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.
When looking at the neighbours child who is studying very well and getting first mark, joins a big college, she feels that her son even if not studying which is ok, but he always is roaming around with friends, does not come home on time. When asked by his mother as to where he is going he gets very angry and does not say anything. Some people come to the mother and mention about her son that they have seen him here and there and his ways are not good and please to be strict with him. But the son has crossed the years when he could have been mended and does not listen to anything. Mother is worried about her son. Father gets angry. When he listens to the complaints from others, the father gets angry and shouts that if his son comes home, break his leg, throw him out of the house and let him not stay in the house any more. This son comes home at 10pm. The mother silently brings her son to the dining table to give him food. She advises her son not to make any noise as his father is sleeping and very angry at the complaints received about him.
When giving him food, the mother implores her son and asks "why you are behaving like this? Why are you getting bad name? Everyone is speaking ill of you. Please study a little atleast. Don't go out of the house". The son gets very angry as he is eating and doesn't like the advise. He gets up and goes out. The mother is sad. Because her son did not eat fully and in the midst of having his food he has left. The mother calls him but he refuses to have the food. Becoming angry that his mother is always telling something or the other about him, he leaves the place. The mother comes out and sees where he is going. There is a chatram 10-15 houses away and her son goes and sleeps in the door of the chatram. This mother even though her son has so many bad behaviour has love because she has borne him. The mother worries that she should have spoken after her son had his food.
When looking at the neighbours child who is studying very well and getting first mark, joins a big college, she feels that her son even if not studying which is ok, but he always is roaming around with friends, does not come home on time. When asked by his mother as to where he is going he gets very angry and does not say anything. Some people come to the mother and mention about her son that they have seen him here and there and his ways are not good and please to be strict with him. But the son has crossed the years when he could have been mended and does not listen to anything. Mother is worried about her son. Father gets angry. When he listens to the complaints from others, the father gets angry and shouts that if his son comes home, break his leg, throw him out of the house and let him not stay in the house any more. This son comes home at 10pm. The mother silently brings her son to the dining table to give him food. She advises her son not to make any noise as his father is sleeping and very angry at the complaints received about him.
When giving him food, the mother implores her son and asks "why you are behaving like this? Why are you getting bad name? Everyone is speaking ill of you. Please study a little atleast. Don't go out of the house". The son gets very angry as he is eating and doesn't like the advise. He gets up and goes out. The mother is sad. Because her son did not eat fully and in the midst of having his food he has left. The mother calls him but he refuses to have the food. Becoming angry that his mother is always telling something or the other about him, he leaves the place. The mother comes out and sees where he is going. There is a chatram 10-15 houses away and her son goes and sleeps in the door of the chatram. This mother even though her son has so many bad behaviour has love because she has borne him. The mother worries that she should have spoken after her son had his food.
Why has bhagavan not come himself, rather than sending the azhwars? But if you see the avatars of the bhagavan, in the matsya avatar he has saved the vedas by destroyng the madhukaitabha asuras. In the varaha avatar, the bhagavan destroyed hiranyaksha. In Narasimha avatar he destroyed hiranyakashipu. During the Krishna avatar, he destroyed kamsa and sisupala. In Rama avatar he destroyed Ravana. In all these avatars there is destroying the bad asuras for the good. "sistaparipalanam, dustanighaham". But bhagavan wanted to protect the good as well as convert the bad and not destroy them taking an avatar again, instead he wanted to send the azhwars to the world who do not know about the nigraham at all. Thus making this sankalpam, bhagavan sent the azhwars to the world. The Azhwars always gave kripa and karuna and there is no history of any azhwar that pronounced a curse or destroyed anybody. They will change the bad behaviour and accept them, whatever be the type of person, they will go along with them and bring them onto the right path. Thats why - what bhagavan with his sanka, chakra, kodanda, sword could not achieve, the azhwars with just japamala, tambura in hand achieved is the difference we see between the azhwars and the bhagavan.
In the Srimad Bhagavatham, when saying this "kalau khalu bhavishyanthi nArAaNa parAyaNah", first it is mentioned that "Thamarabharani nadi yatra". The nammazhwar and madhurakaviazhwar who came from the banks of the thamarabharani river is what is foremost mentioned in the bhagavatham then from the vaigaiatram where from periyazhwar and andal came is mentioned, then from the palatrankarai, pinakini where from the first 3 azhwars arose is mentioned, this is now the greatness of the azhwar is being described.
Tirumalai is a beautiful pAsuram of Thodarapodiazhwar. It tells about the greatness of the bhagavannama. This tirunAmam has been used by 3 people in 3 different ways. There will only be the "muthu" inside the "Kilinjazhgazh". When children who are playing near the beach, when they break open the "Kilinjazhgazh", they will find inside "nan muthu". The children will pick up all the "nan muthugazh". The small children playing around the beach will not know the greatness of this "nan muthugazh". Not knowing this the little children will give this to a small shop owner nearby who will give them 10rs and with that they will buy an icecream to eat. But for the shopkeeper its a big thing. Its a beautiful "muthu" and rare. He will think that he will take this "muthu" and show it to the king and obtain a handsome gift worth lakhs of rupees. He gets the money and puts it in the bank and his bank balance grows. Firstly a child sold it for 10rs, shopkeeper sold it for lakhs but the king did not sell instead he wore them as a chain around his neck and felt happy as the "muthu" garlanded on his neck and the beauty of it itself became happiness.
So bhagavannamakeerthanam, bhagavathanubhavam and the devotees who praise the bhagavan are like the "muthu" shopkeeper of 3 different types.
- One of them keeps performing namakeerthanam for removing his diseases, getting promotion, need job, need a child or to get married. This is like the child who sold the "muthu" for 10rs.
- The second is (like that of the shopkeeper) who devotes his time for the bhagavan, listens to Katha (Kathai KEttu), praises the bhagavan, performs namakeerthanam, serves the lord and prays to the bhagavan for getting moksha, mukthi and asks for the greatest thing.
- The third who are above this are the jNanis. The jNanis are performing bhakthi to the bhagavan without asking anything, why? Because when the bhagavath bhakthi itself gives them so much happiness, what is the need for anything other? Its is not required.
If we take a pAsuram,
eNGNGanEyO annaimeergaaL. ennai munivadhu nNeer
nangaL kOlath thirukkuRungudi nambiyai naaNn kandapin
sanginOdum nEmiyOdum thaamaraik kaNgaLOdum
senganivaay onRiNnOdum selginRathu ennNenchamE
and enjoy the meaning of each of these words, how beautifully these azhwars have sung, how they have expressed the meaning and that happiness itself is enough. Where is moksham beyond this?
As the king wore the "muthu" and enjoyed, the bhagavathanubhavam is "bhagavathanubhavam2 itself.
What is the fruit of seeing the lord in the temple, you have to relish seeing the procession of the perumal and that itself is anandam. Performing keerthanam in the temple there is anandam, where is the happiness that you get in this.
When asked which is the most beautiful in this world, many have said this and that. But seeing that which one on seeing again and again will never get tire of or feel that it is not enough. This is always the most beautiful. Go and see the bhagavan again and again, you will never tire of seeing enough. We are not sure that the perumal was so beautiful even in the vibhavatara but in the archAvatara beauty - the karuna in the face, when seeing the hand, the abhayam, when looking at us the feeling of talking to us, hugging us and our bhavams are reflected as well. In our home, say an poor lady with her child would have come with hunger and we have served them food and having said krishnArpanam, we then go to the temple and look at the face of the archAvatara perumal, we can see the face is so happy and we can surely feel this for certain. The bhagavan will have felt very happy. If we have done a ugly thing or a wrong thing, then when we see the face of the bhagavan there will not be angry in it, but it will look dull. Can you, bhaktha do like this? If we are able to see with this "dristi" eyes, then we can know how the archAvatara perumal is talking and moving with us. If we have this nistai, when we go to the temple and perform pradakshinam and come out, even a small paper on the ground with some letters will have the answer to our prayers. Sometimes when two people are conversing in the temple about some subject, though listening to that, there will be an answer to our prayers. Or when praying deeply to the perumal in the sannadhi, there will be a flower that will fall from the top of the perumal or the garland will slide, that is an answer. The temple bell will ring that is an answer. Or when listening to the pravachanam of our Guru, by means of the discourse an answer will be provided by the bhagavan through our Guru. The bhagavan will never let down any bhaktha. To the archAvatara perumal, devotees come and ask for job, money, disease to go, but for the uttamAna purushars it will feel like that these devotees are asking for pittance to the kalpakavriksham but when seeing the face of the bhagavan, the bhagavan will think "where else will my child go other than asking me for whatever he wants. He came to me thinking that I will give him and that I am his jagathpitha and he came with that freedom". The bhagavan is always thus ever happy, does not get tire of blessing him or never despise any bhaktha in any manner. Because he is the father of both the aJNani as well as the jNani. He was the one who created us all in the first place. How come such a bhagavan will stop liking us or despise us. That is why in all ways, keep performing keerthanam and for the one performing namakeerthanam always the bhagavan will come as a companion to be protecting you always. He will come in person and help you or protect you. In the Srimad Bhagavatham, Uddhava comes and tells the bhagavan thus in the ekAdasa skandam. Uddhava, I am going behind the sadhus who are always performing namakeerthanam. Uddhava asks "why are you going behind the bhagavathas performing namakeerthanam, is it to protect them.". Bhagavan says, "Why should I protect them?". My Nama itself will protect them. Did not the nama "Govinda" cried out by Draupadi save her? Gajendran calling out "nArayana akilagurO namasthe", was he not saved? Whereever my bhakthas are in whichever place, the nama will protect them. There is no need for me to go behind them. Purandaradasar says this in a keerthanam, Ranga, whether you give me your kripa or not, "nama is enough" for me. That nama will save me. Nama will give whatever you ask for, will give you mukthi says dasarvazh.
Bhagavan says to Uddhava, "I am not going behind the bhakthas to save them, rather if I pick up the mud that was tread upon by my devotees and put it upon my head, all the seven worlds and andasarakshamum in my stomach will be filled with happiness and contentment. Such that all the seven worlds and andasarakshamum can be with peace and prosperity, I am always going behind the adiyarghazh performing namakeerthanam.
For the one performing namakeerthanam, up, down, on your side, inside, outside, above, the bhagavan is always protecting. There is a tongue and there is nama, if we keep saying nama it is enough, the bhagavan becomes so filled with happiness with this only and no other.
Radhe Radhe
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com/
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