KrishNa and the seasoned strong men (wrestlers)
looked uneven for the onlookers. Our Lord accepted
their ( ChaNura and Mushtika ) challenge and crushed
their joints with thunderbolt like punches and destroyed them.

3. Line 3: " Kanchanaip-pOr kadum sinathAl kadinthAr vanthAr"

After the destruction of the royal elephant and the wrestlers ,
the next in line for the Lord's anger was His offending uncle :
Kamsan .He lightened Himself and flew at Kamsan seated
at His high throne and grabbed Kamsan like Garudan seizing
a Serpent ( yaTOragam Taarkshyasutha: prasahya: BhAgavatham
10.44.36). Our Lord threw Kamsa from his high seat in to
the arena and killed him .The mighty anger of KrishNa over
the many apachArams of Kamsan is saluted by Swamy Desikan
as "Kadum Chinam " here.

4. Line 4: " KaNN nudhal munn VaaNan thOl kazhitthAr vanthAr"

The reference here is to the humiliation of BhANAsuran right
in front of the eyes of his protector , Rudra Sivan ( SrImath
BhAgavatham:10.62 & 63). Siva fought on the side of BaaNan
and was chased away from the battle field by the mighty KrishNa.
Rudra saluted the Lord as His Master and offered SaraNAgathy
to the Lord of the universe . Rudra's SaraNAgathy words are:
" Brahma and I and other DevAs and sages , who have attained
purity of mind by Thy grace , all of us have made total surrender
to Thee , the Soul of our Souls , the dearest of the dear and our
Lord and Master" ( BhAgavatham: 10.63.43).Our Lord accepted
Rudran's SaraNAgathy and spared the life of the client of Rudran
( BaaNan) and spared his life , while cutting off all but four of
his thousand shoulders to put down the asuran's pride.

Line 5: " Vemm soll tara veedu kodutthu uhanthAr vanthAr"

Sisupaala Vadham and granting of Moksham to him
by the Lord is alluded to here ( BhAgavatham: 10.74).
SishupAla was a sworn enemy of the Lord. During Raajasooya
Yaagam , King Yudhishtra elected to perform the Agrapooja
for KrishNa . SisupAla challenged that choice and put KrishNa
down and mocked at KrishNa's qualifications .Bhagavan KrishNa
could not put up with the arrogance of SisupAla and used His chakram
to cut off latter's head .Now a jyOthi rose from the fallen body of
SisupAla and reached KrishNa's sacred feet .SisupAlA's constant
thinking of the Lord even if it was in the mode of Him as his
(SisupAlan's) enemy , SisupAla got Moksham from BhagavAn
KrishNa .

Line 6: "Vilakku illA vazhi nadattha viraindAr avnthAr"

" Vilakku illA vazhi " means the archirAdhi Maargam without
any obstacles. Our Lord is the One , who hastens to take
the Muktha Jeevan on this ArchirAdhi Maargam to SrI Vaikuntam .

Line 7: " Panchavaraip-palavahayum kAtthAr vanthAr"

" Panchavar " is Pancha PaaNDavar . Our Lord KrishNa protected
the PaaNdavAs in many , many ways from all the dangers that
they faced from DuryOdhana and his ill meaning brothers .

Line 8: " PaanchAli kuzhal muditthAr vanthAr ThAme"

When Droupathi was humiliated at DuryOdhana's court
and an attempt to disrobe her in front of her husbands
was made , Bhagavan KrishNa came to her rescue and
protected her. At that time , Droupathi untied her hair and vowed
that she will not tie it back until DuryOdhana and his brothers
were killed . BhagavAn KrishNa empowered the Pancha
PaaNDavAs to destroy the DuryOdhana , his brothers
and all who fought on his behalf. After that , Droupathi
tied her hair back . Thus , Lord VaradarAjan , who during His
KrishNAvathAram protected Pancha PaaNdavas ,
Droupathi and their families from all the harms caused by
DuryOdhanan and his brothers . The Lord of such Vaibhavam
has now appeared amidst us to the accompaniment of
the Thirucchinna SunAdham .

Let us reflect today on the tenth Paasuram of Thirucchinna Maalai
( Paasuram 278 of Desika Prabhandham).

Paasuram 278 expresses the paravasam of Swamy Desikan
on the darsanam of Lord VaradarAjan embodying the three
SrI VaidshNava Rahasyams ( Moola Manthram , Dhvayam
and the Charama SlOkam ). This Paasuram is also included
as the 17th paasuram of Meyviratha Maanmiyam ( 224th Desika
Prabhandha Paasuram) that we have already studied .

Please refer to the Oppiliappan Archives for access to
the meanings of this paasuram:

278. Atthigiri AruLALa PerumAL VanthAr
Aanai pari mEl Azhagar VanthAr
Kacchi tanil KaNN kodukkum PerumAL vanthAr
Karudha varam tarum DhaivapperumAL VanthAr
Mutthi mazhai pozhiyum muhil vaNnar vanthAr
Moolamena Olamida vallAr vanthAr
UtharavedikkuLLE udhitthAr vanthAr
umbar thozhum kazhal udayAr vanthAr thAmE

Additional Special Notes on this 278th Paasuram
***************************************
We shall enjoy Swamy KurEsar's and Swamy Desikan's
anubhavams of Lord VaradarAjan in their SrI Sookthis:
SrI VaradarAja Sthavam and SrI VaradarAja PanchAsat
respectively .

SrI VardarAja Sthavam of KurEsar
****************************
KurEsar salutes the Lord of Hasthigiri ( Atthigiri AruLALa PerumAL )
as " Nissema abhyadhika Hari" ( the One without equal or
superior). He is the One saluted by "Oupanishadhee Sarasvathi
Sthuthya Devan " ( Praised by the manthrams of Upanishads ).

He is in AzhwAr's eulogy : " KoLLak-kuRaivilan VeNDiRRellAm
tarum VaLLal " . The 278th Paasuram echos these thoughts on
the unmatched OudhAryam of the Lord of Hasthigiri as :
" Karudha Varam tarum Dhaivap-PerumAL vanthAr " .
Swamy KurEsar salutes Him in this context as the undepletable
mine of gold for those who seek varams from Him : " arTinAm
apAram nidhim , arTitArTa paridhAna dhikshithan" . He has taken
the vow ( Dheekshai) to be the responder for granting the boons(Varams)
sought by His bhakthAs . He is the undisputed Varada Raajan.
He is " SarvabhUtha Suhruth " ( One who wishes well for all
chEthanams ). He is "DayAnidhi" ( possessor of abundant
wealth of Mercy ).He is "AdhirAja DevarAjan" ( ImayOr Talaivan ).

Lord VaradarAjan is " Mrushta Varadhan " ( ParipoorNan ) according to
KurEsar and all the four PurushArTams are granted by Him . KurEsan
concludes that He is Iswaran ( Ayam Iswara:/ avanE ParamporuL).
He is Tunga MangaLa GuNAspadhan ( the abode of all the auspicious
GuNAs that nourish the Bhaktha Janams ). In Swamy Desikan's
Paasuram Passage , He is : " Umbar Thozhum Kazhal Udaya
Muthti mazhai pozhiyum muhi VaNNar".

Lord VaradarAjan is " adhbhuthan" ( Joy geenrating mysterious One) ,
" Mahath aseema BhUmakan " ( One who has matchless lofy vaibhavams) ,
"nisthulan" ( Incomparable) .That adhbhutha , Nisthula Vasthu is
standing in front of us on top of Hasthigiri ( Tadhidham TaTyamEva
KaridhAmni
dhrusyathE ) and is experienced/seen by us.

In the 12th slOkam of SrI VaradarAja Sthavam , KurEsar pours out
his reverence for the Lord of Atthigiri in a most moving manner and
salutes
Him as: " NirABAadhan " ( One without any changes ) , "Nithyan" ( eternal)
,
"Niravadhi "( Present everywhere, prathi vasthu poorNan ) , "Nirupaman"
( Matchless) and " SadhA Saanthan " ( always tranquil) .

This Vara Varadhan ( Grantor of lofty boons ) is aasritha sulabhan
( easy to reach by those , who seek His refuge) be they humans or
animals or birds. When Gajendhran cried out for rescue by addressing
Him as Aadhimoolam , He rushed to rescue that elephant ( Moolam
yena Olamida vallAr avnthAr).

In the ThiruchinnamAlai Paauram , Swamy Desikan salutes
VaradarAjan as "Azhagar" From slOkams 21 to 54th slOkams of
SrI VaradarAja Sthavam , KurEsar describes the asAdharaNa
beauty of Lord VaradarAjan .

Swamy Desikan's SrI VaradarAja PanchAsath & the 278th Paasuram
*******************************************************
Swamy Desikan's tribute to Lord VaradarAjan in His PanchAsath
are the most beautiful and has many echos of this Paasuram. Here are
some anubhavams:

KaaruNya Raasi: = embodiment of the auspicious guNam of KaruNai

avyAja Vathsalan = sahaja vAthsalyan

In the 48th SlOkam , Swamy Desikan enjoys the beauty of
the Lord adorning many vAhanams ( Garudan , AaaLum PallAkku ,
Horse , ThirutthEr /Ratham) during the many uthsavams and prays for the
daily
anubhavam of those pleasurable moments. This is an echo of the 2nd line
of the 278th Paasuram : " Aanai Pari thEr mEl Azhagar VanthAr".

Propelled by the beauty of the Lord's ThirumEni Azhagu ( Beauty of
His sacred Body ), Swamy Desikan swears that he has no interest
to lose that experience and opt for life in SrI Vaikuntam ( Vaikunta
VasEapi abhilAshaL na ,sathyam sabhE ).

Such is the glory of Lord VaradarAjan , who has now arrived amidst us
to the accompaniment of His Thirucchinna Oli .

Let us conclude today the eleventh and final (Phalasruthi)
Paasuram of Thirucchinna Maalai ( Paasuram 279 of
Desika Prabhandham).


Paasuram 279 is the Phala Sruthi Paasuram . Here Swamy Desikan
states that our PoorvAchAryAs were intensely familiar with the essence
of the meanings of the three rahasyams and he sang about those meanings
in ThiruchinnamAlai Prabhandham . Swamy Desikan states further that
these ten Paasurams of ThiruchinnamAlai dealing with Lord VaradarAjan
as the embodiment of the meanings of the three rahasyams would be
sheer joy for the ears of those , who are not enamoured by the alpa
Sukhams of SamsAric world.

279. maRaittalayil isai yezhutthil vaNangum vaakkin
amanthiratthil naalu yezutthAm ThirunAmatthhil
niRaitthu ilahu vERRumayil iraNDAm onRil
NedumAl tann geethaiyellA(m) niRaintha sollil
uRaytthavar kaNDu uraiyttha poruLAn yellAm
Uyarviratha AruLALa PerumAl tEsin
tiRatthil-iyayai Thirucchinna Maalai patthum
sevikku inithAm siRRibham isayAthArkkE

Salutations to Thirumanthiram/AshtAksharam
***********************************
" MaRai Talayil isai yezhutthu " : The first aksharam of
AshtAksharam is PraNavam ; it is seen at the beginning
and end of the Vedams .

" VaNangum Vaakkil " : the second and third aksharams
are found in " Nama: " sabdham , which is the sabdham for
expressing vaNakkam ( reverential salutations to SrIman
NaarAyaNan) .

The next four aksharams are constituted by "NaarAyaNa "
sabdham ( Naa+ra+ya+Na aksharams) and that adds up
sofar to 7 Aksharams in the AshtAksharam . Swamy Desikan
describes the sacred nAmA ( ThirunAmaa) of the Lord as :
" manthiratthil naalu yezhutthAm ThirunAmatthil ".

The 8th aksharam that completes the AshtAksharam
and lets it shine is the 4th case(aaya) riding over the NaarAyaNa
sabdham ( niRaitthu ilahu vERRumayil).

Salutations to The second rahasyam: Dhvayam
*************************************
" iraNDAm onRil " : Dhvayam is the manthram with
two parts ( Poorva and Utthara BhAgams) and yet shines
as one unified king of Manthrams .

Salutations to the 3rd Rahasyam: Charama SlOkam
******************************************
" NedumAl tann Geethai yellAm niRaintha sol " : The charama
slOkam (soll) that has all the meanings (yellAm niRaintha) of
EmperumAn's SrI Sookthi of Bhagavath GeethA ( NedumAl
tann geethai).

The PoorvAchAryA's Familiarity with the meanings of the 3 Rahasyams
******************************************************
"uRaitthavar kaNDu uraittha PoruL " : Our great PoorvAchAryAs
were fully familiar with ( uRaitthavar KaNDu ) the deep meanings of
these three rahasyams . They performed upadEsam for us about
these esoteric meanings and helped us comprehend the object of
the meanings of these rahasyams ( uraittha prouLAna yellam ).
They pointed out who is that object at the center of these
three rahasyams .

Who is that central object ?
*********************
He is none other than the Lord of Hastigiri , who has
taken the vow of SaraNAgatha RakshaNam ( uraittha
poruL yellAm uyar viratham AruLALa PerumAl) .
The uyar viratham ( the lofty vow or dheekshai) is
SaraNAgatha RakshaNa vratham announced through
the Charama slOkam . Lord VaradarAjan's Moola
vigraham (dhruva bhEram) displays on one of His
hands the message " Maa Sucha: " (Do not grieve)
even today.

The Ten paasurams of ThiruchinnamAlai are about His Vaibhavam
*****************************************************
" AruLALa PerumAL tEsin tiRatthil iyai Thirucchinna Maalai Patthu":
The ten Pasurams of Thirucchinna Maalai are about the elaboration of
the Vaibhavam of this Rahasya Thraya Moorthy , Lord VaradarAjan.

Who is pleased by these ten Paasurams of Thirucchinna Maalai?
*************************************************
" " SiRu inbam isayAthAr sevikku inithAm " : These paasurams
would be delectable feast for the ears of those who are not
swayed by the trivial and nonlasting sukhams offered by
Samsaric way of life .

After the Thirucchinna Maalai Prabhndham , Swamy Desikan
went on to elaborate the grand meanings of the Three rahasyams
with additional prabhandhams : Thirumanthira Churukku
( 10 Paasurams ); Dhvaya Churukku ( 12 Paasurams) and
Charama SlOka Churukku ( 11 Paasurams ). As the first
step towards the elaborations on these three rahasyams with 33
Paasurams , Swamy Desikan completed his salutations to
the 12 NaamAs of the Lord with a Prabhandham named
" Panniru ThirunAmam ". We will study " Panniru ThirunAmam "
next before offering our salutations to the three Churukkus on
the Rahasya Thrayam .


NaarAyaNa , NarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradachAri Sadagopan


Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka
SrivaNN SaThakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

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