plñ @giasyriu mJ1yé0u yx$Igj¿j a@g]oxui

plñ @giasyriu mJ1yé0u yx$Igj¿j a@g]oxui

. .   .                  .      . .

Jlag&QsxLi(gé QPlñiseé s@s?I(y@g auéox¥a

@ag&AxLiuu@ yjc&I@g wx%.                        73

Firm in resolve to serve my Lord Narayana, the Supreme Protector, —Who saved the red-eyed Gajendra with crescent

- like tusk, — I will recite his thousand names, at dl times of

day,morning, noon,or evening, sprinkling whatever flowers I

can gather.

Azhwar affirms his resolve to put into practice, worship of the Lord with all his senses, mind,tongue, and body at all times of the day. The parallel of this sentiment is to be found iii Swami NammazhwWs affirmation,'  eiils0ma›Si       rant

 

 

- ( amir- Sits.- 3-3-1.). 'At all times without ceasing, we shall pledge ourselves, with body and soul, to the unfailing service of my Father, the Primogenitor of all our forefathers, and the leading Light of beautiful Thiruvenkatam dotted with springs.’

  - The thousand sacred names of the Lord (' Sahasrana'mam' ), are to be meditated upon, and not to be just recited mind1essly.The ' Sahasrana'mam ' of the Lord referred to by the Azhwar in this pasuram, is illustrative, and not exhaustive, for as Swami Nammazhwar observes, Narayana is, ' C                 gr i5lg; om in mtnHo men ', ( Chennai-61a. 1-3-9.). ' The Lord has a thousand names, and even more.'

Jb(y mJ        c a gpii — At all times of day and night irrespective of the hour. To yogis and sages there is no night or day, for the sphere of the ascetic who has mastered his senses, is Supreme Truth. '.As Sri Krishna says, the single-minded yogi is in perpetual communion and constant remembrance. 'mnrsam Clin engñ

 

 

min    Q  lieu :' - ( Gita — 8-14.). It is only those who recite the names with a benefit in mind, that consider where, when, and how, of this pursuit. The yogi is not in this category. He is always awake, and ' bhagavadanubhavam' is his life breath. As Swami Nammazhwar asks, ' +@suCgrJ ••suñei*e* =••**-•

ct Ca›, - (           . — 97 ). Another parallel of the

AzhwWs resolve is to be found in Sri Thiiumazhisai Piran's statement on how he spent his time, ' eriJl                                                            ,

CmaWsa ii Cw ', ( Weir —  . - 63 ). Place, state, or time has no relevance to meditating on Narayana. ' Verify en ruin can QnjinJC n in q ;iiy mn I pCan pnqnm CmQ nji; such II ' Wherever we are, while at rest, or standing, let us hold close to 'Ashta'kshara' mantra'.

 

anniiJbyu o(J c6l- Sprinkling whatever flowers are gathered, not necessarily choice ones. ' in iuJig                               ñJinbm JS eri;iiyins pea ñgn : '. ' To the true devotee, there is no limiting line of sa'stra' or method.'As Sri Krishna, says, 'u                                                                     C ñ

 

 

but Jby 131a ñConJ{yâ Slvl In o;{l- Gajendra with crescent-like tusk and red eyes. ' H+fi ' denotes fury or being in heat. ' N Can +nfl|gJ ' — ( pico — Q — 97 ). ' ' literally elephant to highlight the fact that the Lord's compassion transcends a being's status in life, conduct or intelligence.

 

flg 6kxialxr N - The Lord Who delivered the elephant Gajendra from the jaws of the crocodile, when the former called loud ' scorn', without letting the elephant drop even one of the lotuses gathered by him for offering to the Lord. When all other gods forsook him, saying, ' not I ', ' not I ', it is Narayana Who rushed to his rescue responding to the ' peel&i ' call, testifying to the truth that He is the primordial Supreme Being.

 

 

 

 

74

 

My Master, in life after life, and in all states, I dedicated myself to your service. I have been blessed with the fruit of my penance now, and the opportunity to adorn your sacred Feet with this garland of mellifluous Tamil verses. It is your grace that I excel in the Tamil arts.

 

Azhwar acknowledges his debt to the Lord for his boundless grace through successive births, culminating in the Jxntical outpouring about his being blessed with the Lord's thought and service at his Feet.

 

rums ym@6lvuiCye ypNg;iiL)ié mu6imn ié - ' I did penance in all births and states.' What penance does the Azhwar allude to ? It is the blessing of ' bhagavad- kainkarya ' through countless births. '                        n»gtficriCy  *  Cm in

I           two-m-r            @C-        : iaygraudg ' II ' After thousands of births, one evolves to a state of penance and realisation. Devotion to Sri Krishna is born in men whose sinful karma has withered away.

 

  —' I have realised the fruit of my penance.' The fruit is ' bhagavad anubhava ' and ' bhagavad kainkarya '.

mN Swift in - I composed this beautiful garland of great Tamil poetry. Azhwar mentions this as an instance of' bhagavad — kainkarya '. ' SHvei in Ji; irgJJ

e6lJ culprit ' — ( amir — 6ltm. 4-5-7. ). If it was in Sanskrit, it would have been within the grasp of only afew people. By composing this in sweet Tamil language, AzhwWs verses come within the comprehension of many. As lauded by Swami Nammazhoar. '

 

— Hm. 10-7-11.) Such melodious poetry is music to the ears of the celestials and 'nithyasuris'. ' e0

nbsuuin ' - Such poetry is like ' worship performed according

to formulated order which is accepted in toto by the Lord by a nod of his head, as it were.' ' Slrnei indd y;i;pCertified ' - reunite —6lm. 4-5-1).

 

turk  BOQ        6leaNBmN- ' I adorned your sacred Feet

with this garland.' Azhwar calls this work a garland, since he thinks of every 'kain karyam' in terms of garlanding and adorning the Feet of the Lord.

 

  - Azhwar is proud to call himself a Tamil literateur.

- But he adds that he is just not a technical language expert, but one who is immersed in the experience of the Lord, ( 'bhagavadvishayam’). Lest any one should be tempted to question the appropriateness of Azhwar's apparent self-accreditation, it may be said that in the matter of ' bhagavadanubhava ', no taint of vanity attaches in speaking out about one's own internal perception of that experience. Swami Nammazhwar strikes a similar note in his

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