Thirupavai Pasuram 1

Continued from: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2012/12/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html

It is very significant that the first Thirupavai Pasuram starts with “Margazhi Thingal” as in Tamil it refers to “Marbhu kazhiyara Naal” i.e. the day when ego is destroyed. Andal Nachiar calls our attention to the 1st day of Margazhi as this is the day when the full moon rises when the star Mrigasiras is in ascendant signifying the death of ego. She urges us to approach a good Acharyan to get spiritual training as spiritual knowledge should be sought only when we have destroyed our ego. We must approach a teacher in the same way a poor person approaches a rich landlord for loan.

Andal Nachiar then states that it is a “Mathi niraintha naal” i.e. the day is filled with “mathi”. Mathi has two meanings. It refers to the full moon thus once again turning our attention towards the first day of Margazhi thus indicating to us the auspicious period. Even those people who do not follow the injunctions laid out by the shastras always refer to the panchangam to choose an auspicious day when they start new ventures. Thus Andal Nachiar indicates the auspiciousness of the full moon Margazhi day as the best day for us to embark on our spiritual quest. Seeking spiritual guidance is a new venture performed for our benefit and starting our spiritual pursuit on this auspicious day is beneficial as the time is conducive to learning.

Picture Ref: krishna.com

“Mathi” also refers to budhi or intellect. Margazhi is the dawn for the celestials. This month refers to the Sun’s Northwards journey (Uttarayana) which is the day time for the celestials. Dawn is the period when satvik tendencies are present in almost everyone. Thus on this Margazhi day, our intellect is full of satvik tendencies making it easier for us to grasp the spiritual knowledge we have obtained from our Acharyan.

She also uses the first sentence to caution us. Eclipse occurs only during full moon days. Thus we must remain without feeling proud that we have attained spiritual knowledge making us receive the blessings of Lord Narayana. We must perform this vratam with humility. Ego is truly destroyed only when we realize the true purpose of our existence is to serve other Bagawathas.

Swami Vedanta Desikan stated that he achieved the true purpose of his birth only after writing the Paduka Sahasram Slokams. Paduka represents Bagawathas and by singing the praise of Paduka Devi Swami Vedanta Desikan has sung about the glories of Bagawathas. He mentions that in the beginning he identified himself with his body. Later on after attending many spiritual lectures he realized that he is the soul. Upon continuing his spiritual learning he understood that he exists only for Lord Narayana. He felt great pride in calling himself as the slave of Lord Narayana. After further spiritual training he finally came to realize that he exists to serve other Bagawathas. Thus Andal Nachiar cautions us that we shouldn’t feel proud that we have obtained the grace of the Lord.

Sanyasahrama is called as Mokshashrama as the practice of this ashrama yields moksha but sanyasa could only be taken up by Brahmin men who have undergone Vedic training. Swami Ramanujar was not happy that sanyasa was specified only for one set of people. He conducted research to find out the true meaning of Sanyasa. He came to know that the word “Nyasa” means approaching Perumal in order to completely surrender ourselves to his care. Thus nyasa refers to saranagathi. Performing saranagathi per the Vedic instruction is called as sanyasa which is sam + nyasa. Thus the option to perform saranagathi is available for everyone irrespective of caste, creed or gender. We learn from the Ramayana about the saranagathi performed by a crow (kakasura) thus proving that saranagathi is even available for animals and birds. We learn about the saranagathi performed by Draupadi in the Mahabharata thus showing that saranagathi could be performed by women. Once again Ramayana shows the saranagathi performed by Vibhishana who was the brother of the evil king Ravana and belonged to the class of rakshashas. Thus saranagathi is available to everyone irrespective of caste, creed or gender. Thus Thirupavai was composed by Andal Nachiar for the benefit of everyone and not just for Brahmins. She calls everyone to come for “neeratam”. Neeratam refers to the act of approaching Perumal or the act of pursuing spiritual knowledge in order to obtain the Lord’s divine feet. Thus “neeratam” refers to saranagathi and is available for everyone. This statement shows that there is no qualification required to perform saranagathi.

Andal Nachiar then addresses the other girls at the gathering as “neriyazhir”. Neriyazhir refers to the well bedecked appearance of the young girls but in this pasuram this word does not refer to the jewels worn by the girls but reveals to us the pleasant smiling faces of the girls. Andal Nachiar indicates the pleasant smiling faces of the girls to us to show us that those who approach our Lord will always have a happy countenance.

She then calls the girls as “selva sirmirgal” i.e. lucky girls. The girls are lucky because they got the opportunity to take birth in Thiruvayarpadi and thus spend time with Lord Krishna. Similarly anyone who receives the opportunity of participating in Sat sangams is able to remain close to our Lord and is therefore considered to be lucky even if they are not present in Thiruvayarpadi. “Sirmirgal” refers to young girls but this does not mean that Thirupavai is to be practiced only by young girls. Thirupavai should be practiced by everyone including men but they must do so by sharing the enthusiasm of the young girls.

It is frequently mentioned that Brahmins who undergo Vedic training properly will always remain young like a child. Their staying young like a child shows the lack of ego as children are devoid of ego. Thus Andal addresses the people who are devoid of ego as “young girls”.

She then proceeds to explain the agenda of the gathering by stating that they are gathered to worship Lord Narayana who has incarnated amongst them as Nanda Gopan’s obedient son Krishna. The word “kumaran” means obedience. She teaches us that we should meditate upon Lord Krishna with concentration as well as true love and devotion like a steady stream of oil which does not splatter even when it falls.

Andal Nachiar then calls Nanda Gopan as “kurvel kodunthozhilan” which means “the cruel man holding a sharp spear”! Nanda Gopan is the king of cowherds. The cowherds in general have a soft nature because they always associate with cows. It is prohibited by shastras for cowherds to use sharp instruments to herd the cows. They can only use treats to make the cows move. Hence Andal’s description of Nanda Gopan wielding a sharp spear is against his basic nature. We can explain this sentence if we look at the following description about Putana’s vadham written by Swami Vedanta Desikan. Swami Desikan describes that Nanda Gopan was shocked to see the huge body of Putana lying inside his home after she had been killed. He discussed with others about a way to remove her huge form from his house as she was too huge to fit through any door/windows. The people suggested that her body parts should be chopped and then carried outside the house for disposal. Nanda Gopan then ordered his men to bring axes to chop the dead Putana’s limbs but as soon as they struck her body with an axe, the blade became blunt. Nanda Gopan therefore ordered a separate group of men to dedicate their time to sharpen the axes.

It is also explained that Nanda Gopan was over protective of Krishna. After the constant assassination attempts by the Asuras sent by Kamsa, Nanda Gopan became very cautious and killed even a fly which tried to near Krishna as he was afraid that the fly was an asura in disguise.

Andal Nachiar describes Yashoda as wide eyed. Yashoda doesn’t even blink her eyes as she is drinking in the beauty of her baby boy while also watching over Him. Lord Narayana has incarnated as the little lion cub under the watchful eyes of Yashoda and Nanda Gopan. Yashoda’s little cub has the complexion of a rain bearing cloud. His eyes have a red line as if someone had drawn a line with a red eye liner to show us his honest nature. He looks radiant and shines with the combined effulgence of both the Sun and the Moon. His effulgence appears cool to His Bagawathas and appears like the scorching Sun to the enemies of His Bagawathas.

Yashoda’s son Krishna is Narayana; He will bless us and save us from samsara. We won’t accept blessings from anyone else except from Lord Narayana. Thus Andal Nachiar ends the pasuram with the requirement of Maha Vishwasam in the Bagawathas seeking Saranagathi from Perumal.

The above pasuram also explains the characteristics of a sadacharyan. “Neeratam” refers to chanting Acharya Taniyan everyday immediately after showering in the morning. While chanting the taniyan, the disciple must imagine that he/she is being purified by the Sripada teertham of the Acharyan. By becoming the disciple of a sadacharyan, the disciples become “neriyazhir”. The disciple wears the qualities of athma gunam as jewels. The disciples realize that they are the slaves of lord Narayana and that they exist to serve other Bagawathas. These good disciples are like the young girls of Thiruvayarpadi. Ayarpadi refers to the place where people listen happily about the divine qualities of Lord Narayana. They easily understand spiritual instructions. Thus the residence of a good Acharyan is similar to Thiruvayarpadi. The disciples are addressed as “sirmirgal” to show that like a child they are devoid of ego. “Kurvel Kodun Thoyilan” refers to the Acharyan. “Vel” is a name used to denote any weapon and not just spear. An Acharyan is shown to wield weapons and perform harsh acts. This is the literal meaning of the Pasuram but it actually refers to the act of samasrayanam performed by an Acharyan when he brands his disciple with the marks of the Lord’s conch and discus in order to destroy our sins by using the heated brands. In the book Prapanna Parijatham, Swami Nadadoor Ammal mentions the use of five weapons to brand the disciples with conch and discus on the shoulders, bow on the forehead, sword on the chest and mace on the stomach. This practice of branding existed prior to the time period of Swami Ramanujar. The Vedas mention that those people who do not bear the marks of the Lord’s weapons are not allowed to enter Sri Vaikuntham. Branding is similar to immunization; we bear the discomfort of needles to gain protection similarly we should bear the discomfort of heat to destroy our sins. The Lord accepts offerings only from those people who have had their Samasrayanam. This is indicated by the following incidents in Ramayana.

Guha Perumal was a hunter. He offered honey, wild fruits and grains to the Lord when Lord Rama camped on the banks of river Ganges. Lord Rama was very fond of Guhan and considered Guhan as His brother. Even though Guhan was a dear friend, the Lord refused to accept the offerings as Guhan did not have Acharya sambhandham. The Lord said that He was fasting that evening and asked Lakshmana to fetch Him water from the river Ganges. In the same Ramayana the Lord met with Sabari who belonged to the class of hunters. He accepted the fruits offered by her because she had Acharya sambhandham and had had her samasrayanam.

Bagawathas follow the example of the Lord and do not accept food from people who do not have Acharya sambhandham. Once, Swami Nadadoor Ammal went on a pilgrimage to Tirumala with his disciples. On their way as they shared their food with another group of Sri Vaishnavas, they ran out of ration. They arrived at the foot of Tirumala and started their trek on an empty stomach. The elderly and young children were feeling tired. At this same instant curd rice was offered to Lord Srinivasa in a large silver vessel. As soon as the food was offered to the Lord, the vessel with the curd rice vanished. The temple authorities were perplexed at the mysterious disappearance of the vessel. At the foot hills, a young Brahmachari approached Swami Nadadoor Ammal with the silver vessel full of curd rice and offered it to the group. Swami Nadadoor Ammal said that he would accept the food only if the Brahmachari could prove that he had had his samasrayanam by chanting Acharya Taniyan. The young Brahmachari mentioned that His Acharyan was Swami Anathazhwan and proceeded to chant a beautiful taniyan. Satisfied with the Brahmachari’s narration of the taniyan, Swami Nadadoor Ammal accepted the food. The Brahmachari requested swami Nadadoor Ammal to take the empty silver vessel to the temple since the Brahmachari had an errand to run in Lower Tirupathi .

As Swami Nadadoor Ammal and his disciples were making their way up to Tirupathi feeling well refreshed, the Lord of Tirumala spoke through the temple priest and asked swami Anathazhwan to go receive the Sri Vaishnava goshti. Swami Anathazhwan made preparations in a hurry to receive Swami Nadadoor Ammal and wished that he had had more time to make proper preparations. As the two swami’s met, Swami Anathazhwan was surprised to see the silver vessel missing from the temple being returned to him by Swami Nadadoor Ammal. They came to realize that the Lord had carried the food to Swami Nadadoor Ammal as He couldn’t bear to see Swami Nadadoor Ammal who always offered food to the Lord with the love of a mother go hungry. The Lord also wanted to accept Swami Anathazhwan as His Acharyan. Thus, the Lord fulfilled His wishes through this incident. The above incident shows us that true Bagawathas do not accept food from people who do not have Acharya sambhandham.

A good Acharyan always appears with a happy countenance. The Acharyan is referred to by the name of Nanda Gopan. He always appears young since he is constantly meditating upon the Lord. This is per the pasuram, “muppu unnai sinthiparkillai Perumale!”

Mother Yashoda represents all the manthrams like Thirumanthram and Dwayam. Like a loving mother who guides us in life, the manthrams guide us to the proper route and reveal to us the divine qualities of Lord Narayana which cannot be easily seen.

By regularly chanting the manthrams instructed by our Acharyan, we shine with effulgence and appear like a young lion.

Lord Narayana is our Acharyan because He has come to us in the form of our Acharyan. Only Lord Narayana is capable of granting us moksham.

Our Acharyan is like a dark rain bearing cloud as like the cloud that refreshes us with rains, Acharyan refreshes us by his instructions. The Acharyan has kind honest eyes. He always blesses us and prays for our welfare. He shines with the effulgence of both the Sun and the Moon. To us he appears cool and full of compassion like the Moon but shines like the Sun while debating with people promoting false religion.

If we are blessed with such a sadacharyan, we must perform the Tirunakshatra Utsavam every year without fail.

Andal Nachiar finishes the pasuram by stating that for people like us “namake” Lord Narayanan will grant “parai” which is Moksham. By “namake” she refers to people like us who only seek Lord Narayana and do not ask for anything else from Him. Thus only He can grant us Moksham. He is the means as well us the end. This is also the summary of katopanishad.
continued on: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2012/12/thirupavai-pasuram-2.html