based on the vyakhyanam of Sri Periyavaccan Pillai
by Smt Sumithra Varadarajan

In the last postings we were enjoying the first line in the first paasuram of Sri Thondaradipodi alwar's Thirumaalai. The great credit of this alwar is that even today periya perumal gets up in the morning only after listening to this alwar's Thirupalliyezhuchi. In Thirupathi and other temples the sevai next to vishvaroopam is Thomaalai sevai. This alwar was also doing this pushpa kainkaryam to Sri Ranganatha. That is why even the archA vigraham of Thondaradipodi alwar is seen with a pookudalai(Flower basket). Alwar didn't stop with this. Remembering the paasuram of Sri Nammazhvar "vAdAmalarittu vaizhtumin" he did this Thirumaalai prabhandam which is a flower which is giving fragrance even today and adorning Sri Rangantha always. That is why the saying goes "Thirumaalai ariyar Thirumal-ai ariyar". It seems to be a repetetion of the same words. But the meaning conveyed is, those who do not know the Thirumaalai prabhandam will not know the Thirumal or Emperuman. Alwar shows us clearly how emperuman is superior in this prabhandam which we have discussed earlier. So each one of us who are trying to know about bhagavan should learn the deep inner meanings of this prabhandam which will clear all our doubts and give a insight into our Srivaishnava sampradhayam.

Let us now proceed with the first paasuram.

We have seen PVP's explanation for kAvalil pulanai vaiththu now the next is:

"kali thannai kadakkappaiyindu" - Like Hanuman crossed the Lavana sAgaram we jump over our papakadal(sea of papas). Initially hanuman said he was not capable of crossing the big sea but when jambhavan told him about his capacities hanuman got the confidence. He chanted the rAma nAma and said with the power of rAma nAma he can cross any ocean. Again here also alwar reflects the words of Anjaneya. There with the help of bhagavan nAma hanuman crossed only the ocean of water but we jeevatmas can cross the ocean of papas we have done till now with the help of the bhagavan nAma. This is wonderfully explained by PVP in his Vyakhyanam.

"NAvalittu vuzhitarukindrom" - naval ! is the exclamation used to show victory. In those days a person dances shouting nAval nAval after he wins over someone. It is similar to 'Jitanthe!'. But here the alwar's words seem to be filled with a little self pride. But can alwar talk with pride. But this is due to the highness of what he has obtained. A lady after getting married to a king cannot be without pride so alwar also realizes the worth of bhagavan nAma and shows his happiness in these words. PVP gives a great explanation here. He shows it with an example. "eRamadam vootuvAraipole mugam TottRame nindru vupagarikkaiyAle" says PVP. Alwar knows that everything is done only by bhagavan still he says since he has the nAma bhalam he will dance with victory though alwar hasn't done anything. The explanation for PVP's words goes as follows: There is one person who is fit for nothing. He never goes to a job or earns anything instead he lazily keeps roaming here and there. Once his mother scolds him for being like this and he gets angry with the mother and goes out of the house without eating. At the end of the street there is a dharmashala where he goes and lies down. The mother feels sorry that her son didn't even eat and hence will feel hungry. When she comes to call him he refuses in anger. Then the mother calls the manger of the dharmashala gives to him some food for his son and asks him to give to his son without telling him that she gave it. Thereby the manager also gives the son the food. After eating the son proudly says 'asif I will stay hungry if she doesn't feed me'. Actually even now only the mother has given him food to eat but he didn't realize it. Similarly when emperuman condemns us for doing an act against the sastras we don't listen to him and want to get away from him. So now emperuman gives us the palan through the nAma. The nAma takes the role of the manager who took the food from the mother and gave it to the son. Similarly bhagvan nAma also takes the fruit of moksham from the lord and grants it to us. But we like the son, feel that we have gained it due to the chanting we have done. But actually we do not do anything but only the bhagavan does. Emperuman stays as antaryami inside us and makes us to chant his nAma and gives us the palan too. As Ajamilan in BhAgavatam says 'The bhagavan made the nAma, NarAyana come out of my mouth otherwise my mouth is only accustomed to say other wrong things. It was he who made my mouth utter this divine nAmam'.

"Naman thamar thalaigal meedhe"- Alwar here says that now that all my sins have been washed due to the Bhalam of the bhagavan nAma I will dance in the head of the yaman( god of naraka) and his servants shouting nAval! NAval! (Victory!Victory). Even Thirumangai alwar says in his paasurams about such a victory dance. But how does yaman feel about this. Actually he enjoys bhagavathotamas like alwar keeping their feet on his head. In Dhruva charitram it is said that when Dhruvan ascends to paramapadam he puts his feet on Mrithyu's(Yaman) head and goes to Srivaikundam. Yaman feels very happy when bhagavatas escape from the miseries of the narakam and ascend to Paramapadam so he bows before them happily so that they can climb over his head and go. Yaman says to his servants never go near a person who is a srivaishnavan. I am a master to those who are involved in this wordly pleasures but not to a person who is a prappannan or a bhAgavatan(Madhusoodana Prappannaha). PVP says this in a very great manner. If incase by mistake yaman or his servants go to a bhAgavatan to take him to naraka considering his previous sins now the bhAgavatan questions yaman to show his accounts written by chitra gupta(like a criminal demanding for an arrest warrant nowadays). When yaman looks at the book of accounts of papams of various jeevatmas, to his surprise he finds no entry corresponding to this jeevatma(who has uttered the bhagavan nAma) and there by realizing his mistake yaman bows in front of the jeevatma like apologizing and this jeevan (alwar) now with pride dances over the head of yaman shouting nAval! nAval.

"moovulaguvundumizhdha mudalvA"- Now alwar clarifies that not all nAmas have this power. Only the nAma of the bhagavan(Sriman nArAyana) who eats the whole world during pralayam and keeps it in his stomach and spits it out during the creation has a power to wash all our sins and grant us moksham. Here alwar clearly shows that during pralayam only Emperuman nArAyanan was there he was the only person who was there initially and then he created the universe and at the end he destroys the whole universe and does this process again and again as his leela. That is why Gajendrazhvan called him Adhimoolam and Sri Nammazhvar says "Ondrun devum vulagum vuyirum mattrum yAdum ella andru nAnmugantannodu devarulagOdu vuyir padaiththan".

"ninnAmam kattra Avalippudaimai"- what is the avalippu(pride) here for alwar. Alwar feels that he has the richest thing in the world and when compared to the power of Bhagavan nAma all the worldly wealths are like dust. So alwar is highly proud to say that he has learnt the greatest thing in this world which can be compared to nothing else. In our sampradAyam self pride is not at all accepted but even our Acharyas accept and praise the alwar's pride. We can be(have to be) proud to be a srivaishnava, proud to be his dAsas doing nithya kainkaryam to him, the ultimate power of this universe. Can anyone in a such a position where we are very close to the most powerful and richest person in this world and in the paramapadam (other world) too, be without pride? Some people trying to reduce the effect of their sins do offerings and darpanam to yaman and chitraguptan but we are not like them we don't need the help of yaman or chitraguptan because we have the bhagavan nAma which is capable of giving us the power even to place our feet in the heads of yaman and chitraguptan.

"kandAi arangamAnagarulAne"- Now alwar's pride goes to the level of challenging Sri Ranganatha himself. Emperumane! see my face and yours, which glows more? "Man tindra vun mugam pol errindhado en mugam" says PVP. Alwar is asking emperuman Sri Ranganathan to see his face. Alwar feels that his face is more beautiful than even perumal's face because perumal ate only mud but alwar has eaten the bhagavan nAma which is tasting sweetly in his mouth always. When a person eats something delicious his face expression will be pleasant but when a person eats something which doesn't taste good his face expression will be bad similarly alwar has eaten the most delicious substance in this world so he feels his face will be more beautiful than emperuman who has eaten mud which is tasteless. Badrachala Ramadas in one of his kritis explains the ruchi of rAma nAma and he says no other drink including deva amrudam can be equal to the sweetness of rAma nAmam. Saint thyagaraja also gets involved in the same manner. So we see many mahans, have practically experienced and shown us what alwar has portrayed in this paasuram.

In the next posting we will continue with the next paasuram.