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Sri Parthasarathi thunai,
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha


? Mattrondrum Venda Maname Madhilarangar
Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra
Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai
Eppozhudum peesu?

?Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave 
yetkadakshai kalakshyanam sulabha: Sridara: sadaa?

Pranams,

As we already saw that Sri Thondaradipodi alwar wrote
his Thirumaalai prabhandam based on the Vishnu Dharma
Sastram let us now see some features of Vishnu Dharmam
and Thirumaalai. Vishnu Dharmam appears to be a
dialogue between Sathaneekar, a king and Sownakar, a
rishi. The king questions the rishi ?Which is the
easiest method for people in kaliyuga(Acharaheena,
Vairakhyaheena jeevatmas) to attain Bhagavan?? The
answer given by Sownakar to this question is Vishnu
Dharma Sastram. In contrast, in Thirumaalai, Alwar
is the Vaktha(person who lectures) and Periya perumal
Stota(one who hears). Here one doubt will arise. 
Sathaneekar was a raja and he wanted to clarify his
doubt and learn more from the rishi. But Periya
Perumal has no doubt and he has all the knowledge why
should he listen to alwar? Our great PVP clears our
doubt in the avatarikai to Thirumaalai. Emperuman
listens to alwar not because he doesn?t know the Naama
Magimai but because he wants to hear it from alwar. 
Like a mother after teaching her kid a short story
enjoys listening it back from the kid emperuman also
enjoys the paasurams of the alwar. There is one saying
in Sanskrit ?Kim Vrishtam -Srutha vachanam?(which is
the thing which is very sweet to hear? It is the
child?s innocent talk). When we ask more than that
which is sweet to hear again it is child?s innocent
talk ?Punarapi tateka sruthavachanam?. Even
Thiruvalluvar says ?kuzhal enidhu Yazh enidhu enbar
than makkal mazhalaisol keladhavar?. So the Mazhalai
elam sol of a kid is a atmost sweetest thing to hear. 
Here alwar is the kid of emperuman and emperuman
enjoys hearing alwar?s Mazhalaisol(child
talk-Thirumaalai paasurams).

So the speciality of Thirumaalai is that it was not
listened by a innocent king but it was listened by
Periya Perumal himself. In our Sampradhayam even very
learned elders sit and listen to younger peoples
upanyasams since they consider that Bhagavat vishayam
has its value whether it is told by a kid or a young
man or an elderly person. Even emperuman cherishes
listening to his bhakthas words. There is one story
in our guru paramparai. Once Sri Nampillai was
delivering kalashepam in the mandapam near Sri
Ranganatha sannadhi. A person by name Thiruvilakku
picchan was standing in front of the sannadhi with a
lamp in his hand. Periya Perumal was so impressed by
hearing Nampillai?s bhagavat guna kalashepam that he
left his archa samadhi and came to see the kalashepa
ghosti of Nampillai. Suddenly Thiruvilakku picchan
saw somebody near him and realizing that it was Periya
Perumal he ordered perumal that he should not do this
and he has to go back to his Archa Samadhi. Such was
the attraction of bhagavan to listen to his adiyars
lectures. 

The next speciality of this prabhandham is it explains
the paratvam of Sriman Narayanan without any doubt
arising in any of our minds. For instance even in
Thiruvaimozhi we find places like ?sivanai ayanai??,
?muniye mukkanappa? were one tends to think that alwar
is talking about Thrimoorthi samyam(equality of the
trios). In these places only the vyakhyanams clearly
explain that it refers to the paratvam of Bhagavan
alone. But in Thirumaalai alwar doesn?t give room to
any such doubts. He clearly says ?Mattrumor deivam
vundo?(Is there any other deivam other than lord
Krishna?)and ?Elangayai settra devane devanavan?(only
the deva who won langa is the only deva, here he
refers to Ramaavatara). So without any doubt alwar
confirms that the only god is Narayana who took
avatarams as Rama and Krishna.

After seeing the specialty of the prabhandam let us
now see the specialty of Thondaradi podi alwar. 
Maharishis had divya jnanam but we consider alwars
higher than the maharishis since they were ?Mayarvaru
Madinalam Arulapettravargal? that is they were
bestowed on with good Jnana and bhakthi by the lord
himself unlike the rishis who got it due to their
tapas. The mudalalwars and Thirumazhisai alwar were
involved in the antaryami, Nammazhwar was immersed in
the paratvam of bhagavan, Kulesekara alwar and
periyazhwar enjoyed singing the praise of Rama Krishna
avataaras and Thirumangai alwar was impressed by the
charm of the archavataaras. So the hierarchy goes as
follows. The alwars are considered more special than
the Maharishis. Among the alwars, Nammazhvar is more
special than the mudal alwars and Alwars involved in
vibhava moorthi more special than Nammazhvar and
Thirumangai alwar more special than all the above. 
Now Sri PVP says Thondaradipodi alwar is regarded more
special than even Thirumangai alwar. How is that? 

?Periya Perumalai alladu veru ariyadu erruppaar Oruvar
Aiththu evar? (He was one person who knew no other
emperuman other than Periya Perumal). Thirumangai
alwar went from sedhu to Himalayas and did
mangalaasasanam to the maximum number of divyadesams
more than any other alwar but Thondaradipodialwar has
a credit that he never sang anyother emperuman other
than Sriranganathan. All other alwars sang Thirupathi
venkatesa perumal but even today Srirangam holds the
first place only because of this alwar singing only
about Ranganathan. He refused to sing even about the
great thirupathi Srinivasan. Even Thirupanalwar who
sang only 10 paasurams that too as paadadi kesantha
varnanai of Periya Perumal in the very first paasuram
says ?virayar pozhil venkadavan? but Thondaradi podi
alwar in his 55 paasurams of thirumaalai and
Thirupalliyezhuchi has never given room for any other
divya desa perumals other than Sri Ranganathan. Even
when he talks about the vibhavaavatarams he attributes
them only to Aranthamman. This alwar alone lived like
this with parama Ikantyam towards ranganathan. He has
not gone to anyother temple, he hasn?t taken a dip in
any other pushkarini and he has never taken the
prasaadam of any other perumal other than arangan.

>From his vyakhyanam we find that PVP is very attached
to this alwar. We find that Thondaradi podi alwar?s
avathara stalam(Thirumandangudi) and PVP?s avadhara
Stalam(Senganoor) are very close by. Probably PVP
considered thondaradipodigal as a alwar of his place
and hence was attached to him and to add to this both
were poorvashika brahmanas. Even though their birth
places were different both of them came and settled in
Srirangam and spent their whole time under the feet of
Periya Perumal.

With this let us complete the introduction to
Thirumaalai and from the next postings we will dive
deep into the divine arthas of the alwar?s paasurams.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan


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