Selected Excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri
U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy ' ThiruppAvai Monograph'
AzhwArs' ThirupaLLiyezhucchi by ANDAL
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Now From the Sixth to the Fifteenth Pasurams , ANDAL is said
to have awakened Her " Fathers " , the Ten AzhwArs excluding Madhura Kavi
, who is adakkam in Swamy NammAzhwAr . These ten ThiruppAvai Paasurams
( 6-15 ) are considered the AzhwArkaL ThirupaLLi Yezhuchci Paasurams .
The First Ahwar to be awakened according to this view is Her Own AchAryan and Foster Father PeriyAzhwAr in " PuLLum Silambina KaaNN PULLARAYAN KOIL " paasuram."Keesu Keesu YenRu " Paasuram is linked to KulasEkharar and "Keezh Vaanam VeLLenRu " is associated with Swamy NammAzhwAr,"ThUmaNi Maadatthu" is connected to Thirumazhisai in this samprahAyam. Srimath PeriyANDavan described the connection between Thirumazhisai and the Utthama Naayaki of "ThumaNi maadatthuu" in one of his recent Tele-UpanyAsam . The three Mudal AzhwArs' ThirupaLLiyezhucchis are connected to the 10th, 11th and the 12th Paasurams . With Her Jn~Ana Dhrushti , ANDAL is said to have awakened the remaining Three AzhwArs , who incarnated after Her (viz)., ThoNDaradippodi, ThiruppANar and Thirumangai in her 13th, 14th and 15th paasurams.
A request to fellow bhakthAs of ANDAL! adiyEn does not have the
commentary of HH 44th Pattam Srimath Azhagiya Singar
with me. If any one has a copy , can they add appropriate excerpts
in areas that are not covered ? alternatively , the BhakthA can lend
me the copy of Srimath Azhagiya Singar's commentary for the month of Marghazhi
for me to include the special aspects of Srimath Azhagiya Singar's Sri
Sookthi on ThiruppAvai .
The Identity of the Gopi being awakened here
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Here a Gopi , who thinks of herself as one deeply immersed in Bhagavath
Bhakthi ( Who has always followed the divine path and sought BhagavAn's
Thiruvadi as the sole UpAyam ) is being awakened .She belongs to the category
of "krutha-- Kruthyai " and is therefore an UtthamAdhikAri.Sri PBA Swamy
describes this Utthama adhikAri as " Saaraj~nar" or Utthama- sathpAthram.
Literal meaning of the Paasuram (Dr.V.K.N.S.Raghavan)
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" Oh Dear girl, who is very much confident of practising nonbhu (KanyA
vratham)and entering heaven (Svargam)! Is it your custom not to open
the doors and not even respond to our calls ? (Without getting any reply
from her, the Gopis assembled outside her door try to make her listen
to their talk as follows): If we sing in praise of Lord NarAyaNA
(viz.,KrishNA, contextually) adorning the fragrant TuLasi garland
on His head , He will surely bless us with the drum for our Vratham. (So,
you also wake up
and come with us ). Is it that KumbhakarNan--who was , in days
of yore , made to leap to his death by Lord RamachandrA , the embodiment
of Dharamam--has ceded his long spell of sleep to you after he was defeated
(by you in a sleeping contest)? O Girl overpowered by heavy dose
of (spellbound by) sleep! You are however the precious jewel of our group
.Hence , Kindly (get up)
and come to the door with clear mind and open it."
The inner meanings of the Paasura Vaakyams : Two Key Words
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(1) Svargam :Sri U.Ve. BhUvarAhAcchar Swamy focuses on two key words
used by ANDAL in this Paasuram: "Svargam and
ArumkalamE ". Svargam here is not Indra"s heaven , but union with God
. The Gopi here has completed all her rites of self-surrender to
the Lord and hence is enjoying His company. This situation is similar
to that of a Sri VaishNavA ; for him/her , nothing remains to be done by
way of "upAyA " after acepting our Lord as the sole refuge and protector
(SaraNAgathi).The word Svargam can also be split into SU+Vargam ( Nalla
GhOshti or the Sri Vaishnava Saadhu GhOshti)).That GhOshti is Sushtu
GhOshti according to Sri PBA Swamy . The members of Sushtu GhOshti will
not mingle with those , who chase worldly matters and will run away from
them.
Abhinava Desikan points out that Svargam is not Indra Lokam but Bhagavath
anubhavam associated with Moksham .Being without the Lord is narakam
and being with Him is Svargam ( YasthvayA saha sa SVARGHO nirayO
yasthvayA vinA ).
ARUMKALME
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Regarding "ArumkalamE" , Sri BhUvarAhAcchAr Swamy gives two meanings:(1)
a vessel and (2) an ornamaent. A Sri VaishNavA is the vessel to contain
His grace. A Sri VaishNavA possesses superior ornamments in the form of
Aathma GuNams; or he himself is the best ornament embellishing the sathsangams
of Sri VaishNavAs. Sri BhUvarahAcchAr Swamy seems to follow
mostly Periya VaacchAn PiLlai's and 6000 paDi commentaries.
Abhinava Desikan points out the reason for the usage of the address of this Gopi as "arumkalamE". The Gopis waiting outside and appealing to the UtthamAdhikAri inside to wake up are happy that latter woke up finally heeding their appeals. Hence they praise her by addressing her as "arumkalamE" or the one with adhbhutha GuNams and adhbhutha Soundharyam.
Inner meanings of other words of this Paasuram
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PerukkAranai Swamy observes that the 9th and 10th Paasurams of ThiruppAvai
suggest that those who perform auspicious deeds will enjoy sukham here
as well as in the other world. This goPi is one , who gives aanandham to
KrishNan. She vowed to observe the Vratham and yet she is "sleeping" now
( observing Mouna Vratham ). The other gOpis make fun of her (this
gOpi) by reminding her of her earlier resolutions. The gOpis outside address
the sleeping gOpi semi-seriously as "ammanAi" ( YajamAni or SWamini).The
door still did not open after requesting her ( MaRRamum thArArO Vaasal
ThiRavAthAr).
ThuLasi Maahthmyam
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Salutation to Sriman NaarAyaNan and His glories are housed in the passage
"NaaRat thuzhAi mudi NaarAyaNan " Here the Lord
is invoked in the form of wearing the sacred ThuLasi on His Siras to
assure us that His Vratham is to give the boon of Moksham for those , who
perform SaraNAgathi at His feet(nammAl pORRa Parai tharum PuNNiyan).
ThuLasi's glory is also indicated in this Paasuram ( nARRa ThuzhAi
Mudi NaarAyanan) . "nARRa Thuzhai " is fragrant ThuLasi adorning
His Siras (over the Kiritam).It has been presented by Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr
earlier. Lord KrishNA says in this context in MahA BhAratham:
" Among Pushpams, ThuLasi flower is the most sacred ".
Blue Lotus is lofty in status , when it is used in Bhagavath AarAdhanam; Red Lotus flower is loftier than blue lotus; the hundred petalled red lotus is loftier than the ordinary red lotus with fewer petals;PuNDarIkam ( 1000 petaled lotus ) is more venerable than the 100 petaled variety of red lotus.SvarNa Pushpam is loftier than the PuNDarIkam; even loftier in hierarchy of venerable flowere is ThuLasi.It tops the list.
ThuLasi was born during the time of the churning of the milky ocean(amrutha
Matanam) by the Lord.The Thulasi flower , leaves, kattai/log ( Kaashtam)
and root are all important in Bhagavath AarAdhanam , Pithru SrArdham and
Yaagams/Yaj~nams. At Oppiliappan Koil, SravaNa dheepam has at its center
ThuLasi Kaashtai covered by rags . This KshEthram is ThuLasi Vanam .At
SrivilliputthUr ,ANDAL incarnated at the foot of a ThuLasi plant.
During the month of Marghazhi, any one performing
Pongal naivEdhyam for our Lord cooked in the fire made from ThuLasi
Kaashtai obtains indescribable auspiciousness;
so does one , who is cremated with Thulasi Kaashtai sambhandham. He
ascends to Vaikuntam.In Maasi Ratha Sapthami and EkAdasi, naivEdhyam
for PerumAl with food cooked over ThuLasi Kaashtai gives the phalan of
1000 year long AarAdhanams.
Infinite inded are the glories of TuLasi and the TuLasi
Vana Sudari , SaakshAth KashamA (Godhai).
Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri
SatakOpan
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