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ThiruvahIndhrapuram series: Part XXVII:SrImathi GeethA Rangarajan's Question on ThiruvaImozhi: 5.1.1

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 5, 2003 


SrI:

Dear SrImathi GeethA Rangarajan :

You have focused on a very important paasuram of 
Swamy  NammAzhwAr. This  is a gem of a Pasursam
where Swamy  NammAzhwAr challenges the Lord directly
(SavAl viduhirAr and asks the Lord to dare his challenge).
The  mood shift in AzhwAr from this Paasuram to the last 
Paasuram in this decad is delightful to experience.

Srimans T.C.A.Venkatesan, M.G.VasudEvan and SrI PadmanAbhan Iyengar
as well as Dr.Sarathy have reponded to you alrady . The references of
Periya Thirumozhi verses (3.5.5 and 3.5.8) by SrIman PadmanAbha
Iyengar is very apt in this context.

I will just add a few more comments . Let us start with
the word by word meaning for the Paasuram of TVM 5.1.1
and follow that up by extended comments :

kaiyAr sakkaratthen KarumANikkamE yenRenRu
poyyE kaimai sollip puRamE puRamayAdi
meyyE peRRu ozhindhEn vidhi vaaykkinRu kappArAr 
ayyO ! KaNnapirAn ! aRayO inipponAlE 

ThiruvAimozhi: 5.1.1

puRamE puRamayAdi = (While) wandering amidst all external
                    and transient pleasures (Vishaya sukhams)

yenn kai aar sakkarutthu}
KarumANikkamE           }  = I uttered "Oh my invaluable dark jewel
                             of a Lord with the Hand adorning
                             the beautiful disc named Sudarsanam
although I did not have any preethi
                             or esteem for You or for that radiant 
                             Sudarsanam shining Your hand .
                             I pretended as though I am filled
                             with affection for You . My intent
                             was to cheat the world .

yenRu yenRu poyyE }
kaimai solli      } = I acted as though I have deep devotion for You ,
                      which you knew was a deceitful act on
                      my part and through that deciet , I misled
                      others about my state of devotion to You.

What did you do on witnessing this vanchakam of mine?
How did you respond to my deception? 

meyyE peRRu ozhindhEn = Out of Your NirhEthuka krupA ,
                        You accepted my insincere act as
                        true devotion and showered me with 
                        the immense grace that You reserve for
                        Your Bhaktha SirOnmaNis.

How should I react to what happened ? How should I react
to this totally undeserving gift of Yourself to this 
decietful person ?

Vithi VaaykkinRu kappAr aar? = When Your nirhethuka /avyAja
                               KrupA showers on one , who can 
                               stop that ?

During this process , the deceitful me got the better of 
the deal . How am I to react ?

ayyO KaNNapirAn = Oh MahOpakAri! Sarva SulabhA! It is a pity
                  that You lost Your svatanthram in this contest
                  with me . I cheated You but You granted me
                  victory and lost your independence (SvAtantryam)
                  in the process .

                  This exclamation , "AyyO" comes out of AzhwAr
                  as a joyous reaction (yekkaLippu /exultation). 
                  AzhwAr could not believe what happened to him . 
                  He thought PerumAL will see thru his kapata naatakam 
                  intended for the people of the world and ignore him. 
                  The nirhEdhuka KrupA of KaNNan however created in Him 
                  vismruthi ( forgetfulness) ,ajn~Anam ( absence of 
                  knowledge ) and asakthi ( powerlessness). As a result,
                  He overlooked the deceit of AzhwAr and granted
                  AzhwAr His full anugraham. AzhwAr is now joyous and
                  he blurts out "ayyO" because he got this unexpected 
                  and undeserving anugraham of the lord (" poyyE solli 
                  meyyE peRRu ozhindEn"). What  a grand prize winner 
                  I am shouts the AzhwAr in joy over this incredible
                  turn of events. 

arayO inip-pOnAlE = It is victory for me . After recieving this
                    MahA BhAgyam , even if You want to leave me ,
                    it would not be possible for You , since You 
                    have lost Your independence (Svatanthram). 
                    You have become adhInam to me. "aRayE aRai"
                    declares the AzhwAr exulting with the dhvani 
                    of a victor shouting at the one , who has been
                    defeated in the contest . Ingu ,AzhwAr savAl 
                    viduhiRAr. AzhwAr challenges the Lord to leave him
                    and predicts that He can not , since He is no longer 
                    a Svatantra Purushan.AzhwAr says: " I won thru my 
                    deceitful act. You lost . This is true. athanAl , 
                    nAnn yengum ithai paRayadippEn" AzhwAr shouts
                    with joy :" arayO arai ,aRayO aRai ".

Overcome by His dayA for the soul, the Lord did not use 
the full power of His Sarvajn~athvam (Omniscience ) and 
Sarva sakthithvam ( Omnipotence) to see through the AzhwAr's
acting .His nirhEthuka KrupA took over , every thing 
else was pushed aside and the soul became the beneficiary.

In the same spirit , AzhwAr exclaims in the next paasuram that
he is  a perfect impostor calling the Lord's names with 
feigned affection . Inspite of it , The Lord did not ignore 
the AzhwAr  but entered in to his soul with all His VibhUthis 
due to His nirhEthuka krupA. Dahara VidhyA upAsana Phalan has 
now been gained by the AzhwAr. He exults and declares: " With You 
in me now , Oh Lord , You the possessor/owner of my soul
have become subservient to me ! This is indeed a reverse 
of the normal order of things ". 

The seventh Paasuram in this decad is another jewel of
an anubhavam by  Swamy  NammazhwAr as to how the nirhEthuka
krupA of the Lord swept him of his feet even as he was 
pretending to be full of devotion . The mighty Lord's
limitless grace to a lowly person like him moves 
the AzhwAr and he declares that there is hope for 
even the vilest of sinners amongst us:

"AmmAn aazhip-pirAn Avan yevvidatthAn yAnAr 
 yemmA Paaviyarkkum vidhi vaaykkinRu vaaykkum kaNDeer ".

In the next paasuram , AzhwAr whose anubhavam of 
the nirhEthuka KrupA of the Lord trasformed him
declares in all sincerity that the Lord KannapirAn
is all to him (VaasudEva saravam ithi) . AzhwAr 
states unambigously that KaNnapirAN , who showered 
His avyAja krupA is the integrated essence of all 
the objects dear to the humans : their wealth, adoring wife , 
loving parents and earthly power. 

In the tenth paasuram of this decad , Swamy NammazhwAr 
reflects with utter humility about the transformation
in him as a result of the Lord entering in to him out
of His nirhEthuka krupA . AzhwAr declares solemnly:
" He IS NOW in me. He is WITH ME NOW. We enjoy each
other . Through this blissful experience , I have understood 
that this bhAgyam of union with Him did not  arise from 
my effort at all , but from His immense DayA pravAham ". 

Swamy NammAzhwAr  ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan   
        
  

    

         
              

 


                         



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