AzhwArs – glories and history

 

(lakshmaNan) in a cave and all the rishis become very scared seeing at this situation where perumAL is single handedly taking on 14000 rAkshasas, AzhwAr being overwhelmed with emotions, at once orders his army to get ready for the battle and march towards the battle field to help srI rAman. Seeing this, some of his ministers, arrange for a few people to come from the opposite side and inform him that the battle is already won by srI rAman and sIthA dhEvi is nursing his injuries by tenderly attending him and he need not go any more. AzhwAr being satisfied, returns to his kingdom.

 

His ministers then start thinking about AzhwAr’s behaviour and decide that this is an outcome of his association with the srIvaishnavas. They decide to drive the srivaishnavas out and devise a plan for that. They steal one of the diamond necklace from the thiruvArAdhanam room of AzhwAr and proclaim that his close confident srIvaishnavas must have stole it. At once, AzhwAr orders for a pot with a venomous snake placed in it and once it arrives, he puts his hand inside and declares that “srIvaishnavas will not indulge in such acts” – the snake does not bite him due to his honesty and the ministers feel ashamed, return the necklace and beg for forgiveness from AzhwAr and srIvaishnavas.

 

Subsequently, AzhwAr starts feeling greatly anguished living amidst samsAris as stated in saunaka samhithai that “For a prapanna, being with people who dont glorify bhagavAn is worse than being amidst a ball of fire”. He then crowns his son as the king of the kingdom and hands over all the responsibilities and declares that “AnAtha chelvaththu arambaiyargaL

 

thaRchUzha vAnALum chelvamum manNnNarachum yAn vEnNdEn” (

 

)

 

meaning He no longer desires to rule great wealth surrounded by many servants and entertainers. He then leaves to srIrangam with his close srIvaishnava friends and performs mangaLAsAsanam to srIranganAthan who looks like a diamond placed on golden plate (him lying down on AdhisEshan) and who is always looking out for the welfare of everyone. He glorifies emperumAn every moment and as a result of his outpouring emotions, he compiles perumAL thirumozhi and blesses that to every one and thus uplifted them. After some time he leaves this samsAram and reaches the divine abode of paramapadhanAthan and eternally serves him there.

 

His thanian

 

gushyathE yasya nagarE rangayAthrA dhinE dhinE thamaham sirasA vandhE rAjAnam kulasEkaram

 

His archAvathAra anubhavam is already discussed in here - http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-kulasekara.html.

 

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AzhwArs – glories and history

 

PeriyAzhwAr

 

 

thirunakshathram: Ani, swAthi

 

avathAra sthalam: srIvilliputhUr

 

AchAryan: vishwaksEnar

 

Works: thiruppallANdu, periyAzhwAr thirumozhi

 

Place where he attained paramapadham: thirumAlirunchOlai

 

periyavAchAn piLLai wonderfully glorifies periyAzhwAr in the vyAkyAna avathArikai (introduction) of thiruppallANdu. He identifies the purpose of periyAzhwAr’s avathAram is to uplift the suffering jIvAthmAs from this samsAram. periyAzhwAr is decorated with sahaja dhAsyam (natural servitorship) towards emperumAn by the grace of emperumAn himself. He wanted to conduct his life by performing kainkaryam and studied the sAsthram to find out the best kainkaryam. srI krishNan himself enters into the house of mAlAkArar (the garland maker) in mathurA before going to the assembly of kamsan, requesting him for some garlands and when the mAlAkArar happily gives the best garland with great love and affection, kaNNanemperumAn becomes extremely pleased and wears it with great joy. Observing this, periyAzhwAr determines that making flower garlands is the most pleasing service for emperumAn, he starts making a garden where he plants fresh flower-giving seeds, nurtures the same and makes fresh garland every day to srIvilliputhur emperumAn with great love and

 

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