Another View of Thiru TheRRiyambalam Temple Entrance

 

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ThirumangaiyAzhwAr

 

PAASURAM 1

maaRRarasar maNimudiyum thiRalum thEsum,
maRRavartham kaathalimaar kuzhaiyum, thanthai
kaal thaLaiyum udan kazhala vanthu thOnRik,
kathanaagam kaaththaLittha kaNNar kaNDeer,
nooRRithazhKoL aravintham nuzhaintha paLLatthu,
iLankamugiNn muthupaaLai paguvaay naNDin,
chERRaLaiyil veNmuththam sinthu naangoorth,
thiruttheRRiyambalatthu yenchengaNmaalE. (4.4.1)

MEANING:

Oh people of the world! Please do not worry anymore about locating that most merciful One, who rescued the weary and weak Gajendran, who had fought many years with the crocodile, which grabbed his foot and tried to bring him (Gajendran) under water to feast on him. Please do not wander around anymore looking for the place of residence of the Lord, who destroyed the Balam, ParAkramam and Iswaryam of the ill-intentioned DuryOdhana and his retinue.

 

Thiru TheRRiyambalam Temple Entrance

 

Please do not waste any further time on finding where the Lord is, who made the sankalpam to lighten the load of BhUmi Devi by destroying the dushta janams populating the earth at the time of His birth in the prison of Kamsan; He shattered the handcuffs and leg-cuffs that held down His parents by merely looking at them immediately after His birth. Please do not search anymore for the exact location of His abode. This lotus-eyed Lord of all (KaNNar) enjoyed by adiyEn can be seen and worshipped by you right here at ThiruttheRRiyambalam amidst the pearls ejected by the ripe shoots of Kamugu tree that find their resting place inside the holes, where the crabs have made their homes by the edge of the irrigated fields.

 

COMMENTARY:

The SenthAmarai KaNNan’s eyes are soft and beautiful like the lotus flower. The longing (anurAgam) and the deeply felt affection for those who sought His refuge (Aasritha VyAmOham) are revealed by the SenthAmaraikkaNNan as He engages in His Yoga nidhra.

Thirumangai hails SenkaNNmAl in the spirit of the Purusha Sooktha mantram (VedAhamEtham Purusham–Naanya: panTA: vidhyathE ayanAya): “I know this Purusha Sriman Narayana (at TheRRiyambalam), who is the great, brilliant like Sun and who is beyond and above the primordial matter. He who knows this ParamAthman thus becomes immortal here alone in this birth itself. There is no other path for liberation (Moksham)”. Thirumangai invites all of us to come to this dhivya dEsam, enjoy Him and offer our worship.

 

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PAASURAM 2

poRRodith thOLmadamagaLthan vadivu KoNda,
pollaathavan pEychchi Kongai vaangi,
peRReduththa thaaypOla maduppa, aarum
pENaa nanchundu uhantha piLLai kaNDeer,
neRRoduththa malarneelam niRaintha soozhal,
irunchiRaiya vaNDoliyum nedum kaNaartham,
chiRRadimEl silampoliyum mizhaRRu naangoorth,
thiruttheRRiyambalatthu yensengaNmaalE. (4.4.2)

MEANING:

The infant killer, Poothanai, dressed herself up with golden bangles all the way upto her shoulder, acted as the most charming and modest lady in whom all the aathma guNams have taken abode and arrived at the side of the cradle, where BalakrishNan was pretending as though He was sleeping. He made note of the ill intentioned devil Poothanai's arrival and went along with her efforts to breast feed Him as though she was the mother, who gave birth to Him. Our Lord accepted the offer of the breast by her, sucked the poisonous milk flowing out of her breast and at the same time sucked her life also through the act of Breast feeding. At this dhivya dEsam, where the Lord put an end to Poothanai’s life, one hears the sweet sound of the bells on the ankle jewelry of young ladies with beautiful eyes extending almost to their Ears (nedu kaNAr tamm siRu adi mEl silampu oliyum mizhirrum Thiru-TheRRiyambalam). Here, the honey bees with big wings fly around performing Hari Naama sankeerthanam (iru siRaya vaNDu oliyum mizhaRRum ThirutheRRiyambalam) in and around fields of rice paddy intertwined with creepers bearing karuneythal blossoms (nel thoduttha malar neelam niRaintha soozhal). Here the Lord, who is happy over His effective act of sucking the life out of the deceitful infant killer, Poothanai is seen (nanju uNDu uhanatha PiLLai KaNDeer).Oh BhakthAs! Please come and enjoy His dhivya ThirumEni.

 

COMMENTARY:

Srimath NaarAyaNeeyam devotes two Dasakams for PoothanA samhaaram and Her Moksham as a result of her contact (sambhandham) with the Lord’s body. She placed Baala KrishNan on her lap to breast feed Him. She gave her sthanam (breast) to the Lord for sthanya paanam (breast feeding). That was sufficient reason for her to gain moksham in spite of her ill intentioned act to kill the “infant” KrishNa.

NandagOpan and the other gopaas burnt the body of the raakshasi Poothanai and as her body burned, it exuded fragrant smells as a result of the Bhagavath anga Sambhandham. Srimath NaarAyaNeeya slokam (Dasakam 41.4) reveals this tatthvam through the Lord’s own words:

madanga-sangasya phalam na dhoorE
kshaNEna tAvat bhavatAmapi syAt |
ithyullapan vallava-tallajEbhya: tvam
pootanAmAtanuthA: sugandhim ||

MEANING:

For those, who touch my limbs or see my dhivya MangaLa vigraham, Moksham is not far away. It will be realized in this janmaa itself. Oh GuruvAyUrappa! Did you not reveal this truth to the fortunate gopa janams through making PoothAnA’s cremated body exude most enjoyable fragrance? (GuruvAyUrappan responded affirmatively to NaarAyaNa Bhattadhiri’s question with a nod of His head).

GuruvAyurappan SriVeli (Courtesy: Sri.A.Srikanth) [picture]

 

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PAASURAM 3

padaladaintha siRukurambai nuzhainthu pukkup,
pasuVeNNai pathamaarap paNNai muRRum,
adaladarththa vERkaNNaar thOkkai paRRi,
alanthalaimai seythuzhalum aiyan kaNDeer,
madaleduththa nedunthengin pazhankal veezha,
maankanigaL thiratturuttaa aruneerp Ponni,
thidaleduththu malar sumanthankizhiyu naangoorth,
thiruttheRRiyambalatthu yensengaNmaalE. (4.4.3)

MEANING:

At this dhivya dEsam presides the navaneetha chOran, who entered in to big houses as well as little huts to steal fresh navaneetham. He made this act of stealing fresh VeNNai as His livelihood and sneaked at nights into the houses of the Gopis. As He roamed around, the Gopis with long, spear like eyes wondered as to where He was going and what mischief He was going to engage in. KaNNan tagged on to the tip of their saris to disarm them from their worries and escaped into unoccupied little huts to persevere with His favorite past time of stealing and consuming VeNNai anywhere and everywhere.

Tagging on to the saris of the Gopis and pulling them, He loosened their saris and subjected them to all kinds of troubles and enjoyed His own wanton acts. This Lord of all (Sarva Swami/aiyyan) roamed across the entire colony of Gopis and entered small huts to big houses (paNNai muRRum padal adaittha siRu kurambai nuzhainthu pukku) to locate and consume freshly churned butter (pasum veNNai padham aara uzhalum aiyyan).

The fast flowing river Cauveri recognizes Him as her Swamy as well and brings as her tribute mangoes, coconuts and colorful flowers in her wonderful pravAham (madal eduttha nedu tengin pazhankaL veezha, maankanikaL tirattu urutA aru neer Ponni tidal edutthu, malar sumarnthu izhiyum naangUr ThiruttheRRiyambalamE).

The many kinds of samarpaNams brought down by the swift flowing river Cauvery for Her Lord, the butter thief are visualized beautifully by Kaliyan. He invites us to have the sevai of this Lord at the Dhivya dEsam of ThirunAngUr ThirutheRRiyamabalam.