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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00031 Dec 2007

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all

[After the journey through PerumAL Thirumozhi of
Kulasekara AzhwAr, adiyEn dares to undertake
Thirunmangai manna?s ThirukkuRunthANdakam and
ThirunedunthANdakam. We were reciting the same in last
sathsagam (NAMA event) we had at Singapore and were
enjoying these wonderful verses. It is adiyEn?s greedy
attempt again to rush in where angels fear to tread.
Only with Acharyan anugraham, AzhwAr?s blessings, this
tough task needs to be completed. Please forgive me
for adiyEn indulgence. ]

Thirumangai AzhwAr one of the most learned Tamil
poets, the great AzhwAr, the last of AzhwArs, has
contributed six wonderful and divine compistions: They
are: 

1. Periya thirumozhi
2. Periya thiru madal 
3. SiRiya thirumadal 
4. Thiru nedunthANdakam 
5. Thiru KurunthANdakam
6. Thiru vezhukkuRRirukkai 

His pAsurams are marvelous; simply excellent and
lilting in rhythms. They are unparalleled. These works
of AzhwAr have contributed a major portion of 4000.
This AzhwAr also has contribiuted 1296 verses. We had
covered Periya Thirumozhi few years ago (with adiyEn
rambling called translation). This Periya Thirumozhi
is a composition of large number of verses describing
the greatness of archA avathArams, the kalyANa gunAs
of the Lord, their divine beauty as well the charm and
divinity of the divya desams poetically described by
AzhwAr. Besides these describtions, AzhwAr also
laments about the human suffering caused by bondage,
and the ways and the means of overcoming the same,
ultimately leading to the attainment of God. As
Vedantha Desika says: Periya Thirumozhi provides a
deep insight into the spiritual knowledge [aRivu
tharum periya thirumozhi]. 

ThirukkuRunthANdakam and ThirunedunthANdakam:
ThANdakam literally, as per Sri SMS Chari in his book
on ?Philosophy and Theisctic Mysticm of the Alvars?
means a staff used as a support while walking up a
hill. In the context of the poetry, it refers to a
particular type of poetical composition addressed to
God as comparing Him to such a support. Or in other
words, a source of sustenance for the soul. The words
kuRu or nedu simply means short or long denoting the
meters adopted. 

The main theme of ThirukkuRunthANdakam is that the
soul is wholly dependent on God who is the sole
supporter and it hope to escape the suffering by means
of sincere prayers and worship to Him.
ThiruneduthANdakam is a longer composition portraying
the mystic experience of God by the AzhwAr. 

Let us enjoy ThirukkuRnthANdakam first. 
[avathArikai from Sri V Satakopan Swami Article] 

In the magnificent Periya Thirumozhi, Thirumangai
expressed his immense aanandhAnubhavam of
MangaLAsAsanam of the EmperumAns of the 86 dhivya
dEsams as well as the VibhavAvathAra PerumALs . He
celebrated the Moola manthram and its glories and yet
did not see any hint from the Lord about invitation to
join Him in Parama padham to enjoy the Paripoorna
BrahmAnubhavam there. 

As a result , AzhwAr experienced nirvEdham .Sri
Vaikunta Nathan however had other ideas .He wanted to
enjoy some more paasurams from His dear devotee.
AzhwAr restated his case for joining the Lord at Sri
Vaikuntam and thus were born the two ThANDakams. In
these two ThANDakam , AzhwAr jumps over ( thANDuthal)
the sorrows of SamsAram and is immersed in the
Bhagavath anubhavam. ThANDakam is also a type of
Prabhandham in Tamil poetry .

The one set in shorter length ( aRuseerkkazhi
nedilAsiriya viruttham ) became ThirukkuRunthANDakam
(TKT)and the one with eight fold symmetry (yeNN Seer)
came to be known as ThirunedumthANDakam(TNT).Latter is
an elaboration of  the last two paasurams of
ThirukkuRunthANDakam . 

Parasara Bhattar described TNT as a Saasthram and used
one of the slOkams to defeat the advaitha VedAntha
Muni of Melkote and accepted him as his disciple and
recognized him as Namm Jeeyar.Rest is history in
AchArya Paramaparai PrabhAvam. Namm Jeeyar benefited
from Ubhaya VedAntha GrahaNam under the sacred feet of
Sri Paraasara Bhattar and we have the good fortune of
having the 9,000 Padi commentary for ThriuvAimozhi and
 the BhAshyam for Sri Sookthi, KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu
et al. from him and a glorious AchArya paramparai.
That is the power of ThirunedumthANDakam .  

UtthamUr Sri VeerarAghava MahA Desikan has blessed us
with insightful commentaries on these two Prabhandhams
as well as the other Prabhandhams of Thirumangai
Mannan that adiyEn would like to refer you to for
additional studies. His summation of the purport and
message of TNT is:

" This prabhandham is one, which has to be studied
always as a VedAntha Saasthram. This describes first
the Tatthva-Hitha- PurshArthams  and asserts next the
unbreakable sEshathvam of the Jeevan to the Sarva
Seshi, the Lord in His forms as Para, VyUha , Vibhava
,antharyAni and ArchA .This salutation to the Lord is
set in the mood of Naayika-Naayaka Bhaavam. Through
these ThANDakam paasurams , Thirumangai expressed his
deep desire Moksha Sidhdi and Rakshakthvam of the
Lord."

May we all be blessed to study and understand the deep
Tatthvams embedded in the two ThANDakam Prabhandhams.

Vaazhi ParakAlan Vaazhi KalikanRi
Vaazhi KurayalUr Vaazh VEndhan-vaazhiyarO
MayOnai vALL valiyAl manthiramkoLL MangayarkkOn
ThUyOn SudarmAna vEl 

Let us enjoy the verses from tomorrow
AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
dasan


      
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