sow&ggi  oxys  sjgs?lmw saass@y

Gathering plenty of mountain sandal paste, exquisite jewellery and silks, as also fragrant jasmines, worship prayerfully, with bowedhead, as befitting a truedevotee, the sacred Feet of the all-knowing primordial Cause of all creation.

â  Cyb                 -- The sandal referred to as suitable for the lovely texture of Lord's body, is that gathered from mountain Chandanagiri which is known for its special quality sandal tree.It should be like the sandal paste prayed for from the 'Kubja", ( the hunch-back woman ), on the streets of Muthura' by Sri Krishna, with

 

the plea, ' eo•aJgCng  9r  F§g9is                   nJ Cp I Minusmr%f nv Jm ' II ' This sandal is highly fragrant as fit for kings, and has texture, Oh Lady of beautiful face, give us some sandal paste suitable for our bodies.' Azhwar 's mention of high quality sandal to offer to the Lord, does not mean that the Lord accepts only that. He will no doubt graciously accept whatever is offered with love.It only means that the best of things befits the beauty and loveliness of His 'svarupa". In a figurative sense, it means the devotee's yearning heart is ever overflowing with love for him, looking upon him as the 'upa'yo-upeyam ',( ie formula and the fruit ), or in the words of Swamy Nammazhwar “ tween lung JJ aeiflñ

 

 

e Nan›gpé— exquisite jewels as can adorn the Master of all worlds. In Sri Nammazhwar's reckoning, it is the act of folding of both the hands in fervent prayer. “ C area mndlasu ñ emir e ñ nomic +Ce “, ( Chennai Wm. 4-3-2.).

 

 

4-3-5. ). In a metaphorical sense, the flower garlands, the jewels,and silks translae in Swami NammazhwWs equation, to life breath, love, and fervent prayers.

 

— gathering in plenty.

- The Primordial Being, “J ñqgijaxi CJ taxis

 

 

0p0n main time eif p p   qnndJ ...... “, ( Mahopanishad). ' When there were no Brahma, Rudhra,nor any sentient beings, worlds, or stars.' “ yC+a gI£ even gnqnmna M “ -, (Mahopanishad).' Only Narayana was.' “ In e n e6lg Q

 

(Swetasvatara Upanishad ). ' He Who at the beginning of creation projected Brahma and others. ... seeking liberation I seek refuge at his Feet,' Thus the 'parathvam' of this eternal effulgent Being, the original Source of everything is well-nigh impossible to visualise, let alone comprehend.

 

Hg}lsuN- The all-Knowing. “ mgNeriqniom: “, ( Vishnu Sahasranamam ). He that has the knowledge and understanding capable of gratefully equating one small good deed to a hundred thousand fold, and commensurate love. The knowledge spoken of here is just illustrative of the Lord 's omniscience.

 

Q - fervently praying, reciting hymns in praise of Him or His names, or addressed to His lotus Feet.

- bowing in reverence.

— befitting the self.

 

  77

S> my good heart, it is but proper for us to worshipthe exalted Feet of the Supreme Lord of all beings. It is fitting to adorn his Feet with pretty lotus flowers. Adorning them thus, and bowing in reverential homage, and worshipful prayer, itbehoves us to engage in penance of constant recitation of hisSahasrana'ma’.

 

 

 

H e6l‹s+;iin in An›sonN @eIn' - ( Q(yeunai- Hm.— 1-7-

8. ). Though ostensibly the Azhwar addresses his heart, the hearts of Azhwars are always engaged in constant pursuit of ' bhagavadvishayam'. As such the underlying message is like a wakeup call to ordinary people like us, with wayward hearts which are after lesser pursuits, to arise, awake and approach the redeeming Feet of the Master, and meditate on That. Such a construction would be in line with the interpretation of Swami Periavacha'n Pillar.

 

- - The exalted Feet of the Purushothama', (The Greatest of all Beings).His Feet are, in a sense, like his nama', larger than He, since they have the magic quality of redeeming and liberating without drawing any distinction between worthiness and worthlessness, as was the case in conferring 'moksha" on the reprobate Sisupala in his moment of departure. In Sri Periazhwar’s elegant phrase, ' meoeusonin geflJ mp', ( H inn exit

. 4-3-5 ), His grace is boundless taking within the fold of his Feet even such a hardened sinner. As Swami Nammazhwar puts it, en  gnñurn› in Jg ', ( Chennai- 61a.7 -5-3. ). Hence

it is, that the Lord's sacred Feet have been the object of adoration and adulation of Azhwars and Acha'ryas' alike. “                                          gorisir Nett “, semi—61a.1-2-10. ). Swami Pillar Loka'cha’rya,

in his Mumukshupadi — 146, reinforces this thought in the words, '

i.¥7azpuju atuigyté sJlppjté @(g,aiipaeé sñlzagi ,

', meaning ' even if forsaken by divine Mother, or the Lord HimseF, his sacred Feet do not ever forsake. They remain the unfailingly safe haven to all.' Also, “ Muirs dJpJg Jett

msv›su“, ( Sanga-Tamil Paripa'dal — 3 ).

 

monxé yN      onJ                     - Adorning the Feet

with pretty lotus flowers, and prostrating to them.

- worshipfully praying with lips.

RmN emy@ T - - His one thousand names, ( Vishnu Sahasrana'ma' ).

 

- Recitation, ( of His names ) is penance enough. Whether called by accident, or design, for a purpose or mechanically, or jestfully, his name has redeeming quality, and in Lord's reckoning bears fruit. That is the gist of this pasuram.

gopQewyj grwpsQe augj¿jw gycafl

B-r»e=•• B=>• ••‹o•‹o• *-»e-

Qu«ig&@@ri ?u¿Qox@ggiIñl6é.                 78

 

It was only the four-faced Brahma thatreaped the fruitof his devout penance, when he, reci”ting the manynames of the Lord,washed with sacred Ganges water the towering golden Feet of him when He set out to measure the worlds.

 

JbfNJjpnBm                  - It was only the four-faced Brahma that reaped the fruit of ' divya -na'ma sankirtana" by being blessed with the opportunity to wash with his own hands, the Lord's Feet in His Trivikrama'vata'ra'.

 

— Lord's golden feet that are not only the instrument of all 'purusha'rta's', but also the self-fulfilling object of all spiritual search, striving and sa'dhana'.

Jyn th Jñ 6lrnrg;m - The raised golden Feet of the Lord in their giant stride to measure the worlds. Lord 's Trivikrama'vata'ra' is referred to here, which He took in order to restore to Indra the rightful sovereignty over the celestial world. While Indra got his kingdom back, it was Brahma who got something of

 

far greater value, the blessed state of touching and washing the golden Feet of the Lord with water of river Gang a. “CpCy

mpa qgeir mmeé “, ( get›Q e»JignQ — 56 ). Even though, he was born in the lotus flower sprung from the navel of the Lord, Brahma had never ever had as much as a glimpse of the lotus Feet of Narayana. For the first time, he had that blessing now in Trivikrama'vata'ra'. No one before or after had that kind of up close and personal benediction of the Lord's Feet.

 

JJ  6i      - sprinkling the Ganges water. Ishvara Samhita narrates how when Narayana set out to measure the worlds as Trivikrama', the devotion of Brahma and other celestials transformed into sacred water which filled Brahma's ' kamandal '. Taking that water in his hands, Brahma washed the Feet of Trivikrama' with great love and respect. Siva who saw the overflowing 'thirumanjana" water took that water and sprinkled it over his head, saying to himself, ' I can purify myself with this sacred water ', and did not release that water from his matted locks for thousands of years, till Bhagiratha' did penance and prayed to him to release it for the liberation of his forefathers condemned to damnation by Kapila Muni. This water then descended to this earth as river Ganga.

 

•n                            jb -- reciting all the names of the Lord. pN fmfg m K f k qâ c6l N - - washed to the ecstatic relief of his pretty hands.