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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00011 Nov 2003

 
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   SrImathE SrIvaNN SaThakOpa SrI NaarAyaNa
   Yatheendhra MahA DesikAya Nama :
Dear BhakthAs:
 
During the previous two days , we saluted the aruLiccheyalkaLs
of Poygai and BhUthatthAzhwAr .
 
Let us enjoy today  some passages from PEyAzhwAr's
Third ThiruvandhAthi celebrating the anantha KalyANa
GuNams of the Lord and his upadEsams about how
to lose ourselves in Bhagavath guNAnubhavam.
 
PEy AzhwAr was born in modern day Mylapore in
the city of Chennai.He shares some thing common with
PeriyAzhwAr. Both had the darsana soubhAgyam of the Lord
with  His DEvi and weapons like Sudarsanam , Paanchajanyam
in an effortless manner. Direct MangaLAsAsanam was performed
by these two AzhwArs.
 
It is important to recite all the three ThiruvandhAthis of
the three Mudhal AzhwArs since they are complimentary to
each other. PEy AzhwAr is considered to be the AchAryan
for Thirumazhisai AzhwAr.
 
It has been pointed out that Poygai worshipped
the Lord as the Master of both the VibhUthis
(LeelA and Nithya VibhUdhis). BhUtham linked
NaarAyaNa  Naamam as the lakshaNam for the Lord.
PEy is recognized as the one , who emphasized the need for
the additon "SrImath Sabdham " before the NaarAyaNa Naamam.
 
Let us now  enjoy the dhivya vaak of PEy AzhwAr
 
The Medicine for the illness of  Narakam( Hell)
******************************************************
In the third Paasuram of his Third ThiruvandhAthi ,
AzhwAr describes the Lord staying at his heart lotus
as the sure , curative medicine for the narakam of SamsAric
sufferings ( "Varu narkam theerkkum marundhu" ) . AzhwAr
states that such a parama oushadham stays in his heart
permanently.He does not need to  invite the Lord ahead of
time and remind Him like the other AzhwAr (appOthaikkippOthE
solli vaitthen ). AzhwAr says that the Lord who rests at
the Milky ocean ( Maakadal neeruLLAn ) with the cool garland of
TuLasi ( TaNN thuzhAi mArbhan) at his heart without ever
leaving (nithya vaasam) that abode .
 
How to see that Lord residing in one's heart ?
**************************************************** 
In the 12th Paasuram , AzhwAr as a Parama yOgi reveals
the way in which one can have the direct visualization of
the Lord residing in the heart as antharyAmi Brahman:
 
aRvennum thAL koLuvi iympulanum tammil
seRivennum tiNN kathavam semmi--maRayennum
nankOthi naguNarvAr kaNNbarE , nAdOrum
painkOthavaNNan padi
 
AzhwAr states here that Yogam is the only way to have
the bliss of visualizing daily , the Lord inside one's heart lotus .
His guNAdhisayams can be experienced by such yOgis .
They use their manas as the firm door lock . They shut
the doors of restless indhriyams and control them to
stay in their assigned places. They meditate on the Lord
without let as revealed by the Veda manthrams to know
clearly the svaroopam and svabhAvam of the Lord . Then they see
the ocean-hued , cool Lord inside their heart lotus clearly .
Indhriya jayam and vairAgyam as  well as vivEkam are
declared as  essentials in the effort to visualize the Lord.
 
In the 22nd Paasuram , AzhwAr asks us to develop a yearning
to see the Lord in the proper manner through soulful aarAdhanam
done in the ways prescribed by the Saasthrams of BhagavAn
( SemmayAha uLL uruhi sev-vanE meymmayE kaaNa virumpu ).
This is the AzhwAr , who intervened with Thirumazhisai AzhwAr's
pursuit of other dEvathAs and the siddhAnthams related to them so that
Thirumazhisai can get away from them and establish the Parathvam of
SrIman NaarAyaNan.
 
In the 25th Paasuram , PEy AzhwAr asks a rhetorical question:
" nenjamE siRanthu thozhuthAl pazhuthu uNDO ?" ( Oh My mind !
If you were to attempt to see the Lord in this special way , will there be
any deficency for You ?) The answer is ofcourse not .
 
In the 27th paasuram of his ThiruvandhAthi , AzhwAr asks again
another rhetorical question :
 
aarE thuyar uzhandhAr  thunbhuRRAr aaNdayAr
kaarE malintha kadalai--nErE 
kadainthAnai KaaraNanai neeraNai mEl, paLLi
adainthAnai nALum adainthu 
 
Who among those seeking the protection of
the Lord , the cause of the universe , has indeed been
caught up in the web of  the ocean of sorrows (samsAram)  ?
Where are those among them , who are exposed to such sorrows ?
Where are those , who performed SaraNAgathy at the sacred feet of
the Lord , who led the assembled dEvAs and asurAs to churn the milky
ocean , that are undergoing such sufferings ? The self-evident answer
is that there is no such person , who experiences  sorrows after 
seeking the protection of our most merciful Lord . 
 
Our Lord is the soul and life of ALL
*******************************************
In the 37th pAsuram , AzhwAr concedes that He has been
won over by the Lord and he is the unconditional sevant of
the Lord (SrIman NaarAyaNan) , who is inside him as well
as in all the objects seen and experienced outside ( ahatthAn 
puRatthAn AvaRkku adimaippattEn ) . To That Lord , I have
become the servant says the AzhwAr ."anthar bahisccha
Tath Sarvam vyApya NaarAyaNa: sTitha: " declares the Vedam.
He is the indweller of all as antharyAmi Brahman and is
present in all objects that He created  . 
 
In the next paasuram (39th) , AzhwAr asks the question :
Would it be possible to define and describe the Lord precisely ?
His answer is a big "No". Why so ? Because there is no one
like Him any where in all the worlds and He is unique and
incomparable in every way. This paasuram is a beautiful one with
the depth of VedAnthic doctrines unique to VisishtAdhvaitham:
 
taanE Tanakkuvaman TannuruvE yevvuruvum
tAnE tavavuruvam tArahayum --tAnE
yeri sudarum mAlvarayum yeNDisayum, aNDat-
ThirucchudarAya viRai
 
(meaning ): All the objects will be SarIram(body ) for Him
(Yev-vuruvum Tann uruvE). Those who did immense penance
to reach the status of Brahma , Sivan , Indhran are also SarIram
(prakAram ) for Him. Same for the stars in the sky ( Taarakayum
TaanE ) . The Agni with its seven tongues , the great mountains,
the eight directions , Chandran and the Sooryan (the Moon & the Sun)
are all Him. He is the indweller of all of them. This magnificent Lord
with out any match or superior can only be compared to Himself.
One can not assoicate anyone or any hting with Him
( Tanakku TaanE uvaman ).
 
Commentators cite the VishNu PurANa slOkam (2.12.38)
to bring out this central doctrine(SaarIraka  Saasthram):
 
"JyOthigumshi VishNu BhuvanAni VishNU
  VanAni VishNU GirayO Disasccha  "
 
VishNUmayam Jagath is the summation !
 
Lord under the AzhwAr's control
**************************************
In the 61st Paasuram , AzhwAr salutes the ArchAvathAra EmperumAns
at ThiruvEnkatam , KsheerAbdhi , SrIvaikuntam , GatikAchalam 
and THIRUVINNAGAR , WHERE HE STANDS AS THE ETERNAL
YOUTH (as Nithya YuvA /ILam Kumaran at Oppiliappan Koil). 
AzhwAr points out that these were perhaps His places of residences
(uhantha dhivya dEsams) for the Lord before He elected to reside
inside his heart lotus permanently. 
 
The Importance of SaraNAgathy to the Lord with MahA VisvAsam
******************************************************************************
In the 88th paasuram of MoonRAm ThiruvandhAthi , AzhwAr
as a supreme AchAryan gives us his upadEsam :
athu nanRu  theethu yenRu iyappadaThE
Madhu ninRa taNDuzhAi mArvan--pothu ninRa
ponnam-kazhalE thozhumin, muzhu vinaikaL
munnam kazhalum mudinthE
 
Oh People of this worlrd ! Do not develop doubts through
Your own analysis of the Saasthrams to conclude that this
act of mine is auspicious and that is not and as a result
doubt about the Lord's power to offer protection to you. Have
unconditional faith ( mahA visvAsam ) in the Lord's grace and power 
and perform SaraNAgathy at His sacred feet. That Lord adorning
the cool and honey laden TuLasi garland ( Madhu ninRa TaNN
ThuzhAi Maarbhan) on His chest and who is the same God for ALL
(DEvAs and humans) is the upEyam , the goal of Your SaraNAgathy.
Please seek the protection of those golden feet , which are most
enjoyable . Immediately after Your saraNAgathy ,  Your PuNyams
and Paapams will lose their grip on you and will leave You .
Please give up all of your misgivings and surrender at His sacred
feet. Have total faith in His vow to intervene on behalf of any one ,
who seeks His rakshaNam .The time of Your SaraNAgathy is
the marking moment , when all of your puNyams and Paapams ,
the twin fetters that bound You will be shattered and You will
be liberated forever to enjoy the fruits of Prapatthi.
 
MahA Lkashmi is our refuge at all the three stages of Prapatthi
*************************************************************************
PEy AzhwAr , who performed Upadesam for us on the importance
of adding the auspicious "SrImath " Sabdham to "NaarAyaNa "
sabdham sums up the MahA Lakshmi Tatthvam in the concluding
(One hundredth ) Paasuram of MoonRAm THiruvandhAthi:
 
Saarvu namakku yenRum ChakkaratthAn , Tanduzhait-
thArvAzh varai mArbhan tAnn muyangum, kArArntha
vAnn amarum minn imaikkum vaNDAmarai nedumkaNN
tEnamarum poo mEl Thiru
 
The key passage of this Paasuram is: " tEn amarum poo mEl
THIRU NAMAKKU YENRUM SAARVU " (  That MahA Lakshmi
is the unshakable resort/refuge for us in view of Her powerful
and discerning ability to help us in every stage of Prapatthi:
(1) PurushakAram ( intercession and pleading with Her Lord )
(2) UpAYam ( Performance of Prapatthi as the means for securing Moksham)
(3) UpEyam ( the goal and the bliss of enjoyment of that prapatthi as
the fruit of the performed prapatthi ).
 
The whole  doctrine of MahA Lakshmi Tatthvam is housed in this
final Paasuram of PEy AzhwAr's andhAthi. That MahA Lakshmi is our 
" apAsrayam " ( the place of refuge/ puhalidam).MahA Lakshmi's 
aakAra Thrayam (aakAra thraya sampannAm aravindha lOchaneem)
is celebrated here by PEy AzhwAr , who started this Prabhandham with 
the joyOus announcement " ThirukkaNDEn---yennAzhi vaNNan pAl inRu"
( Today is the most auspicious day. I am blessed to see the Lord's 
ThirumEni. I am blessed to see His divine consort , MahA Lakshmi ) .  
 
It is the core of the UpadEsam of PEy AzhwAr for us to learn to visualize
the Lord always with MahA Lakshmi adorning His broad chest and remind
us that She has  an indispensable role to play at all the three stages of
prapatthi to Her Lord .
 
NamO NaarAyaNAya ,
Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan      
 
 






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