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Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: 

                           "Let's Go, Milord!"

   Emperuman at various divya desams sports a variety of tirunamams, some of 
which are unique and distinctive. There is the "KAi sina VEndan" of 
TiruppuLingudi, "KaLlar PirAn" (The Chief Thief) of Srivaikuntam, the "nandA 
viLakku" PerumAL, "PattharAvi" of Tirunindravoor and so on. Each of these holy 
names indicates a particular endearing trait of the Lord or some specific drama 
enacted by Him for the benefit of His devotees. Thus, when we hear the name 
"Parthasarathy", it immediately brings to our mind the Lord's soulabhyam in 
assuming the role of a mere charioteer and piloting the Pandavas to victory in 
the battle of Kurukshetra. The name "RangarAjA" similarly portrays the Lord's 
penchant for enacting various roles from time to time for protecting the good 
and eliminating evil, with this earth as the theatre and its inhabitants in 
supporting roles with the Divine Consort as the unchanging Heroine in all the 
plays. The nitya kalyANa PerumAl of Tiruvidavendai reminds of His undying love 
for His MahishIs, while the very mention of the AkkArakkani Perumal of 
ChOlasimhapuram makes us recollect the eternal love the Lord has for His true 
devotees and His intolerance towards their detractors.

Thus there might be any number of the Lord's names striking an emotional chord 
in us. There is however one which is extremely evocative of poignance even in 
our stony hearts, which are capable of remaining unmoved by even the most 
touching of scenes. This is none other than the sobriquet of Emperuman at the 
divyadesam known as "ThiruvekkA" near Kanchipuram. The Lord here is called 
"YathOkta kArI" in Sanskrit, its Tamizh equivalent being "Sonna vaNNam seida 
PerumAL". This tirunAmam literally means one who has carried out orders without 
demur. This is a rather funny monicker for the omnipotent Lord, to whose tunes 
the whole universe dances, the mere movement of whose eyebrow controls the 
fortunes of multitudes, at whose beck and call even exalted deities like 
BrahmA, RudrA, Indra etc.remain and out of fear of whom the Sun, the Wind, the 
Fire and other illustrious functionaries perform their allotted tasks 
faultlessly.  

We wonder therefore as to whose dictates the Lord could have obeyed implicitly, 
to merit such an appellation. The unique name "Sonna vaNNam seida PerumAL" 
indicates that the Lord carried out the errand immediately, unquesioningly and 
without demur. We who know the boundless influence His Consort exercises over 
Him, would be inclined to think that it was She whom the Lord obliged with 
alacrity-however, we would be wrong, for once. Could it be any of the 
Celestials, the Nitya SUrIs, who enjoy such proximity to the Lord as to command 
obedience? Again, No is the answer. Which other class of people could exert 
such influence on Emperuman, as to elicit implicit obedience? His deovtees, of 
course, especially the Azhwars, who so immersed themselves in Him and His 
exploits as to take the liberty to tell Him what to do.

The Azhwar we are concerned with here is Sri Tirumazhisai Piran, who has to his 
credit two important prabandams, the NAnmukhan TiruvandAdi and the Tirucchanda 
Viruttam. A study of Divya Prabandas would be very much incomplete without a 
perusal of these pasurams, which tower head and shoulders above the other 
components of the Divine Four Thousand, in terms of their lilting metre and 
poignant purport.  

This Azhwar would appear to be different from the other Azhwars. While the 
latter accepted the supremacy of Sriman Narayana axiomatically, Mazhisai Piran 
arrived at the same after much analytical study and engaging in imbibing what 
would be known today as Comparative Theology. He appears to have weighed and 
discarded the relative merits of Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivam etc., before 
plumping for Emperuman as  the Supreme Godhead, on the authority of the Shruti, 
capable of bestowing the ultimate fruit of Moksha. This is evident from his own 
pasuram-
"SAkkiam kattrOm, SamaNam kattrOm, SankaranAr
  Akkiya Agama nool ArAindOm-bhagyattAl
  SenkaN kariyAnai sErndOm yAm teedilamE
 Engatku ariyadu ondru il" etc.
 Whatever one might be told and however credible and authentic be the source, 
we attach much greater importance to what we learn through our own objective 
analysis. Such too is this Azhwar's conviction, which shines through in all his 
pasurams-so much so that the main thread of his verses appears to be 
establishing the Paratvam or Supremacy of Sriman Narayana. Such is his 
greatness that Swami Desikan extolls him as "Mazhisai vanda sOdi".

Coming back to the Sonna vaNNam seida PerumAl, Azhwar, who was born in 
Tirumazhisai, was attracted by the reclining Emperuman at the TiruvekkA 
divyadesam and made the place his permanent residence, performing various 
kainkaryams to the Lord and imparting divine wisdom to disciples, the principal 
of whom was one KaNi KaNnan. The latter was extremely devoted to his 
illustrious Acharya and, as behoves an ideal Guru, Azhwar's love for his 
disciple too knew no bounds. KaNikaNNan used to accept bhikshA from various 
households, including the King's, and submit the same to his preceptor, with 
which Azhwar performed tiruvArAdhanam to the Lord, sharing the prasadam with 
his disciple.

A doddering old woman residing near Azhwar's Ashramam was attracted by Azhwar's 
radiance (resulting from his blemishless wisdom and bhagavat anubhavam) and, 
impelled to be of some utility to the great soul, undertook the job of cleaning 
the Ashramam premises, decorating it with floral designs ("KOlam"), keeping it 
spotless as behoved the distinguished inhabitant, etc.
After some years of this, she made bold one day to beseech Azhwar to restore to 
her the prime of youth, with its attendant physical and mental qualities. 
Laughing to himself at the incorrigible infatuation of people with material 
desires, Azhwar granted the wish of the old woman, who was instantly 
transformed into a delightful damsel who became the cynosure of all eyes. It is 
no wonder therefore that this lady came to the notice of the King, one 
PallavarAya, who made her his queen.

After a few years in the enthralling company of his new acquisition, the King 
felt something strange happening (or,rather, not happening). While he was 
growing older, succumbing to the inexorable advance of age, he found that no 
such phenomenon was affecting his consort. She was as young and sprightly as 
she was when he married her, despite her being subject as much to the laws of 
time, as he was; in fact, she appeared to be growing younger, if such a thing 
were at all possible. When pressed for the secret of her unfading youth, the 
queen was reluctant to reveal the same. However, with continued pressure, the 
King was able to learn the way she had reacquired her youth. From then on, he 
was beset by only one thought-how to regain his past years and become young and 
virile again, if only to keep pace with his beautiful queen, who looked as if 
she would never cross sixteen. Looking at her master's obsession, the queen 
herself suggested a way for him to gain the Azhwar's favour. Knowing how 
attached Azhwar was to KaNiKaNNan, she suggested to the KIng that he approach 
the disciple, so that his aim could be achieved easily.

The King contrived a meeting with KaNikaNNan on one of the latter's visits to 
the town for seeking bhikshA, took the unwilling bhagavata to his palace and 
offered him all upachArAs. He then requested Kanikannan to bring Azhwar to the 
palace, so that the King could satisfy his cherished desire. Knowing his 
master's ways well, Kanikannan told the King point blank that Azhwar, who was 
forever immersed in communion with the Lord, would never visit any palace. 
Disappointed but unwilling to give up, the King prayed that he be taken to the 
Ashramam to pay his respects to Azhwar. Kanikannan refused this request too, 
for he was sure that Azhwar would never be willing to see someone so immersed 
in mundane pleasures and caring little for the Lord and His devotees. 

The King was in a fix-neither would Tirumazhisai Piran come to his castle, nor 
would the latter meet the King even if he went to the Ashramam. How else could 
he seek the Azhwar's blessings for an unending spell of youth? Was it his lot 
to go on ageing and become a doddering old man, while his queen remained ever 
youthful, and all this while the elixir of youth was close at hand? His 
ministers suggested a way out-recognising the greatness of Kanikannan himself, 
they told the king that even a verse of blessing from the former could do the 
trick. However, when the disciple's compliance was sought, he refused 
categorically, telling the King in no uncertain terms that all his verses of 
praise were reserved for the Lord and  the Azhwar: he had none to spare for 
adulating mortals, however high they were placed-"nA koNdu mAnidam pAda vanda 
kaviyEn allEn", as another Azhwar would have said.  

With apparently all options explored and having drawn a naught at all of them, 
the King became angry with disappointment, true to the Gita dictum, "KAmAt
KrOdha: abhijAyatE". In a classic example of unrequited desire turning to 
annoyance, he vented his fury by ordering the unobliging Kanikannan out of his 
kingdom. There was no place within his frontiers for one who would not oblige 
the Soverign himself. Hence a royal decree was issued, banishing Kanikannan 
from Kanchi and its environs.

Kanikannan took the extradition in his stride, for the Lord is present 
everywhere to the wise ("Sarvatra samadarsinAm") and though banishment from 
TiruvekkA would mean separation from the Emperuman of his fancy, he could of 
course visualise the same Lord in any other image or even without an 
image-"tamar ugandadu evvuruvam avvuruvam tAnE". However, he was more dismayed 
at the separation this would entail from his beloved master, the Azhwar. He 
went to Azhwar to give him the news with a heavy heart and tearful eyes, 
seeking his permission to leave TiruvekkA and Kanchi and continue his 
kainkaryam elsewhere.

To his utter astonishment, Tirumazhisai Piran told him that he (Azhwar) had no 
desire to live in a place which did not have room for his beloved disciple. 
Kanikannan was overwhelmed by this display of affection on his Acharya's part 
and made arrangements for them to leave together.

"Wait", said the Azhwar, telling his disciple that he was not prepared to 
endure separation from the Emperuman of TiruvekkA, just because he happened to 
be within the unjust King's jurisdiction. The Lord was of course stationery, in 
His arcchA samAdhi, and could not move. Nor could the Azhwar stay at TiruvekkA. 
What could be the solution for them to leave, but not to part with the Lord? 
"Simple!'said the Azhwar, "We will ask the Lord to go with us". Kanikannan was 
astounded-was it possible for the Lord to leave His permanent environs and come 
with them just like that? And would He do it? Despite his unshakeable faith in 
Azhwar's greatness, the disciple was somewhat doubtful about the Lord's 
compliance, which was against all nature and also the Lord's own laws.

Master and disciple repaired to the Sannidhi and standing before the Lord, 
Azhwar explained the situation to Him, speaking as if to a live, listening 
being. As was his penchant, he ended his narration with a scintillating verse, 
summing up the matter and exhorting the Lord to pack up and accompany himself 
and Kanikannan-

"Kanikannan pOgindrAn, kAmaru poom Kacchi
 MaNIvaNNA! Nee kidakka vENdA-tuNivudaya
 SennA pulavanum pOgindrEn, neeyum unthan
 PainnAga pAi surutti koL"

"Kanikannan is going, banished by the King. I do not want to remain in a place 
where the King has no honour and am accompanying my sishya. Without us, what 
would you do here? You had better roll up your snaky bed and follow us" 
commanded Azhwar.

 There are several noteworthy things here. 
One is Azhwar's insistence that he would not forsake his disciple. As the quit 
order was only to Kanikannan, Azhwar could have very well remained behind and 
continued his kainkaryam to Emperuman. However, to Azhwar, the devoted disciple 
was as dear as the Lord Himself and hence not to be forsaken.
Another is the Azhwar's supreme confidence that Emperuman would listen to him, 
despite being in arcchA samAdhi and YOga nidrA. Who else but Tirumazhisai Piran 
would even dream of speaking to the Lord, leave alone requiring Him to pack up 
and leave His preferred abode for some unknown destination?
Azhwar's confidence stems from the fact that he considered himself to be an 
integral part of the Lord and, as such, could not imagine an existence away 
from his Emperuman. BhaktisAra too believed in the dictum, "nAn unnai andri 
ilEn kaNdAi NaraNanE! Nee ennai andri ilai". We have no separate existence from 
Emperuman, nor does He have one without us, as we form the sharIram and He, the 
sharIri (the owner of the body). As such, Azhwar could not imagine the Lord 
adopting any course of action, other than leaving with himself and Kanikannan. 
Not for a moment did Azhwar consider the fact that he was addressing the 
Supreme Lord, who, in his current arcchAvatAra, faced inhibitions in 
interacting with His human subjects. Such was his confidence that the Lord 
would not bear separation from him (Azhwar) and that Azhwar would hardly live 
without the Lord.

Commanded thus, the Lord just upped and left, to everyone's astonishment, and 
followed Azhwar and Kanikannan on their journey out of Kanchi. And when the 
Lord leaves, what happens? Automatically, His inseparable Consort followed Him, 
as did all the lesser deities inhabiting KanchIpuram. All temples thus wore a 
deserted look. The residents of the illustrious town, seeing the unheard-of 
procession of deities, big and small, rubbed their eyes in disbelief and 
decided to follow their objects of worship, just as the entire citizenry of 
Ayodhya did, when Sri Rama left for the jungle. Within the span of a few hours, 
Kanchi became a ghost town, with only the King and his courtiers remaining in 
what was previously a town teeming with life, learning and commerce. Streets 
were deserted, the Sun had almost disappeared even though it was still midday, 
plunging the whole place in near-darkness. Life had come to a grinding halt, 
reducing the King to a ruler without subjects.

Realising his folly, King Pallavaraya was remorse-stricken at his hasty 
banishment of Kanikannan, which had had such disastrous consequences not only 
for him (the king) but for the town as a whole, reducing it to a shambles. Not 
standing on prestige, he made immediate amends by going in search of Kanikannan 
and profusely apologising to him for the unjust decree. Kanikannan, who had 
never harboured any grudge against the King, consented to return to Kanchi. And 
with him returned Tirumazhisai Piran, who told the Lord that there was no need 
for Him to forsake Kanchi and that He could once more unfurl His mattress and 
resume His apparent slumber at Tiruvekka-

"Kanikannan pOkku ozhindAn, kamaru poom Kacchi
 MaNivaNNA! Nee kidakka vENdum-tuNivudaya
 SennA pulavanum pOkkozhindEn, neeyum undan
 PainnAga pAi padutthu koL"

Normalcy was restored and Kanchi returned to its former hustle and bustle. The 
Lord too resumed His former reclining posture. While doing so, however, He 
placed His left hand under His head (formerly it was the right), to signify for 
posterity His unquestioning compliance with Azhwar's commands.

It was this episode of the Lord obeying the devotee to the letter, that gave 
Him the sobriquet, "Sonna vaNNam seida PerumAl"-the Lord who did as He was 
told. Swami Desikan describes the glory of this Emperuman in "VEgAsEthu 
Stotram", terming Him "Shrita jana paratantram" (one who is bound by what His 
devotees wishes), "BhaktimatAm YatOktakArI" (one who does what He is told to by 
bhaktAs). The Acharya tells us further that anyone who meditates on this 
episode of the Lord's movements to and from Kanchi, in unquestioning obedience 
of His devotee's dictum, would never run helplessly hither and thither in this 
Samsara-
"pratyAdisanti bhava sancharaNam prajAnAm
 bhaktAnugantu: iha yasya gatAgatAni". 

>From all the aforesaid, it appears as though you could wind the Lord around 
>your little finger, if only you had the right equation with Him, the equation 
>of love, devotion and unquestioning faith. If you have all this, He is verily 
>a trusting and compliant lamb, sitting when asked to sit, standing when told 
>to do so and lying down when so ordered. This episode is indeed unique in the 
>annals of the Lord and His exploits, for, never before, and perhaps never 
>after, has He displayed such docile compliance, transgressing even the 
>self-imposed immobility of the arcchAvatAra. Azhwar's achievment in having the 
>Lord follow him is perhaps a better demonstration of Emperuman's abject 
>acquiescence with His devotees' dictates, than of Yasoda's in making Krishna 
>dance to her tunes and tying Him up, for, while the Gopi had a live, active, 
>walking and talking Lord to deal with, in Azhwar's case it was a stony 
>Emperuman, with self-imposed vows of being silent and stationary.

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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