asjqjy p¥¥auQ6sea paat\¿j as&ggxu

Thiruvenkatam where' Srivaishnava’s' reside, and to which the denizen of heaven hast en vying with one another for the worship of the Lord, is the gift of the Lord Who rests on the Milk ocean, to the celestial beings of Sri Vaikuntam, who have controlled the body made up of thefive elements and the five senses which are a stumbling block to spritual progress.

Having referred to Thiruvenkatamin the previous pasuram, Sri Bhutat Azhwar is drawn by its unique greatness and proceeds to describe it.

 

m}g iamymtnqJ - Azhwar says that devas from Brahma downwards jostle with one another to be in the forefront to get to Thiruvenkatam to offer their prayers to the Lord there.

 

yñJJy - gifted to the ' nithyasuris'. ' in q Cen e«r n: mJQ C : ' where ( the paramapadha ), the nithyasuris or eternal beings like Visveksena', PeriaThiruvadi etc reside. Since in paramapadha there is no scope for them to experience 'soulabhya, sowseelya, va'tsalya, ka'runya'dhi ' 'kalya'na guna's' of Sriman Narayana, they embak on a daily pilgrimage to Thnivenkatam where they can enjoy the display of these qualities to the hilt. The Lord had, in His great compassion, ceded this abode to them so that they could come down here from their celestal world to savour this unique experience,not available there.The same thought is expressed by other

 

' ajj@un«i auBa/?sc ara«ae, ars«a$sei ajj@ Qeuu

gñé¿}6é- - ( a«oeu\¿g$\St\x+ér — 3 ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

 

Having rested on Thirumalai, my racing, seeking mind, impelled by an upsurge of desire, rushed past the moon exploring the high heavens in search of the Lord in Sri Vaikuntam, like a creeper seeking a support staff to hug and spread around.

 

Sri Bhutat Azhwar savoured the sight ofthe Lord in a standing posture in Thirumalai in the previous pm  But that experience only seems to have whetted his appetite for more. So in this pasuram, Azhwar craves for the experience of the Lord in ’paramapadha" itself. The cmving of his mind, seems to the Azhwar like the natural propensity of a creeper to seek the support of a staff to spread around in order to grow. 'm+ son Jgñ menogi;;i mN neat yM ñ &lmbu+ei BIN m. ’ - ($1(g,eiatñ- 6lm 9.3.7.).

 

 

                                                                                      28

 

 

Hailed as the' Deva” among deva's by countless beings, resting onthe MilkOcean, my Lord Whoonce had, as tiny Krishna, torn asunder the face of the demon Kesi, now abides in Thiruvenkatam and in the ineffably beautiful shrine at Srirangam, and also wit me in my mind.

Azhwar describes all the five ' praka’ra's ' or modes of Sriman Narayana in this pasuram. He is the Lord of all beings and is resplendently present at ' paramapadha" for the 'nithyasuris', or celestial beings. ’ Wn C Csuixu Q, In C                                                                        : ' ( Purusha- Suktham ) Who is glorious among the deva's who bask in His glory, and Who is their Patron-guide.' ringe JQ                                                      ear

' ( Vishnu-Suktham ) Nithyasuris behold

constantly.' ‹slings {gits atiojJaiui in     eunrsuN', cremat- ion 1.1.1. ). ' Jmo en g;ii Freq : onCgcseñCmgtjn earns pp ( Purusha-Suktham). Paramapurusha of three-fold Vyuha form is far above and beyond.Only a part of Him appears again and again in this  universe.'Mfg ','mnJi                      Cy

+euCi nsut   ', ' nu CyJ ñ e6ltsuctnl min '. (Thaittriya Narayanavalli ). ' He that rests on the ocean for the perpetuation of this universe.’ Then Azhwar refers to the Kesi episode from Krishnavatha'ra' to illustrate the Vibhava'tha'ra' which the Lord took for the sake of all living beings. ' ;sCgze6l@mfi siimñynn cum      p                     ' ( Purusha-Suktham ). Not stopping with this. He is forever with us in stationary archa' form in divya-desa's like Venkatam, Srirangam etc. '  mJ mnN sucCeuei annum so ainers  J+N    aJ                                         6laiih             men N ', ( nmm -3 ). ’ error                              It eiinsay ñ Center Ceiñi+nñ ' — ( N- lieu —47). As the Lord is in a standing state in the shrine at Thiruvenkatam, lest that should project the impression of any hurry on the part of the Lord, Azhwar refers to His relaxed state at Srirangam by the phrase '

mé ', ' charming beyond what thought can convey '. It is charming because it is situated in a setting of lush, picturesque gardens, ' 'euen er y@ñ Cmd, mAeflnrm  ñ

 

( Q ax&o — 6 ). But the most charming to the dear Lord, of all this, is the heart of the devotee which He covets more than anythingelse. ' N’. Hence the Azhwar describes the other states as ' Semi mu$si› ',' bha'la'layam' or 'smaller shrine' “

 

In›                     “ — 54. Other Azhwars also speak of this in similar exalted terms.

 

 

 

 

osmo»  a»raatacyggxm  oxeeauxw 6lonsizno

*scs •--• 4ca#a• •»-^*•--•

/\S^ +**^*A@ñA^^* /-                                    29

You - Who, in an earlier age, had reduced the beautiful Lanka to ashes with your arrows - let demoness Putana take you up in her arms, telling yourself, ' let me drink from her beautiful bosom to the brim of my stomach ', sucking her life out along with the milk.In so doing, you made your mother unsure of what to make of you.

 

Touching on Krishnavata'ra' in the previous pasuram, sets the Azhwar's thoughts wander further along the same trail.

‹  &                                              - Putana came as if she was dying to suckle the child Krishna. As if warming up to her motherly warmth and entreaty in equal measure, Krishna appeared to be eager to drink to the brim from her bosom. ‹9t & - stomach.

  - Since killing of Putana by Krishna was an act beyond his age and size, it made mother Yashoda unsure of Krishna.