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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00105 Dec 2004

 
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Dear friends,

The 3rd "pAsuram" in the "tiruppAvai" (celebrated today on the 3rd 
day of "mArgazhi") is an all-time classic in the history of Tamil 
devotional literature. It is a poetic gem, a scintilla of 
Upanishadic wisdom. It is simply incomparable.

A galaxy of scholars and SriVaishnava exponents have analyzed this
stanza thread-bare. But the verse itself has lost none of its
original appeal. Neither time nor custom (nor the unrelenting
scrutiny of  "vyAkhyAna-kArtA-s", past and present) has rendered this
"pAsuram" stale. The stanza continues to excite and delight, without
abating, everyone who recites it and/or listens to it -- year after
year, "mArgazhi" after "mArgazhi", again, again and again:

"Ongi ullagaLandha uttaman pEr pAdi?"
nAngal nam pavaikku sAtri neeradinAl
teenginri nAdellAm tingaL mummAri peyydu
Ongu perun sennaloodu kazhayUgaLa
poongu vaLai pOdhil pori vandu kan paduppa
tEngadhey pukkirunthu seetra mullai patri vAnga
kudam niraikkum vallal perum passukkal
neengAtha selvam niraindu elor embAvAy !

This stanza is a rich poetic document by itself. It conjures up a 
vision of a lush, picturesque countryside blessed with copious 
rains, where healthy cows graze upon rich pasture. It is a land 
filled with proverbial milk and honey. And the phrase "pEr pAdi" 
refers to the heightened joy of "singing the glory of God's names" 
in a land of such serene and universal prosperity. The Tamil 
phrase "neengAtha selvam", meaning "undiminishing wealth", is 
AndAl's magnificent metaphor for the ultimate goal of life --
 "parama-nissrEyasam", "parama-purushArtham" or "parama-aiswaryam" 
viz. the limitless wealth awaiting Man in the province of God. 

The substance of this verse is the truth that the
"divya-nAmA-s" of God, His divine Names, are a sure means of securing
for us not only material well-being on this earth that Andal 
calls "kudam niraikkum perum-passukkaL", but also "neengAtha-
selvam", her term for the unfading riches of the world beyond.

            ******** ********* ************

The expression "uttaman pEr pAdi" is a particularly beautiful one in
this "pAsuram". Great commentators like PeriavAchAn Pillai have
analyzed and commented upon this phrase with elan and eloquence. Let
us too partake and savour a bit of the immense delight they derived. 

The word "utthaman" is a reference to "utthama-purusha" or
"pUrUshOttaman" which is a special name of Vishnu, the Supreme
"pUrUsha" or Being, in His avatar as Lord Narasimha: 

"nArasimha-vapuH srImAn kEsavah: purushOtamah: ..." says the   
Vishnu Sahasranamam.

Now, what does "uttaman" mean?

It is said human character fall into 4 principal categories:

(1) The first is called "atamatthamann". These folks are thankfully a
minority but they are a terrible and dangerous variety. These people
return not only "evil for evil" (in the spirit of "tit-for-tat") but
think nothing of returning evil for good too. 

(2) The second category is "atthamann". These folks may be described 
as the parasites of the world. They eke out a living by simply 
living off others in society. They take everything from other people 
but give no thought whatsoever of giving something back to society.

(3) The third specie of men in this world is called "maddhimann".
These are basically good-natured but very, very self-centred folks
who live by the rule of "Live and let live". They want to live 
happily and wish others also the same happiness -- no more, no less.

(4) There is however a fourth variety of men called "utthamann".
These are rare human beings. They live and work for the happiness 
and well-being of larger humanity. Their chief concern in life is 
the well-being of others around them -- even if at their own cost.

One or more of the first 3 categories would characterize almost all
of mankind. But it is God Almighty alone who fits the fourth 
viz. "utthamann".  

Although God is indeed an "utthaman", the fact is not easily 
realized by many. One needs to be blessed with rare insight into the 
nature and many auspicious attributes of the Almighty in order to 
realize He is "utthaman". And how is one to be so blessed? Lord 
Krishna has an answer.

In the Mahabharatha, Krishna said:

      "guNAni mama nAmAni kIrti-tAnicha kanichit?"
                                 (Santi Parva (342-10)

      "My divine Names are born of My qualities and activities".

Anyone who acquires knowledge of the divine "nAmA-s", the sacred 
Names of God, said Krishna, he easily acquires knowledge, firstly, 
of My divine activities and exploits. Such knowledge then, slowly 
but surely, begets the realization of God's true nature, his unique 
quality as an "utthamann". 

In the 'trivikrama' avatar (to which Andal refers with the 
phrase "Ongi ulagaLandha uttaman") God went to all the trouble of 
striding across the world, placing His feet upon all beings and 
things without exception. Every prince and peasant, every rich and 
poor soul, every sage or fool, every sinner and saint received in 
that one moment the Absolute Grace of God.

Similarly, in the "narasimha" avatAr, He gladly donned a hideous 
form solely for the sake of a child. 

Again,in the Krishna avatar, He stooped to do all kinds of menial
errands in the service of the Pandavas  -- He acted as charioteer in
war and bore the brunt of arrows flung at him by Bhishma and Drona;
He went to the court of Duryodhana as a mere emmissary of the
Pandavas; He patiently bore the invectives of SisupAlan; He broke His
word in order to enable Bhishma keep his; He spoke a hundred 'lies';
He twisted a hundred 'truths' and 'half-truths'; He even went to the
extent of turning day into dusk and then nightfall back into day; He
really was "wheeler-dealer", our dear Lord Krishna!

The "itihAsAs" tell us that God did all such things and more in
various avatars. It makes us ask, "For whose sake and why? For what
purpose?" For the sake of the welfare of all humanity, of course --
The Almighty had 'yOga kshEma' in mind all the time, isn't it? So is 
it any wonder he is called "utthaman"?

Since it is thanks to the divine "nAmA-s", and through them alone, 
that one is enabled to realize the nature, attributes and greatness 
of the Supreme Brahman -- who is indeed, first and foremost, 
an "utthamann" -- it is exactly why the "tiruppAvai" goes a step 
further in hailing God as "utthamann" : it goes on to hail His "pEr" 
too... His divine names!


       ******    *******   *******

The "pEr" or "divya-nAmA-s" of God were not given Him by anyone 
other than Himself. The various "pEr" or "nAmA" of God, singly and 
collectively, were all coined by the "utthaman" Himself. In other 
words, He who had been given names, was Himself the author of such 
names! The Named one who had been given 'Names' was the Namer 
Himself! Hence AndAl's phrase, "utthamann pEr pAdi". This might 
sound to the un-initiated like some conundrum or tautology but AndAl 
certainly knew what she was talking about because the significance 
of her poetic phrase is based on the great Vedic saying:

"vEdAhamEtam pUruUsham mahAntam Adityavarnam tamasastu pArE I 
  sarvAni rupANi vichitya dheera: nAmAni krutvA bhivadan yadAstE" II
                                           ("purusha-suktam"-16)

"The Great Purusha, after having created, gave Creation all its 
Form; and then He caused them all to be designated by Name too! 
After naming thus all Existence, the Purusha moveth about indeed 
ruling everything through name and speech!":

All Creation in the beginning was nameless, impersonal, inchoate,
disorderly and characterless. It was only after God, the "pUrUsha",
gave Creation its many forms and names that everything -- all 
Existence -- could be even begun to be conceived ... and only then 
did Cosmic Order evolve out of Cosmic Chaos.
 
Since the "pEr" or Name of everything in the vast cosmos was first 
given by that great "utthamann", that mighty "purushOttaman" spoken 
of by the Veda, His own "nAmA-s" that go to denote His nature are 
also hence fit to be hailed ("pAdi") as "utthamann pEr".

         *********      ***********     ************

There is yet another reason why ANdAl used the beautiful 
phrase "uttaman pEr pAdi".

The many "nAmA-s" or "pEr" of God coined by the "veda-pUrUsha" 
Himself were furthermore discovered by great and noble minds of the 
world who in their own right were "uttamAn-s" too. It is 
great "mahAtmA-s" and "rshi-s" indeed who have conveyed and handed 
down to us the many stirring and beautiful "pEr-s" of God. 

This fact about the sacred Names of God is attested indeed by the 
grand old sire of the Mahabharatha, Sri BhishmachArya, in that 
singularly meaningful line in the Vishnu-SahasranAmam:

      "yAni nAmAni gauNani vikhyAtAni mahAtmanA:
        rshibih: parigeetAni tAni vakshyAmi bhutayE"

Bhishma tells Yudhishtara: "I am sharing with you these well-known
'nAmA-s' of God which reveal His exquisite qualities and nature, and
which ancient "rshi-s", seers and sages of yore -- i.e. "uttamAn-s" 
of the world --- have celebrated throughout the ages."

Since it was "uttamAn-s", like "rshi-s", "mahAtmA-s" and Bhishma
himself, who discovered the divine "nAmA-s" of God,  AndAL's choice 
of the expression, "uttaman pEr pAdi", could not be any apter.
                
    *********     ***********     ***********
    
Vedantic philosophy states that the qualities of God (Brahman) are
inexhaustible excellence and immeasureable auspiciousness
("kalyANa-gunA")... These qualities are so powerful and
irresistible as to arrest man's attention ("aakarshanam") and command
his adoration and utmost devotion (bhakti). Such divine qualities of
God are collectively known as "bhagavath-svarUpa-rupa-guNa-vibhava-
aiswaryam".

The great Vedantic 'AchAryA' of the 10th century CE, SriRamanujA, in
a passage of extraordinary, extemporaneous beauty recounted the
qualities of Supreme Brahman as follows:

"svABhAvikA-navaDhikAtishaya gnyAna-balaishwarya virya-shakti
tEjas-shousheelya vAtsalya mArdava aarjava sowhArda sAmya kAruNya
mAdhurya gaambheerya owdArya chAturya sthairya dhairya shourya
parAkrama satyakAma satya-sankalpa krititva kritagnyatAt-samkhyEya
kalyANa-gUNa-gaNOwGha-mahArNava!"

                                        ("saraNagati-gadyam")

"The attributes of God (kalyANa guNAs) are naturally endowed,; they
are unlimited, stupendous, excellent; they are GnyAnam, Bhalam,
Aishwaryam, Veeryam, sakthi, tEjas ( "shad-gunA", six qualities),
sowseelyam (pleasantness); vAtsalyam (affectionate); mArdhavam
(intimate); Arjavam (honest); sowhArtham (good-natured); sAmyam
(equitable); kAruNyam (compassionate); MAdhuryam (tenderness);
ghAmbeeryam (majesty); audhAryam (generosity); chAturyam (endearing);
sthairyam (steadfastness), dhairyam (fearless); sowryam
(single-handed
valour) ; parAkramam (ever victorious); sathyakAma (one who is ever
resident in Truth); sathyasankalpa (one who is of right resolve);
kruthitva (reliable, unfailing); kruthagnathai (grateful; never
forgetful of good deeds done unto Him); such exquisite qualities
abound and reside in our Lord!".

Any being in whom all the above "gUNA" are to be found can be
best described by a single epithet -- and that is by the word
"utthaman" again. And the genius of AndAl, once again, revealed this 
through the immortal phrase: 

    "Ongi ullagaLandha uttaman pEr pAdi?" 

     **********     ************    ***********

The word "aiswarya" means wealth, a fund of riches, a source of
prosperity and happiness. The many excellences of God's attributes 
are hence to be imagined by us as being a great, inexhaustible "fund 
of riches". Our securing this fund, this "aishwaryam", is the 
attaining of Life's purpose -- the ultimate purpose which AndAl 
celebrates as "neenggAda selvam" :

        "Ongi ullagaLandha uttaman pEr pAdi?"

        "kudam niraikkum vallal perum passukkal
         neengAtha selvam niraindu elor embAvAy!"

On this sacred day of Margazhi, let us pray to the Almighty that we 
may ever seek and never rest until we attain that Fund in both the 
here and the hereafter!

AndAl tiruvadigaLE saranam,

dAsan,
Sudarshan










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