chanting our Lord's name : thirumaalai-2

From the Bhakti List Archives

• March 14, 1996


> Saranagathi, chanting Krishna, Krishna all the time will quickly
> dissipate all sins and bring untold happiness in this life and
> Paramanandam in Sri Vaikuntham after this life.  Of this there is no

Thondaradippodiaazhwaar even goes to the extent of saying that he will
forgo even Paramapadam in favor of chanting our Lord's name in thirumaalai-2.

Thirumaalai-2

pacchaimaa malaipOl mEni
   pavaLavaay kamalach chenkaN
achchuthaa! amara rErE!
   aayar_tham kozhunthE! ennum,
ichchuvai thavira yaanpOy
   inthira lOka maaLum,
achchuvai peRinum vENdEn
   arankamaa nakaru Laane!

Our Aazhwaar feels great joy and bliss in singing the praise of our Lord with
 words like:
"O Lord with a thirumEni like a majestic mountain (pacchaimaa malaipOl mEni)*
 O Lord with mouth like a beautiful pavaLam (pavaLavaay kamalach chenkaN)
 achuthaa! (achuthaa means one who does not fail those who embraced Him)
 O Lord of the nityasuris (amararErE)
 Jewel of the aayarkulam (aayartham kozhundhE)"

 Aazhwaar says that the joy that he attains from singing the
 praise of our Lord is so great that he would not want to give it up 
 even if he were to attain paramapadam.

* P.B.Annangaraachaaryaar has a very beautiful explanation as to why aazhwaar
 uses 'pachchai maamalai' rather than just 'malai'. 
 An ordinary mountain ('malai') can be
 used as an analogy for the physical beauty of our Lord. But, Aazhwaar
 uses 'pachchai maa' to qualify the malai to represent our Lord's infinite 
 kindness and especially His quality of granting happiness and bliss
 for those who see Him.


 Aazhwaar emperumaanaar jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

 Varadhan