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

Paasuram-22
"pesittrE pEsalalAl perumai ondru vunaralAgAdhu
AsattrAr tangatkallAl ariyalAvAnumallan
MAsatttrAr manaththulAnai vanaginAm errupadhallAl
pEsathAn Avadhundo? PEdhai nenjE! Nee sollAi"

pesittrE pEsalalAl perumai ondru vunaralAgAdhu: The kalyana gunas and magimai of bhagavan are beyond our understanding capacity and they cannot be explained by words. This is known to alwar since even the Vedas refrain from telling the bhagavat gunam in depth and even the lord Sri parthasarathi in his bhagavat gita says, he himself cannot tell all his vibhoothis. Then what is alwar trying to do now? The rishis talked about the bhagavan and said we are unable to finish, so the alwars followed them and said the same and after them the acharyas followed and repeated the same. Till today our scholars and acharyas repeatedly talk the same thing time and again. The cycle thus continues everyone repeats what their elders have said because all of them belong to the same school of thought. Nammazhvar says, "ponnappan, maniappan, muththappan, than-oppu-ella-appan". Nammazhvar first tried to praise the bhagavan with various nAmAs but then he finally concludes saying that there is nothing in this world which can match bhagavan, since he is beyond any examples. The alwars repeat whatever the Vedas say. All the twelve alwars talk in the same way because they have been bestowed with the same knowledge by the bhagavan. Even though each one can have different anubhavams still due to bhagavat krupai they have been bestowed with "mayar varu madhi nalam"(bhakthi and jnana without doubt) and hence they are Akakandargal(they donot talk what comes to their mind but talk with sastras as pramAnams). There may be number of flowers in a garden, each one having different size, color and smell still the bees extract the same type of honey from all the flowers. Similarly there may be number of sastras like Satvika, rajasa and tAmasa sastras but jnani's take only the essence, the sAram and leave the rest as asAram. "Alotya sarva sastrAni vicharyacha punah punaha; edamEkam sunishbannam deyo nArAyana sadhA". If we learn on ourself then there is chances of misinterpretation and misunderstanding but when it is taught by a common teacher then there is no room for differences and misinterpretations. Since emperuman was the common guru for all the alwars and the acharyas they all talk the same thing without any differences. That is, "pesittrE pEsalalAl". Ok, we now accept that all the alwars and acharyas talk the same thing. What is their final conclusion? The conclusion is "perumai ondru vunaralAgAdhu", the brahma tattvam is beyond our seeing or understanding capacity. Only anubhavam is possible, understanding is impossible. This is what all of them say in union.

AsattrAr tangatkallAl ariyalAvAnumallan: In our sampradayam, a person is supposed to be learned only when he realizes that he cannot understand brahma tattvam. But even this knowledge arises only to those who get themselves involved in bhagavat guna and kainkarya anubhavams. For others the bhagavan is not understandable. Understanding is the knowledge that brahman cannot be understood.

MAsatttrAr manaththulAnai vanaginAm errupadhallAl: Emperuman stays in pure minds. He enjoys his stay in the minds of innocent bhakthas. We all have great impurity in our minds so the best way for us is to remain under the feet of that bhagavan, who alone has the power to purify our sins and make us clean souls. Leave everything to him and prostrate before him with vishvAsam.

pEsathAn Avadhundo? PEdhai nenjE! Nee sollAi: Other than falling under his divine feet, what are we going to achieve by just discussing a matter beyond our knowledge? enquires alwar to his own innocent mind.