Thirumaalai - Part 42

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

Paasuram-25
"Kuliththu moordruanalai Ombum kurikolandhanamai thannai
oliththittEn enkanillai ninkanum paththanallEn
kalippadhu enkondu? nambi! KadalvannA! KadaruginrEn
aliththenakku arul seykandAi arangamAnagarulAnE!"

Sri Alavandaar has sung the 22nd strotra of Stortra ratnam in similar lines. It shows how alavandaar reflects the views of alwar. He says, "na dharmanishtOsmi nacha atma vEdhi na bhakthiman dvath charanAra vindhe achinchanaha ananyagathi sharanya! Dvath pAdha moolam sharanam prapathyE"

Kuliththu moordruanalai Ombum: This line is equal to alavandaar saying 'na dharma nishtOsmi'. In kali it is difficult to do karma yoga since all Achara anushtAnams are lost. So alwar declares that he is not a karma yogi.

kurikolandhanamai thannai oliththittEn enkanillai: na cha Athma vEdhi. I am not a jnani yogi too. 'Kali kalmasha chitAnAm' and hence it is difficult to practice jnana yogam.

ninkanum paththanallEn: na bhakthi mAn dvath charanAra vindhe. I do have the bhakthi towards you. I don't possess the deep devotion or prEmai.

kalippadhu enkondu? nambi! KadalvannA! KadaruginrEn: If I have some dharma you can be pleased with me or if iam a jnani then you can declare me to be in the category, "jnani tvAth maiva mE matham". If I was a bhakthan then you may happily say, "yO mE bhaktha samE priyaha". But I donot have any of these. No anushtanam required for karma yoga, no chitta shuddhi required for a jnana yogi or mahavishvasam as required for a bhaktha. Then with what will you get pleased with me? No one will encourage anyone coming empty handed to their place. But only person who considers empty handedness(achinchanaha) as the qualification to come to his sannadhi is emperuman. So with that confidence I have come to your sannadhi and only thing I know to do is cry in front of you Oh! KadalvannA(the lord who has the color of the sea).

aliththenakku arul seykandAi arangamAnagarulAnE: One thing which doesn't need any prerequisites is nama sankeertam, which I keep doing always. If we want to appoint a person to do some work for us we look into his qualifications and think twice if he will be able to do the job well. But do we think the same way before giving alms to a beggar who wants help for the next meal? Oh! Arangathammam iam like a beggar in your door steps. So don't look into my qualifications. My only qualification is that I donot have any qualification and have fallen into your feet due to my need for help. So please shower your pity on me, my lord. Alwar literally cries in this paasuram in front of the bhagavan.

When alwar himself cries like this, what to say about all of us. We all are truly without any qualifications(even to sing like alwar or alavandaar such paasurams and strotras) so let us repeat the words of our alwars and acharyas and be grateful to the lord and the alwars and acharyas for teaching us the same.