SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
This prabandham (divine hymn) was mercifully composed by thirumazhisai AzhwAr. Since it starts with the words nAnmugan and is in the form of andhAdhi (antha + Adhi – the last letter/word/line of one poem is the first letter / word / line of the next poem) it is called as nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi. The other divine hymn of this AzhwAr’s is thiruchchandha viruththam. This AzhwAr is rooted in establishing that SrIman nArAyaNa is the supreme lord. His pAsurams carry all the inner meanings of all vEdhas (sacred texts). There are three vyAkyAthas (commentators) for this thiruvandhAdhi – nampiLLai, periyavAchchAn piLLai and appiLLai. These vyAkyAnams (commentaries) are very brief. It is said that periyavAchchAn piLLai wrote the commentary for the andhAdhis in his later years.
While the first two AzhwArs (poygai AzhwAr and bhUthaththAzhwAr) mercifully sang “vaiyam thagaLiyA” and “anbE thagaLiyA… gyAnachchudar viLakkERRinEn” respectively and lit lamps, pEyAzhwAr mercifully sang “thirukkaNdEn ponmEni kaNdEn” about how the three of them experienced emperumAn. The three andhAdhis of the first three AzhwArs would be about their experience of emperumAn. By experiencing nArAyaNa, they showed that it is he who is fit to be experienced. This AzhwAr (thirumazhisai AzhwAr) removes the weeds from the field of experiencing emperumAn. What is the weed for experiencing emperumAn?
It is the act of praising other deities as supreme being. Since there is no vaishNavathvam (the love for vishNu) for those who do not consider vishNu as the supreme being, such people will not be worthy of experiencing bhagavAn. Those who worship emperumAn for other benefits (and not for himself) will be worthy of experiencing emperumAn. For those worshipping other deities, until they sever their worshipping of such deities, such worthiness will not occur to them. Thus, worshipping other deities becomes the primary weed to be removed for enjoying emperumAn. nammAzhwAr refers to this as “Or Unam” (a unique fault). In this divine hymn, thirumazhisai AzhwAr removes that weed. Isn’t thirumazhisai AzhwAr one who does not put his sword in its sheath [unrelenting and unforgiving] and is ever ready to cut out such weed (of worshipping other deities)!
We will take up the 1st pAsuram of this thiruvandhAdhi next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org