Thirumaalai - Part 35

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

Paasuram-19
"kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti
vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki
kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu
vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!"

In this paasuram, Sri thondaradi podi alwar describes the beautiful sayana thirukkOlam of periya perumal. He says how periya perumal lies in different directions.

kudadisai mudiyai vaiththu gunadisai pAdham neetti: Emperuman's thirumeni glows in whichever direction we see him from. That is why in Srirangam people consider it as their bhakyam to stay in any of the four streets around the temple. In the east and west we find perumal's thiruvadi and thirumudii. Generally, it is considered more sacrad to stay in the thiruvadi side since we srivaishnavas consider the thiruvadi to be the most important. All the acharya thirumAligais were located only in the thiruvadi side. Here Sri PVP recollects the incident in Mahabharatha. Krishna has given appointment for both arjuna and duriyodhana at the same time to come and invite him for the war. Duriyodhana arrived first when Krishna was resting on his bed. There were two seats one in the thiruvadi side and other on the thirumudi side. First DuriyOdhana sat on the seat at the thiruvadi. Then his ego rose and feeling ashamed to sit under the feet of a cowboy Krishna, he being a big king went and sat at the thirumudi side. Then arjuna came. He and Krishna are very close friends still he had come to give a formal invitation. He came and sat under the feet of Krishna and started enjoying the sweet thiruvadi's beauty. Arjuna thought in mind that he could even sacrifice the kingdom or anything else if he could stay under the bhagavan's thiruvadi shade forever. Bhagavan then woke up and first could see only arjuna at his feet and hence welcomed arjuna. DuriyOdhana jumped and reported that he was the first to arrive and that he should be granted what he requires first. But Krishna bhagavan said that he saw only arjuna first and that arjuna being younger should be given the first preference. But then due to the complain of DuriyOdhana that he was always partial to the pandavas, Krishna decided to give, one the full yadhava sEna and other himself without any weapons. DuriyOdhana jumped and asked for the army whereas arjuna was happy to have Krishna alone on his side. This was the thiruvadi bhalam. Arjuna was a parama bhagavatan who wanted nothing other than bhagavat kataksham and hence he won everything ultimately. So the thiruvadi side still in thiruvarangam is considered as arjuna pakkam and the thirumudi side as DuriyOdhana pakkam and hence the thirumudi side has less value among the bhagavatas though any place in a divya desam has its equal status. Bhagavan is equal to all "samOham sarva bhoodheshu". He has no friend or enemy, "na mE dwashyOsthi na priyaha". He is like a mirror if we have evil thoughts then the result we get is also evil but if we are good in thoughts we get good results. A mirror reflects our external features but bhagavan reflects our internal mind. So we can never hide anything from him and we have to always think good things and try to practice what we think.

vadadisai pinbhu kAtti thendisai elangai nOkki: Emperuman is not only beautiful when we see him in the front but he is "munbhilum pinbhu azhagiya perumal" who is beautiful at the back even more than the front. In thirunArAyana puram special sattupadi(make up) is done to perumal on his backside. In Srirangam, the back of the perumal is in the northern direction. In most of the divya desams, perumal faces only the east. It is sometimes even forbidden for perumal to face south. Sastras forbid us from prostrating in the southern direction. But here in Srirangam all those sastras will not work as perumal faces only the southern direction. We Srivaishnavas, prostrate the direction facing the temple and emperuman. We do not mind any other sastras when it comes to sampradayam. Even in Ramanyanam, Anjaneya who was considered to be a great scholar prostrated in the southern direction since piratti was in lanka. Even today wherever we are, we are supposed to give our prayers facing the directions in which our beloved divya desams are located. We should never prostrate with our legs facing the temple for that matter our elders never even lie with the feet facing the temple. This is supposed to be a matter of disrespect. Why is periya perumal lying facing south against the norms? The reason is emperuman is eagerly waiting for vibheeshanAzhvan . Vibheeshana has to come from lanka which is in the southern direction. So emperuman is also lying facing south(thendisai elangai nOkki). We consider the direction where the divya desam is there to be auspicious but perumal considers the direction where his bhakthan stays to be auspicious and that is why he even today awaits vibheeshana eagerly. VibheeshanAzhvan is a chiranjeevi. He was there during the mahabharata(the next yuga) and even today he is supposed to do thiruvArAdhanam to periya perumal during the nights.

kadalnira kadavul endhai aravanai tuyilumAkandu: Emperuman is kadal nira vannan, neela mEga Shyamalan. Alwar now enjoys the thirumEni of bhagavan and he says the one who is so beautiful is none other than my father, endhai. When I see him sleeping on the bed of Adishesha! Oh! My god,

vudalenakku vurugumAlO? EnseigEn? VulagaththeerE!: my body looses its strength says alwar. Even Nammazhvar says, "ArAvamudhE! Adiyen vudalam nin pAl anbhAyE, neerai alaiyindhu karaiya vurukkugindra nedumAlE!". Thondaradi podi alwar suddenly turns to our side and asks what should he do to regain his strength. All along alwar had conversation only with perumal, why does he suddenly ask us for suggestions?

PVP vyakhyAnam: "samsArigalai pArththu vungal errukkuvAra parigAraththilE enakkum oru sirAngai eda valleergalO engirAr"

Alwar was conversing with bhagavan and getting deeply involved in the beauty of bhagavan, started loosing strength. Bhagavan cannot understand alwar's position since only a bhakthan can do so. So he turned to face the world when he found many people coming and having darshan of periya perumal and returning back without any sort of change in their body. So alwar wonders what medicines these people have to make themselves so strong even after seeing periya perumal's divine beauty. "avargal elaikkAmal pOga Azhvar vurugugirAr". So azhvar now says can you people please recommend me the medicine which you consume to keep yourself so strong? Here alwars words are little sarcastic. He being a parama bhagavatan has nothing else in mind other than emperuman but the lowkika people are more materialistic though they do visit perumal once in a while. Worldly people are always different from bhakthas in all aspects. Kabir says, "Duniya kAyA sOyA kabir tho rOyA rOyA" Others in the world eat well and sleep well but then kabir alone always keeps weeping thinking of his separation for the paramatma. Here alwar is also in the same state.