AzhwArs – glories and history

 

Thirumangai AzhwAr

 

 

thirunakshathram: kArthigai, kArthigai

 

avathAra sthalam: thirukkuraiyalUr

 

AchAryan: vishwaksEnar, thirunaRaiyUr nambi, thriukkaNNapuram sauri perumAL

 

Sishyas: His brother-in-law iLayAzhwAr, parakAla sishyar, nIrmEl nadappAn, thALUthuvAn,thOrA vazhakkan, nizhalil maRaivAn, uyarath thonguvAn,

 

Works: periya thirumozhi, thirukkuRunthANdagam, thiruvezhukkURRirukkai, siriya thirumadal,periya thirumadal, thiruneduNthANdagam

 

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AzhwArs – glories and history Place where he attained paramapadham: thirukkuRungudi

 

periyavAchAn piLLai ’s introduction to thirumangai AzhwAr brings out the essence sAsthram, i.e., emperumAn out of his causeless mercy reforms AzhwAr and thereby uplifts many jIvAthmAs through him. Let us see that now.

 

thirumangai AzhwAr had kept his AthmA (himself) in the hot sun and the body in the pleasing shadow. Keeping AthmA in hot sun means not engaging in bhagavath vishayam (spiritual matters) and keeping body in pleasing shadow means being attached to materialistic aspirations since time immemorial and having that as the goal in life. The real shadow is

 

bhagavath vishayam only as it is said in “vAsudhEva tharuch chAyA” (

 

) meaning vAsudhEvan (krishNan) is the real shadow giving tree. He is the

 

original/only pleasing tree which gives shadow that pleases us everywhere and all the time, This shadow can destroy any thApam (anguish) and is neither too hot nor too cold. Because thirumangai AzhwAr was very attached to vishyAntharam (material aspirations) which were pleasing to the eyes, emperumAn diverts his attachment from vishayAntharam to the many dhivyadhEsams and archAvathAra emperumAns who are most pleasing to the eyes and makes his mind fully fixed on archAvathAra emperumAns and gives him full anubhavam that AzhwAr cannot sustain himself without seeing emperumAn even for a moment. Further more, emperumAn converts him to be at the stage of nithyas/mukthas while he is here in this samsAram, develops his urge to reach paramapadham and ultimately benedicts him with paramapadha prApthi also.

 

AzhwAr understands that “ emperumAn only looked for AzwAr’s adhvEsham (that is bhagavAn is trying to help jIvAthmA every moment and jIvAthmA is rejecting his help since time immemorial, the moment jIvAthmA stops rejecting, that is enough for emperumAn to uplift the jIvAthmA – this adhvEsham is explained as adhikAri visEshaNam meaning a natural attribute of the jIvAthmA) and the limitations of material aspirations to reform AzhwAr, AzhwAr’s taste for material aspirations as the key (and diverted that taste towards emperumAn) and AzhwAr’s sins from time immemorial as the target of emperumAn’s mercy and blessed AzhwAr by first revealing the thirumanthram and emperumAn’s svarUpa (true nature), rUpa (forms), guNa (divine qualities) and vibhUthi (wealth)”. AzhwAr being overwhelmed by these favours of emperumAn, at once starts glorifying thirumanthram in his periya thirumozhi out of gratitude. It is the svarUpam of chith (sentient beings) to manifest the knowledge and insentient being devoid of knowledge cannot appreciate anything. Thus to demonstrate his gratitude and glorify emperumAn’s archAvathArams, AzhwAr sings these many divine prabhanahdams.

 

Thus periyavAchAn piLLai establishes the nirhEthuka krupai (causeless mercy) of emperumAn and upAya sUnyathvam (devoid of performing any positive act to get the mercy of emperumAn) of AzhwAr in this vyAkyAna avathArikai. But once AzhwAr was divinely blessed by emperumAn, his attachment towards emperumAn becomes unparallel as he himself declares in periya thirumozhi 4.9.6 – “NummadiyArOdum okka enNnNiyiruththIr adiyEnai”

 

() – “dont consider me likeother adiyArs”.

 

 

We have already seen more of periyavAchAn piLLai ’s glorification of AzhwAr and

 

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