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From: Krishna Kalale (kkalale_at_qualcomm.com)
Date: Mon Nov 10 1997 - 09:11:14 PST
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 1997 09:23:10 +0500 (GMT+0500)
I am posting an article by Bhuvaracharya:
From: Bharat A <kbharat@giasbg01.vsnl.net.in>
To: kkalale
Subject: from Bharat
Dear Sri Krishna Kalale
This being the week of the Thiru nakshatrams of the
Three Mudal Azhwars,Sri Bhuvarahachariar Swamy has
kindly written an article about them .I'm enclsosing
it.Please put it on on the Net immly as it is topical.
Please let me know also whether this reached you.
With best wishes for your family
BHARAT
************************************************************
SRI
SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAH
THE FIRST THREE AZHWARS - BORN IN SUCCESSION DURING
THIS TAMIL CALENDAR MONTH - TULA MASAM (AIPPASI)
(an article by Sri E.S.Bhuvarahachariar Swami)
SRIMAN NARAYANA the Supreme Deity of the Universe is
so called because of His Lordship over the two worlds:one
is the Nitya Loka (which is neither created nor destroyed
by Him) and the other is this world created by Him for His
sport and hence named as Leela Vibhuti.In Nitya Vibhuti all
souls are steeped in everlasting joy along with their master
SRIMAN NARAYANA. In this world,on the contrary,there is
very little happiness,people are suffering owing to their
ignorance- namely that they mistake their body for their
soul and do not understand that the soul is permanent while
the body is perishable as clearly perceived by them.The LORD,
seeing this,gave them the Sastras namely Vedas etc,which
would serve as beacon light to dispel their internal darkness
and show them the right path to SI VAIKUNTHA LOKA.But this
also went in vain.People discarded and disregarded all
these Sastras and forgot all about them and the very purpose
for which they themselves had been given their bodies by
THE LORD.They also thought that it was well nigh impossible
to practise all vedic injunctions.Hence THE LORD Himself
took birth as SRI RAMA and SRI KRISHNA and showed to the
human beings that it was not impossible to walk the path
of the Sastra,by Himself walking the way laid down in the
Sastras.Though He demonstrated the right life in this manner
through His divine births the people were not ready to
follow suit.THE LORD pondered over this and realised His
mistake.As He did not belong to their group,(as he was
not a bird of the same feather) the people cared very
little for His birth,preachings and practice.To catch
a wild beast another animal (a deer or goat) is required.
Understanding this principle or the natural law of this
land,THE LORD decided to bestow His benevolent grace on
some souls at the time of their birth.The result is the
birth of the AZHWARS.
Thus the AZHWARS in SriVaishnavism are not foreigners,i.e.,
they are not some of the dwellers of the divine world,
namely Vaikuntha Loka.They are some of the suffering souls
repeatedly getting born and dying in this world.All Azhwars
clearly say this in their works.But their greatness lies
in this that they are THE CHOSEN FEW OF THE LORD meant for
uplifting the other distressed souls who are plunged in the
ocean of misery and ignorance.THE LORD gave them perfect
knowledge of the three entities namely CHIT (soul),ACHIT
(insentient beings or inert matter) and ISWARA (the
supreme LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA).He also bestowed on them
deep devotion for Him.Thus with the great gift of very
clear perception of men,matter and THE LORD,the Azhwars
perceived everything in the past,present and future.The
curtain of Time was thus pulled down for them by THE LORD.
So these Azhwars are not divine beings but only ordinary
men chosen by THE LORD for delivering us from the worldly
bondage consisting of the ever-revolving cycle of births
and deaths.As they behaved,owing to their deep devotion
to THE LORD,in a manner totally different from others,
they were looked upon as immortals from Vaikuntha Loka,
come down for our deliverance.This is only a fanciful
imagination.
AZHWAR means,those men who are immersed in the ocean of
the Virtues of THE LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA and consequently
those virtues alone sustained them in this world,and not
food and water.Of the TEN AZHWARS the first three are -
POYGAI AZHWAR, BHUTAT-AZHWAR and PEY-AZHWAR.
1. POYGAI AZHWAR was born in a Lotus Pond at the temple
of Sri YATHOKTA-KAARI Swami (meaning the Almighty,who
implicitly obeyed the commands of his great devotee
THIRU-MAZHISAI-AZHWAR) in the famous city of Kanchi
Puram.He and the next two Azhwars were not given birth
to by women. (POYGAI= pond)
2.BHUTAT-AZHWAR came out of a flower at Mahabali-puram,
the sea shore town.
3.PEY-AZHWAR sprang from a flower of the well in a temple
dedicated to Sri KESAVA PERUMAL at Mylapore (Madras).
These Azhwars were born during this month (Tula month)
when the three stars THIRUVONAM,AVITTAM and SADAYAM were
reigning supreme.(These most venerable days fall on
11.7.97, 11.8.97 and 11.9.97)
These three great men,once they were made to realise the
flimsy and ever transitory nature of the fleeting worldly
pleasures and the most unreliable nature of men,prefered
the jungle life rather than the city life.Repulsed by the
corrupt practises and the insincere and ever impure heart
of the people they retired to the forest and were wandering
about separately without knowing one another.THE LORD was
observing them and thought of a plan to bring them together
as otherwise the purpose of His endowment of devotional
knowledge to them would go waste.It was actually meant to
benefit the people of this world.
So one night as per His will there was heavy rain and blinding
darkness.The first Azhwar had to resort to a shelter.Luckily
he saw the hermitage of Mrikandu Sage at THIRUK-KOVALUR.On
the veranda,which was very small in area,he lay down meditating
on the qualities of God.Driven by the same circumstances
Bhutat-azhwar came there (as it was the will of destiny) and
sought shelter with all humility from the previous occupant
of the place.The former said," One can lie down,Two can sit
and that is the accomodation.Please come in,Sir!" The very
polite reply invited the latter,making him realise that the
gentleman inside was a very great SriVaishnava.Who would
give shelter at that juncture,when the space was just
sufficient for one man to sleep!
While these two were sitting and chatting about God,the
Third Azhwar,Pey-Azhwar arrived there and he also solicited
shelter.Both of them replied in one voice earnestly praying
for the Third Azhwar's delectable company.The three now had
space only to stand.They spoke of the virtues of God,shedding
profuse joyful tears with horripilation all over their bodies.
THE ALMIGHTY took this opportunity to mingle with them.He came
there along with His Spouse SRI MAHALAKSHMI and also His
retinue.Naturally the Azhwars suffered due to the restricted
space and being pressed hard by the large crowd.
The First Azhwar,desiring to know the cause,lit a lamp;not an
ordinary lamp but an extraordinary one.He took this world for
the lamp,and the Water of the Oceans for the ghee,and the Sun
for the wick and flame of the lamp.
The Second Azhwar (BHUTAM) lighted in his own way another lamp;
with his Devotion for THE LORD as the lamp,and his earnest
longing for THE LORD as ghee,and his evermelting meditative
thought of Him as the flame of the lamp.
The Third Azhwar (PEY) declared having sighted the Supreme
Being: "Oh! SRIMAN NARAYANA along with His followers are
seen here."
Thus Poygai Azhwar sang one hundred verses inlucid Tamil
called MUDAL TIRUV-ANDADI;so also the Second Azhwar,
IRANDAM TIRUV-ANDADI and the Third Azhwar,MOONRAM
THIRUV-ANDADI.
The First Azhwar declred in his centum that THE LORD has
got Two Worlds (Sri Vaikuntha and this mortal world) for
His property.The Second Azhwar said that His name was
NARAYANA.The Third declared that He had as his consort
SRI MAHALAKSHMI.
All the three declared in one voice: "He alone is the
Supreme Being and all others are subservient to Him.He
alone can grant Salvation.Taking Refuge unto Him is the
very best and the easiest means of reaching His Abode.
The Final Goal of man is to reach His Eternal Abode and
worship Him and serve Him."
In unequivocal terms they all said that all other deities
can give us only worldly pleasures which would only make us
more and more involved in this world and cause more miseries
and get us born again and again in this mortal world.The
body is given to us by SRIMAN NARAYANA to make the effort
needed to put a fullstop to te ever revolving cycle of
birth and death.So we should hold fast to His Feet and
snap the chain of Bondage.
These sweet simple songs should be ever on the lips of
all SriVaishnavas.That alone is the easiest means to earn
His Grace.
Do you wish to hear more about these sweet Divine Songs ?
Kindly contact Prof E.S.BHUVARAHACHARYA, 114/3, Sri Ranga
4th Main Road,Between 9th and 10th cross,Malleswaram,
BANGALORE 560003,INDIA.
Kindly celebrate the birthday of these Azhwars,by lighting
ghee lamps in front of Sriman Narayana at your residence
which will drive away your ignorance (if any) and drive
away the darkness of your sufferings.
" REMEMBER THE THREE AZHWARS "