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tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (2 of 2).

From the Bhakti List Archives

Tssundararajan • September 10, 2000 


Dear friends,

My posting carried in bhakti-list Digest No.134 of September 10 contains some omissions, viz.,
~~ the actual 'kuRaL' verse; 
~~ the name 'ati-kAya' figuring in the context
 of the Sri-rAmAyanam verse; and
~~ the word "about" in the English paraphrase
 of periyAzhvAr pASuram.

Given below, accordingly, is the replacement: 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o(0)o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 VAMANA AS WE FIND HIM:

 svAmi-dESika addresses tiru-k-kuRaL-appan
  as the protector ("rakshA-vAmana"), and 
  SrijayadEva, author of geeta-gOvindam, as
  the Wonder ("adbhuta-vAmana").   

 The author  of the Tamil classic, tiru-k-kuRaL, 
 marvels at the vastness of tri-vikrama's strides:

 maDi-yillA mannavan eidum, aDi-yaLandAn
 tAyad-ellAm orunGu.  (tiru-k-kuRaL 61:10)
 ["The ruler who is free from idleness
 shall gain, as his spoils, the entirety of 
 the world as spanned by 'aDi-aLandAn' 
 ~ tri-vikrama ~ Himself."]

 The kaThOpanishad points out that of the
  vitalisms sustaining life in the body, the 'prANa'
  flows upwards and 'apAna' netherwards.   The
  greater, and subtler, fact is that the vitalisms are
  themselves dependent on vAmana pulsating
  in the centre ~ "madhyE vAmanam Aseenam
  nitya-yuktA upAsatE".

  SrivAmana's glory is beautifully instanced in 
  Sri-rAmAyaNam and in periyAzhvAr tirumozhi.
  When the hulky warrior of rAvaNa's army,
 ati-kAya,  taunts Lakshmana as a weakling, 
 the latter  rebukes him and reminds him of 
 how it was the  diminutive lad SrivAmana 
 who grew to take  the entirety of the three worlds 
 in his cosmic stride.   

  "bAlO/yam iti vijnAya 
  na cha avajnAtum arhasi,
  bAlEna vishNunA lOkA:
  traya: krAntA: trivikramai:"

  The inimitable periyAzhvAr gets into
  the spirit of yaSOdA demanding of the 
  moon in the sky to come down to divert her 
  infant Krishna while she gives him feed.  
  The moon, of course, stays in his orbit and
  the fond mother is not too much pleased.

  "SiRuvan enRu enn iLam-Singattai
        ikazhEl kaNDAi !
  SiRumaiyin vArttaiyai mAvali-yiDai-c-
        chenRu kEL !"

  ("Dare you slight my darling as a mewling no-man!  
You would certainly want to talk to  mahAbali 
about what this no-man did unto him  !")

  SrivAmana (tiru-k-kuRaL-appan) is twin with 
 trivikrama among the 'avatAram'  (incarnations) 
 of the Lord Sriman Narayana.  In the heart of the 
 Great Temple  of Srirangam, enshrined in the 
 sanctum of the Sriranga-vimAnam, is the 
 Pure Existence (Suddha-sattvam) as the 
 Majestic  Principle (para-vastu), yet the 
  Lord of felicitous access to his devotees, 
 the Lord endearing as the
 azhakiya-maNavALan (the Bridegroom Beautiful).    

  At the portals of this sacred city stands  
  tiru-k-kuRaL-appan, 'vAmana'  the dainty 
  enchanter and novice, the "kuraL-brahmachAri" 
 showing the path to reach the
  Bridegroom Beautiful 
  in the interior of the city.

  Two of the Lord's names are "sukhada:" and
  "nAikada:", the giver of happiness, giver of
  plenty.   tiru-mazhiSai AzhvAr exalts  these very 
  attributes of Lord SrivAmana:

  "aRindu aRindu vAmanan aDi-yiNai vaNanginAl
  SeRindu ezhunda jnAnamODu Selvamum SirandiDum
  maRindezhunda teN-tiraiyuL mannu-mAlai vAzhttinAl
  paRindezhundu tee-vinaikaL paR-R-aRudal pAn.maiyE."

                                    (tiru-c-Chanda-viruttam 74).

  The Mahabharata sequel of  'hari-vamSam'  
 contains  the enchanting and mystical ('gadyam') 
 hymn recited by Sri kaSyapa-prajApati  when 
 his wife Aditi gave birth to SrivAmana.   For those 
 who are unable to  find this,  the following SlOkam 
 is offered:

  namO-nama: kAraNa-vAmanAya
  nArAyaNay/Amita-vikramAya
  Sri-SAr.n.ga-chakr/Asi/gadA/dharAya
  namO/stu tasmAi purushOttamAya !

                        (SrivAmana-purANam Chap.95).


 aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan,
 tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o(0)o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  Concluded.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o(0)o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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