Trimurtis?- in Nammazhwar?s Tiruvoimozhi ? Part 1
(Sri N.Krishnamachariar Swami of Chicago)
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Introduction:
The nAlAyira divya prabandham consists of 4000 pASuram-s in tamizh, which
extol the greatness of the Supreme Deity, Lord SrIman nArAyaNa, in beautiful
tamizh poetry. It is also called the tamizh maRai or dRaviDa vedam.
tiruvAimozhi is one of the four outpourings of nammAzhvAr, the other three
being tiruviruttam, tiruvASiriyam, and periya tiruvantAdi. tiruvAimozhi is
considered to be the last of the four.
In the current series, we will be specifically looking at tiruvAimozhi
pASuram-s that explicitly refer to the tri-mUrti-s (Lord vishNu, brahmA and
rudra). One may ask ? Why this strange choice for selecting pASuram-s from
this divine work to spend our time? The background for this is the
following incident. It happened that one day aDiyEn met a devout advaiti
with whom aDiyEn was familiar, in our temple. This person was all praise
about his ?experiences of tiruvAimozhi?. His praise was based on his
?understanding? (actually misunderstanding) that ?AzhvAr was ?repeatedly?
referring to ari, ayan and aran simultaneously in many of his pASurams,
implying that they are all equals, and should be worshipped as equals?.
aDiyEn tried to tell him that his understanding was totally wrong, and in
the process aDiyEn lost his acquaintance, which in retrospect is just as
well.
Then aDiyEn narrated this incident to a SrIvaishNava friend, and got the
feedback that ?AzhvAr?s pASuram-s are ?confusing? to him as well on this
issue?. Then it occurred to aDiyEn that a proper explanation of AzhvAr?s
pASurams on this subject, in simple English, might contribute to the correct
understanding of AzhvAr?s supreme message to at least those individuals who
are genuinely interested in understanding AzhvAr?s pASuram-s on this topic
correctly.
This is the motivation for the current series. tiruvAimozhi is considered
the sAram of sAma vedam. A true and proper divine experience of this great
outpouring of nammAzhvAr can only be obtained by properly receiving this
knowledge at our AcArya?s Divine Feet. Even for a self-study series like
the current one, a piece-meal approach like the one that is currently
planned, will miss out on many divine anubhavam-s of our AcArya-s from a
proper and systematic study of tiruvAimozhi, based on the continuity and
sequencing of the experiences as conveyed by nammAzhvAr. But aDiyEn is
undertaking this limited approach with a limited objective ? one of
presenting a correct interpretation of the pASurams in tiruvAimozhi that
talk of the tri-mUrti-s. aDiyEn seeks the blessings of our AcArya in this
undertaking, such that there won?t be inadvertent misrepresentations of the
proper view as per our sampradAyam.
1.1.8:
Surar aRi aru nilai viN mudal muzhuvadu
varan mudalAy avai muzhudu uNDa paran
puram oru mUnRu eRittu amararkkum aRivu iyandu
aran ayan ena ulagu azhittu amaittuLanE.
Since there are those who incorrectly argue that brahmA is the supreme deity
because he is the creator, or those who incorrectly argue that rudra is the
supreme deity because he controls samhAra, nammAzhvAr declares in this
pASuram that brahmA and rudra get their power purely because of bhagavAn,
and the true Creator, Destroyer and Protector is only BhagavAn. svAmi
deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi as
?tri-aksha brahma Atma bhAvAt? - ?Because bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of the
three-eyed rudra and of brahmA?.
EmperumAn is the Cause of everything starting from the mUla prakRti (viN
mudal muzhuvadum mudalAi). He first created brahmANDa, and then He created
brahmA and then rudra. So brahmA is not the primary creator, but bhagavAn
creates everything in brahmANDa through brahmA, by being his antaryAmi. So
also, bhagavAn is the One Who swallows everything at the time of pralaya
(avai muzhudu uNDa paran), and so rudra is not the ultimate destroyer.
rudra functions in his limited domain through the power given to him by
emperumAn, by being rudra?s antaryAmi. rudra?s tripura samahAram (puram oru
mUnRu erittu), and brahmA?s act of giving knowledge to the deva-s
(amararkkum aRivu iyandu), are but the acts of bhagavAn through the agency
of rudra and brahma, and not their independent acts, just as bhagavAn is the
cause of whatever actions we perform. This is the message contained in this
pASuram.
Surar aRi aru nilai: BhagavAn?s acts of creation leading to the creation of
the brahmANDa itself, is beyond the knowledge of brahmA, who was created
inside the brahmANDa after the brahmANDa was created. brahmA , rudra etc.,
can deal with creation, destruction, etc., of things within the brahmANDa,
but not outside the brahmANDa. Thus, they cannot create or destroy the
prakRti, mahat, aha?nkAra etc. Only bhagavAn has control over these. Just
as bhagavAn is the Creator of the things outside the brahmANDa, He is also
the Creator of the things inside brahmANDa, by being the antaryAmi of rudra
and brahmA, even though brahmA and rudra do not realize this.
para paran - ? He who is Supreme over even the likes of brahmA; the parama
purusha - ?asmadAdibhyah paranAna brahmAdikaLukkum paran?.
viN mudal muzhuvadum varan mudalAi ? BhagavAn is the Creator of everything
starting with the mUla prakRti ? ?AkASa prabhRti-yAna prakRti mudalAna?.
varan mudalAi ? One who is the First Cause in a special way. varan here is
derived from varam in samskRt, which means ?superior?. That is, unlike
brahmA who creates only the beings of this world, bhagavAn is the Creator of
everything that has ever existed, including brahmA. In addition, He is one
who is not only the nimitta kAraNa, but also the upaAdAna kAraNa and the
sahakAri kAraNa. Thus, He is ?varan mudal? ? He is ?sarva vidha kAraNan?.
avai muzhudu uNDa para paran ? The Deity of all deities who swallowed
everything in its totality at the time of mahA pralaya. Again, yama has
limited domain when it comes to samhAra, but emperumAn is the one who
terminates the lives of all including yama during pralaya.
Since some may mistakenly think that creation and destruction are the works
of brahmA and Siva, at the outset AzhvAr makes it clear that these are all
the works of the para paran ? Lord vishNu.
Note that AzhvAr refers only to creation and destruction here, and not
protection. This is because there is no dispute in anyone?s mind that
rakshaNam is Lord vishNu?s function. There is some doubt in some people?s
mind about who among the tri-mUrti-s is ultimately responsible for creation
and destruction, and it is to clearly establish the truth about these two
functions that AzhvAr mentions only these two specifically.
nammAzhvAr has chosen the words of this pASuram so that at the outset, he
makes it clear that except the position that Lord vishNu is the only Supreme
Deity, all other positions that try to argue and bestow equality to
tri-mUrti-s, or even worse, superiority to one of the tri-mUrti-s or another
god over Lord vishNu, are all incorrect and unsustainable. This is briefly
described below. svAmi deSikan discusses this whole issue in great detail
with pramANa-s in his rahasya traya sAram, in the chapter titled para devatA
pAramArthya adhikaaram.
Some may mistakenly argue that this pASuram really postulates that brahmA
and rudra are but incarnations of vishNu. If this is what nammAzhvAr meant,
then he would have listed all the three in the pASuram. He specifically
refers to brahmA and rudra only, above whom there is bhagavAn.
For the same reason, the postulate made by some that there is a Supreme
Deity who is above the ?tri-mUrti-s? ? brahmA, vishNu and rudra, also does
not hold. Lord vishNu is the only Supreme Deity.
The use of the words ?Surar aRi aru nilai? refers to multiple devatA-s, and
thus the argument of ?identity or one-ness of all? is also negated. Thus,
the arguments of identity of everything, the equality of the tri-mUrti-s,
the identity of the three mUrti-s, the existence of a Supreme Being over and
above the three, are all repudiated in this pASuram.
1.3.6:
uNarndu uNarndu izhindu aganRu uyarndu uruviyanda in-nilaimai
uNarndu uNarndu uNarilum iRai nilai uNarvadu aridu uyirgAL !
uNarndu uNarndu uraittu uraittu ari ayan aran ennum ivarai
uNarndu uNarndu uraittu uraittu iRai?njumin manappattadu onRE.
The main intent of this pASuram is to help us overcome the bhramai or
confusion about the ?equality? of the tri-mUrti-s.
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr clarifies that it is just not easy, even with
intense contemplation, to truly understand who the Supreme Deity is among
the tri-mUrti-s: vishNu, rudra and brahmA. He advises us to repeatedly
contemplate on the three mUrti-s over and over again, and look at all the
pramANa-s, and clearly realize who the One and Only Supreme Deity is, and
then repeatedly meditate on this one mUrti. At the outset, let us clearly
note that nammAzhvAr is not saying that all the three mUrti-s are equal; on
the contrary, he clearly asks to examine over and over again all the
pramANa-s, and understand who the ONE SUPREME DEITYis out of these three,
and then worship Him alone.
AzhvAr points out in the first two lines that, relatively speaking, it may
be possible to understand the true nature of the soul, through repeated
teachings from AcArya-s, through our own introspection, and through
meditation etc. But it is very difficult indeed to understand the true
nature of the Supreme Deity through any of these means ? uyirgAL! iRai
niali uNarvadu aridu. So he advises us ? intensely look at the guNa-s and
other attributes of the three ? ari, ayan, and aran (ari, ayan, aran ennum
ivarai uNarndu uNarndu), thoroughly look at the pramANa-s supporting your
thoughts (uraittu uraittu), select the One that stands out after this
contemplation (manap paTTadu ONRU), and meditate on this One Supreme Deity,
contemplate on His nAma, and worship Him (uNarndu uNarndu uraittu uraittu
iRa?njumin).
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi as
?khyAbhikhAyadi cihnAt?. khyA means ?declarations, proclamations, etc.?.
abhikhyA means ?splendor, beauty, luster?. So the purpose of this pASuram
is to beseech us to ?look at the pramANa-s carefully, look at the guNa-s of
the tri-mUrti-s, etc., and convince for ourselves who the true Supreme Deity
is, among them?.
The true nature of AtmA is that it is limitless, as described through the
adjectives:
izhindu ? (izhi ? to descend); -adhah pradESam ellAm vyApittu.
aganRu ? tiryak pradeSam ellam vyApittu
uyarndu ? Urdhva pradESam ellAm vyApittu.
uru viyanda ? distinct and different from the body.
Even though the jIva is atomic in size, it has the above vyApakattvam
because of its dharma bhUta j~nAna.
The jIva is eternal. The jIva is different from the body. Even if one
succeeds in realizing the nature of this soul through SravaNam or hearing
(uNarndu ? SravaNattAlE aRindu)), contemplation (uNarndu ? mananattAlE
telindu), or through yogic paths (uNarilum ? yogattAlE sAkshAtkarittAlum);
iRai nilai uNarvu aridu ? It is extremely difficult to clearly understand
the true nature of the Supreme Being. The question that will prop up in our
minds is: mUvarum mudalvarO? mUvaril oruvan mudalvanO? mUvarkkum appAl
oruvan mudalvanO? ? Are all three Supreme Deities? Or, is only one of them
the Supreme Deity? Or, is there a Supreme Deity over and above these three?
AzhvAr asks us to get over this bhramai.
uyirgAL! ? AzhvAr is calling out to us who are endowed with the ability to
think and analyze. We are behaving like acetana-s, and AzhvAr is appealing
to us to use our ability to think and analyze, and understand for ourselves
who the Supreme Deity is.
AzhvAr suggests the way to achieve the true understanding of the Supreme
Deity: Think through all that you have learnt through SravaNam, mananam
etc., (uNarndu uNarndu), take into account all the available SAstric
evidences (uraittu uraittu), come to a conclusion on the One Supreme Deity
(manap paTTadu onRE), and then contemplate again and again on this One Deity
(uNarndu uNarndu), and worship this Deity with all the intensity at your
command (uraittu uraittu iRai?njumin). AzhvAr tells us how to understand
who the Supreme Deity is, and also how to devote ourselves to Him.
Why does AzhvAr just make the neutral statement ? ?Choose the One that you
are convinced about, by impartially analyzing all the pramANa-s?, instead of
just telling us who the Supreme Deity is at the outset? He does not want us
just to take his word for it; he wants us to be convinced about the truth
ourselves. This should not be interpreted as AzhvAr suggesting that we can
choose any one of the three randomly. In the very next pASuram, AzhvAr
clarifies this even more.
It is clearly the intent of nammAzhvAr in this pASuram not to ?force? his
views on us, but let us impartially look at all the available facts and then
make up our own mind on which One is THE Supreme Deity. It is worth noting
that AzhvAr starts the list of the three mUrti-s with ari or vishNu. It is
AzhvAr?s sincere hope that if we truly try to understand the SAstra-s well,
we will come to the correct conclusion by ourselves, without our feeling
that we are ?forced? to accept his views.
What do the pramANa-s say? One of the three is the Creator, and the other
two are created; One is of sAttvic svarUpa, the other two are of rAjasic and
tAmasic disposition; Look at all these attributes and the associated
pramANa-s, and make your decision. Look at the great epics ? SrImad rAmAyaNa
and SrI mahA bhArata. Look at all the sAttvika purANa-s.
Some purANa-s, such as the li?nga purANa, start out with someone asking a
question, such as: ?Please tell us the greatness of such and such a deity?
and then some sage describes the greatness of that specified deity. There
are other purANa-s such as vishNu purANa, and itihAsa-s such as SrImad
rAmAyaNa, where the unconditional question is asked: ?Who is the Supreme
Deity?, and then this question is answered. Understand the difference in
these. Do not come to a conclusion about the Supreme Deity casually. This
is AzhvAr?s message to us in this pASuram
TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 2
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 2.
1.3.7: (3)
onRu ena pala ena aRivu arum vaDivinuL ninRa
nanRu ezhil nAraNan nAnmugan aran ennum ivarai
onRa num manattu vaittu uLLi num iru paSai aRuttu
nanRu ena nalam Seivadu avaniDai nammuDai nALE.
In pASuram 1.3.6, AzhvAr advised us to impartially examine all the
pramANa-s, and decide who the true Supreme Deity is, and dedicate ourselves
to His worship. In the current pASuram, he advises us not to loose time in
doing this, but do this quickly, remove entirely the ?paSai? or attachment
to the other two deities, and dedicate ourselves to the worship of the One
and Only One Supreme Deity without any further delay.
Some may argue that the three mUrti-s are one and the same (onRu ena).
Others may argue that these three are distinct and different (pala ena). In
other words, there is doubt in the minds of people as to whether there is
one soul that is common for the three forms (tri-mUrti-s), or whether there
are three different souls for the three. Since these three deities are
credited with great acts that are not performed by the other deities, it is
difficult for ordinary people to figure out the truth about them ? aRivu
arum vaDivinuL ninRa nanRu ezhil nAraNan, nAnmugan, aran ennum ivarai). So
AzhvAr gives us neutral advice ? ?Once again, think for yourself, look at
all the facts (num manattu onRa vaittu), thoroughly analyze the guNa-s of
the three (uLLi), remove the two that are not Supreme deities (iru paSai
aruttu), and select the One that is the true Supreme Deity, and worship Him
with single-minded devotion (avaniDai nanRu ena nalam Seivadu nammuDai nAL).
Specifically, in this pASuram, AzhvAr advises us not to lose any time in
doing this.
AzhvAr says: Start with a neutral position, do not continue to live with
half-hearted devotion, or the confusion on who the true Supreme Deity is,
analyze the pramANa-s thoroughly, and come to a firm conclusion on the true
Supreme Deity. Then eliminate once for all from your thoughts the two that
do not qualify as the Supreme Deity, and devote yourself with single-minded
devotion to Him.
onRu ena, pala ena ? Is there one AtmA that controls all the three forms, or
are there three AtmA-s for the three mUrti-s?
?nanRu ezhil nAraNan, nAnmugan, aran ennum ivarai? ? the term ?nanRu ezhil?
can be used to qualify all the three mUrti-s, or it can be specific as a
qualifier for nAraNan ? ?nanRu ezhil nAraNan?. The choice of the nAma
?nAraNan? by AzhvAr is significant. The declarations: ?apahatapApmA divyo
deva eko nArAyaNah? ? subAlopanishad, ?antarbahiSca tat sarvam vyApya
nArAyaNah sthitah?, etc., show that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of all, and
should be noted here.
?nammuDai nAL? ? Our lifetime is short. There is not much time to waste to
come to the firm conclusion and devote ourselves to the worship of the One
Supreme Deity. We may not get another body of a human, with the ability to
think, analyze and dedicate ourselves to His service. So AzhvAr advises us
to use this time wisely.
?num iru paSai? ? The use of the word ?num? ? ?your? by AzhvAr is
significant. AzhvAr does not have the problem of ?iru paSai?. It is clear
to him who the Supreme Deity is. It is for us that he is advising us to get
clear on this issue quickly, and devote the rest of our life in His worship.
This is why AzhvAr is using the word ?num? for ?iru paSai aruttu?. In
contrast, the use of the word ?nam? in ?nammuDai nALE? is justified, because
the lifetime in this world is limited for AzhvAr as well as for us.
Why does AzhvAr not just straightaway say: ?nArAyaNan is the Supreme Deity;
worship Him??. It is because he does not want us to just accept anything
without proper thinking, and he wants us to be convinced for ourselves by
our own introspection and thought process. He just does not want us to not
even think, and waste our precious life in this world.
SvAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as ?sva-ruci vitaraNAt?. ?
Because bhagavAn will bestow us the ruci or paSai to Him automatically if we
do this analysis, and remove the iru paSai to the other deities. If we
start with the neutral position on the tri-mUrti-s, and analyze the
pramANa-s etc. thoroughly and without pre-conceived notions, we will
ourselves come up with the conclusion on who the Supreme Deity is. This
will lead us to remove the ?iru paSai? ? the worship of the other two
deities. The likes of mArkhaNDeya were able to realize the truth about the
Supreme Deity thus.
Note AzhvAr?s earlier pASuram ? ?minnin niali ila mannuyir AkkaigaL?
(1.2.2), where AzhvAr cautions us that this lifetime is short, and lasts but
like a lightning, and that we should not waste the time. We are oblivious
to the passing of our short lifetime: ?nandanti udita Aditye nanadanti
astamaite ravau! Atmano nAvabudhyante manushyA jIvita kshayam? ? When the
sun rises, people happily go to earn material wealth for their happiness;
when the sun sets, they are happy that they can enjoy with their dear ones;
but they do not even for a moment realize that their life is becoming
shorter every passing moment?. These are Lord rAma?s words to bharata
(ayodhyA kANDam 105.24).
AzhvAr?s message in this pASuram is: This life is diminishing like the water
in a meshed container, so don?t waste any time, but make the proper
decisions on the nature of the Supreme Deity, and surrender to Him. People!
You neither realize the precious nature of your limited lifetime that is
slipping fast, nor realize the precious nature of what you are losing in the
meantime ? namely, the kainkaryam to the Lord. Hasten. Think hard with all
the pramANa-s from the Sruti etc., come to the inevitable conclusion on who
the Supreme Deity is, remove all traces of attachment to the other two
deities, and devote the rest of your life in the constant meditation and
service of the One Supreme Deity that you should be able to figure out.
Don?t let precious time slip away from you without being used?.
In the very next pASuram, nammAzhvAr declares that we should surrender to
the Lotus Feet of the Consort of Lakshmi ? nALum nam tiruvuDai aDigaL nalam
kazhal vaNa?ngi? (1.3.8); in the very next pASuram after that, he refers to
?ivai pinnum vayiRRuLa ivai avan tuyakkE? ? a reference to bhagavAn keeping
everything in His stomach at the time of pralaya (1.3.9), and in the next
one again, he refers to ?puyal karu niRattanan? ? a reference to His kAr
mEni vaNNam or the hue resembling the clouds, and his vAmana avatAram ?
?peru nilam kaDanda nal aDip pOdu?. Thus, it is crystal clear who the
Supreme Deity is according to AzhvAr.
?TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 3
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 3.
1.3.9: (4)
valattanan tiri-puram erittavan iDam peRat tundit
talattu ezhu tiSai-mugan paDaitta nal ulagamum tAnum
pulappaDa, pinnum tan ulagattil agattanan tAnE
Solappugil ivai pinnum vayiRRuLa ivai avan tuyakkE.
In this pASuram, AzhvAr points out that bhagavAn accommodates rudra and
brahmA in His body, but also chooses to appear in their worlds as one of us
by taking incarnations. Because of this, many people get confused and are
unable to understand His true nature. AzhvAr says these are His acts of
making sure He conceals Himself from the non-devotees. These are ?His
tuyakkugaL? ? His acts for not revealing Himself to His non-devotees.
valattanan tiri-puram erittavan ? rudra who burnt the three cities has taken
refuge in the right side of Lord vishNu?s body - ?paSya ekAdaSa me rudrAn
dakshiNam pArSvam ASritAn (moksha dharma 36.11).
tundit talattu ezhu tiSaimugan paDaitta nal ulagamum tAnum iDam peRa -
BrahmA and all his creations are accommodated in the lotus that rises from
the navel of SrIman nArAyaNa.
Both rudra and brahmA have sought refuge in bhagavAn?s body for their
protection in times of trouble. A rhetorical question can be raised ? Do
rudra and brahmA permanently reside on bhagavAn?s body? Our pUrvAcAryas
explain that it is at times of trouble that they seek refuge in Him, and He
accommodates them in His body.
ezhu tiSai mugan ? ?ezhucciyai uDaiya? - refers to BrahmA who has been
endowed with the j~nAna, Sakti etc. for creating the fourteen worlds -
?j~nAna SaktyAdi vRddhiyai uDaiyavanAna catur-mukhan?.
pinnum pulappaDa - In addition (pinnum), He reveals Himself to everyone by
taking incarnations amongst us, just so He is accessible to all of us for
our enjoyment, and for easy access to us. He takes these incarnations not
out of karma as we do, but because of His own Free Will, out of His
soulabhyam. These are just a few of His guNa-s. ?pulan? refers to
?indriya-s?. ?pulappaDa? refers to His appearing in the midst of us in a
form that we can see and enjoy ? ?cakshur-indriya vishayaNam paDi?.
tan ulagattil agattanan ? He takes incarnations, and is born in this world
that He created. He creates brahmA, rudra, and this world, and then He
takes incarnations in their world, and makes Himself one of us. He takes
incarnations in this world where even brahmA and rudra would be disgusted to
set foot. Not only that, He performs actions that sometimes suggest that He
is subservient to them. Note ANDAL?s words in nAcciyAr tirumozhi 12.8 ?
kaRRinam mEykkap peRRAn ? He became an ordinary cowherd. We cannot just say
that these acts of His confuse those who are of Asuric tendency only. Even
viveki-s ? those who should know better, get confused with His mAyA-s.
Solapppugil ivai pinnum vayiRRuLa ? His guNa-s are too numerous to list, and
they will never be exhausted. They are endless and inexhaustible ? atyantam
agAdham.ivai avan tuyakke ? These are purposely hidden by Him as part of His
mAyai.
?avanAl uNDAna samSaya mOha vishaya?ngaL?. Why does He cause this mOham?
Because He does not want to reveal Himself to those who are not devoted to
Him ? ?tan pakkal snEham illAdArkku tannai uLLa paDi aRiya oNNAdadu oru paDi
avargaLai mOhippittu vaikkum?. Note Lord kRshNa?s declaration in the gItA:
mama mAyA duratyayA (7.14) ? This Divine mAyA of Mine is difficult to
overcome.
Traditionally, three reasons given for bhagavAn?s incarnations: paritRANAya
sAdhUnAm, viNASAya ca dushkRtAm, dharma samsthApanArthAya ? The protection
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the establishment of dharma.
One can ask ? These functions can be performed by bhagavAn out of His own
Free Will while remaining in Sri vaikunTham itself; why does He have to take
incarnations and appear amongst us for this? The answer is that there are a
few sincere devotees who cry out to Him: ?kANa vArAyE?? ? ?Please show your
darSanam to us so that we can enjoy the beautiful sight of your tirumEni?.
So, He decides to come amongst us in His incarnations ? pulappaDa.
svAmi deSikan captures the essence of this pASuram in his dramiDopanishad
tAtparya ratnAvaLi by the phrase ?SarvAdeH sva?nga dAnAt? ? He Who has given
a safe Abode in His Body to rudra, brahmA and others in times of danger.
(om SarvAdeh svA?nga-dAya namaH).
-----------------------------------------------
1.5.3: (5)
mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarum munivarum
nI yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip paDaittavan
SEyOn ellA aRivukkum tiSaigaL ellAm tiruvaDiyAl
tAyOn ellA ev-uyirkkum tAyOn tAn Or uruvanE.
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr points out that bhagavAn created brahmA, and
endowed him with adequate knowledge so that brahmA could then create all the
deva-s , Rshi-s etc, with their superior knowledge and powers. BhagavAn is
the Mother of every being that exists, and is an embodiment of sauSIlyam.
It is His sauSIlyam that is demonstrated in His trivikrama incarnation,
where He purifies everything in all the Universes by the touch of His Feet.
He is beyond comprehension even by the likes of brahmA and the countless
other highly gifted devas, Rshi-s etc. In some of the previous pASuram-s,
AzhvAr had admired the Supremacy (mEnmai) of bhagavAn; now he is admiring
the equally immeasurable sauSIlyam (nIrmai) of bhagavAn.
AzhvAr describes bhagavAn in this pASuram through the following phrases:
tiSaigaL ellAm tiruvaDiyAl tAyOn ? One Who measured all the worlds with His
Divine Feet. ?tAyOn? here means ?One Who measured?.
- ellA aRivukkum SEyOn ? One Who is beyond attainment and realization by
even the likes of brahmA, who had been instructed by bhagavAn in all the
veda-s. SEyOn ? One Who is far away - beyond reach or comprehension. It is
said of bhagavAn that He is One Who does not know His own greatness. There
is no question of anyone else comprehending His greatness in full measure.
- ellA ev-uyirkkum tAyOn ? One Who is like the Mother for all things
that exist (The Prime Creator). ?tAyOn? here means ?One Who is the Mother?
- yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip paDaittavan ? He Who created
the four-faced brahmA, endowed him with all knowledge (niRai nAnmugan), and
then entrusted him with the task of creating all the other beings, including
the great deva-s and sages who knew the truth about creation (and bhagavAn?s
role in creation etc.).
- nI mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarum munivarum yOnigaLaip paDai ?
BhagavAn told brahmA to go ahead and create the likes of the s rishi-s, the
ten prajApati-s, the ekAdaSa rudra-s, the twelve Aditya-s, the eight vasu-s,
etc., who were great in their own ways, and who knew well the respective
functions allotted to them by BhagavAn.
BhagavAn Who has all the above attributes, is ?tAn Or uruvanE? ? He is
unique, in that He is the Supreme in parattvam, but He is also One who is
simultaneously Supreme in His sauSIlyam.
Even as the child always goes to the mother for support even if she kicks
the child away with her foot, so also AzhvAr says that even if bhagavAn were
to ?kick? everyone with His Feet (in His trivikrama incarnation), still He
is the only Resort for us all ? ellA ev-vuyirkkum tAyOn.
The mother of a human being protects the child by feeding her breast milk to
the child. Some of the other life forms protect their off-springs through
other means. For instance, the fish protect their offsprings by just
looking at them, the tortoise protects its offsprings by its sheer thought,
and the birds by touching their offsprings with their wings. Our emperumAn
is protecting His offsprings by touching them with His Feet.
In his dramiDopanishad tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi deSikan captures the gist
of this pASuram through the words ?sarvatra api a?nghri dAnAt? ? tiSaigaL
ellAm tiruvaDiyAl tAyOn - bhagavAn Who blessed all the creatures of this
world with the touch of His divine Feet during His trivikrama incarnation.
This ?anghri dAnam? of bhagavAn is a display of His sauSIlyam ?His desire
and willingness to mingle with one and all, irrespective of their stature.
He did not distinguish between the ?pure? and the ?impure?, the ?highly
evolved life forms? and the ?lowly life forms?, but blessed everyone and
everything with the touch of His divine Feet without discrimination. His
divine Feet are so tender that even His devi-s handle them very delicately
like handling flowers. But these same delicate Feet of His pierced through
all the Universes with all their rocks and stones and forests, only for the
sake of the devotees, indicating the depth of His sauSIlyam - Om
sarvatrApya?nghridAya namaH.
?TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 4
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
1.5.4: (6)
tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi tannil mUvar mudalAya
vAnOr palarum munivarum maRRum maRRum muRRumAi
tAn Or peru nIr tan uLLE tORRi adanuL kaN vaLarum
vAnOr perumAn mA mAyan vaikuntan en perumAnE.
nammAzhvAr describes bhagavAn?s role in Creation in more detail in this
pASuram. He points out that bhagavAn is the Sole Creator of everything in
all the Universes, without any other external aid of any kind (tAn Or uruvE
tani vittAi). He created brahmA and rudra as part of the trio with Him
being the first, or the Creator (tannil mUvar mudalAya).
In the first two pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi (1.5.1 and 1.5.2), which we
did not cover, AzhvAr sings the praise of bhagavAn?s parattvam ? Supremacy
or mEnmai. Then, in pASuram 1.5.3, which we just covered, he praises His
sauSIlyam or nIrmai, and indicates that bhagavAn is equally great in His
sauSIlyam as He is in His parattvam. In the current pASuram, AzhvAr points
out that His sauSIlyam is indeed His dominant guNa, and His parattvam is
only subservient to His sauSIlyam. This is amply evident in His process of
creation as described below.
BhagavAn created this whole Universe, all by Himself, by being Himself the
upAdAna, nimitta and sahakAri kAraNa-s (the Material, Instrumental, and
Supporting causes); He chose to be the Sole Cause so that nothing goes amiss
unexpectedly for the creation, by depending on other external causes; He
made all the living and non-living beings part of His body; He became the
antaryAmi of all beings so that He resides with each being always, and He
did all this by descending down from SrI vaikunTham ? His Supreme Abode,
where the nitya sUri-s are performing constant and uninterrupted kainkaryam
to Him. In addition, He created the great Ocean in Himself, and is
reclining in this Ocean, and waiting there so that He is accessible to the
deva-s whenever they want His assistance. All this is because He is the
embodiment of sauSIlyam.
The start of every cycle of creation involves a samashTi sRshTi - aggregate,
and a vyashTi sRshTi ? distinctive, individual. The first two pAda-s (the
first two quarters of the four-lines) of the pASuram describe the vyashTi
sRshTi, and the third pAda describes samashTi sRshTi. BhagavAn is
responsible for both the steps.
tAnE Or tani uru vittAi ? This refers to bhagavAn being the sole Origin of
all the Universes Himself: i) The Material cause or the upAdAna kAraNa ?
like the mud for making a mud pot, ii) the Instrumental cause or the nimitta
kAraNa? like the pot maker in making the pot, and iii) the Supporting cause
or sahakAri kAraNa ? like the wheel, water etc. in making the pot. ?uru?
means ?beautiful? ? He alone beautifully becomes all the three causes.
PurvAcArya-s explain the above ideas through the following grouping of
words:
vittAi ? He is the Material Cause or upAdAna kAraNa ? like the mud for
making the mud pot.
tani vittAi ? He is the Instrumental Cause or nimitta kAraNa ? like the pot
maker for making the pot.
Or tani vittAi ? He is also the Supporting Cause or sahakArI kAraNa ? like
the wheel, water, etc. that are needed for making the pot.
Note that in all matters of any man-made creation such as the pot in this
example, the material cause, instrumental cause and the supporting cause are
different; not so in bhagavAn?s Creation ? He is the Sole Cause for all
aspects of Creation.
Or uruvE ? He of beautiful form, with no change of any kind in Him because
of all this, which is another wonder in itself.
We have an analogous declaration in the upanishad: sadeva somya idam agra
AsIt; ekameva advitIyam (chAn. 6.2.1) ? ?Good looking one! All this
universe of diverse names and forms was, prior to creation, only one sat,
the ever-existent Reality, ParamAtman, and Non-second?. Note the terms
?sadeva?, ?ekameva?, and ?a-dvitIyam? in the Upanishad mantra above.
?ekameva? refers to His being the sole Material cause; ?sadeva? refers to
there being no other ?sahakAri kAraNam?; and ?advitIyam? refers to there
being no other ?nimitta kAraNam?. He is the First Cause or upAdAna kAraNam
because cit and acit are part of Him. He is the nimitta kAraNam because of
His sankalpam to create. He is the sahakAri kAraNam because of His Infinite
j~nAna and Sakti to achieve this wonder that is creation.
Why does He choose not to use anything other than Himself as the upAdAna,
nimitta or sahakAri kAraNa-s? It is because He loves the jIva-s so much,
that He does not want anything to go wrong in His creation by using anything
that is not part of Himself. So He, Who is the embodiment of sauSIlyam,
decides to become the Sole cause for everything from His One form, that of
vAsudeva. From this form, He then creates the other deities and devatA-s,
Rshi-s and other great souls, and all the other cetana-s and acetana-s. He
becomes their antaryAmi, and permanently resides in them to guide them in
whatever path they choose to follow while they are embodied, and this is how
His great guNa of sauSIlyam expresses itself.
tannil mUvar mudalAya: This phrase has been interpreted in different ways
by different AcArya-s. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan has given two of
these interpretations in his vyAkhyAnam titled bhagavad vishayam:
tannODu mUvarAna tri- mUrtigaL tuDakkamAna ? starting with the
tri-mUrti-s that includes Him. ?Piramanukkum rudranukkum antaryAmiyAi
irundu sRshTi samhAra?ngaLaic ceigiRAn. tAnAgavE irundu rakshaNam SeigiRAn?
? He performs the function of rakshaNam or protection Himself, and He
performs the functions of creation and destruction by being the antaryAmi of
brahmA and rudra respectively.
The question can be asked: ?Why does He present Himself as ?one among the
three?? Would it not be a negative reflection on His parattvam, by just
being ?one among the three??? To understand that His parattvam is not in
the least affected because of this, all we have to do is to look at His rAma
incarnation, His kRshNa incarnation etc., where He took incarnations among
ordinary folks. Just by taking incarnation as one among the ikshvAku
family, He does not become just another ordinary ikshavAku, but He is
emperumAn in all senses, even though He is an ikshvAku for our eyes. Just
by taking incarnation in the yAdava clan, He does not become just another
yAdava. He is still the paramAtmA. So also, His being counted as ?one of
the three? does not in any way diminish His parattvam. svAmi deSikan
explains that bhagavAn does not in any way lose any of His kalyANa guNa-s in
the least in any of His incarnations (SaraNAgati dIpikA Slokam 17, where the
avatAra rahasyam of perumAL is described).
- The second interpretation given by SrImad ANDavan is: brahmA, rudra,
indran mUvarkkum kAraNa bhUtan ? He Who is the Cause of the three principal
deva-s, namely brahmA, rudra and indra (followed by the creation of all the
other deva-s etc. ? vAnOr palarum ? muRRumAi).
This second interpretation is supported by reference to this ?trio? in the
upnaishad - ?sa brahmA, sa SivaH, sendraH so?ksharaH paramaH svarAT? (mahA
nArAyaNa upanishad). Here, ?mudalAi? can be taken to mean ?mudalAya ? et
cetera?, instead of meaning ?Supreme - mudal?. In addition, ?il? in tamizh
means ?house, meaning ?in Him??. So, ?tan il mUvar mudalAi? can mean ?He
Who has His body as the residing place or Origin for brahmA, rudra, indra,
etc.?, or, He Who has their bodies as His residing Place, namely, He is
their antaryAmi.
An alternate interpretation for ?tannil mUvar mudalAi? is that He manifested
Himself in the forms of sa?nkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha ? the vyUha
incarnations, all of whom are manifestations of the same Supreme Deity,
vAsudeva, and form the base for all the other deva-s etc?. (tannil ? in
Himself; that is, svAntargatamAna, sva avatAra?ngaLAna ? Not different from
Himself in any sense, His own incarnations).
The following are the different anubhavam-s of the words ?tannil? and
?mUvar?:
? the three including Him; tannODu SErndu mUvar (na?njIyar)
? in His sankalpam, in His mental resolve. He decided He will
be many, and then He proceeded with the creation of the many, and He became
their antaryAmi. This is described in taittirIya upanishad, in the mantra
starting with ?so?kAmayata | bahu syAm prajAyeyeti |??. (taittirIya. upa.
BrahmAnanda. 6).
? il ? house. He who has made the three (indra, rudra, and
brahmA, and all the other deva-s, etc.) as the house for Him ? in other words,
He is the antaryAmi of all of these.
? tannai viDa vERu paDAda mUvar ? referring to sankarshaNa,a
pradyumna and aniruddha ? the three vyUha emanations from the para vAsudeva
form.
? With Him being the first and foremost among the trio.
maRRum maRRum muRRumAi ? He decided to create everything, including the
humans, animals, and acetana-s, etc., in addition to the others mentioned
earlier ? namely, vAnor palarum, munivarum, etc., without exception.
Everything is His creation.
tAn Or peru nIr tannuLLE tORRi adanuL kaN vaLarum ? He creates this big
Ocean in Himself, and then is reclining on it. Again, multiple anubhavam-s
are available for our enjoyment, for this phrase.
The last syllable ?Ai? in ?muRRumAi? can mean ?Aga ? ?to become?, or ?Agi? ?
?having become?.
- If ?muRRum Aga? is taken as the meaning, then the
interpretation is that bhagavAn is reclining in the waters of pralaya prior to
the creation of brahmANDam in the small fig-tree leaf (Al ilai), contemplating
on how to protect the jIva-s that are to be created ? all the cetana-s and
acetana-s described in the first two lines of this pASuram. Note that
protection of the jIva-s is His main concern (kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn ?
2.2.9).
- If the meaning is taken as ?muRRum Ai? ? ?having become all
of the things outlined in the first two lines?, then the interpretation is that
He is reclining in the Milk Ocean, after the creation, for the benefit of
the deva-s etc., so that He can help them whenever they need His help. He
reclines in it and patiently waits just in case the deva-s etc. need His
help in times of trouble from the asura-s.
- Not being content with thus ensuring that all the jIva-s get
all they need for recovering themselves from the ocean of samsAra, He creates a
big Ocean in Himself, and lies in this great ocean and keeps meditating on
what else He can do to help the jIva-s overcome their cycle of birth and
death.
vAnOr perumAn ?The Lord of all the deva-s and all the other deities. He is
the Seed from which everything originates.
mA mAyan ? One Who conceals His identity superbly such that even those who
consider themselves very learned, do not figure out His mAyai (ivai avan
tuyakkE ? 1.3.9).
vaikunthan ? He Who is the Lord of SrI vaikunTham - SrIman nArAyaNan.
kunTha in samskRt denotes obstacles to union (kuThi ? gati pragAthe ?
obstructing the path). Since bhagavAn removes the obstacles to union with
Him, namely the sins of His devotees, He is called vai-kunThan. His Abode
is SrI vaikunTham, where the nitya sUri-s are performing constant, eternal
and unblemished service to Him. He leaves His Supreme Abode of SrI
vaikunTham, and involves Himself in all the above-mentioned actions, just
for the sake of redeeming the jIva-s, once again an expression of His
limitless sauSIlyam.
em perumAn ? He is My Lord and Master. ?em? ? My own. Because of His
infinite sauSIlyam, He is the Master to whom AzhvAr feels intensely
dedicated to perform kainkaryam without interruption.
The best analogy to explain the message of this pASuram is to think of a
seed that contains in it all the extensive branches, leaves, fruits, etc.
When the tree grows out of the seed, we see all of these branches, leaves,
etc. displayed. So also, Lord SrIman nArAyaNa has all the beings of all
the Universes inside Him ? including brahmA and rudra who form the trinity
along with Him, and all the deva-s, the Rshi-s, and all the other cetanas
and a-cetana-s. It is from Him that everything arises
TRIMURTIS?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 5
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 5.
1.9.5: (7)
okkalai vaittu mulaip-pAl uN enRu tandiDa vA?ngi
Sekka?n-cega anRu avaL pAl uyir Sega uNDa perumAn
nakka pirAnODu ayanum indiranum mudalAga
okkavum tORRiya ISan mAyan en ne?njil uLAnE.
In this pASuram, AzhvAr describes bhagavAn?s leelA of climbing on to the
waist of pUtanA and sucking her life out of her breast. This same bhagavAn
now gets on to the waist of nammAzhvAr, and then enters nammAzhvAr?s heart
and happily lives there, giving intense enjoyment to AzhvAr. AzhvAr points
out that the One who created the likes of rudra, brahmA and indra, and the
One who demonstrated His control of samhAra (destruction) by sucking the
life out of pUtanA, the powerful demoness even while He was in the form of a
tiny child in the cradle, is the One Who has blessed him with presence in
his heart now.
okkalai vaittu ? Placing the child kRshNa in her waist.
mulaip pAl uN enRu tandiDa ? With the venomous intent of killing Him, she
offered her breast milk to Him.
vA?ngi ? With the same deceit, child kRshNa grasped her breast as if with
eagerness, just to suck her life out of her.
Or, just as pUtanA would not hope to live if she did not succeed in giving
Him her poisoned breast milk, He also grasped at her breast as if He won?t
live without drinking her ?milk? (her life).
Sekkac cega enRu ? In tamizh, the phrase ?Sekkac cevEl enRu? is used to
denote ?deep reddish color?. Multiple interpretations are given for this
phrase in the context of this pASuram.
- BhagavAn is angry that pUtanA is deceitfully coming to Him, and
so He is red with anger.
- Just as she is deceitful, He is also deceitfully going to accept
her ?offer? of mulaip pAl, and is going to suck her life in the process. So
He is happy, and it is showing as ?reddish? tinge on Him.
- He was smiling at this deceit of pUtanA, and his reddish lips
were showing glee at this opportunity to get rid of one more evil demoness.
Sekkam ? This can refer to ?death? (SAvu?); Sekkam ? The death that she
intended for Him, ?Sega? ? causing it to end with her instead. Thus,
?Sekkam Sega? can be interpreted as ?Child kRshNa drank her breast milk to
ensure that the death that pUtanA intended for Him, instead ended with her
death?.
Sekkam ? anger. His anger that caused her to be destroyed (Sega).
avaL pAl uyir Sega:
- ?avaL pAl? can be taken together, and the phrase ?avaL pAl uyir
Sega? can mean ?to ensure that the life that is in her is destroyed?.
- ?avaL pAl, uyir Sega? can also be taken to mean ?Her milk (pAl),
and her life (uyir), were both sucked out, so that they were both destroyed?
uNDa perumAn ? The Lord Who thus drank her milk, and in the process, her
life.
nakka pirAnODu ayanum indiranum mudalAga ? (It is this same emperumAn ?
Lord kRshNa) Who created rudra, brahmA, indra, etc.
nakka pirAn- refers to Siva, who is known as ?nagnan? ? one without dress.
The reasons given are: He is one who has forsaken all interest in
everything, or he even forgets his own self. ?pirAn? means ?Lord, Master?.
Siva is called ?pirAn? here because there are those who worship him to get
limited benefits in life, as distinguished from brahmA and indra, who are
not worshipped to the same extent. AzhvAr points out that this Siva is also
created by the same ISan, the mAyan, Lord kRshNa, who created the four-faced
brahmA and everything else in al the universes. He not only created Siva,
but Siva?s father as well ? brahmA, in addition to the ones that followed
Siva ? such as indra.
ayan ? a-jan ? He who was born from vishNu (?a? refers to vishNu).
okkavum tORRiya - means that He created these (Siva, brahmA, indra, etc),
just the same as He created all the other jIva-s, subject to their karma-s,
just like every other creation ? nothing different about them, except that
they have their temporary positions because of their good karma-s in
previous births, and will fall back to their next lives after their current
lifetime is over.
mAyan ? One Who has to His credit all kinds of acts that one can only wonder
about, and keep enjoying. One who created everything in all these
Universes by His mere sankalpam, and with nothing else to assist Him.
ISan ? One Who is the Lord of all the Universes.
en ne?njil uLAnE - My Lord kRshNa, the mAyan, ISan, the One who got to
pUtAnA?s waist, and then got to her breast and sucked her life out of her,
now got to my waist, and then climbed to my heart, and then resides there
permanently.
Being a small child in the cradle, He got rid of the very powerful demoness
pUtanA just as a child?s play. By this, He is just giving an indication
that He is the Destroyer of all when the time comes for that. In other
words, bhagavAn is the Ultimate Destroyer, just as He is the Ultimate
Creator, and the Ultimate Protector. pUtanA tried to destroy Lord kRshNa
Who is the Cause of everything, and instead He protected everything else by
just destroying that one life of pUtanA.
The term that svAmi deSikan uses to capture the gist of this pASuram is
?citte klpta praveSam? (mAyan en ne?njil uLAnE) ? bhagavAn has entered into
nammAzhvAr?s mind. Just as pirATTi has taken Her place in bhagavAn?s vaksha
sthalam never to leave Him ever, so also bhagavAn has taken His place in
nammAzhvAr?s heart and mind, never to leave him ever.
1.9.9: (8)
kamalak kaNNan en kaNNin uLLAn kANban avan kaNgaLAlE
amala?ngaL Aga vizhikkum aim-pulanum avan mUrti
kamalattu ayan nambi tannai kaN nudalAnoDum tORRi
amalat ?deivattODu ulagam Akki en neRRi uLAnE.
In this pASuram, AzhvAr points out that bhagavAn, who created brahmA, Siva,
the different deva-s, and all the other beings of the different universes,
is now giving AzhvAr constant and uninterrupted darSanam in front of his
eyes. This is possible for nammAzhvAr because he is not under the control
of his indriya-s, but instead, his indriya-s are under his full and total
control. So he is able to enjoy bhagavAn completely with all his senses.
The saying that ?bhagavAn cannot be seen by our physical eyes?, is true in
our cases, but not in the case of AzhvAr. The veda declares ? ?na mAmsa
cakshurapi vIkshate tam; na cakshur-gRhyate? ? The human eyes are not able
to see Him. Well, the vedic statement does not apply to nammAzhvAr, because
bhagavAn has willed so. BhagavAn has blessed nammAzhvAr with the kaTAksham
of His lotus-like beautiful eyes, and in the process, has removed all
limitations of nammAzhvAr, including the influence of ?unfettered? indriya-s
that is true in our cases. Now AzhvAr can see bhagavAn?s beautiful form
very well in front of him. Not only just nammAzhvAr?s eyes, but all his
indriya-s are now enjoying bhagavAn uninterruptedly. BhagavAn is occupying
nammAzhvAr?s forehead constantly now ? in other words, AzhvAr is in constant
meditation on emperumAn?s Lotus Feet (en neRRiyil uLAnE). The One who
created Siva who has an eye in the forehead, is now sitting on the forehead
of nammAzhvAr.
kamalak kaNNan en kaNNil uLLAn, kANban ? Bhagavan, the lotus-eyed One, is
now the object of nammAzhvAr?s eyes. Recall the divine vision that was
bestowed by Lord kRshNa on arjuna, that made it possible for him to see
bhagavAn?s viSva rUpam, and the incident in SrI mahA bhAratam where sa?njaya
was able to ?see? the whole action in the battlefield while being far away
from the scene of the battle. nammAzhvAr has similarly received the divine
vision here, since he is devoid of all limitations, thus having been blessed
by bhagavAn. Alternatively, AzhvAr is having the vision of bhagavAn very
clearly because of his yogic abilities (pratyaksha samAnAkAra j?nAnam, or
the ability to have a clear vision of an object that is not in front of
one?s eyes).
How did this happen?
avan kaNgaLAlE amala?ngaL Aga vizhikkum ? Because BhagavAn blessed
nammAzhvAr with His kaTAksham, and this removed all the limitations of
AzhvAr completely ? of which there was none to start with, any way. (malam
means ?sin ? pApam?. a-malam means ?devoid of sins?).
aim pulanum avan mUrti ? All the five senses of nammAzhvAr are now like His
body ? He commands them to do whatever He wants. The net result is that all
of nammAzhvAr?s indriya-s are totally turned towards Him and nothing else.
Even though all our senses are under His control always (He is hRshIkeSan ?
the Controller of our indriya-s), He gives us the freedom to use our
indriya-s based on our vAsanA-s, and then supports our actions. In the case
of AzhvAr, his indriya-s are guided by BhagavAn consistent with AzhvAr?s
realization of bhagavAn, and thus they are totally turned to Him and
enjoyment of Him.
What are some of the ceshTita-s ? mAya-s, of this One Who caused
nammAzhvAr?s indriya-s to be freed from the human limitations?
kamalattu nambi ayan tannai, kaN nudalAnoDum tORRi ? He created ayan ?
brahmA, from the lotus in His navel, and He also created Siva with the third
eye on his forehead.
- BrahmA, is called ?nambi? (perfect) here by AzhvAr, because
brahmA is pUrNan ? perfect, in knowledge. This is because bhagavAn has
given him this knowledge. BhagavAn is the One who created this brahmA and
gave him the knowledge for the purpose of creation.
- Similarly, Siva who has the third eye that is capable of samhAra,
was also created by the Supreme Lord, kaNNa pirAn.
- nudal means ?forehead? ? lalATam. Since Siva has the third eye
in his forehead, the reference to him here as ?One who has an eye in his
forehead ? kaN nudalAn?.
amala deivattODu ulagam Akki ? In addition, He created all the deva-s
endowed with sAttvic qualities, and also all the other beings of the
different worlds.
en neRRi uLAnE ? emperumAn is occupying my forehead. BhagavAn is giving
His anubhavam to AzhvAr gradually, instead of flooding him with the whole
anubhavam all at once. This is because the delight of His anubhavam can be
so intense that the recipient may not be able to withstand the sudden impact
of this intense flood of delight - brahmAnubhavam. So BhagavAn gives the
experience of Himself gradually to His devotees, and they enjoy Him with
their whole self gradually. This is discussed further in the next pASuram.
The intense pain that ANDAL went through because of her separation from
kaNNan, and the relatively slow and gradual revelation of Himself by kaNNan
to her, are also explained along similar lines.
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 6.
1.9.10: (9)
neRRiyuL ninRu ennai ALum nirai malarp pAda?ngaL SUDi
kaRRait tuzhAi muDik kOlak-kaNNa pirAnait-tozhuvAr
oRRaip-piRai aNindAnum nAn muganum indiranum
maRRai amararum ellAm vandu enadu ucci uLAnE.
Because we are not going through all the ten pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi,
we will capture briefly the anubhavam that nammAzhvAr is having ? the
anubhavam of mingling with perumAL with every indriyam of his, gradually and
intimately. BhagavAn has His relationship of different kinds with others,
depending on who He is interacting with ? with His pirATTi?s as their
Consort, with garuDa as His vehicle, with anantAzhvAn as His bed, with
yaSoDa as His mother, etc. AzhvAr is enjoying BhagavAn in every one of
these ways, simultaneously.
Even though AzhvAr cannot have the direct samSlesham or embrace that the
likes of guha and the gopa-s had in the rAma and kRshNa incarnations, still
AzhvAr?s intense devotion is making it possible for AzhvAr to experience
this samSlesham with kaNNan. This anubhavam is not given by bhagavAn all at
once and in one sweep to AzhvAr, but is bestowed only gradually, in small
steps at a time. This guNa of emperumAn is described as ?sAtmya bhoga
pradatvam? ? which can be roughly explained as ?giving the anubhavam of
Himself to the devotee so that it can be fully enjoyed, gradually and in
steps, such that the devotee is not overwhelmed by the experience, but can
digest the anubhavam completely?.
This is like the mother who introduces her child to solid food very
gradually, so that the child?s digestive system can adjust to the food
gradually, or like the teacher who introduces the student to the difficult
portions of any given subject gradually, instead of giving all the
instruction in one step. This is how bhagavAn gives the anubhavam of
Himself to nammAzhvar, as described in this tiruvAimozhi. AzhvAr first
feels bhagavAn being all around him (ennuDaic cUzhal uLAnE ? 1.9.1), then
coming closer to him (en arugil ilAnE ? 1.9.2), being with him (ennODu uDanE
? 1.9.3), climbing to his waist just like getting on to yaSodA?s waist (en
okkaliayAnE ? 1.9.4), getting into His heart and mind (en ne?njil uLAnE ?
1.9.5), getting on his shoulders and giving him the anubhavam like garuDa
(1.9.6), causing him to sing His greatness through his tongue (ennuDai nAvil
uLAnE - 1.9.7), occupying his eyes with His Divine vision (en kaNNil uLAnE ?
1.9.8), going to his forehead (en neRRi uLAnE - 1.9.9), and finally reaching
nammAzhvAr?s head (1.9.10), thus enveloping nammAzhvAr in His anubhavam
completely.
Another analogy given to describe this stepwise anubhavam is that of a
person going to a river and taking bath ? by first stepping into water, then
getting into the water up to the waist level, then up to the level of the
neck, and finally taking a dip.
The One Who has thus pervaded nammAzhvAr in and out, and is occupying all
his indriya-s and putting them totally and completely at His service and in
His enjoyment, is none other than kaNNa pirAn who is worshipped by the one
who has the moon on his head (Siva), the one who is four-faced (brahmA),
indra, and all the other deva-s. This is the gist of the current pASuram.
oRRaip piRai aNindAnum ? Siva who has the nascent moon on his head, and who
would rather prefer to have Your Feet instead on his head (nirai malarp
pAda?ngaL SUDi).
nAn-muganum ? The four-faced brahmA, whose four faces represent the four
veda-s, which all sing the glory of Your Feet.
indiranum ? indra, the chief of all the deva-s.
maRRai amararum, ellArum vandu? and all the deva-s, and every one else.
nirai malarp pAda?ngaL SUDi ? wearing the Lotus Feet of kaNNa pirAn in their
heads.
kaNNa pirAnait tozhuvAr ? They all worship kaNNa pirAn.
kaRRait tuzhAi muDik kOlak kaNNa pirAn ? This kaNNa pirAn wears the garland
made of tulasi leaves in His head.
- kaRRait tuzhAi ? the budding, fresh, green-looking tirut tuzhAi.
Even if one decorates the Lord with dry tulasi leaves, their association
with His head will make them look fresh and green.
vandu enadu ucci uLAnE ? This kaNNa pirAn, who is thus sought after by Siva,
brahmA, indra, and every one else, voluntarily left them all and came
(vandu) to me, surrounded me all around, climbed over me, took control of
all my indriya-s, and is now seated on top of my head.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2.2: (10)
E pAvam paramE! Ezhulagum
I pAvam aruLAl aLippAr Ar?
mA pAvam viDa ararkkup piccai pei
gopAla kOLari Er anRiyE.
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr feels sad that there are still people around who
cannot understand the truth about the Supreme Deity, and that he has to
spend his precious time explaining the obvious, instead of spending his time
in the full and uninterrupted anubhavam of emperumAn ( E pAvam paramE! ? O
Lord! Why is it that You have entrusted me with this burden of revealing the
obvious to all the people of this world ? that You are the Only Supreme
deity, instead of fully spending my time enjoying You all the time?).
AzhvAr points out that gopAlan is the Only One who can eradicate in a
fraction of a second, the enormous sins of this world that will normally
take eons to overcome through normal expiation of the karma. He gives the
example of bhagavAn eradicating the brahma hatti dosham of Siva when Siva
clipped off one of the heads of brahmA. This is given in brahmANDa purANam,
and is part of the sthala purANam for tirukkarambanUr. The same incident
is also assigned to badarikASrama in some accounts.
AzhvAr reinforces once more that gopAla KOLari is the only Supreme Deity,
and He is the Supreme and only rakshakan or Protector. Whenever brahmA or
Siva get into any kind of problem, it is gopAlan who gets them out of their
problems. There are the two deities who get into problems again and again,
and there is the One Deity who gets them out of these problems. Of the two
deities who get into trouble always, one goes and cuts the head of the
other, and the other stands with his head cut off. The third one (gopAlan)
goes and saves them. This being the case, why is it so difficult to
identify who the Supreme Deity is? This is AzhvAr?s message in this
pASuram.
E pAvam! - nammAzhvAr starts this pASuram with ?E pAvam!?, expressing his
sadness. He is one who has attained divya j~nAnam, and is all set to enjoy
the divine anubhavam of emperumAn. And yet here he is, spending his time in
things such as showing us all the difference between diamond and a mere blob
of clay, that should be obvious to anyone. So he is lamenting ? ?Why is it
that it has fallen to my lot to have to ?prove? the obvious ? namely, that
gopAlan is the Supreme Deity?.
paramE! ? This is interpreted as the samskRt word ?bharam? ? load. As
explained above, AzhvAr laments at the ?load? of proving the obvious, that
he has to deal with.
ee pAvam Seidu ? The word represented by the single letter pronounced ?ee?
in tamizh means ?to destroy?. ?ee pAvam Seidu? means ?destroying the sins
(that have accumulated over several yuga-s)?.
Ezh ulagum ee pAvam Seidu aruLAl aLippAr yAr ? Who else (other than gopAla
KoLari) can be merciful enough (aurLAl) to protect (aLippAr) all the seven
worlds (Ezh ulagum) by destroying the sins (ee pAvam Seidu) accumulated by
all these worlds over several yuga-s? Note the word ?aruLAl? ? BhagavAn
offers this protection to everyone out of His sheer kRpA.
GopAla KOL ari anRi ? But for the Mighty Lion that is gopAlan (no one else
can eradicate these huge accumulated sins over a fraction of a second). KOL
means ?strength?, and ?ari? refers to Lion. The choice of the name
?gopAlan? by AzhvAr in this pASuram is significant. Even though He is only
a cowherd boy in this incarnation, still He is the Protector of all the
worlds nonetheless. He has declared in the gItA ? aham tvA sarva pApebhyo
mokshayishyAmi mA SucaH (18.66) ? ?I will release you from all sins. Grieve
not?.
Who is this gopAla kOL ari?
mA pAvam viDa ararkkup piccai Sei - The same One who relieved Siva from the
great sin (mA pAvam viDa) of brahma hatti dosham, by giving him alms (piccai
Sei) when Siva committed the mahA pApam of brahma hatti doshsam by plucking
one of the heads of his own father, brahmA. In matsya purANam, we find that
Siva himself declares that out of intense anger, his eyes became red, and he
plucked the head of brahmA with the nail of his left hand. This brahmA is
none other than the father of Siva, and is known as loka ?guru (the guru for
the whole world). So what he did was mA pAvam ? Great sin.
This is one of the pASuram-s where AzhvAr?s message is straight and direct
about who the Supreme Deity is, and where Siva and brahmA stand with respect
to the Supreme Deity ? gopAla kOlari.
TRIMURTI?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 7
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------trimurti-s
in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 7.
2.2.3: (11)
ERanip pUvanaip pU-magaL tannai
vERinRi viN tozhat tannuL vaittu
mEl tannai mIdiDa nimirndu maN koNDa
mAl tannil mikkum Or deivam uLadE ?
In the ten pASuram-s of the current tiruvAimozhi (2.2), nammAzhvAr
repeatedly hammers at us that there is no Deity who can be supreme
over kaNNan.
In the current pASuram, he again reminds us of both the parattvam
and sauSIlyam of perumAL, and jogs our ability to rationally think
and understand the truth.
emperumAn has accommodated on His tirumEni (Dvine Body),
the Supreme Periya pirATTi (the Divine Mother, mahA Lakshmi)
on the one hand, and the likes of rudra and brahmA on the other,
without discrimination. He did this out of His sauSIlyam,
His ability to mix with anyone and everyone without minding His Supremacy.
Realizing this sauSIlyam of His, the deva-s in the upper worlds worship Him.
We also know His parattvam by His unimaginable actions such as
His measuring the three worlds in His tri-vikrama incarnation.
This same action of bhagavAn that shows His parattvam, is in fact a
display of His affection to all the creatures in all the worlds -
He blessed all the beings without distinction by giving them the
touch of His Lotus Feet. Thus, this act is one that demonstrates
His sauSIlyam as well.
AzhvAr asks: Who else is there, other than this great tiru mAl,
that can come anywhere close to even being considered to be the
Supreme Deity?
ERanai ? One who has Rshbha or the bull as his vAhana or vehicle.
A reference to Siva.
AzhvAr is contrasting him with One who has garuDa as His vAhana.
pUvanai ? One who was born from the lotus flower from Lord vishNu?s navel.
A reference to brahmA.
Perhaps because brahmA is born from the lotus, he is falsely proud
that he is really ?not born?.
pU-magal tannai ? pirATTi, who is seated in the lotus flower.
AzhvAr refers to pirATTi as ?unakku Erkkum kOla malarp pAvai? ?
She is in every way comparable to Him (na anayor vidyate param).
The addition ?tannai? is to distinguish the great pirATTi from
?ERan and pUvan?.rudra and brahmA will take some other birth
at the end of their current birth, depending on their karma-s,
whereas pU magaL will always be pU magaL.
vERu inRi ? Without distinguishing between them;
Irrespective of the greatness of pirATTi on the one hand,
and the relative insignificance of rudra and brahmA on the other,
He gave them all a place in His body without distinction.
Why?
Because of His great sauSIlyam.
viN tozhat tannuL vaittu ? He included rudra and brahmA in His body
along with periya pirATTi, and seeing this display of His sauSIlyam,
the deva-s in the upper worlds worship Him.
Having thus sung perumAL?s sauSIlyam, now AzhvAr sings about
His parattvam or Supremacy through a reference to His trivikrama
incarnation.
mEl tannai mIdiDa nimirndu maN koNDa ?
He measured all the worlds above without exception (mIdiDa).
mAl tanil ? Refers to tirumAl ? Lord vishNu.
mAl literally means ?Person of greatness?.
Here it refers to the One Who measured the three worlds ? emperumAn.
mikkum Or deivam uLadE? ? Who ever can even think that there is a
greater God than this One?
On the one hand, we have the One Who placed His Divine Feet on
everyone and everything without distinction during His trivikrama
incarnation, and on the other, there are these gods who worship
these Divine Feet of Lord vishNu.
Who is Supreme among these?
There is brahmA who performed pAda pUjA worship for this trivikraman
as He was measuring the upper worlds, and there is rudra who bore the
waters that flowed out of this Mighty trivikraman?s Feet on his head
in the form of Ganges.
Are these later two the supreme deities, or is tri-vikraman the obvious
Supreme Deity beyond any doubt?
Who is the Supreme out of these three ? trivikrama, rudra, or brahmA?
What is there to be confused about in this?
svAmi deSikan stresses the aspect of bhagavAn?s greatness as displayed
in His vAmana incarnation as the emphasis of this pASuram ?
vAmanatve mahAntam ? om vAmanatve mahate namaH.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2.4: (12)
tEvum ep-poruLum paDaikka
pUvil nAn-muganaip paDaitta
dEvan em-perumAnukku allAl
pUvum pUSanaiyum tagumE ?
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr specifically reminds us that it is bhagavAn
Lord vishNu who created brahmA, and then empowered him to create other
beings including all the deva-s and everything else.
AzhvAr points out that it is this emperumAn who deserves to be worshipped
by everyone through flowers and other offerings, and NO ONE ELSE.
Note that through this pASuram nammAzhvAr clearly points out that
devatAntara pUja should not be performed.
tEvum ep-poruLum paDaikka ? For the purpose of creating all the deva-s
and all other things in this world.
pUvil nAn-muganaip paDaitta dEvan ? The Lord Who created the four-faced
brahmA in the lotus flower arising out of His navel -
A reference to Lord vishNu.
dEvan ? One Who has Creation as One of His leelA-s (derived from the
samskRt root: div ? krIDau ? to play etc.), or One Who is resplendent and
beautiful (derived from the samskRt root div ? to shine).
Here the vyAkhyAna kartA-s emphasize the saukumAryam or
?never-diminishing Youthfulness? of this
Unborn, non-aging, never-ending Purusha (ajaH, ajaraH, amaraH) ?
Lord vishNu.
The term ?devan? signifies delicacy and tenderness.
In this pASuram, AzhvAr reminds us that the ?delicate, beautiful,
and soft? flowers are meant for the worship of the One Who is the
most beautiful and delicate
? SrIman nArAyaNa, and not anyone else.
em-perumAn ? Refers to the Supremacy of bhagavAn.
Thus, the use of the words ?devan? and ?emperumAn? are both significant ?
one referring to His saukumAryam, and the other referring to His Supremacy.
dEvan emperumAnukku allAl ? If it is not for this Supreme Deity,
pUvum pUSanaiyum tagumE? ? Who else deserves to be offered the flowers
and other offerings of worship?
(No one else deserves to be decorated or worshipped
? That is AzhvAr?s categorical conclusion and declaration
through this pASuram).
?pU taguvadu sundaranukku; pUSanai taguvadu sarvESvaranAi iruppAnukku? ?
Flowers are befitting for One Who is most beautiful; Worship is befitting
One who is the Supreme Deity.
PerumAL is both, and thus, pUvum pUSanaiyum are befitting only Him,
and no one else.
Flowers are used to decorate a form, and so ?pUvum? here is chosen by AzhvAr
to denote the decoration to be offered to the beautiful Divine Form of
emperumAn.
?pUSanai? refers to worship, and thus it denotes the worship to be offered
to
Lord vishNu who is the undisputed Supreme Deity in AzhvAr?s determination.
Even when any offering is made to anya devatA-s with the declaration ?
?na mama? ? ?these do not belong to us?,
(which is how divine offerings are to be made),
these anya devatA-s in turn offer these to emperumAn,
saying ?these do not belong to us?.
Thus again, bhagavAn is the final destination of all offerings,
and is thus the only One fit to be worshipped with these offerings.
In his SaraNAgati gadyam, bhagavad rAmAnuja describes bhagavAn as
?niratiSaya aujvalya, saundarya, saukumArya, lAvaNya, yauvanAdi
ananta guNa nidhi divya rUpa? ? referring to His Divine tirumEni
which is beyond the reach of thought, ever existing, pure and unsullied,
pre-eminently excellent, of brilliant loveliness, sweet smelling,
charming with the prime of youthfulness ?
a Form full of such a whole treasure of excellences.
Note that nammAzhvAr?s emphatic declaration ?
?devan emperumAnukku allAl pUvum pUSanaiyum tagAdu?,
is not any half-hearted declaration on the parattvam of perumAL,
but a statement of unswerving conviction by nammAzhvAr.
It is this same conviction that is reflected in AzhvAr?s
declarations in all the pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi so far:
- alladu illai Or kaNNE ? (2.2.1) ?
There is no one more Supreme than Him; He is the Eye of all the Universes.
- kOLa ari ERu anRi aruLAl aLippAr Ar? (2.2.2) -
There is no one else except gopAla who can protect all these worlds
from the enormous sins, and thus He alone is the Supreme Deity.
- mAl tanil mikkum Or daivam uLadE?(2.2.3) -
Who ever can even think that there is a greater God than tiru mAl ?
Lord vishNu?
- pUvum pUSaiyum tagumE? ? current pASuram ?
Who else, other than emperumAn, is fit to be decorated and worshipped
with beautiful flowers? (No One else).
Note the subtle difference in the use of the term ?devu? for the other
deities, and ?devan? for vAsudevan.
The difference between the terms ?devu? and ?devan?
is like the difference between the words ?adu? and ?avan? in tamizh.
There are many ?devu-s?, but He is the Only devan
(eko devaH sarva bhUteshu gUDhaH)
? There is Only One devan, Who is the antaryAmi in everything else;
divyo deva eko nArAyaNaH ? There is Only One God who has Creation,
Protection and Destruction as His sport, and that is nArAyaNa.
?devan? is ?One Who has all the devu-s as His possession?).
The ?other deities? are still called ?devu? because they still continue
to be worshipped by some.
The beauty of bhagavAn?s tirumEni is brought out in this pASuram
(devan, pUvum pUSanaiyum tagumE), as also His parattvam or Supremacy
(nAn-muganaip paDaitta emperumAn
2. ?TRIMURTI?- IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 8
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
-----------------------------------------------------
2.2.9: (13)
kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn
SErkkai Seidu tan undi uLLE
vAitta tiSai-mugan indiran vAnavar
AkkinAn deiva ulagugaLE.
This pASuram states that kaNNan pirAn has, as His inherent nature, the
function of protection. Traditionally, it is believed that brahmA is the
creator, vishNu is the Protector, and rudra is the destroyer. In this
pASuram, AzhvAr clarifies that a) bhagavAn is the true Creator, Protector,
and Destroyer all in one, and b) bhagvAn performs the functions of creation
and destruction only as a prelude to protection, or a means to protection of
the jIva-s as His aim, and so He is by nature One Who is dedicated to
protection of the jIva-s in all His acts.
AzhvAr points out how bhagavAn is responsible for all three major functions,
namely, protection, destruction and creation. Since it is well accepted
that bhagavAn is responsible for the function of protection, AzhvAr does not
address this specifically. But he deals with the functions of destruction
and creation in this pASuram, and points out that bhagavAn is responsible
for these functions as well, and that He undertakes these other functions
also only for the purpose of the ultimate protection of the jIva-s, and thus
all His functions are directed towards protection, and so He is ?kAkkum
iyalvinan?.
We all know that bhagavAn is credited with the greatest of all samhaAra-s -
the total destruction of everything at the time of pralaya. Thus, it is
clear that He is responsible for samhAram in its ultimate limit. What some
of us have not realized is that this is really protection in truth, because
He protects all the jIva-s in His stomach at the time of pralaya. It is a
prelude to the next cycle of creation that is in the welfare of the jIva-s,
by giving them another opportunity to attain Him by giving them another body
and all the comforts to enjoy in His next cycle of creation.
Now, if we look at the day-to-day instances of the ?death? of creatures,
again the traditional view is that rudra or Siva is responsible for this
?destruction? on a smaller scale than the pralaya. In truth, again it is
bhagavAn who is responsible for this act of ?destruction? as well, since He
is the One Who created rudra and then gave Him the power and responsibility
for this function of ?destruction?. In other words, rudra performs his
function of destruction at this level, because bhagavAn is acting through
rudra by being His antaryAmi. And the ?death? that is considered
destruction by some, is really an act of protection by bhagavAn, since He is
causing this ?destruction? so that the jIva will discard the old and
worn-out body, and get another body that is new and fresh, and will get yet
another opportunity to perform kainkaryam to Him and attain Him in this new
birth. This level of destruction is also undertaken by Him, only as a means
of the ultimate protection of the jIva.
A similar situation is true with respect to creation. BhagavAn is the One
who creates brahmA first from the brahmANDam that emanates from His navel,
and then gives him the power to create all other things, and thus He is the
true Creator through brahmA also. Thus, it is kaNNan who is responsible for
the creation, protection, and destruction, and no one else. In the four
short lines of this pASuram, nammAzhvAr has packed a lot of deep concepts,
which will be discussed in more detail below.
kAkkum iyalvinan ? It is bhagavAn?s nature to protect the jIva-s. This is
what He considers more important than the functions of samhAram and
creation. These other two functions are done only to facilitate the
protection of the jIva-s, so that ultimately the jIva-s will attain moksham,
and join Him in SrI vaikunTham for ever.
kaNNa perumAn ? kaNNan who is sarveSvaran. The term ?perumAn? is used along
with ?kaNNan? to clarify that bhagavAn takes different incarnations such as
kaNNan, but in all these incarnations, He is full of all His Supreme
qualities without any diminution.
kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn ? The Supreme Deity (perumAn) takes
incarnations for the primary purpose of protection, because this is His very
nature (kAkkum iyalvinan). Note Lord kRshNa?s declaration ? paritrANAya
sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm ? For the protection of the good, and the
destruction of the evil. Protection is mentioned first, and destruction
only follows as the next function in importance. Like removing the weeds
so that the intended grains can grow, destruction of the evil is only for
the protection of the good.
SErkkai Seidu - ?SErttuk koLLudal? - By making everything merge into Him at
the time of pralaya.
kAkkum iyalvinan ? SErkkai Seidu ?. AkkinAn:
- The first set of words ? kAkkum iyalvinan, refers to the function
of protection, which is His nature.
- Serkkai Seidu ? The second set of words refers to the function
of destruction. This is subservient to the function of protection. It is
for the purpose of protecting the jIva-s from being destroyed during the
pralaya, that He saves everything in His stomach at the time of pralaya,
even ensuring that they do not bump into each other and suffer any damage.
- AkkinAn ? The third function in this sequence, namely creation,
is dependent on the previous step, that of samhAram, which again was meant
for protection.
In order of importance, protection is the most important. By saying ?kAkkum
iyalvinan AkkinAn?, AzhvAr emphasizes that the main purpose is protection,
and creation is only a means of protection ? giving a body to the jIva-s so
that they can expend their karma-s and attain Him. By saying ?SErkkai Seidu
AkkinAn?, AzhvAr clarifies that Serikkai Seidal or destruction is again a
prelude to ?Akkal? or creation.
undi uLLE ? in His navel.
vAitta tiSai mugan, indiran, vAnavar AkkinAn ? He created brahmA, indra, and
all the other deva-s, out of the jIva-s that had accumulated enough good
deeds to deserve these positions (vAitta).
daiva ulagugaLE AkkinAn - He also created the divine worlds for brahmA,
indra, etc. to live and rule. Note that even the worlds in which the likes
of brahmA and indra live, are all created by bhagavAn, and thus, He is the
Creator of everything, including everything that existed before these
deva-s, and everything after these deva-s, in addition to the deva-s
themselves.
All the beings originated in the brahmANDam, which appeared out of the navel
of Lord vishNu. At the time that the brahmANDa gets destroyed, Siva also
gets destroyed, since he is one of the beings in the brahmANDa. It is
bhagavAn SrIman nArAyaNa who starts the function of creation all over, and
He maintains and controls the cycle of creation, protection and destruction.
Thus, in this pASuram, AzhvAr declares that all the three functions ?
Protection, destruction and creation, are performed by bhagavAn, and He is
the same One who takes Divine incarnations in the forms of kRshNa, rAma,
varAha, matsya, etc.
People can rationally ask: ?Protection and destruction are opposites of
each other, and conflicting when the same Deity ? Lord vishNu, is declared
to be responsible for both. In addition, Lord vishNu is primarily associated
with the function of protection. So how do we explain this pASuram, which
declares that He is the One who is responsible for all the three functions.
AzhvAr clarifies that bhagavAn is ?kAkkum iyalvinan?, and the other
functions, those of destruction and creation, are undertaken because they
are aids to the function of protection of the jIva. He protects the jIva-s
at the time of pralaya by merging them with Him in His stomach ? which we
call ?samhAram? or destruction. He protects the jIva when the body the jIva
has becomes old, by giving them a new body ? which we call the function of
creation. Neither brahmA nor rudra are concerned about the protection of
the jIva ? they just do their assigned functions. Only bhagavAn has the
sole objective of protecting the jIva-s in all His actions.
To recaptitulate, among the concepts conveyed in this pASuram are: 1. The
incarnations such as kaNNan, rAman, etc., are all those of emperumAn; He
retains all His kalyANa guNa-s in full in these incarnations; 2. It is
bhagavAn?s inherent and essential Nature to protect the jIva-s, and whatever
He does is for the protection of the jIva-s; 3. He is the One who is
responsible for the functions of creation and destruction in addition to
protection, and the first two are undertaken by Him for the purpose of
protection as the principal goal; 4. He is the One who created the likes of
brahmA, Siva. etc.,and the worlds which they rule over, and thus, He is the
One and Only Supreme Deity.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as ?rakshNAya avatIrNam? ?
BhagavAn takes incarnations solely for the purpose of protection. The
destruction of rAvaNa, hiraNyakaSipu etc., really result in their attaining
moksham ? the ultimate protection, even though we only see them as ?killing
of rAvaNa or hiraNyakaSipu?.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2.10: (14)
kaLvA! emmaiyum Ezhulagum nin
uLLE tORRiya iRaiva! enRu
veL ERan nAn-mugan indiran vAnavar
puL Urdi kazhal paNindu EttuvarE.
Through this pASuram, nammAzhvAr is appealing to those who still consider
rudra, brahmA etc., as supreme deities, and advising them that they should
at least follow the lead of brahmA, rudra, etc., who themselves worship the
Lotus Feet of the One Who has garuDa as His vehicle, and praise Him as their
Creator.
iRaiva!- Our Lord and Master!
emmaiyum Ezh ulagum nin uLLE tORRiya ? You Who created us and everything
else in all the seven worlds in You.
- nin uLLE ? Inside You. This signifies that He is the upAdAna
kAraNa, and there was no other Material Cause other than Him.
- tORRiya ? He who thus created. This signifies that He is the
nimitta kAraNa also (analogous to the pot maker ? see write-up for pASuram
1.5.4).
enRu ? so declaring
veL Eran, nAnmugan, indiran, vAnavar ? Siva - who has the while bull as his
vAhana or vehicle, brahmA - the four-faced one, indra the king of all
deva-s, and all the other deva-s
puL Urdi kazhal paNindu EttuvarE ? They all worship the Lotus Feet of the
One who has garuDa as His vehicle or vAhana (Lord vishNu).
kaLva! - We have not so far covered the first word of this pASuram ?
?kaLvA!? Rudra, brahmA, and all the deva-s worship Him by calling to Him as
?iRaiva? ? The Lord and Master of all. In addition, or even before that,
they call Him ?kaLva!?: This term means ?One who steals?, or ?One Who hides
the facts?, or ?One Who pretends to be someone different from what he is?.
In the current context, the reference is to His hiding His svAtantRyam or
absolute independence in His incarnations, and instead, making it appear
that He is dependent on others. When the deva-s point out to rAma that He
is none other the Supreme Deity, He insists that He is just another human,
the son of daSartha (AtmAnam mAnusham manye). In other words, during His
incarnations, on the one hand, He has all the kalyANa guNa-s as the Supreme
deity in full and intact, but He does not reveal them externally, and
instead, behaves consistent with whatever form He has chosen to take in that
incarnation.
The simplest examples of this are His kRshNa incarnation and rAma
incarnation. In His kRshNa incarnation, He takes ?birth? in a yAdava
family, and gets beaten up by yaSodA, gets tied to a mortar, and cries as if
He is totally helpless. In His rAma incarnation, He gets driven to the
forest because of the actions of a hunch-backed woman. And all along, He
has all the powers of the Supreme Deity, even though He does not reveal it
to most around him. The short-sighted duryodhana tries to make Him fall
into a pit so that He could tie Him up and ?arrest? Him.
Interestingly, it is not these instances of bhagavAn hiding His parattvam
from the ordinary folks around Him during His incarnations that rudra and
brahmA are referring to here. Instead, they are referring to bhagavAn hiding
His parattvam from themselves, and their falling for it most of the time.
In His incarnations, bhagavAn makes them believe that He is not the Supreme
Deity. They get tricked to the point that they start believing that they
indeed are the supreme deities. When gajendra called out ?AdimUlamE!? ?
?Hey My Supreme Lord! Come and protect me?, all these deities tried to go
and help, each one thinking that he was the supreme deity that was called to
help. This transient loss of understanding on their part is because, in His
incarnations, bhagavAn goes to rudra, brahmA, indra etc., and stands before
them and asks them for ?boons?, just as an ordinary human being.
An example is the ?kailAsa yAtra? undertaken by Lord kRshNa to seek rudra?s
?blessing for a child for rukmiNi?. He goes in front of Siva, and with
folded hands, stands before Siva and chants ?namo ghanTAya karNAya namaH;
kaTa kaTAya ca?, and asks for a boon that ?rukmiNi be blessed with a child?.
A by-stander brAhmin watches this, and noting that the stotram did not sound
normal or natural, and indeed totally awkward and artificial, remarks that
kRshNa?s tongue is not used to praising anyone else, and so it is throbbing
incoherently like a fish out of water. While His tongue is thus not used to
singing the praise of the other deities, the story with the other deities is
just the opposite, as revealed in tiruma?ngai AzhvAr?s pASuram ? nAt
tazhumba nAnmuganum ISanumAi muRaiyAl Etta ? The tongues of brahmA and rudra
are developing scars because of their repeated chanting of the praise of
Lord narasimha (periya tirumozhi 1.7.8).
When bhagavAn hides His Supremacy thus, and goes and stands in front of
these other deities and prays, sometimes the other deities start thinking
that they indeed are the Supreme deities, and become unaware that they are
His Sesha-s and that He is their Master. Thus, they lose their Seshattvam ?
in other words, He has temporarily stolen their positions as His Sesha-s, or
sub-servients to Him, and this is what rudra and brahmA mean by addressing
Him as ?kaLvA!?
svAmi deSikan captures the rasam in this pASuram through the words ?rudrAdi
stutya leelam? ? He who has among His leelA-s, the leelA of praising the
likes of rudra as supreme.
--------------------------------------------------------------
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 9
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
----------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 9.
2.5.2: (15)
tiru uDambu vAn SuDar; Sen tAmarai kaN kai kamalam
tiru iDamE mArvam; ayan iDamE koppUzh
oruvu iDamum endai perumARku aranE O!
oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukkE.
Several important tattva-s are emphasized in this pASuram: i) Unlike the
claim made by some that the Supreme Brahman is without form or shape, and is
only Pure Bliss, bhagavAn indeed is One who has beautiful tiru mEni or
Divine Form. ii) brahmA and rudra take shelter in His Divine Form for
their sustenance; iii) BhagavAn likes His devotees so much that He, who has
brahmA and rudra resorting to Him for sustenance, goes to His devotees and
mixes with them freely as if He depends on them for His own sustenance.
AzhvAr describes the beautiful form of bhagavAn at the start:
- tiru uDambu vAn SuDar ? His Divine Body is shining resplendently
with incomparable effulgence. This effulgence becomes even more intense as
He embraces nammAzhvAr, His devotee. This is the best blessing that He
confers on those who love Him selflessly. We have Lord rAma?s own words
confirming this. Lord rAma is so moved by hanumAn?s devotion and service to
Him, that He declares that the best blessing that He can give to His devotee
is His whole-hearted embrace:
esha sarvasvabhUtastu parishva?ngo mahAtmanaH |
mayA kAlam imam prApya dattas-tasya hanUmataH || (yuddha. 1.13)
- kaN Sem tAmarai ? His eyes are beautiful reddish color like the
freshly blossoming lotus.
- kai kamalam ? His hands that embrace nammAzhvAr are beautifully
delicate and cool like lotus flowers.
- tiru iDamE mArvam ? mahA Lakshmi resides on His vaksha sthalam or
chest. She is the One Who is responsible for bhagavAn blessing His devotee
by His divine embrace with intense affection.
- ayan iDamE koppUzh ? brahmA, who is the creator of the fourteen
worlds, originated from, resides in, and is sustained through, His navel.
- endai perumARku oruvu iDam aranE ? Whatever is left behind in the
Divine Body of this Supreme emperumAn, is then given to aran or rudra.
- oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukku ? This emperumAn, who has
thus given shelter to the likes of brahmA and rudra on His Divine Body,
loves me so much, that He embraces me with His whole tirumEni. Such is His
attachment to His devotee.
- O! ? What a wonder! How great is His sauSIlyam, that He
associates with such a lowly being as myself, and enjoys this mingling with
me to such an extent that His Whole Divine form shines even more beautifully
than before, as a result of His embracing me.
BhagavAn? tiru uDambu, which is ?vAn SuDar? to start with, becomes even more
of a ?vAn SuDar? by this mingling with His devotee.
vAn SuDar ? The use of the word ?vAn? ? ?sky?, as an adjective for His
tejas, is to signify the indescribable and infinite nature of this
effulgence.
The anubhavam of this pASuram is even more enhanced if we interpret the
words ?ayan iDamE koppUzh? as ?ayan iDam koppUzhE? ? BrahmA has the navel
alone as His place of residence in BhagavAn?s tirumEni, whereas AzhvAr has
been blessed with a place on bhagavAn?s whole tirumEni (oruvu iDam onRu inRi
ennul kalandAn).
We saw in tiruvAimozhi 1.9 that bhagavAn had occupied every indriya of
nammAzhvAr, such that all that AzhvAr was seeing, hearing, smelling,
feeling, touching etc., was only emperumAn, and nothing else. Thus,
bhagavAn had occupied every part of nammAzhvAr?s body and mind without any
space left to occupy. Now, bhagavAn is having the same experience of
nammAzhvAr - AzhvAr is occupying every part of emperumAn?s Divine Body
without exception; in other words, bhagavAn?s love of His devotee is such
that He is fully engrossed in blessing His devotee with such dedication..
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the phrase
?sughaTita dayitam? in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi. ?sughaTitam? means ?properly
fitting?, ?matching nicely?. dayitA refers to One who is beloved, and in
the context of bhagavAn this refers to pirATTi (note ?SrI vE?nkaTeSa dayite
tava suprabhAtam?, where the reference is to pirATTi). In the current
pASuram, there is a reference to pirATTi being nicely accommodated in
bhagavAn?s vaksha sthalam, and brahmA and rudra in other parts of His
tirumEni. But even more importantly, nammAzhvAr is enjoying how bhagavAn
has blessed him with His divine embrace thoroughly with the whole of His
tirumEni. Thus, in the context of this pASuram, it is appropriate to
interpret the term ?dayitA? as a reference to His dear devotee, nammAzhvAr.
The emphasis of this pASuram is the blessing that bhagavAn has conferred
on AzhvAr through His Ali?nganam, which He Himself declares is the greatest
blessing He can confer on a devotee.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.7.12: (16)
dAmOdaranait tani mudalvanai j~nAlam uNDavanai
AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL
dAmOdaran uruvAgiya SivaRkum tiSai mugarkkum
AmO taram aRiya, emmAnai en Azhi vaNNanaiyE?
In this pASuram, nammAzhvar first describes how rudra and brahmA wonder
aloud at the greatness of emperumAn that is beyond description, and feel
that He cannot be understood by most of us (implying that they alone can
understand and realize His greatness). Then AzhvAr asks: Do Siva and brahmA
really understand the greatness of emperumAn? He is beyond their
understanding as well, even though they do not realize that.
dAmOdaran uruvAgiya Sivarkkum tiSai mugarkkum ? The various Siva-s and
brahmA-s (there is a Siva and a brahmA for each of the countless number of
worlds that bhagavAn has created; hence the plural ? pratyaNDam Siva
bhedena Siva-bahutvAt bhauvacanam) are all part of the body of dAmOdaran,
just as all the other movable and immovable things in all the Universes are.
AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL ? They worship dAmodara
declaring that it will be impossible for anyone (except them) to understand
the true nature of dAmOdara.
dAmOdaranai ? Rudra and brahmA worship bhagavAn Who has dAmOdaran as one of
His Divine names. This name for bhagavAn denotes that He is One who had
placed Himself at the disposal of one of His devotees, yaSOdA, specifically
to be tied up by her affection to a mortar as she wished, with a piece of
rope. BhagavAn?s subservience to His devotees is brought by the choice of
this nAma by AzhvAr ? His ASrita paratantrattvam.
tani mudalvanai ? He Who is the One and Only Supreme Deity. He is the One
from whom all else was created, without any other external means or help
(see pASuram 1.5.4 - tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi?, and chAndogya upa. 6.2.1 ?
sadeva somya idamagra AsIt; ekameva advitIyam ? ?All this universe of
diverse names and forms was prior to creation only one sat, the ever
existent Reality, ParamAtman and Non-second?). The fact that bhagavAn is
the Sole cause of all the Universes is brought out by AzhvAr?s choice of the
words ?tani mudalvan? to describe emperumAn ? His being the
sarva-jagad-eka-kAraNan.
j~nAlam uNDavanai ? He is also the One Who swallowed all the Universes at
the time of pralaya. As has been noted before, this is done by bhagavAn to
protect all the jIva-s (kAkkum iyalvinan ? pASuram 2.2.9). AzhvAr?s choice
of these words express the fact that bhagavAn is the Protector of all the
Universes ? sarva jagad-rakshakan.
emmAnai ? He is my Master and Lord
en Azhi vaNNanai ? My own Lord Who has the hue of the blue ocean.
AmO taram aRiya? - Can these various Siva-s and brahmA-s really truly
understand the true nature of my Supreme Lord? Can they ever be able to
comprehend and enjoy Him the way He has allowed Himself to be enjoyed by me?
BhagavAn is One Whose greatness is incomprehensible ? One with
aparicchedya mahattvam.
His true nature is that He becomes totally subservient to His devotee,
protection is His primary concern in all that He does, His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam dominate over His parattvam when it comes to His devotees, He is
full of infinite kalyANa guNa-s, etc.
Among the tattva-s brought out by nammAzhvAr in this pASuram are: I)
bhagavAn makes Himself totally sub-servient to His devotee; ii) He is the
Sole cause of all the Universes; iii) He is the Protector of everything in
all the Universes; iv) brahmA and rudra are part of His body; v)
BhagavAn?s mahattvam is beyond comprehension even by the likes of brahmA and
rudra.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the words ?bandha
moktA? to describe the guNa of bhagavAn reflected in this pASuram. The
meaning is ?One Who relieves us from our bondage?. This has to do with the
nAma dAmodaran that AzhvAr uses as the first word of this pASuram.
?dAmOdaran? means ?One Who has the waist that was tied up using the rope? ?
kaNNi nuN Sirut tAmbinAl kaTTuNNap paNNiya peru mAyan. Our AcArya-s have
taught us that meditating on bhagavAn?s guNa-s, such as the saulabhyam and
suaSIlaym that He reveals to us by taking incarnations amongst us and by
allowing Himself to be tied by the love and devotion of His devotees, will
in turn relieve us from our bondages of samsAra. This pASuram is the last
of twelve pASuram-s in this tiruvAimozhi that describe the dvAdaSa nAma-s
(twelve nAma-s, starting with keSava, nArAyaNa, etc.), followed by the 13th
pASuram that is the ?phala Sruti?
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 10
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 10
2.5.2: (15)
tiru uDambu vAn SuDar; Sen tAmarai kaN kai kamalam
tiru iDamE mArvam; ayan iDamE koppUzh
oruvu iDamum endai perumARku aranE O!
oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukkE.
Several important tattva-s are emphasized in this pASuram:
i) Unlike the claim made by some that the Supreme Brahman is without form
or shape, and is only Pure Bliss, bhagavAn indeed is One who has beautiful tiru
mEni or Divine Form.
ii) brahmA and rudra take shelter in His Divine Form for their sustenance;
iii) BhagavAn likes His devotees so much that He, who has brahmA and rudra
resorting to Him for sustenance, goes to His devotees and mixes with them
freely as if He depends on them for His own sustenance.
AzhvAr describes the beautiful form of bhagavAn at the start:
tiru uDambu vAn SuDar ? His Divine Body is shining resplendently
with incomparable effulgence. This effulgence becomes even more intense as
He embraces nammAzhvAr, His devotee. This is the best blessing that He
confers on those who love Him selflessly. We have Lord rAma?s own words
confirming this. Lord rAma is so moved by hanumAn?s devotion and service to
Him, that He declares that the best blessing that He can give to His devotee
is His whole-hearted embrace:
esha sarvasvabhUtastu parishva?ngo mahAtmanaH |
mayA kAlam imam prApya dattas-tasya hanUmataH || (yuddha. 1.13
- kaN Sem tAmarai ? His eyes are beautiful reddish color like the
freshly blossoming lotus.
- kai kamalam ? His hands that embrace nammAzhvAr are beautifully
delicate and cool like lotus flowers.
- tiru iDamE mArvam ? mahA Lakshmi resides on His vaksha sthalam or
chest. She is the One Who is responsible for bhagavAn blessing His devotee
by His divine embrace with intense affection.
- ayan iDamE koppUzh ? brahmA, who is the creator of the fourteen
worlds, originated from, resides in, and is sustained through, His navel.
- endai perumARku oruvu iDam aranE ? Whatever is left behind in the
Divine Body of this Supreme emperumAn, is then given to aran or rudra.
- oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukku ? This emperumAn, who has
thus given shelter to the likes of brahmA and rudra on His Divine Body,
loves me so much, that He embraces me with His whole tirumEni. Such is His
attachment to His devotee.
- O! ? What a wonder! How great is His sauSIlyam, that He
associates with such a lowly being as myself, and enjoys this mingling with
me to such an extent that His Whole Divine form shines even more beautifully
than before, as a result of His embracing me.
BhagavAn? tiru uDambu, which is ?vAn SuDar? to start with, becomes even more
of a ?vAn SuDar? by this mingling with His devotee.
vAn SuDar ? The use of the word ?vAn? ? ?sky?, as an adjective for His
tejas, is to signify the indescribable and infinite nature of this
effulgence.
The anubhavam of this pASuram is even more enhanced if we interpret the
words ?ayan iDamE koppUzh? as ?ayan iDam koppUzhE? ? BrahmA has the navel
alone as His place of residence in BhagavAn?s tirumEni, whereas AzhvAr has
been blessed with a place on bhagavAn?s whole tirumEni (oruvu iDam onRu inRi
ennul kalandAn).
We saw in tiruvAimozhi 1.9 that bhagavAn had occupied every indriya of
nammAzhvAr, such that all that AzhvAr was seeing, hearing, smelling,
feeling, touching etc., was only emperumAn, and nothing else. Thus,
bhagavAn had occupied every part of nammAzhvAr?s body and mind without any
space left to occupy. Now, bhagavAn is having the same experience of
nammAzhvAr - AzhvAr is occupying every part of emperumAn?s Divine Body
without exception; in other words, bhagavAn?s love of His devotee is such
that He is fully engrossed in blessing His devotee with such dedication..
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the phrase
?sughaTita dayitam? in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi. ?sughaTitam? means ?properly
fitting?, ?matching nicely?. dayitA refers to One who is beloved, and in
the context of bhagavAn this refers to pirATTi (note ?SrI vE?nkaTeSa dayite
tava suprabhAtam?, where the reference is to pirATTi). In the current
pASuram, there is a reference to pirATTi being nicely accommodated in
bhagavAn?s vaksha sthalam, and brahmA and rudra in other parts of His
tirumEni. But even more importantly, nammAzhvAr is enjoying how bhagavAn
has blessed him with His divine embrace thoroughly with the whole of His
tirumEni. Thus, in the context of this pASuram, it is appropriate to
interpret the term ?dayitA? as a reference to His dear devotee, nammAzhvAr.
The emphasis of this pASuram is the blessing that bhagavAn has conferred
on AzhvAr through His Ali?nganam, which He Himself declares is the greatest
blessing He can confer on a devotee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.7.12: (16)
dAmOdaranait tani mudalvanai j~nAlam uNDavanai
AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL
dAmOdaran uruvAgiya SivaRkum tiSai mugarkkum
AmO taram aRiya, emmAnai en Azhi vaNNanaiyE?
In this pASuram, nammAzhvar first describes how rudra and brahmA wonder
aloud at the greatness of emperumAn that is beyond description, and feel
that He cannot be understood by most of us (implying that they alone can
understand and realize His greatness). Then AzhvAr asks: Do Siva and brahmA
really understand the greatness of emperumAn? He is beyond their
understanding as well, even though they do not realize that.
dAmOdaran uruvAgiya Sivarkkum tiSai mugarkkum ? The various Siva-s and
brahmA-s (there is a Siva and a brahmA for each of the countless number of
worlds that bhagavAn has created; hence the plural ? pratyaNDam Siva
bhedena Siva-bahutvAt bhauvacanam) are all part of the body of dAmOdaran,
just as all the other movable and immovable things in all the Universes are.
AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL ? They worship dAmodara
declaring that it will be impossible for anyone (except them) to understand
the true nature of dAmOdara.
dAmOdaranai ? Rudra and brahmA worship bhagavAn Who has dAmOdaran as one of
His Divine names. This name for bhagavAn denotes that He is One who had
placed Himself at the disposal of one of His devotees, yaSOdA, specifically
to be tied up by her affection to a mortar as she wished, with a piece of
rope. BhagavAn?s subservience to His devotees is brought by the choice of
this nAma by AzhvAr ? His ASrita paratantrattvam.
tani mudalvanai ? He Who is the One and Only Supreme Deity. He is the One
from whom all else was created, without any other external means or help
(see pASuram 1.5.4 - tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi?, and chAndogya upa. 6.2.1 ?
sadeva somya idamagra AsIt; ekameva advitIyam ? ?All this universe of
diverse names and forms was prior to creation only one sat, the ever
existent Reality, ParamAtman and Non-second?). The fact that bhagavAn is
the Sole cause of all the Universes is brought out by AzhvAr?s choice of the
words ?tani mudalvan? to describe emperumAn ? His being the
sarva-jagad-eka-kAraNan.
j~nAlam uNDavanai ? He is also the One Who swallowed all the Universes at
the time of pralaya. As has been noted before, this is done by bhagavAn to
protect all the jIva-s (kAkkum iyalvinan ? pASuram 2.2.9). AzhvAr?s choice
of these words express the fact that bhagavAn is the Protector of all the
Universes ? sarva jagad-rakshakan.
emmAnai ? He is my Master and Lord
en Azhi vaNNanai ? My own Lord Who has the hue of the blue ocean.
AmO taram aRiya? - Can these various Siva-s and brahmA-s really understand
the true nature of my Supreme Lord? Can they ever be able to comprehend and
enjoy Him the way He has allowed Himself to be enjoyed by me? BhagavAn is
One Whose greatness is incomprehensible ? One with aparicchedya mahattvam.
His true nature is that He becomes totally subservient to His devotee,
protection is His primary concern in all that He does, His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam dominate over His parattvam when it comes to His devotees, He is
full of infinite kalyANa guNa-s, etc.
Among the tattva-s brought out by nammAzhvAr in this pASuram are:
I) bhagavAn makes Himself totally sub-servient to His devotee;
II) He is the Sole cause of all the Universes;
III) He is the Protector of everything in all the Universes;
IV) brahmA and rudra are part of His body;
V) BhagavAn?s mahattvam is beyond comprehension even by the likes of
brahmA and rudra.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the words ?bandha
moktA? to describe the guNa of bhagavAn reflected in this pASuram. The
meaning is ?One Who relieves us from our bondage?. This has to do with the
nAma dAmodaran that AzhvAr uses as the first word of this pASuram.
?dAmOdaran? means ?One Who has the waist that was tied up using the rope? ?
kaNNi nuN Sirut tAmbinAl kaTTuNNap paNNiya peru mAyan. Our AcArya-s have
taught us that meditating on bhagavAn?s guNa-s, such as the saulabhyam and
suaSIlaym that He reveals to us by taking incarnations amongst us and by
allowing Himself to be tied by the love and devotion of His devotees, will
in turn relieve us from our bondages of samsAra. This pASuram is the last
of twelve pASuram-s in this tiruvAimozhi that describe the dvAdaSa nAma-s
(twelve nAma-s, starting with keSava, nArAyaNa, etc.), followed by the 13th
pASuram that is the ?phala Sruti?.
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 11
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
----------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi - Part 11.
1.7 (19):
vAzhttuvAr palarAga; nin uLLE nAnmuganai
?mUzhtta nIl ulagellAm paDai? enRu mudal paDaittAi;
kEzhtta SIr aran mudalAk kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu
Suzhttu amarar tudittAl un tol pugazh mASUNAdE.
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr notes that bhagavAn?s kalyAna guNa-s are
infinite, and even rudra, along with many other deva-s gathering together,
cannot still adequately describe His kalyANa guNa-s, even if they all gather
together, and avoid redundancy in their praise and take turns.
In pASuram 3.1.6, which we did not cover, nammAzhvAr pointed out that all the
four veda-s together are unable to describe His praise adequately (OduvAr Ottu
ellAm ev-vulagattu ev-evaiyum SAduvAi nin pugazhin tagai allAl piRidu illai ?
Not all the veda-s and their variants in all the different worlds, including
those in brahma loka, indra loka, etc., can adequately describe Your
greatness). By this is meant that those who are knowledgeable in the veda-s
are also not adequately able to describe Your greatness. Now the question is:
Can those who have perfected their meditation and who have
tried to attain You thus through tapas etc., successfully describe Your
greatness fully and adequately? AzhvAr says they also cannot succeed in
completely describing His kalyANa guNa-s fully. The likes of rudra, who is
known for his superior knowledge, and sages such as vyAsa etc., from all the
different worlds, collected together, will be unable to achieve this feat
either.
nin uLLE nAnmuganai ?mUzhtta nIr ulagu ellAm paDai? enRu mudal paDaittAi? ?
You first created brahmA from Yourself, and entrusted him with the job of
creation of all things in the world surrounded by the great waters.
vAzhttuvAr pala Aga ? (brahmA created many others) Just so that there will be
many more people who can sing His praise.
Or, vAzhttuvAr palar Aguga ? Let there be many more who can sing Your
praise.
kEzhtta SIr aran mudalA ? Even the likes of rudra who are endowed with superior
knowledge (kEzh ? light, here meaning knowledge. SIr ? of superior quality).
Siva is considered very gifted in knowledge ? Sa?nkarAt j~nAnam anvicchet. SrI
uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya points out that AzhvAr uses the wording ?aran mudalA?
instead of ?avan mudalA?, and thus, brahmA is not included in the scope of this
pASuram, and only rdura and other deva-s following him in creation are included
here.
kiLar deivamAik kiLarndu SUzhttu amarar tudittAl ? even if all other deities
who are endowed with divine knowledge join together with rudra, and try to
describe Your greatness,
kiLar deivamAi ? with all their enhanced divine powers at their command; with
divine qualities that are far above the natural knowledge level etc.
kiLarndu ? with their best efforts
SUzhttu amarar tudittAl ? even if all the deities took turns one by one, and
chose to describe Your guNa-s without repetition
un tol pugazh mASuNAdE? ? They collectively cannot do justice to Your
indescribable and eternal greatness.
Note that in the first two lines, nammAzhvAr notes that brahmA was created by
bhagavAn, and so it is implied that his knowledge about bhagavAn is limited.
Then brahmA created rudra and others, and even though they are gifted with a
high level of knowledge, still they are bound by their karma-s, and so their
knowledge is also limited. But if all the best of them collect together and
attempt to describe bhagavAn?s kalyANa guNa-s, they will end up not doing
justice to the task.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram as ?stotra atikrAnta kIrtim?
? He Whose kIrti or fame is beyond the limits of praise and description.
------------------------------------------------
3.1.8 (20):
mASUNAc cuDar uDambAi malarAdu kuviyAdu
mASUNA j~nAnamAi muzhudumAi muzhudu iyanRAi!
mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn vazhi paTTAl
mASUNA una pAda malarc-cOdi mazhu?ngAdE?
?Even the father of rudra, namely brahmA, who has been bestowed by You with
flawless knowledge, will not be able to describe Your Glory adequately?.
One can argue: Already the point was made in the previous pASuram that rudra
and all the deva-s together will be unable to sing His praise adequately. So
brahmA could have been included in this, and thus, is there any repetition
here? Two main explanations are given to address this point.
One is that in the previous pASuram, AzhvAr is referring to all deva-s from
rudra and others following him, but had not included brahmA, who is the creator
of all these other deva-s, and in the current pASuram he is specifically
referring to brahmA. BrahmA is separately mentioned here because unlike rudra
and the others who are subject to the tamo guNa, brahmA is free from the tamo
guNa, and is also endowed with full knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of
creation.
The other explanation given assumes that brahmA, the creator of all beings, is
included in the previous pASuram. In this explanation, it is interpreted that
the brahmA that is referred to in the current pASuram is a hypothetical brahmA
who is fully dedicated to only praising bhagavAn in all his time, and has no
other distractions such as creation. Then the current pASuram says that even
such a hypothetical brahmA, who is endowed with flawless knowledge
by bhagavAn, and who is fully dedicating himself only to the praise of bhagavAn
with no distraction in functions such as creation, will be unsuccessful in
describing the greatness of bhagavAn?s Lotus Feet.
The following Slokam, referenced by SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcArya, gives a
variant of the above idea:
catumukhAyuH yadi ko?pi vaktro bhaven naraH kvApi viSuddha cetAH |
sa te guNAn ayutaikam amSam vadet na vA devavara prasIda ||
?Even if there were a being with the lifetime of a catur-mukha brahmA, with
flawless knowledge bestowed on him, even such a person will be unsuccessful in
describing completely even a tiny part of Your auspicious qualities?.
The first two pAda-s of this pASuram describe bhagavAn?s unblemished divya
ma?ngala vigraham ? His beautiful tirumEni of Suddha sattva material, that is
beyond aging, decay, disease, etc., ever fresh like the freshly blossomed lotus
flower. Similarly, He is One Who possesses unblemished knowledge that is
complete in all aspects, and is as faultless as His tirumEni. The next two
pAda-s declare that even a hypothetical flawless brahmA, with flawless
knowledge that has been given to him by bhagavAn, and with his only activity
being bhagavad upAsanA, with no function of creation etc. to distract him,
will be unable to describe the great Glory of bhagavAn adequately. His
description will be deficient, and thus flawed.
- malarAdu kuviyAdu ? bhagavAn?s tirumEni is not subject to growth or
decay.
- mASUNA ? (mASu uNNA) ? No flaw touches His tirumEni; it is beyond
any flaw of any kind.
- SuDar uDambAi ? His tirumEni s resplendent, which is natural to Him.
- mASUNA j~nAnamAi ? Similarly His knowledge is beyond all defects
- muzhudumAi ? He is One Who possesses all there is to possess, and He
is everything (or, He Who has everything for His SarIram ? SrImad
tirukkuDanthai ANDavan).
- muzhudu iyanRAi ? He is One Who is the Lord of everything, and Who
controls everything (iyaludal = nirvahittal).
Note the phrase ?sadaika rUpa rUpAya? that we chant in the preface to SrI
vishNu sahasranAmam. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan comments that ?malarAdu
kuviyAdu? can apply to both the tirumEni of bhagavAn, as well as to His
knowledge. One can assign a ?flaw? to bhagavAn?s Atma svarUpam in the sense
that it cannot be easily meditated on except by those sages who have perfected
their meditation over a long period of time; His Divine Feet do not have even
that flaw, and can be meditated on by anyone. They are also flawless because
they provide protection to anyone who surrenders to them.
The next two lines describe that catur-mukha brahmA, who has been endowed with
flawless knowledge by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation, will be unable to
adequately praise the flawless Lotus Feet of bhagavAn.
- mASUNA vAn kOlattu amarar kOn ? The chief among the deva-s
(referring to brahmA) who has been endowed with enormous knowledge that is
flawless, by bhagavAn for the purpose of creation (?vAn kOlattu? can mean ?one
who is decorated with large or many bhUshNa-s? such as knowledge, or ?one who
is endowed with the great wealth of knowledge?. kOlam literally means beauty,
and here it signifies knowledge).
- amarar kOn ? normally refers to indra, but in the context of the
previous and current pASuram-s, the current reference is to brahmA.
- vazhi paTTAl ? if this brahmA tries to praise You and describe Your
greatness fully
- mASUNA un pAda malarc-cOdi ? The greatness of Your flawless Lotus
Feet. By the term ?pAda mAlar?, AzhvAr is referring to bhagavAn?s tirumEni.
- mazh?ngAdE ? cannot be fully described (the description will end up
being deficient)
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 12
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
--------------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 12.
3.1.10 (21):
maRaiyAya nAl vedattuL ninRa malarc-cuDarE!
muRaiyAl iv-vulagu ellAm paDaittu iDandu uNDu umizhndu
aLandAi
piRai ERu SaDaiyAnum nAnmuganum indiranum
iRaiyAdal aRindu Etta vIRRiruttal idu viyappE !
In this pASuram, nammAzhvAr points out that bhagavAn, whom the veda-s reveal to
those who follow the path of dharma and hide from those who follow the path of
adharma, is the One Who creates everything, and protects everything as and when
the need arises (such as lifting the Earth from the Ocean when it was submerged
by the great floods, swallowing everything at the time of mahA pralaya to
protect all the jIva-s, retrieving it from the likes of mahA bali, etc.).
These are just the legitimate roles that bhagavAn plays as the Lord of all,
Creator of all, and Protector of all. It is nothing to be surprised about that
the likes of brahmA, rudra and indra, who were created
by bhagavAn and given the knowledge and powers that they have, worship Him as
the Supreme Deity.
The first pAda (one-fourth) in the pASuram declares that He is One Who is
revealed in the veda-s; the second pAda declares that He is the Supreme Deity;
the third reveals that He is the Creator the brahmA, rudra, indra, etc., and
the One Who has endowed them with knowledge and power that they have;, and the
fourth declares that these other deva-s worship Him as the Supreme Deity.
maRaiyAya nAl vEdattuL ninRa ? maRai means ?that which hides?. And veda means
?that which reveals?. The phrase suggests that the veda-s reveal Him to the
faithful, but hide Him from the unfaithful. BhagavAn is the Only One Who is
revealed by the veda-s as the Supreme Deity, but those who do not deserve to
know this, will get different views from these same veda-s, since it is a
?maRai? (one that hides) for these others.
vEdattuL ninRa malarc-cuDarE! ? O Lord! You are the One Who is very clearly
revealed and praised in the veda-s as the Supreme Deity, over and above any
other deity.
- malarc-cuDarE! ? ?vikasvara jyotis? ? The Light that is clearly and
distinctly revealed; svayam prakASa svarUpa vigrahan ? He Who is of a Form that
shines by Itself with no need for external aid of any kind. He Who shines as
the Embodiment of Infinite kalyANa guNa-s.
Veda-s are considered pramANa-s by themselves, and do not need any other
support; the smRti-s (such as the manu smRti), purANa-s, the ithihAsa-, etc.,
explain the message of the veda-s further.
muRaiyAl ? Because everything is Your possession, and You are the Lord of all;
Because You are concerned about the jIva-s; Because of Your inseparable
relationship with the jIva-s as their Master; Because it is Your nature to
Protect (kAkkum iyalvinan ? pASuram 2.2.9).
iv-ulagellAm paDaittu, iDandu, uNDu, umizhndu, aLandAi:
- paDaittu ? You created all that exists, and has ever existed
- iDandu ? You retrieved the Earth from the depths of the Ocean when
an asura took it down and hid it there, by taking the varAha incarnation
- uNDu ? At the time of the mahA pralaya, You swallow everything and
keep all things inside You in order to protect them
- umizhndu ? You recreate them and give them a body etc, again, just
to give them another chance to restore themselves to Your Feet
- aLandAi ? When the likes of mahA bali try to take control of the
whole earth and try to rule at will without dharma, You come and retrieve it
again under the pretext of ?begging for three Feet of earth?.
So You do whatever it takes to protect, even if You to ?lower? Your status in
the process, and plough through mud and dirt to dig out the Earth, or to ?beg?
from the likes of mahA bali.
piRai ERu SaDaiyAnum, nAnmuganum, indiranum iRaiyAdal aRindu Etta
vIRRiruttal, idu viyappE! - Is it any wonder, then, that Siva, brahmA, indra
etc., worship You as the Supreme Deity?
- piRai Eru SaDaiyAnum ? Siva, who is characterized by his knotted
hair and the crescent moon that he wears on his head.
- nAnmuganum ? The four-faced brahmA, who is the father of rudra
(i.e., the creator of rudra)
- indiranum ? the chief of all the deva-s
- iRaiyAdal aRindu Etta ? They all worship You as their Lord and
Master, fully realizing Your Supremacy.
- vIRRiruttal ? Your shining and standing out uniquely among all the
gods
- idu viyappE! - Is it any wonder that this is so? (No. It is only
a wonder when some of these same deities get out the way and start claiming
that they are themselves the Supreme Deities, or, You take incarnations among
us and then hide Your Supremacy and then go and worship these deities as some
of us do, or, some among us get confused about who the Supreme Deity is, etc.).
The fact that BhagavAn standing out as the obvious Supreme Deity, is nothing
out of the ordinary, and is the only natural thing that can be. Imagine our
making a wooden doll, decorating it with all nice jewelry, and then putting our
leg on top of its head. Is there any need to declare this obvious and
inevitable conclusion ? that the doll is totally dependent on us for its
survival etc., and has no independent existence by itself? It is silly if we
can come up with any other conclusion. This is same as bhagavAn creating the
likes of Siva, brahmA and indra, and giving them all the knowledge and powers,
and then our questioning whether bhagavAn is the Supreme Deity over
these gods or not! To question the obvious fact that bhagavAn is the
Supreme deity is the only thing that will be silly, since nothing else can be
the conclusion. It is no wonder that Siva, brahmA and indra understand this,
and worship Him as the Supreme Deity.
SvAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the words ? vIta
AScarya triNetra prabhRti sura nutim ? ?He Whose worship by the likes of the
three-eyed rudra is nothing to be surprised about?. What is a matter of
surprise and wonder is when these gods propagate themselves as Supreme deities
? like when Siva propagated the pASupata matam, claiming supremacy for himself.
It is even more of a wonder when bhagavAn takes the incarnations among us, and
then goes and worships these gods, in order to hide His identity ? a part of
His mAyA (His tuyakku).
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 13
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4.8 (22):
oLi maNi vaNNan enkO! oruvan enRu Etta ninRa
naLir madic caDaiyan enkO! nAnmugak kaDavuL enkO!
aLi magizhndu ulagam ellAm paDaittu avai Etta ninRa
kali malart tuLavan emmAn kaNNanai mAyanaiyE.
AzhvAr pours out his unbounded emotions on the indescribable nature of
emperumAn, His unbounded vyApakatvam (pervasion into everything), His
antaryAmitvam in everything because of which whatever shines in this world
gets its ability to shine, etc. All the ten pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi
3.4 contain the many expressions of bhagavAn?s Infinite Power in this
Universe. We are covering only one pASuram of this tiruvAimozhi, where
AzhvAr specifically notes that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of rudra and
brahmA. Before we get into the detailed meaning of the current pASuram, it
is worthwhile getting an overall idea of the scope of all the ten pASuram-s
of this tiruvAimozhi.
Probably the best summary of the thought of AzhvAr in this tiruvAimozhi is
given in pASuram 3.4.9, where AzhvAr declares: ?j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda mAlai
eNNumARu aRiya mATTEn, yAvaiyum evarum tAnE? ? ?There is no way that I am
going to be able to describe this great Lord vishNu who swallowed the whole
Universes and recreated them later ? He is the Force behind anything and
anyone that exists?. He starts in pASuram 3.4.1 with ?Should I describe You
as the Supreme purusha, or should I describe You as the Great Earth, or the
Great Waters, or the Fire, or the Air, the Ether, the Sun, the Moon, or all
of these together?. O My Lord kRshNa! How am I going to describe You??
He continues groping for many ways of trying to describe emperumAn in the
next six pASuram-s, and then in 3.4.8, AzhvAr continues:
?Should I call You the One with the complexion of the bright shining
diamond? Or should I describe You as rudra or as brahmA? O kaNNa! You of
wondrous acts that are beyond anyone?s comprehension! You who wears the
tulasi garlands, and swallowed all the Universes at the time of pralaya and
then recreated them later! How am I ever going to describe You??
For AzhvAr, there is no difference between bhagavAn?s vibhUti-s and His
guNa-s. AzhvAr only thinks of bhagavAn in everything he does, and sees
only bhagavAn in everything he sees. BhagavAn is the antaryAmi of
everything, and whatever shines in anything is because He is their
antaryAmi. At the same time, He is not in the least affected by their
impurities.
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavanpoints out that AzhvAr is enjoying bhagavAn?s
guNa of sarva vastu sarIritvam ? His having everything and everyone as His
Body, and His sarva vastu gata aSesha doshaiH asamspRshTatvam ? His being
unblemished by any flaws of all that He is associated with as their
antaryAmi. AzhvAr is performing vAcika kainkaryam ? Service to Him through
singing His praise through words through these pASuram-s, since bhagavAn is
stava-priyan (One Who is pleased by His devotee?s praises).
Note that every pASuram in this tiruvAimozhi, after saying ?should I call
You as this, as that, etc.?, ends with ?kaNNaniak kUvumARE?, ?emmAn
pa?ngayak kaNNanaiyE?, Sa?ngu Cakkarattan?, ?acyutan amalanaiyE?, ?kaNNanai
mAyanaiyE?, ?kaNNanai mAyan tannai acutanai, anantanai?, etc. So it is
unambiguously clear who the Supreme Deity is that is being talked about by
AzhvAr - It is kaNNan with Infinite attributes that is beyond description.
Perhaps the best way to understand the idea of manifestation of bhagavAn
through rudra, brahmA, etc., is to recall Slokam 41 in chapter 10 of
bhagavad gItA, where bhagavAn summarizes His brief illustration of His
manifestations, including those in the form of rudra etc.:
yad-yad-vibhUtimat sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva ca |
tat-tadevAgaccha tvam mama tejo?mSa sambhavam || (gItA 10.41)
?Whatever being is possessed or power, or of splendor, or of energy, know
that as coming from a fragment of My power?.
In the beginning of this chapter in the gItA, bhagavAn points out that ?He
is the source or beginning of all the gods and the great seers?:
aham Adir-hi devAnAm maharshINAm ca sarvaSaH | (gItA 10.2)
Also, Lord kRshNa declares that the sapta-Rshi-s and the four manu-s were
created by bhrhmA for the purpose of continuing the creation and
preservation according to His Will (It is well-known that brahmA himself was
created by bhagavAn, and entrusted with the function of continuing the
creation):
maharshayaH sapta pUrve catvAro manavas-tathA |
mad-bhAvA mAnasA jAtA yeshAm loke imAH prajAH || (gItA 10.6)
?The seven great seers of yore, and the four manu-s, all possessing My
mental disposition (that is, acting according to My Will and driven by Me)
were born of My mind. All the creatures of the world are descended from
them?
The subject of this tiruvAimozhi is same as that expounded by Lord kRshNa in
chapter 10 of the gItA - the chapter titled ?vibhUti yoga?. In the gItA, we
get bhagavAn?s description of His unlimited vibhUti-s, and in tiruvAimozhi,
we get a description of the same vibhUti of bhagavAn as experienced by the
foremost of devotees of bhagavAn ? nammAzhvAr.
In the gItA, Lord kRshNa describes a limited few of His unlimited vibhUtis-
or manifestations. Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains the term ?vibhUti? as a
reference to bhagavAn?s ?pravartyatvam? of all beings ? His being the
effective Force that drives everything. We should be clear on the meaning
of this term ? it is not a suggestion of ?identity? of bhagavAn with all His
vibhUti-s; it is an expression of a tiny fraction of His Power in each of
the manifestations listed (Lord kRshNa Himself clearly expresses this in
Slokam 10.41 whish has been referenced earlier).
BhagavAn lists among His vibhUti-s, the Sun, the moon, the stars, Sa?nkara ?
one of the rudra-s, agni, the mEru mountain, the ocean, etc. Now compare
this with AzhvAr?s exclamations in this tiruvAimozhi: tigazhum taN pAravai
enkO (3.4.1) ? Shall I describe You as the Great Ocean; tI enkO (3.4.1) ? or
as Fire (agni); vAyu enkO (3.4.1) ? Or, as vAyu (air); nIl SuDar iraNDum
enkO (3.4.1) ? Or, as the Sun and the Moon; kunRan?ngaL anaittum enkO
(3.4.2) ? Or, as all the mountains; viLa?ngu tAragaikaL enkO (3.4.2) ? Or,
as the shining stars in the sky; vAnavar Adi enkO, vAnavar daivaum enkO
(3.4.7) ? Shall I describe You as the Origin for all the deva-s, or as the
Lord and Master of all the deva-s; naLir maDic caDaiyan enkO, nAn mugak
kaDavuL enkO (3.4.8) ? Shall I describe You as Siva with his knotted hair,
or as the four-faced brahmA, etc. In pASuram 3.4.9, AzhvAr says that there
is no way that he is going to be able to comprehend the full extent of the
vibhUti-s of emperumAn, since He is the Driving Force behind everything and
everyone ? (j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda mAlai eNNumARu aRiya mATTEn yAvaiyum
yavarum tAnE. This is how Lord kRshNa also summarizes His short description
of a few examples of His vibhUti-s in the gItA:
nAnto?sti mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAm paramtapa |
esha tUddeSataH prokto vibhUter-vistaro mayA || (gItA 10.40)
?There is no limit to My divine manifestations. Here the extent of such
manifestations has been made in brief by Me?.
Thus, nammAzhvAr?s tiruvAimozhi 4.3 is a devotee?s anubhavam of what came
out of the Lord through His own words in the gItA ? namely, the unlimited
nature of bhagavAn?s Glory. The important point to remember is that
bhagavAn has everything and everyone as His Body, and is the antaryAmi in
everything and everyone, and is the driving force behind everything that
exists, without exception.
Thus, AzhvAr says in the current pASuram that rudra and brahmA are but an
expression of a tiny fraction of bhagavAn?s true powers, they operate
because of His Will, He is the driving force behind them, and He is their
antaryAmi. Any other interpretation, such as the ?equality? of brahmA and
rudra with bhagavAn (as the ignorant people may try to suggest, based on
?Shall I call You rudra, or shall I call You brahmA?), is neither the
message given by AzhvAr, nor a true understanding of AzhvAr?s message even
in the remotest sense. nammAzhvAr?s message should be correctly understood
in the context of all the other pASuram-s we have studies so far, which is
the same message given by bhagavAn in the gItA.
aLi magizhndu ? Out of His sheer kindness towards the jIva-s, and feeling
happy to protect the jIva-s (?aLi? means ?love, kindness?). Sarva-loka
rashaNaika bhogan ? He Who finds pleasure in protecting all the beings of
all the worlds. (kAkkum iyalvinan ? pASuram 2.2.9).
- BhagavAn is happy that He is protecting the jIva-s during the
pralaya by keeping them inside His stomach
- Or, He is happy that He is going to re-create everything by
giving all the jIva-s a body again.
ulagu ellAm paDaittu ? He created everything in the Universe (including
brahmA and rudra)
avai Etta ? The cetana-s thus created, and those who realize this kindness
of His, worship Him
ninRa ? He Who stands in kshetra-s such as tiruvE?nkaTam to be worshipped
thus
kaLi malar tuLavan ? He Who wears the tulasi garland that is sweet and
fragrant with honey (?kaLi? means ?honey?).
emmAn ? He Who is My Lord
kaNNanai ? He Who is easily accessible to His devotees
mAyanai ? He Who is full of unimaginable and wonderful acts of protection
and kindness towards His devotees
oLi maNi vaNNan enkO ? Shall I describe Him as One with the beautiful
complexion that resembles the pure and lustrous pearls
naLir madi SaDaiyan enkO ? Or shall I describe Him as the antaryAmi of Siva
who carries the cool, nascent moon in his head and who has knotted hair
oruvan enRu Etta ninRa ? and who is worshipped by some as the Supreme Deity
himself
nAnmugak kaDavuL enkO ? Or shall I describe Him as the antaryAmi of brahmA
who is the Lord (father) of Siva also
BhagavAn is referred to as ?oLi maNi vaNNan? because of His attributes of
unbounded love to the jIva-s, His sauSIlyam to them, His saulabhyam, and the
innumerable kalyANa guNa-s that are all meant to help the jIva-s ? He has
the greatness, the luster and all other attributes that make Him the
compassionate Lord and Master of all.
Alternatively, the term ?oLi maNi vaNNan? could be a reference to indra,
since there is a phrase ?indra nIla maNi?, a blue-colored precious stone
that is associated with the complexion of indra. In this case, ?oLi maNi
vaNNan enkO? will mean ?Shall I refer to emperumAn as the antaryAmi of
indra, who has the complexion of ?indra nIla maNi?.
If an uninformed reader reads only this pASuram of AzhvAr, and does not look
into any other pASuram, then this uninformed reader can erroneously
conclude: ? ?AzhvAr says ? Should I call You as rudra, or should I call You
as brahmA? ? ?naLir maDic caDaiyan enkO! nAn mugak kaDavuL enko!?, and
proceed to conclude that AzhvAr is saying that vishNu, rudra and brahmA are
one and the same. Even though anyone who has even the faintest idea of
AzhvAr?s message will not come to such an inappropriate conclusion, still it
is aDiyEn?s lot to discuss this specific issue as part of the title of this
write-up. In order to avoid falling into this trap of total
misinterpretation of AzhvAr?s message, all we need to do is to keep in mind
all the previous pASuram-s that we have covered so far, where AzhvAr has
repeatedly refuted this kind of misinterpretation. In order to properly
understand AzhvAr?s message, we have to remember that AzhvAr has repeatedly
pointed out that bhagavAn has everything as His body (in other words,
everything is controlled by Him), He is the Creator of rudra and brahmA, He
is the antaryAmi (Controller dwelling within) of everything including rudra
and brahmA, and that they do not have any power except that which He has
given them. So, when AzhvAr says ?Should I call You rudra? etc., all he is
saying is: ?Should I describe You as the Force behind the power of rudra to
destroy, or the Force behind the power of brahmA to create, which are all
but aspects of Your Infinite Power. There is no limit to Your vibhUti-s,
and I am lost in my ability to fully describe You?. Extensive reference to
the bhagavad gItA has been provided in this write-up in order to provide
additional clarification of this point. It should not be necessary to
belabor this point any further.
?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 14
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
------------------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 14.
3.6.1: (23)
Seyya tAamraik kaNNanAi ulagu Ezhum uNDa avan kaNDIr
vaiyam vAnam maniSar daivam maRRum maRRum maRRum muRRumAi
Seyya SUzh SuDar j~nAnamAi veLip paTTu ivai paDaittAn pinnum
moi koL SOdiyODu AyinAn oru mUvar Agiya mUrtiyE.
In this pASuram, AzhvAr reminds us that bhagavAn is the Supreme Being who is
the Cause of the whole Universe. The Supreme Deity is the One with beautiful
lotus eyes (Seyya tAmaraik kaNNan); He is One who helps all the creatures by
saving them in His stomach at the time pralaya (ulagam Ezhum uNDa avan); He
created everything (ivai paDaittAn) just out of compassion for the jIva-s, so
that they can have a body and indriya-s to enjoy and function; He is One who
controls the functions of brahmA and rudra by being their antaryAmi (oru mUvar
Agiya mUrti); In addition, He has infinite other
kalyANa guNa-s (moi koL SodiyODu AyinAn). Thus AzhvAr reminds us of His guNa-s
that are of benefit to all the jIva-s, and tries to motivate those who do not
worship Him with full devotion, to start changing ways and start resorting to
Him.
The first two pAda-s (quarters) of this pASuram sing the praise of
bhagavAn?s vAtsalyam or affection to the jIva-s, in the form of His
functions of creation, and preservation of the jIva-s at the time of
pralaya. The second half of the pASuram refers to His parattvam. The emphasis
of this tiruvAimozhi is bhagavAn?s kalyANa guna-s of sauSIlyam and saulabhyam;
His parattvam will always be evident in the background.
In the previous tiruvAimozhi (3.5) that we did not cover, AzhvAr deplores the
majority of people who just eat and enjoy, do not realize the greatness of
emperumAn, and do not sing His praise. He repeatedly asks: Those of you who
do not worship Lord nArAyaNa ? of what use is it that you occupy the space in
this world? - (3.5.1). Of what use is your birth in this world? - (3.5.4).
Do you deserve to live in the same place that the people learned in the veda-s
live? ? 3.5.5, etc. In the current tiruvAimozhi, he takes
pity on these people, and tries to again reveal to them with kindness the Glory
of emperumAn, hoping that they will heed his words to resort to Him and worship
Him. Our AcArya-s compare this situation to the way that sItA pirATTi tried to
deal with rAvaNa. First She rebukes him for his sinful behavior, but then, as
the Mother, she tries to advise him to listen to Her and follow the good and
dhArmic path and surrender to Lord rAma and be saved. AzhvAr is taking the
same approach here ? deploring our behavior in
tiruvAimozhi 3.5, but then, out of sheer kindness, trying to advise us to mend
our ways and resort to Him.
Seyya tAmaraik kaNNanAi ? He with eyes that are beautiful like the freshly
blossomed lotus flowers (Sei ? to resemble)
- chAndogya Upanishad declares the purusha with eyes resembling the
full-blown red lotus ? tasya yathA kapyAsam puNDarIkAksham evam akshiNI
(chAndogya. 1.6.7)
- In vishNu dharma we again have Lord vishNu described as One with
Lotus-eyes
SrUyatAm tu naravyAghra veda vedAnta niScayaH |
ya~jneSo ya~jna purushaH puNDarIkAksha samj~nitaH |
sa vishNuH paramam brahma yato nAvartate punaH ||
Ulagu Ezhum uNDa avan ? He Who swallowed all the seven worlds at the time of
pralaya (in order to protect the jIva-s from the great floods)
Seyya SUzh SuDar j~nAnamAi -
- Seyya ? one of the meanings for this word is ?correct, perfect, sound?.
SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan translates this as ?Seyya ? RujuvAna;
SUzh ? vyAptamAna; Sudar j~nAnamAi ? sva-prakASa j~nAnaSAliyAi?. The meaning
is thus ?One Who is endowed with all-encompassing knowledge that is natural to
Him, and that shines out with effulgence?.
BhagavAn is the embodiment of all-encompassing (SUzh) knowledge (j~nAnam) that
is unbounded, unblemished and immeasurable (SuDar)
An alternate interpretation for this is that in addition to the leelA vibhUti
that has been described thus far in this pASuram (His acts of creation etc.),
these words describe His nitya vibhUti in SrI vaikunTham -
He is also the One who is in the most splendorous and effulgent SrI
vaikunTham as SrI vaikunTha nAthan.
paDaittAn ? He created
veLip paTTivai ?all these are there for everyone to see (pratyaksha pramANa
siddhamAna ivaigaLai), that includes
- vaiyam, vAnam ? the earth, the sky and the worlds above
- maniSar, daivam ? the people in this world and the gods in the worlds
above
- maRRum ? all the animals, birds, trees, etc.
- maRRum ? The pa?nca bhUta-s or the five elements that constitute all
the above
- maRRum ? The tattva-s such as mahAn that are the causes for the five
elements
- muRRumAi ? all of the things above and all other things, without any
exception.
pinnum ? In addition
moi koL SodiyODu AyinAn ? He shines with the multitude of Infinite kalyAna
guNa-s that are meant for the protection of all that He has created ?
tejaH-prabhRti guNa yuktan.
oru mUvarAgiya mUrti ? He is also the Supreme Deity Who performs the
functions of protection, creation and destruction in the form of the
tri-mUrti-s (with Himself performing the protection, and having brahmA and
rudra perform the functions of creation and destruction by being their
antaryAmi and their Lord). This is clarified further in the next pASuram ?
mudal mUvarkkum mudalvan.
- An alternate interpretation given is that the reference to the ?mUvar?
is to brahmA, rudra, and indra. BhagavAn has these three mUrti-s as His body.
This has been discussed in previous pASurams.
mUrtiyE ? He is the Lord of all.
A few additional points are worth noting.
- This pASuram starts with a reference to Lord vishNu ? Seyya tAmariak
kaNNan, ulagu Ezhum uNDa avan etc., and thus, Lord vishNu is the sole object of
praise in this pASuram, as is the case with all other 1101 pASuram-s.
- mUrti literally means ?that which has a definite bodily shape or
figure?. AzhvAr refers to Him as ?oru mUvar Agiya
mUrtiyE? ? He is One with One form of which the ?three? are part. The question
is ?Who are the three referred to here??. A few alternate interpretations are
available from our AcArya-s.
If we interpret the words ?oru mUvar Agiya? together, it can mean that Lord
vishNu is the ?unique ? oru? One among the three, since He is not subject to
the cycle of karma etc. unlike brahmA and rudra. In this case, the
interpretation is that bhagavAn has His form as vishNu (recall that the pASuram
is on Lord vishNu, as indicated in the first dashed item above, and AzhvAr is
referring to His One form ? our mUrti), with brahmA and rudra being part of His
body. In fact, all of us, and the other cetana-s and
acetana-s, are part of His body.
(?Being part of the body? means that all of these are under His control, and
are meant for His service and benefit, and operate under His Will).
Or, the term ?mUvar? can refer to the trio of brahmA, rudra and indra, who
again are all part of His body. In the veda-s, we see reference to these
three together ? sa brahmA, sa SivaH, sendraH (nArAyana sUktam, a part of
tattirIya AraNyakam). In pAsuram 3.6.4, which we will study later, AzhvAr
refers to these three together ? vAnavar tannai Alum avanum (indra), nAnmuganum
(brahmA), and SaDai muDi aNNalum (rudra), who all worship bhagavAn;s lotus feet
(SemmaiyAl avan pAda pa?nkayam Sindittu Ettit tirivarE).
SvAmi deSikan singles out bhagavAn?s lakshaNa of puNDarIkAkshatvam, or being
endowed with the beautiful reddish lotus-like eyes, as the distinguishing
aspect of this pASuram ? padmAkshIm. This aspect is common to all the
incarnations of bhagavAn. This is a special lakshaNam of bagavAn that does
not apply to any other deity. The Upanishads also refer to this aspect of
emperumAn: tasya yathA kapyAsam puNDarIkam evam akshiNI (chAndogya. 1.6).
The vishNu dharma declares about bhagavAn: yaj~neSo yaj~na purushaH
puNDarIkAksha samj~nitaH, again praising the lotus-like eyes of bhagavAn as a
distinguishing mark of His. In his daSAvatAra stotram, svAmi deSikan describes
the beautiful eyes of bhagavAn in His matsyAvatram.
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 15
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
(Part 14 appeared in SRS Vol.6.18 dated 04/13/05)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.6.2 (24):
mUvar Agiya mUrtiyai mudal mUvarkkum mudalvan tannai
cAvam uLLana nIkkuvAnai taDam kaDal kiDantAn tannai
dEva dEvanai ten-ila?nkai eri ezhac-ceRRa villiyai
pAva nASanai pa?ngayat taDam kaNNanai paravuminO.
AzhvAr is unequivocally identifying the sole object of worship ? taDam kaDal
kiDantAn tannai (He Who lay in the Milk Ocean), ten ila?nkai eri ezhac ceRRa
villiyai (Lord rAma, who is an incarnation of Lord vishNu), pa?nkayat taDam
kaNNanai (One Who has beautiful lotus-like eyes ? again a reference to Lord
vishNu). He points out that this same bhagavAn is ?mudal mUvarkkum
mudalvan? ? The Lord of the three primary devatA-s, and the Creator of these
three ? referring to brahmA, rudra and indra. He is deva devan ? The Lord
of all the gods. Thus, the message of the pASuram is clear and unambiguous
with respect to the topic of our write-up ? namely who is considered by
nammAzhvAr as the One and Only Supreme Deity to be worshipped. Now, we will
see the beautiful anubhavam-s contained in this pASuram.
mUvar Agiya mUrtiyai ? He Who is the cause of the tri-mUrti-s. In one
interpretation, this can be taken to be a reference to brahmA, vishNu and
rudra. If it is asked how Lord vishNu can be the cause of Himself, it is
explained that He is His own Cause because there is no other cause for Him.
Just as He is the Lord of Himself (AtmeSvaran ? with no other Lord over
Himself), He is also the cause of Himself, since there is no other cause for
Him.
Alternately, the reference to ?mUvar? here can be to brahmA, rudra, and
indra, as pointed out in the previous pASuram. When a statement is made
that He became brahma, rudra and indra, and at the same time it is said that
He is the Lord of all and is worshipped by all the deva-s etc., it should be
understood in the proper perspective. SrImad tirukkuDanthai ANDavan gives
us a real-life example that can drive the point home to those of us who
can?t comprehend the truth embedded here. It is common for us to hear
statements like: ?Don?t take tarrow root, it is vAyu?, ?Take tomatoes, it
is all blood?, we all know that neither the root is vAyu, nor the tomato-
blood. Even though the root (the cause) causes vAyu (the result), and the
tomato (cause) facilitates increase in healthy blood (effect), it is common
to equate cause and effect, and make statements as given in these examples.
The same logic applies when it is said that the Lord became the three
mUrti-s ? namely, that He is the Cause of brahmA, rudra, indra, and all the
others. This is called samAna adhikaraNam in samskRt parlance.
SAvam uLLana nIkkuvAnai - He Who removes all the curses and other serious
problems encountered by the deva-s. ?SAvam? here refers to all sins such as
the curses and other difficulties that the different deva-s incur. Examples
are the difficulty that brahmA was in when he ended up losing the veda-s to
the asura, the curse which rudra incurred when he plucked off one of the
heads of his own father, brahmA, the trouble that Siva got into when he
carelessly gave a boon to padmAsura that led to the asura turning against
Siva himself right away and trying to destroy him, etc. In all these
cases, Lord vishNu had to intervene and rescue those who were in trouble.
Thus, He is referred to here as ?SAvam uLLana nIkkuvAn?.
taDam kaDal kiDantAn tannai ? He Who is lying in the Milky Ocean. BhagavAn
is lying in the Milky Ocean, in easy access of these deities (deva-s), so
that He can be accessed by them whenever they need help. If bhagavAn were
to remain only in SrIvaikunTham, the deva-s won?t be able to access Him
because of their karma-s. This is one more example of bhagavAn?s
saulabhyam, or being easily accessible.
ten ila?nkai eri ezhac ceRRa villiyai ? This is a reference to the Lord rAma
incarnation, and is an example of where He was accessed by the deva-s for
assistance as He was reclining in the Milky Ocean. He carried His bow and
arrow and performed His function of assisting the deva-s, under
circumstances in which even the likes of agni (fire) were afraid to rise
against the cruel rAvaNa. Lord rAma went wherever He wished in la?nkA with
the power of His bow, and destroyed the evil forces of rAvaNa.
pAva nASanai ? He Who is the remover of sins. The very meditation on
bhagavAn with His bow and arrow in His hands is sufficient to remove all our
sins. In other words, meditating on bhagavAn and His kalyANa guNa-s or
auspicious qualities will immediately remove all our sins. In SrImad
rAmAyaNam, uttara kANDam, sage agastya praises rAma thus: ?pAvanaH sarva
lokAnAm tvameva raghunandana? ? O Lord rAma! You are verily the Purifier of
all the worlds. Also recall the nAma-s ?pAvanaH, pApa nASanaH?, etc. in SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam.
dEva dEvanai ? He Who is the Lord of all the deva-s. He who is the One and
Only Supreme Lord.
pa?nkayat taDam kaNNanai paravuminO ? Praise Him Who is uniquely identified
by His beautiful lotus-like eyes. There are some aspects of bhagavAn that
are unique to Him and to no other devatA. Among these are lakshmI patittvam
? Being the Lord and Consort of Lakshmi, the SrIvatsa mark on His chest,
etc. His beautiful reddish lotus-like eyes are another distinguishing mark
of His that uniquely identify Him, and this is what AzhvAr is using here to
identify the Supreme Deity.
In his tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi dESikan keys in on the words ?pAva nASan?
for special emphasis in this pASuram. SrI uttamUr svAmi links this to Lord
rAma?s incarnation, which is also described in this pASuram by nammAzhvAr.
Lord rAma set an example for all time to come, on the disciplined observance
of the varNASrama dharma-s. Lord rAma?s life in this world, with His
strict observance of dharma, and His giving moksha to even the grass in
ayodhyA by removing all sins that came in the way of moksham, clearly shows
that Lord rAma is ?pAva nASan?. One message to take from this pASuam is
that contemplation on Lord rAma?s exemplary life in this world will lead to
the removal of all our sins.
Another emphasis in this pASuram is bhagavAn?s saulabhyam or ease of
accessibility through devotion. This is brought out by the epithets ?SAvam
uLLana nIkkuvAn?, ?taDam kaDal kiDantAn? etc. in the pASuram
?TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART 16
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
tri-mUrti in tiruvAimozhi ? Part 16.
3.6.4 (25):
vaimmin num manattu enRu yAn uraikkinRa mAyavan SIrmaiyai
emmanOrgaL uraippadu en, adu niRka; nADorum vAnavar
tammai ALum avanum nAn-muganum SaDai muDi aNNalum
SemmaiyAl avan pAda pa?nkayam Sindittu Ettit tirivarE.
AzhvAr tells us that we do not have to just take the words of those like him
who are solely dedicated to the worship of Lord vishNu without any other
benefit in mind. His advice to us that we should always meditate on the
mAyavan ? kaNNan, who is full of infinite saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, can be
construed by some of us to be biased advice from a person biased towards Him
(pakshapAtam). So AzhvAr asks us to put his words aside, but at least look
at the example set by the likes of indra, brahmA and rudra. Since the likes
of us are interested in various benefits along the lines dharma, artha, and
kAma, instead of solely moksha, AzhvAr asks us to just follow the lead of of
indra, rudra and brahmA, who are also interested in other benefits like us,
and follow their lead at least. They worship His Lotus Feet day and night
for getting whatever powers they want, appearing as if they are devoted to
Him with no other interest in mind. They worship Him because they want to
hold on to the powers that they have, and they worship Him for relief from
any problems they get into.
Sindittu, Etti, tirivarE ? They not only meditate on Him, but they praise
Him through their words (nAt tazhumba ? till their tongues start getting
scars); tirivar ? they roam around singing His praise. This refers to the
worship of bhagavAn by the three with their thought, word and deed (mano,
vAk, kAyam), all involved in His worship. The parattvam, saulabhyam and
sauSIlyam of emperumAn are such that even the likes of brahmA, rudra and
indra, who consider themselves supreme deities sometimes, have no hesitation
worshipping Him with such intense devotion.
The idea here is that bhagavAn?s sauSIlyam is such that He is not just
accessible to the likes of ananya prayojana-s like AzhvAr who worship Him
with single-minded devotion which is the end in itself for them, but He is
also equally accessible to the likes or brahmA, rudra and indra who worship
Him for the purpose of holding on to their powers, for protection from any
difficulties that they are unable to handle, etc. If He is accessible for
worship to the likes of indra, brahmA and rudra who worship Him for
benefits, there is no doubt whatsoever about His easy accessibility to those
who worship Him with single-minded devotion, with no other benefit in mind.
SIrmai ? greatness, fame. This fame is two-fold. He is well-known for His
infinite kalyANa guna-s, His great acts of kindness to His devotees, the
protection He gives them at all times, etc. He is also well-known because
of His Supremacy or Lordship over every thing ? His parattvam, as evidenced
by the worship offered by the likes of brahmA, rudra and indra, who consider
themselves supreme deities at times. They nonetheless have their powers
because He has given them those powers, and they worship Him just to retain
those powers.
- vaimmin um manattu vaittu enRu ? My advice to you to meditate on
emperumAn
- yAn uraikkinRa mAyavan SIrmaiyai ? and my emphasis on the
saulabhyam and sauSIlyam of this emperumAn
- emmanOrgaL uraippadu en ? Coming from the likes of me may not be
good enough for you.
- adu niRka ? So you don?t have to take my word for it.
- vAnavar tammai Alum avanum ? indra who rules over all the deva-s
- nAnmuganum ? the four-faced brahmA
- SaDai muDi aNNaLum ? and rudra with the knotted hair
- SemmaiyAl ? with intense devotion
- avan pAda pa?ngayam nAL torum Sindittu ? They meditate on His
Lotus Feet intensely without interruption
- Ettit tirivarE ? They worship Him uninterruptedly in all their
activities.
(So if you don?t follow my lead, at least follow the lead of the likes of
brahmA, rudra and indra).
- Sindittu, Etti, tirivarE ? refers to their worship of the Lord
with their thought, word and deed. They meditate on Him (Sindittu), and
this overflows into words (Etti), and they roam around as if this is their
only job (tirivarE).
- SaDai muDi aNNal ? refers to rudra as the great bhAgavatottama
who worshipped bhagavAn and attained some great powers. SuDar muDi aNNal
refers to emperumAn, while SaDai muDi aNNal refers to rudra.
It is not that brahmA, rudra and indra worship Lord vishNu only when they
are in difficulty and need relief. For example, indra worships Him even
when he is ruling over all the deva-s, just to retain his power to rule over
them in the future. Thus, emperumAn does not only give benefit to those who
don?t have any other benefit except His Lotus Feet as their objective, but
He also gives benefits to those who have other material benefits in mind.
Through his choice of the phrase ?amarAdhISa cintya a?nghri padmAm? in his
tAtparya ratnAvaLi for emphasizing the spirit of this pASuram, svAmi deSikan
reminds us that bhagavAn is One with a Divine tiru mEni ? divya ma?ngala
vigraham, and we should worship His Lotus Feet associated with this
tirumEni. We should worship His Lotus Feet single-mindedly, with our
thought, word and deed dedicated to His worship (semmaiyAl avan pAda
pa?nkayam Sindittu Etti tiri). om amarAdhISa cintya a?nghri padma tanave
namaH.
TRIMURTI? - IN NAMMAZHWAR?S TIRUVOIMOZHI-
PART #17 (The previous Part 16 appeared in Vol.6.22 dated 05.12.05)
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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tri-mUrti in iruvAimozhi ?Part 17.
3.6.9 (26):
ta?njamAgiya tandai tAyoDu tAnumAi avai allanAi
e?njal il amarar kula mudal mUvar tam uLLum AdiyAi
a?nji nIr ulagattu uLLIrgaL! avan ivan enRu kUzhEnmin
ne?njinAl ninaippAn yavan avanAgum nIL kaDal vaNNanE.
The main theme of this pASuram is to emphasize the saulabhym and sauSIlyam of
His arcA incarnation.
?ulagattu uLLIrgaL! ta?njamAgiya tandaiyoDu tAi tAnumAi avai allanAi e?njal il
amarar kulam mudal mUvar tam uLLum AdiyAi nIr a?nji avan ivan enRu kUzhElmin
ne?njinAl ninaippAn yavan avan nIl kaDal vaNNan Agum?.
?O! You people of the world! I have described the greatness (parattvam) of the
ocean-hued One who is the Lord of all the deva-s including brahmA, rudra, and
indra. He is also the Protector of all the beings of all the three worlds, as
well as our Creator (our Father and Mother, and in addition, all the other
relatives is He alone). Such is His immense and infinite greatness. I have
also described His vibhava forms such as Lord rAma, Lord kRshNa, and Lord
nRsimha, who took their incarnations at various times long back, and are not
accessible today to us. Based on these, don?t be confused that this emperumAn
is beyond your reach. This same emperumAn
has chosen to be present Himself in arcA form in any material in which you
choose to consecrate Him, and He is very much physically present in these forms
that you choose to assign to Him. (So, devote yourself to His easily
accessible arcA form with all your heart, and He will redeem you all).?
The key phrase of this pASuram is ?ne?njinAl ninaippAn yavan avan Agum? ? He
accepts as His divya rUpam any form that we assign to Him for worship as the
arcA mUrti. It is true that He is the Protector of all, in the form of the
mother, the father, the self, etc. It is true that He is the One who is the
object of meditation by the likes of rudra, brahma and indra, and their
antaryAmi as well (mUvar tam uLLum Adi). Because of His Supremacy as revealed
by the above, don?t be confused that He is inaccessible to you (kUzhEnmin).
Don?t also be confused as to who the Supreme Deity is ? for example, whether it
is vishNu, rudra or brahmA. This nIL kaDal vaNNan is the Supreme Deity, and He
is present in all the arcA forms in which we invoke Him for worship, since He
is a great soulabhyan. Thus, don?t be
confused that He is inaccessible to us in His form in His abode in
SrIvaikunTham, nor be confused about the inaccessibility of His vibhava forms
(like SrI rAma, SrI kRshNa etc.). to us now. His arcA forms are just as real,
and He is thus accessible to us and is very much within our reach.
This pASuram is considered the essence of this tiruvAimozhi by the
commentators, and the previous eight pASuram-s serve as the prelude leading to
this pASuram. In previous pASuram-s, nammAzhvAr describes emperumAn as SrI
vaikunTha nAthan (3.6.1), Lord rAma (3.6.2, 3.6.8), Lord kRshNa (3.6.3, 3.6.5,
3.6.7), and Lord nRsimha (3.6.6). From all these pASuram-s, one may get the
feeling that emperumAn is inaccessible to the likes of us, since the para-,
vyUha, and vibhava forms are not within our reach now. So nammAzhvAr
points out to us that this same emperumAn wills and gets into the arcA forms
that we create and consecrate, and thus He is physically present in these arcA
forms, and is easily accessible to us, and thus there is no need to be confused
that He is not accessible to us in the para, vyUha and vibhava forms.
- ta?njamAgiya tandai tAyoDu ? He is the permanent Father and Mother
to all the beings of all the worlds. The father and mother who are responsible
for our birth in the current janma are only related this way to us in this
birth, but He alone is the Eternal Father and Mother to us. The father and
mother through karma may even abandon the children for various reasons
(kAkAsura was abandoned by his father when he got into trouble with rAma,
jarAsandhan was abandoned in the middle of the road because his
parents felt that the time of his birth was inauspicious, and there are parents
who sell their children for what they consider financial necessity.
Such is not the case with emperumAn. He is described as ?bhUtAnAm yo?vyayaH
pitA?, ?sarveshAmeva lokAnAm pitA mAtA ca mAdhavaH? etc.
- ta?njamAgiya tAnumAi ? Even our own self is supported by Him, and
not by our efforts. Left to ourselves, we would only exclusively indulge in
material benefits that are not for our ultimate good.
- avai allanumAi ? BhagavAn is not only the Father, Mother, and the
self, but He is everything else as well ? such as the brother, the sister, the
brother, the friend, etc. (mAtA pitA bhRAtA nivAsaH SaraNam suhRd gatiH
nArAyaNaH ? SelEi kaNNiyarum perum Selvamum nan makkaLum mElAt tAi tandaiyum
avarE ini AvArE).
- PitR mAtR suta bhrAtR dArAH mitrAdayopi vA ekaika phala lAbhAya, sarva
lAbhAya keSavaH ? All the relatives are of use for some one thing (and that
too, because He is their antaryAmi), but kESava is One Who is the ultimate
source of support as all).
- e?njal il amarar kula mudal ? He Who is the Lord of all the nitya
sUri-s who are endowed with unlimited bhagavad anubhavam. Without Him, they
cannot live.
- mUvar tam uLLum Adiyai ? He Who is the object of meditation of
brahmA, rudra, and indra. He who always resides in the hearts of the three,
and who is their antaryAmi.
- avan ivan enRu kUzhEnmin ?
- Based on all the above attributes, do not be confused that since He is
the Lord of the nitya sUri-s, the antaryAmi of brahmA, rudra and indra, etc.,
He is inaccessible to you. (He is very much accessible to you through the arcA
mUrti form).
- Or, if the reference to ?mUvar? is taken as reference to brahmA,
vishNu and rudra, don?t be confused as whether ?avan? (rudra, brahmA etc.) or
same as or different from ?ivan? (Lord vishNu), or whether one is supreme or
the other is supreme. Beyond doubt, ?nIL kaDal vaNNan? is the Supreme Deity.
-o Or, don?t be confused as to who is the Lord of the nitya
sUri?s, the ultimate Mother and Father and all other relatives for all of us,
the One who is worshipped by the likes of indra, brahmA and rudra etc. It is
none other than the nIL kaDal vaNNan.
- -Or, don?t be confused as to how Lord vishNu, who has the aprAkRta
SarIram in His form in SrI vaikunTham, can reside in the bimbam made of gold,
silver, etc., and thus limited by space, time, etc. Because of His infinite
saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, He has chosen to accept this form and is present in
the consecrated bimbam of your choice with all His kalyANa guNa-s.
- ne?njinAl ninaippAn yavan - Even though He is not limited by space,
time, and objects, He chooses to get into the bimbam that you choose to
consecrate Him in. Don?t think that He has now become constrained by space,
time and objects. He chooses to get into any bimbam of your choice with all
His kalyANa guNa-s, just to bless you all and be accessible to you.
In other words, this term refers to His bimbam in gold, silver, etc., that
has been consecrated for His worship (this is not to be interpreted as the
worship of anya-devatA-s). (kRtvAtmanaH prItikarIm suvarNa rajatAdibhiH
? He enters into the bimbam of gold, silver, etc., of His own will, with all
His kalyAna guNa-s, for the benefit of His devotees.
- nIL kaDal vaNNanE ? Here the term ?vaNNam? refers to His
svabhAvam or inherent nature. nIL vaNNam refers to His nature of vAtsalyam;
kaDal vaNNam refers to the depth of His nature that is not easily understood by
everyone ? for example, His saulabhyam of being present in His full form in the
arcA mUrti-s in which He is consecrated.
The anubhavam of ANDAn is that we should look at the pASuram as ?ne?njinAl
ninaippavan evan? avanE nIL kaDal vaNNan Agum? ? ?The One whom you consecrate
in the arcA form is the same One who is present in SrI vaikunTham?, rather than
?The One Who is in SrI vaikunTham is the same One who is in the acrA form?. In
other words, let us enjoy His arcA form as His primary Form of choice, and His
form in SrI vaikunTham as One of His vibhUti-s or extensions, rather than the
other way around.
Lord kRshNa conveys the same thought that is conveyed in this pASuram, through
the following Sloka in the gItA:
- ye yathA mAm prapadyante tAns-tathaiva bhajAmyaham |
mama vartmAnuvartante manushyAH pArtha sarvaSaH || (gItA 4.11)
?Whoever resorts to Me in any manner, in the same manner do I favor them; men
experience Me alone in different ways, O arjuna!?
svAmi deSikan summarizes this pASuram in his dramiDopanishad tAtparya
ratnAvaLi as ?bhavya-dhI-vRtti-bhA(a)vyAm ?. This quality of bhagavAn
accepting any form in which the devotee wants to consecrate Him, is the limit
of His saulabhyam ? His ASrita saulabhya kAshThA or the extreme limit of His
quality of being easily accessible to His devotees.
SWAMI NAMMAZHWAR ?Snippets -Part 4
Tiruvoimozhi-1
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
-----------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANCE OF TIRUVOIMOZHI
Of all the Divya Prabhandams, Tiruvoimozhi occupies a special pre-eminent
position. It is said that one should sit quietly in front of the Lord while
Tiruvoimozhi is recited because the Lord would not like any disturbance
while chanting of Tiruvoimozhi goes on.
Nammazhwar who is the foremost among Azhwars and foremost among the Acharyas
is known as ?Satakopa? or ?saTaari?. The Sataari that we respectfully
receive in the temples is considered the placing of Lord?s feet on our
heads. The belief is that this very symbolic contact itself would redeem us.
Swami Desika says in Paduka Sahasram Slokam 22 that it is not correct to say
that only those who have studied the Divya Prabhandams of Azhwars will be
welcome to the Lord and others would not be fit receive His grace. It is for
saving even those who could not or did not study the AruLicheyals that the
?miracle contact? of SaTaari had been instituted. And, through this,
Nammazhwar introduces and recommends the laity to the Lord for redemption.
Hence, the importance of Tiruvoimozhi.
Verse 1.1.1
Uyarvara uyar nalam uDaiyavan evan? ? avan
Mayarvara mathinalam aruLinan evan?- avan
Ayarvarum amarargaL adhipathi evan?- avan
Thuyar aru SuDar aDi tozhudu ezhu mnanE!
MananE!: Oh! My Mind!
Tozhudu Ezhu: Rise (Redeem) yourself by worshipping
SuDar aDI: at the resplendent feet of the Lord
Tuyar aru: This alone can obliterate grief.
Whose grief?
Poorvacharyas prior to Ramanuja used to refer it to the grief of devotees.
Emperumaanaar explained that it was the grief of the Lord Himself which got
obliterated when the grief of the devotees was removed ? ?aDiyaargaL tuyaram
teera thun tuyar teerndaan aanaan?
Uyarvara Uyar nalam uDaiyavan: The lord whose innumerable qualities are
natural, auspicious and unexcelled. It is not because of the paucity of His
qualities but our own limitations to comprehend.
Cf ?yatO vaachaa nivartantE apraapya manasaa saha?
Mayarvara mathinalam aruLinan: One who granted Jnaana, and Bhakti which
alone can dispel the foibles of sheer intellect. BHATTAR calls this
?Bhaktirooppanna Jnaanam?
Ayarvarum amarargaL adhipathi: One who is the lord of even the tireless
Nityasooris.
The substance of the verse is
?Sri Narayana is THE Paramaatma and worshipping at His feet alone can confer
true bliss?
The first line describes His qualities, the 2nd, His grace; the 3rd His
Omnipotence. Thus, the 3 lines establish His Paratvam. The 4th line depicts
both Parama Hitam (Tozhudu) and Parama Purushaartam (Ezhu). Also, it
establishes that the Lord has a ?Subhaasrya Sareera?- an auspicious form
(NOT the Nirguna, Niraakaara, NirvisEsha Brahmam) by a reference to His
glorious feet (SuDar aDi)
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS -
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part 7
(Continued fro SRS Vol.5.25 dated 08/03/04 Message #4449)
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSE 3.9.1
Sonnaal vrOdam ithu aagilum solvEn kENminO
Ennaavil in kaviyaan oruvarkkum koDukkillEn
Thennaa tenaavenru VaNDu mural tiruvEnkatathu
Ennaanai ennappan emperumaaLuLan aagavE
?You might feel offended if I say this. But, I cannot resist telling the
truth for your good. Will you hear me? You folks are running after petty
pleasures and silly satisfactions, wasting your energies by singing paeans
of praise of unworthy entities. I, for one, would never misuse my tongue in
such pursuits but would dedicate all my hymns at the feet of my father, the
Lord of TiruvEnkatam who is majestic like the mighty elephant and in whose
place bees hum his glory?
The Azhwaar says that we should use the faculties granted to us by the Lord
ONLY for His purpose and NOT waste on others. He feels sorry for those who
use their literary talents to invent non-existent qualities in people and
suppressing their defects ? all for currying some favors and silly gains
from them. He asks them to give up this unholy habit and unavailing exercise
and turn to sing about the Lord who has all the auspicious qualities and
totally devoid of any blemishes and who alone can grant more than what one
could wish for even in their wildest imagination. Seeing the apathy of
people to this appeal, he turns to himself and says at least for his part,
he would practice what he preaches.
NAMPILLAI says that the Azhwar?s regaining composure in the thought is like
a pilgrim who was somehow spared and let off with his possessions while all
the rest in the party were plundered by highway robbers!
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VERSE 4.1.1
Oru naayagamaai ODa UlaguDanaaNDavar
Karu-naai kavartha kaalar, sidagiya paanaiyar
perunaaDu kaaNa immayilE pichchai taam koLvaar
tirunaaraNan thaaLL kaalam pera chindithu uyminO
In this, the Azhwar takes and shows us ?a video coverage of? the rise and
fall of an emperor to illustrate the impermanence of material prosperity and
the vicissitudes of fortune.
There was all powerful Emperor who ruled over the entire world. He gets
defeated in war and is banished. He is reduced to roaming about with a
begging bowl, depending on alms to eke out mere existence. Not to be noticed
by anyone, he stealthily enters his old city at dead of night. In the
surrounding darkness, he unwiitingly stamps on a black dog which bites him.
He is ashamed even to cry out lest he should wake up the people around. In
the melee, he stumbles upon a heap of mud pots with a bang when even his
begging bowl gets thrown out. Hearing the noise, his erstwhile subjects are
startled and rush to the spot. It is the very same group of subjects who
earlier had to fix up an appointment and wait for his audience. They witness
the melancholy figure of the Emperor-turned-beggar. He is further humiliated
to see the very people who praised him as ?Maharaja?, remarking about him
derisively as ?the one bitten by a mere dog? ? precisely the scene he wanted
to avoid. All this happens during this very lifetime!
The Azhwar felt that because of his God-realization, he was relieved of all
defects. He desires that all those on earth should also be saved likewise.
With this in view, he advises them to remember that kingdom and material
prosperity are all transitory and can vanish before their very eyes almost
in no time. Only the feet of the Lord can ensure Supreme everlasting bliss.
So, the Azhwar says:
?Do not postpone. The time for this is ?HERE AND NOW?. Not only material
wealth but also ?Svarga? (Heaven) and ?Kaivalyam? are ephemeral because it
is said in the Sastras that when one?s merits get exhausted, one would have
to return to earth for another lease of life. Cf: ?KsheeNE puNyE marthyu
lOkam visanti?
The 4th line is said to indicate the meaning of ?Dwaya Mantra?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSE 4.3.2
Poosum saanthu en nenjamE, punaiyum kaNNi enaduDaiya
Vaasagam sei MaalaiyE, Vaan paTTaaDaiyum akdE
tEsamaana anikalanum en kai kooppu seigaiyE
eesan gnaalam uNDu Umizhnda enthai Eka moorthikkE
?My Lord is ?THE? Paramatma. He is Eka moorthi. The ONLY ONE without a
second. The ONLY ONE who devoured the worlds and kept them in ?safe custody?
in His tummy and released them at the beginning of the new Kalpa. Such a one
has come down to earth out of His ?Soulabhyam?. I offer my heart as the
redolent Sandal paste for smearing His chest. I offer my literary works
specially composed for Him with devotional love as a garland to adorn His
shoulders. Why only that? They are good enough to serve as His silken
garments. What about jewelry? My folded palms in supplication, ANJALI MUDRA
(kai Kooppu Seigai) can serve as sparking jewelry?
The Azhwar is anxious to render the various ?Chaitya upachaaras? to the Lord
which he could not do earlier. So, he dedicates his emotion filled hymns as
garlands and dress.
He says that in his Anjali that invests the Lord with ?TEsamaana Anikalan ?
lustrous ornament?! How dare he say this, as if the Lord were any less
lustrous earlier? Azhwar seems to say that, no doubt, the Lord is all
powerful and all protector. But to keep up those honorifics, he needs the
anjali and Bhara SamarpaNam of the Azhwar, without which he is at risk of
forfeiting them!
Another interesting message this verse conveys is to confirm that the Lord
DOES HAVE a ?Suba aasryaya Sareera? ? an auspicious physical body. If He
were to have no body and remained Niraakaara, Niravayava Brahman (as some
would have it), He would have no occasion to enjoy sandal paste, the
garlands and the ornaments et al.
This verse is being recited in all SrivaishNava households all over the
world while offering ?Alamkaara aasana? to the Lord during the daily
Tiruvaradana.
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS -
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 8
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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VERSE 4.9.10
kaNdu kETTU urru mOnthu uzhalum aingkaruvi
kaNDa inbam, therivariya alavillaah chitrinbam
oNN Thodiyaal tirumagaLum neeyumE nilaa nirpak
kaNda sadir kaNDu ozhindEn unn tiruvaDiyE
?Oh! Lord! By your grace, I have abandoned the limited mundane pleasures
provided by the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch and even the
purely self-gratifying self-knowledge called ?Kaivalyam? or ?Atma
anubhavam?. All these pleasures are the very anti-thesis of the incomparable
experience of absolute happiness that you alone can grant?
oNN Thodiyaal tirumagaLum neeyumE nilaa nirpa: I have found out the way to
realize this happiness of serving you and your consort, the bangle-spangled
PiraaTTi and I have reached your glorious feet ? glorious because you both
stand unique and unrivalled in Sri VaikunTam. This ?Serthi? or
?togetherness? is our ?upaaya? and ?UpEya?.
This togetherness is a favorite subject of Swami Desikan.
oNN Thodiyaal: In Tamizh literature, the hero tells his lady love that he
has plans to go abroad. At the very mention of separation, the lady becomes
so famished and thin that her bangles become loose and drop down. When he
said that he would take her along with him, out of sheer exuberance, she
regains more than her original form so that she now finds it difficult to
put on the very same bangles and they break off!
Such is the ?togetherness? of Bhagavaan and Bhagavati!
Cf: ?agalakillEn iraiyum enru alarmEl mangai urai maabhaa?
kaNda sadir: All the others are your ?daasabhootas?- servants. This ?sui
generis? pre-eminence adored by Nityasooris is what I also seek.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSE 4.10.1
Onrum tEvum ulagum uyirum taadumillaa anru;
naanmugan thannODu dEvar ulagODu uyir paDaithaan
kunram pOL maNi maaDam neeDu tiruk kurugur tannuLL
ninra aadhi piraan nirka matrai deivam naaDudhirE
?In the beginning, the Lord was alone. Neither Brahma, nor Shiva, nor any
dEvas. No human or other beings. Nothing was there.
Cf: ChaDogya U: - ?sadEva sOmya idam agra aseeth?
Cf: Taittriya UP: ?eKO hi saha naaraayaNa aaseeth, na Brahma, na eesaano, na
imE dyaavaa prithvee?
He started creating everything including the four faced Brahma, the dEvas,
the heavens where they live, the earth where all other beings live. It is
this very same Lord who now stands as ?Aadhipiraan? in Tiruk Kurugur in His
archaa form exhibiting His ?soulabhyam? as much as His ?Paratvam?. When He
is very much there waiting to grant whatever you want, (even mOksha on death
? ?maraNam aanaal VaikunTam koDukkum piraan?,
How come, you run after petty deities (kshudra dEvatas) who are as much His
creations as you yourselves are??
This includes even the ordinary kings on earth.
NAMPILLAI explains that Bhagavaan created the 4 faced Brahma who created the
5 faced Shiva who in his turn created the 6 faced one. Thus, the ?eka?
became ?bahu?. This also alludes to the story of ?kapaala mOksham?
Udhanga asked KrishNa whether KrishNa could not have averted the Mahaa
Bhaarata war. KrishNa is said to have replied:
?I have tried my best but DuryOdhana was bent upon destroying the PaaNDavas
and swore that he would not live while PaaNDavas were alive, thus exhibiting
extreme enmity towards PaaNDavas. So, I had to give up ?peace offensives?
and resort to ?war offensives?
Similarly, the Lord tried His best to wean the Samsaris and elevate them to
the company of ?Nitya - Sooris?, but they were obstinately determined to be
?Nitya - Samsaaris? and resisted the Lord so much that He had to give up and
entrust the duty to Azhwar!
People are confused and misled into false determination by various Saastras
and PuraaNas that seek to glorify certain petty deities in certain specific
contexts, giving the impression that they are either equal or even superior
to Bhagavaan. They do not have either the maturity or the patience to
examine in what specific circumstances and for what reasons hyperbole was
employed in the case of other deities. These people fail to understand how
these hyperboles are never meant to detract from the ?Paratvam? of
Bhagavaan.
They do not understand how Agni, Shiva and others have been spoken of highly
in ?Taamasa? PuraaNas which are really NOT authoritative at all and Brhama
and others in ?Raajasa? PuraaNas that are perhaps only a little more
authoritative than the earlier ones. The most authentic ?Saatvika? PuraaNas
have never been tired of declaring Bhagavaan as THE PARAMATMA.
Perhaps, the Lord thought that the best person to disabuse their minds would
be the Azhwar, instead of Himself making the effort that might be
misunderstood as ?self-glorification?.
In this decad 4.10, the Azhwar, out of compassion, desires to correct those
whom even the Lord could not! He first establishes how ?Sriyah Pathi? is THE
SUPREME LORD and yet He was so accessible taking His abode at Tirunagari,
the birthplace of the Azhwar himself. Then, he points out how ignorant folks
fall for the trivial and temporary benefits made available by petty deities.
He then proceeds to implore them to realize the blend of supreme power with
supreme mercy of ?sriyah Pathi? who would grant not only ?MOksha? but also
all that can be and those that cannot be granted by these petty deities.
At the outset, the Azhwar established the ?Paratvam? in: Uyarvara? and in
?TiNNan veeDU?, he established His ?Vibhavam?. But, to no avail. He now
gives a clarion call saying that ?HERE HE is standing in all His
?Soulabhyam? in the archaa form waiting patiently for them to return to Him?
TIRUKKURUGAIPIRAAN PILLAAN who wrote the 6000 PaDi, marshals unrebuttable
?PramAaNams? in support of this position while explaining the import of this
hymn as also hymn 3 of this decad- ?deivam matrillai pesuminE?. As the
PramaaNas are inexhaustible, he concludes by saying ?We need not search for
any more PramaaNas than what the Azhwar has declared in this hymn?
NINRA AADHI PIRAAN: The one who stands foremost in the PramaaNas. The way
Aadhi piraan stands looks as if He were doing a penance! The Lord seems to
think ?Oh! I have given these people soul, body limbs and Saastras to guide.
But, they do not seem to learn. May be, they will realize at some stage when
they will become mature enough. Let me give them a long rope and wait
patiently?
TIRUKKURUGAIPIRAAN PILLAAN marvels referring to AADHI PIRAAN ?
?Can you ever imagine a ?SEshi? (master) yearning like a ?saadaka? bird
(that waits patiently for the fresh rain water which alone it drinks) and
waiting patiently for His ?SEsha? (servant)? What a Soulabhyam? When such a
one is waiting for you to grant whatever you want, your running after petty
deities is like a person digging a well for water on the banks of the
eternal flowing Ganges?
ACHARYA HRIDAYAM comments that the Azhwar?s poetic genius combined with his
extreme compassion flows like water, milk and ghee and broke the banks of
Para Bhakti, Para jnaana and Parama Bhakti and outflowed to save humanity in
the form of this ?AVAAVIL ANTADI? ? the flood of eagerness to save humanity
through this ?anta aadhi? ?AzhwaaruDaiya kavi Bhakti praavaNyam, neer, paal,
nei amudhaai nirambina, Eri mEnikku naLIyumaappOlE Para Bhakti, Para Jnaana,
Parama Bhakti aaga viLangi, karai miDantu mozhippaTTu avaavil antaadi enru
peyar petradu?
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS -
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 9
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
5.1.1
Kaiyaar chakkarathu enn karumaaNikkamE! Enrenru
poiyE kaimmai solli puramE puramE aaDi
mettE petru ozhindEn, vidhi vaaikkinru kaappaar aar
aiyO!kaNNapiraan!araiyO inip pOnaalE
In the 1st decad, the Azhwar established that Bhagavad kainkaryam to the
Lord is THE Purushaartam.
In the 2nd decad, he overcame the impediments.
In the 3rd decad, he explained how ?Bhagavad Kainkaryam? included ?Bhaagavta
kainkaryam?.
In the 4th decad, he advised how to get rid of the vulgar pleasures as also
?kaivalyam? that stood in the way of kainkaryas mentioned above. In this 5th
decad, he establishes that it is Bhagavaan alone who can eliminate the
hindrances.
In this verse, he celebrates how by the unconditional grace of the Lord
(nirhEtuka kripa) he got rid of all the sins accumulated over innumerable
past lives from the beginningless time as also those currently indulged in
and how he was made instrumental in correcting other too in the world.
?Oh! The black gem (MaaNickamE), who wields the divine Chakra! Being
immersed in sensual pleasures, I acted as if I loved you. I deliberately
defrauded you by uttering hypocritically false words of praise (poyyE
kaimmai solli puramE puramE aaDi)?
Kaimmaai: Very big lie. We feel it sacrilegious even to repeat what the
Azhwar says here that he cheated God! By no stretch of imagination could we
ever hold Azhwar guilty of this indiscretion. It should be understood that
these are spoken on behalf of us who constantly delude ourselves into
believing that we are smart enough to deceive God, claiming credit for
anything that we deem as good and blaming God whenever anything goes wrong
in our perception.
If we detach ourselves deliberately from mundane interests and attach
ourselves to Him as our ONLY refuge (sarva vida Bhandu) He, on His part,
would suspend His omnipotence (Sarva Swaamitvam) and independence (Sarva
Swatantratvam) and become one with us in His infinite mercy.
?But?, proceeds the Azhwar, ?You trusted even my falsehoods as true and
showered your grace and made me fit to be ranked among your servitors!?
Vidhi Vaaikkinradu: Kaappaar aar? ?Goodness! Gracious! Who can prevent your
grace and how can you ever leave me now??
Vidhi: Fortune, Fate. Even as fate or destiny is inevitable, Bhagavad kripa
is also inevitable. When it flows none can avert or alter it and nothing can
be done about it. Once He decides to show His grace on someone, He
integrates Himself indistinguishably and therefore, there is no escape for
Him even!
EMBAR avers that even the Lord has ?agjnaana? (ignorance), ?vismriti?
(forgetfulness) and ?asakti? (limitation to His omnipotence). How?
EMBAR explains: ? The Lord said in the case of VibheeshaNa ?Forgetting his
faults, if any (vismriti), ignoring his defects (agjnaana), when once
VibheeshaNa has come seeking my hand of friendship, I can never let him down
(asakti)?
?mitrabhaavEna sampraaptam na thyajEyam kadaachana/
dOshO yadyapi tasya syaath sadaam yEtad agarhitam?
(VR Yudddha KhaaNda 18.3)
When a person surrenders to the Lord, the Lord forgets (vismriti) all sins
committed by him/her.
Even after surrender, the Prapanna should commit any sins knowingly or
unknowingly, the Lord would ignore them (agjnaana).
Why?
It is because of the Lord?s inability to go back and change His mind from
grace to justice (asakti).
When one surrenders to the Lord, the Lord Himself surrenders His Paratvam,
Swatantryam, His DaNDam - everything in favor of the Prapanna.
?Oh! KaNNapiraan! Where are you going? Acknowledge your defeat at my hands
before running away! Shame! Shame!? says the Azhwar.
?aiyO!? and ?araiyO!? These are exclamations of jubilation uttered by the
victor in a battle or in a game for putting the vanquished to shame.
Why ?KaNNapiraan??: Because, as KaNNapiraan, the Lord had a ?track record?.
Was he not beaten up by the cowherd girls as he was caught red handed while
stealing butter and did he not plead with them tearfully?
In the 10 verses of this decad, we can notice what is known as ?Saatvika
Ahamkaara?- ?justified pride? in having secured God?s grace that even goes
to the extent of challenging the ?Swatantriyam? of the Lord.
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 10
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
-------------------------------------------------------
PAASURAM 5.1.5
kaNNapiraanai viNNOr karu maaNickathai amuDai
naNNiyum naNNagillEn; naDuvE oru UdambiliTTu
tiNNam azhundak kaTTip pala seivinai van kayitraal
puNNai maraiyavarindu ennaip pOra vaithaai puramE
The Azhwar reflects on why in spite of learning what the Lord?s grace could
do, he did not turn to Him so far. He says that the culprit is his
association with the body and the sensual interests. It is as if the body
was tightly tied down with ropes of ignorance and karma over the layer of
the skin, which concealed the ulcer within and locked the Lord without.
Who is responsible for this?
?The very Lord Himself? says the Azhwar.
?It was you who gave me the body and the skin to cover and then tied me with
ropes and pushed me down the quagmire of sensual pleasures. Since you
covered my knowledge thus, you only had to uncover and release me to
Bhagavad anubhava?
NAMPILLAI comments that the Azhwar?s condition ?before and after? was like
Sri Sita in AshOka vana waiting for the Lord to release her and her actual
release.
ViNNOr amudai: The darling o0f Nityasuris who enjoy Him afresh every moment.
NaNNiyum naNNagillEn: The Azhwar asks- ?Even though I got aatmagjnaanam, I
wonder why I could not secure a ?baahya samslEsham?
NaDuvE oru uDambil iTTu?tiNNam azhundak kaTTi? puNNai maraiya varindu:
It is because this tabernacle of flesh, blood and marrow within is covered
with a glossy skin making it appear as if everything was OK. When this
deceptive façade is torn down, the ugliness of the body will be revealed
with all its loathsome and nauseating rotten flesh ? fit only to be thrown
to dogs. The Azhwar seems to ask whether it was proper on the part of the
Lord to let him dwell in such a prison-like body in smug satisfaction so
far.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
PAASURAM 5.7.2
AngutrEn allEn; ingutrEn allEn,
unnaik kaaNum avaavil veezhndu- naan
EngutrEnum allEn ilangai setra ammaanE!
TingaL sEr maNI maaDam neeDu
Sireevara mangala nagar urai
Sangu sakkarathaai! tamiyEnukku aruLaayE
Angu utrEn allEn: ?Oh! God! I have not practiced any ?saadana? to deserve a
place IN YOUR SRI VAIKUNTAM.?
Ingu utrEn allEn: ?Since I am always immersed in enjoying your beauty and
qualities, I have not attempted to practice any means prescribed in the
Saastras for observance IN THIS World?
Engu utrEnum allEn: ?thus, I do not belong to either or anywhere else. This
is the interpretation given in 6000 PaDi, which was the NIRVAAHAM of all
Achaaryas PRIOR to Emperumaanaar.
Or the first two lines, PERIYAVAACHAAN PILLAI explains:
The Azhwar pleads pathetically-
? I am unable to come to your place and enjoy your proximity. Nor am I, one
of those ?samsaaris? who have no thought or desire to reach you and
therefore, do nothing about it. I have fallen between the stools having lost
both the possibilities. I do not belong to the former; Sure as anything, I
do not belong to the latter either. I am not able to forget you. I am not
able to bear this miserable existence and this excruciating suspense any
more?
unnaik kaaNum avaavil veezhndu: ?I have only one irresistible urge to meet
with you. The only thing that keeps me alive is my love for you. Your
qualities have enslaved me? This is like LakshmaNa?s saying that he was
enslaved by the qualities of Sri Rama.
?guNair daasyam upaagatah? (VR Kishkinda KhaaNdam 12.4)
ilangai setra ammaane!: PERIYAVAACHAAN PILLAI explains the relevance of this
reference. Thus:
?You asked LakshmaNa to bring you the bow and arrow. You had to build a
bridge across Sethu; you had to organize a battalion; you took all these
troubles all for the sake of redeeming Sri Sita. In my case, all this is not
necessary. You can save me by mere ?sankalpa?. Also, unlike in the case of
Sri Sita who had TrijaTa to console her, I have nobody here to console me. I
am desolate and forlorn?
There is a further hint in this reference:
The Azhwar seems to ask-?
? Was it not you who told Sugreeva that if he were to die, you will find no
joy even if you win the war and redeem Sri Sita? This shows how deep your
concern is for the one who has surrendered to you. Here I am, having
surrendered. Where is your concern and where is your compassion??
(VR Yuddha KhaaNDam 41.4)
tingaL sEr maNi maaDa neeDu sireevara mangaLa nagar urai:
?You have taken your abode in the city of Sireevaramanagai whose tall
ramparts touch the very moon?
sangu Sakkarathaai: ?You have the famous conch and discus. Unlike
Ramavataara, you stand here4 ever ready with your conch and disc. What are
you waiting for??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAASURAM 5.8.1
Aaraa amudE! ADiyEn uDalam ninpaal anbaayE
Neeraai alaindu karaiya urukkuginra neDumaalE!
Seeraar sennell kavari veesum tirukkuDantai
YEraar kOLam tigazhak kiDantaai kaNDEn emmaanE!
When the Lord does not respond to his entreaties in Vaanamaamalai, the
Azhwar turns to Aaraavamudan at TirukkuDantai but even here the Lord keeps
mum. The Azhwar feels exactly like a suckling baby that looks up eagerly at
its mother for breastfeeding but the mother looks the other way.
As Sri Rama did not pay heed to the pleas of Bharata, only for carrying out
duties in keeping up his promise, the Lord did not respond to Azhwar only to
further deepen his emotions to blossom into denouement of the Prabandham.
Like Bharata who came to the forest in the fond hope of securing Sri Rama?s
return, the Azhwar longs for Aaraavamudan to heed his prayers or at least
give him a word of consolation. But, the Lord kept a studied silence.
?How many doors of yours would I have to knock at and for how long??, he
asks in utter desperation.
Aaraa amudE! : ?Oh! Lord! What is the secret of your charm that however many
times and however long one enjoys your wonderful form, it always remains as
fresh as ever and as insatiably sweet as it can be, as if it were eyed for
the FIRST TIME EVERY TIME? Amritam was obtained at a specific point of time
when the milky ocean was churned and was made available to the Devas only.
But, your form HERE is a veritable nectar available at all times and to
everyone alike?
ADiyEn uDalam ninn paal anbaayE neeraai alanindu karaiya urukkuginra:
?My heart and mind simply melt away in my love for you. That you can bewitch
the hearts of chEtanas (living creatures) is well known. How come, you can
even bewitch and melt my body (which is an achEtana ? an inanimate object)?
UDalam karaiya urukkuginra: It has not only melted but also flows like a
flood. Like a goldsmith who melts the ornaments, you melt me, my mind and my
body alike?
NeDu maalE!: Having done this, why do you hide yourself far far away?
Serrar senn nell kavari veesum: ?The red paddy grain stems grown tall in the
fields waft in the winds as if they are doing fanning service for you!?
The Azhwar draws a comparison between the prosperous greenery of
TirukkuDantai and the cool eyes of the Lord.
YEraar kOlam tigazh kidantaai: Your reclining posture in the evergreen
TirukkuDantai is an inexhaustible feast to my eyes.
KaNDEn emmaanE!: ?I have only seen your form but have not had the ?baahya
samslEsham? yet. I have understood you are my Lord. Is it not natural for a
baby to ask for breastfeeding, having known its mother??
It is said that one Loka Saaranga Mahaa munigaL who was living in the far
north, happened to listen to the recital of this hymn by a few pilgrims. He
was amazed at the felicity of the word ?aaraa amudE? ? (insatiable nectar)
to describe the Lord, when there are umpteen other names for the Lord,
Narayana etc. He found the name so wonderful that he immediately decided to
set forth to the Tamil speaking country (Tamizh naDaiyaaDum dEsam) where the
language had such meaningful expressions never heard of before elsewhere.
(Vide pages 466-467 of Azhwar Tiru uLLam Part I (3rd Collection) published
by Sri VisishTaadvaita Research Centre, Chennai- Pub: 1994)
This verse is considered most important also because on a similar occasion
Sri NaathamunigaL heard this decad and on enquiring where he could get the
rest of it all. He was told to go to Tirukkurugur. He recited Madurakavi?s
?kaNNInuNN Siruthaambhu? and consequently Namaazhwar himself initiated him
into not only Tiruvoimozhi but also the entire 4000 Divya Prabandhams. Thus,
this decad held the key for unlocking the treasure of Divya Prabandhams,
which had almost been lost to posterity.
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS:
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 11
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
------------------------------------------------------
Paasuram 6.7.1
UNNUm sOru parugu neer thinnum vetrilayum ellaam
KaNNan emperumaan enrE kaNgaL neer malgi
MaNNinuL avan seer vaLam mikka avanoor vinavi
ThiNNa menniLa maan pugum oor TirukkOLoorE.
In this decad, as in some others, the Azhwar simulates the role of the
mother of a girl madly in love with the Lord. The mother and daughter were
lying next to each other and sleeping. At dead of night, the mother suddenly
wakes up only to find that her daughter is not in her bed. She searches all
over but could not trace her. In her maternal anxiety, she wonders whether
ghosts would have abducted her. But, since she knows her daughter?s intense
devotion to the Lord of TirukkOLur, she decides that the daughter would have
walked up to TirukkOLur to meet with the Lord.
The mother narrates how her daughter had missed so many things in life in
her pursuit of the Lord ? her mind, her beauty, her luster and even her
sense of shame ? in short, everything that is considered precious assets in
young girls who have come of age. The mother laments how her daughter had
thrown to winds all these and walked away all alone without any escort to
TirukkOLur in the conviction that the Lord therein who was everything to her
would not let her down.
NAMPILLAI graphically describes the trepidation of the mother who learns
that her daughter had taken bold to go it alone to elope with her lover,
disregarding all sense of decency and ignoring the possible blame of
misconduct at the hands of the village folk who are only too willing to
indulge in rumor mongering!
?My daughter who is doe-eyed says that KaNNan is everything for her ? the
food she eats, the water she drinks and the betel leaves she chews.
Repeating this frequently, she languishes tearfully. I am sure she will
definitely reach the uniquely prosperous TirukkOLUr about which she has been
inquiring?
sOru: That which sustains, that which nourishes.
Vetrilai: That which is enjoyable. Why not merely sOru, Neer and Vetrilai?
Why adjectives for each?
NAMPILLAI explains that these may not afford relish at all times. But, there
are times when they will be relished most ? food, when very hungry, Water,
when really thirsty; and for the one who enjoys pan, it is most delectable
after food and in that order.
ANANTAAZHWAN accosted a Sri ViashNava stranger and inquired about his native
place. The stranger replied ?TirukkOLur?. AZHWAAN wondered why at all did he
leave TirukkOLur, where he could get all he wanted even if he lived by
tending donkeys. ? Meaning that the Lord who was UNNum sOru, Parugu neer and
thinnum vetrilai? was in his native place itself.
EMPERUMAANAAR similarly asked a girl where she came from (enguninrum?) She
replied that she was from TirukkOLur (TirukkOLuril ninrum). He wondered how
a woman belonging to TirukkOLur could ever go out of that place (asvvooril
penGaLumpOgak kaDavaraai iruppaargaLO?)
NAMPILLAI explains that if a girl was found missing, you can surely trace
her in the TirukkOLur temple. Such was the charm of the Lord of TirukkOLur.
?ivvooril piLLaigaLai kaaNaaviTTaal kOvilukkuL tEDum athanai anrO??
---------------------------------------------------
Paasuram 6.9.9.
Aavi tigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam
PaaviyEnaip pala nee kaaTTIp paDuppaayO?
taavi vaiyam koNDa TaDantaamariakatkE
Koovik KoLLum kaalam innum kurugadO?
Referring to the various impediments to the realization of the Lord, the
Azhwar points to the mischief played buy the five senses, which stupefy the
soul. He asks? Is it that I am a sinner that you subject me to the vagaries
of the five senses for diverting my attention? Do you mean to ruin me? Don?t
you remember that I am destined to enjoy the ultimate happiness with you at
your feet that measured the entire universe? Will not the time between now
and the time of your call for me gets abridged? I cannot wait any more?
Aivar: The five senses of ear, eye, mouth, nose and body.
PILLAAN while in his deathbed undergoing physical pain was frequently
muttering the question in the last line of this verse ?Koovik KoLLUm kaalam
innum kurugadO??
NANJEEYAER who was besides him at that time was beside with grief and wept
his heart out. PILLAAN asked him why he should feel sorry. ?After all, I am
going to a place of ultimate happiness and therefore, death was not a matter
to be scared of or fit to be mourned?
NAMMAZHWAR SNIPPETS ?
TIRUVOIMOZHI Part ? 12 (CONCLUDED)
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paasuram 8.3.3
AaLum aaLaar, aazhiyum sangum sumappaar taam
VaaLum villum koNDu pinselvaar matrillai
TaaLum tOLum kaikaLai aaraat tozhak kaaNEn
NaaLum naaLum naaDuvan aDiyEn jnaalathE
This decad is said to describe Azhwar?s ?MangaLaasaasanam?.
This is also known as Nammaazhwar?s ?Tirup PallaaNDu?.
?Oh! Lord! How come you carry the entire load of your disc and conch and
other weapons all alone with none to accompany or assist you in this? Cannot
someone share your burden by carrying at least your sword, bow or arrows??
Like LakshmaNa, he would like to assist the Lord to get an opportunity to
admire the shoulders and arms of the Lord at close quarters all the time.
The Azhwar seems to feel sorry for the lack of assistants for the Lord in
this regard.
================================================
Paasuram 9.6.10
Vaarik koNDu unnai vizhunguvan KaaNil enru
Aarvutra ennaiozhiya- ennil munnam
Paarithu taan ennai mutrap paruguinaan
Kaarokkum kaaTkaraiyappan - kaDiyanE
The Azhwar expresses a peculiar Bhakti experience in which he portrays
vividly how the devotee is within God and God is within the devotee each
devouring the other almost an instance of ?cannibalism? in which ?the eater
is eaten? as A.K. Ramanujam puts in his ?Hymns for the drowning?
?Oh! Lord! As soon as I saw you, I wanted to devour you whole. But, you
overtook me and completely drank me up?
In 9.6.5 the Azhwar said that under the pretext of showering His grace, the
Lord entered his body, mind and soul and devoured his life.
?TiruvaruL seibavan pOla ennuL puguntu uruvamum aaruyirum uDanE uNDaan?
NAMPILLAI explains the word ?Paruginaan? to mean that while in 9.6.5, He
ate, here HE drank. While the Azhwar was considering KaNNan as his ?uNNUm
sORu, parugu neer etc?, it was now the Lord?s turn to reverse the roles
considering the Azhwar as His uNNum sOru, parugu neer etc. BY exhibiting His
qualities, He literally liquefied the mind of the Azhwar and drank it even
before the Azhwar could devour the Lord. It can be inferred that between the
two, the Lord seems to be more hungry and thirsty than the Azhwar in this
game of eating up each other!
IN 10.8.2, the Azhwar says that Bhagavaan, who entered his mind as a
non-immigrant visitor, fully occupied it and is now refusing to move out and
claims citizenship on the grounds that ?possession is nine points of law?!
A strange predicament indeed! How strange that the Lord who with His huge
belly felt insatiable even after devouring the seven worlds, seven seas and
seven mountains ? sought mere tenancy but was held virtually a prisoner
without parole, in the heart of the Azhwar! A case of ?Container contained?!
=================================================
Paasuram 10.8.2
SaraNam aagum tanataaL aDiantaakku ellaam
MaraNamaanaal vaikuntam koDukkum piraan
Aran amainda madil soozh tiruk kaNNapurathu
TaraNIyaaLan tanatanbarkku anbaagumE
This verse confirms that the Lord out of His infinite compassion grants to
ALL PRAPANNAS who surrender at His feet, mOksham INSTANTLy ON THEIR DEATH.
This gives the lie direct to the concept of ?Jivan Mukti? contended by some.
The Azhwar exhorts us to surrender at the feet of the Lord of
TirukaNNapuram.
NAMPILLAI Says that except when he is in a trance like state of devotion,
the Azhwar during his awakened state never tires of exhorting us to reach
for the Lord?s feet since that alone can ensure salvation AFTER the current
life.
===================================================
Paasuram 10.5.1
kaNNan kazhalinai eNNUm manam uDaiyeer
ENNUm tiru naamam tiNNam naaraNamE
The great Aacharyas of yore used to give invaluable and rare advice to near
and dear ones right about the time when they are about to give up their
mortal coils. Similarly, the Azhwar tenders his sage advice to all of us in
this deacd, which represents the grand finale of his immortal work.
?Oh! Those who desire to attain the feet of the Lord, who is renowned for
His accessibility to His devotees! The ONLY name you ever need to remember
and meditate is that of NARAYANA and NOTHING ELSE. This is THE ONLY TRUTH.
Take this seriously and in right earnest?
This is like Vyaasa?s swearing- ?Satyam Satyam punah Satyam?? etc?
NAMPILLAI comments on the word ?NaaraNam? thus:
Unlike other mantras in which mutilation of pronunciation or variation in
intonation etc. are likely to result in disastrous repercussions like the
perpetrator being born as BrhmaRaakshasa etc. the efficacy of Narayana
mantra never gets affected by any distortions if and when the letters ?na,
ra and na? are uttered whether with or without the ending ?m? or the fourth
case ending, so long as they are uttered with sincerity and a pure heart.
How reassuring, this!
The Azhwar carefully avoids the word ?mantra?; instead, he uses the word
?Tirunaamam? to indicate that there are no restraints or constraints either
in the matter of ?adhikaari? (fitness of the person) or ?anganyaasa,
karannyaasa (gestural invocations) etc. It is like a child calling its
mother in its ?baby talk? and the mother feeling happy over this.
?First do this ?Sabda anusantaanam?? ?artha anusantaanam? will follow? the
Azhwar seems to advise.
