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From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramaswami Vasudevan • January 14, 1998 


Dear members,
My sincere thanks to each one of you who have written to me on the
"karavaigal" paasuram.The TiruPAvai related topics are a source of joy
forever.We will have another discussion on TiruPAvai  perceived in a new
perspective. Our AchAryAs have time & again established that  the
essence of "GITA"- mAm Ekam charanam vraja" lies in the gem of an
Andal's utterance- "NArayanane namakke parai tharuvAn"
  In the very 1st pAsuram itself Andal asserts this.Swami Desikan says
-"etthisaiyum uzhanrOdi iLaithu vizhum kAkam pOl" -I come to You
finally.Thiru mangai mannan says- "vAdinEn vAdi, OdinEn odi, kUdinEn
.kUdi iLaiavarOdu -but finally I've come to You. Thondaradi podi laments
" sOOdanAki, kalvanAki ,after all these I come to You.AndAl does not
start on a helpless note, She begins 'let us observe the nOnbu to
realise our wish to be with Him' for NAra----------vAn'& likes to sing
His praise not as a last resort for She has the conviction that He is
the
beginning & end in Himself.
 Lord Krishna says -mAm- me or I,Ekam-alone ,saranam vraja-save &
protect those who have
surrendered at My feet.
Andal says"NArAyanane namakke parai tharuvAn" -NArAyanan tharuvAn- to
whom -namakku(we).                                                      
Who are these 'we'? we are the strong
beleivers,"thAye,thanthaiyE,thAramE,kilaye,
makkalE,nOyE enru pattu ozhindhu vandavar illai- we are the devotees
with the
implicit faith in Him &'namaKE tharuvAn parai'
Krishna says to Arjuna "Come to me with the belief(mahaavisvaasam) that
Me &ME alone will
 redeem you"
NArAyanan-mAm,NArAYananE namaKE-mAmEkam,parai tharuvAn-sharanam vraja.We
have
learnt a lot on 'parai',here it means mOksham or eternity.The Lord
says,'come
to Me &then I'll save but Andal adorns this teaching of the Lord in Her
affirmation'NArAyananE tharuvAn'hence 'uthaman pEr pAdungal'.Maybe this 
determined drive of Andal is the reason that when we celebrate only
the thiru nakshatrams of AzhwArs& AchAryAs once in a year,
 we dedicate a whole month to sing & praise Her glory.
Regards,
SubadraVasudevan.