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Sri Vaikundam - The Final Destination - Part 4 - PaaNar's Paadal Surukku

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • March 21, 1996 


vibeeshnObi dharmaathmaa saha thair nairruthairshabai
lapthavaa "kulathnama" raajaa lankaam prayaantha mhaayaa.
					Vaalmeeki RaamyaaNam

The above verses quote the reference that this Lord was given to
vibeeshaNan as kulathaanan or seer by Lord Raamaa. Even though the star
of vishnu is sravaNam or abijit, this Lord's birth star is rOhini. The
reference to sravaNam was made in udhdhava geetha by Sri Krishna such
that among all the stars, he is in the form of "SravaNam", in canto 11
of Srimath Bagawatham.

	 I want to attempt to clarify the doubt here as to why we are
attributing a
particular star or constellation, to a neverborn never ceased to exist, and
ever present Lord. The Lord was there even before the stars and moons and suns
were born. However, from the time these stars were created, they became the
local"co-ordinates" for this material world and universe. And as long as one is
present here in this form in this material world, one has to be addressed by
his or her thiru nakshathiram which is the position of the star at the time of
the birth. For Lord Vishnu, Oppiliappan, and ThiruvEnkadan, and VaamaNan (this
is not only the first "full human" avathaarma in the evloution of
Dasaavathaaram but also this is the only avathaaram The Lord chose to descend
and accomplish his mission, at a time his "own" star was the co-ordinate for
this earth. The significance of Lord Oppilappan's thiruvadi eqauted to
VaamaNan's thiruvadi can also be derived from here). The time stars and moons
and sun was created is attributed to one local co-ordinate of our material
world. Though Ranganaathar was worshipped by Brahmaa in sathya Logam, it is
understood that ONE must have derived backwards to calculate the timing and
co-ordinates assuming that if the stars were present on that day this Lord
incarnated what would have been the local co-ordinates of the such a date. The
reference to these stars in Rg vedam is testimony that this process of creation
(of everything including stars) and occurance of events as per these one-time
decided co-ordinates is "cyclic" and that thathuvams are ever present with HIM
as his attributes and that the reference to co-ordianates or stars can also be
derived by the "rewinding" or back calculating the process of creation and
ending, for the purpose of celebrating the birth day of our Lord's of various
temples including Arangan. Since this concept is not possible (involves
multiple computations) to be handled by Humans with limitations of their
material knowledge and tools only the "ever present" must have simply provided
them this "co-ordinates" both through vedaas and also through our achaaryaaLs
who are seshan to this "ever present" and incarnate here in this material
world.

  I thank Sri SadagOpan for his post on Revathi, namperumaal's thiru
nakshathiram, and also especially for his quote from "Sri Bhagavad Dhyaana
Sobhaanam". For those who are on board only recently, I urge you to read the
posts on Thirup paanaazhwaar and amlanaathipiraan, made by us last year.
 That will convey the required understanding of the aazhwaar's background, the
relevance of "Sri Bhagavad Dhyaana Sobhaanam" and an analysis on these ten
paasurams before reading this note.

	 Of all the 108 DD's the holiest is Arangam,
and of all the 4000 paasurams on these 108 DD's, the holiest paasurams
are the ten delivered by thirup paaNaazhwaar known as "amalan aaathi
piraan". The aahzwaar's "mana neghizhchchi" for Arangan has no parallel
and equal. This aazhwaar didnot sing on any of the Lord, other than
Arangan.  Aazhwaar not only "sung" these paasurams, but also took his
place in HIM permanently as desired by HIM. It is this aazwaar who told
us the "contents" of our Lord Arangan and without HIM we would not have
known HIM to this extent. Thus when we want to talk about Arangan it is
very proper to talk about this aazwaar and his 10 paasurams. Swami
Desikan who realised this, delivered "Sri Bhagavad Dhyaana Sobhaanam"
using the same contents of amalan aathi piraan as a tribute to both the
aazhwaar and arangan. The clue or sookshamam that I would like to offer
here is that as per our achaaryaa vaibavam, all our poorvaachaaryaaLs
starting from this aazhwaar, worshipped Arangan first with amalanaathi
piraan prior to doing anything either a bagwath vishayam or kainkaryam
or nitya karmaa.  The rationality for this had already been provided by
in an analytical article last year as mentioned above. From saara
saaram to munivaahana bOgam, Swami Desikan delivered 17 sillarai rahsyangaL in
manip pravaaLa. He took the essence of all these sillari rahasyangaL and
delivered in Tamil, "amruthaa svaathani" named so, as it contains the nectar or
amirtham in it. In this, prior to delivering the sillarai rahasyangal, he also
delivered the essence of kaaka and vibeeshaNa saraNaagathi, and the essence of
varaaha saram slOkam, anjali's speciality, and also the keerthi of sri
baashyakaarar as a sampaashaNai and finally he delivered 3 paasurams all of
them conveying the secret of Paanar's experience as the ultimate destination,
permanent state, and the complete knowledge (param) as Arangan HImself with his
contents in Sri Rangam. The three such paasurams are presented below with
approximate translations in English ( I have attempted with my limitted
knowledge and if anyone has anyother meanings please correct me) and are
somewhat self explanatory.

1.
paa vaLarun thamizh maRaiyin payanE koNda
paaN perumaaL paadiyathOr paadal paththil
kaavalanun kaNavanumaayk kalanthu ninRa
kaaraNanaik karuththuRa naankaNda pinbu
kOvalanun kOmaanumaana vannaaL
kuravai piNai kOviyar than guRippE koNdu
sEvaludan piriyaatha pedai pORsErnthu
theevinaiyOr thanimaiye laantheernthO naamE

The growing use of such thamaizh Marai (4000) is being conveyed in those
ten songs of paaN perumaal (thirup paaNaazhwaar).
He stood as the combination of the protector and the beloved.  On
having understood and having seen that He is the cause of all causes, on
the day HE became the King and our Lord, I with the blessings of the ever
attached Ranganaayaki, merged with HIM like an etrenal part of HIM and
removed the loneliness (loneliness due to separation from HIM) I acrued
due to my theeVinais or bad karmaas.


2.
aathimaRaiyena vOngum arangath thuLLE
aruLa aruNG kadalaik kaNdavan nampaaNan
OthiyathOriru naangu miraNdumaana
oru paththum paRRaaka vuNarnthu uraiththOm
neethiyaRiyaatha nilai yarivaark kellaam
nilaiyithuvE yenRu nilai naadi ninROm
vEthiyar thaam viriththu raikkum viLaivukkellaam
vithaiyaakumithu venRu viLambinOmE

In Aranagam where the very first and root of vEdaas is present he is
the one who saw the ocean of "grace" and he is our paaNan (thirup
paaNaazhwaar). Those 2x4+2 = 10 ten paaurams that paaNan delivered we
chant with attached emotions (with ardent bakthi).  Those of us who
"realised" that they donot know anyother dharmaas than this state stood
requesting for a "place" in this is the only "permanent state".  We
"claim" that HE is the root causes of all the "creations" and "end
results" that are explained and detailed by the vethaas.


3.
kaaNbanavum uraipanavu maRRon RinRik
kaNNaNaiyE kaNdu raiththa kadiya kaathaR
paaN perumaaL aruL seytha paadal paththum
pazha maRaiyin poruLenRu paravukinROm
vENperiya viri thirai neer vaiyaththuLLE
vEthaantha vaariyanenRiyamba ninRom
naaN periyOmallOm naam naRun theethum
namakku uraip paar ULar enRu naaduvOmE

Without seeing anyother than KaNNan and without talking of anyother
than KaNNan and having seen KaNNan and having talked about kaNNan our
paaN perumaal delivered those ten paadals (paasurams) and we explain
that those are the ten songs that are the meanings of the ancient
vedaas.  We stood, stating that "Being enveloped by the wide and large
kauveri (vishnu maayaai), HE is the abode (controller and executor) of
all the vedaanthaas (all the philosphies and reasons that were derived
from the vedaas). And that we are not the greatest who is sought for,
and that there is one (HIM) who will teach us the the good and bad.
And that we seek HIM in arangam.

Finally,
\
koNdal vaNNanaich  kOvalaNaay veNNay
uNda vaayan ennuLLam kavarnthaanai
aNdar kOn ani arangan en namuthinaik
kaNda kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kaaNaavE
\
Swami Desikan ThiruvadikaLE saraNam
Thirup paanaazhwaar thiruvadikaLe saraNam
Sri RangaNaayaki samEtha Sri Ranganaatha Swami thiruvadikaLe saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan