||    NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaimozhi : Decad 10: First Ten    ||

My notes to compliment the postings of Sri MadhavakkaNNan(MK) are just that. My notes are not to be construed as upstaging the timely and patient kaimkaryam of Our Dear Sri MK. I will start with that prefatory remark .

The discipline that Sri MK has had to keep his summaries brief is quite some restraint, since the subtelities of the meanings of these passurams are profound and can easily take one many pages to explain just one paasuram based on the commentaries of our great poorvAchAryAs. He has controlled that impulse and has gone just as a straight arrow goes to its target. He has highlighted the meanings of the Pasurams
in his uniquely personal way .

I have however the luxury of lingering and adding a few more thoughts mainly to share with you the insights of great AchAryAs like Swami Desikan , MaNavALa Maamuni as he learnt it form his AchAryA , Thiruvaimozhi PiLLai , the EEdu grantham , Various Padis , DramiDOpanishad Taathparya RathnAvaLi and Thiruvaimozhi prabhandha surukku of Swami Desikan . Many lives are not sufficient to study these divine insights of our PurvAchAryAs . My satisfaction would be to share with you what little joy I have in going over some of these insights. I invite other students of Thiruvaimozhi to join in and keep the discussions going.

In the 9.10 decad that preceded the 10.1 on ThirumOhUr KaalamEga PerumAL , Azhwar had the union with ThirukkaNNapurathu EmperumAn , the Ashtakshara KshEthra Naathan. That blissful anubhavam made the Azhwar shout with joy:

Illai allal yenkkEliniyen KuRai ?

( Oh people of the World ! What want do I have left ? Nothing . Why ? it is because I have duly performed prapatthi to my Lord and therefore I have no residual worry . No residual worry whatsoever ! Let me assure you all based on my own true experience that the mere utterance of he name of this AshtAkshara KshEthram , ThirukkaNNapuram , will protect you from all griefs .You do not need even to fulfill the pre-requisites of Bhakthi or Prapatthi ! Just say ThirukkaNNapuram with feeling ! At this divya desam , Maha Lakshmi is resident in the Lord's chest . She will hear you and Her dayai will intercede for you successfully .)

With this mind set , Azhwar arrived at ThirumOhUr AatthAn's sannidhi . He is now free of any worries about ascending to Sri Vaikuntam and having union ( Baahya SamslEsham there with his Lord )with his Lord . He immediately recognizes AatthAn as his VazhitthuNai or Maarga Bhandhu
and sadhgathi in this journey that is about to commence .

In his thiruvaimozhi NoorandhAthi , ManavALa Maamuni points out this mahaa visvaasam of AzhwAr this way while summarizing the meaning of the ThirumOhUr paasurams:

taaLadainthOr tan.katkku taanE vazhit thuNaiyAM
KaaLamEgatthai gathiyAkki --meeLuthalAm
yetham ilaa ViNNUlail yEha yeNNUm MaaRanena
kEthamuLLathu yellAm kedum --TVM NoorandhAthi: 91

(Meaning): For those , who get firm hold of the ThirumOkUr Lord 's sacred feet , KaaLamEghap PerumAL of that divya desam becomes the maarga Bhandhu or the protector of us during the journey. When Azhwar uttered the name of KaaLameghan , the Lord became his vazhit thuNai for the azhwAr's journey (ascent) to Sri Vaikuntam . When we think of this redeeeming thought of AzhwAr and his blessing in realizing the Lord of ThirumOhur as his aapath sahAyan , all of our sorrows will disappear completely .

The author of AchArya Hrudhaya sookthi says: "maarga bhandhu chaithyam mOhanatthE maduvidum ". This KshEthram is Mohana KshEthram because of the residence of the One , who took MohanAvathAram to disburse nectar (amrutham ) to the DevAs . Recognizing the Lord KaaLamEghan as " TanjamAhiya Tanthai ThAyodu thAnumaai ", AzhwAr recognizes Him as the secure Maarga Bhandhu. The amrutham that AzhwAr received was the nectar of singing the glories of the Lord's name as pointed out by the garuda PurANa slOkam quoted by Acharya Hrudhaya grantha karthA:

gacchathAm dhUram adhvAnam trushNA mUrchitha chEthasAm
paadhEyam PundarIkAksha nAma sankIrthanAmrutham

(Meaning): For those , who are about to commence their long journey , there would be worries about hunger , thirst during that journey .For this journey , the Journey of the soul to Sri Vaikuntam , the nectarine anubhavam of singing the glories of the names of the Lord will remove all the worries about hunger and thirst .

Therefore Azhwar comes straight out and states that he has no other support , means and succour (gathi) than KaaLamEghap PerumAL: " KaaLamEghatthayanRi maRRoniRalam gathiyE ". The Lord takes us to His nithya VibhUthi with Himself serving as the protective guide. He is indeed the right KaalamEgham ( dark , nourishing rainy cloud), drenching us with life-giving amrutham .

He is the Kattu saatham for us during this journey. Azhwar recognizes this Lord of ThirumOhUr , who is amrutham as " amuthamaLittha Dayarathan peRRa Kovalan" according to AchArya Hrudhaya grantha karthA. He is the Mohini avathAran presenting us with nectar ; He is the cool emerald pond ( maragatha maNit tadam), SriRamachandran , the son of Dasarathan(Daasarathy) ; He is the KudamAduk Kootthan , Kovalan, the KrishNAvathAran . Hence, AzhwAr decalres : ThirumOhUr aatthan , Taamarai adiyanRi maRRilam aRaNE ( I do not have any other refuge except His lotus feet for my protection ). AzhwAr invites us all to come and worship this Lord to get rid of our sorrows ( idar keda adi paravuthum ThondIr VammInE ).

Azhwar asks us to arrive at ThirumOhUr temple and asks us to perform perambulations, sing and dance with overwhelming Bhakthi ( koilai valam seythu ingAduthum kootthE ).He assures us that such bhakthipUrva prathakshiNams will destroy immediately all of our samsAric ills (ThirumOhUr suRRi valam seyya nam thyuar kedum kadithE). He points out that by doing so , we have secured safe protection in His storm free harbor ( nallaraNN naam adainthanamE ).

In the beautiful tenth paasuram, Azhwar says: " We have now sought and received His assured protection at His divya desam , which is also sought by the wise devAs , when they are in danger from the torments of
the asurAs. At those times , Our KaaLamEghap PerumAL takes a suitable wished-for-form (kaama rUpam kondu yezhundhaLippAn ) like NarasimhA , VaamanA or Mohini and protects the devAs. This is that divya desam , where He performs such a miracle as aasritha rakshaNam . All my people (namarkAL) shall recite His thousand names , meditate on their auspicious meanings , eulogize Him ".

Swami Desiakn in his DramidOpanishadh Taathparya RathnAvaLi sums up the ten slOkams beautifully in his inimitable style:

dhaithyAnAm naasakthvAth taruNa-
tuLasikAlankruthE vikramithvAth
sarpAdhIsE sayathvAthniravdhika
mahasthvAccha salAsyabhAvAth I

lOkaanAm srashtrubhAvAth Dasaratha-
tanubhUsathsarasvAth bhalithvAth
rUpAth kaamAnurUpAth gatanapaDou
Sadhgathithvam BhabhAshE II

The essence of the ten paasurams of the first patthu of the Tenth decad have been summarized by Swami Desikan and there is a namskaraNam in DramiDOpanishad naama sahasram for each of the ten paasurams of TVM 10.1:

Please add PraNavam in front of each of these naamams:

1.-- DhaithyAnAm nAsakAya nama :
Reference here is to 10.1.1 paasuram , where Azhwar salutes the Lord as " Asurarai Taharkkum ThOLum naankudai--"

2.--TaruNatuLasyalankruthAya nama: ( TVM 10.1.2)
Reference: " yeen taNNthuzhAyin alangal an.kaNNI" portion of the paasuram , which recognizes Him as the One wearing tender , young TuLasI garland on His kirItam

3. --VikramiNE nama: (TVM 10.1.3)
Reference: devarhaLodu naada --venRu immUvalahu aLitthu uzhalvAn ".When the devas seek His refuge in times of distress , He goes out there and wins th ewar for them and blesses them with the three worlds and then returns to ThirumOhUr .

4. --SarpaadhIsa SaayinE nama:
Rference: Sesha Sayee aspect( " padarkoLL paampaNai paLLik KoLvAn ' from TVM 10.1.4)

5. --niradhika mahasE nama:
( Reference : 10.1.5/ "namm sudaroLi oru tani mudhalvan= our limitless
paramjyOthi at ThirumOhUr)

6.--sallAsyAya nama:
( reference : kUtthan KOvalan"
in TVM 10.1.6= the one who performs the laasyaa dance balancing the pots at the four cornered junction of the Road )

7. --lokasrashtrE nama:
( reference : suRRum neer padaitthu --devarOdu ulahu seyvAn of TVM 10.1.7) One who created this universe is saluted here .

8. --Dasaratha tanuja sathsarasE nama:
( Reference :" Dayarathan peRRa maragatha maNi tadatthinayE " of TVM 10.1.8) ; the green cool pond , the son of dasarathA , who removes our samsaric heat .

9. --BalinE nama: ( Ref: TVM 10.1.9)
"asurarai yenrum thuNikkum vallarattan " The reference is to Trivikrama/Vaamana avathAram of ThirumOhUr AatthAn .

10.--raagaanurUparUpAya nama:
(Reference is to TVM; 10.1.10
paasura passage , "kaama rupamkondu yezhunthu aLippAn ). The Lord of ThirumOhUr will take Ishta Kaamya rUpam and present Himself as Narasimhaa, Vaamana , Trivikrama, KrishNA , RaamA .

In summary , in this TVM 10.1 paasurmas , Azhwar is in the mood of a newly married girl ready to travel with her husband to His home .Azhwar engages as it were to say goodbye to his relatives from his piRantha veedu ( the archA murthys ) and seeks their blessings .

First , he takes leave of Sri KaaLamEgha PerumAL of ThirumOhUr . In the first paasuram of this set , he salutes the oudhAryam (generosity) of the Lord as the KaaLamEgham ( dark, water-laden cloud of the rainy season ); in the second paasuram , the salutation is to the naamms of the one wearing TuLasI garlands; in the third the reference is to His anugrahams to BrahmAs and dEvAs .

In the fourth paasuram , acknowledegement of His presence for us at this divya dEsam ; in the fifth , His blessing of the three worlds from His seat at ThirumOhUr , in the sixth , His affection for the residents of ThirumOhUr , who are equivallent in glory to the nithya sUris (celestial eternally free souls ).

In the seventh paasuram, His engagement in Samashti srushti of the worlds ; in the eighth paasuram , His anugraham to the people in His vibhava avathAram as Chakravarthi Thirumahan ; In the ninth paasuram , the focus is on His Veeram and Soundharyam ; in the tenth paasuram , reference is to His taking many rUpams from His archaa state at ThirumOhUr and blessing him .

Thus concludes the first patthu of the tenth decad of AzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi as he rushes to get ready for his ascent to parama Padham.

Subhamasthu,
AxzhwAr , AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .

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