uas?oxwo sa¥'ceex«t? u%me? -- aps4sxafl qbm@@am I.fl%@a gaioy/gg agwQsr0a>x #anw@gn aflfi& @a  @. 82

In matching comparison tothe Feet of the Lord in measuring thisvast universe, the greatness of the unparalleledcourage and valour of the hero of the epic Ramayana, stands out - the Lordwho, ever true to his word,wouldnot be dissuaded from his purpose by the mother’s plea,nor tñat of his Consort of slender shoulders,the incarnation of the lotus-born Lakshmi.

Azhwar cites the rectitude and courage of Sri Rama as something which matches the greatness of Sri Vamanava'ta'ra, in measuring all the worlds with His Feet.

 

t$&ski&                   —' Following Sri Rama, and pleading with him, mother Kausalya' implored.....' Her plea was, “ i ugeu C

g i5lyn  nsg£lñ     : niieugiJCnna no°gIi(y;iigimn w I p

 

( Srimad Ramayanam — Ayodhya 21-52). ' My Son, even as your father is venerated by you, so am I venerable by you. From what I consider righteous, and with my overwhelming love towards you, I will not allow you to go to the forest, nor is it proper for you to leave me in my state of grief.' Sri Rama did not consent to her plea, citing the overarching 'dharma" applicable to both of them - of his imphctly following his fathWs ñctat, and his mother as the wife of his father falling in line with her husband's wish. “ e m0  a                                            g:

ñfiqn                n  mQ sunst5l mm;ii I m;ii stimulus mJmn

<° i= &7 >• •'•<&<9 i9'i<*B 9G '>°'* >GB&II en encu

tf0‹qJJff             1 MU @ ff lBfflD         ID 6f1J&6DfftD tl3Qff6li         I

 

oQ : rim gin “ II, ( Srimad Ramayanam, Ayodhya 21-59-60. ). 'Whatever a person who is, a teacher, king, father, and an elder, lays down whether in anger, joy, or desire, how could a right-thinking son who considers that righteous and proper conduct, not comply with that ? I, being that son, cannot refrain from carrying out that wish, since he is the father who can legislate our action, and who is husband, guardian, and the law to mother Kausalya'.'

 

 

N        cir-'Then Sita of slender shoulders like bamboo, and incarnation of lotus-born Maha'lakshmi, eager to hasten to the forest, a step ahead of her husband, pleaded with him in the following words. ' mQ feud ñqeri gin Jñ ni ;iimi en been I nñqeriC

+An;iiunA ñq  p      +enn+rJ 11', ( Srimad Ramayanam, Ayodhya — 27-6 ).' Oh Raghava', if you should be on your way to the impenetrable forest, let me be your pilot and walk ahead of you, setting the path free from weed and thorns.' Sri Rama would not however listen to her plea, until she cited his own words in reference to mother Kausalya, as equally pertinent to her.

 

Simtsii   gjC Ngj&— the hero of the epic Ramayana. Cecil  gnxñ  N  C             exit  C Ngj&— non pareil in the power and valour of his shoulders, and fortitude of character.

HoimnrJJ   &lsuJytrN RJy   ñ ié CJbJ - The only thing that matches all this, is the expanse of space that He strode (in Trivikrama'vata'ra'). What Azhwar implies in this analogy is that Sri Rama's valour in destroying Ravana and his army, matches that of Sri Va'mana' in subjugating Namusi and others, in the same way as Sri Rama's steadfast adherence to ' dharmarakshana', compares to Sri Vamana's adherence to 'a'sritharakshana'.

 

                                                                            80

 

Being blessed to be your devoted servant, and constantly meditating on your lotus Feet, I have found fulfilment in overflowing love towards your pink sacred Feet. To those blessed with the vision of the bare Feet of the Lord as He scaled the worlds, would the sight of his bejeweled Form hold any greater allurement?

 

C  JbC                — Blessed with the opportunity of service at the Lord's Feet, due to his overwhelming ' nirhetuka krupa' '. As Swami Nammazhwar echoes the thought in his lines, ' ñn

 

 

n›cxi.8-9-11 ).

lotus Feet.

 

in — ' My thoughts centred round the

JC            Bharti ‹  &       — ' I found fulfilment in overflowing love towards your pink sacred Feet.'

 

u & 6lnnBexr?- Two alternative interpretations have been presented.1. To those blessed with the eye-full vision of the Lord's Feet, how much inadequately equipped would the eyes be, given the vision of the Lord's complete Form.? 2. To those blessed with the vision of the bare Feet of the Lord, as He ascended the skies to scale the worlds,would the sight of His bejeweled Form hold any greater attraction ? The second construction has been adopted in the translation, on the consideration that the beauty of the Lord's Form lends charm to the adornments that cover Him, and not vice versa, because He is, ' oqwaeiimnoysrañ ' nuJm na

 

 

ar% $lejggj #Px$I ap@.                       81

In a vision of eternal daylight, I saw Sriman Narayana, in a clearer light than a passing dream. In that vision, I witnessed clearly his resplendent Form as in his celestial abode, with his Chakra’ shedding its dazzle on his Body, and his crimson Feet.

In the previous pasuram, Sri Bhutat Azhwar described the ecstasy of those whe were blessed with his vision in time long gone by. In this pasuram, Azhwar describes his own overwhelming experience of the Lord's vision here and now.

 

uaañ idol - the dawn of realisation, or awakening of bhagavad vishaya jna'na" dispelling the cloud of'sarnsa'ric ' existence, underlying the Vishnu Pura'nam phrase, ' 8te June ', ( V.P. 5-17-2).

 

 

ñ                — In that brilliant light, Sriman Narayana shines like an eternal sun. ' fiC     &       Q in   ' — The sun rises impelled by fear of the Supreme Being, Who inheres in everything and is the ConSoller of all beings ; ' aJig : iiiys5ls@< : iruieiiga

jsr ñ eoJwn in ( Thattriyam, Aranyam 3-11 ).

 

om&lO tdloño CnN- This vision springs from inner realisation, and is forever, unlike a passing dream or visual perception. 6 x  i                    - The vision is real. In pasuram 67, Azhwar had sung, ' Cacti (yCu›ill error me6lsi›', in reference to his mental visualisation. Here, he says, '                                '. This vision is real and describable in specific terms.

 

CJ - Chakra' shedding its dazzle on Lord's body. “'**-*i   d °'°*fi4**'$*'-é *'-I ié “ ( di2i-'-*^*••*tk —2). nfi                      nN - The Lord with lustrous crimson Feet.

sunk        té Cvr@ m  oJ A          CnN — I saw Him in his resplendent abode of Sri Vaikunta. ' n siiCmna n '

 

 

 

 

The lotus —born divine Mother of perfectly chiselled beauty with sparkling eyes having set her sight on the eternal endowed youthfulness of the Lord, is ever in his company. So is Mother Bhu Devi always at his Feet with overflowing love. Does this beauty become ever less because so many drink from it?

Azhwar extending the thought of his vision of the Lord, observes in this pasuram, that what he envisioned was not celibate Narayana, but Sriman Narayana.

exp& nraxn— chiselled beauty.

tuner 6iJb(yfi— In that overall chiselled form, her eyes sparkle.

ana o;jxeii-born in the pretty lotus blossom.

6ie'  i  casein           Weir                 — Setting her sight on Lord's beautiful countenance, and unable to tear herself away from that. 'ttj eiatgtonJ ', ( Rigveda’). The Paramapurusha is described as in the beginning stage of youth and the completed stage of adolescence. '  &$ a               ', ( 6xa)iu- . 7-10-1). The divine Mother is ever present in His company true to Swami Nammazhwar 's depiction, ' Jun in flsi›Cainir ',

( Q wnfi- Sta. 6-10-10.). 'Never parting from Him even for a fraction of a second.

aoJ s — Bhu Devi, the very embodiment of patience.

Ryñflors6l Tsuto q;{lJby mN6lorflsun-in constant touch with Lord's Feet, with overwhelming love.

C feud  Eli Jet&o      - Lord's beauty does not diminish because Sridevi and Bhudevi drink deep from the same. “  r no

 

›••a«•dee•8g›skilq›uiu r a 8uu2=•s  =as=›•a • s tuiua  I

: IP’, ( Srimad Ramayanam — Balakandam — 77-36. “ In the company of the beautiful daughter of Janaka of the exalted royal family line of Mithila, Sri Rama the son of Rajarishi Dasaratha shone resplendent

 

 

like the leader of all the celestials Vishnu in the company of Goddess Sri.” Other parallels from Divyaprabhandam are, ' Q+  fleir;o

 

eurai.H 10-6-9 ). ' eo  N       exmF      eunq &;o ', (- Thiruppalandu ). The union of Sridevi and Bhudevi

with Narayana is not a competikve game as in the case of worldly unions with co-wives competing for the same piece of enjoyment. The Lord is like a big perennial river in which the jivathma's can immerse in whatever number, without detracting from the infinite bliss-potential. Echoing this thought is the following verse of Bhattar. “end afñ efl nqyenfl+naSei ynJgIiIñ enter our nAeunñygiaJlJmeaJñ a gisrimn “-, ( Rangaraja-stavam — 1- 63 ).” Divine Mother and her shadow-like Bhudevi, forever desirous of frolicking,( in the pond of Sri Rangana'tha'),

like two queen swans.”

 

 

I spoke of the Lord in inadequate terms in a presumptuousvein, the Master ofwhom even the Vedas whisper in a venerable tone as 'That'. Having spoken thus, I still looked upto Him, all this while hoping for some tiny part of his infinitestorehouse of grace.

 

In pasuram 74, Azhwar had, in a momentary burst of enhusiasm, referred to himself as a great Tamil literateur. Having envisioned the Lord in the indescribably exalted company of His divine Consorts, Azhwar is overtaken by a twinge of conscience as it were, wondering in a self-introspective mood, if he had not sounded somewhat self- flatteringly presumptuous about his literary merit, and thereby committed a ' bhagavad — apacha'ra" in sounding so daring before

 

the Lord, of Whom, even the Vedas dread to speak any louder than in a reverential whisper.

 

fire 61 6ieirJéncñ niJ&2mN- ' Spoke daring words fat detracted from any merit thereof.' It must be noted that the Azhwafs remorse is keeping in mind the sheer indescribable greatness of the Lord, and does not have any bearing on his poetic acumen, for he has been extolled by no less than Swami Nammazhwar, and that multi-dimensional master of Tamil language and literature, Sri Thirumangai Azhwar, in the following terms. ' mCa›iii gApJ & mqJ u;iigJ ', ( amir-6lm. 1-5-11 ). ' head in

e6l ', ( eirU-B . — 7-9—6 ). ’ • ,N                 srd'J CrnJJ merryin in menu ' ( R in - JSln. 2-10-4. ).

 

 

 

                        fg K - ' Ma'1 of whom the Vedas speak as ' That' '. The Vedas which began to describe Him as ' unsur nixun ', proceeded to equate the blissful state in all possible worlds in multiples of hundred years, finally describing the summum bonum of the final state of bliss as ' nu  in                           gJg ', ( ' That One is the bliss of the Brahman '). They fall short of describing Him in nearer terms such as ' This', and admitted ' iu8ga surflar JeuJ JCg ', - from where words return without reaching ', meaning that He cannot be described in words. Also refer to, ' g; cdl C : myaxn spin ', ' Vishnu's supreme abode is That.' ' mNmnn ñ eñm in tn'„ He that is comprehended by one who does not comprehend '. Azhwar ruminates on these Upanishadic declarations, and is struck by a regretful thought, ' What kind of deceitful poetry was this?.Whom was I trying to hoodwink ?.'

 

 

in                  (yJC —' I looked upto the great One hoping for a tiny bit ofthe infinite reservoir of His grace all this while.' Azhwar observes self-disparagingly, ' Not only did I compose these verses, but hopefully looked upto Him to bestow on me a tiny bit of his inhnité

 

grace as a recompense for my labours.' Actually Azhwar was not one to expect any kind of reward for his poetic labours. The term 'etnin', however indicates gracious consent, so at best, the Azhwar might have implied his wistful looking up to catching the Lord's glance in gracious acknowledgement of his musical versification as a rich reward in itself.

 

 

                                                                          84

 

TheFeet of my beautiful Lordare the quintessential nectar of this beautiful spacious land, the Lord Who in half-leonine, half-humanform tore up the wilful Hiranya inebriated by hisbrawn andthe boons obtained from gods, and unremitting inhis enmity to the Lord.

 

eqpé (yJ — regarding highly his boons.

y—not submitting to Him.

efl noQCmmnñCm+ñ p pCnmñ +niiudl ’, ( Srimad Ramayanam, Yuddha Kandam, 36-11 ). Ravana's boast, ' would rather be broken in two than bow to anyone.’

 

suNmn  ié o(y       yñoJysu- obstinately obsessed with his prodigious muscle power, and the boon obtained from Brahma granting him near immortality.

 

Jby  nenui               — 'As half-lion half-man, tore to bits' — As Hiranya's boon granted him immunity,among other things, from being killed by man or animal, the Lord assumed this hybrid form to kill him.

 

 

oi& — The beautiful Nrsimhavata'ra' has been hailed as, ' Cm p ion : ', in Rig Veda, and as q aq: mJ ', in Vishnu Sahasrana'mam. Also refer to Sri Thirumazhisai Piran's

' mpflmrsn   nCnr in (yeusiig;nCca ( en - Q . 22). suJ  — Nectar of this expansive universe.

betrays I iiymâaQ ;iisuirq              eumryrm n6lJ

: II ' — ( Sri Alavandar's Stotra Ratnam — 29 ). Sri Alavandar says, ' One drop of the nectar ocean of love springing from Thy two lotus Feet, extinguishes in a trice, the forest fire of samsara' and reaches to the devotee the greatest happiness that he can ever find.'

The Vedas hail the Lord who wields the sparkling Chakra’ as nectar and honey, He who exulted in churning and distributing nectar to celestial beings. I hail my Supreme Lord, and praise and worship him with this nectar-like garland ofverses.

61       - The Lord is the nectar of all living beings, unlike the nectar of the milk ocean which was available only to the celestial beings.

fl§i& g)jii — Upanishads hail the Lord as ' ereJeugnu '. Honey is a compound of all six tastes that cover the whole spectrum of what we call taste.

rN — Wielding the Sudarsana'.

Whitby Jb   N  — Though the Lord churned the ocean for the sake of the celestial beings, at their request, his exultation was more than theirs in this, because He is quick to

 

recognise even those who look upto him for favours as elevated beings. ' n.grin: enter ynieuCg', ( Gita 7-18 ). All the three categories of devotees, viz. they who seek Him for worldly or celestial joys and the realised beings who love Him for his own sake, ( yfisuJiu n›+eusi›mnJ;ii           nJ), are elevated beings.

 

- Here, ' in    ', could be construed to mean divine Mother Sri who materialised from the milk ocean. '    on

 

Cgi&m £leaNm — nectar like garland of poetry. Only in the previous pasuram, Azhwar had spoken deprecatingly of his verses as, ' mpmn+Sieu@6lan{dmsir m@Cnrnii'.But since the subject matter of his verses is the unsatiating nectar of' baghavad vishayam', Azhwar changes tack having tasted the sweetness of the subject and refers to his verses as nectar-like garland.

 

Ginr               en— The great Lord spoken of so endearingly by the Vedas which are replete with such statements. ' qCmn men no ', ( Thaithriya Upanishad, Brahma'nandavalli 7-1.) The Paramapurusha is the essence of essences. ' nut euro . , (Chandogya Up. 3-14-2). 'He is of all tastes. ' euro : Mg

men menu : ', ( Vishnu-Suktham ).

' Honey flows from Vishnu's exalted Feet.'

 

 

 

86

 

What fruit have the learned ones reaped by their prayer to the Supreme Lord, with freshly gatheredflowers, and constant remembrance and utterance of His sacred names! Tms is not achieved by tortuous body-bea’tingpenance, but by His grace.how else have I been blessed by His visionexcept by the grace of my Lord with complexion like ablue jewel and the sky?

Azhwar makes the point that at the root of any spiritual sa'dhana' which culminates in God-experience is his grace, for no penance, however rigorous and marked by self-punishing practice can lead to Him, unless it is blessed by his 'nirhetuka krupa".

 

g&N myJy gnmeiJoni- The learned ones naturally endowed with spiritual proclivities who seek their progress, by constant japa' and meditation.

 

  gathering just blossomed fresh flowers. kguN ‹S & psi›? — literally, what  is the

fruit of their worshipful prayer to Him ? The implication is that God- experience is not the outcome of any mechanical input-output equation, for Narayana is the fruit as well as the dispenser of the fruit,

 

N y yié 6iiotiiJymJynsIi  in      in - difficult to envision by the pursuit of ' karma yoga" practices.( of those well- versed in such practices).

Etna     of           - Lord Who resembles the blue sky and a blue diamond.

tend                     mJ user ott mN 6ionsii— 'With what ascetic powers do I see Him now?' The implication is that it is the 'nirhetuka krupa" that enables the Azhwar to experience the Lord in his day to day thoughts and pursuits. Swami Appillai 's commentary has it that the Azhwar refers to himself as ' men', in utter humility, that is meaning, ' humble as I am '.

 

Swami Periava'cha'n Pillar 's interpretation, however is that Azhwar refers to himself as 'axisir', in an exulting and euphoric sense, blessed as he is with direct experience of the Lord, even as Swami Nammazhwar does under similar circumstances, ' inn

succa Cg ', ( Q sunk- Finn. 4-5-8.). ' eun rñC+n ñ aefl Demise suniCa›;Ii i lsdl arr Cn ', ( jeunai- taxi. 4-5-1.).

 

B&p a›QA&Cp m-a›Ca›m- &(yQsugmpa ao&t;gtñ  ser@g Q(ga1pmu                             copy   s(g&Caatip  ujréA<$gj  ns0gagpCpm-                      a Ct_m

Q{g&CasLip 0u$mp @gé.                                 87