Srivaishnavam

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Ahobila Matam Acharyans

H.H 44th Azhagiya Singar

Few weeks back, we celebrated Aadi Pooram , the birth day of ANDAL of Srivilliputthur, who blessed us with the nectar of ThiruppAvai. Although the Isvara Margazhi maasam is a few months away, I am thrilled today to read the essay of the revered 44th Azhagiya Singar of AhObila Mutt on the thirty paasurams of ThiruppAvai. It is such a wonderful and insightful essay that I thought it would be of wide interest to those, who can not access or read it in Tamil Language.

Sri BharadwAj Jaganathan, President of the Ahobila Matam of North America has copies of this book housing the article on ThiruppAvai. I have the blessed opportunity to acquire a copy of this monograph entitled " Sri Azhagiya Singarin Amudha MozhigaL ". This monograph containing the Jeeyar's 32 essays have been released by Sri Nrusimha PriyA Trust. May the anugraham of His Holiness Sri VedAntha Desika Yatheendhra MahA Desikan, the builder of the Raaja Gopuram of Sri RanganAthA and strengthener of the edifice of Sri VisishtAdvaitam be with us always!

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Sri VedAntha Desika YatheendhrAya NamO Nama:

THIRUPPAAVAI SAARAM
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Translation of H.H. The Jeeyar's Amudha Mozhi
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The divya prabhandham known as ThiruppAvai is capable of conferring immense auspiciousness (mangaLam). You can ask as to who are the beneficiaries of such mangalam. This special group of blessed seven are:

1. Those, who learnt ThiruppAvai from revered elders, made it part of their rote memory for recitation purposes and understood clearly the traditional meanings of the 30 paasurams

3. Those, who who have paripUrNa bhakthi for Sriman NaarAyaNA celebrated by the paasurams of ThiruppAvai and reverence for bhagavathAs with unquestioned bhakthi for the vibhava avathArams of Sriman NaarAyaNA such as Sri RaamA and Sri KrishNA.

4. Those, who have reverence for bhagavad bhakthAs of the type saluted by the ThiruppAvai paasurams and have a full comprehension of their own status as Bhagavadh Daasans

5. Those Bhagavadh Daasans, who stay that way along with reverence to bhagavathAs independent of whatsoever difficulties or losses or enimities that come their way in maintaining their reverence for BhagavAn and His BhagavathAs

6. Those, who dedicate all their efforts to Sriman NaarAyaNA (Sriman NaarAyaNa preethyartham ithi kAryam kruthavAn)

7. Those, who do not ask even Bhagavan for any fruits other than the boon of Moksham.

We make the vow here that ThiruppAvai will confer sakala mangaLams for the above group of blessed ones based on the following two facts:

1. In every one of her thirty ThiruppAvai paasurams , ANDAL has declared that Sriman NaarAyaNan , the fundamental cause of this universe ; She has declard that Sriman NaarAyaNan (veda prathipAdhyan) is the giver of all boons desired by us.

2. ANDAL has declared unambigously in every one of those paasurams that Sriman NaarAyaNan is not only the grantor of the desired boons but He is also the provider of the fruits of those boons requested by us.

Her description and subsequent salutations of Sriman NaarAyaNan in every one of her thirty paasurams are:

*. Sriman NaarAyaNan is none other than KaNNan ( Sri KrishNan )/ to the first paasuram

* He is KsheerAbdhi nAthan ( the Lord reclining on Adhi Seshan in the milky ocean in yOga NidrA ) / the second paasuram

* He is the Lord , who grew immensely to measure the earth and the sky ( Ongi UlagaLandhavan ) , Vaamanan and Trivikraman ( Third Paasuram )

* He is Oozhi Mudalvan , Vaikuntha Naathan , PadmanAbhan and PanchAyudhan ( Fourth Paasuram )

* He is ThuzhAi mudi NaarAyaNan ( One who has the fragrant Tulasi on His crown ) / tenth paasuram

* He is Muhil VaNNan ( one with the hue of the dark clouds of the rainy season ) / eleventh paasuram

* He is puLLin vaai keendAn( KrishNan ) and the one who destroyed the rAkshasAs of LankhA ( Sri Raman ) / thirteenth paasuram

* He is the sankodu chakkaram yEndhum pankayakkaNNan ( The lotus eyed-one , who adorns the divine disc and the conch on his hands )/ fourteenth paasuram

* He is the KuvAlayapeeta mardhanan ( one who destroyed the royal elephant of king kamsA ) / fifteenth paasuram

* He is malarmArbhan KaNNan ( one whose chest is adorned by Vyjayanthi garland ) / 19th paasuram

* He is the " aalinilayil paLLikondavan ( one who rests on the leaf of a pupil tree during the time of the great deluge ) / 26th pasuram

Thus, every paasuram of ThiruppAvai celebrates Sriman NaarAyaNan as the supreme protector of every one , who sought refuge in Him. Every paasuram celebrates one or other avathArams of Sriman NaarAyaNA in an easy-to-understand manner. It has accomplished this excellent task like a gold smith enmeshes the different gems in a gold setting to create a beautiful ornament.

ThiruppAvai brings before our eyes the sarvOthkrushta Sriman NaarAyaNan and his avathArams ( NaarAyaNa Murthys ) without any doubts or confusion about their identity.

Paavai means a uruvam( form) with limbs such as hands , legs , head et al. Hence, our learned elders have called this Thiruppaavai as a Vigraham. Thiru means MahA Lakshmi; Thiru also means Sriman NaarAyaNan. On this basis also, we conclude that ThiruppAvai is the vigraham for MahA Lakshmi and Sriman NaarAyanan. Thiruppaavai is therefore the divya mangaLa vigraham made up of the paasurams of ANDAL. We can now comfortably conclude that the Lord incarnated as Thiruppaavai for ANDAL. In the thirumEni (vigraham) of Raaman , only BhagavAn is there; in the ThirumEni of SeethA devi , only MahA Lakshmi is there. In contrast, in the body of ThiruppAvai ( sabdha rUpa vigraham ) , both Lakshmi and Her consort take their united residence as the divya dampathis. This is the esoteric specialty of the incarnation of ThiruppAvai as an independent divine incarnation.

We will continue with the essence of each of the paasurams of ThiruppAvai as revealed to us by Paramapadha Vaasi, H.H Sri Vedantha Desika Yatheendhra Maha Desikan of Ahobila Mutt.

His Holiness the 44th Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt states that ANDAL's abundant blessings fall on every one of those who recite the thirty verses of Thiruppavai at dawn during the month of Marghazhi, on those who go around the Divya Dampathi's temple performing bhajanai of Thiruppavai , on those who intrepret the individual paasurams in the format of UpanyAsams and on those who organize such upanyaasams for the benefit of the community.

Such blessings arise from the sacredness of Thiruppaavai. H.H. The Jeeyar sumamrizes the essence of this sacred Thiruppaavai for our benefit . As a great scholar and AchArya, he has blessed his sishyAs with upanyAsams on the paasurams consistent with the tradition of the well known commentaries of the PurvAchAryAs. In this essay however, H.H The Jeeyar adopts a different approach that is noted for its uniqueness. He talks as it were straight from his heart out of his compassion for all of us. He leaves aside the scholarly emphasis and talks almost colloquially to reach us. This is what touched my heart.

THE ESSENCE OF THIRUPPAAVAI ( PAASURAM BY PAASURAM )
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1. MARGHAZHI THINGAL: Whatever act we perform, we should think of it as an auspicious act that is of service to others and that would gladden the heart of BhagavAn and as such will be noteworthy of celebration by the world.

2. VYAITTHU VAAZHVEERGAAL: The Lord will make our days on this earth happy ones as long as we observe vrathams like EkAdasi fasting , sing the glories of KsheerAbdhi Nathan and perform dhAna dharmams to the limit of our abilities .

3. ONGI ULAHALANDHA: BhagavAn will bless us with progeny, home, wealth and sorrow-free life just as He conferred extraordinary wealth on Indra, if we sing about the glory of the vamanAvatharan, who incarnated as a dwarf and expanded to that of Trivikraman to measure with His two steps the earth and the sky.

4. AAZHI MAZHAIKKANNAA: If we with a heart laden with Bhakthi lose ourselves through sankeerthanam of the Lord's names, all the devathAs subordinate to Him will recognize us as the daasans of their Lord, Govindhan and take care of all of our needs with elan.

5. MAYANAI MANNU: When we have MahA visvAsam in Sriman NaarAyaNan as our sole protector and meditate on Him, then He would bless us with righteous progeny and loving relatives in addition to removing all of our accumulated sins.

6. PULLUM SILAMBHINA KAAN: we should get up before dawn in Marghazhi and utter " Hari , Hari " for the banishment of our sins , acquisition of sarva mangaLams and for possessing a mind free from confusions and doubts.

7. KEESU KEESU: We should welcome with reverence the bhagavathAs arriving at our home uttering the name of the Lord. We should listen with attention and respect their discourses on Bhagavan's naamAs and His stories described by the PurANAs.

8. KEEZH VAANAM: The Lord will take pity on us, eliminate our sins and fulfill our desires, when we consider each day as an auspicious day and perform arAdhanam for Him with reverence, joy and affection.

9. THUMANI MADATTHE: TWe should perform ThiruvArAdahnam for the Lord every day and during those occaasions present the lamp sevai, incense sevai and keep the place of aarAdahnam spotlessly clean and pure.

10. NORRU SUVARGAM: The tenth paasuram states that we should not hide away from BhagavathAs, when they come to our houses because of fear of responding to what they may ask of us. We should not display our miserly qualities to them and shun them. We should not hide behind locked doors and pretend as though we are not there. When we do not open our door and converse with them in a respectful mannner, that house will slip away from us. Hence, we should welcome them, offer our salutations and make them comfortable and happy.

11. KARRUKKARAVAI: The eleventh paasuram teaches us that we should welcome the relatives or strangers even if they are poor or uneducated and should set aside our scholarship and wealth, while interacting with them, when they come to our houses.

12. KANAITTHILAM KANRU: The twelfth paasuram recomemnds that we should offer arghyam, paadhyam to the great souls, who perform Govindha naama sankeerthanam and revere them as the dear bhakthAs of the Lord ; we should recognize that all of our paapams disappear at the sight of them and show our reverence to them.

13. PULLIN VAAI KEENDAANAI: The thirteenth paasuram instructs us to shake off our lazinness and torpor and get up before dawn without fear of the cold, peform sandhyAvandanam as our daily ordained duty. It reminds us that we should not wallow in bed after sunrise or at sunset.
To escape from accumulating paapams through such prohibited acts, we should not only wake up before dawn but also wake others, who may tarry in bed due to thier own laziness.

14. UNGAL PURAKKADAI: The Fourteenth paasuram states that w eshould go daily to the temple of Sriman NaarAyaNA , offer our obeisance to Him and recite sthothrams in praise of Him there indepent of our busy schedules or inconveniences.

15. YELLE ILANGKILIYE: The fifteenth paasuram suggests that we should prevent the children of the house from becoming lazy by teaching them to recite Vedams, Prabhandhams and sthOthrams. They should be kept busy until 9 p.m and should be woken up before dawn to engage in such auspicious acts.

In this final part, I will complete the essence of THiruppAvai as revealed to us by H.H. The 44th Jeeyar of AhObila Mutt.

THE ESSENCE OF THIRUPPAVAI ( PAASURAM BY PAASURAM )
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16. NAYAKANAAI: This paasuram teaches us that the Lord with the flag of Garudan is the One, who removes all of the sins of a SaraNAgathA and blesses that jivan with unsurpassed bliss in Sri Vaikuntam. It teaches further that we should correct those, who are prevented from approaching the Lord and help them access the Lord through SaraNAgathi.

17. AMBARAME TANNEERE: The seventeenth paasuram asks us to respond to human misery appropriately even after taking refuge in the Lord through SaraNAgathi. It suggests that in diffcult times, we should perform anna dhAnam to relieve the hunger of the poor, provide water and butter milk during the hot season to allay the thirst of the suffering and donate clothes to the needy and help.

18. UNDHU MADHALIRRIN: The eighteenth paasuram hints that the men and women independent of their status and wealth should offer their shAshtAnga namaskArams twice a day to their parents and in-laws.

19. KUTTHU VILAKKERIA: The ninteenth paasuram relates to the need for us to perform our daily duties with a pure heart during the day and to lie in a clean bed without theettu and yecchil at night and meditate on the Lord in a manner of our choice and then sleep.

20. MUPPATTHU MOOVAR: Twentieth paasuram suggests that we should rise before dawn, perform our anushtaanams, open the door of the Koil azhwAr and recite the ten thiruppaLLIyezucchi paasurams of Thondaradipodi and wake up the Lord; thereafter, we should offer our shAshtAnga namaskarams to Him and receive His blessings for engagement in the daily activities.

21. YERRA KALANGAL: The twenty first verse suggests that we should offer our salutations to the Lord by remembering His blessed parents as well through the words of Sage Valmiki " KousalyA SuprajA RaamA " and prostrate ourselves before Him.

22. ANGANMAA J~NAALATTHARASAR: Twenty second verse reminds us that we should bend low before Bhagavan and His BahgavathAs to indicate that we are casting aside our egos and then prostrate before them.

23. MAARI MALAI MUZHAIJIL: The twenty third paasuram recommends that during the time of festivals at the temples, we should enjoy the majestic gait of the Lord as he is taken around and take in the beauty of Him as He offers us His darsanam, while seated on His throne attended to by sevakaas on foursides performing fan kaimkaryam.

24. ANRI IVVULAHAMALANTHAAI: The twenty fourth paasuram entreats us to reflect with feeling over the many sufferings that our Lord underwent in His avathArams such as reducing Himself to the status of a beseecher of favors while asking for a gift of three steps of land as VamanA, losing His kingdom, when born as the son of DasarathA, roaming in wild forests, surviving on roots, fruits and tubers and being born as the offspring of a pillar in HiraNyakasipu's court, which had no name, kulam or gothram during NrusimhAvathAram. We should reflect with gratitude and sing His praise over the sufferings that He went through to protect His bhakthAs and destroy the unrighteous.

25. ORUTTHI MAHANAAI PIRANDHU: The twenty fifth paasuram asks us to consider " VaasudEva: Sarvam " and" ninrathellAm nedumAl " and to get deeply identified with the thought that all chEtanAs and achEthanAs are BhagavAn's sareeram. It asks us to wonder where the Lord is hiding and how He is testing us from there and to cope with these anxieties by considering " VaasudEva: sarvam " and achieve peace of mind.

26. MAALE MANIVANNAA: The twenty sixth paasuram asks us to be strict followers of saastraic injunctions and not to devise our own ways to intrepret saasthrAs to suit our convenience. It asks us not to be thaan-thOnRis and not to engage in activities prohibited by saasthrAs.

27. KOODAARAI VELLUM: The twenty seventh paasuram asks us to think while dressing ourselves that this body is that of the Lord and therefore we are honoring it through beautifications. It asks us to partake food recommended by saasthrAs only after offering it to the Lord.

28. KARAVAIGAL PIN SENRU: This paasuram asserts that we can get BhagavAn's anugrahams only through gaining saastraic knowledge at the feet of one's AchAryA followed by performing the anushtAnams and manthrOpadesams taught by them.

29. SIRRAMSIRUKAALE: The twenty ninth paasuram reveals that all of us, whether we are of different castes, aasthikAs or naasthikAs, pandithAs or simple folks (paamarAs), Hindus or Muslims or Christians or Sri VaishNavAs , we are ALL the dasa bhUthAs or property of Sriman NaarAyaNA. Even if we wish to discard Him or He wishes to discard us , the relationship between us and Him can not be cut asunder. One who understands this cardinal and unbreakable relationship will be blessed to enjoy all asupiciousness.

30. VANGAKKADAL KADAINTHA: The thirtieth paasuram conclues that the above-referred avathAram of the Lord as Thiruppaavai is first and foremost among all of His avathArAs. Sri ANDAL is the Mother of this avathAram. Those, who offer their homage to this avathaaram every day would be fully blessed and protected by Sriman NaarAyaNA both here in His LeelA Vibhuthi and the hereafter in His Nithya Vibhuthi.

SrimathE Sri lakshmi Nrusimha Divya PaadhukhA Sevaka
SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri NaarAyaNa Yatheendhra
MahA DesikAya Nama :