a&ualgux 6»xw¥eouxe%gj .                            8

I worshipped the glorious and hallowed feet of Bhutat Azhwar who produced, for our sake, the sweet nectar of mellifluous poetry, beginning 'Anbe thagali', and was born in the famous 'Thirukkadal Mallai' blessed with a profusion of pearls- so my cycle of birth and rebirth may cease.

This 'thanian' was composed by Sri Thirukkurugai Piran Pillar, a disciple of Sri Ramanuja.The greatness of the Azhwar's beautiful feet is that seeking refuge in them will surely cut through the vicious circle

of tsamsa'ra'.

The ’thanian' then describes the benevolence bestowed on us by this Azhwar, in gifting us the precious and priceless garland of verses beginning 'Anbe thagali '. The Azhwar himself refers to his work as ' sa g;A' ( 1)and 'penance' (74). In the end, the invocation speaks about the hoary fame of the Azhwar's birth place ' set

 

a›&& '. It is referred to as '         @'. It is richly endowed with fame,first because of the presence of the presiding deity of the shrine there, who bears the appellation 'gi                  sa;ii                              after',the  Lord Who is reclining on the ground ', and second the Azhwar's association with the place. It is also 'fig;ii                      &aair C+                     ñ n›a›si›&'that is a cornucopia of cool pearls and other precious gems, washed ashore by the waves of the ocean. As another Azhwar Sri Thirumangai Mannan describes it, it is 'o            meet fia›st› err Mqgnñ',(H HI           - 3.5.8.). The pearls also refer to the galaxy of devotees of the Lord who are of inestimable value like pearls and diamonds. Refer to Swami Nammazhwar's

phrase 'Q e6lei & 61 ma›  dl   Co ñ  ñ   Js g'

Jenna 61st - 5.8.9). Later in the work, Bhutat Azhwar takes great pride in calling it 'gin(yeir ñ nnnsi›K',(70). Swami Nammazhwar hails the greatness of such devotees as Bhuta Piran in

 

Such devotees are even more exalted than 'nithyasuris'.

It has been averred by scholars that the Mudhal Azhwars represented,in the mystic experiences they articulated in their works,different states of their love of the Divine or 'bhakthi.' Thus Sri Poigai Piran conjured up a mental vision of the Divine as the Supreme Master of the phenomenal universe by virtue of His 'Ubhaya Vlbhuthi' iii his 'nididhya'sana' or 'parabhakthi' state. This is perfected bhakthi attained after constant upa'sana or meditation enabling intuitive actualisation or 'ma'nasa- sa'ksha'tka'ra.' Sri Bhutat Azhwar, in his Thiruvandha'dhi, internalises that frame and conceptualises his experience in the form of the soul's instinctive yearning for a vision of the Divine as expressed in its various states of love,longing, and anguish. This is the 'parajna'na' marked by glimpses of the divine vision followed with joy during communion with God and anguish during separation from Him. The continued

 

longing to perpetuate that experience leads to the climax of the spiritual quest which is the state of 'parama-bhakthi', the actualisation in the form of a direct, comprehensive,and eternal commmunion with the Divine presence. The youngest of the Mudhal Azhwars, Sri Pei Azhwar exemplifies this last state in his experience.Sri Ramanuja has employed these terms for the first time in his Sarana'gathi-gadyam,on the basis of the mystic experiences of the Azhwars, with this prayer, 'Parabhakthi, Parajna'na, Paramabhaktheka-Svabha'vam Ma’m Kurushva '. ’Please make me eternally of the very nature of these three stages of'bhakthi'. Even in the Land of perpetual Bliss,' parajna'na' and 'paramabhakthi' have to be prayed for.The experience there is, such that though it may go on for ever, the aspects experienced are but an infinitesimal part of the unexperienced, the Vedantic 'Paripu’rna-Brahma'nubhava'. Hence it is, that Shastra's describe 'para- bhakthi etc. as aids to self- realisation.Sri Krishna says, 'Bhakthya'tu Ananyaya’ Sakyo Aham Evamvidha' una' I 'Gya'thum ashtum, ca' Tathvena Praveshtum ca' Paranthapa' II, (Bhagavad Gita 11-54). 'Ananyabhakthi' is bhakthi that is totally fixed on the Lord, or as Sri Poigai Piran puts it, '

 

cum Q -67) As Vishnu Puranam declares,'          CgiWp,

mQ mCg can, g                    s           .'( 6-5-87 ). ’That by which the ‘param' which is flawless, pure, unparalleled, is grasped, perceived and attained is wisdom. Everythingelse is ignorance.'

 

In dwelling on 'sv›suuii           r'........' prior', Poigai Piran establishes the truth that Sriman Narayana is the Master non-pareil of the whole universe, the Supreme Intelligence and Power behind its myriad worlds, beings and things.Immersed in his 'parajna'na', Sri Bhutat Azhwar starts his Thiruvandhadhi, with the words, 'ACu Qn', and ends it on the note 'origin q', his heart and thoughts soaked in bliss divine, his mind absorbed in yogic vision of the Lord. Sri Pei Azhwar, opening his Thiruvandhadhi

 

 

exultingly, with the words, '  ñasriiCnni, 6lmsnC Cnsir', reaches the very acme of actualisation of the 'unwinding' state.

Sri Desika's Invocation

Swami Desikan,in his Tamil Work 'Prabhanda Sa'ram', has dedicated the following verse to Sri Bhutat Azhwar.

 

 

augeflmgQs@@u au QugAeflwx6a

 

Thou Sentinel of Kadalmallai, thou Royal highness Bhuta, descended into this world under the star Avittam in Aippasi, Who congenially took shelter, as one of the incomparable trinity, in a corridor on a bluskry night in Thirukkovalu’r, when unobtrusively Lord Narayana wedged in amidst thee and thou lighted the ever-shining lamp in a hundred verses starting 'Anbe' thagali’. I pray to thee to bless me with that.

Sri Bhutat Azhwar who was second in line in the Mudhal Azhwar trinity, the others being Sri Poigai Piran who preceded him by a day, and Sri Pei Azhwar who followed him after a day, all born in the same Tamil month of ‘Aippasi', is believed to have been an incarnation of Sriman Narayana’s mace. In this verse, Swami Desikan refers to the episode of the three Azhwars coming together for the first time in a dark, damp corridor of a house on a stormy night in the town of Thirukkovalur. As they stood there sharing their experiences on their peregrinations to various divya desa’s, Sriman Narayana eager to savour their sagely company and experiences, materialised in their midst literally crowding in on them in the confined space. Then the Azhwars curious to find the reason behind

 

the sudden feeling of pressure amidst them in the narrow passage, realised that the fourth person was none other than Narayana in the compariy of His Divine Consort Maha'lakshmi. Each of them then spontaneously broke out in song ‘describing their individual experiences.Sri Bhutat Azhwar lit the inner spiritual lamp, visualising his love for the Lord as the flame. In the resultant light of self- awakening, the self melted and dissolved in the Lord. Swami Desikan prays for the Azhwar's blessing in the form of his garland of verses.Swami Desikan has composed a hymn 'Sri Dehaleesa SNthi' ( 'dehali' in Samskrit means a narrow corridor), in praise of the presiding Deity of this divya-desa, Lord Trivikrama. The Lord Who, in an earlier age had blessed sage Mrigandu here appearing for him, with His ' Sankha" and ' Chakra" transposed in His right hand and left hand respectively, appears here in this 'dehali' which is the sanctum,among others, in the company of the sage and the three Azhwars. In this hymn, Swami Desikan calls the Mudhal Azhwars,' niisun mnm Conn pmpne  +m  naff yn : ', ' the insuperable masters of poetry endowed with pure thoughts who have for their two eyes Vedic learning and yogic vision ’, and their poetry, ' eñCp   uJp  uJo;ii                 mJiiACp Ju '- light lit with the ghee of pure love and wick of impeccably perfect 'sa'thvik’ state.

 

 

                                                            1

 

With love as the lamp,deep yearning as the butter oil, and thoughts soaked in bliss divine as the wick, I lit a sparkling spiritual light --where the self melted and dissolved—for Narayana, and composed this inspired Tamil poem illumined by that light.

Sri Bhutat Azhwar begins his prayer by affirming in this pasuram that the spiritual light that he has ignited is the outcome of his love for the Lord, (the lamp in his imagery) his deep inner yearning for Him, (the butter oil used to light lamps in Tamil homes and temples ) and thoughts filled with Him ( the wick ). AzhwWs metaphor is a beautiful imagery of how the substratum of bhakthi, (the lamp) has evolved in him to a state of 'para-bhakthi', ( butter oil)- the 'upa'dha'na' cause of the spiritual chemistry in making. That yearning lubricates the spiritual experience, ( the wick)that is suffused with the joy and glory of'bhagavad vishayam’. The crowning point of the experience is the effulgence of light that engulfs the spirit in a state of 'parajna'nam'. The jiva'thma swarupa lakshanam' is the jna'nanandhaikagunam'. '        pJig axueri ein;ñm CaC  n      m;iinp:declare the Upabrahmanas. As Brahmasutram states, (2-3-29) -g

eony;iimn;ñ g;ñ fimMgr:',the jiva'thma" is referred to synonymously as ' jna'na', consciousness, since the essence of Jiva'thma" is that. Azhwar describes this spiritual experience as 'Jb& ‹ 1 ' to mean that the jiva'thma" melted but the inner consciousness remained, (the state ofi parajna'nam') in the bliss of 'bhagavad anubhavam'. It is a state

 

beyond sense perception described by Swami Nammazhwar, as' menu  ñ ñ ñ  ' ( 61a-men-34). It is a state where the soul described by Sri Krishna as 'eqn Cmn mzñCa›;iiCmn',( Gita 2-24) —'that cannot be burnt or wetted ' — melted for the Azhwar. That verily is the extra-ordinary effect of 'bhagavad guna's '. Sri Bhutat Azhwar proudly proclaims his poem as ' mJ '. Not only is it set in mellifluous Tamil, it also imparts true knowledge of Sriman Narayana. The light that the Azhwar ignites in the process dispels the darkness surrounding the self in the shape of ' ajna'nam'.

 

In a striking parallel, Swami Nammazhwar echoes the same experience in his line, 'in            nc-J                       menu off                        CpJm  mgsunip'  (Q                eund@mñ-2).' The

yearning to adorn the head with the lotus Feet of the Lord melted my soul into a state of overpowering love'. Sri Nammazhwar also uses the word ' off ' to depict the meltdown of his inner self, signifying the concomitant presence of’parabhakthi, parajna'nam, and parama-bhakthi' anubhava'.

 

 2

If only we recite Narayana's names in a state of pwe love born out of inner realisation of His 'svarupa'and 'vibhuti', and ourrelationship to Him, that will surely elevate us to the level of our spritual kinfolk,the celestial beings of Sri Vaikuntaeternally blessed to servethe Lord.

— Names that uniquely refer to Narayana such as Vishnu, Hari, Rama, Krishna etc. Apart from these, there are names that refer to His manifestations like Brahma, Rudhra, Indra etc. Azhwar says m , which is the high ground of abiding love for the Lord.

in mJg oñQujñ nits  p  onN @ soJ m v Eqn : ’.' There is no shastra' nor order for a person with boundless love for the Lord '.               tan&1   refers to the 'nithyasuris'. ’ 3J i•• aa <•i-• @nn           yn O;iiCmeuend J   ' 'Always paying obeisance to Narayana, in a staR of bliss and repeating namah.' Azhwar says that

they are our real kinfolk, not Indra or the devas.

 

 

 

 

They who are devoted to the sacred Feet of the Lord of Milk Ocean with offerings of fragrant flowers will reach His abode of Vaikunta of replendent beauty that is beyond the reach of even the denizens of high heaven.

 

  - 'The devotion ( sa'dhya bhakthi ) of a ' prapanna'. As the Azhwar has, in the previous pasuram mentioned 'ji;sir ' to mean 'svarupajna'na', the devotion implied by his term ' ' here, is that which has for its goal the Lord's feet. Azhwar calls the Lord's abode as 'Siyneiisu CA&1 ', that is 'parama pada ' which is only heard of by the celestials, not seen.

' SJ &  1  5    D **M  D *       7 ' I St 50

:    u 'II (e0 1.9.55).' That which

the devas, sages, I ( Brahma ) or Samara, do not know of, is the abode of Vishnu, the Lord of all beings.' Hence they are not 'sa'dhya devas' for us. The 'sa'dhya devas are 'nithya suris’. ' in y @Cm nurse: end Cger :', says Purusha Suktham. It is a great wonder that the 'parama- pada' which is difficult to reach even for those beings in high heaven who have done ' sa'dha'na' ' for the same for a long time, is within the easy grasp of a simple 'prapanna' who looks on the Lord as 'The way'. That is because the celestial beings like the devas lack the knowledge of the 'prapanna' of our ties to the Lord.

 

 

                                                                 4

 

 

 

 

Carvingout my heartas a citadel, setting thereon my pearl- like love like a fresh bouquet of flowers, embellished with desire for closeness and togetherness like diamond and saphire, I offered my devotion as a lotus to the LordWho carrieson Hischest Goddess Lakshmi, prostrating to hisFeet.

 

Sri Bhuthat Azhwar visualises his heart as a citadel he has erected for Narayana. Swami Nammazhwar uses the same imagery in his phrase ' Hp@vCm Jsiip@ '. The heart is the well-spring of love which is pure like pearl. In an evolved state, love matures to the tone and timber of an experience of our binding association with the Lord and His countless 'kalya'na guna’s', which fzll the heart with overflowing desire for His proximity and union. This is like precious stones embedded on a bouquet of fresh flowers. In a further evolution, this love blossoms further and attains the state of'parajna'nam', which is like an incomparable lotus flower. In that state, shedding all ego and ego-centric desires, our inner self prostrates to the Lord with the Divine Mother in the forefront as the mediatrix, 'purushakara'. This is in keeping with the spirit of the first part of the 'dvaya' mantra, 'Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadhye' '.

 

appée@  afloeijee  owgmggxu Quny{o app¥a      j/}lygga&1 Osxaatuxw up@¥ag g{°8ynp Boc&I Qg\gox?w              @w wpasw

^•*7^8 ****^^ 7@â@-                           5

Oh Lord with complexion ofthe blue ocean, aeons ago, You manifested to ask Mahabali for threepaces of land. ButYou scarcely needed those three steps totraverse this universe.Who can comprehend the secret of Your Feet or presume to speak of Them?

 

In this pasuram, Azhwar hints that there was a deeper significance to the Lord as Sri Vamana' asking for three paces of land from king Mahabali, though he poses the question to the Lord if He really needed those three paces,when in actuality he had covered the length and breath of the whole universe in just two paces. Azhwar knows that the third step of the Lord was intended to plant on Mahabali's head and push him down to the nether world where he belonged, in the grand design of the Lord.

 

gj JJ refers to the compassion of the Lord underlying His manifestation as Sri Vamana' in order to protect this world from Mahabali's misrule. ' oCyn nn;iigmn g,gIm stump, g Cg n euto{ieuâ euJQ I n.Cm Of efl to y Mñ(yQnimc

C Cgeu eañ Jim e6l;iiCeo' — II Vishnu Suktham.

 

'Oh Vishnu, Exalted as Thou art, Thou grew in unbelievable proportions. Then no one was there who could gauge or experience Thy greatness. We only know about the two steps that Thou took on the land and in space above. Beyond this the third step, only Thou knowest. Even the Vedha-Punisha remained silent on that mighty third step.'

 

tu?yx@?u@ pé Qu{g@go@0gr$»x¥¥&uty

                                                                                  6

 

They indeed are eminently blessed and will find their niche in the sacred Feet of the Lord with complexion matching the dark blue ocean, who channelising their sense organs inward with true insight about their relationship to Him, constantly recite and meditate on His names with overflowing devotion and thoughtfully gathered floral offerings.

In the previous pasuram, Azhwar posed the question who could comprehend the secret of the Lord's Feet. He knows that the answer to this question cannot be an unqualified negative, for that would render 'bhagavadvishayam’, a nonstarter. So in this pasuram, the Azhwar reassures us that they who with overflowing devotion constantly meditate on the Lord's names are blessed and bound to reach Him.This they are able to achieve because they have the discerning wisdom to channelise the pull of their sensory organs inwards where they can delve into 'bhagavadvishayam’ having found their identity with the Lord. 'Bhagavadvishayam' is spoken of as 'a'ntha'ra vishayam', (internal) in contrast to the external objects of sense experience which are ba'hyavishayam ’. Hence Swami Nammazhwar exhorts us with the advisory ' in; ii mrñ

 

8-2-8.).

0añiCsu ‹sqJlbpi - The knowledge illumined by 'sesha-seshi

bha’vam '.

6i      JC  - eminently blessed because they have the wisdom to pursue the path of 'sarana'gathi ' ' nun                     m;o é

 

Quxyx@ Qu@$l@% aur%oe$é ?PapQw

 

7

 

Oh my heart deep as the fathomless ocean, Seek with fervour the beautiful flower-like Feet of the Supreme Lord Who sports the fire spitting battle-eager Sudarsana', the Lord who as Trivikrama strode the worlds on His upraised feet, striking abject fear in the hearts of His adversaries, with His curled up lips and rolling eyes.

 

This pasuram refers to the episode where Narayana as Trivikrama shook the worlds in two giant strides with lips trembling and eyes rolling in anger driving terror into the minds and hearts of adversaries like Namusi. Refer to Sri Thirumazhisai Piran's lines in his Thinichanda