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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 # 06A dated 12/07/04
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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 # 06A dated 12/05/04
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EDITORIAL:
Dear Bhagavatas:
Vol. 6.05 was wrongly numbered as Vol. 6.06.
Actually, THIS issue is Vol.6. 06.
For purposes of continuity, this Issue is numbered as Vol.6. 06A.
Please correct your records accordingly.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Moderator
======================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. WHO IS THIS AZHWAR? ? GLORY OF GARUDAZHWAR Part 5
2. NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 11
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
3. FROM MAHABHARATA: ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?
PART 51: PRASNAM 118
(SRI M.K. RAMASWAMY IYENGAR SWAMI)
(SENIOR OFFICER OF GOVT. OF INDIA)
4. ?TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 3
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
======================================================
152 Regular issues have been released, so far besides several Special 
Issues) ?
- 27 Issues of Vol. 1
- 15 Issues of Vol. 2
- 42 Issues of Vol. 3
- 35 Issues of Vol. 4
- 28 Issues of Vol. 5 &
- 05 Issues of Vol. 6
These issues have been archived for public view at -
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by Sri Diwakar Kannan (diwakark@xxxx)
You may also view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia maintained
by Sri Srinivasan Sriram (ajiva_rts@xxxx)

We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the 
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Ever at your service

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Anbil Ramaswamy,
Editor & Publisher,
?Sri Ranga Sri?
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1.      WHO IS THIS AZHWAR? ?
        GLORY OF GARUDAZHWAR Part 5
        (ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
-----------------------------------------------------
DO YOU NEED INSTANT RELIEF?

Sometimes, even the most compassionate Bhagavaan might put to test His 
devotees and might delay granting relief. But, when one prays to Bhagavaan 
in conjunction with His GaruDadwaja, it is said that He would give up this 
testing and hasten to provide immediate relief. Nammazhwar attests to this 
fact in his Tiruvoimozhi 1.6.10
?parivatil eesanai? Paasuram saying ?koDiyaa vaDu puLLuyarnda MaadavanaarE?.

In his Vyaakhyaanam, PiLLaaan also confirms this fact by saying ?
?piraaTTiyODu kooDa ninru Periya TiruvaDikkuk KoDuthu aruLumaap pOlE?.
It is, therefore, clear that Sri SuparNan (GaruDaazhwar) is the one who 
compels the Lord to grant instant and real relief!

?PROTECTING THE VIRTUOUS AND PUNISHING THE WICKED?:

The Lord in Bhagavad Gita spelled out the secret of His Avataatras as 
follows: ?PARITRAANAAYA SAADOONAAM, VINAASAAYA CHA DUSKRITAAM?

Swami Desikan referring to this says that for protecting the virtuous, the 
Lord wears his Paadukais at His feet while for destroying the evil 
bedeviling his devotees, he mounts on His GaruDa vehicle and hastens with 
supersonic speed to their rescue

GARUDA DWANI - A UNIQUE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT!

As many as 16 auspicious musical instruments have been identified and 
grouped into what is known as  ?AadOthyam?. The sound of music emanating 
from these instruments in the form of a symphony is said to represent the 
sound vibrations of Saama Veda and is also known as GaruDa Dwani?.

GARUDA DWAJAM:

In the fight against Sisupaala, the flag that flew on top of Lord KrishNa?s 
chariot bore the image of GaruDa and was called ?GaruDa Dwajam?. The word 
?Dwajam? itself would mean ?GaruDa Dwajam? only.

GARUDA PURI:

In the olden days, whenever people wished to build a new city, or construct 
a sacrificial altar (YaagavEdi), they would devise them in the form of the 
flying GaruDa. There are several explanations for the naming of ?Thanjaavur? 
as that. It would appear that the place was originally known as GaruDa 
Puri?.

GARUDA/ NAAGA PANCHAMI:

We saw that GaruDa?s Tirunakshatram is AvaNi Sukla Panchami. Bucolic 
womenfolk used to observe on this day a ?NOnbu? called ?GaruDa Panchami?. 
Since GaruDa?s brothers, the Naagas were also born on the same 
constellation, some used to observe it also as ?Naaga Panchami?

GARUDA DANDAKAM:

Swami Desika wrote a panegyric poem called ?GaruDa DaNDakam?. He mentions 
that there is no deity equal to GaruDa ? ?na kaschit sama: tE?. It is 
perhaps no coincidence that in English the word ?SuparNan? echoes this 
sentiment when pronounced to mean that there is none superior to him - 
?Super None?!

KUMBAABHISHEKAM:

People thronging to witness KumbaabhishEkam, would invariably expect GaruDa 
bird to hover over the tympanum of the temple tower and GaruDa would never 
disappoint them!

THE MOST FAVORITE DEITY OF THE RENOUNCED:

Do you know who is the most favorite deity Sannyaasis (Ascetics)?
It is none other than GaruDaazhwar.

APARNA AND SUPARNA:

Do you know that both Paarvati (wife of Lord Siva) and mother of GaruDa, 
Vinata were the daughters of Daksha and therefore, were sisters and both 
were known as ?DaakshaayaNi?? Thus, GaruDa is closely related to Paarvati. 
Elders used to say that perhaps this was the reason why Paarvati is called 
?AparNa? and GaruDa is called ?SuparNa? to match in alliteration!

GARUDA?s ROLE IN KAALINGA NARTANAM:

It is said that it was GaruDa who transferred KaaLinga from the island of 
?RamaNaka? to the river ?Yamuna?. We know the rest of the story as to how 
KaaLinga tormented the peers of Lord KrishNa and how the Lord humbled him by 
dancing on his hoods and how he was ordered to move over to the sea as 
prayed for by his wives.

SAVIOR OF DWARAKA:

When Lord KrishNa had to be away from Dwaaraka, it is said that GaruDaazhwar 
was assigned the duty to protect the city.

SAVIOR OF LORD RAMA AND LAKSHMANA:

During the Raama-RaavaNa war, they were bound by the powerful serpent weapon 
?Naaga Paasam? and were lying unconscious. Lord GaruDa used his wings to fan 
them and they were relieved of the trauma at a very crucial moment. Valmiki 
describes this:?VainatEyEna samsprushTaa: tayO: samrooruhuh vraNaah?

MALYAVAAN EPISODE:

As per Uttara KhaaNdam of Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam, when the Lord was 
fighting the powerful Maalyavaan, Lord GaruDa helped the Lord, struck 
Maalyavaan with his wings and literally pulverized him.

CHURNING OF THE MILKY OCEAN:

When the milky ocean (Ksheeraabdi) was churned to produce nectar (amritam) 
at theCommand of the Lord, GaruDa carried on his back the huge Mantara Mountain 
to the milky ocean to be used as the churn-dashery.

GARUDAACHALAM:

We have heard of the name GaruDaachalam, one of the seven peaks in 
TiruvEmkaTam.
Why is it so called?

It is because Lord GaruDa brought from SrivaikunTam, one of the eight peaks 
called ?KireeTaachalam?. It is this golden Vimaanam, ?KireeTaachalam? that 
stands majestically on top of the temple at Tirupati with the name ?Aananda 
Nilaya Vimaanam?. In honor of this service, one of the peaks in Tirumalai is 
called ?GaruDaachalam?

LET US VISIT A FEW KSHETRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH GARUDAAZHWAR:

SRIRANGAM:

While most of us may be familiar with the larger than life size image of 
GaruDaazhwar in the ManTapam in front of ?AryabaTaaL Vaasal?, the entrance 
to the Sanctum of the Lord, some may not know that there is a separate 
Sannidhi of Amrita HaraNa GaruDa? on the way to Chakrattaazhwar Sannidhi. 
This must have been in use in the olden days but for quite sometime remained 
enclosed away from public view. Only recently discovered and Pujas resumed. 
Bhagavatas visiting Srirangam will do well to visit this Sannidhi and 
receive the blessings of ?Amrita HaraNa GaruDa?

NAACHIYAAR KOIL:

There is a famous Sannidhi for GaruDaazhwar here and he is known as ?Kal 
GaruDan?. Science has not been able to explain the mystery underlying the 
fact that when the Salagraama Vigraham of GaruDan is taken out for 
procession, it is so light that it could be carried by just 4 persons; As 
the ?Srimaan taangigaL? (bearers), cross the outer enclosures one by one, it 
becomes progressively heavier that it needs 8, 16 and 32 men to hold the 
vigraham after each enclosure. Similarly, after the outing (PurappaaDu), 
when the Vigraham is brought back to the sanctum, it seems to lose weight so 
that it need progressively lesser number of men to hold it - from 32 to 16 
to 8 nd finally just 4 and in that order.

SRIVILLIPUTTUR AND TERAZHUNDUR:

In these KshEtrams, GaruDa shares the seat with the Lord (Eka aasanam) 
unlike in other temples where GaruDa?s Sannidhi is positioned in front of 
the Lord?s Sannidhi.

TIRUNARAYANAPURAM:

We have already seen how the VairamuDi Seva is the most celebrated event in 
this KshEtram.

MANNAARGUDI:

The peculiarity in this KshEtram is that the Sannidhi of ?SuparNee?, mother 
of GaruDa, is in front and facing the Sannidhi of Thaayaar (Naachiyaar). You 
do not find such positioning in any other KshEtram.

MAANKAADU:

In this temple, the pointed edges on the wings of GaruDa are sculpted 
separately and beautifully around the wings.

We will see in the next posting some historical facts and references to 
GaruDa within and outside the Indian subcontinent.
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2.      NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS:
        TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 11
        (ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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Paasuram 6.7.1

UNNUm sOru parugu neer thinnum vetrilayum ellaam
KaNNan emperumaan enrE kaNgaL neer malgi
MaNNinuL avan seer vaLam mikka avanoor vinavi
ThiNNa menniLa maan pugum oor TirukkOLoorE.

In this decad, as in some others, the Azhwar simulates the role of the 
mother of a girl madly in love with the Lord. The mother and daughter were 
lying next to each other and sleeping. At dead of night, the mother suddenly 
wakes up only to find that her daughter is not in her bed. She searches all 
over but could not trace her. In her maternal anxiety, she wonders whether 
ghosts would have abducted her. But, since she knows her daughter?s intense 
devotion to the Lord of TirukkOLur, she decides that the daughter would have 
walked up to TirukkOLur to meet with the Lord.

The mother narrates how her daughter had missed so many things in life in 
her pursuit of the Lord ? her mind, her beauty, her luster and even her 
sense of shame ? in short, everything that is considered precious assets in 
young girls who have come of age. The mother laments how her daughter had 
thrown to winds all these and walked away all alone without any escort to 
TirukkOLur in the conviction that the Lord therein who was everything to her 
would not let her down.

NAMPILLAI graphically describes the trepidation of the mother who learns 
that her daughter had taken bold to go it alone to elope with her lover, 
disregarding all sense of decency and ignoring the possible blame of 
misconduct at the hands of the village folk who are only too willing to 
indulge in rumor mongering!

?My daughter who is doe-eyed says that KaNNan is everything for her ? the 
food she eats, the water she drinks and the betel leaves she chews. 
Repeating this frequently, she languishes tearfully. I am sure she will 
definitely reach the uniquely prosperous TirukkOLUr about which she has been 
inquiring?

sOru: That which sustains, that which nourishes.
Vetrilai: That which is enjoyable. Why not merely sOru, Neer and Vetrilai? 
Why adjectives for each?

NAMPILLAI explains that these may not afford relish at all times. But, there 
are times when they will be relished most ? food, when very hungry, Water, 
when really thirsty; and for the one who enjoys pan, it is most delectable 
after food and in that order.

ANANTAAZHWAN accosted a Sri ViashNava stranger and inquired about his native 
place. The stranger replied ?TirukkOLur?. AZHWAAN wondered why at all did he 
leave TirukkOLur, where he could get all he wanted even if he lived by 
tending donkeys. ? Meaning that the Lord who was UNNum sOru, Parugu neer and 
thinnum vetrilai? was in his native place itself.

EMPERUMAANAAR similarly asked a girl where she came from (enguninrum?) She 
replied that she was from TirukkOLur (TirukkOLuril ninrum). He wondered how 
a woman belonging to TirukkOLur could ever go out of that place (asvvooril 
penGaLumpOgak kaDavaraai iruppaargaLO?)

NAMPILLAI explains that if a girl was found missing, you can surely trace 
her in the TirukkOLur temple. Such was the charm of the Lord of TirukkOLur.
?ivvooril piLLaigaLai kaaNaaviTTaal kOvilukkuL tEDum athanai anrO??
---------------------------------------------------
Paasuram 6.9.9.

Aavi tigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam
PaaviyEnaip pala nee kaaTTIp paDuppaayO?
taavi vaiyam koNDa TaDantaamariakatkE
Koovik KoLLum kaalam innum kurugadO?

Referring to the various impediments to the realization of the Lord, the 
Azhwar points to the mischief played buy the five senses, which stupefy the 
soul. He asks? Is it that I am a sinner that you subject me to the vagaries 
of the five senses for diverting my attention? Do you mean to ruin me? Don?t 
you remember that I am destined to enjoy the ultimate happiness with you at 
your feet that measured the entire universe? Will not the time between now 
and the time of your call for me gets abridged? I cannot wait any more?

Aivar: The five senses of ear, eye, mouth, nose and body.

PILLAAN while in his deathbed undergoing physical pain was frequently 
muttering the question in the last line of this verse ?Koovik KoLLUm kaalam 
innum kurugadO??

NANJEEYAER who was besides him at that time was beside with grief and wept 
his heart out. PILLAAN asked him why he should feel sorry. ?After all, I am 
going to a place of ultimate happiness and therefore, death was not a matter 
to be scared of or fit to be mourned?
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3.      FROM MAHABHARATA:
        ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?:
        PART 51: PRASNAM 118
        (SRI M.K. RAMASWAMY IYENGAR SWAMI)
        (SENIOR OFFICER OF GOVT. OF INDIA)
-----------------------------------------------------
PRASNAM 118

YAKSHA:
?DHARMARATHAH KIM LABHATE?, KATHAYA?
?TELL ME! TELL ME! WHAT DOES HE WHO IS SWORN ADHERENT TO DHARMA OR 
RIGHTEOUSNESS ACHIEVE??
YUDISHTIRA:
?YASCHA DHARMARATHAH SAGATIM LABHATE?
? HE WHO IS SWORN TO DHARMA SECURES AN HONOURABLE PLACE IN THIS WORLD AS 
WELL AS IN THE NEXT?

NOTES:
Dharma Niratah: He who is steadfast in Dharma or righteousness is that 
evolved soul whose thought, word and deed and his whole being is an offering 
to the will of the Supreme. He will be totally committed to non-violence; he 
is kind and compassionate in his dealings; He is also totally free from all 
vices like anger, rancor, false pride, jealousy etc. His life is a long 
record of fairness and justness. Such persons get freed from the shackles of 
Karma;?SraddhavantO anasooyantO muchyantE tEpi karmabhih?
(BG Ch 3.31)

They who are so dedicated and above small-minded reactions are freed from 
their actions.

Those who are firmly poised in virtue and who observe those virtues which 
are not easy to practice, succeed in annihilating the consequences of sins 
like cruelty, falsity etc.

tEshaamadeena satvaanaam dushkaraachaara karmaNaam/
Svaih karambhih satkrutaanaam gOratvam sampraNasyati //
(MB Vana Parva Ch 198.75

When the shackles of karma are rent asunder and thrown away and the spirit 
becomes free, is there anything more to hope for?

Tam sadaachaaram aascharyam puraaNam saaswatam dhruvam/
Dharmam dharmENa pasyantah svargam yaanti manishinah //
(MB Vana Parva Ch 198.76)

Venerable men never ceasing to wonder at those virtues that are ancient, 
everlasting and unambiguously clear and certain ascend smoothly to Heaven, 
themselves embodied as they are with such virtues.

A purified, sinless life freed from Karma and assured a place in Heaven, 
once the terrestrial lifespan is over, are the sagati ? which YudhishTira 
refers to in his reply.
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4.      ?TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
        PART 3
        (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 3.

1.3.9: (4)
                valattanan tiri-puram erittavan iDam peRat tundit
                talattu ezhu tiSai-mugan paDaitta nal ulagamum tAnum
                pulappaDa, pinnum tan ulagattil agattanan tAnE
                Solappugil ivai pinnum vayiRRuLa ivai avan tuyakkE.

In this pASuram, AzhvAr points out that bhagavAn accommodates rudra and 
brahmA in His body, but also chooses to appear in their worlds as one of us 
by taking incarnations.   Because of this, many people get confused and are 
unable to understand His true nature.  AzhvAr says these are His acts of 
making sure He conceals Himself from the non-devotees.  These are ?His 
tuyakkugaL? ? His acts for not revealing Himself to His non-devotees.

valattanan tiri-puram erittavan ? rudra who burnt the three cities has taken 
refuge in the right side of Lord vishNu?s body - ?paSya ekAdaSa me rudrAn 
dakshiNam pArSvam ASritAn (moksha dharma 36.11).

tundit talattu ezhu tiSaimugan paDaitta nal ulagamum tAnum iDam peRa - 
BrahmA and all his creations are accommodated in the lotus that rises from 
the navel of SrIman nArAyaNa.

Both rudra and brahmA have sought refuge in bhagavAn?s body for their 
protection in times of trouble.  A rhetorical question can be raised ? Do 
rudra and brahmA permanently reside on bhagavAn?s body?  Our pUrvAcAryas 
explain that it is at times of trouble that they seek refuge in Him, and He 
accommodates them in His body.

ezhu tiSai mugan ? ?ezhucciyai uDaiya? - refers to BrahmA who has been 
endowed with the j~nAna, Sakti etc. for creating the fourteen worlds -  
?j~nAna SaktyAdi vRddhiyai uDaiyavanAna catur-mukhan?.

pinnum pulappaDa  - In addition (pinnum), He reveals Himself to everyone by 
taking incarnations amongst us, just so He is accessible to all of us for 
our enjoyment, and for easy access to us.  He takes these incarnations not 
out of karma as we do, but because of His own Free Will, out of His 
soulabhyam.  These are just a few of His guNa-s.  ?pulan? refers to 
?indriya-s?.  ?pulappaDa? refers to His appearing in the midst of us in a 
form that we can see and enjoy ? ?cakshur-indriya vishayaNam paDi?.

tan ulagattil agattanan ? He takes incarnations, and is born in this world 
that He created.  He creates brahmA, rudra, and this world, and then He 
takes incarnations in their world, and makes Himself one of us.  He takes 
incarnations in this world where even brahmA and rudra would be disgusted to 
set foot.  Not only that, He performs actions that sometimes suggest that He 
is subservient to them.  Note ANDAL?s words in nAcciyAr tirumozhi 12.8 ? 
kaRRinam mEykkap peRRAn ? He became an ordinary cowherd.  We cannot just say 
that these acts of His confuse those who are of Asuric tendency only.  Even 
viveki-s ? those who should know better, get confused with His mAyA-s.

Solapppugil ivai pinnum vayiRRuLa ? His guNa-s are too numerous to list, and 
they will never be exhausted.  They are endless and inexhaustible ? atyantam 
agAdham.ivai avan tuyakke ? These are purposely hidden by Him as part of His 
mAyai.  

?avanAl uNDAna samSaya mOha vishaya?ngaL?. Why does He cause this mOham? 
Because He does not want to reveal Himself to those who are not devoted to 
Him ? ?tan pakkal snEham illAdArkku tannai uLLa paDi aRiya oNNAdadu oru paDi 
avargaLai mOhippittu vaikkum?.   Note Lord kRshNa?s declaration in the gItA: 
mama mAyA duratyayA (7.14) ? This Divine mAyA of Mine is difficult to 
overcome.

Traditionally, three reasons given for bhagavAn?s incarnations:  paritRANAya 
sAdhUnAm, viNASAya ca dushkRtAm, dharma samsthApanArthAya ? The protection 
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the establishment of dharma.  
One can ask ? These functions can be performed by bhagavAn out of His own 
Free Will while remaining in Sri vaikunTham itself; why does He have to take 
incarnations and appear amongst us for this?  The answer is that there are a 
few sincere devotees who cry out to Him:  ?kANa vArAyE?? ? ?Please show your 
darSanam to us so that we can enjoy the beautiful sight of your tirumEni?.  
So, He decides to come amongst us in His incarnations ? pulappaDa.

svAmi deSikan captures the essence of this pASuram in his dramiDopanishad  
tAtparya ratnAvaLi by the phrase ?SarvAdeH sva?nga dAnAt? ? He Who has given 
a safe Abode in His Body to rudra, brahmA and others in times of danger.   
(om SarvAdeh svA?nga-dAya namaH).
-----------------------------------------------
1.5.3: (5)
               mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarum munivarum
               nI yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip paDaittavan
               SEyOn ellA aRivukkum tiSaigaL ellAm tiruvaDiyAl
               tAyOn ellA ev-uyirkkum tAyOn tAn Or uruvanE.

In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr points out that bhagavAn created brahmA, and 
endowed him with adequate knowledge so that brahmA could then create all the 
deva-s , Rshi-s etc, with their superior knowledge and powers.  BhagavAn is 
the Mother of every being that exists, and is an embodiment of sauSIlyam.  
It is His sauSIlyam that is demonstrated in His trivikrama incarnation, 
where He purifies everything in all the Universes by the touch of His Feet.  
He is beyond comprehension even by the likes of brahmA and the countless 
other highly gifted devas, Rshi-s etc.  In some of the previous pASuram-s, 
AzhvAr had admired the Supremacy (mEnmai) of bhagavAn; now he is admiring 
the equally immeasurable sauSIlyam (nIrmai) of bhagavAn.

AzhvAr describes bhagavAn in this pASuram through the following phrases:

tiSaigaL ellAm tiruvaDiyAl tAyOn ? One Who measured all the worlds with His 
Divine Feet.  ?tAyOn? here means ?One Who measured?.

-     ellA aRivukkum SEyOn ? One Who is beyond attainment and realization by 
even the likes of brahmA, who had been instructed by bhagavAn in all the 
veda-s.  SEyOn ? One Who is far away - beyond reach or comprehension.  It is 
said of bhagavAn that He is One Who does not know His own greatness.  There 
is no question of anyone else comprehending His greatness in full measure.

-      ellA ev-uyirkkum tAyOn ? One Who is like the Mother for all things 
that exist (The Prime Creator).  ?tAyOn? here means ?One Who is the Mother?

-     yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip paDaittavan ? He Who created 
the four-faced brahmA, endowed him with all knowledge (niRai nAnmugan), and 
then entrusted him with the task of creating all the other beings, including 
the great deva-s and sages who knew the truth about creation (and bhagavAn?s 
role in creation etc.).

-     nI mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarum munivarum yOnigaLaip paDai ? 
BhagavAn told brahmA to go ahead and create the likes of the s rishi-s, the 
ten prajApati-s, the ekAdaSa rudra-s, the twelve Aditya-s, the eight vasu-s, 
etc., who were great in their own ways, and who knew well the respective 
functions allotted to them by BhagavAn.

BhagavAn Who has all the above attributes, is ?tAn Or uruvanE? ? He is 
unique, in that He is the Supreme in parattvam, but He is also One who is 
simultaneously Supreme in His sauSIlyam.

Even as the child always goes to the mother for support even if she kicks 
the child away with her foot, so also AzhvAr says that even if bhagavAn were 
to ?kick? everyone with His Feet (in His trivikrama incarnation), still He 
is the only Resort for us all ? ellA ev-vuyirkkum tAyOn.

The mother of a human being protects the child by feeding her breast milk to 
the child.  Some of the other life forms protect their off-springs through 
other means.  For instance, the fish protect their offsprings by just 
looking at them, the tortoise protects its offsprings by its sheer thought, 
and the birds by touching their offsprings with their wings.  Our emperumAn 
is protecting His offsprings by touching them with His Feet.

In his dramiDopanishad tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi deSikan captures the gist 
of this pASuram through the words ?sarvatra api a?nghri dAnAt? ? tiSaigaL 
ellAm tiruvaDiyAl tAyOn - bhagavAn Who blessed all the creatures of this 
world with the touch of His divine Feet during His trivikrama incarnation.  
This ?anghri dAnam? of bhagavAn is a display of His sauSIlyam ?His desire 
and willingness to mingle with one and all, irrespective of their stature.  
He did not distinguish between the ?pure? and the ?impure?, the ?highly 
evolved life forms? and the ?lowly life forms?, but blessed everyone and 
everything with the touch of His divine Feet without discrimination.  His 
divine Feet are so tender that even His devi-s handle them very delicately 
like handling flowers.  But these same delicate Feet of His pierced through 
all the Universes with all their rocks and stones and forests, only for the 
sake of the devotees, indicating the depth of His sauSIlyam - Om 
sarvatrApya?nghridAya namaH.
----------------------------------------------------
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