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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

                        "Sleep Not, Sudarshan!"

         Among all the Azhwars, Sri Periazhwar occupies a unique position. He 
is the only one who could claim a close familial relationship with the Lord, 
having given his daughter in marriage to Sri Rangaraja 
("Svasuram....Ranganathasya sAkshAt"). He is the only one who could claim to be 
from the family which gave the world two Azhwars. He is the only one to devote 
almost his entire composition to a delightful description of Sri Krishna's 
infancy and teenage. In fact, he created a new genre of Tamizh literature known 
as "PiLlai Tamizh", dealing with the childhood exploits of the principal 
character. It was only he who was afforded an opportunity to establish the 
Lord's supremacy before the whole world, in a gathering specially convened for 
the purpose by the PAndya rAjA. It was Sri Vishnuchitta who displayed an almost 
maternal concern for the Lord's welfare, wishing Him billions of years of a 
happy, fun-filled lifespan, in the company of those near and dear to Him 
("PallANdu, pallANdu pallAyiratthANdu, pala kOti noorAyiram"). It is thus no 
accident that his Prabandam TiruppallANdu occupies pride of place among the 
Divine Four Thousand, being recited ahead of the works of all other Azhwars and 
that Sri Vishnuchitta is reverentially known as "Peria" Azhwar.

    Though this Azhwar's overwhelming concern for Emperuman's eternal wellbeing 
shines through in almost all of his pasurams, there are some which are 
extremely moving and inspiring. It is beyond our conception that anyone could 
have so much affection for the Lord as to wish Him well at every step, be it 
while playing, sleeping, herding cows or at play. Azhwar not only recounts, but 
practically lives through the struggles Yasoda went through in bringing up an 
uncooperative brat, who wouldn't bathe to wash off the overpowering odour of 
dairy products and bovine company, wouldn't let His mother comb His black 
locks, had difficulty in recognising property rights relating to milk, butter, 
etc., was an unashamed liar when it suited Him and a forerunner of Casanova and 
Don Juan, as far as the hapless Gopis were concerned, leaving a trail of broken 
hearts wherever He went. 

   Sri Nammazhwar and Sri Tirumangai Mannan affected feminine roles in enjoying 
the Lord, hovering at the heights of ecstacy when in the company of the beloved 
and touching the trough of despair when separated from Him. Donning the role of 
an ardent lover appears much less painful, compared to that of a doting mother, 
who has to contend with the pangs of anxiety that she is cursed with. With all 
those minions of Kamsa out to get Him and the spirited Sri Krishna refusing to 
limit His activities to the secure confines of NandagOkulam, Yasoda must have 
died a thousand deaths everyday, till she sighted the triumphant return of 
cowherds with Krishna in the lead, in the late evening. It is the mother who 
goes through extremely anxious moments, during the birth, infancy and 
adoloscence of her offspring and this concern never leaves her even when the 
infant grows into a mature adult, well capable of fending for himself. Such too 
is the concern of Yasoda, and by proxy, that of Sri Periazhwar, putting him on 
an entirely different pedestal from that occupied by other Azhwars, who merely 
courted the bewitching Lord when He was in the full bloom of youth, without 
experiencing any of the anxieties associated with the process of His growth. 
One might say that Sri Periazhwar is in the position of a mother, who lavished 
all her love and affection on her son and brought him up with an overwhelming 
concern for his welfare, only to lose him to the wife (represented by the 
ParAnkusa and ParakAla nAyakIs), after his marriage.   Thus if we agree that 
the "MAthru bhAvam" is more painful, difficult and demanding (though having its 
momemts of delight too) than that of the "nAyikA bhAvam", we must accord pride 
of place to Sri VishnuchittA, among the elite community of Azhwars.

It is this anxiety of Sri Periazhwar that makes him burst into benediction (in 
the form of the ThiruppallANdu) at the enthralling sight of the magnificent 
Lord, resplendent on the Garuda vAhanam, with the Divine Consorts at His side, 
on that holy day in the month of Ani, adorning the streets of Madurai. He fears 
that the evil eye would befall the Paramapurusha and might cause Him harm. 
Laughable, isn't it? As if any evil force, however potent, could ever approach 
Emperuman, leave alone affect Him!

 To you and me, looking at the matter with the clinical detachment our stony 
hearts are capable of, Azhwar's anxiety might appear unwarranted-however, if we 
look at the matter with the eyes of a doting mother that Sri Periazhwar was, we 
find ourselves racked by worry that all this brilliance and beauty that the 
Lord displays should not attract the jealous and ill-meaning glance of 
detractors. Going especially by the innumerable threats to His life the infant 
Krishna had to face, any mother would naturally fear for her child's welfare, 
which is what Sri Vishnuchitta did. Pointing out the fallacy of  judging the 
actions of great people through our own faulty perceptions, Sri Nammazhwar asks 
us to look at the same through the eyes of love, affection and devotion 
displayed by Azhwars-"en nenjinAl nOkki kANeer". When we do so, the apparent 
rantings and ravings of Azhwars appear perfectly in order, given their 
emotionally surcharged hearts, athrob with boundless devotion. 

The elderly mother of a mature adult still warns him to be careful while 
driving or merely walking on the road. Does she not realise that the son can 
very well take care of himself and doesn't need her homily? She does, but is 
still unable to shake off the worry of his coming to some harm en route. 
Similar is the predicament of Periazhwar, who realises fullwell that no harm 
can befall the Paramapurusha from any source, however powerful, but still 
performs mangaLAsAsanam to ensure His continued welfare. To those who might 
find this conduct of Azhwars incongruous, given the unblemished wisdom they 
were blessed with, I can only repeat Sri Satakopa Muni's entreaty, "en nenjinAl 
nOkki kANeer".

In the first pasuram of ThiruppallAndu, Sri Periazhwar showers his benediction 
not only upon the Lord, but also on His inseparable Consort, the Divine Discus 
Sudarsana on His right hand and the Cosmic Conch PAnchajanya adorning His left. 
One might wonder-if it his maternal concern for the Lord that makes Azhwar 
voice the wish that the former thrive and prosper for billions of years, why 
rope in the Shankham, Chakram etc.? Does his anxiety cover these worthies too? 
Does he consider them too to be subject to potential threats from sources 
unknown?

I do not know the official explanation offered by illustrious commentators, but 
to an uninformed and lay person like me, it appears as though the benediction 
to Sudarsana and Panchajanya too to flourish for an eternity, is simply to 
ensure that they continue to offer the Lord protection and pampering for all 
time to come. It is not out of any special concern for the welfare of these 
worthies that Sri Periazhwar extends the benediction to them, but to guarantee 
the Lord the constant and continued attention of "tirumEni parivargaL"-those 
who can bear no harm befalling the Lord, however improbable such an event might 
be. This appears clear from the following pasuram, in which Azhwar exhorts 
SudarsanAzhwan, PAnchajanyAzhwan, anantAzhwAn and even Peria Tiruvadi, to 
eschew sleep, not to close their eyes even for a micro-second, for fear that 
their moment of inattention might bring the Lord some harm-

"uragal uragal uragal oN sudarAzhiyE! ShankhE!
 araveri nAndaka vALE! azhagia SarngamE! TandE!
 iravu padAmal irunda eNmaru ulOkapAleerkAL!
 Paravai arayA! uragal paLLiyarai kurikkoNmin"

In this beautiful pasuram, Azhwar tells all those around the Lord not to sleep 
a wink-His magnificent Mace, the Bow SArngam which spells instant and 
ignominious death to foes, the long, broad and deadly Sceptre nAndakam-all 
these worthies are urged not to close their eyes ever, but to be ever vigilant 
and patrol the bedroom of the Lord, who is forever in YOga nidrA. Azhwar 
appears to tell the PanchAyudhAs that their Master might sleep, but not they. 
And the repetition of the word "uragal" (short for "urangEl"-don't sleep) not 
once, but four times in the same pasuram, indicates the emphasis placed by 
Azhwar and the degree of his anxiety.

Azhwar really has some nerve, it would appear to us, telling nitya SUris, who 
themselves are forever on their guard, not to fall asleep. Even the Shruti 
attests to the fact that the Celestials never even blink, for fear of missing 
out on a second of bhagavat anubhavam, leave alone sleep. Their very name, 
"imayOr" indicates that they never let their eyes close even for a second. 
Knowing their nature fulwell, if Azwar feels it necessary to warn them to be 
vigilant, one can guess the depth of love, affection and maternal concern that 
Sri Vishnuchitta has for the Lord and His welfare. 

There appears to be some significance in asking the Celestials to guard the 
Lord's sleeping place-"paLLiyarai". Though this is appropriate even if taken 
literally, it would appear that something else is meant here. In the same decad 
of which this "uragal" pAsuram is the ninth, Azhwar tells us that the Lord 
reclines in the Azhwar's mind itself, forsaking His favourite TiruppArkkadal-

"aravinda pAvayum tAnum agampadi vandu pugundu
 paravai tirai pala mOda paLLi koLgindra PirAnai
 paravugindrAn Vittuchitthan"

Pani kadalil paLLikOlai pazhaga vittu-Odi vandu en
Mana kadalil vAzha valla mAya MaNALa nambI!"

All the aforesaid pasurams indicate that the Lord's bedroom is indeed the 
Azhwar's heart and none other. Emperuman lies there in absolute comfort, having 
forsaken His other  celestial abodes. And it is this unique bedroom that Azhwar 
wants the nitya sUrIs to guard ("paLLiyarai kurikkoNmin"). Being human, Azhwar 
is afraid of his senses allowing undesirable thoughts to enter the heart and 
pollute the sacred space occupied by Emperuman. It is to guard against this 
that he seeks the assistance of the PanchAyudhAs, so that they stand vigilant 
against any inappropriate thought or notion worming its way into Azhwar's 
sacred heart. Obviously, Azhwar considers the waywardness of the mind and its 
penchant for thinking the unthinkable to be such powerful foes, that he calls 
upon for assistance, not one but all the Lord's illustrious attendants.

If this is how Sri Periazhwar, with his heart filled solely with thoughts of 
the Lord, feels, we are speechless and baffled as to how we mortals, with our 
absolutely fickle minds, unable to concentrate for even a full second on 
Emperuman, His form and auspicious attributes, should feel. If Azhwar finds 
himself  in need of the five divine weapons to stand guard against evil 
thoughts entering his mind, we wonder if the entire body of Celestials would be 
adequate to do sentry duty in our case, for such is the number and frequency of 
unholy thoughts buffeting our minds, turning it into a raging sea with choppy 
waves, refusing to be calmed. 

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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