SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
nammAzhwAr vaibhavam
nammAzhwAr – AzhwAr thirunagari
He possesses other names such as SatakOpan, mARan, magizhmARan, and vazhudhi vaLanAdan. He is celebrated as the leader of the vaishNava clan (kulapathi). Since he is the leader of those who have surrendered (prapannas), he is called prapanna jana kUtasthar. He incarnated in thirukkurugUr (known as AzhwAr thirunagari), having been blessed by emperumAn with mayarvaRa mathinalam (blemishless knowledge and devotion). The thirunakshathram (birth star) of nammAzhwAr is vaikAsi visAgam. To this day, vaikAsi visAgam is celebrated with great grandeur in AzhwAr thirunagari. In this dhivya dhEsam, all the glories that belong to emperumAn also belongs to AzhwAr. emperumAn has two brahmOthsavams. Similarly, AzhwAr has two avathAra uthsavams (incarnation festivals). One uthsavam is celebrated on vaikAsi visAgam and the other is the vigraha prathishtai (deity consecration) celebrated on mAsi visAgam. Just as emperumAn of AzhwAr thirunagari has a kodimaram/dhvajasthambam (flagpole), AzhwAr also has a kodimaram with the hamsa (swan) flag. Since nammAzhwAr graced us with the essence of the four vEdhas in the form of four prabandhams (thiruviruththam, thiruvAsiriyam, periya thiruvandhAdhi, and thiruvAimozhi), he is known as “vEdham thamizh seydha mARan” (one who rendered vEdhas in thamizh).
nammAzhwAr vAzhi thirunAmam
thirukkurugaip perumAL than thirutthALgaL vAzhiyE
thiruvAna thirumugaththuch cheviyenRum vAzhiyE
irukkumozhi en nenjil thEkkinAn vAzhiyE
endhai ethirAsarkku iRaivanAr vAzhiyE
karukkuzhiyil pugA vaNNam kAththaruLvOn vAzhiyE
kAsiniyil Ariyanaik kAttinAn vAzhiyE
varuththamaRa vandhennai vAzhviththAn vAzhiyE
madhurakavi tham pirAn vAzhi vAzhi vAzhiyE
nammAzhwAr vAzhi thirunAmam – Explanation
thirukkurugaip perumAL than thirutthALgaL vAzhiyE – Because nammAzhwAr attained a glory equal to the emperumAn residing in thirukkurugUr, he is referred to as “perumAL” in this line. May the divine feet of nammAzhwAr, who incarnated in thirukkurugUr, live long (pallANdu)!
thiruvAna thirumugaththuch cheviyenRum vAzhiyE – This line expresses the wish that the brightness / radiance (chevvi) shining on the golden divine face of nammAzhwAr should remain glorious eternally.
irukkumozhi en nenjil thEkkinAn vAzhiyE – In thamizh, the foremost vEdham, the rig vEdha, is called “irukku”. There are countless branches of the eternal vEdhas. nammAzhwAr graciously bestowed us its essence through his prabandhams so that they can be easily understood in our hearts. May he live long (pallANdu)!
endhai ethirAsarkku iRaivanAr vAzhiyE – Long live nammAzhwAr, who is the master of bhagavath rAmAnuja (also called ” ethirAsar”, King of yathis i.e. sanyAsis), who is called as “ennudayya thanthai” (my father) (in the works of author (maNavALa mAmunigaL)). As thiruvarangaththu amudhanAr sang in rAmAnusa nURRandhAdhi, “pUmannu mAdhu porunthiya mArban, pugazh malindha pAmannu mARan adi paNindhu uynthavan” (rAmAnujar lived by surrendering to such AzhwAr’s divine feet, whose mind was filled with thiruvAimozhi, which is filled with the auspicious qualities of emperumAn having such a divine chest where pirAttiar stays every moment.), rAmAnuja attained salvation by surrendering unto the feet of mARan (nammAzhwAr). nammAzhwAr held great affection for rAmAnuja. May the specially honored nammAzhwAr, live long (pallANdu)!
karukkuzhiyil pugA vaNNam kAttharuLvOn vAzhiyE – In many verses of each pathigam (decad) of thiruvAimozhi, it is emphasized that those who recite his hymns will not be born again in this world. This line says: May nammAzhwAr, who protects us so that we reach paramapadham to serve emperumAn without returning to the womb (rebirth), live long (pallANdu)!
kAsiniyil Ariyanaik kAttinAn vAzhiyE – kAsini means the world. nammAzhwAr showed us the AchArya in this world. He established nAthamunigaL as an AchArya for us. When nAthamunigaL (an expert in yOga SAsthram) meditated under the thiruppuLiyAzhwAr (tamarind tree) reciting ‘kaNNinuN chiRuth thAmbu’ twelve thousand times, nammAzhwAr appeared and asks, “What do you want?” nAthamunigaL replied, “Please bless with the one thousand pAsurams that you have composed”. nammAzhwAr, as an AchArya, gave nAthamunigaL all the prabandhams he composed (thiruvAimozhi, thiruvAsiriyam, thiruviruththam, periya thiruvandhAdhi) as well as the compositions of all other AzhwArs, compiling them into nAlAyira dhivya prabandham. He also gave nAthamunigaL all the meanings of dhivyaprabandham. Thus, showing nAthamunigaL as the next AchArya in the lineage (guru paramparai).
Furthermore, it can also be understood that nammAzhwAr showed/revealed to us about bhagavath rAmAnuja. When madhurakavi AzhwAr boiled the water of thAmirabaraNi river, the first thirumEni (divine form) that emerged was the vigraham (idol) of bhavishyadhAchAryar (SrI rAmAnuja) with his hands folded in worship. When madhurakavi AzhwAr asked nammAzhwAr in wonder, “I prayed for your divine idol, but what has emerged is a different idol with joined palms”. nammAzhwAr replied, “He is the one who represents thiruvadi sthAnam (my divine feet)”. He stated that in the future, approximately 4000 years later, this AchArya would appear and nourish the SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam in an excellent manner. When madhurakavi AzhwAr asked again for nammAzhwAr’s own vigraham, nammAzhwAr blessed him saying it would be obtained if he boiled the thAmirabaraNi water once more; the vigraham obtained accordingly is the thirumEni of the AzhwAr that we worship today in AzhwAr thirunagari. This bhavishyadhAchArya vigraham is the first thirumEni of rAmAnuja that was revealed by nammAzhwAr.
Furthermore, while gracing nAthamunigaL with the prabandhams, specifically during the “poliga poliga” decad, nammAzhwAr appeared in nAthamunigaL’s dream in the form of a sanyAsi (ascetic). nAthamunigaL joyfully beheld that divine form and requested it from nammAzhwAr, who then announced that the AchArya belonging to this form would incarnate in the future. Moreover, nammAzhwAr had that divine form sculpted by a craftsman and gave it to nAthamunigaL. This second bhavishyadhAchAryar thirumEni was passed down from the time of nAthamuni, through uyyakkoNdAr and maNakkAl nambi, finally reaching thirukkOttiyUr nambi; it was installed in thirukkOttiyUr and remains there for us to worship to this day. May nammAzhwAr, who revealed such glorious AchAryas like nAthamunigaL and rAmAnuja to this world, live long (pallANdu)!
varuththamaRa vandhennai vAzhvitthAn vAzhiyE – Long live nammAzhwAr, who removed all my sorrows and made me prosper. Through his verses, he showed us emperumAn and AchArya. By reciting his pAsurams (hymns), we attain the grace of the emperumAn and the AchArya. May nammAzhwAr who made us flourish, live long (pallANdu)!
madhurakavi tham pirAn vAzhi vAzhi vAzhiyE – nammAzhwAr was the AchArya for madhurakavi AzhwAr. madhurakavi AzhwAr thought of nothing else but nammAzhwAr, saying “dhEvu maRRaRiyEn ” (I know no other God). Thus, the vAzhi thirunAmam concludes by wishing that nammAzhwAr, who was everything to madhurakavi AzhwAr, live long (pallANdu)!
adiyEn govindarAja rAmAnuja dAsan
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