Sri: Amalanatipīran of Pan Ā lvar Gopuram at Srirangam. Lord Ranganatha (main deity), The three great teachers – NammAzhvAr, Ramanuja and MaNavALa mAmuni THE IMMACULATE LORD OF ARANGAM (ARANGATTAMALAN) By Janabha kti Bhusana, Bhagavadvisaya Bhusana S. Satayamurti Ayyangar Swami [A peep into Tiruppan Ā lvar’s mystic vision through the corridors of Amalanatipiran based on the commentaries ofPeriya Vaccan Pillai, Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar and Vedanta Desika with suitable additions.] In English SUGGESTED DONATION: $Y.YY Vedics Foundation: http://www.vedics.net
Gopuram at Srirangam. Lord Ranganatha (main deity),The three great teachers – NammAzhvAr, Ramanuja and MaNavALa mAmuni
THE IMMACULATE LORD
OF
ARANGAM (ARANGATTAMALAN)
By Janabhakti Bhusana, Bhagavadvisaya Bhusana S. Satayamurti Ayyangar Swami
[A peep into Tiruppan Ā lvar’s mystic vision through the corridors of Amalanatipiran based on the commentaries ofPeriya Vaccan Pillai, Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar and Vedanta Desika with suitable additions.]
(a) The Supreme Lord’s incarnations : In the exercise of His sole prerogative as the Creator of tUniverse, the Supreme Lord of lords, the God of gods, Lord Narayana made His apperance in different parts of t world in one form or another, appropriate to the needs of His avatara (descent). This, He did, off and on, when tmoral values tumbled down miserably, and vice regained supreme in all its ugly nakedness. (See also His owdeclaration during His incarnation as Krsna – Gita IV-7 ). The Lord’s principal avatars are ten. Apart from these, Htakes numerous births, responding to the deep inner urges of individual devotees in all climes and ages. Accordinto His own admission in Gita IV-5,6 , He, the birthless (in the sense that He is not born under ‘karmic’ compulsiolike all else, including the celestials in the top brackets), takes countless births in any manner He likes – ‘Ajayamabahuda vijayate’ – Purusa Suktam . The three-fold purpose of His avataras , has been spelt out in Gita IV-11 as succour of the devout (2) vanquishing the wicked and (3) putting morality back on the rails.
(b) The advent of the Ā lv ārs : Despite the avataras of the Lord on Earth, as above, the inhabitants the worlds (other than those who work up, through His benign Grace, their way to heaven, the Eternal Lan whence there is no returning to the worlds, down below) remain deeply involved in the mundane activities of th
respective spheres with their admixture of good and bad, as ever. In order to wean them away from suengrossments, the Supreme Lord graciously sends His chosen emissaries, now and then, in their midst – the ‘tatdar ś is’ , referred to, in Gita IV-34. The Alvar Saints falling under this exemplary category, made their appearances different parts of South India at different times (from 4200 B.C. to 2703 B.C. according to the traditional accousupported by the relevant texts). By a strange coincidence, their number is also ten like that of the principal avatof the Supreme Lord Himself, a notable feature which led Śri Vedanta Deśika to regard these Saints as ‘abhinada ś avataras’ , the ten later-day incarnations of the Lord Himself.
Ā ndal, an incarnation of ‘Bhu Devi’ , one of the three consorts in close proximity with the Lord in heaveput in her apperance as a child in the ‘tulasi’ garden of Śri Visnu Chitta, better known as Periy ālv ār (one of the ĀlSaints, the seventh in the chronological order), at Śrivilliputtur, deep south. A rare find that she was, Periy ālv
adopted her as his daughter. And yet, she was included in the panel of Ālv ā r saints, in terms of her exempladevotion, from the very begining like unto the sweet aroma of the tulasi leaves, right from the moment of thsprouting. The resultant outpourings from the inner depths of her heart brought forth 173 laudatory hymns pexcellence, the quintessence of the Vedas. In doing so, the Divine Mother was only fulfilling Her mission on Earnamely, propagation of God-Love, yielding the quickest possible results through the easy-to-follow recipe laudation- ‘Ganopaya’ . True to her origin, she would marry none but God Himself. Accordingly, the Lord, in Hiconic manifestation, enshrined in Śrirangam, took her as His bride. Further, she excelled the other Ālv ā rs , in termof the intrinsic merit of her hymns and her closest ties with the Lord, as His consort.
Madhura Kavi, the sweet tongued poet, an elder contemporary of Saint Nammālv ār and a staunch devotof the latter, went to the extent of worshipping none else but him even to the exclusion of God. In fact, when thelderly gentleman was sojourning in North India, along the bank of the sacred river Ganga, he noticed, oconsecutive nights, the radiance of an effulgent sun in the southern direction, the strange phenomenon of sunriduring nights and that too, in the south. Impelled by curiosity, he traveled in the southerly direction, for days andays, till at last he was led to the tamarind tree in the quadrangle of the temple of Lord Ādinatha at Kurukur, desouth. There the blaze went out of sight and he saw instead the ‘Bala Yogi’ (Namm ālv ār, seated in a lotus postuinside the hollow of the tree). Very soon, the elder discovered, in the young Yogi, his spiritual mentor and reverthe latter as God Himself, a position he stuck to till the very end, with remarkable tenacity, notwithstanding tmarked disparity in age. He has to his credit, a hymnal, short and sweet, comprising just eleven stanzas, in exclusiadoration of Nammalvar, projecting the highly commendable facet of God love, culminating in unflinching servito His devotees. The exclusive greatness of this hymnal lies in its focus on the precise purport of the middle wor‘ Namah ’ in the ‘Tirumantra ’ ( Aum namo Narayanaya ). No wonder then, both Āndal and Madhura Kavi have also be
duly canonised and included in the panel of the Ā lv ā rs and consequently, their hymnals have been included in tcompendium of the hymns of Ā lv ā rs , collectively known as ‘Divya Prabhandam ’. And so, the total number of tillustrious band of Ā lv ā r saints has been augumented to twelve and it has been at that number, for all time. Thmeans, none else , however exalted and illumining, shall be included in the panel.
(c) The Ā lv ārs transcend the barriers of caste : The Ā lv ā r Saints, the divine bards, par excellence , widivine aura, were endowed by the Supreme Lord with spiritual knowledge, full and flooding, shorn of doubdeviations and discrepancies. They not only got themselves immersed in God-love of the highest order, an objec
lesson for the wordlings around, but also took time off, now and then, from their mystic experience, to addretheir fellow-beings around and spell out their unfailing receipe for their salvation. In the process, they propagatthe unique greatness, glory and grandeur of Lord Narayana with the utmost clarity through their heart-feoutpourings in the form of Divya Prabhandams , the sparkling hymns of incomparable sweetness and excellence. This in marked contrast to their sanskrit counterparts, the bewildering maze of Vedic texts wherefrom one has churn out, with a certain amount of effort, the underlying truth, the unrivalled supremacy of Lord Nārāyana. Evso, Nammālv ār (that ‘Bala Yogi’ who remained seated in the hollow of the tamarind tree of the temple, right frohis fifth year till the twenty second when he ascended to heaven), is regarded as the chief of the Ā lv ā rs although was but the fifth in the chronological order of their advent on Earth. All the other Ā lv ā rs are deemed to be but hseveral limbs. This is because of the special stature, enjoyed by his four hymnals, the quintessence of the four Ved( Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas ). And yet, going by the mundane yardstick, he took birth as a ‘sudra’, the last
the four castes (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra). For the matter of that, Tirumalisai Ā
lv ār fourth in tchronological order, was born of Brighu Maharsi but picked up by a low-caste man (scheduled caste) in a cane bu
on the outskirts of Tirumalisai (about 25 km form Madras city) and brought up by him over a period of seven yeaEven during that period, he abstained from food and drink offered by his parents (foster-mother). And yet, he wlooked down upon, by contemporary world, as an outcaste. Thereafter, he left the house and kept moving abouOnce, in his encounter with Lord Śiva (who was speeding through the air, mounted on his bull but came down analighted in front of the Ā lv ā r who was constantly absorbed in meditation) the Ā lv ā r got the better of Lord ŚivLord Śiva left the place after conferring on the Yogi, the title ‘Bhaktis ā ra ’. There are several anecdotes in his lifhistory, which demonstrated to the world, at large, his ultra-mundane class, very much above the common run mankind. Once, the Brahmins of a particular locality stopped chanting the Vedic hymns within his ear-shot, an were, later unable to pick up the thread, for resumption of the chanting. The Deity of a particular shrine, taken oceremonial rounds, heralded by the Vedic chants of Brahmins, turned in the direction of the Ā lv ā r wherever
might be, suo moto, unaided by the bearers. The lord thus signified His special preference for the Ā lv ā r vis-à-vis tBrahmins.
Tiruppanālv ār, the ninth in the chronological order, was actually born in a scheduled caste, distancunder the current social convention from those of the four castes referred to earlier. Although the Ā lv ā rs , witheir ultra-mundane backgrounds, were born in different castes over here, yet they far outdistanced even thobelonging to the highest caste, in terms of their special halo, divine aura and divine accents. And, therefore, thtranscend the conventional barriers of caste, a fact, accepted and acted upon by our great Ācharyas, past apresent. Vedānta Deśika (13-14th century), who had his mental reservations on the perception of the Ā lv ā rs vis-à-vthe castes in which they took birth, had to surrender ground under divine command and compulsion. He not onretreated from his earlier stand but also went to the extent of adoring Tiruppānālv ār and installed his idol in t
domestic sanctum for daily worship. He has also bequeathed to posterity a scholarly commentary o Tiruppānālv ār’s hymnal, ‘ Amalan ā tipir ā n’ , known as ‘ Muniv ā hana bhogam ’. Not stoping with that, Vedānta Deśifollowed the foot-steps of the Ā lv ā r and produced a brilliant hymnal in sanskrit titled ‘Bhagavadhy ā nasopā nam ’ akin Amalan ā tipir ā n .
One should pause, at this stage, and ponder what happens to God when He takes birth (at His volition, distinguished from the common run of mankind whose parental origin is conditioned by their respective ‘ kā rmcompulsions) in different castes or even outside the pale of those castes. Does any stigma attach to Him on thaccount ? No, not at all. In His ‘ Antary ā mi ’ aspect, He dwells in the heart-region of one and all, without distinctioof caste, colour and creed and yet, He remains untainted by individual propensities. The same yard-stick holds gooin the case of His emissaries, as well. None could have clarified the position in this regard better than Nammalva
In Tiruv āymoli III-7-9, he has pronounced as follows : “Be they outcastes, outside the pale of the four castes, bereof any good in them, yet, if only they get dissolved in deep love of the sapphire-hued Lord, wielding the discus, nonly they but their devotees’ devotees shall be my masters, for ever”. Tondaradippodi Ā lv ā r , though a brahmin birth, upheld them as sinless (untainted by sins) despite butchery of animals and deeds of that sort, if they did benshrine, with great devotion, Lord Ranganāthā in their hearts. Further, he had no hesitation to denounce ruthlesseven the Brahmins, well-versed in Vedas, as meaner than the mean, if they did look down upon the ardent devoteof the Lord on account of their manner of birth – Tirum ā lai -40, 43. To crown it all, Lord Krsna has emphasized tparamountcy of self-less devotion to Him, overriding all other infirmities in such devotee, as follows : “He wh
meditates on Me with great devotion, as an end in itself, deserves to be honored as a ‘ Mah ā tm ā ’ for his firconviction (not easy of attainment) even if he had commited grave sins of commission and ommision (breach conduct), prior to birth of such conviction” – Gita IX-30.
II. Pān Perumāl :
(1) Tiruppālv ār, referred to earlier, earned the appellation, ‘P ā n perum ā l’ by virtue of his total absorption the enthralling charm of Lord Ranganātha’s Supernal Form. A similar appellation ( Perum ā l ) wearned
(2) by yet another
Ā lv ā r , namely Kula
śekhar
ālv ār (sixth in the chronological order). Whereas he sat on tthrone of ‘Cherā’ kingdom (present Kerala) during ceremonial occasions as the monarch of t
land. Lord R āma was enthroned in his heart, all the time. So great was his devotion that he felt, h was but a contemporary of Lord R āma and started getting involved in the by-gone events R āmāyana, literally re-living those days with remarkable empathy. (One should go through his lifsketch for the exact details). It is significant that his hymnal, comprising 105 songs, goes by tname ‘Perum ā l Tirumoli ’. In the first ten songs of that hymnal, Kulaśekhara Perumāl pictures in hmind, the scenario of Lord Ranganātha reposing on the resplendent serpent couch in Śrirangam, all its details, pines for getting face to face with the Lord, right inside the sanctum. Compare al‘Ilaya perum ā l ’ by which appellation Laksmana is known. In Vaisnava parlance Lord R āma is referrto as ‘Perum ā l ’, Lord Ranganātha, worshipped by R āma, as ‘Periya perum ā l ’ and Lakshmana as ‘Ila perum ā l ’. This is because Laksmana was inseparable from R āma right from infancy. Under the roy
decree, only R āma was to go into exile but Laksmana would not, rather, could not brook seperatifrom R āma even for a split second. Therefore, he too accompanied R āma and S ī tā, the DiviMother, to the forest and rendered them blemishless, unremitting service, day and night. He stoothick and thin, by R āma, sharing his grief during S ī tā’s captivity in Lanka – the much-needcomarade-in-distress. Little wonder sage V ālm ī ki, the author of R āmāyana, has referred to R āma Laksmana’s elder brother and Laksmana, as his right hand ( R ā masya daksino b ā hu ). It will be pertineto mention here that Bharata and Śatrughna are referred to, by Vaishanavas, as Bharatālv ār aŚatrughnālv ār. This is because the former’s dedication to R āma was total and complete and so wthe latter’s to the former, a stance which Madhura Kavi (canonized as an Ā lv ā r, in later days already stated) took on meticulously in his relationship with Nammālv ār, earning him also tappellation of ‘ Ā lv ā r ’.
(3) It was indeed a happy coincidence that a divine bard in the person of P ān Perumāl took birth in a clof traditional singers ( pā nars ). Consistent with his divine origin, Pānan exhibited remarkabdevotion to Lord Ranganāthā, enshrined in Śrirangam
(4) , even at a tender age. Near, yet far ! In strict conformity with the traditional code of conduct, he darenot enter the holy Arangam, just on the northern side of the river K ā veri on whose southern balay Pānan’s hutment. After going through the morning ablutions, the young devotee would statihimself on the southern bank of the river, lyre in hand and sing, in laudation of the Lord, wrapt rapturous devotion. He was thus on par with eternal angels ( Nityas ū ris ) in the transcendental aboof Lord Visnu who chant the melodious Sāma Veda in the immediate presence of the Great LorEven so, he would take care to ensure that he kept himself at a considerable distance from the reso as not to offend their caste-susceptibilities. However, one day he was so steeped in devotion
signing that he just lost control over his physical moorings and he happened to be quite close to thriver. This offended Lokasāranga Māmuni, a member of the temple establishment of Śrirangam whad gone to the river, as usual, to fetch the holy water for Lord Ranganātha’s sacramental ba With his characteristic air of superiority, the Muni ordered young Pānan away, as his presennearby hampered the former’s routine operations. But the young devotee, still in a state of tranccould not respond. This made the priest doubly furious, egging him on to aim a stone at Pānanforehead and hit the target with fierce precision, drawing out quite a lot of blood. Jolted back senses, the guilty-conscious devotee quickly withdrew from the scene, profusely apologizing for h
transgression, unwitting though. But then, the missile which hit the devotee literally hit sharp tLord’s heart. The Divine Mother ( Devy ā kā runya r ū pay ā ), urged the Lord not to keep their belovPānan away from them any longer. And so, when the priest came back to the temple with the hopitcher atop his shoulder and tried to enter the Sanctum, the massive doors got banged against himHe could not open them, however much and however long he tried and had, therefore, to go homdazed and dejected. That night, the Lord appeared in Lokasāranga’s dream and expressed His sevedispleasure over the latter’s shabby treatment of a devotee of the calibre of Pānan. The Locommanded the priest to seek out Pānan the next morning and carry him on the shoulder, all t way, right up to Him, inside the Sanctum, the only way out of the impasse. There ended the dream
Put into great trepidation, the Muni hastened to the river, early next morning, put through his ablutionbath etc and stood reverently before Pānan, then wrapt as usual, in rapturous singing. When the devotee regainconsciousness, he began to retreat, with his wonted humility, from the august elder right in front. When the lattconveyed to Pānan the Lord’s fiat, he stressed his social inability to tread the holy soil of Śrirangam and, on the tof that, enter and desecrate the Holy Shrine. Māmuni however, politely drew Pānan’s pointed attention to (1) tinviolability of the Lord’s decree and (2) the unsustainability of his plea that he shall not tread the holy soil Śrirangam and the precincts of the Shrine as he was to be taken right inside the Sanct ū m Sanct ō rum, mounted on tMuni’s shoulder’s as commanded by the Lord. With due deference to the Lord’d decree and the request of no lethan the temple priest, Pānan submitted himself to the proposed exercise. On his part, the priest was mighjubilant that the first round of the battle, namely, making Pānan accede to his request, an odd one indeed but fthe Lord’s command to that effect, had been won and that he would, therefore, carry out the Lord’s command anincidentally get redeemed. Well, Lokasāranga Māmuni’s return journey to the temple, carrying aloft, on h
shoulders, the venerable bard right inside the Sanctum, was just on par with the Mukta’s (released soul’s) heavenascent, mounted on the shoulders of a relay-chain of conductors, ativ ā hakas , straight up to the Lord’s presence the Durbar hall in heaven – the Arcir ā di m ā rga to Paramapada.
Even as he was coming along in the lift, provided by the Lord Himself (just like the host sending his car, pick up a respectable guest), Pānan’s ecstatic frame of mind could envision (through the mind’s eye), the enthralliform of the bewitching Lord, in repose, in the Sanctum of the Shrine. The exhilarating mental exercise proceedeas it should, from the Lord’s feet (our Sole Refuge) upwards, in the strict ascending order. Even so, he got halted the Lord’s pair of lotus-red eyes, which stole away his mind, cutting out further contemplation. And, on the top that, he got choked, irretrievably, in bewildering astonishment of the exquisite charm of the emerald complexion His supernal person, as a whole. The rapturous experience, as above, found its outlet in nine equally rapturo
songs and the tenth song was the grand finale, on his actually beholding the Lord in the Sanctum, still mounted oMāmuni’s shoulders.
As the Vedic declaration goes, the Supreme Lord is the One, by knowing whom everything gets known, hearing whom nothing else need be heard and on seeing whom nothing else need be seen. [ Eka vijn ā nena savijn ā nam; yah pa ś yati n ā nyah pa ś yati; yatra ś runoti n ā nyah ś runoti ].
Even so, Pān Perumāl averred, in the concluding song, after beholding ‘ Ani Arangan ’ (the Soverign Mastof the entire universe, reposing on the serpent-couch in the holy island of Śrirangam, in ornamental setting ) his eyshall not look at anything else. True to this averment, he himself could be seen no more, have been withdrawn, flesh and blood , by the Lord unto Himself. Pān Perumāl is, in a sense, a prototype of Hanumān, of R āmayana fam
Even as Hanumān knew no other God but Lord R āma and declined even His offer to take him along to heavePān perumāl got dissolved in Lord Ranganātha. Lord Ranganātha was worshipped by no less than R āma Himself Ayodhya till the Deity was handed over to Vibhisana along with the golden-domed mantap at the time of R āmcoronation. It is, therefore, but meet that the idols of both the valiant Hanumān and the ardent Tiruppānālv ār alocated in the same chapel in the sprawling temple complex of Śrirangam (at the north end of the Rangavilāmantapa).
III. Amalanātipirān
The ten songs, poured forth, as above, from Pānan’s heart, suffused with extraordinary devotion, fromcompact, well-knit hymnal, going under the caption, ‘ Amalan ā tipiran ’ (the opening words of the opening song). Bthen, was it a mere description of Lord Ranganāthā’s Supernal Form of exquisite charm, as envisioned by PPerumāl’s mental eye to certain level and finally by his naked eyes, right in front of the Lord ? No, besides thdescription, as such, the inspired outpourings of the divine bard, in human form, the ‘tatva darsi ’ come down Earth to propagate the gospel of God-love, opens the eyes of folks over here to the solid spiritual truths, as follow The Supreme Lord is our Master (Swami-owner); We are His exclusive vassals ( Svam - property over which He habsolute right of ownership); He is not merely the goal of attainment but also the very means for attaining Hicutting out the impediments along the line. Short, though in length, they do not lack width and depth. Actual
these songs have a whole eternity, compressed in them, in the shape of eternal truths, briefly outlined above. As thdictum goes, “Mystics can compress a whole eternity into an hour and also stretch an hour to eternity”. Furtheeven the description of the Lord’s Form, contained in these songs, is as revealed by the Lord Himself to His chosfew like the Ā lv ā r Saints and not as we common folks behold, day in and day out, with our fleshy eyes under tfurther constraint of limited perception of the Divine by the bound souls. For instance, in the Seventh Song, t Ā lv ā r refers to the Conch and Discuss, held by Lord Ranganātha in His hands of the Lord in repose, the right arbent and pointing to his feet, the Sole Refuge of one and all (betokening His disarming simplicity), and the exttwo hands, displaying the Conch and Discuss. In the same song the Ā lv ā r refers to the Lord’s bewitching coral li which whisked away away his mind, precluding the envisioning of parts, higher up. But in the very next Song t Ā lv ā r goes into raptures over the astounding charm of the Lord’s pair of eyes with red streaks running across theyeballs of the longish eyes. How is it possible for the Ā lv ā r to behold the Lord’s eyes, bereft of his mental faculas stated by him in Song Seven, has been elucidated in the notes below that song. But the point emphasized here
that the common worshipping public do not enjoy a similar facility with their earthly eyes, even while in front the Deity inside the Sanctum. It should also be noted that, as already stated, the description of the Lord’s persoincorporated in the first nine songs, is not firsthand (as in the case of direct, ocular perception) but vision, projectby several limbs, on their own , on the Ā lv ā r ’s mental plane, as vivid as the direct perception ( dar ś ana sam ā n ā kā ra ). Tcommonalty should not, therefore, rush to the conclusion that the Ā lv ā rs indulged in hyperbole, gross exaggeratiand the like. They will do well to appreciate the veracity of the Ā lv ā rs ’ observations in the light of the special facilextended to them by the Lord, at His sweet volition.
Put briefly, the Ā lv ā rs saw (perceived mentally) just what the Lord was pleased to reveal to them as speccase and, no more. It could, at best, have been only an infinitesimal fraction of His limitless splendour; otherwi who indeed can face it, in full, the more so, the totality of the splendour of Lord Ranganātha’s peerless charm, t
aggregate of all His other hypostatic forms-‘Para’, ‘Vy ūha’ and ‘Vibhava’ ? The exhibition of His charming Form, the extent He did, could be compared with Lord Krsna’s brief revelation of his cosmic form even to Dhrtarāstcongenitally blind; the divine sight specially granted by Him to Arjuna on the battlefield at Kuruksetra so as enable the latter to envision His Cosmic Form; and also His voluntary disclosure of His enthralling beauty Akrūra, Kamsa’s emissary and Mālāk āra, the flower vendor of Mathura.
Likewise the esoteric truths, embedded in these songs, can hardly be appreciated by the lay public but fthe erudite commentaries, bequeathed by knowledgeable doyens of massive learning – the veritable eye-openeFor this particular hymnal alone three stalwarts of the towering statures of Periyav āccānpillai, AlakiManav ālaperumāl Nāyanār and Vedānta Deśika have written commentaries, yielding a rich harvest of the inn
contents, a sumptuous spiritual repast. The salient features of these commentaries have been projected in the notbelow each stanza, in an easily assimilable form.
The Appendix is an apt addition , a thoughtful one, at that. It gives a brief but self-contained summary of Vedānta Deśika’s sparkling Sanskrit hymnal. “Bhagavad dhy ā na sopā nam” , an integral part of Śrivaisnava stoliterature. Well, ‘Sopā nam ’ means ladder, one, which in this case, leads the chanter on to the resplendent crown Lord Ranganāthā (the top-most run) from His feet ( the first step) upwards, very much akin to ‘Amalanātipirān’, tmain work, dealt with in the body. The ‘Sopānam’, however, cuts new ground, in as much as the ladder takes t
chanter, right up to the Lord’s crown unlike ‘Pān Perumāl’, who could not proceed beyond the Lord’s pair of eyeMoreover, the penultimate sloka gives the chanter a glimpse of the majestic form, of commanding stature, ‘ Namperum ā l ’ also. He is the mobile ‘utsava m ū rti ’, taken out on cermonial rounds, standing in front of LoRanganātha, actually yet another form of latter (see Śloka Eleven).
Before passing on to an in-depth study of the hymnal (Amalanātipirān) in the following section, it will interesting to scan the why and wherefore of the Lord’s commissioning Lokasāranga Mahāmuni to fetch PPerumāl to His immediate presence. On the face of it, it might, however appear that the probe in question isneedless luxury, a mere academic exercise, in as much as the offender was called upon by the Lord, as a matter-ocourse, to make amends for the wrong done by him to Pān Perumāl. And yet, there is something more subtle ththis routine approach to the issue. Actually, it is a case of one ‘Muni’, deputed to fetch another Muni. But then,
might at once be asked how Pānar could be regarded as a ‘Muni’. The meaning of the Sanskrit term, ‘Munih’ ‘ Manana śī lo munih ’ – one who is soaked in deep contemplation of the Divine. Going through this hymnal, this so
of mental exercise on his part is very much in evidence. Song Two: “My thoughts leaped from the Lord’s feet the red, silken robes around his waist”; Song Three: “Ha! My mind remains sustained now, in sweet contemplatiof the Lord’s navel”; Song Four: “Hark! My mind is now strolling along the Lord’s gold-plated band around H waist”; Song Seven: “O, what shall I say! My mind has suddenly been hijacked by the Lord’s coral lips from tLord’s neck, while contemplating how the throat within it had gulped down, during the deluge, the entire univer with its enormous contents” and Song Nine: “What! My mind has got sucked, in full into the vortex of texquisite charm of the Lord’s emerald complexion”. And now, going back to R āmāyana, it was Sugriva who wcommissioned by Lord R āma to fetch Vibhisana, anchored then in mid-air, even though His own brothLaksmana was ready at hand to do His bidding. Why ? Apart from the fact that the most vehement resistance Vibhishana’s admission into R āma’s camp came from Sugriva and it was, therefore, expedient (a subtle diplomat
move) that he be asked to the fetch the supplicant from the outer space. There was also the similarity between thtwo; both were in queue for the crowns of Kiskindā and Lank ā, respectively. What a keen observation Periyav āccān Pillai, the ‘Vy ā khy ā na Cakravarti ’!
[The translation is in verse form but not with the usual tinge of poetic fancy (frenzy ?), indulging in fanciful(daring) departures from the text. The present translation faithfully conforms to the original, as in the case omy rendition, in English, of Tiruv āymoli, Tiruppā vai, Tirumālai, Tirupallielucci etc. The verse form has beenchoosen as it is found to have a better appeal than prose.]
Taniyans (Invocatory Songs)
Sanskrit Śloka (by Mahā pūrnar)
Ā pā da c ū damanubh ū ya harim sáy ā nam Madhyekaveraduhitur mudit ā ntar ā tm ā | Adrstrt ā m nayanayor visay ā ntar ā n ā m Yo ni ś cikā ya manavai muniv ā hanam tam ||
Meditate I shall upon saint Munivahana who swore,His eyes shall none else behold anymore,
Having seen the Lord Hari, feet upwards, in splendor galore, Tween twin branches of , K ā veri, in sweet repose.
Note: ‘ Ā pā dac ū dam’ : [From the feet to the crown – This might have been the Ā lv ā r’s resolve, to start with, but he counot lift his eyes of the Lord’s pair of lotus eyes, dazed and dazzled that he was. See notes under Song Eight.]
Tamil Taniyan (by Śriśaila Pūrnar)
K ā ttave kanta pā dakamalam nalladai unti Tettarum udara bandam tirum ā r pukantam cevv ā y |V ā ttamil kankal meni muniyerittani pukuntu P ā ttin ā l kantu v ā lum P ā nar t ā lparavinome ||
Blessed are we to worship the feet of Pānar, the bard,By joy sustained, espying thro’ vision, by the Lord dowered,His feet lovely, radiant robes, exciting navel, glittering waistband, Wińsome chest with Tiru, on it well-poised,Lovely neck, coral lips, eyes lotus-red, the cloud-huedForm enthralling, inside the sanctum on the Muni
mounted. ||
Note : [In this treatise it is not proposed to tire out the readers with the mass of details, found in the sevecommentaries but to present the best parts of them all, in a compact and easily assimilable form, with suitable additioto make their reading intelligible].
Song One:
Preamble : The exquisite charm of the Lord’s Supernal Form, His boundless wealth etc, in ‘Paramapada’ (Heaven, thLord’s transcendental abode), just sprout, (with just two leaves like beginnings of the infant’s teething) during H Avatārs as R āma and Krsna and flourish as a fully-grown fruit bearing tree with numerous branches (corresponding all the other pilgrim centers) in Śrirangam, affording immense satisfaction to the beholders there, of His eas
worshippable Form. Yes, easily worshippable, the more so, in the case of devotees of the caliber of the Ā lvar Sainunto whom the Lord relaxes the self-imposed constraints of silence, passivity etc, incidental to His iconic manifestatioand displays His innate charm, in super-abundance. It is noteworthy that the Lord did not even wait till Pān Perumentered the Sanctum to behold and drink in the beatific vision in front. He displayed to him, even en route , the wealth His resplendence, step by step, from His lovely pair of feet upwards, lest the devotee be swept off his feet, rather dazeby the dazzling splendour of His Form, when exhibited in full, all at once. The Lord’s feet constitute not merely trallying point in this mental exercise but also the focal point, the final goal of attainment of the devotee, his soRefuge. That is why Saint Nammālv ār also referred to the Lord’s “distress – dispelling – dazzling feet”, right in the openisong of Tiruv āymoli. This is like the new-born baby intuitively sucking the mother’s breast, the source of its sustenanc with no physical aid whatsoever to locate it. The new-born baby is totally devoid of vision which it gains only gradualfrom the second month onwards.
Text: Amalan ā dipir ā n adiy ā rkkennai ā tpatutta Vimalan vinnavarkō n viraiy ā r polil v ē nkatavan Nimalan ninmalan nitiv ā navan nilmatin. Arangattamm ā n Tirukkamala pā dam vanten kanninullana okkinrate! ||1||
Translation : Wonderful this, the lotus feet dainty, of our immaculate
sire At Arangam, amid ramparts high, first and foremost Sire,
great and pure, The Benefactor who did me enlist in the service of the
devout,Overlord of the celestials in high heaven, just and
upright, Who did atop V ēnkatam amid fragrant orchards alight,Did, on their own, into my distant eyes project.
Notes: Amalan: The immaculate. Immaculate that He is, Lord Ranganāthā cleanses the massive dirt of ignorance of t worshippers and imparts purity to them. Indeed He is the purest of the pure and the most auspicious among tauspicious – Pavitr ā n ā m pavitram yo mangal ā n ā m ca mangalam. The manner in which Lord Ranganātha drew the Ā lv ā r unHim is indicated here. In this song, the Ā lv ā r also refers to the Lord as Vimalan, the same as ‘Amalan’ etymologicabut with this difference (as brought out by the Commentator), namely this refers pointedly to the Lord’s magnanimin putting the Ā lv ā r on to the feet of His devotees for rendering them spotless service, ever and anon, a rare tra(gesture), not noticeable in anyone else. In this particular context, this refers to the manner in which P ānan, who wkeeping himself studiously aloof from the likes of Lokasāranga Mahāmuni, was induced by the Lord to be submissias not to disobey and flee from the Mahāmuni, as in the past. Yet another appellation, bestowed on the Lord by t Ā lv ā r, in this song itself, is Nimalan, also meaning the same as Amalan etymologically, but used in a different sense, highlighted by the Commentator. The special connotation of Nimalan is: it denotes the Lord’s extra-ordinary gesture
redeeming the Ā
lv ā r , even unasked and unsolicited, enhancing His greatness still further.
[The reader is now invited to go through Sri Parāśara Bhattar’s commentary on Names 157 and 252 ( sucih ): of Visnu Sahasranāma. 157-Ś ucih: Pure(unsullied). Visnu Bhagav ān is pure since He does not expect anything in return fall that He does to the subjects (in dire contrast to minor deities, who when sought after invariably seek something return from the recipients); 252-Sucih: He, who is pure, the purity being natural to Him (innate), not induced cultivated, as such. It is noteworthy that Lord Nārāyana, the Supreme Brahman is not only big(brhat) Himself but almakes His votaries big.]
What more ? In this very song the Ā lv ā r also refers to the Lord as ‘ Ninmalan’, the same as ‘Amalan’ etymologically, bin an even superior light, namely, the Lord looks upon the redemption of the Ā lv ā r as but His own job, for His benefthat is, as a matter of supreme personal satisfaction – the benefactor redeeming Himself the beneficiary, once aga
redounding to His unique greatness and glory.
The way the Ā lv ā r has put it, in this song, the Lord’s limbs literally vied with one another to attract the Ālv ār, ev when he was very much outside the Sanctum, the feet being the pace setter. They are said to have (figuratively) sallieforth from the Sanctum and got into his eyes (a forward, feast, as it were, ahead of the diner entering the dinning hall
Venkatam: Mounted on Lokasāranga Māmuni’s shoulders, Pānan is on his way to the shrine of Lord Ranganāth Why then, this reference to the Deity, atop the holy Mount Tiruv ēnkatam? It is only to remind us that the Lodescended from heaven and alighted at V ēnkatam, enroute to Arangam. V ēnkatam, the mountain-top came in hanfor the Lord as a springboard from where He could jump down to Arangam and rest there. It is comparable with Hstepping down to ‘Madhur ā mpuri’ (spelt as Mathura, these days) from the Milk-ocean, the Lord’s seat of creati
activities whence His avatārs take place and then moving further on to Gokul (Tiru Āyppādi). [Saint Nammālv ār alrefers to the Lord’s stepping on to Mount Venkatam as an intermediary stop-over, and thence jumping into the Ā lv āmind ‘Malaim ē l t ā n ninru en manattul iruntanai’ Tiruv āymoli X-4-4]. With their deep insight, an uncanny perception, t Ālv ārs as well as some of our ancient preceptors could envision (1) the celestials moving down from the high heaven Mount Tiruv ēnkatam to see for themselves and appreciate the Lord’s amazing simplicity (not so well discernable heaven, that glorious setting with all its pomp and pageantry), His loving condescension to stay in the midst monkeys and hunters, (2) their (celestials) going back to heaven where His Supremacy (Paratva) is very much evidence, a feature which shone, all the more, in the eyes of the celestials, in sharp contrast with His amazing simplici(Soulabhya), witnessed by them below, (3) their coming again to V ēnkatam, only to find that the Lord had by thmoved to Arangam and (4) their further move to Tiruvarangam where they beheld the Lord reclining on the Serpe
Couch, vowing as it were, not to raise up and go back to the celestium till the uplift to heaven of the last being dowbelow].
N ī lmatil Arangattamm ā n: Reference to the lofty boundary walls by Pān Perumāl seems to be an anachronism. Actualthe walls were built by Tirumankai Ālv ār (tenth in the chronological order), who must have taken cue from himmediate predecessor and rendered his vision realistic.
Ā rangattu Amm ā n: The Lord at Arangam is presented as our kinsman. Yes, He is intimately bound to everyo
through every conceivable relationship – father, mother, husband, son and so on. He is also our master, friend, donojudge, so on and so forth. It behoves us, one and all, to take due note of this omnibus relationship binding us to Hiintimately so that we do not run astray. See also 28th Song of Āndāl’s Tiruppā vai.
Tirukkamala pā dam vantu en kanninullana okkinrate: The Lord’s lovely (Tiru) pair of feet, silken-soft and delicatemassaged by Tiru , the Divine Mother, Herself, the very picture of softness and elegance, sallied forth from thSanctum, straight inside Pān Perumāl’s eyes, when he was still on his way to the temple. Earlier on, Pānan was runniaway, in self denouncing humility, but now the Lord’s feet run after him, in keeping with the Lord’s inclination and gimplanted in his eyes!
In sum, The opening song brings out (1) the Sovereignty of the Lord over the heaven ( Nitya Vibh ū ti – the Etern
Land) as well as the worlds below ( Lil ā
Vibh ū ti – the sporting arena) – ‘Ubhaya Vibh
ū ti ai
ś varya’ , (2) He is, at once, tgoal of attainment ( upeya), the means of attaining that goal ( upā ya) and also the beneficiary [ Bhokt ā – who revels in t
redemption of the individual soul ( cetana l ā bha )] and (3) in Him alone is the unique blending of unrivalled Supremaexhibiting Him as higher than the highest ( Par ā tparan ) and His astounding simplicity, presenting Him as lower than tlowest ( soulabya par ā kā stai ); but for the latter aspect, His ‘Parātva’ (Supreme Sovereignty) would just scare away Hdevotees and distance them from Him, irretrievably.
Song Two:
Preamble: In the opening song, mention was made of the entry of Lord Ranganāthā’s lotus feet (shedding honaplenty – Visnoh pade parame madhvautsah ), on their own, into Pān Perumāl’s eyes. The taste of ultra-mundane honfrom the Lord’s blissful feet trickled down to his mind and kindled in him the yearning to move upwards and have
taste of the limbs, higher up, one by one. And so, the mind switched on to the radiant robes, flowing down to thankles. This movement of the Ā lv ā r’s mind is described in this song. The Commentator draws a parallel to this, follows: Unlike the human babe, the calf, just yielded by the cow, can see the mother’s teats, all right but it does nknow that it has to suck them for getting milk, the source of its sustenance. And so, the mother introduces the tyoung one to the technique by inserting teats into the mouth of the calf and allowing it to suck. Having once tasted thsweet milk, the calf wishes to have more and more of it and dashes towards the mother’s teats even though the mothsignals, at times, her disinclination to feed the calf by kicking her hind legs.
Text:
Uvanta ullattan ā y ulakamalantantamura
Nivanta n ī lmutiyan anru n ē rnta nic ā cararaikKavarnta venkanaikkā kuttan katiy ā r polil
Arangattamm ā n araic Civanta ā taiyinm ē l cenrat ā m ena cintanaiye ||2||
Translation:
Fine! My thought moved on the robes, red and radiant,Of our Sire grand in Arangam enshrined, among orchards
fragrant, Who spanned the universe; the jubilant one, sporting the
crown tall,K ākuttan *, the warrior invincible, aiming lethal
arrows, dreadful, Who the other day slew the attacking R āksasas, one and
all. ||
[* Lord R āma, who slew, single-handed, the R āksasa hordes, fourteen thousand strong, who attacked Him Janasthāna, in an amazingly short period].
Notes: Uvanta ullattan: The Lord was mighty glad because (1) He could reclaim a devotee of the excellence of PPermāl, overcoming his ‘naichya’ (self-denouncing humility) and (2) when He set foot on His subjects, one and all (higand low, the devout as well as the diabolic), while spanning the sprawling universe, as Trivikrama, none of them thougin terms of moving so as not to have the Lord’s feet on their heads. In this song, Lord Ranganātha is identifi with Lord Trivikrama.
N ī l mudiyan: The tall crown worn by Lord Ranganātha, symbolishes His Supreme Sovergnity, the overlordship Brahmā, Rudrā, Indrā and the rest.
Anru n ē rnta nic ā carar: The other day, when during exile, the trio, R āma, S ī tā and Laksmana were camping
Janasthāna, Khara, D
ūsana and Tri
śiras and their army, fourteen thousand strong, charged toward R
āma, courtidisaster like the fireflies rushing to fire and perishing in it.
Kavarnta venkanai K ā kuttan: Lord R āma, whose arrows never missed their target, deadly as they were, literally scorchithe enemy, vanquished the R āksasas, pitted against Him in such great strength, effortlessly, unaided, in an amazingshort period of a ‘muhurt’ . Of the twin aspects of the Lord’s operations, this episode highlights the second namely, telimination of the obnoxious (ansta nivrtti), the first being the succour of the Rs ī s (devout, in general – ista pr ā ti ). Earlion, Lord Ranganātha was identified with Trivikrama and now, He is identified with Lord R āma.
Arangattamm ā n: This signifies at once, Lord Ranganāthā’s Supremacy as well as Simplicity, the latter denoting Hintimate link with His subjects, in every conceivable manner, His multiple kinship and multi-faceted benefaction.
Song Three:
Preamble: In the preceding song, the Ā lv ā r’s mind moved on to Lord Ranganātha’s robe, flowing from the waist dowto the ankles. And now, looking up, the waist as well as the navel, just above it become visible. Rather, it is a case of thnavel, with an elegance of its own, drawing him up to it to tell him its tale of unique glory. The Lord was referred to,the opening song, as the first and the foremost, the Progenitor, who ushered in the Universe. This could, however, bchallenged by votaries of minor deities, each group contending their god is first and foremost. The Lord’s navel fro which the lotus stalk emerged, projecting Brahma, the lotus-born, however, repudiates their contention, in no time.
If the Ā lv ā r’s mind leapt from the Lord’s feet to His silken garment and thence to His navel, it was not as if tindividual charm of the earlier ones had been enjoyed by him, in full (to the point of satiety), an impossible task, on th
face of it. It only betrays the vacillating mind of the Ā lv ā r , jumping from the one to the other, just like a twig, gettitossed up from one wave to the other in the surging ocean of Lord Ranganātha’s exquisite beauty. Evidently, PPerumāl was in the same predicament as Namm ā lv ā r in his attempt to enumerate the Lord’s auspicious traits(Tiruv āymoli III-4). If it is now the Lord’s ‘Divya mangala vigrah’ which defies description, in the case of Nammālv ār was His ‘Divy ā tma svar ū pa’ . As the Commentator of Tiruv āymoli has put it, Nammālv ār was in the same state vacillation as the one who attempts to pick delicious fruits, dropping down the trees, in quick succession, under timpact of a violent gale. While picking up one, the picker gets attracted to another, yet another and so on, bewilderenot knowing what to pick first, and what next. So also, Nammālv ār, who attempted to hit out the Lord’s auspiciotraits, just did not know what to mention first and what next, in the order of priority.
Mantipā y vatav ē nkatam ā malai v ā navarkal Canti ceyya ninr ā n Arangattaravinanaiy ā n Anti pō l niratt ā daiyum atanm ē l ayanaip pataittat ō relil Untim ē latanr ō adiy ē nullattinnuyir ē ||3||
Translation:
Isn’t it the sweet core of my mind that alightsOn the crimson robes and the navel above, seatOf Ayan’s¹ origin, of the Lord who stood atop Mount Vatav ēnkatam² where monkeys gambol and celestials meet And obeisance make, who does on serpent-couch at Arangam
rest. ||¹ Four-faced Brahmā. ² The sacred Mount in the northern frontier of the Tamil territory.
Notes: Mantipā y Vatav ē nkata m ā malai: In the ten songs, comprised in this hymnal, this is the second and the lareference to Mount V ēnkatam, the earlier one being in the opening song itself. Reference to the holy Mount in thsong and to the monkeys, in particular, on their merry arboreal jaunts (jumping from one branch of the tree
another), has a special significance. In the Mount there are jack trees, loaded with fruits from top to bottom (root). Tfickle minded monkeys would, while feeding on one fruit, look at another in a neighbouring branch, jump on to it anrepeat the process. How apt is it to Pān Pērumal’s present predicament ! Further, if the Lord in Mount V ēnkatam is intimate terms with the monkeys, as mentioned by the Ā lv ā rs , it reminds us of Lord R āma’s intimacy with Sugr ī vHanumān and the monkey hordes in general. Well, S ī tā, the captive in Lanka, was curious to elicit from Hanumān hoindeed R āma, the prince royal, the disciple of Sage Vaśista, could cultivate friendship with mere monkeys. She querie‘V ā nar ā n ā m nar ā n ā m ca katam ā s ī t sam ā gamah ?’ . Pat came the clarification from Hanumān that very fact that he, a meminion of Sugr ī va, had been sent on such an important mission as meeting Her in enemy territory, and conveying LoR āma’s message was an eloquent proof of the intimate bonds of friendship between R āma and Sugr ī va.
Antipō l niratt ā dai: ‘Antipō l niram’ refers to the crimson colour of the western sky at sunset, as if that colour inseparable from the sky. Even so, the crimson colour of Lord Ranganāthā’s robes is inseparable from the robes. A
then, what to say about the matching of this colour with the Lord’s sapphire complexion !
Ayanaippadaittat ō r elil: The Lord’s beauty got enhanced even further after His creation of the four-faced Brahmā fthe propagation of the multifarious genera and species in the worlds, ushered by Him. It is a matter of commoknowledge that the mother looks more charming than before, just after delivery.
Unti (elil unti): The Lord’s navel is deep-set (nimagna n ā bhih) and swirling too, giving rise to small whirlpools, teddies. Śrivatsānkar (K ūrattālv ān) has put it admirably in his ‘Varadar ā ja Sthavam’ , as follows : The perennial stream the Lord’s beauty emanated from the crown, the fountain source, flowed along the broad expanse of His winsomchest with great gusto and as it entered the narrow gorge, the thin waist, the whirling waters gave rise to the whirlpo(navel). Those, who venture to behold the Lord’s exquisite charm, are bound to get stuck, sucked into that whirlpo
the navel. Here is a telling anecdote, illustrating this. Pillai Alagiyamanav āla Araiyar, the temple bard, once sought tpermission of Lord Ranganātha to go on a pilgrimage to Tiruv ēnkatam to worship the Lord, enshrined there. The Loasked the Araiyar to recite just once, in His presence, this hymnal (Amalanātipiran) and then go. The Araiyar daccordingly but got stuck up in the whirlpool, the navel of the Lord. Then he meekly acknowledged, in the Divinpresence, that there was no question of his going to any other pilgrim center anymore. This at once demonstratebeyond doubt that, by worshipping Lord Ranganātha one can enjoy the aggregate of all the bliss one derives from the other pilgrim centers, put together.
Adiy ē n ullattinnuyir ē : Adiy ē n – The vassal, enthralled by Lord Ranganāthā’s exquisite charm. Innuyir – Here ‘uyir’ denotthe mind; it is ‘innuyir’ , the sweet mind, sweetened by the Lord’s beauty galore. Ironically, the navel is the very source
origination of the universe, the birthplace of Brahmā and yet, it is that life generating center which has submerg within itself my sweet mind, making it lose its separate entity !
And now, before we pass on to the study and appreciation of the contents of the next song, it deserves to be notthat the first letter of each of the first three songs (AUM), put together, constitutes the Pranava Mantra (AUM). TFirst Song of Tiruv āymoli is similarly structured. ‘U’ is the first letter of the opening line, ‘M’ , that of the second liand ‘A’ , that of the third line. Thus, all three letters of the ‘Pranava’ are there, though jumbled. Our Āchāryas opine thin doing so, the Ā lv ā r highlights Lord Visnu’s supremacy over all the rest. Letter ‘A’ denotes that He is the so
Protector of one and all, while letter ‘M’ denotes the objects protected (the Individual Souls). The middle letter ‘Udenotes that, by virtue of the protection extended by the Lord and the final state attained by the wards, as a result such projection, the latter are entirely at the disposal of the Lord, totally subservient to Him- ‘anany ā rha ś esatva’.
The Fourth Song, beginning with the letter ‘ca’ , always used in Sanskrit as the conjunction ‘and’, denotes that tLord is also the final goal of attainment (pr ā pyam). Again, the letters ‘pā’, ‘tu’ and ‘kai’ with which Songs Five, Six aSeven begin, respectively, add up to ‘pā t ū kai’ , signifying that His feet alone can deliver the goods, that is lead tindividual souls on to His lotus feet in heaven. How admirably and meaningfully structured are these inspired songthe divine outpourings of the Ā lv ā r Saints !
Song Four:
Preamble: Revolving though, in the encircling current of the Lord’s navel, the Ā lv ā r’s mind could envision His be where the navel is located and the ornamental band around it and stroll along. There are three folds in His belsignifying that all three categories of His subjects, namely ‘Nityas’ (the eternal angels in heaven), ‘Muktas’ (the soufreed from bondage and granted entry into heaven) and ‘Baddhas’ (the bound souls, still wandering down below, caugup in the dreadful cycle of birth and death) are under His control, as the Sovereign Master of the entire Universe. Bthen, there is also the scar, beneath the folds, resulting from binding of the belly by Mother Yasodha with a rope (smbits, knotted together). While the former (folds) points to His supremacy, the latter (scar) brings into focus His amazisimplicity, the other extreme. As Śr ī Parāsara Bhattar puts it, the gold plate around the Lord’s belly is but the bridlinking the two extremities (supremacy and simplicity). Pondering over this unique blending in the Lord of diopposites (see also Tiruv āymoli VI-3) the Ā lv ā r’s mind strolled along the belt greatly astonished.
Text:
Caturam ā matilc ū l ilankaikiraivan talaipattu Utirav ō tti ō r venkanai uyttavan ō ta vannan Maturam ā vantupā ta m ā mayil ā ta Arangattamm ā ntiru vayirru Utarapantam ennullattul ninru ul ā kinrat ē ! ||4||
Translation: Saunters my mind along the belly-band of my Sire at
Aranagam Where hum bees tuneful and peacocks dance in merriment,
The sea-hued Lord whose supermissile felled the headsten
Of the monarch of Lank ā, well fortified besides walls tall around ||
Notes: Catura m ā matilc ū l ilankai: The impregnable city of Lank ā with tall, square-walls around, apart from the outfortifications in the shape of water, forests and mountains, in succession.
Iraivan: R ā vana, the monarch, also fortified by many a boon, conferred on him by Brahmā and Rudrā, apart from hown formidable physical prowess and the military outfit with enormous striking power. Alas ! all these proved of navail; his exclusive dependence on all these, in defiance of R āma, the Supreme Lord Visnu-incarnate, could hardly sa
him from final doom. On the other hand, Vibh ī sana, whose only fortification was his refuge at the feet of Lord R ām(sarvaloka Śaranyan), is flourishing, down to this day, ruling over Lank ā (not the neighbouring island, you and I knoof, but the glorious one, hidden from human sight). Yes, he is worshipping Lord Rangan ātha at Śrirangam daily, durinight; they say, there is tangible proof of this. It is noteworthy that he was crowned King of Lank ā by R āmsymbolically, even ahead of the bunding of the ocean and engaging the enemy in battle. Of course, his formcoronation took place in Lank ā after the overthrow of R ā vana.
Talai pattu utira ō tti ō r venkanai uyttavan: The tyrant’s ten heads were felled down by R āma’s dreadful darts, like t
palmyra fruits, dropped down the trees. As the heads rolled down, new ones cropped up in their place, the mischief the boons, granted by those very minor deities who, later on, entreated Lord Visnu to annihilate R ā vana and rid t worlds from his tyranny. As the Commentator puts it, the heads which came up, in replacement, looked at thtumbling predecessors and dreaded a similar fate overtaking them in a few moments. It is indeed puzzling why R āmdid not slay the demon straightaway although such a heinous offender, who went to the abominable extent abducting no less than S ī ta, the Divine Mother and keeping Her captive in Lank ā, deserved to be slain at sight. Wherethe far more powerful V āli, the monkey chief, was shot down by R āma, mortally wounded, with just a single arrow ain no time, what was the logic behind R āma dragging the battle with R ā vana over a whole week ? Well, the puzzle hbeen solved by the Āchāryas, the intellectual stalwarts, with a rare vision as follows : At the end of the first day’s battR ā vana’s chariot, horses, charioteer, arms and all were destroyed by R āma’s unfailing bow and He could have doaway with him, there and then. However, R āma, the ‘Dharm ā tm ā ’ called it a day (for the battle) on seeing His opponen
totally disarmed and His magnanimity bade him go back to Lanka for a night’s rest and recuperation and come back ffight, the next day, refreshed and equipped. Implied in this command of the Lord was the option thrown open to thopponent to surrender at His feet and seek His pardon that very moment. The felon was asked to turn up the next daonly to resume the fight. Alas! He would not bend. The Lord (K arun ā m ū rti – mercy personified), who just wanted bend the evil-doer and not break him altogether, grieved over the opponent’s stubborn divergence. This way, the batdragged on by Him for a whole week, during which He fondly hoped that R ā vana’s enmity towards Him wougradually subside, egging him on to surrender at the Lord’s feet. It is a case of His incurable optimism rooted in Hboundless magnanimity, that took a whole week to perceive the opponent’s incurable divergence. On the seventh day, tLord saw no point in prolonging the battle any further and He started felling down the demon’s ten heads, one by ononly to find that they got replaced, there and then. R āma was, therefore, obliged to press into service ‘Brahm ā stra’, tlethal supermissile and aim it into R ā vanā’s (heartless) heart, totally devoid of devotion to Him, contrary to His weelong expectation. And that was the end of a long, long reign of parlous terror. Śr ī Āndāl has, however, given a sw
burial to this long-drawn episode, in just half a line of Song Thirteen of Tiruppā vi – ‘Polla Arakkanai killikkalaint ā nathat is, the malignant R āksasa was done away with, by R āma, effortlessly and, in no time, like clipping off the stem the betal leaf with one’s finger nail !
‘Madhuram ā vandupā da, m ā mayil ā da: The humming bees and dancing peacocks symbolize the singers and dancersLord Rangarāja’s court.
Arangatamm ā n: This has already been explained at length. It will, therefore, suffice to point out the special backgrounof the Lord reposing in Śr ī rangam, in the present context. After slaying R ā vana, the Lord entered the Shrine Śr ī rangam by the principal (southern) gate and retired to bed. When He came down from Tiruv ēnkatam in the nor(Vatav ē nkata m ā malai ), He entered the shrine in Arangam by the north-gate – an intellectual treat indeed, provided
the learned commentators, with intuitive perception of God-head.
Tiru utara bandham ennullattul ninru ulakinrate !: The belly-band is the gold belt, adding luster to the womb of Moth Yaśodā (the one who yielded Krsna for all intents and purposes), besides ridding the beholders of their earthly bondaLittle wonder then, it drew up Pān Perumāl’s mind, releasing it from the clutches of the navel, the whirlpool in the centof the belly and made it saunter (stroll along the belt), intoxicated with joy like the elephant in rut.
Song Five :
Preamble: In the upward march of the Ā lv ā r’s mind from Lord Ranganāthā’s feet to His crown, each limb, in tascending order, is said to have pressed, according to the Commentator, its special claim to the Ā lv ā r’s attention. A
now, when the Ā lv ā r’s mind was gaily strolling along the Lord’s golden belly-band, it looked as though the mind wousimply stay on there. However, in its competitive exuberance, the Lord’s winsome chest, with its handsomenesenhanced manifold by the gem-set ‘Vyjayantimālā’, the lovely mole ( Śr ī vatsam), the dazzling ruby (Koustubham) anabove all, the Divine Mother (Mahālaksmi), inseperably poised on it, compelled the Ā lv ā r’s attention. Did not tDivine Mother (Sitā ), Grace first, Grace last, Grace throughout, the very personification of Grace, try to turn even tfiend R ā vana into Lord R āma’s friend ? Little wonder, the Mother, adorning the Lord’s chest, could easily draw up t Ā lv ā r’s chastened mind. After a good bit of introspection as to how an ace-sinner like him, woefully transformebeyond recognition, by truck-loads of sins, dark and dense, could at all enjoy such felicity, the Ā lv ā r’s mind could tra
it to the Lord’s chest, motivated by His conjunction with the Mother ( Devy ā kā runya r ū pā ya ). The Ā lv ā r acknowledgrather reveals, in this song, his grand discovery. The Ā lv ā r aghast with wonder at this extra-ordinary turn of events, tLord absolving him, in toto, of the age-long accumulation of sins and on the top of that, getting Himself firmly lodginside him.
Text:
P ā ram ā ya palavinai parraruttu ennaittan V ā ram ā kki vaitt ā n vaittatanri ennul pukunt ā n K ō ram ā tavam ceytanankol Arangattamm ā n tiru V ā ram ā rpatanr ō ati ē nai ā tkontate ! ||5||
Translation:
Surely, ‘tis the bejeweled chest of my Sire at Arangam With ‘Tiru’, well-poised, that fastened me unto Him;Rooting out my age-long sins, dark and dense,He got inside me; indeed, I know of no penance, Tough and austere, gone thro’ by me in by-gone days ||
Notes: P ā ram ā ya palavinai: The Ā lv ā r is at loss to spell out the manner in which he committed sins, which have swellup, down the ages, into mountainous proportions pressing him down miserably. It is said that the soul commits a va variety of countless sins, in a trice, which cannot be neutralized by the resultant punishments, undergone over aeons
time(Brahma Kalpa, running into millions of years). The sins could be of various kinds, such as non-performance of dutienjoined by the Śāstras; performance of acts, specifically prohibited by them; moving in the company of sinners; barteraway God; seeking from Him petty gains; and owing allegiance to minor deities, keeping God away. Pity, the Ā lv ā r counot recollect the vast variety of sins committed by him and the manner in which they were committed. It is a staggerinpast and the sins are also countless, baffling enumeration. He could only mention it, in general terms, as too denspressing on him much-too-heavily. Well Nammālv ār also fared no better, going by his utterances in his hymns. Hcould describe the sins committed by him ancient and massive like the long stretch of a mountain range. [The readshould not, at once jump to the conclusion that the Ā lv ā rs were also ace-sinners like us. Far from it; they were spotlesouls, untainted by sins of any kind and that is why they were sent, in our midst, as His chosen emissaries. If they, well as our illustrious Ācharyas have, in their hymns and stotras, presented themselves before God in such terms, it only a matter of self-denouncing humility, setting pace for us to follow in their footsteps. That is how we can suppre
the ego in us effectively, leaving no room for conceit, arrogance and the like to raise their ugly heads and damn ubeyond redemption].
Parraruttu: Eradicated, root and branch. Normally, when one tries to atone for the sins through the methodindicated by the Śāśtras, only specific categories of sins can be got over by the relative rites and rituals and not the resBut when the Supreme Lord cuts the Gordian knot, as in this case, sins one and all, however numerous and dense, grooted out, never more to raise their ugly heads, the erstwhile stink of all the sins also vanishing. [If the stench from thsewage of sins keeps lingering on, even after the sins themselves have been wiped out, there is the offchance of tsins sprouting again. In the case of bugs, crushed to death, the resultant smell is said to give rise to further crop bugs].
Ennaittan v ā ram ā kki vaitt ā n: Not only did the Lord absolve the Ā lv ā r of all sins but He also admitted him into His foas a hot favourite, inducing in him, at the same time, extreme liking for Him to the exclusion of everything else. Whmore ! (see notes below).
Vaittatanri ennul pukunt ā n: Even as the spiritually regenerated, fully sanctified Ā lv ā r lost his separate entity, soaked God-love of intense magnitude, the Lord got inside the Ā lv ā r and became part of him. What a grand reciprocity ! Wha marvel ! Like Sage Vaśista entering the hut of the lowly- “Sarva bh ū t ā ntar ā tm ā N ā r ā yano Harih”. This underscorLord Ranganāthā’s ‘Antaryāmi’ aspect, as well.
Koram ā tavam ceytanankol ariy ē n: Amazed by the present turn of events, the Ā lv ā r is led on to an intense introspection to whether at all he had, at any time, gone through any austere penance, including the severest mortification for a goolength of time, to merit this much. But he draws a complete blank. However much he scratched his brain and searchhis heart, he could not find the slightest trace of self-effort, indulged in, by him, for his spiritual uplift.
Śri Vedānta Deśika, however, tries to examine the issue, the other way, interesting enough, although a bit stretchtoo far, according to his own admission. He wondered whether Lord Ranganāthā, who left Ayodhya, bound for Lankas intended by R āma and fondly looked for, by Vibh ī sana), took His abode, instead, at a spot, chosen by Him, on tbank of the river K ā veri and lay on the Serpent-Couch at Śr ī rangam, doing tough penance, to get at P ā nan, the long-lost treas!
Tiru ā ra m ā rpatanr ō adiyenai ā tkondat ē ! Well, here is a flash ! “O, I see ! My Mother is so near at hand, right on tLord’s chest, surrounded by the gold necklace, par excellence [the hiranya prāk āra for the Mother (Harini) – Śri SūktamIn this grand milieu, the proximate promptings of the Mother have clicked so well. Not only that; Grace personifithat She is, She has lit up my essential nature (Svasvarūpa Jnāna, hitherto lying dormant). So far, I was enthralled by tLord’s exquisite charm but now, I am inseparably drawn to Him by His auspicious traits, innumerable, each one beinof unlimited dimensions. Above all, the knowledge has dawned on me that He is my Sole Master and I am Hexclusive vassal (servitor)-(adiy ēn)”. It is noteworthy, in this context, that Hanumān introduced himself, initially, to Sithe Divine Mother at Aśoka vana, as but R āma’s messenger (Dū toham). But with the influx of the Mother’s Grace ohim, he instantly realized (the dawn of true knowledge) that he was the Lord’s vassal, not a mere messenger. From theonwards, he introduced himself to everyone in Lank ā, that queried him who he was, as “Dā soham Kosalendrasya – I am servant of R ā ma, the King of Kosala territory”.
Song Six:
Preamble: And now, the Lord’s neck, higher up, tells its tale of superiority. Superiority apart, how charming it is, lithe attractive neck of the tender arecanut tree, with three lovely streaks running around ! This does not, however, meglossing over the greatness and grandeur of the Lord’s chest, just below. Of course, the Lord’s winsome chest is tseat of Mother’s residense, decorating it much more than the jewels. But then, how can the necklace etc. stay the without the support of the neck from which they are hanging ? Again, Mahālaksmi, poised on the chest, as well as Hother consorts, throw their forearms around the Lord’s neck only, while embracing Him, as could be inferred from timprints of their bangles on the Lord’s neck. When the King of the swollen oceans (Prlayadevat ā ) wanted to gobble up, durithe Great Deluge (Mahāpralaya), the entire Universe and its enormous contents, the Lord, the King of kings, forestall
the former and preserved all beings and the worlds, containing them inside His belly. Otherwise, they would have been swept off by the swirling waters of the surging oceans, in dreadful fury and dismembered. This, at once, brininto focus His extra-ordinary prowess, His unrivalled supremacy over the rest. Side by side, His Grace galore is revealin that He rescued the vast wealth of the Universe, things and beings of enormous dimensions and kept them in t‘safe deposit vault’ inside His belly for the duration of the Deluge; He did this, unasked and unsolicited by the subjecone and all, the four-faced Brahmā downwards. The Lord’s neck is the gateway through which all these entered.
Further, the neck tells us its tale of amazing simplicity, as well; figuratively, it still reminds one of the folded errandscroll, tied on to it by the Pāndavas to carry their message to King Dhrtarāstra and his diabolic son, Duryodhana. In tolden days, messages used to be put across from one place to another through trained dogs and pigeons with thcudjon leaf on which they were inscribed, folded and tied around the necks of the couriers. They would reach th
destination and effect the delivery, all right. Yes, the manner in which the Commentator has put it only reminds treader of the role of an errand boy, played by Lord Krsna.
During the Deluge, the Lord’s neck played its part in rescuing all things and beings from the onrush of ocean waters. Yet, it does not rest on its oars. Now, in the Lord’s iconic manifestation as Ranganātha, it continues to play due part in rescuing us all from the ocean of ‘Sams ā ra’ (earthly bondage), the very purpose for which the Lord, in Heasily worshippable (iconic) form, is staying on, in the holy island.
In the preceding song, the Ā lv ā r claimed that his massive, age-long accumulation of sins got wiped off, at one strokby the Lord as soon as the Divine Mother, poised on His chest, put in a word to Him, pleading his ( Ā lv ā r’s) case. Bthen, this might not be readily swallowed by the speculative philosophers and theoretical theologians. They would, their very nature, certainly point to Śāśtraik pronouncement that the sins committed by the individual in a trice, cannbe wiped off even through the resultant punishments, undergone over aeons of time. These skeptics, the superficcritics, the academicians, are, however, silenced by the Ā lv ā r in this song. This song begins with the episode of LoŚiva wandering along, begging alms, to get rid of his father’s (Brahmā’s) skull which had stuck fast to the palm. It wonly when, at long last, he approached Lord Badrināth in the Himālayas, and begged alms to fill the begging bowl ( tskull, which did not look like filling up, in spite of the long term of his mendicancy ), filled up fell off the palm. Yes was Divine Mother beside Lord Badrināth who pleaded for mercy, on behalf of the supplicant, and that very mome(tat ksan ā deva) the skull got filled up and fell off, granting Śiva instant relief from his long sufferings. See notes belo
for further details.
Text:
Tuntavenpiraiyan tuyart ī rttavan anciraiya Vantu v ā lporilc ū l Aranganagar m ē ya appan Antaranta bakirantattu orum ā nilam elu m ā lvarai murrum Unta kantam kant ī r atiy ē nai uyyakkontate ||6||
Translation:
‘Tis our Sire, resting in the city of Arangam,
Amid orchards where abound bees with lovely wings, Who the distress dispelled of Śiv ā, sporting the
Cresent MoonOn matted locks; but look, ‘tis His neck superfine, Which did the cosmic eggs and the worlds beyond gorge With all their contents, terrains vast and mountains
huge, Which took this vassal on and granted him refuge’ ||
Notes: Tunda ven piriyan tuyar t ī rttavan: Lord Ranganātha, who dispelled the (dire) distress of Śiva, who sports on hmatted locks the cresent Moon (just 2 days old in its waxing period of a fortnight). The episode runs as follows : In a
of rage, born of jealousy, Rudrā ( Śiva) cut off one of the five heads of his father (Brahmā ). The latter could have doubt retaliated, there and then and either cut off a head of Śiva or slain him altogether. But he did not do either, as tfatherhood in him gained the upperhand; he simply cursed Rudrā, ‘Kapā l ī twam bhavisyasi’. That is, Śiva was to underthe torturing punishment of keeping the skull of the severed head stuck to his palm (with all its stench of flesh anblood) until such time that he got it filled with blood, seeking alms, employing the skull as the begging bowl. Alas ! the wanderings of the mendicant for getting the bowl filled were of no avail and the skull did not look like filling up, all. At long last, he went to Badrināth in the Himalayas and begged alms from Lord Nārāyana. Laksmi, the DiviMother, seated by His side, also pleaded on behalf of the supplicant, to ensure the instant influx of the Lord’s merc As usual, She succeeded; the Lord shook off the sweat on His forehead into the skull, uttering the word, ‘aksayam(ever full, with no depletion) and lo ! it got filled up and fell off.
Śiva, the supplicant, felt greatly relieved; he could not believe his eyes, whether he was awake or just dreaming, as himself confessed to Pārvati Devi, later on. The full text of his statement runs: “Tatra N ā r ā yanah Ś rim ā n may ā bhiks pray ā citah Visnupras ā d ā t su ś roni kapā lam tat sahasrad ā sphutitam bahud ā y ā tam svapnalabdha dhanam yad ā ”.
What Śiva had committed was ‘Brahma haty ā ’, the cruelest of sins. Our Ācāryas, unreservedly, place the followicategories of men, in our midst, on par with those committing ‘Brahma haty ā ’:
(1) Those, blest by God with the human body, with all the faculties, in tact, and still fail to make use of such a simp
recipe as ‘n ā masankī rtana’ (recitial of Lord Visnu’s auspicious names, spelling out His great glory) and ford across thocean of samsāra (see also Ślok ās 37 and 38 of Kulaśekharālv ār’s ‘Mukundamālā’ where he laments, ‘What a pity ! t worldings can but do not utter the holy names of the Lord, and court intead, endless miseries’).
And (2) those who foolishly believe that they are their own masters and not the Supreme Lord’s, the rightful ownto whom all things and beings, all over, belong; these folks virtually rob Him of His valued possession, the J ī v ā t( ā tm ā pah ā ranam), theft of a severe magnitude, on par with ‘Brahmahatya’.
Arangangar m ē ya Appan: The eternal Father of one and all, all over (in all climes) and at all times (in all ages), tSupreme Lord has graciously taken up His abode in Śr ī rangam, in an exhilarating setting between two rivers, amid coorchards, bright and gay, so as to redeem us over here, prone to commit sins, such as those mentioned above.
And now, the last two lines of this Song (as per original text) depict an altogether different posture of the Lodifferent from the one, set out in the opening line of this Song. There, mention was made of His ridding Lord Śiva his traumatic sufferings, at the latter’s request (entreaty). But the lines, now taken up, describe the episode of the Lordsuccour of all things and beings along with the worlds, containing them, from the devastating waters of t‘Mah ā pralaya’ (the great Deluge) by sheltering them all inside His bowels, unasked and unsolicited by the latter – The Lorneck, by itself cannot obviously play an independent role, in this regard. And yet it is a pleasant (harmless) piece poetic imagery, attributing the benefaction to the neck. As a matter of fact, the gate of entry is the mouth and thgulping is done by the throat (implanted in the neck), a feature, noticeable from Song One. Well, the Ā lv ā r Saints setheir minds, quite often, as their messengers to the Supreme Lord as if the mind is a separate entity, functioning itself. In Tiruv āymoli (III-8) the Ā lv ā r’s limbs and senses are portrayed as vying with each other in lauding the Lordmultifaceted glory, with competitive exuberance.
Song Seven:
Preamble: In keeping with the trend of the earlier songs, the Lord’s mouth, situated, a little above the neck, compthe Ā lv ā r’s attention. Is not the mouth the actual opening through which all the worlds, referred to, in the precedinsong were gorged in ? The gulping of them all, down the throat, rooted in the neck is but a subsequent process. Italso noteworthy that Nammālv ār has specifically addressed the Lord, atop Mount Venkatam, as the One with a mammmouth, which swallowed all the worlds (on this side of heaven) during the Deluge (Tiruv āymoli VI-10-1). In the presecontext, Pān Perumāl gets reduced to the sad plight of the swimmer aided by a raft, halfway through. That is the Ā lv who had hitherto employed his mind for imbibing the exquisite charm of the Lord’s limbs, one by one, now standispossessed of his mind. How ? The mind was whisked away by the enchanting red lips of the Lord’s mouth, cryin
halt to further contemplation of the limbs upwards, right upto the Regal Crown, tall and majestic.
Text: Kaiyin ā r curicankanal ā liyar n ī lvarai pō l Meyyan ā r tulapaviray ā r kamaln ī lmuti em Ayyan ā r Ani Arangan ā r aravinanai micai m ē ya m ā yan ā r Ceyyav ā y aiy ō ennaic cintai kavarntat ū v ē ! ||7||
By the coral lips of the wondorous Lord of exquisitecharm,
Reposing on serpant-couch in ornate Arangam Wearing the Crown tall with fragrant tulaci wreath
bedecked And holding spiral conch lovely and the fire-spitting
discuss ||
Notes: Kaiyin ā r curicankanal ā liyar : The Supreme Lord has innumerable celestial weapons, of rare excellence (Sa praharana ā yudhah). However, He has always on His person, the five principal weapons, the Conch, Discus, Sword, Boand Mace. These weapons are highly destructive as well as decorative. As the Ā lv ā r is now enjoying the enthrallibeauty of the Lord, reference to the Conch and Discus in the song, is to the decorative (ornamental) aspect. Tdestructive part of it is also wholesome inasmuch as the destruction, wrought by the weapons, is of the enemies of tdevout. For instance, when, on the battlefield at Kuruksetra, Lord Krsna blew the Conch to signify the commencemeof the battle, the tumultuous sound rent the air, causing the sky and the earth to echo and re-echo, piercing as it wethe hearts of Duryodhana and others. Again, the mighty Discus would, the moment the Lord thought of annihilating opponent, dart forth, deal a lethal strike at the intended target, scorching it with furious flames and then get back settle down on the Lord’s right hand, as before.
Well, weapons destroy our sins also. Are they (sins) not our opponents, standing between us and God as the woimpediments for attaining Him ? Here is a thrilling anecdote. When Śr ī Parāsara Bhattar was staying in Tirukottiy ūr, overheard the following dialogue that ensued between two local residents, Terk ālv ān and Kolariālv ān and got stunne The former queried the latter, far from fastidious with regard to religious rites and rituals, whether he would not takebath even on that day, marking the commencement of ‘Dakshin ā yanam’. Pat came the reply from him, “Well, sir hundred dips in the tank will not absolve me of my dense sins, which can however be rooted out by a single cut of thLord’s Discus”.
Lord Ranganātha, in repose, referred to, as Periyaperūmal, in Śr ī Vaisnava parlance, is seen by us all only with twhands. The extra couple of hands, sporting the Conch and Discus, referred to, in this song, are not at all visible to u Was it then a mere figment of the Ā lv ā r’s imagination ? No, not so. Such a rare vision is granted by the Lord, at Hsweet volition, to devotees of the caliber of Pān Perumāl and the Ā lv ā r Saints, in general, the hallowed mystics, blest
the Lord with the radiant joy of intuitive experience of this kind.
Śr ī Vedānta Deśika has thrown additional light, namely, the Conch, with its configuration of ‘Pranava’, symbolizthat mantra while the Discus symbolizes mind. The two, viewed in juxtaposition, denote the ‘Mantra’ and the ‘Minmeditating on the former.
N ī lvarai pō l meyyan ā r: The Lord’s body resembles an outstretched emerald mountain, ready to crush down apulverize our mountainous sins.
Ani Arangan ā r: Śr ī Vedānta Desika’s comments are, as follows: The Lord’s auspicious traits of amazing magnituddearest to the hearts of the devout, are very much in evidence in the ornamental setting here, the Lord’s bedstea
beneath the golden dome ( Śri Rangavimānam), beaming forth the Lord’s astounding simplicity. Yes, these attributes afar more manifest here than in His Transcendental Abode ( Śri Vaikuntha) and ‘Milk – ocean’ (the seat of His creatiactivities) so as to make it appear that the heavenly abode, down below, in Śr ī rangam is the common link, constitutinas it were, a single (monolithic) ornament – ‘ekā bharanam’. Lord Ranganātha adorns such an ornament (it is not tornament that adorns Him, who is infinitely charming, on His own), spanning both the spheres, namely, the ‘Nivibh ū ti’ (Eternal Land-Heaven) and the ‘Lil ā vibh ū ti’ (the sporting arena, embracing all the worlds, down below).
Aravinanai micai m ē ya M ā yan ā r: For the naked eyes, the Lord seems to be asleep on His sweet-smelling, cushioSerpent-Couch. And yet, He looks very grand, a bewitching spectacle, deeply etched in the beholder’s mind, never fade out of memory. See also Song twenty three of Tondaradippodi Ā lv ā r’s ‘Tirum ā lai’. This is in dire contrast to tslovenly state of disarray in which we, mortals, are noticed during sleep. But then, where is the question of the Lor
characterized by pure, unalloyed ‘Sattva’ , succumbing to sleep, the domain of ‘Tamas’. Well, He is in ‘Yoga nidrseemingly asleep but actually revolving in His mind ‘ways and means’ of redeeming us all –the highest form of seactivisation of one’s psychic energy. But, what if He is asleep ? Ādiśesā, His serpent-bed, serving the Lord multifarious ways, is ever-alert and the mere sight of him is enough to scare away the enemies of the devout, tdiabolic ones with their anti-God posture. This is like the petty animals getting scared away by the tiger in the lair, eve when asleep. Yes, it is thus the wondrous setting of the wondrous Lord (M ā yan ā r).
Ceyyav ā y, aiy ō ! ennai cintai kavarntat ū v ē ! The lips are charming beyond description by dint of their tint and taste, red li
lotus, sparkling like the coral reef and; tasty like the honey, shed by the lips in copious quantities. The Ā lv ā r’s mind wabout to drink deep, both these, albeit like measuring the oceanic waters with a tiny measure which can hardly hoquarter liter. “Even that, alas ! has become impossible”, laments the Ā lv ā r, in this song, as his measuring gadget, tmind, has been stolen away by the Lord’s bewitching coral lips.
Song Eight:
Preamble: “Alas ! the Lord’s red-lipped mouth has whisked away my mind, thereby depriving me of the one and onmeans, hitherto employed by me for imbibing the exquisite charm of the Lord’s person, bit by bit, consistent, course, with my all-too-meagre ability” was the Ā lv ā r’s deep dejection due to the abrupt halt of the upward march of hmind to the intended destination, namely, the Lord’s majestic crown, the Lord’s lovely pair of eyes accosted him,
follows: “Well, you found the lips displaying, just one color, namely, red, so charming as to lose your mind, in thbargain. How indeed will you fare if you look at this pair, displaying a riot of colors, red, black and white ?” Yes, t voluntary projection of the Lord’s white eyeballs with red streaks stretching along, the black pupil with a seductiluster and the bluish iris, encircling it, thoroughly unsettled the Ā lv ā r , sweeping him off his feet. Actually, this kind self-projection by Lord Ranganāthā’s limbs, one by one, seems to have been the pattern, right from Song One (see althe notes under that song). The same pattern holds good for this song as well as the next. This aspect of self-projectioby the limbs is now emphasized lest the reader should feel puzzled how the Ā lv ā r sans his mind, could look above tLord’s coral lips and envision the gleaming pair of eyes, throwing up a bewitching spectrum of colors and then proceto behold the overall charm of the sapphire complexion of the Lord’s body (see Song Nine). The position is, howeveentirely different regarding the Tenth (concluding) Song, the Ā lv ā r having got inside the Sanctum by then. Against thbackground, let us now delve into this song and enjoy its poetic embellishments, as well.
Text: Pariyan ā ki vanta avunan utal kī nta amararkku Ariya Ā tipir ā n Arangattamalan mukattu Kariyav ā kip putai parantu milirntu cevvariy ā ti n ī nda apPeriyav ā ya kankal ennaippē taimai ceytanav ē ! ||8||
Translation:
Those eyes, long and broad, red streaks running along Eyeballs white and pupils dark, on the face glistening Of our Benefactor, first and foremost, unto celestials
rare, The Lord immaculate at Arangam, who the bowels toreOf the burly demon, come to bully Prahlād, his young son,Have by their charm exquisite overwhelmed me, on their
own ||
Notes: Pariyan ā ki vantu avunan utal kī nda(van): This refers to Lord Narasimha slaying the demoniac Hiranya, the fat bulHe was a veritable mountain of flesh, a stupendous mass of fleshy (corporal) ignorance (tamas), gathered from all t worlds, as Śr ī Vedānta Deśika puts it. Yes, the demon had been fattened awfully by boons of all sorts, secured from tcelestials, a grand feast indeed for Lord Narasimha’s robust, claw-like nails, of unimaginable strength. Pointing tocolumn of pillar, in front, the irate father threateningly questioned his son, Prahlāda, whether that Hari, on the latte
lips, all the time, was right there or not. The little one, a staunch, unflinching devotee of Lord Hari (Visnu Bhagav āaffirmed without the slightest tinge of diffidence or hesitation; “Sire ! Hari is everywhere, inside the animate beings lik You and I as well as the inanimate things like this pillar”. As if to prove the youngster wrong, the demon slapped tpillar, with frenzied fury. And lo ! there and then Lord Hari, in the exotic form of ‘ Man-Lion’, stepped out of the rippeopen pillar, a fully-grown adult (more than a match for that fat ram, Hiranya), ready for instant combat, His fablazing with fury (righteous indignation), His tongue drooping down the lip, His looks, fierce and piercing, clenchfist, ready to land devastating punches on its target and ominous peals of laughter, terrific and terrifying. The stran Visitor took the formidable opponent (by now, mentally roasted like a pig) by that very hand, which slapped the pill
led him on to the threshold of the palace and tore open his bowels with His formidable nails like the dry fiber of thplantain truck and finished him off. Yes, He eliminated him physically as souls vest in Him and the one inside tphysical frame of the opponent would get lost to Him altogether, if allowed to remain in that foul frame any longer.
But all these pale into insignificance before the achievement of the immaculate Lord at Arangam. Lord Narasimresponded to the prayer of just one devotee and put in His apperance between the two vertical halves of a pillar. BLord Ranganātha came down here from His transcendental abode, on His own, took His abode between two rivermaking Himself visible to our naked (fleshy) eyes in the Sanctum between two pillars ( Mantt ū n- ā moda sthamba ) aretrieving numberless devotees through His indescribable beauty, an irresistible charm of unlimited dimensionunasked, unsolicited (not prayed for, as Prahlāda did). Therefore it is, Pān Perumāl has referred to Him, in thsong, as Arangattamalan, the immaculate Lord, possessed of purity of the highest order. (See also notes und
Song One where the different facets of the Lord’s purity, par excellence , have been analysed). It may be recalled that, the context of Vibhishana’s admission into Lord R āma’s camp, He solemnly affirmed that He would not give up tsupplicant, at the doorstep on any account, whatever be the arguments, for or against admission. Even so, timmaculate Lord at Arangam would not give us up, not withstanding the host of infirmities, bedevilling us. It is alnoteworthy that even while reposing on His serpent-bed at Arangam, He is facing the southerly direction, casting Hsweet glances on Vibh ī sana.
Kariyav ā ki pudai parantu milirntu cevvariy ō ti: The beautiful setting of the Lord’s eyes is projected in this line. Yes, He‘Purdarikā ksa’ – the one with eyes, resembling lotus, ever fresh and in full bloom. The colour of the eyeballs is whi The red streaks, running along the surface signify (i) the ‘ Mah ā purusa laksana’, the vestiges of the Great One, tSoverign Master of the Universe, (ii) He is the spouse of Goddess Laksmi whose red complexion gets imprinted in Hgrazing eyes (see IX-4 of Tiruv āymoli) and (iii) His inordinate love for the devout turning His eyes red (blood-sho
with delight (see VIII-8 of Tiruv āymoli which opens with a description of the Lord’s exquisite charm, getting enhancmanifold on His mingling with Nammālv ār). The pupils are black and lustrous, glistening, all the more, against thbackdrop of the white eyeballs, interspersed with red streaks. So charming and graceful the eyes are that they seem vie with the Lord’s exuberance to redeem His devotees, the eyes themselves wanting to shed all that benevolence. Asmatter of fact, one’s benevolence as well as its opposite number, namely, wrathful displeasure gets reflected in oneeyes.
N ī nda: As Śr ī Parāśara Bhattar, noted for his unique presentation, would put it, the Lord’s eyes embarked on a granproject, namely, enlarging themselves so as to occupy His entire body and thereby exhibit His innate Grace in supeabundance. But then, they got halted by the intrusion of the ear-lobes on either side and the two extremities of tnose-bridge – a grand piece of poetic imagery indeed ! Yes, the Lord’s eyes are not merely long but also b
(periyav āya), too broad to admit of even the most ardent devotee enjoying their grandeur, in full, or they are big, with vengeance, so as to attract even “the hard-hearted ‘me’ ( Ā lv ā r)” and unsettle him, in this manner. Further, it is a twoperation, the dart from both the eyes aiming at the same target ( Ā lv ā r) and destabilizing him completely. See also Ślonine of Saint Kulaśekhara’s Mukundamālā ( K ā ntimannetramine – whose dazzling eyes are like the flashy fishes).
‘Apperiyav ā ya kankal’ , in this song, seems to follow the pattern of ‘ Appā ncacanniyam’ in the opening song of Periy ālv ā‘Tiruppall ā ntu’. The eyes as well as the Conch, right in front, should have been referred to as ‘Ipperiyav ā ya’ a‘Ippā ncacannyam’, respectively. But they were referred to, as things, far off, because the Ā lv ā r , in each case, turned tface in the opposite direction lest he should cast an evil eye on the glorious setting of ‘white, red and black’ in thformer case and ‘white, red and blue’ (white Conch, red palm and the bluish back of the palm, gripping the Conch), the latter.
Preamble: [The destruction, wrought by the conventional arms, deployed, one by one or piecemeal, is very mulimited, as compared with the wholesale destruction of an entire region, wrought by a single nuclear bomb].
Hitherto, the Lord pressed into service the missiles, one by one, in the shape of His limbs, but now, He throws Hentire weight, the sum-total of the several regiments (members of the body, with the characteristic ornaments, worn
each) by exhibiting His enthralling Form, as a whole. The bewildered Pān Perumāl exclaims, in this song, that, alas ! he hlost now his earlier composure, swept off his feet by Lord Ranganātha’s flooding beauty. The overall charm of Henchanting person and dazzle of His bluish complexion, of incomparable excellence.
Text:
Ā lam ā marattinilaim ē l oru pā lakan ā y Jn ā lam ē lumund ā n Arangattaravinanaiy ā n Kolam ā maniy ā ramum muttutt ā mamum mutivillad ō r elil N ī lam ē ni aiy ō ! nirai kontatuennencinaiye ! ||9||
Translation:
The endless charm of the peerless chains with sparking pearls and rubies set
And the bluish tint, in glorious blend, of my Lord onserpent-bed
At Arangam, who did once the worlds seven mouth and rest As Babe unique on a tender leaf of the banyan tree vast,Has the poor me thrown into awful disarray, distraught !
Notes: Ā lam ā marattin ilai mel oru pā lakan ā y jn ā lam ē lum und ā n: Wonderful and unimaginable it was. What ? A tender ba[in comparison with whom Yaśodha’s babe (Krsna) could be deemed a mature elder] devoured the worlds, one and a
with all their enormous contents, and rested on an equally tender leaf, plucked from a huge banyan tree, for millions years (the entire duration of ‘mah ā pralaya’ – the great Deluge). The whopping stuff, gulped down by the unique Babhowever, occupied just a corner of the Babe’s belly ! Had they all got jumbled, huddled together ? No, far from it. Layby layer, they remained, in tact , their contours and configuration were not disturbed, in the least – so the texts say. Omight question whether anyone has seen such a Babe and peeped inside the belly, so as to vouchsafe the veracity seemingly hyperbolical statements, as above. A pertinent question indeed ! Well, sage Mārkandeya did, according to hown admission in Śr ī mad Bhāgavatam and Mahābhārata, of unquestionable veracity, personally verify and testify. In t‘Aranyaparva’ of Mahābhārata, Sage Mārkandeya narrated to Yudhistira the marvelous deeds of (breath-taking exploiof Lord Vishnu, when he beheld Him reclining, as a tender Babe, on a tender leaf of the banayan tree over the huexpanse of the furious waters of the Deluge. He said, “O King ! I was awe-struck when I saw all the worlds in thinfantile bowel of the Lord. With His special permission to this solitary observer, long after, I was inside His body, looki
around for a hundred years and still I could not see the farthest limit of the bowels, at any time. Baffled that I was,could not but exclaim, ‘Ha ! where and how does this infant lie !”
Arangattaravinanaiy ā n: Why beat about the bush ? The Lord, now reclining on the serpent-couch at Śrīrangam,the same as the One, who secreted, inside His bowels, all the worlds with all their things and beings, thereprotecting them all from the fury of the swirling waters of the Deluge, out to devour them. In earlier songs, LoRanganātha was similarly identified with Lord Trivikrama, R āma, Krsna and Narasimha.
When the Lord lay on a small piece of leaf on the watery expanse, there was none around to worry about Hpersonal safety, whether such a tiny bed, with little or no space to roll about, was not fraught with the risk of His fallindown and getting drowned in the deep waters, the more so, because of the heavy load inside His belly. But the mili
here is entirely different. He is resting on the spacious, cushiony bed, the silken-soft bosom of ‘ Ādiśesa’ (Ananta) walso zealously guards Him against any possible danger. Of course, the Lord is potent enough to take care of Himseunaided. And yet, it is Ādiśesa’s inordinate devotion which makes him apprehensive of the Lord’s personal safety, did Per īālv ār and other Ā lv ā r saints of the same ilk.
K ō lam ā mani ā ramum muttu t ā mamum mutivillat ō r elil n ī lam ē ni: Elegant rows of necklaces of infinite charm, inset wipriceless gems of exceptional radiance like ‘Koustubha’ and sparkling pearls, keeping the Lord’s cloud-hued person, coand refreshing are referred to here.
Aiyo nirai kontata ennencinaiy ē : This points to the loss of the Ā lv ā r’s erstwhile stability and composure, in toto. Thotraits had sustained him and made him feel elated and elevated while imbibing the exquisite charm of the limbs of thLord, step by step. But now, by exhibiting the overall charm of His cloud-hued person, full and flooding, webedecked, the Lord has unsettled the Ā lv ā r to such an extent as to make him apprehensive of the safety of One, charmimg and alluring besides pining for ocular perception as well, unable to brook separation from Him, any longer.
Song Ten:
Preamble: And now is the grand finale, grand in every way, as indicated below: The aloofness observed by hkinsmen, in terms of their low birth, deterred Pān Perumāl from treading and defiling the holy precincts of Śr ī rangaholiest of the holy see. Even so, he stood daily on the southern bank of river K ā veri, harp in hand, facing the directi
of the holy Shrine atŚr ī rangam. He got lost in rapturous laudation of Lord Rangan
ātha, with a mind, wholly riveted Him - sight for gods ! The lord, as the unfailing Cognisor, took note of the Ā lv ā r’s unique stance, in dire contrast to t
ways of the worldlings around, hankering after worldly pleasures, putting Him far away. Therefore, He felt greaattracted to him. The Lord enabled him to come down to Śr ī rangam and that too, right inside the Sanctum, mounton the shoulders of a high caste Brahmin, an extraordinary gesture ! What more ? He was also granted, en route , t vision of His charming person, feet upwards, on a par with direct perception – ‘Dar ś ana sam ā na s ā ks ā tkā ra’. The Lor who ought to be beheld and worshipped by everyone, donning a body (drstavyah sarva dehibhih), was also agog to bestothis bliss upon a devotee of such a high order. c.f. Y āmunacārya’s Stotra Ratna-56 ‘Ksanepi te yadviraho atidussahah“Seperation from you, O, Lord ! even for a split second, of those who devoutly aspire to have, at least once, a glimpof Your Supernal Form (Divya Mangala Vigrah), is unbearable to you”. From the Ā lv ā r’s songs, as above, LoRanganātha also noted, with immense pleasure, that he saw in Him the aggregate of His other hypostatic forms, ‘Par‘Vy ū ha’ and ‘Vibhava’ as well as his Iconic manifestations elsewhere, a fact, which the Ā lv ā r has given expression to,
this concluding song, as well – “en Aranganaik kanta kankal marronrinaikkā n ā v ē ”. Little wonder then, He has now drawPān Perumāl, right inside His very person, not merely His proximity ! Here then is the meeting ground of mutulonging, the spiritual consummation of the individual Soul (J ī v ātmā ) and the Super-Soul (Paramātmā ).
That the saint is no more a part of this mundane world is explicit from this song, as he has asserted that his eyes shnot behold anyone else, anymore, having seen Him who alone matters. That he has no name or roots anywhere in thmundane soil and has, in short, lost all sense of belonging here, is also patent from the fact that he has not mentionein this concluding song, his name and nativity (native place). One can however notice the other Ā lv ā rs, with exception of the first four and this Ā lv ā r, invariably incorporating their name, native place, rulership (if any), specattainments, the benefits accruing to chanters etc., (which however has to be appreciated in proper light). Even so,can, in a way, be construed that the fruits of chanting this hymnal have been indicated in the concluding song. T
highest fruit is a close rapport with the Lord in heaven drinking in the perennial beauty of the Lord, that fountasource of eternal bliss, flowing incessantly, a marvelous communication, baffling description – ‘Sad ā pa ś yanta s ū rayahVisnu S ū ktam. The same bliss can as well be enjoyed in the holy Shrine of Lord Ranganātha, as demonstrated by PPerumāl in this hymnal, short and (perennially) sweet.
Text:
Kontal vannanaik kō valan ā y vennai Untav ā yan ennullam kavarnt ā nai Antarkō n Aniyarangan ennamutinaikKanta kankal marronrinaikkā n ā v ē . ||10||
None else shall the eyes look at, having Him beheld, The Cloud-hued, who, is sheperd born, mouthfuls of
butter gulped,Sovereign Lord of Universe with ornate Arangam as His
abode,
My nectar-nonsatiate, who my sweetened mind has grabbed.
Notes: kontal vannan: What ! He, whom the Vedik taxts proclaim as one beyond the range of naked vision (fleshy eyes),now right in front of the Ā lv ā r ! ( na m ā msa caksurapi v ī ksate – Rigveda, nacaksus ā pa ś yate ka ś ca nainam – Yajur Veda). Itthis felicity galore bestowed, suo moto, by Lord Ranganātha on Pān Perumāl that enabled him to describe Hcomplexion of exquisite charm, at first hand. The Lord’s complexion is suggestive of the rain-laden cloud, the vesight of which will render the beholder, cool and refreshed, shorn of all his/her erstwhile drab, dreariness. Thtransparence of this kind of cloud reveals the Lord’s innate traits.[‘complexion’ also means character, natu(svabhā vana)] c.f. ‘ Mukil vannan adiyai adintu arulc ū di uyntavan’- Tiruv āymoli VII-2-11 – the one (referring to himself) whgot redeemed through the attainment of the feet of the cloud hued Lord. It deserves to be noted, in this context, ththe rain-cloud unleashes rains all over, without discrimination of the mobile and the stationary, caste, colour or cree
nourishing them all.
K ō valan ā y vennai unda v ā yan: By taking birth among the shepherds the dimwits (as Śr ī Āndal puts it in Song TwenEight of Tiruppā vai), the Lord has gone a step ahead of the rain-clouds. The clouds just rain and drift away. But thcloud-hued Lord comes down and mingles freely with all and sundries, high and low, in hall and hamlet. Himsebehaving as one among the shepherds, He, nevertheless, revealed to the simple folks His splendour galore besideating mouthfuls of their butter with great relish as that produced by His devotees ( āś rta karaspar ś am ). It has bepointed out by Ā lv ā r Saints like Āndāl that, even in His iconic manifestation as Lord Ranganātha, His mouth smacks the smell of the butter of by-gone days ( Kununku n ā rram ). Yes, the simple folks of Nada Vraja, Nanda, the chieftain anall the rest devoutly wished and prayed that the Supreme Lord be born in their midst to partake of their wealth of mibutter and curds in that pastoral settlement. The Lord with His wonted magnanimity and transparence of condureadily responded and ate all that milk-produce with great relish, even gulping them down greedily like one famished !
Ennullam Kavarnt ā n: Well, even as He grabbed butter in those by-gone days, as Krsna, (as Lord Ranganātha) has nograbbed unawares, Pān Perumāl’s mind – a deft theft, leaving no trace of it behind, that is, the Ā lv ā r’s body was vemuch there ( at this stage only and not afterwards ) sans the content (soul), stolen away by the Lord, unknown to him, in tfirst instance. Was not that ace thief, Krsna, in the habit of leaving the bare pot behind but not a bit at all that buttekept in it ? The Ā lv ā r revolves in his mind, ‘well even Arjuna, possessed of ‘Daiv ī sampath’ (divine wealth), confessed Lord Krsna, in the course of the latter’s Gī topade ś a, that it was impossible to fix his vacillating mind on the Ā tman for appreciable time. He also made it clear that it was a task, just as impossible as impounding air in a pot or turning tdirection of a whirlwind with a tiny, hand-worked fan, made of palmleaf – (Gita VI-34). How much worse is my minand yet, how amazing, it has become the object of the Lord’s attraction and been seized by Him ! I cannot call it mianymore. In fact, the Lord has been pleased to eradicate, root and branch, the ‘I-ness’ and ‘Mine-ness’, which we
plaguing me hitherto.
Andarkon: The sovereign Master of the whole Universe and the Sole Ordainer of one and all, from the four-facBrahmā downwards.
Ani Arangam: “And yet, fully bedecked, He has taken His abode in Arangam, with its ornamental setting, makiHimself Visible to one and all here, including this mean fellow !”
En Amutinai: Even the celestials got ‘Amrt’ churned from the Milk-ocean with stupendous effort whereas I have git without any effort on my part. What more ? The ambrosia, I am tasting now, is far superior and sustaining than tone, churned from the oceanic waters and dished out to the celestials. This recipient also vastly differs from the se
centered celestials. Pity ! their attention was wholly on oceanic waters, without so much as casting a single glance at texquisite charm of the Lord, who gave them a helping hand in that epoch – making churning (apart from the varioother forms in which He played His part, in that episode), His garlands dancing along, as He churned. That granspectacle was sorely missed by the extremely selfish celestials but envisioned and enjoyed, long after, by the Ā lsaints. Yes, Pān Perumāl and his confreres, the Ā lv ā r saints, looked upon the Lord as the sole object of their lov wanting none but Him. The celestials, on the other hand, drank that stuff, the so-called ‘Amrt’, got from the oceaonly to lengthen their life-spans and roll in luxuries, back home.
The Ā lv ā r saints would however want to drink in, all the time, that non-satiate Nectar, the immediate presence of tLord, not brooking separation from Him, even for a trice. And so was He, Who shall never lag behind His devotees rewarding them, duly responding to their deep, inner urges.
Kanta kankal marronrinai kā n ā v ē : Here is marked departure from Pānar’s earlier stance. It could be noticed from tearlier songs of his, that he referred to ‘enkanninul’ (in my eyes), ‘en nencam’ (my mind), en cintanai’ (my thought) and on. But now, instead of saying ‘en kankal’ (my eyes), he refers to his eyes in the third person as ‘kanta kankal’ – the ey which feasted on the (immediate) nectarean presence of ‘Ani Arangan’. This is a distinct pointer to the dawn, in him, ‘Tattva Jn ā na’ and the resultant detachement from the self and the material things around, in their totality. Even the littbit of ‘I-ness’ and ‘Mine-ness’ that was lingering in him, has now left him for good, the immediate result of hrealization of his essential nature (svasvarūpa) and one’s inter-relationship with God (supreme Lord). Well, this cou
be looked at from yet another angle. Even if he used ‘My’ and ‘Mine’, in the present context, the Ā
lv ā r cannot faulted, as the current obsession is on an entirely different footing from what obtained earlier. Formerly, the enjoyme
was of the mundane variety, rooted in the senses, their interaction with relative sense-objects. The objects enjoyment, in the present milieu, is however, the special gift of the Lord, with a divine aura, elevating the Ā lv ā r todifferent plane altogether, if, as a result, he feels elated and gives expression to it, it is but a case of legitimate priddelectable, all the way and, by no means, despicable.
c.f. Nammālv ār’s utterances in Tiruv āymoli VI-4, ‘enakku evvulakam nikar ē ?’, ‘enakkā r ini n ā yakar ē !’, chuckling wipride over his new-found status as the Lord’s hot favorite. Reverting to this particular song, the Ā lv ā r’s detachmefrom the ‘self’ having risen to its full stature, he has lost his body-consciousness. There is, therefore, no question of hbeholding anyone (anything) else, anywhere, anymore. The ‘self’ in him remains completely dissolved in the nectarecharm of the bejeweled Lord in His immediate presence. Yes, the Ā lv ā r is not interested in anything else, not even tLord’s hypostatic forms (Para, Vy ū ha, Vibhava) nor the other pilgrim centers. Need it then be specifically mention
that he is not all interested in those who hanker after worldly riches and those who strive hard for the sole enjoymeof the ‘self’ (J ī v ātma), liberated from material bondage (the kevalas ), not looking beyond and thus foregoing the more exhilarating ‘Param ā tm ā nubhava’ (God-enjoyment).
This is precisely what Hanumān said to Lord R āma when he was invited by the latter to accompany Him to heaveHanumān said that he would not like to go anywhere else, nanyatra , including heaven where he would not be able behold his exclusive Master (R āma) in the same form, as before, nor have the pleasure of listening to the recital R āmayana as often as he could, over here. Further, he would not like to discard the body which enjoyed the great, goofortune of getting locked in Lord R āma’a sweet embrace. He would not even mention the name of the place (heaveto which he was invited; his statement ‘Bh ā vo n ā nyatra gacchati’ (I shall not go anywhere else) sums up his feelings in thregard. At the same time, he asserted that his mind was well poised in steadfast devotion to R āma, the Price-valian
Incidentally, it deserves to be noted that R āma fought R ā vana mounted on Hanumān. Even as Hanumān enjoyed hrole as Lord R āma’s chariot, it has been pointed out by our Ācharyas that Lokasaranga thoroughly enjoyed his role Pān Perumāl’s mount, duly realizing the latter’s pre-eminent stature.
In the present case, on what pretext can Pān Perumāl get away from, or lift his eyes off Lord Ranganātha ? Shouldbe because He lacks generosity or His personality is not that attractive (absorbing) or He is stuffed with superiorcomplex, devoid of grace and loving condescension or He does not have a commanding stature or He is not-by-anmeans delectable ? No, he lacks none of these. On the other hand, He has each in super-abundant measure.
c.f. Tiruv āymoli I-7-4 where Nammālv ār exclaims:“O, what pretext can I find from Him to part,
The first Lord of Celestials, ever alert, A beautiful bundle of brilliance, heaping on me continually torrents of knowledge and wisdom, who brought maround and rooted out the ignorance in me lodged firmly ?”
[Extracted from my English glossary]
Well, take the case of the babe whose only source of happiness, for the present, is the mother’s breast-milk (hbreast corresponding to the Lord’s feet, our Sole Refuge). If anyone tried to snatch the baby away from the motherbreast, the delectable feeder, the little one, lacking any other form of expression, will at once squeak, signaling its dislik
for anything else. The Commentator likens the Ā lv ā r’s present predicament to that of such a babe.
Śr ī Vedānta Deśika’s commentary, ‘ Muniv ā hana bhogam’, has been included by him among his ‘Rahasya granthas’ (esotetexts meant only for the initiated, rather the inner circle of adherents to his teachings, as distinguished from the exoteones, intelligible even to outsiders, not admitted to the esoteric teachings.) This particular commentary has benumbered as the twentyeighth in esoteric series. It is couched in terse highly sanskritised dialect, intelligible only tolimited coterie with the requisite background. An attempt has, therefore been made, in the present treatise, to cull ofrom the said learned commentary a good bit of juicy notes, here and there, and present them in an easily assimilabform. Śr ī Vedānta Deśika has also added, at the end, two Tamil stanzas, composed by him. Easy to follow, the learnCommentator has presented ‘Pān Perumāl’ in these songs, in true light, the correct perspective. Put briefly, he hacknowledged, in these verses as follows: Pānan is the one who discovered in Arangam the ocean of Grace, proclaim
by the Vedik texts; his hymnal is the germ whose offshoot is the elaborate preaching of the Brahmins, well versed Vedas. Let me proclaim to the world that the ten songs, graciously bequeathed to us by Pān Perumāl, epitomize tteachings of the hoary Vedas. We shall not claim to be august and all-knowing but always shall be on the look-out fthose who can guide us to the right path and studiously avoid the wrong one”.
Blessed be the holy feet of Pān Perumāl (Muniv ā hanar)
Blessed be the holy feet of Periyav āccān Pillai (Vy ā ky ā na Cakravarti)
Blessed be the holy feet of Alagiya Manav ālap Perumāl Nāyanār (the illustrious author of ‘ Ā c ā rya Hrdayam’)
Blessed be the holy feet of Śr ī Vedānta Deśika (Kavit ā rkika Simham)
Maintaining an ancient temple is better than building a hundred new ones.That is the reason why Yashoda who brought up Sri Krishna, attained greateeminence compared to Devaki who gave birth to Him. When the temple is a
Divyadesam, the service is all the more significant.
“Serve our Temples” is an intiative to help our temples by restoring basic services, food, shelter, education, financindependence
Dream a little. Do a little
"What we can do, we must" - As He allows us to use His resources for Him via devotees like us.
Back home in India, there are so many temples deprived of their basic needs and services, primarily due to lack of fundWith galloping prices, temple assets stripped, no government support, the temples have never found it as difficult to sustaas they have now. Most of the temples are deprived of basic necessities for the unhindered performance of minimum daiprayers.
1. One priest to offer prayers and keep the premises clean and open for devotees (Rs: 2500 per month)2. Food (Prasadam), Oil, Flowers (Rs 2500 per month)
With just $100 per month (Rs 5000 per month) we have a divine opportunity to preserve a temple. It is the solemn dutypreserve the temple not only for current day devotees to have a divine Darshan but also for our future generations.
From the U.S, far away from India, yet you can still make a difference. Allow His Grace to flow, and spend His money for Hcauses.
Vedics Foundation volunteers to serve as a bridge between those willing devotees who have resources and the templesneed. Vedics has already reached out to a few temples.
Please visit www.vedics.net/projects for helping an ancient temple. For further details, send mail [email protected] Details : www.vedics.net/activities/
Many of our purvacaharyas books are on the verge of being lost
forever. Many more vyakhyana books as preserved in 1700’s arealready extinct. We have to preserve the existing books, especially
books on Mulam (sources) and their explanations (vyakhyanams).
Mulam preservation: The 4000 Dhivya prabhandam. Every year we see changes being introduced into the 4000
sacred verses. We have to print the originals as preserved in 1800s. This needs to be distributed as is in the origina
form and also be translated in to other languages. Once the originals are preserved, their vyakhyanams should bepreserved. Periya Vacchan Pillai has given us the vyakhyanams for the 4000. Our Acharya lineage has expounded
on this and given us vyakhyanmas in varying depth. All this needs to be made available to the public. Vedic_Book
has started work in this progress. Please join this service.
We have started this work with intial focus on Sri PB Annangarachar Swami. Swami preserved hundreds of ancieworks and tried to print as many of them in 1930’s. Most of his books are not available anymore. The orginals tha
he preserved for future generations are about to be lost forever.We need your time and your charitibale
contributions towards this effort.
Vedic_Books has started services in this area. Please join this service. E-mail: [email protected]
