||    PeyAzhwAr    ||

PeyAzhwAr is the third of the Mudhal AzhwArs. He was born in Mylapore (Maada Maamayilai) inside a red lotus flower bloomin in the well at AdhikEsava PerumAL Koil as the amsam of the Lord's Sword (Nandhakam).

This AzhwAr was PerumAL-obsessed (pitthan) and hence was called pEy AzhwAr. Just like PeriyAzhwAr, he was able to have the direct sevai of PerumAL effortlessly through his Parama Bhakthi. He performed MangaLAsAsanam for PerumAL, ThAyAr and PerumAL's weapons at ThirukkOvalUr just as PeriyAzhwAr did at Tenn Mathurai. pEy AzhwAr is considered as an AchAryan for Thirumazhisai AzhwAr in our sampradhAyam.

Dr.VedAntha Desikan points out that Poygai elaborated upon manana Paryantha Jn~Anam (transcendent knowledge) as his way of experiencing the Lord. Bhootham focused on the derivative of Jn~Anam, dhyAnam/nithidhyAsanam to similar effect. pEy AzhwAr joined both experiencs to arrive at Para Jn~Anam for the total vision / sevai ( ParipoorNa-SaakshAthkaram ) of the Lord with His PirAtti. Poygai saluted the Lord as Ubhaya Vibhoothi Yukthan (possessor of the wealth of both leelA vibhoothi and nithya Vibhoothi / this world and Sri Vaikuntam).Bhootham pointed out that the NaarAyaNa Naamam stands for the Ubhaya Vibhoothis of our Lord. pEy AzhwAr asserted that this Ubhaya Vibhoothi yuktha NaarAyaNan should be addressed with the prefix of "Srimath " ( Sriman NaarAyaNan ) in recognition of His Eka Seshithva Yogam .

pEy AzhwAr performed MangaLAsAsanam for 15 dhivya dEsams:

1. Thiru atta bhuyakaram
2. Thiru AtthiyUr
3. Thiruvarangam
4. ThiruvallaikkENi
5. Thirukkatikai
6. Thirukkudanthai
7. ThirukkOttiyUr
8. Thirupparama Padham
9. ThiruppAdakam
10. ThiruppARkkadal
11. ThirumAlirum ChOlai
12. ThiruviNNagar
13. Thiruvehha
14. ThiruvEnkatam
15. ThiruvELukkai

Dr.K.C.varadachari describes the unique greatness of pEy AzhwAr this way : " His greatness lies in his knowledge-vision of the Divine from deeper perception of God's eternal di-unity as Divine Two , comprising NaarAyana and His consort Sri ( Thiru). This perception , which is subtle and deep profoundly revealing the divine's Integral Nature , goes beyond the intuition of Poygai and the dream (meditation)of Bhootham in so far as it shows the redemptive Grace of God to one , who has verily entered into Him.The impersonal or logical highest of Poygai melts imperceptibly into the Personal Highest of Bhootham and grows into the experience of Grace inseperably united with the Person , who is the primal cause of ALL , the support and sustenance of all the worlds. The DivineMother has been brought into the vision of God , and
this experience has become cardinal to the entire theology of Sri VaishNavism , which emphasizes that Sri Devi is the redemptive grace , which operates on and through every function of the Divine Lord-Cause. Nothing in the World is Graceless (i-e) all evil; for , at the bottom of all is the operation of the purest Grace , a grace-power that is omnipotent, leading the soul to its transcendent destiny , acting as the Teacher and Mother and all".

Illustrative Examples of pEy AzhwAr's parama Bhakthi
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According to Dr.K.C.VaradAchAri, we have to remember three gems of spiritual experience of God in pEy AzhwAr's prabhandham:

1. The Supreme Lord is Sriman NaarAyaNan possessing Sri Devi in His divine heart
2. He is the most beautiful and satisfying Being
3. He is the tenderest healer of of all sorrows and abolisher of sins and fear of samsAram as well as granter of Moksham.

In the very first verse pEy describes with exultation the great joy of the seeing the Lord with Sri Devi and His dhivya aayudhams (weapons):

"Today is a great day .I secured the privilege of seeing the Lord's Form (ThirumEni), by His grace. I saw MahA Lakshmi; I saw Her on a pure gold body of the Lord; His effulgence was like that of the Sun; I saw the enemy-destroying, fiery, but beautiful chakram (in one hand); I saw also the bent Conch (Paanchajanyam) in the other hand. All of these I saw in my dear Ocean-hued Lord, Sriman NaarAyanan "(Dr.V.N. Vedantha Desikan).

In the second paasuram, pEy addresses the Lord as ThirumAl (Lord of Lakshmi) and says: "Today, I saw Your feet and clasped them as my refuge for ever. Thus, I have successfully obviated all my future births.

In the third paasuram, AzhwAr points out that Sriman NaarAyanan is "the sure medicine with which we can cure ourselves of the maladies like SamsAram". In the fourth paasuram, Sriman NaarAyaNan's ThiruvadigaL are pointed out as our Means, Goal and the bhOgyam (enjoyemnt).

The Holy feet of the Lord has the greatest fascination for pEy because of its redemptive power. In the 24th paasuram, He begs his mind to hold onto His lotus feet and asks the mind to keep on worshipping them without a break forever.

pEy AzhwAr's " God-madness " finds its outlet in the 35th Paasuram this way: " My eyes long and yearn for seeing the golden form of the Lord with His many aabharaNams and flower garlands adorning His divine chest. Meanwhile, my hands wish to supplicate and serve at the feet golden, with well-set songs in tandem with the beetles that hum in His garlands, in praise of His valorous feats".

The Upanishadic insights of the divine attributes of the Lord and His svaroopa VisEshams are brought out beautifully by pEy Azhwar .We will cite a few:

"If one were to define and describe the Lord fully, it would be an impossible task. There is no one like Him. He is singular and incomparable. He is the soul to all beings and things , which are, so to say, His Body...Such a personage is indeed the Only One, namely, the Lord "( Paasuram 38)...(Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan)

"The Lord is the sustaining force for our existence. We exist only because He so wills it...Remember He has sworn, as an oath, to protect us " (Paasuram 40).

"He was alone at first. He is the material cause of the world (Paasuram 46).This statement is a direct echo of MahOpanishad Vaakyam: "yEkO ha vai NaarAyana aaseeth".

The message (upadesam) given to us in the 88th Paasuram is some thing that we have to reflect with intensity always because of its greatness and optimism: "Oh Men of the World! You obviously suffer from a misgiving: The path prescribed by the SaasthrAs is good and to be adhered to. But, I have been on the wrong and sinful path forever. Where is the hope for my redemption? This doubt, this diffidence, is not warranted. Once You surrender at His feet, which are golden and which are most delectable, with an absolute faith in His nature to intervene on behalf of a surrendered one, then all your piNyams and pApams will disappear from the very moment of the act of surrender (prapatthi)"...Dr.V.N.V

The 95th paasuram is a great anubhavam of AzhwAr's Parama Bhakthi. Here, the Azhwar says: "I lit a lamp--a lamp of realization that He is THE UpAyA well-set for us.I caught Him in the bright light of my lamp, netted Him as though in my firm vow to be in implicit obedience to His commands. He gladly entered my heart, stood, then sat and finally laid Himself down, making my heart His perennial abode "...Dr.V.N.V

In the 100th and concluding paasuram, pEy AzhwAr pays tribute to Sri Devi in recognition of this Prabhandham being One, which enjoys the Union of the Lord with Sri Devi, His PirAtti.He declares" thEn amarum poo mEl Thiru, namakku yenRum Saarvu". AzhwAr concludes his powerful prabhandham this way: "That MahA Lakshmi is the sure resort to us, of discerning ability in all the stages--PurushakAra (Commendation/sipArsu), UpAya (Prapatthi performance) and UpEya (bliss enjoyment as fruit of our effort).

pEy AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

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