SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 21 dated 04/30/05
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Dear Bhagavatas:
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN
Part 8:
SLOKAM 26: ?SUFFERING FROM SELECTIVE BLINDSPOT??
SLOKAM 27: ?A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!?
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM OF ERUMBIAPPA ?
Part 12
*?TWO KINDS OF ACHARYAS?
*?THE BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB ALSO GO TO HEAVEN!?
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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3. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 15
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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=================================================
1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 8:
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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SLOKAM 26: ?SUFFERING FROM SELECTIVE BLINDSPOT??
Tvam dakshiNasya nivasan udadhEstaTEpi
dooraantarOthara payOdhi mahaantarEpE /
daityaan nijaika sara paaraNayan, kim Etaam
lankaam sthitO atra kurushE na kila sma bhasma??
?Stationed on the shores of the vast seas in the far south, how come you
were able to direct a single arrow at the Northernmost seas to feed it with
the lives of some demons living there and yet you could not reduce to
cinders the city of Lanka that was so near at hand??
NOTES:
? When the Ocean king did not heed his prayers to help even after Sri
Rama
did ?pratisayanam?, Sri Rama got so mad at the Ocean king that he invoked
fire weapon ?agni astra? swearing to dry up the waters of the ocean. At that
moment, the Ocean King came along with his wives and pleaded to be excused
and surrendered to Sri Rama.
Prithivee vaayur aakaasam aapO jyOtis cha Raaghava/
svabhaavE soumya tishTanti saaswatam maargam aasritaa://
? While Sri Rama was prepared to excuse, he told him that once drawn, his
arrow cannot go in vain without hitting a target and asked him where to
direct his arrow.
? The Ocean king seized on the opportunity and replied that there were
quite
a few of his enemies who were encroaching his domain in a place called
?drumagulyam? in the northernmost corner of Bhaaratavarsha and they were
tormenting him along with demons known as ?dasyus? and ?aabheeras?.
? Sri Rama agreed and directed his arrow towards them and decimated them.
Due to the extreme heat of the agni astram, that portion of sea got dried up
and became a desert called ?marukaantaaram?.
? Sargam 22 of Yuddha khaaNDam describes this incident and even mentions
how a spring called ?VriNa koopam? appeared wherefrom water spouted from the
parched ground.
? Swami Desika mentions this incident in his ?Abhaya Pradaana Saarm? and
says that since the Ocean king surrendered and the Lord is compassion
incarnate, he directed the arrow against the enemies of the Ocean king like
diverting the sins of Prapannas towards those inimical to them.
?Samudrathaik kurithu toDutha ambai samudra abhimaani purushan
saanutaapanaai saraNaagatan aagaiyaalE - dvishattugaL pakkalilE aasritar
uDiaya paapa krityathai EriDum kaNakkilE samudra virOdhigaL aana paapishTar
pakkalilE Evinaar?
? It is clear, therefore, that it was Ocean king who really surrendered
to
Sri Rama and not the other way about. What Sri Rama did was just a
?pratisayanam? as already indicated.
? ?This has exposed your Paratvam? says Azhwaan and asks Sri Rama
?Were you suffering from selective blind spot that you could not see your
own enemy who was very much near at hand at Lanka and whom you could have
finished then and there? Obviously, your antics in constructing a bridge
with the help of the monkey battalion for crossing the seas was a ?make-
believe? and a drama. Who are you trying to fool??
? This is akin to the preposterous coronation of VibheeshaNa while on
this
side of the ocean with an unconquered enemy very much in power at the other
shore.
? Swami Desika links the two events in his SaraNaagati Baashyam.
?jeevatyapi mahaabalE RaavaNE agarOpya langghitE vibheeshanam abhishinchataa
darsitO ayam guNa:/ (StOtra Baashyam)
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SLOKAM 27: ?A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!?
Yat taadrusa aagasam arim Raghuveera veekshya
Visramyataam iti mumOchitha mugdam aajou //
kO ayam guNa: katarakOTi gata: kiyaan vaa
kasya sthutE: padam ahO! batha kasya bhOOmi: //
?Oh! Scion of the Raghu Vamsa! RaavaNa had done such immense and
indescribable harm to you. Yet, when he stood before you crestfallen, having
lost all his weapons (Nir aayda paaNi), you let him off saying ?Take rest
and come tomorrow fully prepared?. What is this quality of yours? How can it
be described?
How could it be measured? How could it be praised adequately? Who can
exhibit such a quality? For me, it looks as if you have missed a golden
opportunity?
NOTES:
? When Ravana stood before Sri Rama totally desolate and helpless, having
lost all his weapons in the battle, Sri Rama addressed him
?You are very tired, down and out today. I do not wish to dispatch a
defenceless person to the abode of Yama. Come back tomorrow fully armed and
ready to fight. Then you will witness my real prowess?
?Tasmaat parisraanta iva vyavasyan na tvaam sarair mrityu vasam nayaami /
Gachcha anujaanaami raNaarditastvam pravisya raatrinchara raja!lankaam//
aaswaasya niryaahi rathee cha dhanveee tadaa balam drakshyatsi mE
rathastha://?
? Azhwaan wonders in what category such a quality can be classified.
The Lord?s qualities are classified into two categories:
1. Those that inspire one to seek refuge in Him. These are called ?Asraya
guNas?. These include Souseelayam, Vaatsalyam, Soulabhyam etc
2. Those that are employed in affording due protection to one who has so
surrendered. These are known as ?RakshaNa guNas?. These include Jnaana,
Sakti, Balam, tEjas etc.
Yat taadrusa aagasam
? When referring to Kaakasura, ALavandaar felt his crime was
unmentionably
serious ? ?Raghuvara! Yad abhoot tvam taadrusO Vaayasasya? Azhwaan here
seems to imply that RavaNa?s crime was worse. Hence, he uses the word
?taadrusa aagasam? (That kind of crime)
Mugdam
? The word means Bewildered, flabbergasted, stupefied etc. That was the
condition of RaavaNa in the situation. He was totally nonplussed and dazed
at the valor of Sri Rama.
Thum vihvalantam prasameekshya Raama:/
Thum nirvishaaseevisha sannikaasam saantaarchisham
sooryamiva prakaasam//
Gatasriyam krita kireeTa kooTam brahmadaNda
prakaasaanaanaam vidyut sadrusa varchasaam/
smaran Raaghava baaNaanaam vivyathE RaakshasEswara: //
kO ayam guNa:
? What kind of quality is this? Asks Azhwaan.
Swami Desika answers: ?KaruNa kaakutstha:?
What is ?KaruNa??
Swami Desika explains in ?Dvaya Adhikaara? of his ?Srimad Rahasya Traya
saaram?:
?Parama kaaaruNikatvam aavadu ? svaarttha nirapEkshaiyaana para duhka
niraakaraNEchai. Idu anantha aparaadangaLai uDaiyavargaLaiyum ?mitrabaavEna
samopraaptam, yadi vaa RaavaNa svayam? engirapaDiyaalE oru vyaaja
maatrattaalE Kshamikkum engira teLivukku uruppaam?
?However serious the crime, if the offender falls at His feet, He will be
quick to overlook the faults and grant pardon instantly. Did he not say
?when one comes to me declaring oneself to be my friend, I will afford
protection, even if it were RaavaNa himself?
kiyaan vaa
? As Swami Desika would say ?uNDadu urukKaaTTaadE vayiru dhaariyaai? ?
The
Lord would ignore all faults as if there was ?no fault? at all and hasten to
protect. It would therefore be impossible to measure the extent of his
mercy? - Azhwaan seems to imply.
kasya sthutE: padam ahO!
? Who can do justice in praising this quality? None.
? ?Even a microscopic fraction of the quality cannot be fully described
even
if the four faced Brahma were to attempt to praise with a million mouths and
for the entire duration of his lifetime and in sound disposing state of mind
and mental alertness? - says Varaaha PuraaNa:
Chatur mukhascha aayu: yadi kOTi vaktrO bavEta nara: kvaapi visuddha
chEtaa:/
Sa tE gUNaanaam yutaikam amsam vadEnnavaa dEva vara praseeda //
batha kasya bhOOmi:
? Leave alone the attempt to praise. Can anyone know for sure the extent
or
the depth of this quality? - wonders Aazhwaan.
? The implication is that if Sri Rama were not Paramaatma, there is no
way
to explain this unique forgiveness.
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2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM OF SRI ERUMBIAPPA
Part 12
*?TWO KINDS OF ACHARYAS?
*?THE BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB ALSO GO TO HEAVEN!?
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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Swami Desika lists two kinds of ?nishTa? ? in doing Prapatti, vide
?Adhikaari Vibhaaga Adhikaara? of his ?Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram? viz .
?ukti nishTa? and ?Achaarya nishTa?
? ?Ukti nishTa? means ?(performance done as told). In other words, by
repeating the mantra as advised by the Guru.
? ?Achaarya nishTa? means, where the Sisya is unable or incapable of
repeating the mantras ?as told?. Such a one may request his Achaarya to
help, who acceding to the request performs Parapatti and prays to the Lord
on behalf of the Sishya without the Sishya repeating the mantra himself.
? (IT MAY BE NOTED THAT NO OTHER METHOD IS RECOGNIZED AS BEING EFFECTIVE.
MORE ABOUT THIS LATER)
SRI ERUMBNIAPPA STRICTLY FOLLOWS THESE GUIDELINES OF SWAMI DESIKA AND NAMES
THE TWO CATEGORIES AS RELATING TO THE ACHAARYAS, NAMELY, ?GHATAKA BHOOTAS?
AND ?UPAAYA BHOOTAS?
? ?GhaTaka bhootas? are those who put to a strict test the
would-be-Sishyas
as to their fitness for initiation by observing their conduct, scrutinizing
their character and the genuineness of their interest in learning. Only
after satisfying themselves on these aspects, they will teach them to
receive the mantras leading to the feet of the Lord.
? This corresponds to Achaaryaas who administer ?Ukti nishTai? to the
Sishyas, as described by Swami Desika. In other words, they utter the
mantras fist and make the Sishyas repeat the same ?as instructed? (ukti)
? ?Upaaya bhootas? are those Achaaryas who take pity on Sishyas who are
disabled like being blind, deaf, and mute etc or otherwise incapable of
learning - being mentally challenged. If these exhibit real yearning to
attain the feet of the Lord despite their deficiencies (i.e) not being fit
to receive initiation through ?ukti nishTa?, the Achaaryas take upon
themselves the responsibility of uttering the ?Surrender mantra? for and on
their behalf and take them to the feet of the Lord.
? This corresponds to ?Achaarya nishTa? mentioned by Swami Desika.
? An instance of such an ?Achaarya nishTa? is illustrated in the life of
Emperumaanaar. One day, a boy who was deaf-mute prostrated before
Emperumaanaar with great devotion. Emperumaanaar was moved by the pitiable
condition of the boy. By sign language, he bade the boy to touch the
Achaarya?s feet with his fingers and place the fingers on his own chest.
Thus, symbolically, he placed his feet at the heart of the boy, uttered the
?SaraNaagati Mantra?. Koorathaazhwaan who was witnessing this exclaimed:
?Fie on me! I have spoiled my life by being born in ?koorakulam?, learning
Saastras. If only I had also been born deaf and mute, my Achaarya?s feet
would have reached for me instead of my beseeching them! How unfortunate to
have missed this opportunity!? This shows the efficacy of ?Achaarya nishTa?
================================================
MY COMMENTS:
? Besides the above two, some cite another kind of ?nishTa?. It refers to
the rare cases in which highly evolved souls with utmost rectitude in their
aachaarams and anushTaanams resort to self-surrender. This is called ?Sva
nishTa?. Those who do this are called ?Svayam Achaaryas?
? In fact, however, this term is an oxymoron. One cannot be one?s own
Achaarya.
? We can boldly say that in modern times there can be no real ?svayam
aachaaryas? at all.
? I know of a family, members of which boast themselves ?Svayam aachaarya
purushas?. The irony is that the senior most living member of the family who
is supposed to set an example in rectitude of personal conduct and
character, was known to be ?sober and saner? only when he was undera full
load of booze. How could he perform ?SvanishTa? for himself and how any of
his juniors in the family resort to him for ?Achaarya nishTa??
=================================================
? Whether one is endowed with all the faculties in full bloom or whether
one
is suffering from any physical disabilities as mentioned above, the bottom
line is that ?Achaarya Sambandam? can be effective ONLY IF ONE IS CAREFUL TO
PRESERVE ONE?S PERSONAL CONDUCT ABOVE BOARD.
? MERELY CITING ?ACHAARYA SAMBANDAM? BYR INVOKING THE NAMES OF BHAGAVAD
RAMANUJA OR ANY ACHAARYA FOLLOWING HIM INCLUDING CONTEMPORARY ONES, WILL BE
OF NO AVAIL IN THE ABSENCE OF THE ABOVE RECTITUDE IN THE POST ?PRAPATTI?
PERIOD.
? In fact, any lapses in this regard will represent so many obstacles in
one?s journey to mOksham.
What are these obstacles? Sri Erumbiappa explains:
The obstacles are none other than doing things prohibited in the Saastras.
In brief, they are ?
1. Ego and possessiveness (ahmakaara and mamakaara).
2. Inflicting pain (physical or mental) on all living beings.
3. Indulging in slander against fellow beings.
4. Praising others for securing material gains.
5. Entertaining lustful thoughts towards women in general and spouses of
others in particular.
6. Stealing, theft etc.
7. Consuming foods forbidden in the Saastras.
8. Worshipping petty deities (kshudra dEvatas)
9. Adopting means other than those sanctioned in the Saastras.
10. Bhagavat, Bhaagavata and Achaarya apachaarams.
? ALL THESE WILL STRIP ONE OF THE EFFICACIES OF ACHAARYA SAMBANDAM. EVEN
ACHAARYA SAMBANDAM CANNOT SAVE ONE FROM THE EVIL EFFECTS (PRATIKULAMS) OF
THESE PROHIBITED ACTS.
AN OBJECTION:
It is said that Siddhas make an alchemy called ?rasaguLigai? which can turn
base metals into gold. And, we know, it can be used to make any weapon like
knife. Whether it is knife used for cutting the tail of a cow or plucking
Dharba grass, once it gets in touch with the alchemy, it turns into gold.
Likewise, whether one is absolutely virtuous or absolutely vicious by
practicing the ?pratikulams?, one can be redeemed by contact with a
?sadaachaaryan?.
ANSWER:
? In the above example, the knife is an insentient object. The sin
arising
out of cutting the cow?s tail does not attach to it but accrues to the one
who uses it for this purpose. Therefore, the alchemy turning it into gold
does not prove anything.
? Similarly, only if the Sishya dedicates his body and soul, subordinates
them to the will of the Achaarya without claiming any thoughts or action
and, in fact, acts like an insentient object totally dependent on the
Achaarya, he will be rid of all his deficiencies like lack of right
knowledge and right conduct and reach salvation through Achaarya Sambandam.
? When one does not attain the above state of mind, Achaarya Sambandam
can
do nothing to redeem him.
? Koorathaazhwaan was a model Achaarya and a model Sishya.
A politician by name Veera Sundara PaaNDiyan became his Sishya. He also
served as a Minister and chief priest of the ChOzha king. When he
reconstructed the rampart walls of Srirangam, he ignored the advice of
BhaTTar and demolished the house of ?PiLLai piLLai Azhwaan?. Can there be a
greater disrespectful behavior? Unable to bear the ill treatment, BhaTTar
retired to TirukkOshTiyur for a while. Veera sundaran fell terminally ill
and died an ignoble death. In spite of being the disciple of Azhwaan,
because of his evil deeds of ?Bhaagavata apachaaram?, he came to grief.
? Even the Achaarya Sambandam with Koorathaazhwaan could not come to his
rescue. It is learned that Andal, Koorathaazhwaan?s wife expressed her
sorrow at the fate of Veera Sundaran. This clearly shows that merely
bragging about Sadaachaarya sambandam, will not help a Sishya who indulges
in evil ways and blemish-full conduct (duraachaara).
? THIS EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO DO INTROSPECTION CONSTANTLY TO MONITOR
ONE?S
OWN DAY TO DAY CONDUCT BEING ON THE RIGHT LINES, LEST ACHAARYA SAMBANDAM
SHOULD GO WASTE.
ANOTHER OBJECTION:
There is Saastra authority that says whether one is of good or evil
character, once he gets to do service at the feet of a sadaachaarya, he
becomes emancipated.
achEpi anachyEpi sareeri vargE
srEyas karee sad guru paada sEvaa/
samith bhaaga chchEtaka sustra yugmE
rachEna haimee karaNam samaanam //
ANSWER:
The state of impurity or blemish in character here refers to the state
BEFORE getting into the service of the Guru. It does not refer to
continuance of such reprehensible behavior EVEN AFTER getting to serve the
Achaarya. If the surrender to the Achaarya were genuine, there will be no
occasion for the continuance of such behavior because all ?paapams? right up
to the point of surrender would already have been obliterated by virtue of
the surrender.
? A SlOka says that the sinful Kshatrabandu and the virtuous PuNDareeka
became ?muktas? by their surrender to their Achaaryas.
PaapishTa: KshaTrabandus cha PuNDareekas cha puNyakrit/
Aachaaryavathayaa muktou tasmaat achaaryavaan bhavEt//
? This refers to the stage BEFORE securing the blessings of the Achaarya.
If
a person indulges in such bad behavior even AFTER ?Achaarya Sambandam?, it
only means that such surrender was not genuine and the sambandam itself gets
nullified.
? Periyavaachaan PiLlai confirms:
?Jnaanampirappatarkku munbuLLa vidaam sollugiratu;
munbu seyyilum inda jNaanam piranda pinn sambhaviyaadu?
? So, no way would one indulge in evil ways in the belief that one has
?Achaarya sambandam?. THIS IS ONLY DELUDING ONESELF BECAUSE THE MOMENT ONE
INDULGES IN SUCH BEHAVIOR IN WORD, THOUGHT OR DEED, THE EFFICACY OF ACHAARYA
SAMBANDAM IS JEOPARDIZED.
? TirukkOshTiyur ambi, therefore, observed ?
?prapannanukku Samsaara bheejam nasikka vENum?
? ?Samsaara bheejam? here means the sense of ?I-ness? and ?mine-ness?
that
are the root causes of the cycle of births and deaths.
? That is the reason why our great Achaaryas in spite of their lofty
?holiness? often gave expression to their ?lowliness?
? Nammaazhwaar says:
?neer mumadu enru ivai vEr mudal maaithu irai sErmin?
? Though he was a great Jnaani without any blemish whatsoever, he was
scared
whether he might fall from his lofty character due to sheer connection with
?sareeram? which is the cause for such fall.
? That is why, he exclaimed:
?yaanE, EnadE enru irundEn?
?aavi thigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam
paaviyEnaip ?pala nee kaaTTI paDUppaayO
taavi vaiyam koNda tadantaamaraikatkE
koovikkoLLum kaalam kurudaatO??
?Will not the time of your calling me back to your feet shorten??
? ALavandaar in his StOtra Ratnam is scared of such obstructions
(Pratikulams) and pleads to the Lord to remove such obstacles:
?amaryaada: Kshudra: nripasoo:
Asubayaspadam api
Anichannapi Evam kripayaa tvamEvaiva
Evam bhootam DharaNee dara mE sikshaya man://
? MaNavaaLa MaamunigaL also plead pathetically in his Yathiraaja Vimsati:
Sabdaadi bhOga ruchiranvahamEda dEha
Vritayaa pasu: naavapa:
duhkaaavahOham anisamtava
sabdaadi bhOga vishayaa ruchira madeeyaa
nashTaabhavat iha bhata dayayaa yatheendra!?
? FROM THIS IT CLEAR THAT BHAGAVAD SAMBANDAM AND SADAACHAARYA ABHIMAANAM
WILL BE NEUTRALIZED, WORTHLESS AND CANNOT SAVE, IF ONE INDULGES PER SE IN
REPREHENSIBLE CONDUCT. (PRATIKULAM)
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3. ?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 15
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
(Part 14 appeared in SRS Vol.6.18 dated 04/13/05)
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3.6.2 (24):
mUvar Agiya mUrtiyai mudal mUvarkkum mudalvan tannai
cAvam uLLana nIkkuvAnai taDam kaDal kiDantAn tannai
dEva dEvanai ten-ila?nkai eri ezhac-ceRRa villiyai
pAva nASanai pa?ngayat taDam kaNNanai paravuminO.
AzhvAr is unequivocally identifying the sole object of worship ? taDam kaDal
kiDantAn tannai (He Who lay in the Milk Ocean), ten ila?nkai eri ezhac ceRRa
villiyai (Lord rAma, who is an incarnation of Lord vishNu), pa?nkayat taDam
kaNNanai (One Who has beautiful lotus-like eyes ? again a reference to Lord
vishNu). He points out that this same bhagavAn is ?mudal mUvarkkum
mudalvan? ? The Lord of the three primary devatA-s, and the Creator of these
three ? referring to brahmA, rudra and indra. He is deva devan ? The Lord
of all the gods. Thus, the message of the pASuram is clear and unambiguous
with respect to the topic of our write-up ? namely who is considered by
nammAzhvAr as the One and Only Supreme Deity to be worshipped. Now, we will
see the beautiful anubhavam-s contained in this pASuram.
mUvar Agiya mUrtiyai ? He Who is the cause of the tri-mUrti-s. In one
interpretation, this can be taken to be a reference to brahmA, vishNu and
rudra. If it is asked how Lord vishNu can be the cause of Himself, it is
explained that He is His own Cause because there is no other cause for Him.
Just as He is the Lord of Himself (AtmeSvaran ? with no other Lord over
Himself), He is also the cause of Himself, since there is no other cause for
Him.
Alternately, the reference to ?mUvar? here can be to brahmA, rudra, and
indra, as pointed out in the previous pASuram. When a statement is made
that He became brahma, rudra and indra, and at the same time it is said that
He is the Lord of all and is worshipped by all the deva-s etc., it should be
understood in the proper perspective. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan gives
us a real-life example that can drive the point home to those of us who
can?t comprehend the truth embedded here. It is common for us to hear
statements like: ?Don?t take tarrow root, it is vAyu?, ?Take tomatoes, it
is all blood?, we all know that neither the root is vAyu, nor the tomato-
blood. Even though the root (the cause) causes vAyu (the result), and the
tomato (cause) facilitates increase in healthy blood (effect), it is common
to equate cause and effect, and make statements as given in these examples.
The same logic applies when it is said that the Lord became the three
mUrti-s ? namely, that He is the Cause of brahmA, rudra, indra, and all the
others. This is called samAna adhikaraNam in samskRt parlance.
SAvam uLLana nIkkuvAnai - He Who removes all the curses and other serious
problems encountered by the deva-s. ?SAvam? here refers to all sins such as
the curses and other difficulties that the different deva-s incur. Examples
are the difficulty that brahmA was in when he ended up losing the veda-s to
the asura, the curse which rudra incurred when he plucked off one of the
heads of his own father, brahmA, the trouble that Siva got into when he
carelessly gave a boon to padmAsura that led to the asura turning against
Siva himself right away and trying to destroy him, etc. In all these
cases, Lord vishNu had to intervene and rescue those who were in trouble.
Thus, He is referred to here as ?SAvam uLLana nIkkuvAn?.
taDam kaDal kiDantAn tannai ? He Who is lying in the Milky Ocean. BhagavAn
is lying in the Milky Ocean, in easy access of these deities (deva-s), so
that He can be accessed by them whenever they need help. If bhagavAn were
to remain only in SrIvaikunTham, the deva-s won?t be able to access Him
because of their karma-s. This is one more example of bhagavAn?s
saulabhyam, or being easily accessible.
ten ila?nkai eri ezhac ceRRa villiyai ? This is a reference to the Lord rAma
incarnation, and is an example of where He was accessed by the deva-s for
assistance as He was reclining in the Milky Ocean. He carried His bow and
arrow and performed His function of assisting the deva-s, under
circumstances in which even the likes of agni (fire) were afraid to rise
against the cruel rAvaNa. Lord rAma went wherever He wished in la?nkA with
the power of His bow, and destroyed the evil forces of rAvaNa.
pAva nASanai ? He Who is the remover of sins. The very meditation on
bhagavAn with His bow and arrow in His hands is sufficient to remove all our
sins. In other words, meditating on bhagavAn and His kalyANa guNa-s or
auspicious qualities will immediately remove all our sins. In SrImad
rAmAyaNam, uttara kANDam, sage agastya praises rAma thus: ?pAvanaH sarva
lokAnAm tvameva raghunandana? ? O Lord rAma! You are verily the Purifier of
all the worlds. Also recall the nAma-s ?pAvanaH, pApa nASanaH?, etc. in SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam.
dEva dEvanai ? He Who is the Lord of all the deva-s. He who is the One and
Only Supreme Lord.
pa?nkayat taDam kaNNanai paravuminO ? Praise Him Who is uniquely identified
by His beautiful lotus-like eyes. There are some aspects of bhagavAn that
are unique to Him and to no other devatA. Among these are lakshmI patittvam
? Being the Lord and Consort of Lakshmi, the SrIvatsa mark on His chest,
etc. His beautiful reddish lotus-like eyes are another distinguishing mark
of His that uniquely identify Him, and this is what AzhvAr is using here to
identify the Supreme Deity.
In his tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi dESikan keys in on the words ?pAva nASan?
for special emphasis in this pASuram. SrI uttamUr svAmi links this to Lord
rAma?s incarnation, which is also described in this pASuram by nammAzhvAr.
Lord rAma set an example for all time to come, on the disciplined observance
of the varNASrama dharma-s. Lord rAma?s life in this world, with His
strict observance of dharma, and His giving moksha to even the grass in
ayodhyA by removing all sins that came in the way of moksham, clearly shows
that Lord rAma is ?pAva nASan?. One message to take from this pASuam is
that contemplation on Lord rAma?s exemplary life in this world will lead to
the removal of all our sins.
Another emphasis in this pASuram is bhagavAn?s saulabhyam or ease of
accessibility through devotion. This is brought out by the epithets ?SAvam
uLLana nIkkuvAn?, ?taDam kaDal kiDantAn? etc. in the pASuram
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