SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Highlights from thirukkurukaip pirAn piLLAn‘s introduction
mudiyAnE – AzhwAr acquired the desire to see emperumAn as said in thiruvAimozhi 3.6.10 “thEr kadaviya perumAn kanai kazhal kANbadhenRu kol kaNgaL” (when will my eyes see the divine feet of krishNa who rode the chariot) and that desire increased rapidly. But he was unable to see emperumAn and have his desires fulfilled. Due to that grief, becoming unhappy, he cries out saying that he wants to enjoy emperumAn through all his sense organs in all manner.
Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction
In eighth decad – AzhwAr acquired the desire to see emperumAn as said in thiruvAimozhi 3.6.10 “thEr kadaviya perumAn kanai kazhal kANbadhenRu kol kaNgaL” (when will my eyes see the divine feet of krishNa who rode the chariot) in “seyya thAmaraik kaNNan” and that desire grew like a tree with hundreds of branches due to his meditation upon the same aspect in “payilum sudaroLi” [which explains servitude towards devotees] which is a support [for such desire towards emperumAn]. As his desire was not fulfilled, he became very unhappy, and his sense organs too wanted to enjoy emperumAn in all manner [every organ wanting to see, hear, touch, smell and speak]. Like a poor man with many hungry children during famine situation would cry out for food for both himself and his children, AzhwAr cries out to see emperumAn who has divine ornaments, divine weapons, spiritual distinguished divine form, all auspicious qualities and activities which are done for his devotees. AzhwAr’s endless desire [towards emperumAn] is explained by these pAsurams which highlight that his sense organs desired for emperumAn, and even in that, each sense organ desired for the experience of all other sense organs.
Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction
In eighth decad – After the distinguished qualities of bhagavAn which is the foundation for the servitude towards bhAgavathas which he enjoyed in previous decad, created great desire to experience such qualities in AzhwAr‘s divine heart, having the association with bhAgavathas as a support during the hard times of separation, having agonised by the lack of experience of such emperumAn for himself and his faculties such as his heart, sense organs etc, highlights the following aspects:
- the lordship of emperumAn who is the target of enjoyment
- how he eliminates the unfavourable aspects and makes us fully exist for him
- his great love towards his devotees
- his resting on AdhiSEsha [in kshIrAbdhi (milk ocean)] which is the root for all his incarnations
- his having the vehicle (garuda) to visit his devotees
- the divine combination of his hand and sudharSana chakra, both of which exist for his devotees to enjoy
- bhagavAn with such vAhana (vehicle), Ayudha (weapons) etc being his dhAraka (that which sustains), pOshaka (that which nourishes) and bhOgya (that which gives pleasure)
- his beauty which makes us enjoy him
- how he eliminates the hurdles of such enjoyment
- his effortless way of eliminating such hurdles
Meditating upon these aspects, AzhwAr cries out greatly in grief due to not having acquired this experience.
Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction
See nampiLLai‘s introduction.
Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction
In thiruvAimozhi 3.6 “seyya thAmaraik kaNNan“, AzhwAr explained the craving of his eyes to see emperumAn in thiruvAimozhi 3.6.10 “thEr kadaviya perumAn kanai kazhal kANbadhenRu kol kaNgaL“; emperumAn showed his devotees who are like his shadow or lines in his feet, to AzhwAr; but the subsequent association with such devotees reminded the qualities of bhagavAn more for AzhwAr instead of helping him in sustaining the separation by mutual discussions, thus leading to more such craving.
In the previous decad, as part of explaining the true nature of bhAgavathas, bhagavAn was also explained; bhagavAn is of the nature that, even if one approaches him for a different purpose [in this case, to enjoy his devotees], he will ensure that they are fully consumed by him. Due to that remembrance also, AzhwAr‘s attachment towards emperumAn started over flowing. Not only AzhwAr’s eyes desired to see emperumAn’s divine feet, his other sense organs too started craving, each sense organ desired for the activity of other organs and so on, AzhwAr himself craved for the activities of all such organs, the sense organs which are craving more than and him craving more than his sense organs, like a man with many children during famine who can neither feed himself nor his children, would grab the food of his children and the children would grab his food and say “How am I going to feed myself? How am I going to feed my children?”, AzhwAr and his sense organs are suffering in anguish.
As said in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 40.3 “gAthraiSSOkAbhikarSithai:” (sIthA pirAtti said “you bless me so that I who is greatly attached to SrI rAma, can touch the tiger among men SrI rAma, with my body parts which are very weak), sIthA pirAtti requested hanuman that to facilitate her reunion with SrI rAma so that she can enjoy him in this life itself, AzhwAr too becoming anguished, wanting to see his weapons, ornaments, the divine form which adorns them, his auspicious qualities and activities, thinking “emperumAn cannot remove my craving for him by simply presenting his qualities like before”, cried out in high pitch [mudiyAnE! thanjanE! vanjanE! etc in this decad], to melt those who hear his cry.
nampiLLai explains the aspect of association with devotees causing more remembrance of bhagavAn using SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 59.3. “guhEna sArdham thathraiva sthithOsmi dhivaAn bahUn” – sumanthra (dhaSaratha’s minister) remained with SrI guhap perumAL, where SrI rAma left them and went away; though he stayed there only for a couple of days, the term “bahUn” (many days) is used; due to the separation, it felt very long. When miLagAzhwAn was asked “Why did it feel so long when he was with SrI guhap perumAL?”, he mercifully replied “When we stay with those who remind us of the object of separation, the anguish will double”. AzhwAr himself said in thiruvAimozhi 9.5.7 “mEgak kuzhAngaLkAL kAttEn min nummuru ennuyirkkadhu kAlan” (Oh clouds! don’t come in front of me; since you remind me of emperumAn (when I am in separation), you are death personified for me”.
How can the sense organs which are the gates for knowledge gathering/disposal, crave? That explains the great attachment of AzhwAr towards bhagavAn. Alternatively, it is also explained as, even the sense organs became like sentient objects and started craving due to AzhwAr’s taste towards bhagavAn. If taste towards worldly matters will create craving in them, what to speak of matters relating to bhagavAn? Those who have developed taste in bhagavath vishayam do not do it as a means to attain anything else, but to simply enjoy bhagavAn; SrI prahlAdhAzhwAn towards emperumAn in SrIvishNu purANam 12.20.19 “yA prIthiravivEkAnAm” (Like ignorant people are engrossed in worldly matters, I should be engrossed in matters related to your highness).
Alright. Can one sense organ desire for the activity of another organ? chakshuSSravA: – a snake would both see and hear with it’s eyes; that ability is also given by emperumAn only; if he can bestow that ability, what is wrong with that? He gives this ability in paramapadham to those who enjoy him, since he is bound to give sAmyApaththi mOksham (when liberated, the souls also acquire some of his qualities) as explained by thirumangai AzhwAr in periya thirumozhi 11.3.5 “thammaiyE okka aruL seyyum ammAn” (emperumAn will bless his devotees to become like him [in some aspects]). AzhwAr also explained emperumAn’s nature in thiruvAimozhi 9.9.9 “thUdhu sey kaNgaL koNdu onRu pEsi thUmozhi isaigaL koNdu onRi nOkki” (speaking through the eyes which sends messages and seeing through his mouth which sings beautiful songs). [If his sense organs too start sharing his craving, would his craving not reduce? No.] Like a river which is flooded will greatly flow through various branches, yet will not give up it’s own force while reaching the ocean, though AzhwAr’s craving is released through his sense organs, his own craving will never decrease.
Each pAsuram is discussed subsequently.
- pAsuram 1
- pAsuram 2
- pAsuram 3
- pAsuram 4
- pAsuram 5
- pAsuram 6
- pAsuram 7
- pAsuram 8
- pAsuram 9
- pAsuram 10
- pAsuram 11
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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