Periya ThiruvandhAthi
& Atharva Vedam.
The Origin of
Periya ThiruvandhAthi Thiruviruttham and ThiruvAsiriyam are considered the anubhavams based on Swamy nammazhwAr's Para Bhakthi and Para
Jn~Anam respectively. Periya
ThiruvandhAthi (Periya ThiruvandhAthi) is the blossoming of the Parama Bhakthi anubhavam of Swamy NammAzhwAr
. ThiruvAimozhi is about Bhagavath PrApthi.
In Thiruviruttham, AzhwAr's prayer to
the Lord was to cut asunder the Deha-Sambhandham that
stood in the way of the enjoyment of the Lord in Parama Padham through Moksham. In ThiruvAsiriyam, Bhagavath SaakshAthkaram was
realized and AzhwAr enjoyed the SvarUpam, rUpam and the GuNAs of the Lord in the spirit of Para Jn~Anam. In Periya ThiruvandhAthi, AzhwAr is immersed
in Parama Bhakthi and cries
out to join without delay the Lord through the route of Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam .Swamy Desikan has described Swamy Nammalwar's GuNAnubhavam as an intense wish to unite with the Lord to
perform nithya kaimakryam:
" SvakeeyAm Bhagavath-anubhavE spOdayAmaasa
theevrAm aasAm".
Periya ThiruvandhAthi has 87 paasurams
set in VeNN Paa style. It
has been linked to Atharva Vedam just as Thiruiruttham and
ThiruvAsiriyam have been linked to Rg and Yajur Vedam respectively. Periya ThiruvandhAthi is a moving dialog of Swamy Nammalwar with his Manas .The dhvarai (paraparappu /impatience) of Swamy
Nammalwar to unite with the Lord is captured in these
dialogs. Eeedu has identified the mental state of
Swamy Nammalwar in this
Prabhandham as equivalent to BharathAzhwAr, who waited
impatiently at NandhigrAmam performing PadhukA Aaradhanam and waiting for
his union with the Lord of the Paadhukai.
The First Reason
for the name of PERIYA ThiruvandhAthi
(PTVA) There are
two views on why this prabhandham got its name, Periya ThiruvandhAthi or the
Great/Big ThiruvandhAthi. There are other AndhAthi Prabhandhams with more
paasurams like the ones by the three Mudhal AzhwArs (100 each) and
Naanmuhan ThiruvandhAthi by
Thirumazhisai with ninety-Six Paasurams. Why is Periya ThiruvandhAthi still called the Big ThiruvandhAthi? According
to the first view, the vishaya gouravam (the importance of the topic, Charama SlOkArtham) puts this
prabhandham ahead of all other views.
The
connection is in the 56th paasuram of PTVA:
varavu aaRu onRu illaiAl vaazhvu inithAl* yellE! Here Swamy Nammalwar says that Lord
KrishNan has asserted that there is no need for the
ChEthanan to seek other means (Bhakthi and other Yogams and dharmams) and that seeking Him alone as refuge (Performing
Prapatthi) would be sufficient for Him to accept all
responsibilities (burdens/Bharam) of protecting that
ChEthanan. The key words in this paasuram containing these thoughts are: "Oruvan oru AaRu puhA aaRu, urumARum Aayavar thaam kaatum vazhi".
Swamy Nammalwar concludes
this Paasuram with the spirit of MahA visvAsam and declares his joy
about his lot: "Maayavar thaamm kaattum vazhi varavu aaRu onRu illai, Vaazhvu inithAl yellE!" (This
MaayAvi has asked us to adopt the path of Prapatthi. How it (this path) came to me and why He chose me
are not relevant.What is relevant is that adiyEn considers the fruit of following that upAyam as BhOgyam(the most enjoyable).
The above
distillation of the essence of Charama SlOkam and Swamy Nammalwar's prayers for dhruva
Smruthi (unceasing rememberance) of the Lord qualifies this AndhAthi to acquire the distinct name of Periya ThiruvandhAthi.
The Second reason
for the name , Periya ThiruvandhAthi The clue
for the second reason is found in the 75th paasuram of
Periya ThiruvandhAthi;here, Swamy NammAzhwAr engages in a debate with the Lord , the Ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan , and asks Him to examine the issue of who is bigger
(Periyan)between the two of them :
puvium iru visumpum ninnahattha* nee-yenn (Meaning): Oh Lord! It is well known that you
are the Master of the two great Isvaryams, LeelA VibhUthi and Nithya VibhUthi. You hold the powerful ChakrAyudham, which cuts
asunder the limbs of the Raakshasa Kulam. When You of such greatness made Your entry (anupravEsam) into me through my ears , I caught You deftly
and have kept You tightly in my heart lotus. Thou art now within me just as the
entire world was once within you. Now tell me, who is the bigger One (in glory)?
Myself or Yourself? Who can comprehend this fact? Pray
think about this. This
debate about "Periyan" makes this AndhAthi the "Periya ThiruvandhAthi". The many insightful descriptions of his
(Swamy Nammalwar's daasathvam to the Lord (Swamy)
makes this Prabhandham , the Periya ThiruvandhAthi. For
instance, Swamy Nammalwar
says: "Tadam KadalmEyAr
Tamakku nizhalum adithARumAnOm
" ( adiyEn has become the shadow of His ThirumEni and Paadhukai for Him ,
who resides eternally in the expansive Goal and Approach
of Periya ThruvandhAthi Sri K.C.VaradachAri points out that the purpose of this Prabhandham is to instruct the mind to recognize the
unparalleled greatness of the Lord and worship Him. This prabhandham is therefore intended to make the mind attain
Svaroopa Jn~Anam (knowledge
of its true nature) and to make it "bathe fully in the flowing waters of divine
goodness". This is "cleansing in the waters of divine infinity and greatness".
Through Periya ThiruvandhAthi, SaThakOpan shows
that " through God's grace, which is gotten through
sincerest surrender in all respects, the Divine purifies the soul" and blesses
it to approach Him and " finally infinitizes it by a
mere look ". Among the
four Prabhandhams of Swamy
Nammalwar, Thiruviruttham
and ThiruvAimozhi are considered essentially as
approaching the Lord in the Naayaka-Naayaki BhAvam (Love of a pathivrathai for
her Lord); ThiruvAsiriyam and Periya ThiruvandhAthi are
recognized to have the approach that emphasises the
servant/slave/vassal relationship to the Master (SwAmi). Either of these approaches has been pointed out as
the means to acquire " Supreme felicity and liberation
". In the
concluding section of PTVA, adiyEn will summarize
selected upadesams of Swamy
Nammalwar in Periya ThiruvandhAthi and attempt to connect them to Atharva Veda manthrams in
particular. One certainly finds the echoes of the messages of Periya ThiruvandhAthi in the other
three Vedams too , but we
will confine our study to just Atharva Vedam. In Periya ThiruvandhAthi, Swamy was
filled with Parama Bhakthi
that led to the theevra Upaasanaam (intense worship) and uninterrupted meditation
(DhyAnam) of the Dhivya Mangala Vigraham of the Lord and
His KalyANa GuNams. Swamy NammAzhwAr went on to
perform SaraNAgathi and celebrated the Prapatthi maargam revealed by
GeethAchAryan using Arjuna
as VyAjam. Swamy Nammalwar recognized the Lord as the powerful medicine for
curing the terrible disease of SamsAram ( nangaL piNikkAm marunthu =Thou are the
potent medicine to cure completely our disease named SamsAram: paasuram 62).
Swamy Nammalwar
pointed out to his manas that eulogizing the sacred
feet of Lord KrishNaa is what it(manas) has to do for its salvation (KaNNan thALL vAzhtthuvathE kaNDAi Vazhakku: Paasuram 12). He told
his manas further: " KaNNan thALL vAzhtthuvathE kall" (Oh manas!The most auspicious kaimkaryam on this earth is to sing pallANDu to the sacred feet of KaNNan: paasuram 67).
Swamy Nammalwar
announced to us that the Lord, who is deeply attached to him has entered inside his mind (MaalAr kudi puhunthAr yenn manatthE: Paasuram 22). He
identified with Him as his Father and Mother and thanked Him for showing the
wondrous way of Bhagavath-GuNAnubhavam
(peRRa ThAi neeyE, piRappittha Tanthai nee, yeRREyO NeeyammA kAttum neRi = Thou art my compassionate
Mother, Thou art my Father performing Upadesam.
Wonderful indeed is the way You showed me to eulogize
You: Paasuram
5).Swamy Nammalwar also
pointed out that He is also the Father and the Mother of all Jeevans (Thai Tanthai yevvuyirkkum thAnn: Paasuram 23) and acknowldeged His
Supermacy (Tann alappu onRilAthAn = He has no One
equal to Him: paasuram 24).
Swamy Nammalwar
asked for aparAdha KshAmaNam
for insufficencies in saluting Him adequately (seeRal nee = Oh My Lord, Your ThiruvuLLam should not get angry over any lapses in Your
worship on my part:paasuram
2). Swamy Nammalwar
recognized the Lord's DayA SvarUpam and pointed out that He is impatiently waiting to
see what else He can do for His BhakthAs (UnnadiyArkku yenna seyvAnanenRE irutthi Nee: Paasuram 53). Swamy Nammalwar
appealed to his mind to do two things to receive His
grace:
(1)
Eulogize the Lord of broad shoulders and offer fragrant garlands of verses
(Sonn maalai): "Vilankal pOl thonmAlaik Kesavanai NaaraNanai Maadhavanai sonnmAlai yeppozhuthum soottu:Paasuram 65)
and (2) Salute and praise the sacred feet of
KaNnan, who banishes all our sins (nammEl vinai kadivAn mey KazhalE yEttha muyal) and assures us not
to worry any more about our lot (aham thvA sarva PaapEbhyO MokshayishyAmi maa Sucha:)in this samsAra maNDalam. Thus ends the
Maanasa SambhOdhanam of
Swamy Nammalwar with his
manas. Swamy Nammalwar's tributes in Periya
ThiruvandhAthi to the Lord regarding His Omnipotence,
Omnipresence, Parama DayA GuNam, Sarva Seshithvam (Final reality = Ucchishta Brahmam), Omniscience,
SarvAntharyAmithvam, Jagath
Kaaranathvam can be readily traced to different Atharva manthrams. A selected few
of those manthrams are assembled below to illustrate
the links of Periya ThiruvandhAthi to AtharvaNa Vedam. A Brief
Introduction to Atharva Vedam Atharva Vedam
consists of 5977 manthrams, which is largely in the
form of poetry with a small portion in prose. It is the last among VedAs and as such has advanced philosophical conceptions
about God. It fits very well with the mood of Parama
Bhakthi of NammAzhwAr. It
has been pointed out that Periya ThiruvandhAthi cleanses the soul in the waters of divine
infinity and greatness, just as the Atharva Vedam introduces us to several remedial manthrams to overcome the diseases of the mind and body.
Atharva Vedam's recognizes
the Lord as the Supreme Being and as the final reality (sarva Seshi/Ucchishta Brahmam). One of the manthrams
salutes the Lord as " uchcishtE naama roopam chOcchishtE lOka aahitha:" (Thou sustains the entire
creation consisting of Name and Form). Through
the 601st Manthram, Atharva
Vedam asks the question, "Kasmai dEvAya HavishA vidhEma?" It answers that
question in a most majestic manner: " Through whose
power exists the spacious Heaven, the mighty Earth and yonder ample Firmament
between them, through whose power is yon Sun extends his grandeur, to That
Supreme One, we offer our oblations. We offer our devotional worship to Him, the
Illuminator and the Lord of lasting happiness. We meditate on Him.
" Manthram 566 salutes
His boon-granting power and Timelessness (anAdhi tatthvam): SarvAn KaamAn pooraythyAbhavan prabhavan bhavan (Meaning): "God the fulfiller of resolves,
worshipped by the Soul, the same One in light and darkness, Omnipresent, mighty
and ever-existent, satisfies all hopes and wants and never suffers decay."
Like Swamy Nammalwar's UpadEsam to his mind to sing the glories of the Lord without
let, another Atharva Veda Manthram (1291) says: dhOshO (Meaning): " Oh Worshipper of the Lord! Sing
His glory day and night, sing loudly, contemplate upon
the refulgent Lord. Praise the all-creating Lord!” His sarvAntharyAmithvam is saluted brilliantly in the 3695th
manthram of Atharva vedam: sO Agni: Sa u Soorya: sa u yEva MahAyama: (Meaning):
He is
indeed Agni, the Omniscient; He is SooryA, the urger; He is MahAyaman, the great leader. This great Lord
permeates all the Worlds with His refulgence. His
Unmatched Valour and status of Him not having any god
equal or superior to him is saluted by another Atharva
Manthram(3710): Tamidham nigatham saha: sa yEsha
yEka yEkavrudhEka yEva (Meaning): " This
Supreme Lord possesses the conquering might. He is the Sole, the Solitary One,
the One alone." Atharva Manthram
5035 tells us that this Powerful Lord reveals Himself to the Yogis (like Swamy NammAzhwAr) in deep
contemplation and shines like the mid-day Sun in their hearts.
Atharva Manthram
5185 reveals to us that He is the Almighty God, who suppresses the darkness of
ignorance by His light of knowledge. We will
conclude this posting with two more Atharva Manthrams,
which are echos of Swamy
NammazhwAr's prayers to the Supreme Lord in his Periya ThiruvandhAthi Prabhandham: (1)
"Bhuri ta Indhra Veeryam--" (Manthram 5048): " For great is Thy prowess , Oh Mighty
Lord ! We are Thine. Oh Lord of Riches, fulfil the desires of this devotee of Thine. These vast heavens are mere creations from Thy
Energy. This Earth also bows to Thy Splendor.” (2)
" Ya yEka iddhavyascharshaNInAmeendhram--"(Manthram 5208): " With
these hymns, I worship that Mighty Lord, who alone is to be invoked by men, who
is known to be the showerer of all blessings (VaradarAjan), All-powerful, True (Sathya Sankalpan) , Lord of All
Existence , Victorious , Full of Wisdom (sathyam,
Jn~Anam , Anantham BrahmA) and with wonderful powers of creation ( JagathAdhAran and Jagath Kaaranan). These
selected Manthrams of Atharva Vedham reveal thus their
Saamyam to the meanings of some of the Periya ThriuvandhAthi paasurams of Swamy NammAzhwAr. Thenn KuruhUr VaguLAbharaNan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam Dear AastikAs & VedAbhimAnis : Please contribute generously to the coming together of 500 Vedic Scholars for ten days to recite Praskruthi and Vikruthi forms of the three Vedams for Loka KshEmam . $225 support will cover the Travel ,SambhAvana and TadhiyArAdhanam needs of one Veda PaarAyaNakkArar . You are most welcome to support more than one PaarAyaNakkArar of your Veda Saakhai .
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