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Re: MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy ' ThiruppAvai Monograph: Selected Excerpts: Part X->Fourth day of Dhnaur Maasam: Azhimazhai KaNNA Dinam

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Sadagopan • December 19, 2000 


Sriamthyai Godhayai Nama:
SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

Dear BhakthAs:

On this fourth day of ThiruppAvai Vratham , adiyEn will
Cover " Azhimazhaik KaNNA " paasuram , where Godhai and 
Her friends sing in praise of " God VaruNA , the God of rains"
and request Him to bless them with copious rains 
for the Maarghazhi vratham observance .

The Meaning of this Paasuram ( Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan)
****************************************************

Oh Lord VaruNA who is the prsding deity of ocean-like 
burst of rains! (We pray to you so that ) you please
do not make your gift very small(i.e. be bounteous 
towards us). We request you (in the form of clouds)
to pour plenty of rains in the world;first you should 
get into the womb of the deep seas and take excessive
water ( so that even the sea becomes bereft of water),
make thunder (uproar), and go higher up (in the sky);
(the color of ) your body should become as dark as 
that of the primordial cause of the world ( Oozhi Mudalvan=
Jagath Kaarana BhUthan); you should become resplendent with
lightning, just as the dazzling discus (Aazhi=Chakram)
held on the hand of Lord PadmanAbha with broad shoulders;
you should make a thunderous roar like the conch(Paanchajanyam)
held on the hand of the Lord; you should bring forth rains 
in abundance without any cessation,--the rains just like
the shower of arrows coming forth in succession from
the bow (Saarangam) of the Lord.;your rains should be for 
the good of the world so that the world flourishes ; and ,
through your rains , we will have plenty of water and also
happily take the ceremonial bath during Maarghazhi month.
( Lord VishNu's important weapons--discus, conch and bow 
are cited here , in a form of invocation as it were; and 
Lord PadmanAbha is indicated as the JagathkAraNan-- 
the primordial cause ).

The Inner Meanings of this Paasuram
*************************************

Aazhi Mazhaik KaNNA        Oh Venerable AchAryAs , who 
                           pour down the rain of Jn~Anam
                           and whose eyes are flodded with
                           the showers of aanandham (bliss) 
                           through Bhagavath anubhavam !

Nee onRu kai karavEl       Please bless us with all the 
                           meanings of the three rahasyams
                           without holding back any 

Aazhiut-pukku              after entering the milky ocean 
                           of Upanishads

muhanthu kodu              taking the quintessential meanings

aarthu yERi                and roaring like a lion

Oozhi mudalvan uruvam      You (AchAryAs) who have the dark
pOl mey karutthu           hue of the Lord due to your constant
                           meditation of that dark-complexioned 
                           Lord and You who are filled with 
                           infinite dayA similar to that of 
                           the Lord and who are the embodiment 
                           of His compassion (Tanmayathvam) 

Paazhiyam thOLudai         You who have the radiance arising 
PaRpanAbhan kaiyil         from your dhivya Jn~Anam 
Aazhi pOl minni 

Valampuri pOl ninRu        You roaring like HayagrIva ghOsham
athirnthu                  (Jn~Anandha maya vijaya ghOsham)

thAzhAthE                  thinking that there will be 
                           inauspiciousness , if You 
                           (as AchAryAs)do not perform upadEsam
                           to your sishyAs

Saarngam Udaittha          showering the Jn~Ana varsham ( torrent 
Sara Mazhai pOl            of Jn~Anam) like the bhANa Varsham
                           ( the torrent of arrows leaving 
                           KodhanDa Raaman's Saarangam bow)

Ulahinil Vaazha            For the people of the world to survive
                           and live

Mahinzthu peythidAi        please rain (of Jn~Anam) with joy 

naangaLum mahizhnthu       so that we will engage in the most
Maarghazhi neerAda         exalted (Maargha seersham /thalai
                           siRantha ) act of Prapatthi/SaraNAgathi
at Your sacred feet !

(Summary ): In the Ongi UlahaLantha Utthaman Paasuram ,
ANDAL equated AchAryAs to "VaLLal Perum PasukkaL" or
the most generous and lofty milk cows.The sishyAs through
the anugraham of these AchAryAs drink the milk of Jn~Anam.
In the 4th(next) paasuram , the AchAryAs are compared by ANDAL 
to the dark , rain-baring , monsoon clouds that pour down 
Jn~Anam on those , who seek their refuge and uplift them from 
the taapams of samsAram and prepare them for Moksha Siddhi
through the sacred rite of aathma-samarpaNam.

SadAchAryAs serving as KaaruNyAmrutha Meghams
**********************************************
Sri P.B. AnnangarAcchAr Swamy(PBA) has given us ten pramAnams 
from purAnams and AzhwAr paasurams that effectively compares
SadAchAryAs to rain bearing clouds .At the end of that 
discourse , Sri PBA Swamy has quoted the Sanskrit slOkam ,
( LakshmInAthAkhya Sindhou Sataripu jalatha: praapya 
KaaruNya neeram----DesikEndhra pramoukai:);this slOkam
describes how the KaaLa Megham named Swamy NammAzhwAr 
plunged deep into the ocean of DayA known as LakshmInArAyanan
and showered copiously on the mountain peak (Naathamuni) 
and how those auspicious waters flowed from there in the form of
two fountains ( UyyakkoNDAr and MaNakkAl Nampi) , which 
joined to form the river ( AaLavanthAr) and which entered
into the immense lake of RaamAnujA ; That lake overflowing 
with Jn~Ana theertham exited through 74 sluices ( 74 SimhAsana
adhipathis) to bless the samsAris continously .

AchArya RaamAnujA as a Daya-laden rain cloud
********************************************
adiyEn is reminded of the  many passages in Swamy Desikan's 
YathirAja Sapthathi that eloquently compare AchArya RaamAnujA
to the rich daya-laden cloud  cooling us ( SamsAris) with
and uplifting us through the downpour of divine Jn~Anam : 

Sruthi Surabhaya: SuddhAnandha abhivarshuka VaaridhA:
--SlOkam 47  
(These clouds have the fragrance of VedAs and shower
the purest of pure bliss all around).

udhgruhNItham upanishadsu nigUDam arTam --
---SlOkam 25
( here AchArya RaamAnujA's hands dipping into
the deep ocean of Upanishads and bringing out 
their essential meanings (SaarArthams) is described.

SlOkams 30 (paanIya Sindhu:) , 32 ( anthyam varNam 
prathayathi), 60 ( (nirucchEdhA Yathipathi DayA
dhivya taDinee --samAplaavayathi/ that never drying
GangA pravAham known as YathirAja"s Daya immerses me
in it ).

Abhinava Desikan's insights
****************************
One Illustrative example of the brilliant insights
backed up by Ubhaya VedAntham of Abhinava Desikan
is given below:

The ThiruppAvai vratham observers are ParamaikAnthis
( Those who will not worship anyone other than Sriman
NaarAyaNan and will not ask anything for themselves);
hence , they will not pray to the rain god VaruNan 
(DevathAntharam) for boons to bless them with abubdant 
showers.The Gopis addressed therefore the God of rain 
as "Aazhi Mazhaik KaNNan " .KaNNan is the name for 
the adhyakshakan /nirvAhakan (commander) of 
the rain clouds.He is the antharyAmi of the Meghams.
The gopis addressed Him as Jn~Ana VairAgya KaaruNya 
KalyAna guNa samudhram and Sarva Tanthra Svathanthran
and invoked HIM for the copious rain for the Subhiksham 
(well being ) of the world . 

The greatness of ANDAL's reverence for Tamizh language
*******************************************************
Sriman PerukkAraNai Swamy points out that ANDAL has
used the unique Tamizh letter (Zha) ELEVEN TIMES in
this paasuram : Aaazhi , Mazhai , OOzhi , Paazhiyam , 
thAzhAthE , Vaazha , Maarghazhi , Mahizhnthu ---.
The use of letter "Zha" is unique for Tamizh BhAsahi
(language) ANDAL's father used it (ZHA) TEN TIMES in 285th
Paaasuram of Dhivya prabhandham ( Kuzhal IruNDu--).
It looks like the daughter went beyond him in this matter !

This paasuram is a great one that celebrates 
the glories of SadAchAryans and their KaaruNyam .
There are many other deep meanings that adiyEn could
not include due to the need to keep the postigns brief.
adiyEn will be faced with this dilemma throughout
this series of postings and request devotees' understanding.
There is so much more .  

Srimath Azhagiya Singhar, ANDAL ThiruvadigaLE saranam
RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan 
      
 


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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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