விளக்கவுரை
கொல்லிநகர் என்று கூறப்படும் திருவஞ்சிக்களம் (கேரளம்) என்ற நகரின் அரசரான குலசேகரப்பெருமாள் செய்தது என்னவெனில் – சாஸ்திரச் சொற்களுக்கு விஷயமாக உள்ள ஸ்ரீரங்கநாதனின் விபூதிகள், குணங்கள் ஆகியவற்றை – முத்துக்கள், இரத்தினக் கற்கள் போன்றவற்றைக் கோர்ப்பவர் போன்ற செயல் செய்து, “இருளிரிய சுடர் மணிகள்”, என்று தொடங்கி, “நலந்திகழ் நாரணன் அடிக் கீழ் நண்ணுவார்”, என்று முடித்து, இந்தக் கவிதைகளில் அந்தச் சாஸ்திரச் சொற்களைப் பதித்தார். இப்படிப்பட்ட குலசேகராழ்வாரின் பெருமாள் திருமொழியை எப்போதும் அநுஸந்திக்கும் நாதமுனிகள், ஆளவந்தார், பெரிய நம்பி, திருமலைநம்பி, திருக்கோட்டீயூர்நம்பி, திருவரங்கப்பெருமாளரையர், திருமாலையாண்டான் போன்றவர்களின் திருவடிகளை மட்டுமே ஆராதித்து வருபவரும், பகவத் விஷயத்தில் இவரை விட உயர்ந்தவர் யாரும் இல்லாமல் உள்ளவரும் ஆகிய எம்பெருமானார் என்னை விட்டு நீங்காமல் எப்போதும் என்னுடன் உள்ளார். இதனால் என்ன நிகழ்ந்தது? மிகவும் உயர்ந்த புருஷார்த்தங்களைப் பெறுவதற்காக – தீயுடன் கூடிய காடுகள், கால்களை வருத்தும் கற்கள் நிறைந்த இடங்கள், அதிக குளிர் உணடாக்கி வாட்டும் நீர் நிலைகள் ஆகியவற்றில் இருந்தபடி, அனைத்து உடல் உறுப்புகளும் வருந்தும்படி தவம் செய்யும் ஸ்வபாவம் நீங்கப் பெற்றேன். (இதன் கருத்து – உடையவரின் திருவடித் தொடர்பு கிட்டிய பின்னர் வேறு பயன் கருதி எந்தச் செயல்களிலும் ஈடுபட வேண்டியதில்லை என்பதாகும்).
Similar to ThoNdaradippodi AzhwAr, KulasEkara PerumAL also was deeply involved in devotion for Lord Ranganathan and also wished to serve Him as well as His bhakthAs. In fact in one of his verses, he calls himself as thoNdaradippodi. Kulasekara azhwar declared that unalloyed and unparalleled devotion to his lotus feet alone is the means to attain Him. AzhwAr wished to live in Thirumala as any being or matter so that there will be bhAgawatha sparsam and thus blessed with bhagawath bhakti growth. Not severe penance; but just to be a mere bird, or pond etc… In Dhivya desam is adequate- that is what EmperumAnAr enjoyed in this AzhwAr says Amudhanaar.
Meaning
Emperumaanaar Sri Ramanujacharya always praises the feet of those who desirously and lovingly sing the pAsurams of KulasEkharAzhwAr, that are laid out in sweet, simple Tamil words, bringing out the meanings of saasthrAs like the nine gems. He, the One who is unparalleled and peerless, especially with regard to his respect for Bhagawathas, will never ever leave me. Hence, I am able to get rid of my sins, aspiring for the Purushaartham, with his grace and thereby avoiding the torturous penance that need to be performed staying on the mountains, or in the midst of the sea, or in the dense forests.
PerumAL Thirumozhi the work of Kulasekara AzhwAr is equivalent to Vedas. Vedas house everything in it. Even this work does. Pathikkum kalai. [Extract from Sri Sadagopan Swami’s write up on Kulasekara AzhwAr] There are 105 Bhakthi-laden paasurams in PerumAl Thirumozhi housed in ten decads. The subject matter of these ten decads are:
(1) AzhwAr’s yearning to worship Lord RanganAthan at Srirangam and celebration of his Bhagavath PrAvaNyam (devotion to the Lord).
(2) Reverence for the devotees of Lord RanganAthan and yearning to join that BhagavathagOshti (aanukoolya-Sankalpam). Celebration of his Bhaagavatha PrAvaNyam (devout disposition to the BhAgavathAs of the Lord).
(3) Renunciation of the impediments to God- Realization,AzhwAr’s parama vairAgyam, rejection of Ihika- PurushArthams (pleasures of this world)out of his great love for the sacred feet of Lord RanganAthan (Praathikoolya-Varjanam).
(4) KulasEkhara”s moving prayer to the Lord of Venkatam for His DayA to be born as any thing on His hills for removal of obstructions to Moksha Siddhi (kaarpaNyam). Expressions of His desire to have the sevai of the Lord of Venkatam at all times (gopthruva varaNam).
(5) AzhwAr’s total dependence on the mercy of the Lord of VitthuvakkOdu and AzhwAr’s mahA visvAsam in the Lord as a SaraNAgathan(Aathma NikshEpam/Bhara NyAsam). Description of the varieties of relationships between the JeevAthmA and the ParamAthmA: Mother and the helpless Infant, straying Husband and Pathivrathai, unsteady king and loyal subject, Curing Surgeon and the sick patient, the stable ship and the exhausted bird seeking refuge in it in the middle of the ocean, the life-giving Sun and the Lotus that needs it for its existence, the life giving rain and the crop that depends on it, the vast Ocean and the many rivers that enter into it (ananaya Gathithvam and Aakinchanyam).
(6) Celebration of Naayaki-Naayaka BhAvam in the form of a Gopi, who never had any samslEsham (union) with the Lord expressing her longing for Him (madhura bhakthi).
(7) Celebration of the Mother-child love through the anubhavam of Devaki visa- vis Bala KrishNan after VasudEvar moved Him to AaypAdi for “safety”. The Mother (Devaki), who had to give up her own child and her missing the Aanandham of enjoying her child growing up. Frustrated Devaki’s lament about her misfortune (dourbhAgyam) AzhwAr experiences the sorrow of Devaki and relates it to his vislEsham (seperation) from the Lord.
(8) Celebration of another type of Mother-Child love through the joyous anubhavam of Kousalai singing lullaby to her child, Raamachandran. MangaLAsAsanam of ThirukkaNNapuram PerumAL as RaamAvatharan. In this avathAram, BhagavAn was not separated from His birth mother. AzhwAr enjoys the anubhavam of the blissful mother (Kousalai) singing lullaby to her Supraja.
(9) Reflection on the Father-Son separation (Lord Raamachandran as Son and Dasarathan as the Father) and articulation of the sorrow of the father after the exile of his dear son. AzhwAr identifies himself with Dasaratha here. The lamentations of Dasaratha are heart-breaking. This is AzhwAr’s anubhavam enjoying the Lord as his puthran.
(10)The tenth and final decad provides the climax to AzhwAr’s exploration of the relationship (Sambhandham) between the Lord and himself as His Bhakthan seeking liberation from the SamsAric ills to perform nithya kaimkaryam to Him. AzhwAr’s joy breaks forth in the form of MangaLAsAsanam for Thillai Thirucchithrakoota EmperumAn. AzhwAr visualizes the Lord of Dhivya Desam as the happy Raamachandran enjoying the beauty of Chithrakootam hills with SithA PirAtti. AzhwAr uses the occasion to bless us with SankshEpa RaamAyaNam (RaamAyaNa Saaram).
This decad is Srimath RaamAyana Sarvasavam indeed!
KULASEKARA AZHWAR AND PERIYAZHWAR
kushyate yasya nagarE ranga yAtra dhine dhine……
Everyday King Kulasekara wanted to go and visit Srirangam and threw would be gOsham to commence the journey. Later by the time he starts after ArAdhanam and nithya karma anushtAnam, it would be afternoon, and he would be advised that next day they can plan to proceed. Such was his devotion for RanganAthan.
Similarly PeriyAzhwAr asked [after AndAL got married to and united with RanganAthan] ennudaiya ThiruvarangaRkanRi maRRoruvarrkku ALAvarO’ would anyone serve anyone else other than My Sri RanganAthan asks AzhwAr.
King Kulasekara spent most of his time only on religious activities and attending discourses. Once when the UpanyAsakar was narrating Rama RavaNa yuddham where the battle was going on for a long time and RavaNa was giving a tough fight, kulasEkara was so much attached to the story and it the discourse he ordered his Army General to immediately organize to send the soldiers, elephants and horses and the king was also making himself ready for the battle to give a helping hand to Sri Rama.
The upanyAsakar and all others were totally perplexed and could not say anything. The upanyAsakar at last came to the king and said “O, mighty king, We need not go. The Lord Rama has already killed ravaNa and is on his way back to AyOdhyA for his pattAbhishEkam”. That made the king silent and he came to normalcy; such was kulasEkarA’s bhakti for Rama. That was Bhagawath prEmai; Similar to PeriyAzhwAr’s feeling apprehensive about the evil glances that may befall on the Lord when he had appeared.
The Lord appeared with MahA Lakshmi in the sky on the back of Garudan to witness the honor accorded to His dear BahkthA and student by the King of Mathurai for establishing His supremacy (parathvam) in a scholarly fashion with indisputable proofs from the VedAs and Upanishads at the court of the Paandyan king; the Joyous AzhwAr was overwhelmed with concern and fear over the safety of the Lord as he drank deep the beauty of the SaraNya Dampathis, who manifested over the sky. He marveled at the parAkramam of the Lord as he saw the weapons that the Lord handles to punish the wicked and protect His asritha janams. The Azhwar was totally overwhelmed by the grace of the Supreme Being, who sanctified the occasion with His appearance in person to witness the celebration over his victory at the court. The Azhwar suddenly got worried about any dhrishti dhOsham falling on the Lord and causing Him (Sriya: Pathi) any harm. He forgot for few moments that the Omnipotent Lord could take very good care of Himself and fend Himself very well against any undesirable happenings associated with the “evil eye” of the malevolent people. The concern that poured out of the AzhwAr was like water gushing out of a deep fountain. MaNavALa Maamuni understood precisely the outpouring of anxious concern of this kind and the deep desire of the devotee to intervene and protect the Lord from harm’s way. AzhwAr’s mood was described by Maamuni precisely as ”Ponghum Parivu”. Maamuni concluded that this unique anubhavam of the AzhwAr entitled him to be recognized as PeriyAzhwAr.
Though Sage Viswamithra had mentioned that: aham vEdmi mahaathmaanam raamam sathya paraakramam…, I know that Rama is the Mahaathmaa; He is the Paraman Himself.
Oh Dasaratha, you think he is your son who is just 12 years of age; He is omniscient; omnipotent Lord. ¦etc… However, when later Rama killed thaadakai, the raakshasi… Sage was apprehensive about Rama and blessed the Boy Rama… Bhadhram thE BhaktHAs may be highly knowledgeable; know vedanthic saasthrAs; realize the Lord’s Supremacy and His Parathvam. When it comes to Bhagawath prEmai, they forget all that and get worried like the mother’s love for her infant child. They sing magaLaasaasanam for the lord. Devaki, Vasudevar, though had seen and enjoyed PerumAL darshan when Lord Krishna was born; still they took the child across to Nandhagopan. Even if the devotees are aware of the Parathvam and Supremacy of the Lord, if they are worried and take care of the Lord dhivya mangaLa vigraham from the scorching sun, rains, chilling climate with adequate protection, their devotion is immense and is not be construed as being ignorant of His Supremacy- says Emperumanar.
Thus PeriyAzhwAr sang Pallaandu for the Lord and many a time, he even forgot that he is PeriyAzhwAr himself. Amudhanaar describes Ramanuja’s involvement and enjoyment of PeriyAzhwAr here.
Source:
http://sundarasimham.org/
http://namperumal.wordpress.com/
