Utsavar SrI RAmar at ThiruppullANi

 

Pallavi:

celimini jalajAkshu gaNTE cepparayyA mIru

Anupallavi

palumAru mrokkedanu dayatO balukarayyA entO

caraNam 1

SaracApamu karamuna niDi merayunayyA entO karuNArasamu niNDina kannulayyA

caraNam 2

jUDa jUDa manasu kaRagE sumukhuDayya bhaktula jADa telisi mATalADE jANuDayya

caraNam 3

SrngAruni bAsi mEnu cikkenayyA hari cengaTa munnE nAmati cikkEnayyA

caraNam 4

nAlOni jAlini balka jAlanayyA hari mIlO mIrE telisi marma miyyaryya

caraNam 5

tyAgarAja sakhuDani dalaturayyA mIru bAguga nAyangalArpu bAparayyA

In his Kokiladvani rAga kriti, "koniyADE nAyeDa dayavelaku", Sri ThyagarAjar asks: "Oh RAma! Why are you behaving so cruelly towards me; You who know my every thought? I have done nothing but sing your praises forever and yet You treat me as if it costs You heavily to show even a little compassion to me! Is this right on Your part?" The kriti vAkyams are as follows:

Pallavi:

koniyADE nAyeDa dayavelaku koniyADE vu sUmi rAma ninu

Anu Pallavi:

anayamu nee sogasunugani pongucu andarangamuna natiprEmatO ninu

In another composition of his in the AandaLi rAgam (which is the janya rAgam for harikhAmbOji); "abhimAnamu lEdEmi nIvabhinaya vacanamulADEdemi", Sri ThyAgarAjar says: "Why has Your love and support to me become so rare and unavailable of late? Why have You stopped Your sweet conversations with me? 'RajU neevani namminAnu' — I trusted You to be my saviour king, so why have You forsaken me now?"

Further in another kriti on kEdAragowlai rAgam, "O JagannAthAyani nE bhilicitE nOyani rArAdA?" Satguru Swami asks: "When I am crying out Your name aloud as 'O JangannAthA!', why do You not appear before me?". In the charaNa vAkyams of this Kriti — "idi vELagAdu yika tALa bOdu, madini neevEgAni maRi gati lEdu" Sri ThyAgarAjar pleads thus — "I do not know of anyone other than You, so please stop testing me like this".

In the kriti "ADamODi galade rAmayya" composed in the MeLakarthA rAgam of chArukEsi, Sri Satguru Swami asks in distress:"ADamODi galade rAmayya mATa, tODu needa neevE yanucu bhakthi.....pAdamu baTTina nAtO mATa" meaning "Oh RAmA! Must You put on an act like this to even talk to me? I have ever thought of You as my dearest friend and have ever served Your sacred feet with utmost devotion. Yet You treat me with contempt and disdain. Is this right on Your part to treat me so? Why are You playing with me thus?"

In the SrI RAga kriti, "yuktamugAdu nannu rakshimpaka yuNDEdi SrI RAma" Sri ThyAgarAjar complains "SrI RAmA! It is not fair on Your part to stand aside and leave me un-protected thus, for no apparent reason!" Similarly in the KannaDa Gowlai rAga kriti, "Oracupuju cEdi nyAyamA? O RaghUttamA neevaNDi vAniki" Swami further develops on the theme of his despair and asks:" Oh RAmA, possessor of the highest form of conduct and character, is it in any way fair on Your part to cast disdainful glances (alatchiya paarvai) at me?"

In two other kritis in the kirNAvaLi rAgam, Sri Satguru swamigal has continued the expression of his feelings of abadonment by BhagavAn. First in the "parAgu neekElara RAma, carAcaramula vasiyincE yO sArasAksha nA panulaNDE yee" meaning "Oh RAmA! Why do You turn Your face away from me? You are the Potency that fills this whole Universe and You are the ParamAtmA — The Supreme God! Yet why do You not care for me?" In the other kiraNAvaLi kriti "yEDi yOcanalu cesEvurA? yeduru balkuvArevaru lerurA" Sri ThyagarAja Swamigal in the spirit of nayakA — nAyaki bhAvam asks in sorrow: "I am an innocent and ignorant girl and probably You have thought that treating me with arrogance and cruelty would not trouble You in any way as there is no one else in this world who would dare to question You on my behalf. Is this justice?"

In the Devakriya RAga kriti, Swami asks: "nATi mATa maRacitivo O RAma cinna" meaning "Oh RAmA! Have You already forgotten the words You spoke to me in love?" Again in the YadukulakhAmbOji rAga kriti; "endha vEDukOnna neeru nAyantuyisu mandha dayalEkayuNDurA", Swami questions the lack of response from bhagavAn saying, "Inspite of me entreating You for ever so long, You show no compassion towards me. Why do You torture me so unjustly?"

In this way, Saint ThyAgarAja expressed in many moving kritis, his deep bhakthi and love for bhagavAn. The intense pain felt by him as evidenced in his kritis, when he felt that his prANa nAthan, Sri RAmachandramUrthy was distant and uncaring, echo the same overwhelming avirAha bhakthi felt by Thirumangai Mannan who assumed the role of ParakAla nAyaki and spoke of her dismay at being ignored by her Lord, ThiruppullANi nAthan.

We have so far seen the outpourings of Satguru Sri ThyAgarAja SwamigaL and now let us focus on the initial ten pAsurams in praise of ThiruppullANi nAthan by Kaliyan from the Ninth Decad of Periya Thirumozhi.

 

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PERIYA THIRUMOZHI

Thirumangai AzhwAr

Ninth Decad of 3^rd Thirumozhi

 

Pasuram 1

thannai naivikkilEn val vinaiyEn thozhudum ezhu,
ponnai naivikkum appoon cerunthi maNa neezhalvAy,
ennai naiviththu ezhil koNdu aganRa perumAnidam,
punnai muththam pozhil soozhndhu azhagAya pullaaNiyE. 9.3.1

Meaning:

Thirumangai Mannan talks to his mind and says, "Oh my mind! I am the repository of all sins yet am unable to end my own evil existence. The Lord of ThiruppullANi and I enjoyed blissful union under the leaves of the golden hued punnai tree. But after fulfilling His desire, He has now left my side and gone in hiding at the ThiruppullANi Temple where the Punnai Tree puts forth pearl like buds for the enjoyment of the ThiruppullAni nAthan. Let us now prostrate to Him at this Temple".

Sri ThyAga Brahmam too in his mArgahindOLa kriti, "calamelarA? SAketa rAma!" sings in sorrow, unable to bear being ignored by Sri RAmachandramUrthy for a long time. He says:" Oh SAketa RAmA! Why are You so angry with me? Where shall I go and what must I do to win back Your love? I am alone and without support in this world! Who shall I appeal to against Your cruelties to me? Must precious time be wasted on such cunning acts? Oh! I am unable to bear Your rejection a moment longer!" the kriti vAkyams are as follows:

Pallavi:

calamelarA? SAketa rAmA!

caraNam:

endu bodu nenEmi sEyudunu?
yEccoTane morabeTTudunu?
dandanalato proddu povalEnA?
tALaka jAlarA tyAgarAjanuta!

 

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Pasuram 2

urugi nenjE! ninaindu ingu irunden? thozhudum ezhu,
murugu vaNduN malark kaidaiyin neezhalil munnorunaaL,
perugu kAdanmai ennuLLam eydap pirindAn idam,
porudu munneerk karaikkE maNi undhu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.2

Meaning:

In the second pAsuram Kaliyan says:"Oh my mind! What is the use of melting like the dew drops at sunrise after the Lord has deserted me? Long ago my Lord gladdened my heart with His presence near the screw-pine bushes (taAz p<taf) where we enjoyed each other's company. But He soon left me, preferring rather reside in the ThiruppullANi kshetram where the ocean waves deposit precious gems on the shores! Oh my mind! Please meditate on this kshetram and be at peace!"

 

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Pasuram 3

Edu seydAl maRakkEn manamE! thozhudum ezhu,
thAdu malgu thaDam soozh pozhil thAzhvar thoDarndu, pin
pEdai ninaip piriyEn ini enRu aganRaan idam,
pOdu naaLum kamazhum pozhil soozhnda pullaaNiyE. 9.3.3

Meaning:

In the third pAsuram, Thirumangai Mannan says: "Oh my mind! What can I do to forget this great injustice done by Him? He Who abandoned me after playing with me under the shades of the Punnai Tree and the screw-pine bushes, came back another time and called me a silly girl. In an enchanting garden filled with fragrant flower-beds and fountains, He made false promises that He would never ever leave me again. But soon after that, He asked me to leave ahead of Him and said that He would follow. Confident of having obtained His love back again, I got distracted by my arrogance and taking that opportunity He cheated me again and ran back to His ThiruppullANi which is full of the fragrance of the sweet smelling flowers that bloom there. Oh my mind! Please worship that place which has such divine lustre."

 

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Pasuram 4

kongu uN vaNdE kariyAga vandAn kodiyERku, mun
nangaLeesan namakkE paNiththa mozhi seydilan
mangai nallAy! thozhudum ezhu pOy avan mannum oor,
pongu munneerk karaikkE maNiyundu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.4

Meaning:

In the fourth Paasuram, Thirumangai Mannan as ParakAla NAyaki, addresses her friend as "mangai nallAi — mgfAk nlflayf" and proceeds to tell the ways in which her Lord cheated her. ParakAla Nayaki says "Since the honeybees were the only witnesses to the times when my Lord JagannAthan stayed with me, He has now easily betrayed His promises and abandoned me! He can now even say that He has never stayed with me at all! Except for the honey-bees there were no other witnesses for our union, so, Oh my dear friend! my situation is very pitiable indeed! To relieve me of this trouble, let us both pray to the BhagavAn Who now resides in ThiruppullANi, the shores of which are studded by the diamonds beached on the sands by the waves."

 

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Pasuram 5

uNaril uLLam sudumAl vinaiyEn thozhudum ezhu,
thuNari nAzhal naRumpOdhu nam soozh kuzhal peydu, pin
thaNaril aavi thaLarum ena anbu thandAn iDam,
puNari Odham paNilam maNiyundu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.5

Meaning:

In the fifth paasuram Thirumangai Mannan says: "I must have done some terrible sins in past lives. Why else would the Lord of ThiruppullANi (who decorated my hair with the fragrant flowers of the Kongu trees and promised me that should we ever part; both our lives would surely end) abandon me? The very thought of His cunning ways makes me very angry. But still, oh my mind! Let us bow down in prayer to that divya ThiruppullANi kshetram of my absent Lord where the ocean waves deposit conch shells and strange pearls and beads on the sands."

Sri ThyAga Brahmam also expresses similar sentiments in His ghaNDa rAga kriti, "innALLu nannEli"in which he says: "Oh my Lord! You abandoned me after giving false promises about not staying alive if You were ever parted from me! You protected me all this while and asked me to follow You, but where have You gone now? How is it fair that an honest person like You who gives succor to all is uncaring to me?"

 

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Pasuram 6

eLgi nenjE! ninaindu ingu irunden? thozhudum ezhu,
vaLLal mAyan maNivaNNan emmAn maruvum iDam,
kaL avizhum malarkkAviyum thoomaDal kaidaiyum,
puLLum aLLal pazhanangaLum soozhnda pullaaNiyE. 9.3.6

Meaning:

In the sixth paasuram Thirumangai Mannan asks his mind in despair: "eLgi nenjE ninaindhu ingu irundhen?" meaning "Oh my mind! What is the use of always thinking about EmperumAn and wasting away in this place by constantly being lost in His divya soundharyam?" Next he says "VaLLal mAyan maNivaNNan emmAn maruvumiDam thozhu" thereby instructing His mind to meditate on the place where his Lord MAyan MaNivaNNan is now residing. After that he further adds the sthala visesham of ThiruppullANi, "kaL avizhum malarkkAviyum, thoomaDal kaithaiyum, puLLum, aLLal pazhanangaLum soozhndha pullANiyE" meaning "Oh my mind! Meditate on my Lord's ThiruppullANi kshetram where honey-filled senkazhuneer flowers, white petaled thAzham flowers, birds, fertile earth and other wealth abounds."

 

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Pasuram 7

paravi nenjE! thozhudum ezhu pOy avan pAlamAy,
iravum naaLum inikkaN thuyilAdu irundu enpayan?
viravi muththam neduveN maNal mEl koNdu, veN thirai
puravi ennap pudham seydu vandu undu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.7

Meaning:

In the seveth paasuram, ParakAla NAyaki tries to calm her wandering mind by saying:"Oh what is the use of pining away for the union with the Lord of ThiruppullANi? To forget the pain of His absence, please meditate on the ThiruppullANi kshetram where the ocean waves come crashing on the shores like gallopping horses and deposit white sand and clear pearls on the beaches. This is where my Lord resides and meditation on this would only bring forth goodness."

In a similar vein to the worried prattle of ParakAla Nayaki where she lost sleep by imagining terrible things and was hurt by her SvAmi's apparent cruelty to her, Sri ThyAgarAja SwamigaL also in his Huseni rAga kriti, "RAma RAma sItARamaNa pApaharaNa" tells of how he suffered from losing himself in the divya saundharyam of SrI RAmachandra mUrthy. In this kriti he bursts forth in plaintive cries caused by the separation from his SvAmi and says: "Oh SeethARamaNA! The possessor of the most captivating smile that displays beautiful set of teeth that are like the fragrant jasmine buds, isn't it a blemish on Your greatness if You continue to ignore me thus? I do nothing but sing Your praises and love none but You, so how much longer do I have to fight for Your love? Who has poisoned Your mind against me? Are You so drunk on Your immense wealth and fame, that You are now arrogantly casting me away? Why are You so aloof? Is it just on Your part to hurt me so? I am utterly dejected by Your lack of love and can bear this no longer! Can You not for once show some compassion for me? Is it such a burden to extend Your lovely hands towards me in support? Are You not moved by my deplorable state where I can neither sleep at day nor night and am going mad with my love for You! Will You not hear my cries? Are there no Elders here who could speak on my behalf and reprimand You for Your callous behaviour! Why are we having this fight? Ammamma! It must be my karmaphalan (evil deeds done in the past) that has made You act in this way."

 

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Pasuram 8

alamum aazhip padaiyum udaiyAr namakku anbarAy,
salamadAgith thagavonRilar nAm thozhudum ezhu,
ulavu kAlnal kazhiyOngu thaN paimpozhiloodu, isai
pulavu kAnal kaLivaNDinam pADu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.8

Meaning:

In the eighth paasuram, ParakAla NAyaki says:"The EmperumAn of ThiruppullANi seduced me with false promises and now behaves with utter contempt and disdain towards me, which hurts me very much. Oh my mind! He who carries the Disc (chakram) in one hand and the plough (halAyudham, kalappai) in the other hand resides permanently in His Temple near the shores where people who suffer from the agonies of separation from their loved ones re-unite. A gentle fragrant breeze always flows through the marshy groves and fertile gardens of this sthalam. The busy bees get attracted by the many fragrances wafting thru the air and whizz around hither and thither in that place. Oh my mind! So please constantly engage in prayerful thoughts on this charming ThiruppullANi kshetram."

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Pasuram 9

Odhi nAmam kuLiththu ucchi thannAl, oLi mAmalar
pAdam naaLum paNivOm namakkE nalam aadalin,
aadhu thArAn enilum tharum, anRiyum anbarAy
pOdhum mAdE! thozhudum avan mannu pullaaNiyE. 9.3.9

Meaning

In the ninth pAsuram, ParakAla NAyaki reconciles with her present situation and tells her friend:"Oh my friend! Let bygones be bygones! From now on into the future let us continue to perform the prescribed duties (dharmAnushTAnams) without fail due to which our sins will be decimated and we will accrue puNyams! Let us become fit to receive His blessings and proximity by worshipping the divya kshetram of ThiruppullANi."

Thirumangai Mannan advices us all; through this paasuram, to not give up on the observances and practices of dharmA (dharmAnushTAnams) just because we think that BhagavAn does not care for us or has abandoned us.

"naaLum kuLitthu nAmam Odhi oLi mAmalar pAdam ucchi thannAl vaNanguvOm": Thirumangai Mannan stipulates the steps one should take to receive EmperumAn's blessings. 1) We should get up in the pre-dawn hours, 2) take the prescribed bath, 3) perform ArAdanam to Him chanting His divya nAmas and 4) prostrate at the shining Lotus Feet of EmperumAn in total surrender.

"namakke nalam aadhalil": Keeping to these observances are indeed beneficial to us, says Thirumangai Mannan. Even if BhagavAn stubbornly refuses to answer our prayers, the very performance of the anushTAnams (like snAnams, vratams, nAma sankeerthanams etc) will bear auspicious results of their own. In accordance to Srimad Bhagavad Geetha vaakyam "karmaNyevAdikaraste mA phaleshu kadAcana" we should assume the attitude of karma yogis and pray at the sacred place of ThiruppullANi.

 

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Pasuram 10

ilangu muththum pavaLak kozhundum ezhilthAmarai,
pulangaL muRRum pozhilsoozhnthu azhagAya pullaaNimEl
kalangal illaap pugazhAn kaliyan olimAlai,
valankoL thoNdarkku iDamAvadhu pADil vaikunthamE. (2) 9.3.10

Meaning:

In the final paasuram of the 3rd Thirumozhi of the 9th Decad of Periya Thirumozhi, Thirumangai Mannan assures us that those who come in contact with these ten paasurams written by him on ThiruppullAni, would be forever rid of all troubles and sorrows and attain residence in SrI VaikuNTham without fail. Kaliyan says that he has no doubts (kalakkam or sandeham) about the same. He says that the sheer bewitching beauty of EmperumAn's ThiruppullANi kshetram, where every nook and cranny is decorated with pearls and tendrils of coral creepers and where many beautiful ponds and lakes filled with beautiful lotuses can be seen, kindled the desire in him to eulogise the sthalam with sweet paasurams. Those that read these sacred paasurams daily or understand the deeper meanings of the verses and teach the same to others thereby creating a link to these paasurams, will never be targeted by any sorrow again and will definitely find a place at EmperumAn's Supreme Abode — Parama Padam.