The divine mystic who gave esoteric truth
The great Tamil poet Kambar the author of Ramayana Christened by
him as ?Ramavatharam? was very much devoted to ?Maran? alias Satakopan, the
divine mystic of ? Azhwar Thirunagari? on the banks of the river, Tamaraparani
in Tirunelveli. He was immersed in the Ocean of ?Bhakthi? towards Satakopar and
drank the ambrosia called ?Thiruvaimozhi? given to the world by that esoteric
personality. The poet in praise of his devotion towards his Achraya, ours too,
has made a special mention of it both subtly and plainly in the beginning of
his great work, Ramayana thus invoking the blessings of Satakopar. Not being
satisfied with it Kavi Chakravarthi has written one hundred verses in praise of
?Kurugaipirran? called ?Azhwar Anthathi? or ?Satakopar Anthathi?.
In his first verse Kambar declares, let Sriman Narayana the nucleus
for everything that excisted in the universe and is also the Supreme Gosd
beyond the precincts of Vedas and Sastras, let Lord Brahma and the like succeed
thoroughly and comprehensively in their search for ?Truth?, he will not deviate
from the path laid by Satakopar in the form of ?Thiruvaimozhi?. The
interpretation to the invocation gives room to indicate that even Lord Narayana
would not infringe the footpath of Kurugoor Satakopar. In this sequence an
event that tool place at Azhwar Thirunagari is narrated where Sri Satakopar and
his Thiruvamozhi are held supreme in all aspects.
It was the practice in Azhwar Thirunagari, one of the 108 Divya
Desams, to treat Satakopar alias Nammalwar equal to Adhinatha Perumal, the
presiding deity. The Sri Vaishnavites and other belonging to the place were
celebrating the annual festival to the icon of Nammalwar by bestowing temple
honours and the concomitant paraphernalia just as they did in the case of the
Lord of the temple. This generated a controversy among the scholars of Tamil
sangam, Madurai due to a manifestation of egoism and envy. They took exception
to the equal treatment being meted out to Nammalwar commenting that Satakopar
is after all a Bhaktha and not the Lord himself and hence it is not in keeping
with established tradition to deify Azhwar equal to Lord Adhinatha and also
decried by calling his divine outpourings, ?Thiruvaimozhi? as ?Tamil Vedha?.
According to them it does not deserve such an exhalted position to be called so
in as much as it beeds to be recogonised through the medium of the
floating plank (Sangappalagai) in the Golden lotus Tank in the Madurai Temple
and they derided the temple authorities.
This action on the part of Tamil Sangam wounded the feelings of Sri
Vaishnavites of Azhwar Thirunagari and had created an agitation in their minds
over the embargo placed on their divine hereditary practice in vogue. Straight
they went to the Sanctum Sanctorum of ?Nammazhwar and prostrated before the
archamurthi? and made a fervent appeal to the effect that those assembly of
poets from Madurai are to be chastised for their irreverence towards him and
profanity towards ?Thriuvaimozhi? and that they should be made to repent for
their action. They took an oath with a grim determination not to budge from the
premises until and unless their above solicitation is conceded. They remained
in the same posture for three days foregoing ablutions, recital of Vedas,
oblations and the other daily rituals to which they are accustomed as ordained
by scriptures.
At this juncture, there appeared in the scene an old Bhramin who
requested the Sri Vaishnavites nobilities to let him know the cause for their
resoluteness and retraction from their routine. With tears in their eyes and
with quivering mouths they narrated what all had happened and expressed their
anguish over the incident which they considered as an affront to what they held
as sacrosanct. They expected a solution and justice at the hands of Nammalvar
and to make the personalities from Madurai realize their folly and make amends
therefore.
The reverential old man jocularly commented that, what they seek
after cannot be accomplished in ?Kaliyuga? and that their purpose will only end
in a futile exercise. The Sri Vaishnavites took the remark seriously to their
hearts and decided to immolate themselves by avoiding food, water, etc.
appreciating their steadfastness, the holy Brahmin although had come with
predetermined plan to resolve this tangle, took pleasure in not showing keen
interest to the entreaties at the first instance became a trouble shooter taken
by suggesting with a smile a way out and disappeared.
Accordingly, particular lines from a verse in ?Thuvaimozhi? should
be written in a small piece of palm leaf and has to be placed on the plank
(Sangappalagai). As directed ?Sri Vaishnavites of Azhwar Thriunagari? went to
Madurai carrying with them the manuscript and placed it on the floating Sangam
Plank on which were already seated the poets of Tamil Sangam. No sooner the
palm leaf was placed on the Plank than happened a miracle in that as against
its usual divine convention and to the bewilderment of the scholars of Tamil
Sangam, the plank got drowned carrying them and also the Palm script. The
Pandits however managed to swim across and reach the steps that mark the margin
of the tank. The Plank, returned to the surface of the water with the Palm leaf
on it intact, to utter dismay of those who once scoffed at.
The curiosity assembled there knew no bounds and they read the
four lines that were inscribed on the Palm leaf reading.
?Those who piously hold fast in their minds
the Holy feet of Lord Kanna be assured that
they in reality think only the name of Lord
Narayana which is a synonym?
The Tanil Savants of the Sangam realized and commented that the
Plank which gave space to a small Palm script, a compendium of Lord Kanna who
keeps the entire universe in His Bosom and protects it would treat them as its
equal and give space! Nay, They also exuberantly revealed and acknowledge that
the divine hymns of Nammalwar are the quintessence of Vedas and Sastras which
came to him spontaneously without being taught and have the divine sanction and
that his erudition and divinity their knowledge is but nothingness and pale
into insignificance.
Kambar has subtly touched this incident in his Satakopar Anthathi
where he says that Satakopar as an elephant assailed the mountain peak of Tamil
Sangam. The metaphor elephant used in this sequence denotes that Nammalwar is
the incarnation of ?Lord Vishvaksena?.
The learned but arrogant representatives of Tamil Sangam regretted
their stupidity and felt penitent about it. They gracefully accepted their
defeat and sang some verses in describing the greatness of Nammalwar and
Thiruvaimozhi, one of which appended
? What is a fly before Garuda
What is a glowworm before Sun,
What is a dog before a ferocious tiger,
What is a jackal before a rearing Lion
Whether a ghost can dance before beautiful Oovasi
Can the poems of the world be equal to
One word of the Great Tamil Vedha of Vahulabaranan (Nammalwar)?
Later after several years it happened that ?Thiruvalluvar?, the
author of ?Thirukurral? which is also considered to be a Tamil Vedha, Avvayar,
the divine poetess and another great Tamil Poet had to meet in a place. During
a discussion a question was posed to ?Thiruvalluvar? as to what has he to say
about his work ?Thirukurral?. His reply given below reflected his humility and
his reverence to ?Thiruvaimozhi? of Nammazhwar.
?The three subdivisions that constitute the Tamil literature viz.
?Iyal Isai Natakam? created by Sage Agasthya and my ?Thirukkural? are the
children of Thiruvaimozhi given by the son of ?Udaya Nangai? the mother of
Nammazhwar?
The Sri Vaishnavites resumed the celebration of the annual festival
to Nammazhwar and reintroduced the recitation of ?Thirvaimozhi? and the
paraphernalia connected with it as before and as being done to the presiding
deity of Thirukkurugur.
This article was written by Sri (Late) L.P.Sampath Iyengar
Commets and feedback can be sent to suprajaiyengar@xxxxxxxxx
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