Periya Thirumozhi-1.7- TVAYI RAKSHATHI RAKSHAKAI: KIM ANYAI?

From the Bhakti List Archives

• February 15, 1999


Sri:

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

Even in this ten, Thirumangai AzhwAr - Nam Kaliyan has sung 
mangalaasaasanam to the Lord with PiraaTTi sambhandham for 
purushaakaaram with the line "alli maadhar pulga ninRa aayiranthOLan"..  
AzhwAr in the last ten lamented "aiyO! My past deeds are scaring me! The 
yama dhUthAs are going to punish me in the hell. I am shivering with 
fear". The Lord now gives a gentle reassurance to AzhwAr.. "AzhwArE! The 
extent even yamadhUthAs don't do, hiraNyan did on my devotee Prahladan. 
Didn't I save him by appearing as Narasimhan? I am still present there 
at SingavEL kuNRam only to save all of you.". Thus, here the excited 
AzhwAr enjoys SingavEL kuNram Emperumaan and Ahobilam Emperumaan in this 
ten. A lovely ten; more so for the sishyas of Ahobila Mutt. 

1. Sending spine chilling shivers to everyone in this beautiful world, 
with His thunderous sound and ferocious roar, with the shining mane, and 
lustre, Lord Narasimhan appeared and tore the body of hiraNyan with his 
sharp nails- The place where He appeared and still stays there for 
protecting us- which is that place? The Place is the hill of SingavEL 
kunRam where the red eyes fiery lions, offer the ivory tusks of 
elephants (whom they had killed), to the Lotus Feet of Lord Narasimhan 
with bhakti. 

2. The One, who has a wide large mouth licking the corner of His mouth 
(with tremendous anger) with His tongue;- who has the bright, sharp, 
whit teeth - who killed hiraNyan with his sharp nails alone- He is Lord 
Narasimhan and is present at SingavEL kunRam- the place where the sounds 
and noises of people quarrelling and yelling when they (while walking 
through this place) are stopped and robbed by hunters; the place where 
hunters' bow twangs and drum beats are heard.

3. Large mouth, sharp spear like teeth, majestic appearance, ferocious 
look, the Unbounded, unparalleled Lord -Sri Narasimhan tore open the 
chest of hiraNyan and killed him- such Greatest Lord is present at 
SingavEL kunRam- where the animals (tired due to their strolling here 
and there), where the mountains and small hills are there, where there 
are burnt (due to forest fires) bamboo trees are there and nothing else. 
(one can imagine AzhwAr's walking alone in this remote place those days, 
all on foot!- )

4. The One who has the sharp spear in his hands that give troubl and 
suffering to everyone; the enemy of Bhagwathas, - hiraNyan was killed by 
Lord Narasimhan, tearing his chest with His sharp nails. Such Greatest 
Lord lives in SingavEL kunRam- where hunter dogs, the deadly eagles 
(that peck those dead animals that are killed by these dogs), the hot 
windy air that goes around with scorching sunny rays, the place where no 
human being can reach except for celestial bodies. 

5. The mouth and lips that are slightly bent and folded by the sharp 
teeth, due to the anger, Sharp sword like bright white teeth,- The Lord 
Narasimhan appeared like that and tore the chest of hiraNyan and killed 
him. Such Greatest Lord shows Himself at SingavEL kunRam, where the 
whirly hot wind raises itself everywhere till the sky due to which none 
can approach and pay obeisance to this Greatest Lord Narasimham.

6. The eyes that emanate fiery sparks, the huge large mouth, and the 
sharp teeth in it, - the form of Lord Narasimhan is so scary and what a 
form! - like that even DevAs run in all directions- such Greatest Lord 
Narasimhan is present at SingavEL kunRam- where tigers hide themselves 
behind the dense bushes, and identify the whereabouts of elephants with 
their footprints on the ground (to kill them).  

7. The anger that was on hiraNyan grew up to such an extent for the 
apacharams committed on His Bhagwatha (prahaladan) that the flame and 
intensity of anger reached and spanned everywhere in the sky went even 
beyond the sky to all three worlds; Such Greatest Lord Narasimhan is 
here at SingavEL kunRam; where the forest fires make great sounds, in 
which stones burst and make further noise; where the hunters go around 
with sharp deadly bows and arrows; the place which can not be accessible 
to others, even for a second.

8. The place where Brahman and Sivan keep praising the Lord Narasimhan 
(with the result there is even a "thazhumbhu" mark on their tongues- 
i.e. When we keep doing something repeatedly, it leaves a mark on the 
part of the body; Those who do dhaNdaal with the knuckles on the ground 
on the ground, will know. It will leave the knuckle joints with scar 
like mark. AzhwAr says.. Brahman and Sivan keep repeating the same name 
so many times, that the tongue has been thickened and there is a mark in 
their tonguesÂ… adadaaa!.. I wish we get such a mark, too uttering 
Narayana Â…NarayanaÂ…). - Such Greatest Narasimhan stays at SingavEL 
kunRam, where the trees make scary sounds with the movements of their 
twigs in the air, with the deadly noises from the movement of bamboo 
trees and the flames of fire that emanate from such frictions of bamboo 
trees. - Such a place where the Lord Narasimhan stays is SingavEL 
kunRam.

9. Oh mind! You are very good. Let us go to this place SingavEL kunRam, 
where the chilli birds screech with their beaks with a sound "cheeeel", 
where the tall trees make scary noises with their leaves, where the 
dense trees grow so as to even break open the rocks that are on the way, 
where Emperumaan Lord Narasimhan- the thousand shouldered Lord- who hugs 
the "malar mangai" the Goddess born from Lotus Flower - Periya 
PiraaTTi-MahAlaksmhi- who is our Chief and Master- stays permanently. 
(alli maadhar pulga ninRa aayiranthOLan")

10. The fiery reddish eyed, valiant ferocious lions, offer the ivory 
tusks of elephants to the Lord Narasimhan with bhakti at SingavEL 
kunRam- the Lord Narasingan- Emperumaan stays here permanently at this 
place. About Him, Thirumangai mannan has composed this garland of ten 
verses and those who are able to recite them will live with no sorrows 
and worries. 

This ten is so lovely for its ONLY REFERENCE TO LORD NARASIMHAN! The 
sound, the light- the scary ferocity- the appearance- the wrath of the 
Lord is all unimaginable. It is so huge and so noisy! It is so bright 
and so lustrous! There is a verse (is it Manthrarajapadha sthOthram, 
Murali?) and a  Kambhan's poem on Narasihman referred in Sri Nrusimha 
priya August 97- by Sri Mukkur Lakshmi Naraisimhachariar- who used to 
get into trance during his performance of Yaagham (I had even witnessed 
one!- he used to walk with the anger in his eyes- and his mouth wide 
open, throwing some of the yaagha prasadham on few who had assembled 
there- he used to walk like a lion, with his stout figure- It is a great 
sight!). I do not wish to write the translation of Kambhan's ! Read in 
tamil and enjoy.  

Bheegara! Bheegara! Bheegara! Bheegara! BheeshaNa! BheeshaNa! BheeshaNa! 
BheeshaNa!  
Hala! Hala! Hala! Hala! Hala! Hala! Hala! Hala! Han! Han! Han! Han! Han! 
Han! Han! Han!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ithi mahaa aTTahaasah!

That is Emperumaan Narasimhan's ferocious sound and roar that even 
pulled BrahmA down from his throne as if it tells him "dEi BrahmA! You 
have granted left right and centre, boons to guys like thisÂ… and see I 
need to take all these forms to comply with your boons as well as 
destroy the enemies". (from KuRai onRum illai"). Kambhan's poems on the 
Thuderous laghters of Lord Narasimhan are:

aar adaa siritthay sonna arikolO? a~njippukka/ neer adaa pOdhaadhu enRu 
nedunthaRi nEdinaayO?/
pOr adaa? porudhi aayin puRappadu! PuRappadu! pnRaan/ pEr adaa ninra 
thaaLOdu ulaghu elaam peyarap pErvaan/

piLandhandhu thOOnum aa~nghE piRandhadhu seeyam pinnai/ vaLrndhadhu 
dhisaigaL ettum bhagiraNdam mudhala maRRum/
aLandhadhu appuRatthuch cheygaiyaar aRindhaRaiyaghiRpaar/
kiLarndhadhu gagana muttai kizhindhadhu keezhum mElumÂ…/

What a Tamil! What a poem! There is a video cassette on Ahibilum that I 
had once seen a couple of months ago wherein H.H Sri Azhagiyasingar 
beautifully explains as to how Narasimha avathaaram is better than all 
other avathaarams. Mathsya Koorma Varaaha avtaars are basically animal 
forms; while Rama Krishnadhi avtaars are all human forms; Only 
Narasimham is both human and animal form. One who had never tasted milk 
but ate only sugar and the other who had never tasted sugar but drank 
only milk, were given a cup of warm milk with a spoon of sugar. The 
taste was naturally better than just sugar; or just milk! Afterwards, 
they have been drinking only milk with sugar! (That is Lord Narasimhan! 
Those who have tasted Him will NOT LOOK FOR JUST SUGAR OR MILK! "tvayi 
rakshathi rakshakai kim anyai; tvai cha arakshathi rakshakai kim anyai" 
says Swami Desikan in Kaamaasikhaashtakam.. meaning: "O Narasimhaa! you 
are sarva sakthan. When You are resolved to protect some one, where is 
the need to  seek the  protection of other Gods? When You are resolved 
NOT to protect some one , which other God is capable of protecting him?

Thirumangai AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Narayana Narayana

Narayana dAsan Madhavakkannan   

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