g{uOsa@sm nsu u  0ua(gqnO  @ age ggu

Theywho are wedded to the sacred Feetof the Lord at Venkatam, the subject and substance of the unfathomable Vedas, in Whose sacred Feet the denizens of heaven rest their heads,are not inflated bythe vanity of worldly riches, nor are they like others who lose theirheart over losing whatthey had yesterday.

  enmity- It is the general worldly trait to become possessive and vain about material riches. But the devotees of the Lord are an exception to this general rule.

 

&  • &                   H (y error - Azhwar underscores the transience of material wealth by the phrase, '

I lst›& ', and the misery it causes when it is lost. But the devotees of the Lord are nowhere near such run-of-the mill worldly beings. On the contrary, with minds firmly focused on the Lord's Feet, they are for ever immersed in thoughts about their devotion to the Lord. As Swami Nammazhwar says, '                                                     Silver

JJ gCg ' - ( permits. 6-4-7 ). They only lose their heart when they experience separation from association with the divine. It is that experience that Swami Nammazhwar depicts beautifully in his ' Cm ' decad, ( ariñ-6llm. 6-7.), and ' eunfl£ii clan II ' ( Q(yainiii. 6lm. 6-5. ). In pasuram 6-5- 7 of the latter, Sri Nammazhwar wonders about that experience thus,

 

' Is it the fruit of my past karma', or the design of the Lord '? ( by virtue of His 'nirhetuka krupa" ).

 

 

8sugf N - He Who is the subject and substance of the Vedas which cannot be fathomed by anyone. ' Ceas gfi+noJn›euy men Can in:, ( Gita 15-15 ). ' I am the One Who is known by all the Vedas.

 

 

                                                      46

 

The Supreme Lord willong, magnificent arms, and rmembling the resplendent blue ocean, abides from time immemorial in Thiruvarangam and Thirukkottiyur. He also resides for long at Venkatam, and in beautiful Thiruneermalai set amidst lovely gardens.

In the previous pasuram, Sri Bhutat Azhwar described the blessed state of Sriman Narayana's devotees untainted by the temptations and frustrations of material life. In this pasuram, Azhwar describes the unremitting striving that the Lord undertakes for achieving this by His constant presence in all divyadesa's beckoning His devotees,and assuring them of His grace.

 

L n roll&g;  — Unlike the shortlived Vibhava'vata’ra's ’, the Lord is forever present in these divyadesa's in archa' state for conferring His grace on us. Thiruvarangam hailed as Bhulokavaikunta is the shrine where the Lord is in a reclining state, and in Whose praise all Azhwars have sung except Sri Madhurakavi who sang only about his own Master Swami Nammazhwar. Swami Desikan has extolled the undiminishing grace of this abode of Sri Ranganatha, in the words ' ya Southern Hm Collier› .......' In Thirukkottiyur, the Lord can be seen in all three states, viz.,in a recumbent, seated, and standing state. Sri Thirumangai Azhwar, in his own ornate style

 

addresses the Lord here thus, '               st›          eune(yñ

 

@ âCmñy nCer ' — ( as- . 9-10-7. ). In Thiruneermalai the Lord appears in rare four states, viz., reclining, seated, standing,

and strident. ' r eifl eqn r <=ñs•^ r°-is•fie $•-*

mummy JJn in' — ( Ru- . 2-4-1.). In Thiruvenkatam,

the Lord appears in a standing posture, exuding beneficient grace, at Whose Feet Swami Nammazhwar exhorts us to seek sarana'gathi,with the assurance of'moksha prada'na' in the 'phala'sruti' pasuram of” maio(Jp can Bu(yeunmn 'with the words,

 

u ñC+@eia›nñHo nneir ’, the Lord Who is of unequalled,

incomparable glory, ( warmth-61a. 6-10 ).

 

ox& u/Iy{ga6ñ uxgoe ymfl@p

 47

Arise to worship my Master at dawn, with folded hands and with flowers placed at His Feet, and heart overflowing with fervour for His presence, He Who protected this universe, variously,by scaling, lifting, ingesting and recrea‘ting every aeon, and Who in one such incarnation, makrialised as Lord Nrsimha.

 

Azhwar exhorts us to show our gratitude to the Lord for His visible presence and eagerness to confer His grace on us, by worshipping His sacred Feet.

 

m               &i 6i        - Arise, (and seek your liberation), and worship Him at dawn with folded hands.

axé    J — refers to the act of measuring the worlds, in Trivikamavata'ra'.

- lifting up of the earth from under the ocean in Sri

t

V araha 'Va _I

 

 

Jy - safe-keeping of the world inside the stomach at pralaya' and regurgitating it after it.

- Master of the universe, as repeatedly authenticated by these astonishing episodes. As Swami Nammazhwar observes,'

 

 

 

Azhwar beseeches us to worship the Lord with all the feeling and fervour that our hearts are capable of, in grateful thought about His melting concern for His devotees as demonstrated by Him in Sri Nrsimha’va'ta'ra'.

 

 

                                                                                       48

 

Oh the Compassionate One, You bring the Vedas to light. You set the order and explicate the truths contained in them. You remain in the constant company of the lotus-born Mother. You reside in the enchanting Thirumalirunjolai covered byvast corridors of bamboo, and circumambulated by denizens of this land.

m yjbyrui rim gridpin -- Azhwar says that the Lord uncovers the eternal Vedas, and brings them to light at every dawn of life on this planet, thus recognising the fact that vedas have no authorship as such, and that even Narayana did not author them but only rediscovered them for our benefit.

 

Q       JJ — 'JQ ' refers to the ' upabrahmana's', the smrithi, ithiha'sa pura'na's which throw light on the substance and philosophy of the Vedas. These have been authored by sages like Sri Va'lmiki, Veda Vya'sa', Para'sara, Suka etc., with the Lord as their 'antaiya'mi'.

 

' Q J@ : ' - The spirit and substance of the Vedas is enlightened by the truths contained in these works.

 

• =•n• “  •»m« •a••w«»a•«a

C cir               -- Azhwar 's phrase visualises the shoulders of the lotus-born Sri resting on the chest of Narayana in

: I <s«sCg siileégpi7AJijiiu,›jiior uñeogJ m+wsng: urghII “ ‘The Lord of the universe Narayana presides over the exaled sphere of Srivaikunta along with Divine Mother surrounded by devotees.”

 

unu$(y@ Nilai - - Inhabitants of this earth circumambulate Thirumalirunjolai surrounded by vast verdant gardens,and groves of bamboo. ' in @C n& eia›@ 6ieai ejgsi› sup‹sC+', ( jean- taxi. 2-10-8.). Sri Nammazhwar commends the beauty of the hills of this divya desa' dotted by gardens, in a similar vein.

 

 

@$u@@ e-›••*• #ur@u -- @bu@@§p

gyjay@pñi Queñt4m gafl%gj4a4c graQe%gj

Oh my heart, nestle upto Him without fear, the sweet-tongued Lord, Who shook the sevenbig mountains,the seven continentsand the seven seas, by sucking the life out of Putana’ of poison-smeared breasts, lisping appreciatively while

- refers to the appreciative lisping sounds made by a child in the act of drinking mother's milk. ' Qñ+K e emit

LJLJff  W     6ti6f                     L_  '  (      6l)ffM- loff. 1-9-.).' '

 

( Hu- Q;g,. 1-3-1). Azhwar reassures us in this pasuram that if we remember Putana' story, we donot have any cause for fear.

 

 

 

'Oh the Scion of Yadukula’, the difficult-to-imagine child of the shepherd clan, the dazzling Performer of unbelievable deeds,'

- with aforesaid thoughts resonating in me, I will call the Lord of Sri before everyone by the names that the blessed Gopis addressed Him in Gokulam, the very exaltednames that cut asunder the gordion knot of samsa'ra'.

Otafl - Azhwar yearns to call the Lord not by the common names that connote His transcendence or ' parathvam', such as Narayana, but the exalted names that denote the ' soulabhya' and 'sousheelya", the accessibility and condescention of the Lord. What are these names ? Azhwar recounts, '                                                              ’.

- difficult to comprehend by one's own effort. '

- member of the cattle-grazing clan. Swami Nammazhwar describes in a similar vein, ' mph Isa

tit alien ' — ( Weimar-61a. 1-3-4.).

 

aar        - Son of Vasudeva of Yadukula'.

(p — in front of everyone. Lest one should wonder if it is appropriate to utter the names of Lord that denote only His simplicity and condescending grace,Azhwar adds another name to the list, turmoils  ioJJ  the wonder kid of incredible deeds. ' Thus, I will respectfully address Him', says the Azhwar.

 

 

Oh my heart, meditate on the sacred Feet ofthe Lordwith ie complexion of the blue ocean. Meditate on His exalted names. Meditate also on the blue complexion of Him Who once leftHis abode on the milk ocean to chum the oceans.

 

Sri Bhutat Azhwar lingers here to pause and ponder over the Lord, in slow unhurried steps, as if undecided as to how best it might be accomphshed to gra@ his inner craving. First, he addressed his heart to dwell on the sacred Feet of the Lord. Then he shifted the focal point of his 'dhya'na" to the great many names of the Lord. In this pasuram, he is drawn by the beauty of the Lord's complexion, and addresses his heart to meditate on that.

 

 

 

My Lord resembling the rain-beañngblack cloud, with chest adorned by the Divine Mother, Whose abode is the big lotus flower, is a tower of grace. How can anyone fathom the magnanimity of Him Who merely condemned the culpable Mahabali, no less a demonthan Ravana, to exile in the netherworld for his errantways, eventually rewarding him with Indra lokha'.

N - of black complexion. “ JsuC rm n meñgn

your axrJmN- He Whose chest is adorned by the presence of Mahalakshmi.

 

—' Who is like a tower of grace.' '     tr iinixuñ

7     : ' ( yo- s»rJ 38-41 ). ’ Compassion is the greatest

 

dharma'.' Sita Devi reports having heard this from Sri Rama Himself. The Lord is the fountainhead of grace because of His constant association with Divine Mother.

  - refers to Ravana who wields the sword given him by Rudra'. Why did the Lord let Mahabali get away with a milder punishment of exile to the nether world, when he deserved, like Ravana, to be killed. It was because Ravana had no redeeming quality whatever, whereas Mahabali had one great quality of a charitable disposition, despite his numerous other faults. As Sri Parasara Bhagava'n observes in Vishnu Puranam, ( 5-17-30), ' lu;j;ynup HJmNm os6lJ nCpr oJ insure Conan euear neoeii : I

 

’By offering water on That sacred Hand, Mahabali attained all joys in this world itself, and further achieved without any adversaries for a whole aeon the coveted sovereignty as the ruler of all the three worlds.’. Who can fathom the greatness of the Lord Who made all this possible?, queries the Azhwar, in this pasuram.

*a‹d••› eu=•s-e a=<-e *-s•aso

nQua Qerm&;{10um Og uidl    t$lduay

GGuiñs<flu ua1é6£l(g1éqté 0sugJq.               53