Selected Excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy ' ThiruppAvai Monograph'
 

Twenty third Pasuram ( mAri malai..)

In this Paasuram , the Gopis describe the Majestic gait of KrishNa-simham . In the previous (angaNmA Gn~Alatthu ) paasuram , they announced their arrival at the foot of His cot and appealed to Him to wake up and look at them and inquire about their
mission . He obliges. Here, they salute the gambhIra Nadai  azhahu of that "YasOdhai iLam singam ". The "Suka Suptha  Paranthapan" ( the blissfully resting scorcher of His enemies)  has now arisen and the way in which He awakens-- like a Lion
waking up in its cave during rainy season after a deep sleep-- is movingly captured by ANDAL in this Paasuram.

The Connection of the 23rd Paasuram to Sri Narasimhan
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This Paasuram is considered to be dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan by ANDAL.PerukkAraNai Swamy as the Aasthaana VidhvAn of Sri Matam gives this explanation for such a view . In the hills (caves ) of AhObilam , MaalOlan , Sri LakshmI Narasimhan , was in deep sleep ( mannik Kidanthu uRanginAn). He is the " Seeriya SrimAnAna Singam". He reflected on
the unfortuante lot of the poeople of Kali age and their deep aj~nAnam and took pity on them and had the sankalpam to bless them . Hence , He came out of the caves of AhObilam Hills and went on SanchAram to the villages and towns all over BhAratha Varsham in the company of AadhivaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar and His successors to grow the tatthva Jn~Anam of people and to bless them with the phalan of Prapatthi at His Thiruvadi.

The significance of Number 23
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This is the 23rd paasuram . When you consider 23 as 2+3 , the sum is 5 . The fifth nakshathram is Mruga Seersham or the One who has the head of an animal (Nrusimhan).Although HayagrIvan , VarAhar have the heads of animals , according to Vedam
( mrugOrana Bheema: kuchara: giristha:) , the Mrugaseershan referred to here is thus Nrusimhan.The Paasuram is then about Narasimha Moorthy showing us the Maarga Seersahm ( Talai siRantha UpAyam), Prapatthi maargam for our salvation.

AchArya RaamAnujA and Lakshmi Narasimhan
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VisishtAdvaitha Matha Pravarthakar , AchArya RaamAnujA's aarAdhya dhaivam was Lakshmi Narasimhan .He appointed
74 peetAdhipathis and gave each of them the icon of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan and asked them to spread the glory of our sampradhAyam and enhance its splendor through AarAdhanam of Lakshmi Narasimhan . Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr
refers to this important niyamanam of AchArya RaamAnujA this way:

"Valarntha VenkOpa MadangalonRAi--kizhitthavan keerthi
 payir yezhunthu viLainthidum chinthai RaamAnusan".

Narasimha AarAdhanai by AchAryAs
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In all AchArya's aasthAnam , it is interesting to note that Lord Narasimhan is worshipped ( Uduppi , SrungEri , VaanamAmalai et al).Adhi SankarA sang the "Lakshmi Nrusimha KarAvalampa SthOthram " , when he was in deep distress.His moving cry was like the Gajendran's  cry "AadhimoolamE".

PeriyAzhwAr and ANDAL as BhakthAs of Narasimha
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PeriyAzhwAr was a Narasimha Bhakthar and His daughter was also Narasimha Bhakthai .PeriyAzhwAr stated in His passuram
that he is "yEzhpadikkAl" Narasimha Bhakthan . For seven generations , He and His family are Narasimha BhakthAs . His daughter of the next generation is a natural Narasimha Bhakthai .She goes on to say in VaaraNamAyiram Paasuram
dealing with Laaja Homam that Narasimhan is Achyuthan  ( One who never fails in His RakshaNa vratham of His BhakthAs:
"arimuhan acchuthan "). ANDAL through Gopis reminds us of the Achyutha Tatthvam of MalOlan and His aasritha PakshapAtham .One AzhwAr saluted this Nrusimham as " azhahiyAn thAnE !ariuruvan thAne" and Kaliyan saluted Him as "Nammudai NamperumAn" in his Nallai nenjE paasuram.

ANDAL in Her 23rd Paasuram of ThiruppAvai sang about the Vaibhavam of Nrusimhan , when She chose the words," Mannik Kidanthu uRangum Seeriya Singam".

The literal Meaning of this Paasuram (Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan)
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In the words of the Young girls , ANDAL describes how the Lord should majestically come out of His chamber).Just as the majestic lion ( Seeriya Singam) crouching in sleep inside the mountain-cave during the rainy season , on becoming awake , opens its fire-emititng eyes ,(looks all around as the King of beasts) , sizes vigorously the locks of hairs of its fragrant manes
standing erect , shakes itself up , gets up majestically ,comes out of the cave with a loud roar (simha Naatham) ,even so ,May You , the Lord of enchanting bluish hue of KaayAmpoo flower , emerge from Your holy shrine (aasthAnam)and come out this way--blessing us by the darsana-soubhAgyam of Your gait --and be seated on the perfectly suited and well-deserving throne ; and then, May You kindly look into the aim and purpose of our coming here (and awakening You).

The Inner Meaning of this Paasuram : PerukkAraNai Swamy
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Maari malai muzhanjil               = Receiving the blessing of
Mannik kidanthuRungum              dhivya Jn~Anam from Lakshmi-
seriya Sigham aRivuRRu              Narasimhan , who is the enduring
Thee Vizhitthu                              principle of the rahasyams of
                                                  Vedams( Upanishads) , which pour
                                                  down (knowledge about ) PuNyams
                                                  and Paapams and awakening as a
                                                   result of His dhivya anugraham

vEri mayir ponga                        = May you journey to Sri Vaikuntam
yeppAdum pErnthu                       to the sound of mangaLa vAdhyams!
udhaRi moori nimirnthu                 May You , who has not procrastinated
nee muzhanki puRappattu             about the performance of your
yeppAdum povaip poo                  nithya karmAs , spread the glories of
VaNNA                                      that Lord of fragrant kEsams and
                                                   supreme Buddhi VikAsam !

Poovaip Poo VaNNA             = Oh Aathma Jn~Ani with blossomed      Jn~Anam!

ninn kOil ninRum                    = leaving from the hrudh-puNdarIkam, whre the Lord resides

injn~anE pOntharuLi               = and proceeding in the path shown  by AadhivAhikAs

kOppudaya seeriya                 = staying at the paryankam of
SingAthanatthirunthu                  the Lord at His command

yAmm vantha Kaariyam         = Please intercede with the Lord
aarAyntharuL                           for us to be blessed with sarva-
                                               vidha Kaimkaryam (nithya Kaimkaryam).
 

Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

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