Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 31st 2012

In Kumbakonam Aramudha SannidhAnam, when the nadamunigazh was having the darshan of the AramudhAzhwar, accidentally a bhakthar had come and was also having the darshan of the perumal. Usually the sampradayam would be that during the time of performing seva to the perumal there would be a sloka or stuti being sung. Now the other bhaktha standing on the opposite side of nadamunigazh suddenly sang a pAsuram that nammazhwar had composed about the mangalAsanam of the Aramudha perumal which is a very beautiful pAsuram. Looking from the face upto the feet of the perumal and back again,  

"aaraa amuthE! adiyEn utalam ninpaal anpaayE neeraay alaindhu karaiya urukkukinRa nedumaalE seeraar senNnNel kavari veesum sezhunNeerth thirukkutandhai Eraar kOlam thigazhak kitandhaay! kaNtEn emmaanE!"


"aaraa amuthE! adiyEn utalam ninpaal anpaayE" - for the perumal we wave the fan which is also called "kavari". How this name came into being is that there was once a deer called "Kavariman". In the Puranam, there are incidents and information we get from certain birds and animals. But these are non existent now. There is also a strange bird called "Hamsapakshi", "Annapakshi" even the poets talk about it as well as in the purAnams. What is the speciality about this "annaparavai" is when we keep a mixture of milk and water, it will only drink the milk and leave the water alone. This is the greatness of the annaparavai. Similarly there is a deer called "Kavariman" - this deer is also mentioned in the thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar. He describes in the context of those who think that respect is more important.

"Mayir neepin uyir vAzha kavariman". If even a hair of this deer falls down, it will leave its life, such is the prestige for the deer as it thinks that the beauty of the deer is gone. Such hair of the deer is being made into a fan which is used to fan the perumal also known as "Kavari". But that deer is no longer in existence. What has been replaced instead of that today in the fan is not known. That is why we see the "chAmaram" being put for the perumal even today in temples. 

It seems for the Aramudhan, the chAmaram itself is not required and no need of the "Kavari". Because the chola kingdom which is flanked by the broad Cauvery river had so much of grain ("kadhir, nell") growth and when the wind blows them, and also due to the flow of the river, the growth is stupendous, very good growth like for example a teak tree, a good teak tree will grow like anything, even if one person tries to encircle the tree with his arms, it will not be possible to cover it. The teak tree is one amongst all other trees which sucks more water from the earth like anything. That is why it grows fast and well. When the teak tree is kept in a place where there is no water, it will not grow like that. Where there is more water like on the banks of river cauvery or thamaraparani, the teak tree will grow beautifully.

Also if we talk of coconut tree, it will grow on the banks of the sea and it will need both the water and the salt and the coconut water will also be very sweet. If we get the elanIr ("coconut water") from Pondichery there will be a sweetness in it. Even if we plant a coconut tree at our garden we will add some salt to the water as it needs both of them to grow. When the grains have fully grown and matured and bent about to fall down, there should be lots of water and there is lots of wind blowing. Whilst this is happening, azhwar sees these grains swaying in the wind and it looks as if for the arAmudhan, the "kavari" is being fanned. The land on either sides filled with the lush green farmland of well grown grains (which have richly grown and developed from the stages of sowing to harvesting and the time is ready for reaping the harvest) coupled with the water flowing and the winds blowing and this blowing of the wind itself is like the chAmaram (or the "Kavari") fanned for the arAmudhan.

"seeraar senNnNel kavari veesum sezhunNeerth thirukkutandhai". In the beginning itself it is said "aaraa amuthE! adiyEn utalam ninpaal anpaayE...". nadamunigazh also knows the gandharva gAnam. In the world, what we sing with is "manushya gAnam". But the gAnam used by the gandharvas will not be known to the people on the earth, but such a gAnam was known by nadamunigazh. Once, in the sabha of the king Gangaikonda Cholapuram, a woman who is expert in music arrives and proclaims that she is expert in the art of gandharva gAnam. The Raja nor some of the members in the sabha had ever heard of or know about gandharva gAnam but it was nadamunigazh who came up and told the raja that she was indeed singing in the gandharva gAnam. Such was the knowledge possessed by nadamunigazh. If he knew gandharva gAnam itself, all the azhwars who sang about the perumal were in deva gAnam. Even in the deva gAnam all the songs were bestowed upon by perumal and nammazhwar. Think how it will be. When the bhakthar was singing, nadamunigazh was awestruck.

"aaraa amuthE! adiyEn utalam ninpaal anpaayE neeraay alaindhu karaiya urukkukinRa nedumaalE seeraar senNnNel kavari veesum sezhunNeerth thirukkutandhai Eraar kOlam thigazhak kitandhaay! kaNtEn emmaanE!"

if one listens to a beautiful poem or a beautiful song, it should instill deep feelings in us. If someone has sung beautifully in a concert, after hearing the concert one must feel just like a bee buzzing around the ear, the song should be reverberating in ones ears for 2 days or more. We should try singing the same and the musician should have induced this in us.

Then only the sangeetham is said to be of a rare quality. Likewise, if we hear a poem, the words, construct or anything in the poem should be such that it should capture our heart. In the temple, if anyone composes and sings such a poem, then we need to go to them and inquire about what is this beautiful composition, who composed it and whether we will get the copy of the book etc. Can anyone make such a poem? Such should be the feeling of amazement that one would get out of hearing this.

That is how this stuti is, there is no doubt about it. Therefore when the bhakthar sang "aaraa amuthE! itself, nadamunigazh was raptured by it. "aaraa amuthE! adiyEn utalam ninpaal anpaayE neeraay alaindhu karaiya urukkukinRa nedumaalE" - Oraiyirathuzh ippathum - are there 1000 compositions like this? As soon as the bhakthar finished singing, nadamunigazh went up to him and inquired about the pAsuram he had just sang for the perumal and asked whose composition is this. The bhakthas reply was "On the banks of the thamaraparani, at a place called ThirukkurugUr, the songs were composed by "sadagOpan" nammazhwar". nadamunigazh then asked about what was said as being "Oraiyirathuzh ippathum", are there 1000 songs indeed? to which the bhakthar sadly replied that there are just 1 or 2 songs left. nadamunigazh felt sad about the loss of all the remaining songs. The bhakthar consoled him and told him not to worry as these songs were fortelled to be restored back through one person. Who is that person?, asks nadamunigazh. To which the bhakthar replied "I have heard about this being said through the ancestors and elders". "What did those elders say", asked nadamunigazh. The bhakthar not knowing that it was nadamunigazh himself speaking told what the the elders had been telling all along "there will be nadamunigazh who will come to rescue our sampradAyam and through him all the 4000 divya prabhandam itself will be restored again". nadamunigazh could not contain his excitement. When he was in Sri Brindavanam, he had a thought that he wanted to stay there itself, the place where Sri Krishna was born and performed several leelas. He had then decided to stay there itself. But whilst thinking like this, he got a divine dream where the perumal in the kAttumannAr ordered nadamunigazh to come back to tamil nadu. nadamunigazh did not understand the reason for this then. But after coming here being in the sannidhanam of the Aramudhan and hearing this pAsuram being sung, he came to know about how the elders had mentioned the prabhandams would be restored.

The bhakthar began by telling "In alwarthirunagari, there is a mahatma called parAngusadAsar. Now I sang the pAsuram of nammazhwar isnt it, like that for parAngusadAsar, madhurakaviazhwar has sung 10 pAsurams composed about nammazhwar. if nadamunigazh then went to parAngusadAsar and got the upadesam of the 10 pAsurams and like a mantra upasana repeating it again and again, then a stream of all the rest of pAsurams will come to nadamunigazh. This is what I have heard the elders say".

Now nadamunigazh with great humility bowed before him and introduced himself as the nadamunigazh he was speaking about. Thinking that perumal wanted him to do such a noble work, he immediately went to alwarthirunagari on the banks of river thamaraparani. In that kshetram, meeting parAngusadAsar, he obtained the 10 pasurams about nammazhwar being sung by madhurakaviazhwar.

"kaNNi nuNsiRuth thaampinaal kattuNNap paNNi yaperu maayan,en Nnappanil,
naNNith then_kuru koorn^ampi yenRakkaal, aNNik kum_amu thooRumen naavukkE". 
In this pAsuram, about nammazhwar which was composed by madhurakaviazhwar all the gunams of nammazhwar are being told by madhurakaviazhwar. 
He tells about the greatness of his Acharyan.

Then,
"payanan Raakilum paankala raakilum seyalnan Raakath thiruththip paNikoLvaan, kuyilnin Raarpozhil soozhkuru koornampi, muyalkin REnunRan moykazhaR kanbaiyE" -  Whomsoever comes to nammazhwar and surrenders himself totally - "payanan Raakilum" - even though there is no use of the devotee for the acharyan himself, even bad name perhaps, such a devotee for this acharyan, the devoteee will still be accepted. When this devotee being such a bad person, pokkiri, having durgunas, no Acharams - "paankala raakilum" - this devotee does not know how to conduct himself, having no yOgyatham at all, even then, what nammazhwar will do for those who have surrendered for protection to him, he will never let the devotee down. Isn't this the same swabhAvam of the bhagavan himself. Having initially surrendered, then even if the devotee starts to move away, the bhagavan will once again get him back and then correct him and take the devotee unto HIMSELF. Will HE them keep him just like that. Even if the devotee is a dustan, pokkiri, asathu, not fit for anything, having no gunam, having durgunam, not knowing or understanding anything, having no Acharams, having no samskArams, not knowing how to behave, like this there are many types isn't it and even if the devotee initially in a fit of affection having come for protection and then tries to move away and does not want the bhagavan, even then the bhagavan will not let the devotee go. 

"payanan Raakilum paankala raakilum" - what the bhagavan will do - "thiruththip paNikoLvaan", he will not let go of his devotees hand, as bhagavan says in the bhagavad gita - "kshipram bavati dharmAtma". Don't see the doshams in them, like for example when there is a fight going on inside our house, we tell the neighbour not to come and interfere as this is inside our house. Bhagavan says, "don't discuss the doshams with my bhaktha, you don't have to worry about this, as he is my bhaktha it is for me to inquire about him and is my responsibility and it is my responsibility to correct him". As long as the devotee has bhakthi, belief and viswAsam in ME, I will always protect him and not leave his hand anytime!, then imagine how azhwar will be, one who has taken shelter at the feet of such a bhagavan.

Therefore he says "seyalnan Raakath thiruththip paNikoLvaan", the bhagavan will not let him go. Beautifully said initially "payanan Raakilum", now again said here "seyalnan Raaka". HE will make him a good man and correct him and take the devotee unto HIM. HE will make him suited to the perumal and make him fit for performing kainkaryam to the perumal.

"kuyilnin Raarpozhil soozhkuru koornampi, muyalkin REnunRan moykazhaR kanbaiyE", sings madhurakaviazhwar which are in the compositions of the 10 pasurams being sung about nammazhwar, which, nadamunigazh took upadesam from parAngusadAsar. Going to the archAvatAra moorthi sannidanam, with fasting norms, taking daily bath in the river thamaraparani, nadamunigazh performs 12000 times japam of these 10 pAsurams.

When nadamunigazh was asked by bhagavan about this upAsanam and what he needed as a boon from this, then nadamunigazh requested for all the compositions of azhwars, he had desired for only 1000, but all the 4000 pAsurams composed by nammazhwar were granted to him. Taking all these 4000 pAsurams and in order to protect these pAsurams, nadamunigazh then taught them to the two azhwars named "kIzhai agathu AzhwAr" and "mElai agathu AzhwAr" and also made arrangements for this to be performed daily in the temple.
Subham
Radhe Radhe
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