vAnavar

Periya Thirumozhi
(thiru-vEngadam 4)

vAnavar tangaL Sindai pOla
en nenjamE inidu uvandu, mAdavam
Anavar tangaL Sindai amarndu uraihinra endai |
kAnavar iDu kArahir puhai
Ongu vEngaDam mEvi mANkuraL
Ana andaNarku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

BagavAn lives in the hearts of great tapasvis; resides in tiurmala happy to receive the scented smoke offered by the hunter, is worshipped by nitya sooris who never had any samsAra bandha at any time He came as vAmana brahmachAri to receive the gift of two feet of land from mahAbali. To Him Oh! my mind! You have fortunately decided to do kainkarya. It is a great wonder that when all men like to run after the worldly pleasures, you isolate yourself from them and seek His tiruvaDi Oh! I am not like nitya sooris, who never had any scent of samsAra; nor am i like great tapasvis (since I never had done any tapas) still my mind runs after Him is very astonishing!

uravu SuTTram enru onru ilA oruvan
uhandavar tammai, maNmiSai
piraviyE keDuppAn adukaNDu en nenjam enbAi |
kuravar mAdarhaLODu vaNDu
kurinji maruLiSaipADum, vEngaDattu
aravan nAyaharku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

So called relatives, friends and others are sometimes favorable and sometimes not favorable. But emberumAn is not like us. First of all, He has bandhas (i.e.) everybody is same to Him. He is equal to all alike—“dEvAnAm dAnavAnAm cha sAmAnyam” “Adideivatam” “suhrudam sarva BootAnAm”, He is of the nature that He shows His special affection to those who love Him. He simply takes them to paramapada and makes them one among the nitya sooris. Oh! my mind! You have done right in deciding to do kainkarya to Him. —says AzhwAr

aravan—to shower His incessant grace He stands in tirumala like a person standing in hot sun to offer water to passers-by.

iNDaiyAyina koNDu toNDarhaL
EttuvAr uravODum vAniDai
koNDu pOyiDavum, adu kaNDu en nenjam enbAi |
vaNDu vAzh vaDavEngaDa malai
kOyil koNDu adanODum, meemiSai
aNDam ANDiruppArku aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

Oh! my mind You know BagavAn has two viBootis—this created world and paramapada. He rules over both of them. Hence, He is the Supreme Lord. He takes those Baktas—who offer Him different kinds of flower garlands with love—the paramapada not only those Baktas but also those who are associated with them are given that Supreme realm. i am happy You decided to do kainkarya to Him!

pAvi yAdu SeidAi en nenjamE
paNDu toNDu SeidArai, maNmiSai
mEvi ATkoNDu pOi viSumbu Era vaikkum endai
kOvi nAyahan koNDal undu uyar
vEngaDamalai ANDu vAnavar
AviyAi iruppArku aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

AzhwAr is very pleased about his mind. He says—Oh! My mind! you did well in desiring the kainkarya of tiruvEngaDamuDaiyAn, who is the consort of gOpis. It is good that You stopped wandering among the worldly objects; you stopped your oscillation as to do kainkarya or not; you stopped oscillation as to be a samsAri or a mumukShu doing kainkarya to Him. He stands in tirumala to receive His Baktas. He is not satisfied with whatever He does; hence He takes them to paramapada to enable them do nitya kainkarya to Him.

pongu pOdiyum piNDiyum uDai
buddar nOnbiyar paLLi uLLurai
tangaL tEvarum tAnguLumEyAha en nenjam enbAi |
engum vAnavar tAnavar niraindu
Ettum vEngaDam mEvi ninru aruL
angaN nAyaharku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

From this pASura for three pASuras AzhwAr express his happiness over his mind’s right decision to follow Sree vaiShNavism instead of falling into the trap of other religions.

When the time was such that many religions like Buddhism and Jainism were spreading far and wide inviting people to their fold, my mind fortunately escaped theirs net and stood firmly in the true religion. The god of Buddha resides under bOdhi tree; that of jains under the aSOka tree.

The jains are called ‘nOnbiyar’ since they always undertake fasting and vratas.

dAnavar—may mean both rAkShasas or people of this world.

tuvariyADaiyar maTTaiyar SamaN
toNDarhaL maNDi uNDu pinnarum
tamarum tAngaLumE taDikka en nenjam enbAi |
kavari mAkkaNam SErum vEngaDam
kOyil koNDa kaNNAr viSumbiDai
amaranAyaharku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

The jains wear orange robes, eat what they please and roam with cleanly shaven heads. It is said that they let the others pick each hair of their heads in order to prevent lice and other tiny creatures from living there. This is one kind of ahimsa—they say even vEdAnta dESika mentions this in his play “sankalpa sooryOdaya”. AzhwAr praises his own mind that it has not gone astray in all these religions. He is much pleased to serve BagavAn alone.

tarukkinAl SamaN Seidu SOru taN
tayirinAl tiraLai miDaTTriDai
nerukkuvAr alakkaN adu kaNDu en nenjam enbAi |
maruTkaL vaNDuhaL pADum vEngaDam
kOyil koNDu adanODum, vAniDai
arukkan mEvi nirpArku aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

The jains propagate their religion which is not based on the truth of vEda but merely on surmises and arguments. It is called “yuktivAda”, though the vaidika matas also allow their “tarka “. It is always a supplement to vEdas.

jains gulp down large amount of cooked rice balls till the eyeballs bulge out. They mix rice balls with thick curd during the performance of vrata. AzhwAr says, “Oh! My mind you have seen the sufferings of jains. Since you have decided to follow the principle of Sree vaiShNava mata.

arukkan—Sun (i.e.) the soorya maNDala. “dhyEyah sadA savitru maNDala madhyavarti nArAyaNah ”

SEyan aNiyan Siriyan periyan
enbadum Silar pESa kETTirundE,
en nenjam enbAi enakkonru SollAdE , |
vEihaL ninru veNmuttamE Sori
vEngaDa malai kOyil mEviya
Ayar nAyaharku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

Worldly people always find some excuses for not worshipping Him. They say “paravAsudEva is very far in paramapada which is difficult to reach; the archa moorti in the temples is very near and familiar calling negligence; viBava avatAra like rAma and kriShNa are sought only to find fault with their actions; vyooha vAsudEva and antaryAmi are not at all understood and difficult for meditation.” Thus the people prefer eating, dressing, drinking, procreating etc..,. AzhwAr says “Oh! mind! i appreciate your seeking His tiruvaDi without even telling me a word, without getting involved in the vain arguments of those mentioned above. AzhwAr says—my mind perhaps went to the tiruvaDi with the help of the light shed by the legendary white shining pearls of the bamboo trees.

kooDi ADi uraittadE uraittAi
en nenjam enbAi tuNindu kEL
pADi ADi palarum paNindu Etti kANhilAr |
ADu tAmaraiyOnum eeSanum
amararkOnum ninru Ettum vEngaDattu
ADu koottanukku inru aDimaittozhil pooNDAyE ||

In the first line AzhwAr talks of his previous state of mind. He says “I use to move with those samsAris; enjoyed those things which they enjoyed, talked those matters which they talked. Thus my mind was engrossed in worldly matters with, my three kAraNas. Now I don’t know how, Oh! my mind! you suddenly changed your ways and sought the tiruvaDi of BagavAn at tirumala, renouncing totally the previous company and their ways. you have understood His greatness which even brahma, Siva and indra are not able to fully know I am happy about your decision.”

minnu mAmuhil mEvu taNtiru
vEngaDa malai kOyil mEviya
annamAi nihazhnda amarar perumAnai, |
kanni mA madiL mangaiyar kali
kanri indamizhlil uraitta,
im mannu pADal vallArku iDamAhum vAnulahE ||

tirumangai AzhwAr has sung these pASuras on BagavAn who resides in tirumala, who has taken hamsa avatAra, who is the Lord of nitya sooris. Those who read and meditate on them will certainly go to paramapadam.