Sequence of paasurams before Ahobila paasurams

 

Elated by the mahA bhAgyam of recieving AshtAkshara ManthrOpadEsam directly from Sriman NaarAyaNan, in the first Paasuram of his Periya Thirumozhi, Thirumangai expresses his gratefulness to the Lord for blessing him, who was unfit in every way with the Ujjevana Manthram of AshtAksharam revealing the sambhandham between JeevAthmA and ParamAthmA: "NaadinEn naaDi naann kaNDu koNDEn NaarAyaNA yennum naamam". In the 8th paasuram of the First Pathikam of Periya Thirumozhi, Kaliyan assured us that if he could acquire AshtAkshara manthram even if he was not fit to receive it, that people like us should have no doubt in being blessed with such anugraham. He was pointing out in the mood of NaicchyAnusandhAnam that paramAthma dhAsyam is svabhAvikam for the Jeevans. In the 9th Paasuram, Thirumangai revealed to us that the name of NaarAyaNa will bless us with every kind of Iswaryam (Kulam, Selvam, NeeL visumbu, valam, perunilam). He concluded this Paasuram with a celebratory statement about the power of AshtAksharam:

"PeRRa thAyinum aayina seyyum,
nalam tarum sollai nAnn kaNDu koNDEn
NaarAyaNA yennum nAmam"

That NaarAYaNa nAmam will bless us with the hitham, which is even more than what one's own Mother could confer. Kaliyan concluded that in the land populated by AshtAkshara (Thirumanthira) nishtars (who are deeply immersed in it) there will be no diseases or deficiencies (VyAdhi and dhurbhiksham).

In the second decad, Thirumangai celebrates NaarAyaNa Naama PrabhAvam and arrives at the dhivya dEsam of Thiruppirithi (JyOthir Matam) on the banks of river GangA. Thirumangai was on his way to BadrikAsramam where NaarAyaNan performed UpadEsam for Naran on AshtAksharam. Sriman NaarAyaNan is also the devathai for AshtAkshara Manthram. Therefore, Thirumangai decided to travel to BadrikAsramam and stopped on the way at Thirupparithi, a dhivya dEsam at the foot hills of HimAlaya.

In the third and the fourth decads, Thirumangai performs MangaLAsAsanam for the EmperumAn of BadrikAsramam. After the visit to Thiruppirithi and Badari, Thirumangai arrives at the dhivya dEsam of SaaLagrAmam on the banks of Gandaki River in the snow bound territory of HimAlayAs.

Here, he performs MangaLAsAsanam for Sri Moorthy of SaaLagrAmam thru the paasurams of the 1.5 decad of Periya Thirumozhi.

After SaaLagramam, Thirumangai descends to the plains and arrives at NaimichArANyam, where the Lord is in the form of a forest. Here, Thirumangai performs SaraNAgathy to the EmperumAn of NaimichAraNyam:

"NaathanE vanthunn Thiruvadi adainthEn NaimichAraNyatthuLLa YenthAi".

NaimichAraNyam is the sacred place, where Maharishis assemble to perform sathkarmAs and removes all sins thru dharmAchAram. Here Thirumangai confessed that he is the possessor of many sins and he performed SaraNAgathy at the Lord's sacred feet there to destroy those sins. After that moving SaraNAgathy to the Lord, who is in the form of forest (AaraNyam) at NaimichAraNyam, Thirumangai thought of another dhivya dEsam known for its dense forests and tall mountains (Viz)., AhObilam. Thirumangai was pulled towards that dhivya dEsam of AhObilam by Narasimha BhagavAn. Thirumangai performed MangaLAsAsanam for the Lord of SingavEzh KunRam (AhObilam), which will be the focus of this series of postings. From AhObilam, Thirumangai sought another mountainous dhivya dEsam (ThiruvEngadam) and performed MangaLAsAsanam of ThiruvEngadamudayAn with 40 paasurams.

Thus, the ten paasurams on AhObila Naathan are in between those of NaimichAraNya paasurams and the ThiruvEngada Paasurams. adiyEn will cover the individual paasurams of AhObilam in the subsequent postings.

 

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AHOBILA PASURAMS: TEXT & AUDIO RENDERING

adiyEn has split the sandhis for an easier understanding of the meanings of this majestic Paasuram, where Thirumangai AzhwAr provides a graphic description of the HiraNya SamhAram of the Parisuddha Para Brahman, Sri Ugra Narasimhan at AhObila Dhivya Desam.

The audio/wave files (862 Kb) of the Paasuram texts rendered in the SampradhAyic manner can be accessed at:

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/temples/ahobil/apas.html

Please enjoy the Text and sound of these majestic Paasurams capturing the extraordinary anubhavam of Thirumangai AzhwAr.

 

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THREE INTERPRETATIONS

FOR THE NAME

OF THIS DHIVYA DESAM

 

1. The name of this dhivya Desam can be recited as "SingavEL Kunram" or "SingavEzh Kunram". Both are correct usages. When we salute this dhivya dEsam as "Singa vEL KunRam", the emphasis is on "vEL", the One who is most desirable (Virumpa Tahunthavan). "Singa vEL" then translates in to Azhagiya Singar (Sundara Simham), who is the most majestic, unusual and captivating "naram kalantha Singam" to look at. The hill that He presides over is the KunRam (hill) of "Singa vEL".

2. When we use the other Paatam, "Singa vEzh KunRam", we refer to the seven (yEzhu) hills at Ahobila KshEthram just as at Thriumala. The nine Narasimha Temples are positioned in a 5 Kilo Meter Circle marked by the seven hills around the PrahlAdha Varadhan Temple at the foot hills. He is in the middle of Gaaruda Sailam (AhObilE Gaaruda saila madhyE krupAvasAth kalpitha sannidhAnam). These nine temples in the middle of Gaaruda Sailam (at Upper and lower Ahobilam are those for JwaalA, MalOla, KrODa, Kaaranja, BhArgava, YogAnandha, KashathravaDa, Paavana and PrahlAdha Narasimhans.

3. The third interpretation according to Commentators is that these hills are ascendant in glory because of the rare and divine singham (Lion) that rules over these hills (SingatthAlE yEzh/yezhucchi peRRa kunRam).

 

 

 

-singavEzh kundram- 7 hills.

Thirumangai AzhwAr

Periya Thirumozhi: 1.7

PASURAM 1

 

angkaN nyaalamanja angkOr aaLariyaay avuNan
pongga aagam vaLLugiraal pOzhndha punidhanidam,
paingkaNaanaik kombu koNdu patthimaiyaal, adikkeezhch
chengkaNaaLi ittiRaincum SingkavEL kunRamE. (1)

 

MEANING:

The first Two lines

"angkaN nyaalamanja angkOr aaLariyaay avuNan
pongga aagam vaLLugiraal pOzhndha punidhanidam,"

NarasimhAvathAra samayam is invoked here. The VishNu (Hari) dhvEshi, HiraNya Kasipu has been tormenting his son, Bhaktha PrahlAdhan and subjecting him to all kinds of torture so that PrahlAdhan can reject Hari as the Supreme Being and accept him (HiraNya Kasipu) as the one superior to Hari in ParAkramam and Vaibhavam. PrahlAdhan rejected his father's foolish statements and held on resolutely that there is no one, who is equal or Superior to Hari.That statement made HiraNya Kasipu fly into rage. He asked his son as to where that Hari is hiding. PrahlAdhan replied: "Hari is everywhere".

This enraged HiraNyan further; out of that blinding rage, Hiranyan hit a pillar in his darbar hall and taunted his son as to whether that Hari is in that pillar.

Vaikunta KaNDeeravan (Hari in the form of Narasimham) jumped in a flash out of that pillar and used His own nails to to tear HiraNyan apart and destroyed the asuran, who had tormented His BhAgavathan, Bhaktha PrahlAdhan. This "adhbhutha Kesari" (Unique and Mysterious Lord with the head of a lion and the body of a Man).

Swamy Desikan salutes this adhbhutha Kesari as "AakaNDam Aadhipurusham, KaNDeerava Vapum upari". Down to the neck, our Lord had the face of a lion and below the neck, He had the body of the Parama Purushan. He destroyed the enemy of His devotee (KuNDithArAthi) for BhAgavathApachArm.

The whole world shuddered at the sight of this rare and frightening Narasimham chasing HiraNyan down the royal hall during that SandhyA Kaalam.This reaction of the citizens of the earth, who were terror stricken at the intensity of the Lord's rage at HiraNyan's offenses is described by Thirumangai as: "amm kaNN Jn~Alam anja". All the people of the world known for its beautiful sites were filled with fear at the sight of the Lord's Ugra form. He appeared out of the very same pillar that HiraNyan hit with cynicism as a matchless Narasinga Roopan ("angu ohr AaLariyAi").