Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 24th 2012

The place near the river cauvery in srirangam where Udayavar lived and took his daily bath is called thavarasan padithurai even today. Everyone would know the dasavatara sannadhi and the saint who established this sannadhi is Thirumangai AzhwAr. Staying in srirangam, this saint performed several sevas and kainkaryams to the perumal. Towards the vadakku side of the Cauvery he constructed the dasavatara sannadhi. In the same sannadhi he erected his own archavatara vigraham.  The information about the dasavatara sannadhi can be found in the periyathirumozhi. "meenODu Amai kEzhal ari kuraLAi munnum rAmanAi tAnAi pinnum rAmanAi dAmOdaranAi karkiyum AnAn tannai kaNNapurattu aDiyan kaliyan oliseida tEnAr in sol tamizh mAlai seppa pAvam nillAvE". 

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikkindran Arangan Episode May 22nd, 2012

In this world we get to know all the various things, we get to know most of the languages, subjects and we find that nothing in the world is not known to us somehow. But having known everything in the worldly scheme of things, if we dont know the Bhagavan then there is NO USE of knowing everything in this world. Having known all these things what will happen you think. Are you going to live for ever and ever in this world without death.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 21st 2012

The place near the river cauvery in srirangam where Udayavar lived and took his daily bath is called thavarasan padithurai even today. Everyone would know the dasavatara sannadhi and the saint who established this sannadhi is Thirumangai AzhwAr. Staying in srirangam, this saint performed several sevas and kainkaryams to the perumal. Towards the vadakku side of the Cauvery he constructed the dasavatara sannadhi. In the same sannadhi he erected his own archavatara vigraham.  The information about the dasavatara sannadhi can be found in the periyathirumozhi. "meenODu Amai kEzhal ari kuraLAi munnum rAmanAi tAnAi pinnum rAmanAi dAmOdaranAi karkiyum AnAn tannai kaNNapurattu aDiyan kaliyan oliseida tEnAr in sol tamizh mAlai seppa pAvam nillAvE".

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 18th, 2012

Bhagavan in the Gita said "tasmAt shAstram pramANamtE kAryAkAryavyavasthitau". Don't make the decision in your mind whether this is right or this is wrong - mind is prone to doubt and if mind involves with wrong doing, it will pick up the wrong samskArams. So mind cannot be the ultimate authority (pramAnam) in deciding good or bad, only sAstram can be pramAnam. sAstram is anantham, its ever full. You cannot just read all the sAstram and decide which is right and which is wrong. So if you want to be at peace with what is right or wrong, do follow the sampradAyam, the achArya and perform your duties without fail. The achArya would have done the same, he would have followed in the footsteps of his achArya. If we follow this method, we can, without any fear have no doubts about our rights and wrongs.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 17th, 2012

World is hanging around mathematics. Who is the best mathematician, the bhagavan himself. The rotation of the earth is on mathematics. Suddenly the Earth does not rotate faster or even slower and there is no randomness in it. Not only Earth, thats the same with Sun, the Moon, Mars and Saturn. But in this rotation also there is a beauty, during Full moon, half moon and new moon etc there is a beauty.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 16th 2012

In the srimad bhagavatham, the glory of the bhagavannama is explained mainly, whether it is the story of ambarisha or krishna or gajendra moksham, it is the greatness of bhakthi and bhagavannamasankeerthanam that's being told. But in the ajAmila charithram, especially the greatness of the bhagavannamakeerthanam is explained separately. About ajAmila, he lived in a desam called kAmyakubhjam, he was with all achAram, read all the vedas, sastras having performed all seva to the guru - srutasampannaHa - wherever there is good happening,he will go and listen. For the parents and elders, he did what all needed to be done properly. He knew everything and was a very good man. 

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 15th 2012

Namakeerthanam is the dharmam that can be easily followed by everyone, says azhwar. Both vishnu dharmam and srimad bhagavatham again and again tells about the same route. The strength of a human is not exactly that great. Man is always alpagnyan, asakthan, but bhagavan is sarvagnyan, sarvasakthan. A jeevan that is asakthan is always better to be under the protection of the sarvasakthan, the bhagavan. Even if 1000 people join together that is not strength, but the strength of the bhagavan is truly strong. Man cannot protect himself at all well and if he cannot, then how will he protect others. There is a story told in tamil. There is a matruthirunali (visually challenged person) who has lost both his legs.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 14th 2012

Though we perform many acts of atonement to get rid of our sins, the mind yet continues to sin, what is the reason. Just as a vessel in which wine was stored earlier but now even if the waters of River Ganga or Yamuna were poured into it will still not clear the smell of wine from it likewise one who does not have hari bhakthi cannot get rid of his sins with any amount of acts of atonement and will not give full fruit.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 11th 2012

When Sukabrahmam was telling the Srimad Bhagavatham to parikshith, in the 5th skandam there is a description of all the different types of hell and what happens in them. Parikshith was starting to fear as to whether all this Narakam (hell) was true or whether this was mentioned only by elders so one will adopt the good path and not go the bad way.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 10th 2012

A small child as soon as it is born likes to play with its toys. First it plays with a wooden toy as the child is also like that and once the child starts to learn how to walk and run it desires a key driven toy. When it grows a little more it desires to play even more with children of its own age group. When it starts playing with these children it slowly develops desire for worldly things. Develops desire for seeing, listening, sleeping and playing as well as the desire to go to different places. If you ask the small child to go to temple, perform bhajan he/she will not come. The child will like to play cricket match, go to cinema, play games and if we need to bring the child to a temple, we need to bring without the desire only.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 7th, 2012

Vedam is a word we often hear being said. What is the great thing about this word, does it mean wisdom or jnAnam - "The jnAna of the paramAtman". That paramAtma which is desirous of the truth and by means of whose sankalpa alone this universe has been created, maintained and then dissolved unto HIMSELF, that wisdom of the paramAtma is verily Vedam.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 9th 2012

Sage Sringi then came to Parikshith and let know of the curse. 7th day from today you will be bitten by a snake called "Tatshakan" and as a result you will die. King Parikshith tells the news to the court and they advise the king that there is a homa called "Mrithasanjeevani", there is a japam called "Mruthyunjayan" or we can destroy all the snakes in the world and so on. When these ideas are proposed, Parikshith says "alam", alam meaning enough. What you are all saying is enough now. Can I ask you a question? If these homams, japams or prayaschittams having being done, is it guaranteed that I will live eternally. Will I be rid of death totally? Cant say. Instead of dying in 7 days, may be this can be postphoned to 1 year or 2 years but the death itself cannot be avoided.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 8th 2012

In the world today, any wonders or any art or any building we see that amazes us, we seem to find out that in such and such time, such and such a king did this. Kallanai was built by the king Karikala Chola. He may have constructed out of his desire. But behind the construction of such an artistic building or dam there would have been an architect or a creative artist who would have planned, designed or executed isnt it. By and large we never get to know their names. We only come to know the details of the time period of the particular king when this was constructed. But in Srirangam temple, in the periyathiruvadi "GarudAzhwar" sannadhi, there is a beautiful mantapam made out of wood.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 4th 2012

By and large if any one asks about the reason for our living we will say that we are living because we were born in this world. There is no answer to why we were born. We also don't know where we came from and neither do we know where we may be going to. Someone gives us a very interesting novel and when we open to read it, say we find that there are some pages missing from the front and likewise there are some pages missing from the back and we only seem to find a few pages in the middle. Just like these pages in the middle so is our life too. 

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 3rd 2012

"The greatest of all wonders is that if the air that goes out of the body does 

not re-enter, the body becomes dead. Isn't it!"...read on...

If one says the nAmam, the roopam of the bhagavan will come automatically to the mind. AzhwAr tells this in the first pAsuram and in the second pAsuram describes the archAvatAra tirumEni - "pachai mAmalai pOl mEni pavazhavaI kamala chengan", these words are so beautiful to say and so sweet to the tongue. In the archAvataram the perumal in srirangam is so beautiful and the uthsavams are also as beautiful to behold. During Navarathri there is the elephant in the temple and daily for the thiruvArAdhana to the perumal it is the elephant which brings theertham to the temple during the aipasi mAsam.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 2nd 2012

There is a connection between the nama and its associated form. Tapas is associated with Speech, Mind and the Body. There are thus 3 types of tapas with 3 types of worlds. Say there is one who is observing a pure fast on ekAdasi, not even drinking water which means a tapas of the body. To have a darshan of Thiruvenkatamudaiyan in the month of Puratassi, one who walks from his village and then climbs all the way to the top of the mountain - is  a tapam of the body.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode May 1st 2012

For the devotees who have fully surrendered, always saying nama, always thinking of bhagavan, always offering seva with the heart full of bhakthi, the bhagavan is always him as his companion and protecting him. For the Adiyarghazh, because they are always thinking of the bhagavan in everything they see or do, the bhagavan has a distinct closeness with them. We should not think that the bhagavan protects only them. Bhagavan is protecting everyone. How, let us take for example a mother who is worried about her child, a 17-18 year old son who is going to write his exams, previously has failed in a couple of subjects and now has a lot of arrears.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 30th 2012

There is a house that has been locked for 10 years, no one has entered it and no lamp has been lit, no human movement for 10 years, an ill fated bungalow it is said. In such a house a person goes in with a lamp and the moment he enters with some light, the house is emptied of darkness. When light entered, darkness should have gone out slowly having been there for nearly 10 years, isnt it, but it was not so. The moment light came in, darkness instantly disappeared though the darkness was there for 10 years or 100 years. Similarly Azhwar says "kavalir pulanai vaithu kalithanaik kadaka payndhu", Kali means "Kalmasham", as this present yugam is filled with Kalmasham, its called Kali. Kalmasham means the doshams inside the mind.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 27th 2012

"kavalil pulanai vaithu kalithanaik kadaka payndhu

naavalituzhi tharuginnom naman thamar thaligal meedhe

moovulagundumizhndha mudhalva nin namam katra

aavalippudaimai kandai arangama nagarulaane".

Thondaradipodiazhwar setup a flower garden in Srirangam and there for the perumal he planted many flowers of ugapAna vrikshi, tulasi, shenbagam, malathi, malli (jasmine) and brought them to the perumal. Just as Periazhwar, ananthAzhwar performed flower seva to the perumal, in the same manner thondaradipodiazhwar (Vipranarayanar) offered the seva. That is why the thought that at first he created the flower garland ("poomalai") for the perumal and now he will create the "pAmalai", that's why the pAsurams he wrote came to be known as "ThirumAlai". 

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 26th 2012

In most temples when the thiruvArAdhanam was being performed, there would definitely be the presence of an elephant. In our custom, the Swami was always celebrated as a king. Many would come and tell me, that when they went to the temples to do dhyAnam, there were lots of noise within the temple disturbing them. Temple essentially is not a place for either dhyAnam or japam. By and Large, the temple is meant for celebrating the perumal and experience joy at seeing bhagavan. There should be the sound of drums, divine instruments, veda parayanam and prabhandam should be heard. There should be thousands and thousands of devotees coming and going, there should be lots of procession and thus a temple will be filled with uthsavams.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 24th 2012

King Sundarapandian otherwise called as "Mudalam Sadayavarman", chola king had a great bhakthi and performed kainkaryam to lord Sri Ranganathar. His period of rule was from 1250AD to 1284AD. When thiruvAradhanam was being performed for Sri Ranganathar, first would be the offering to the screen with the thiruvAradhanam being performed inside as was the custom.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 25th 2012

Bhagavannamakeerthanam is the only one which gives both mukthi and darshanam of the bhagavan. Whilst saying so, we will get a doubt. What is that? Namasankeerthanam is so easy and with a thing so easy as this how come a great thing as the bhagavan himself will be obtained. Everyone will think that one can obtain a great thing only with lots of difficulty. Only with great difficulty can one obtain a greater thing while a task accomplished in a small measure will beget a smaller thing is the most common opinion.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikkindran Arangan Episode April 23rd, 2012

There is no need for one to study a lot. If one reads a lot it will only confuse him. What's necessary only has to be read. There is so much written in vedams and sastras and there will be many interpretations as being primary, for one who does not have wisdom or control or samskaram or one who has not come in acArya line will only become confused. In the Vishnu dharma, the main thing thats said is on bhagavannamakeerthanam or Govinda name is being predominantly told. Dhyanam, Yogam or Jnanam is very hard to find in anyone. When reading about very high ideals and wisdom, we may get an imagination that we will have to achieve that but thats only a maya or illusion. Our mind wont go to a small thing. But we will aim for the big thing and we will fail to get it. One who is right will think and experiment to see if he is capable of a feat.

God has said that if one cannot get dhyana, yoga or jnana as a last resort there is saranagathi, surrender. But perivachanpillai says even if one needs to have surrender he needs mahavisvAsam and cannot doubt. Need faith to have surrender. Either one has to have faith in perumal, if not atleast must have faith in the Guru.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ From our Guruji

Sit in one place for concentration. If a single tree alone burns then the fire dies down quickly but just imagine if all the trees starting to catch fire there is no way of calming it down its a forest fire, likewise a person being in a single place can quieten the mind down easily and the thoughts can die down easily resulting in a calm state of mind.

A person in meditative state can be identified by him sitting in a single place always for long hours when he is said to be in full concentration. Mind is like a video recorder and there is no erasing possible!!!. The more thoughts one puts into his mind, the more recording he saves for himself.

Guruji says, "Always sit in a one place for long hours to practice meditation and keep the back straight then the breath (prana) will flow easily and straight out. If you sit like as if you want to sleep or shake the head from side to side then breath oscillates".

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episodes April 9th, 10th, 2012

From the "Azhaikkindran Arangan" series dated April 9th and 10th, 2012 the greatness of Ajamila is portrayed. Please dont miss these series. Radhe Radhe

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikkindran Arangan Episode April 19th, 2012

Bhagavan says that even the 10 incarnations is not sufficient. Even then somehow with his great compassion to get his loved devotees at his feet always, the bhagavan sent 10 Azhwars to this world. Out of these 10 azhwars, the first 3 azhwars including Thirumazhisai Azhwar by and large sung mangalasasanam to the God within themselves. In almost all their pasurams we can see this. Nammazhwar always sang mangalasasanam to Srivaikunta bhagavan. 

Periazhwar, Kulasekara azhwar, Nachiar from amongst the bhagavans various incarnations, Sri Rama avatar mangalasasanam was sung by Kulasekara azhwar and Sri Krishna avatar sung by Periazhwar, Nachiar Tirumozhi was sung by Andal. 

Perumal in his archAvatara form (as image to be worshipped) was always worshipped and mangalasasanam performed by Tirumangai azhwar. If Tirumangai azhwar had not incarnated in this earth, then we would not have these many divya deshams today. Just like this greatness that is attributed to Tirumangai azhwar, Tondarapodi azhwar always did mangalasasanam to Sri Ranganathar in Srirangam. Thats the greatness of Tondarapodi azhwar.

The bhagavan in his archAvatara has arisen only for us with the sole intention to do parama krupa for mankind and is always with great sanidhyam within the archAvatara perumal. Will then the swami talk to us in this archAvatara form, Will HE know what we are doing for HIM, such a thought will occur to the ordinary devotee.

Why bhagavan does this krupa in his archAvatara form? If we only understand what an avataram is, then we can understand the reason why? With the great power possessed by bhagavan, for us ordinary people who do not have that power, HE comes down as low as possible and that is what is called avataram. Avataram just does not mean something coming from UP above to DOWN below. 

@3:52 Minutes, will continue

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode April 13th 2012

Vaiwaswatha Manu is the one who brought Lord Ranganathar from Brahma Loka to Ayodhya. In the same lineage Ikshvaaku, nAbAgan, Ambarishan, yuvAnasvan, mAnthAda, saudhAsan, Sagaran, Bhageerathan. After than in the same lineage, a king by name katvAngar lived. katvAngar is also mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatham. 

King Parikshit had a curse, in 7 days a snake will bite him and he will die. Parikshit put a snake around the neck of a Maharishi. Was the Maharishi truly performing tapas or just acting? Parikshit was in thirst for water and so he went and asked the Maharishi. He shook the Maharishi to wake him up from SamAdhi, the rishi was called Sameekar. The rishi never asked why he was woken up not move, so King Parikshit intending to find out whether the rishi was truly in dhyAnam or not took a dead snake lying nearby with his arrow and put it around the rishi's neck and left. The rishi's song Sringi came there and saw this and became very angry. A King is bound to do good things for the welfare of the people and protect them. My father was simply performing tapas, Sringi thought having come to the forest, but this king humiliated him and put a dead snake around his neck. Sringi quite angry and showing his power pronounced a curse, 7 days from now from the bite of the snake called Daksha this king will die. Sameekar advised his son that he did a wrong thing, he should not have cursed the king as your tapas powers will go down, please go to the king and let him know of this curse. 

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikkindran Arangan Episode April 10th, 2012

Just like Jayadevar Padmavathi, Srimathi and Ambarisha were doing seva for the Lord Sri Ranganathar and daily people flocked in thousands to see and were very happy. These royal couple performing seva to ranganathar were like the Lord and his consort Mahalakshmi themselves come down and performing pooja to themselves. Some would comment being a King himself, yet he is so humble! The king being humble was surprising as the king who engages in battle would have  rajasam - wielding the sword, mounted on horse back and fighting. But such a king was performing pooja being soft and graceful. When praying to the bhagavan, he would sing with a melodious voice as that of a kokila. The bhagavan is happy when a devotee does tapas or prayers and it would be the natural behaviour for the devotee to ask for boons. Thinking so the bhagavan asks Ambarisha - "You are so full of shraddha, always thinking of me and apart from me you dont have any other thoughts, I am pleased with your offering and bhakthi so please ask for what you want?" "Na Yoga siddhim punar bhavan vaha!" - What will the mahans usually ask? If bhagavan approached us, we would ask for lahima, mahima or any astama siddhi, give me the speech siddhi - whatever I say should happen or give me heaven. But mahans wont ask anything. Why, they did not perform bhakthi just to ask, bhakthi itself is happiness for them. They did not expect any other use or fruit when performing their devotion to the lord, they did bhakthi for the sake of bhakthi. A boy watches cricket match for the whole of the night and doesnt sleep even though his father says that this is not good for his health. When asked in the morning, what did you get out of the whole of last night watching the cricket match, the biy will get angry. How can you ask like this? Do you know anything about the joy of cricket. The boy gets happiness just out of watching the cricket match.

Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikkindran Arangan Episode April 6th, 2012

In Srimad Bhagavatham, a small child named Prahlada attained bhagavan. We see a 

5-year old Prahlada as well as his father hiranyakashipu. This child has no strength and in age also he is so young, whereas hiranyakshipu has been for so many yugas very old when compared to prahlada. Hiranyakashipu having performed severe penance to brahma seeking no death inside or outside, day or night, neither from living or non living beings, man or woman and obtained this boon. But prahlada had no such strength or boon. All the devas, indras including navagrahas were shivering in front of hiranyakashipu. Prahlada had no support at all. For prahlada what was the strength, it was the name of NARAYANA. When prahlada was asked by hiranyakashipu on whose support are you speaking to which prahlada replies that its on the strength of the lord who has given him even the power of speech, lord narayana. @2.00 minutes