thiripuram

In the previous pASuras AzhwAr spoke in the voice of a mother. BagavAn was ashamed of His behaviour towards this Bakta. That He let him lament and suffer like this. ‘Shouldn’t I have helped him before He asks for it?’ He feels. So He reveals Himself in this divya dESa called aTTabuyakaram and AzhwAr enjoyed Him as parakAla nAyaki.

It was a unique and extraordinary form. So parakAla nAyaki could not recognize Him. But she could not just leave Him nor could she use her buddhi to know Him. She asks a wise man standing nearby ‘Who is He’?. emberumAn Himself answers the question ‘I am so and so’. Her mother and friends who also happen to be near her could not understand what was going on. They think she is under delusion. ‘Are you alright’? They ask her. She replies ‘I had an extraordinary vision. I did not know who He was. I asked a wise man but the ‘form’ replied I am aTTabuyakarattAn. She narrates the dialogue and the incident to them.

These pASuras called the ‘daughter pASuras’ are astonishingly beautiful.

tiripuram moonru erittAnum maTTrai
malarmiSai mEl ayanum viyappa
muritirai mAkaDal pOl muzhangi
moovulahum muraiyAl vaNanga |
eriyana kESara vALeyiTTrODu
iraNiyan Aham iraNDu koorA
ariyuruvAm ivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

The parakAla nAyaki talks—Oh! Listen to what happened. I saw a wise man and asked him pointing to a figure—who is He who is—like a man-lion (narasimha) having fire-like manes and sword like teeth who killed the asura called hiraNya by splitting open his body in to two; who is praised by Siva (who burnt the three cities) and brahma (who is born of a lotus) and by the people of all worlds-the sound of the hymns resembling the roaring of the sea? The ‘person’ answered ‘I am the one residing in aTTAbuyakara. I have taken this unique form to help my Bakta prahlAda and have come to help you too.’

If parakAla nAyaki had not known the swaroopa and swaBAva of the ‘person’ it is but natural that ‘she’ should ask who He is. But here parakAla nAyaki explains Him ‘tiripuram moonru----------ariyuruvAm ivar’ and finally asks the question ‘ivar Ar kol’? periyavAchchAn piLLai explains—yes, it is proper. The swaroopa of BagavAn is inexplicable; any amount of description also will not make Him known. Unless one has the experience of AzhwAr. It is difficult to know this discrepancy.

AzhwAr’s doubt is—whether this extraordinary divine form is real or illusory.

seeta pirATTi, while in aSOka vana doubted the identity of hanumAn even after he said he had come as ‘rAmadoota’. She says— ‘kim nu syAt chitta mOhOyam BavEt gatistviyam unmAdajO vikArO vA syAdiyam mrgatriShNika’—this appearance, is it my illusion or due to air current or due to my bile disturbance of a mirage?’

BagavAn’s name in this divya dESa is aShTaBujan (having eight arms); aTTabuyakara is the name of the divya dESa. parakAla nAyaki could not see Him face to face. Hence she asks the wise man standing nearby ‘Who is He?’ BagavAn Himself replies ‘I am aTTabuyakarattAn’. He does not say ‘I am aTTabuyan’ but says ‘aTTabuyakarattAn’. why? He doesn’t want to reveal His own identity Himself. So the indirect way of the name is revealed—‘I am the Lord of aTTabuyakara or I am the one who resides in aTTabuyakara’.

In kALidAsa’s Sakuntala king duShyanta meets Sakuntala in a forest near a sage’s ASramam. He reveals his identity as—I am appointed to do ‘dharma kAya’ by puruvamSa king’. It is interpreted in two ways—I am appointed by my father as a king to carry out the dharma kAya (or) I am just a servant of the people to do their rakShaNa kArya.

Similarly BagavAn introduces Himself indirectly and humbly.

vendiral veeraril veeraroppAr
vEdam uraittu imaiyOr vaNangum
Sendamizh pADuvAr tAm vaNangum
dEvar ivar kol terikka mATTEn |
vandu kuraLuruvAi nimirndu
mAvali vELviyil maNNaLanda
andaNar pOnrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

She asks the wise man—who is He? Is He SreerAma, the bravest of the brave, who is eulogized by all the dEvas with vEdic hymns? Is He SreenivAsa of tirumala who mudalAzhwArs (pEyAzhwAr, boodattAzhwAr and poihai AzhwAr) sung in tamizh pASuras? Is He the vAmana brahmachAri who begged three feet of land from mahAbali in his yAga and measured them by taking trivikrama avatAra? I don’t know.

BagavAn replies—‘I am aTTabuyakarattEn.’

Sembon ilangu valangai vALi
tiN Silai taNDODu Sangam oLvAL
umbar iruSuDar AzhiyODu
kEDakam oNmalar paTTri yeTTrE |
vembu SinattaDal vEzham veezha
veN maruppu onru parittu iruNDa
ambudam pOnrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

The girl asks the wise man—Aha! He looks awfully beautiful with eight arms holding arrows, bow (SArnga), gada (koumOdaki), sword (nandaka), SanKa (pAchajanya), chakra (sudarSana), shield and a lotus. Is He kaNNapirAn who is dark like rain cloud and who killed the kamsa’s elephant kuvaLayApeeDa pulling its white tusk?

BagavAn answers—‘aTTabuyakarattEn’.

manjuyar mA maNi kunramEndi
mA mazhai kAttu oru mAya Anai
anja adan maruppu anru vAngum
Ayar kol mAyam ariyamATTEn |
venjuDar Azhiyum Sangam Endi
vEda mun Oduvar needi vAnattu
anjuDar pOnrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

The girl continues—Sir! He looks like kaNNan of AyarpADi who held the gOvardhana mountain as an umbrella to protect the cattle and Ayars against the heavy rains. He looks like kaNNapirAn who killed kuvaLayApeeDa pulling its huge tusk. He looks like emberumAn of paramapada holding SanKa and chakra in His hands chanting vEdas. I don’t really know who He is as I am deluded by His mAya.

He answers ‘aTTabuyakarattEn’.

kalaihaLum vEdamum needi noolum
karpamum Sor poruL tAnum maTTrai
nilaihaLum vAnavarkum pirarkum
neermaiyinAl aruL Seidu neeNDa |
malaihaLum mA maNiyum malar mEl
mangaiyum Sangamum tanguhinra
alaikaDal pOnrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

He has created vEdas—which consists of two portions—karma kANDa and upaniShads, itihAsas (rAmAyaNa and mahABArata); kalpasootras (method of conducting rituals) grammar (the use of proper words), meemAsa (logic) and the lOkas that can be attained by conducting the rituals. All these are given by Him out of extreme compassion for dEvas and men so that they can be better persons.

alaikaDal pOnrivar—He is normally compared to a sea to liken its colour to Him. Here, however, the simile is complete. Whatever is found in the sea is found in Him too. mountains (like mainAka)—His shoulders are like two huge strong mountains; mA maNi—precious gems in the sea and koustuBa on His tirumArbu; malar mEl mangai—(pirATTi born in the sea) who is in His tirumArbu; SanKa (shells) pAnchajanya in His hand.

enganam nAm ivar vaNNam eNNil
Edum arihilam EndizhaiyAr
Sangum manamum niraivum ellAm
tammanavAha puhundu tAmum |
pongum karungaDal poovai kAyA
pOdavizh neelam punainda mEham
anganam pOnrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

parakAla nAyaki continues—I tried several ways of probing into His nature but all in vain. He is an expert in mAya—capture the minds of all the women causing pallor of skin, loosening of bangles, abandonment of modesty etc. He is dark like the deep sea, poovaipoo, kAyAm poo, karuneidal poo, and dark clouds. I think He has come here for the purpose of capturing our minds. do you know who He is?’

He answered ‘I am from aTTabuyakara’.

muzhuSi vaNDADiya taN tuzhAyin
moimmalar kaNNiyum mEniyum SAndu
izhuSiya kOlamirundavArum
enganam SolluhEn OvinallAr |
ezhudiya tAmarai anna kaNNum
Endezhil Ahamum tOLum vAyum
azhahiyatAm ivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

She continues—He is wearing a garland of tuzhasi which has abundant honey. The bees come and drink the honey, get intoxicated and dance with joy. He has smeared His body with the fragrant sandal paste (which was given to Him in kriShNAvatAra by the hunch back woman). Oh! His beauty is beyond description and imagination. His lotus-like eyes, the tirumArbu, the red mouth—every part of His body is so beautiful as if drawn by a skillful painter. When I asked the wise man who He is, He answered ‘aTTabuyakarattEn’.

mEvi eppAlum viNNOr vaNanga
vEdam uraippar munneer maDandai
dEvi appAl adir Sangam ippAl Sakkaram
maTTrivar vaNNAm eNNil |
kAviyoppAr kaDalEyum oppAr
kaNNum vaDivum neDiyarAi en
AviyoppAr ivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

She continues—He has not come alone? There are nitya sooris who sing hymns standing all around Him; there is periya pirATTi who is the chief consort; there is SanKa in one hand and chakra on the other; Oh! Let me see what is His colour! It is dark like karuneidal flower and like the dark deep sea. His eyes and form are beyond the description. In short He is my very life. But I don’t know who He is. When I asked the wise man he did not reply but BagavAn replied and said ‘aTTabuyakarattEn’.

tanjam ivarku envaLaiyum nillA
nenjamum tammadE SindittErku
vanjamarungul nerunga nOkki
vAi tirandu onru paNittaduNDu |
nanjamuDaittu ivar nOkkum nOkkam
nAnivar tammai ariya mATTEn
anjuvan maTTrivar Ar kol enna
aTTabuyakarattEn enrArE ||

She continues—my mind slipped into darkness (I swooned); my bangles slipped down when I say Him. He has robbed me of all mine. As if not satisfied and to rob me more, He looked closely at my slender waist. His look was fearful and like poison. He said something into my ears. I did not understand them nor did I understand who He was He Himself said ‘ I am aTTabuyakarattEn. Why do you fear me? I have come to save You!’.

mannavan toNDaiyar kOn vaNangum
neeL muDimAlai vayiramEhan
tan vali tan puhazh Soozhnda kachchi
aTTabuyakattu Adi tannai |
kanni nan mA madiL mangai vEndan
kAmaru Seer kalikanri kunarA
inniSaiyAl Sonna Sem Sol mAlai
EttavallArku iDam vaihundamE ||

In those days the kings would take care of the divya dESas and do kainkarya to the BagavAn. aTTabuyakara is resorted to by the king of toNDai maNDala called vayiramEhan. These pASuras sung by tirumangai AzhwAr about the emberumAn are set in music, a garland of words. Those who sing with BAva will get the fruit of life in paramapada.