Sri:

Amalanatipran of Pan lvar

Gopuram at Srirangam. Lord Ranganatha (main deity), The three great teachers NammAzhvAr, Ramanuja and MaNavALa mAmuni

THE IMMACULATE LORD OF ARANGAM (ARANGATTAMALAN)

By Janabhakti Bhusana, Bhagavadvisaya Bhusana S. Satayamurti Ayyangar Swami
[A peep into Tiruppan lvars mystic vision through the corridors of Amalanatipiran based on the commentaries of Periya Vaccan Pillai, Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar and Vedanta Desika with suitable additions.]

In English
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Achaarya Lineage
1 Sridhara (SrimanNarayana)

2 Sri (Maha Lakshmi) 3 Vishvaksena 4 Sattakopaya 5 Nathamuni 6 Pundarikaksha 7 RamaMisra 8 Yamunacharya 9 MahaPurna 10 Sri Ramanuja 9 Embar 8 ParasaraBhattar 7 NanJeeyar 6 Nampillai 5 VadakkuThiruvidhiPillai 4 PillaiLokacharya 3 ThiruvaiymozhiPillai 2 Manavala Mamuni 1 Sridhara (SrimanNarayana)

THE IMMACULATE LORD OF ARANGAM (ARANGATTAMALAN) Introduction

(a) The Supreme Lords incarnations : In the exercise of His sole prerogative as the Creator of the Universe, the Supreme Lord of lords, the God of gods, Lord Narayana made His apperance in different parts of the world in one form or another, appropriate to the needs of His avatara (descent). This, He did, off and on, when the moral values tumbled down miserably, and vice regained supreme in all its ugly nakedness. (See also His own declaration during His incarnation as Krsna Gita IV-7). The Lords principal avatars are ten. Apart from these, He takes numerous births, responding to the deep inner urges of individual devotees in all climes and ages. According to His own admission in Gita IV-5,6, He, the birthless (in the sense that He is not born under karmic compulsions like all else, including the celestials in the top brackets), takes countless births in any manner He likes Ajayamano bahuda vijayate Purusa Suktam. The three-fold purpose of His avataras, has been spelt out in Gita IV-11 as (1) succour of the devout (2) vanquishing the wicked and (3) putting morality back on the rails. (b) The advent of the lvrs : Despite the avataras of the Lord on Earth, as above, the inhabitants of the worlds (other than those who work up, through His benign Grace, their way to heaven, the Eternal Land whence there is no returning to the worlds, down below) remain deeply involved in the mundane activities of the respective spheres with their admixture of good and bad, as ever. In order to wean them away from such engrossments, the Supreme Lord graciously sends His chosen emissaries, now and then, in their midst the tattva daris, referred to, in Gita IV-34. The Alvar Saints falling under this exemplary category, made their appearances in different parts of South India at different times (from 4200 B.C. to 2703 B.C. according to the traditional account, supported by the relevant texts). By a strange coincidence, their number is also ten like that of the principal avatars of the Supreme Lord Himself, a notable feature which led ri Vedanta Deika to regard these Saints as abhinava daavataras, the ten later-day incarnations of the Lord Himself. ndal, an incarnation of Bhu Devi, one of the three consorts in close proximity with the Lord in heaven, put in her apperance as a child in the tulasi garden of ri Visnu Chitta, better known as Periylvr (one of the lvr Saints, the seventh in the chronological order), at rivilliputtur, deep south. A rare find that she was, Periylvr adopted her as his daughter. And yet, she was included in the panel of lvr saints, in terms of her exemplary devotion, from the very begining like unto the sweet aroma of the tulasi leaves, right from the moment of their sprouting. The resultant outpourings from the inner depths of her heart brought forth 173 laudatory hymns par excellence, the quintessence of the Vedas. In doing so, the Divine Mother was only fulfilling Her mission on Earth, namely, propagation of God-Love, yielding the quickest possible results through the easy-to-follow recipe of laudation- Ganopaya. True to her origin, she would marry none but God Himself. Accordingly, the Lord, in His iconic manifestation, enshrined in rirangam, took her as His bride. Further, she excelled the other lvrs, in terms of the intrinsic merit of her hymns and her closest ties with the Lord, as His consort. Madhura Kavi, the sweet tongued poet, an elder contemporary of Saint Nammlvr and a staunch devotee of the latter, went to the extent of worshipping none else but him even to the exclusion of God. In fact, when this elderly gentleman was sojourning in North India, along the bank of the sacred river Ganga, he noticed, on consecutive nights, the radiance of an effulgent sun in the southern direction, the strange phenomenon of sunrise during nights and that too, in the south. Impelled by curiosity, he traveled in the southerly direction, for days and days, till at last he was led to the tamarind tree in the quadrangle of the temple of Lord dinatha at Kurukur, deep south. There the blaze went out of sight and he saw instead the Bala Yogi (Nammlvr, seated in a lotus posture inside the hollow of the tree). Very soon, the elder discovered, in the young Yogi, his spiritual mentor and revered the latter as God Himself, a position he stuck to till the very end, with remarkable tenacity, notwithstanding the marked disparity in age. He has to his credit, a hymnal, short and sweet, comprising just eleven stanzas, in exclusive adoration of Nammalvar, projecting the highly commendable facet of God love, culminating in unflinching service to His devotees. The exclusive greatness of this hymnal lies in its focus on the precise purport of the middle word, Namah in the Tirumantra (Aum namo Narayanaya). No wonder then, both ndal and Madhura Kavi have also been 2

I.

Preface

duly canonised and included in the panel of the lvrs and consequently, their hymnals have been included in the compendium of the hymns of lvrs, collectively known as Divya Prabhandam. And so, the total number of the illustrious band of lvr saints has been augumented to twelve and it has been at that number, for all time. That means, none else , however exalted and illumining, shall be included in the panel. (c) The lvrs transcend the barriers of caste : The lvr Saints, the divine bards, par excellence, with divine aura, were endowed by the Supreme Lord with spiritual knowledge, full and flooding, shorn of doubts, deviations and discrepancies. They not only got themselves immersed in God-love of the highest order, an objectlesson for the wordlings around, but also took time off, now and then, from their mystic experience, to address their fellow-beings around and spell out their unfailing receipe for their salvation. In the process, they propagated the unique greatness, glory and grandeur of Lord Narayana with the utmost clarity through their heart-felt outpourings in the form of Divya Prabhandams, the sparkling hymns of incomparable sweetness and excellence. This is in marked contrast to their sanskrit counterparts, the bewildering maze of Vedic texts wherefrom one has to churn out, with a certain amount of effort, the underlying truth, the unrivalled supremacy of Lord Nryana. Even so, Nammlvr (that Bala Yogi who remained seated in the hollow of the tamarind tree of the temple, right from his fifth year till the twenty second when he ascended to heaven), is regarded as the chief of the lvrs although he was but the fifth in the chronological order of their advent on Earth. All the other lvrs are deemed to be but his several limbs. This is because of the special stature, enjoyed by his four hymnals, the quintessence of the four Vedas (Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas). And yet, going by the mundane yardstick, he took birth as a sudra, the last of the four castes (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra). For the matter of that, Tirumalisai lvr fourth in the chronological order, was born of Brighu Maharsi but picked up by a low-caste man (scheduled caste) in a cane bush on the outskirts of Tirumalisai (about 25 km form Madras city) and brought up by him over a period of seven years. Even during that period, he abstained from food and drink offered by his parents (foster-mother). And yet, he was looked down upon, by contemporary world, as an outcaste. Thereafter, he left the house and kept moving about. Once, in his encounter with Lord iva (who was speeding through the air, mounted on his bull but came down and alighted in front of the lvr who was constantly absorbed in meditation) the lvr got the better of Lord iva. Lord iva left the place after conferring on the Yogi, the title Bhaktisra. There are several anecdotes in his lifehistory, which demonstrated to the world, at large, his ultra-mundane class, very much above the common run of mankind. Once, the Brahmins of a particular locality stopped chanting the Vedic hymns within his ear-shot, and were, later unable to pick up the thread, for resumption of the chanting. The Deity of a particular shrine, taken on ceremonial rounds, heralded by the Vedic chants of Brahmins, turned in the direction of the lvr wherever he might be, suo moto, unaided by the bearers. The lord thus signified His special preference for the lvr vis--vis the Brahmins. Tiruppanlvr, the ninth in the chronological order, was actually born in a scheduled caste, distanced under the current social convention from those of the four castes referred to earlier. Although the lvrs, with their ultra-mundane backgrounds, were born in different castes over here, yet they far outdistanced even those belonging to the highest caste, in terms of their special halo, divine aura and divine accents. And, therefore, they transcend the conventional barriers of caste, a fact, accepted and acted upon by our great charyas, past and present. Vednta Deika (13-14th century), who had his mental reservations on the perception of the lvrs vis--vis the castes in which they took birth, had to surrender ground under divine command and compulsion. He not only retreated from his earlier stand but also went to the extent of adoring Tiruppnlvr and installed his idol in the domestic sanctum for daily worship. He has also bequeathed to posterity a scholarly commentary on Tiruppnlvrs hymnal, Amalantipirn, known as Munivhana bhogam. Not stoping with that, Vednta Deika followed the foot-steps of the lvr and produced a brilliant hymnal in sanskrit titled Bhagavadhynasopnam akin to Amalantipirn. One should pause, at this stage, and ponder what happens to God when He takes birth (at His volition, as distinguished from the common run of mankind whose parental origin is conditioned by their respective krmik compulsions) in different castes or even outside the pale of those castes. Does any stigma attach to Him on that account ? No, not at all. In His Antarymi aspect, He dwells in the heart-region of one and all, without distinction of caste, colour and creed and yet, He remains untainted by individual propensities. The same yard-stick holds good in the case of His emissaries, as well. None could have clarified the position in this regard better than Nammalvar. 3

In Tiruvymoli III-7-9, he has pronounced as follows : Be they outcastes, outside the pale of the four castes, bereft of any good in them, yet, if only they get dissolved in deep love of the sapphire-hued Lord, wielding the discus, not only they but their devotees devotees shall be my masters, for ever. Tondaradippodi lvr, though a brahmin by birth, upheld them as sinless (untainted by sins) despite butchery of animals and deeds of that sort, if they did but enshrine, with great devotion, Lord Ranganth in their hearts. Further, he had no hesitation to denounce ruthlessly even the Brahmins, well-versed in Vedas, as meaner than the mean, if they did look down upon the ardent devotees of the Lord on account of their manner of birth Tirumlai-40, 43. To crown it all, Lord Krsna has emphasized the paramountcy of self-less devotion to Him, overriding all other infirmities in such devotee, as follows : He who meditates on Me with great devotion, as an end in itself, deserves to be honored as a Mahtm for his firm conviction (not easy of attainment) even if he had commited grave sins of commission and ommision (breach of conduct), prior to birth of such conviction Gita IX-30.

II.

Pn Peruml : (1) Tirupplvr, referred to earlier, earned the appellation, Pn peruml by virtue of his total absorption in the enthralling charm of Lord Ranganthas Supernal Form. A similar appellation (Peruml) was earned (2) by yet another lvr, namely Kulaekharlvr (sixth in the chronological order). Whereas he sat on the throne of Cher kingdom (present Kerala) during ceremonial occasions as the monarch of the land. Lord Rma was enthroned in his heart, all the time. So great was his devotion that he felt, he was but a contemporary of Lord Rma and started getting involved in the by-gone events of Rmyana, literally re-living those days with remarkable empathy. (One should go through his lifesketch for the exact details). It is significant that his hymnal, comprising 105 songs, goes by the name Peruml Tirumoli. In the first ten songs of that hymnal, Kulaekhara Peruml pictures in his mind, the scenario of Lord Rangantha reposing on the resplendent serpent couch in rirangam, in all its details, pines for getting face to face with the Lord, right inside the sanctum. Compare also Ilaya peruml by which appellation Laksmana is known. In Vaisnava parlance Lord Rma is referred to as Peruml, Lord Rangantha, worshipped by Rma, as Periya peruml and Lakshmana as Ilaya peruml. This is because Laksmana was inseparable from Rma right from infancy. Under the royal decree, only Rma was to go into exile but Laksmana would not, rather, could not brook seperation from Rma even for a split second. Therefore, he too accompanied Rma and St, the Divine Mother, to the forest and rendered them blemishless, unremitting service, day and night. He stood, thick and thin, by Rma, sharing his grief during Sts captivity in Lanka the much-needed comarade-in-distress. Little wonder sage Vlmki, the author of Rmyana, has referred to Rma as Laksmanas elder brother and Laksmana, as his right hand (Rmasya daksino bhu). It will be pertinent to mention here that Bharata and atrughna are referred to, by Vaishanavas, as Bharatlvr and atrughnlvr. This is because the formers dedication to Rma was total and complete and so was the latters to the former, a stance which Madhura Kavi (canonized as an lvr, in later days as already stated) took on meticulously in his relationship with Nammlvr, earning him also the appellation of lvr. (3) It was indeed a happy coincidence that a divine bard in the person of Pn Peruml took birth in a clan of traditional singers (pnars). Consistent with his divine origin, Pnan exhibited remarkable devotion to Lord Ranganth, enshrined in rirangam (4) , even at a tender age. Near, yet far ! In strict conformity with the traditional code of conduct, he dared not enter the holy Arangam, just on the northern side of the river Kveri on whose southern bank lay Pnans hutment. After going through the morning ablutions, the young devotee would station himself on the southern bank of the river, lyre in hand and sing, in laudation of the Lord, wrapt in rapturous devotion. He was thus on par with eternal angels (Nityasris) in the transcendental abode of Lord Visnu who chant the melodious Sma Veda in the immediate presence of the Great Lord. Even so, he would take care to ensure that he kept himself at a considerable distance from the rest, so as not to offend their caste-susceptibilities. However, one day he was so steeped in devotional 4

signing that he just lost control over his physical moorings and he happened to be quite close to the river. This offended Lokasranga Mmuni, a member of the temple establishment of rirangam who had gone to the river, as usual, to fetch the holy water for Lord Ranganthas sacramental bath. With his characteristic air of superiority, the Muni ordered young Pnan away, as his presence nearby hampered the formers routine operations. But the young devotee, still in a state of trance, could not respond. This made the priest doubly furious, egging him on to aim a stone at Pnans forehead and hit the target with fierce precision, drawing out quite a lot of blood. Jolted back to senses, the guilty-conscious devotee quickly withdrew from the scene, profusely apologizing for his transgression, unwitting though. But then, the missile which hit the devotee literally hit sharp the Lords heart. The Divine Mother (Devy krunya rpay), urged the Lord not to keep their beloved Pnan away from them any longer. And so, when the priest came back to the temple with the holy pitcher atop his shoulder and tried to enter the Sanctum, the massive doors got banged against him. He could not open them, however much and however long he tried and had, therefore, to go home, dazed and dejected. That night, the Lord appeared in Lokasrangas dream and expressed His severe displeasure over the latters shabby treatment of a devotee of the calibre of Pnan. The Lord commanded the priest to seek out Pnan the next morning and carry him on the shoulder, all the way, right up to Him, inside the Sanctum, the only way out of the impasse. There ended the dream. Put into great trepidation, the Muni hastened to the river, early next morning, put through his ablutions, bath etc and stood reverently before Pnan, then wrapt as usual, in rapturous singing. When the devotee regained consciousness, he began to retreat, with his wonted humility, from the august elder right in front. When the latter conveyed to Pnan the Lords fiat, he stressed his social inability to tread the holy soil of rirangam and, on the top of that, enter and desecrate the Holy Shrine. Mmuni however, politely drew Pnans pointed attention to (1) the inviolability of the Lords decree and (2) the unsustainability of his plea that he shall not tread the holy soil of rirangam and the precincts of the Shrine as he was to be taken right inside the Sanctm Sanctrum, mounted on the Munis shoulders as commanded by the Lord. With due deference to the Lordd decree and the request of no less than the temple priest, Pnan submitted himself to the proposed exercise. On his part, the priest was mighty jubilant that the first round of the battle, namely, making Pnan accede to his request, an odd one indeed but for the Lords command to that effect, had been won and that he would, therefore, carry out the Lords command and incidentally get redeemed. Well, Lokasranga Mmunis return journey to the temple, carrying aloft, on his shoulders, the venerable bard right inside the Sanctum, was just on par with the Muktas (released souls) heavenly ascent, mounted on the shoulders of a relay-chain of conductors, ativhakas, straight up to the Lords presence in the Durbar hall in heaven the Arcirdi mrga to Paramapada. Even as he was coming along in the lift, provided by the Lord Himself (just like the host sending his car, to pick up a respectable guest), Pnans ecstatic frame of mind could envision (through the minds eye), the enthralling form of the bewitching Lord, in repose, in the Sanctum of the Shrine. The exhilarating mental exercise proceeded, as it should, from the Lords feet (our Sole Refuge) upwards, in the strict ascending order. Even so, he got halted by the Lords pair of lotus-red eyes, which stole away his mind, cutting out further contemplation. And, on the top of that, he got choked, irretrievably, in bewildering astonishment of the exquisite charm of the emerald complexion of His supernal person, as a whole. The rapturous experience, as above, found its outlet in nine equally rapturous songs and the tenth song was the grand finale, on his actually beholding the Lord in the Sanctum, still mounted on Mmunis shoulders. As the Vedic declaration goes, the Supreme Lord is the One, by knowing whom everything gets known, on hearing whom nothing else need be heard and on seeing whom nothing else need be seen. [Eka vijnnena sarva vijnnam; yah payati nnyah payati; yatra runoti nnyah runoti]. Even so, Pn Peruml averred, in the concluding song, after beholding Ani Arangan (the Soverign Master of the entire universe, reposing on the serpent-couch in the holy island of rirangam, in ornamental setting) his eyes shall not look at anything else. True to this averment, he himself could be seen no more, have been withdrawn, in flesh and blood, by the Lord unto Himself. Pn Peruml is, in a sense, a prototype of Hanumn, of Rmayana fame. 5

Even as Hanumn knew no other God but Lord Rma and declined even His offer to take him along to heaven, Pn peruml got dissolved in Lord Rangantha. Lord Rangantha was worshipped by no less than Rma Himself at Ayodhya till the Deity was handed over to Vibhisana along with the golden-domed mantap at the time of Rmas coronation. It is, therefore, but meet that the idols of both the valiant Hanumn and the ardent Tiruppnlvr are located in the same chapel in the sprawling temple complex of rirangam (at the north end of the Rangavilsa mantapa). III. Amalantipirn

The ten songs, poured forth, as above, from Pnans heart, suffused with extraordinary devotion, from a compact, well-knit hymnal, going under the caption, Amalan tipiran (the opening words of the opening song). But then, was it a mere description of Lord Ranganths Supernal Form of exquisite charm, as envisioned by Pn Perumls mental eye to certain level and finally by his naked eyes, right in front of the Lord ? No, besides the description, as such, the inspired outpourings of the divine bard, in human form, the tatva darsi come down to Earth to propagate the gospel of God-love, opens the eyes of folks over here to the solid spiritual truths, as follows: The Supreme Lord is our Master (Swami-owner); We are His exclusive vassals (Svam- property over which He has absolute right of ownership); He is not merely the goal of attainment but also the very means for attaining Him, cutting out the impediments along the line. Short, though in length, they do not lack width and depth. Actually, these songs have a whole eternity, compressed in them, in the shape of eternal truths, briefly outlined above. As the dictum goes, Mystics can compress a whole eternity into an hour and also stretch an hour to eternity. Further, even the description of the Lords Form, contained in these songs, is as revealed by the Lord Himself to His chosen few like the lvr Saints and not as we common folks behold, day in and day out, with our fleshy eyes under the further constraint of limited perception of the Divine by the bound souls. For instance, in the Seventh Song, the lvr refers to the Conch and Discuss, held by Lord Rangantha in His hands of the Lord in repose, the right arm, bent and pointing to his feet, the Sole Refuge of one and all (betokening His disarming simplicity), and the extra two hands, displaying the Conch and Discuss. In the same song the lvr refers to the Lords bewitching coral lips which whisked away away his mind, precluding the envisioning of parts, higher up. But in the very next Song the lvr goes into raptures over the astounding charm of the Lords pair of eyes with red streaks running across the eyeballs of the longish eyes. How is it possible for the lvr to behold the Lords eyes, bereft of his mental faculty, as stated by him in Song Seven, has been elucidated in the notes below that song. But the point emphasized here is that the common worshipping public do not enjoy a similar facility with their earthly eyes, even while in front of the Deity inside the Sanctum. It should also be noted that, as already stated, the description of the Lords person, incorporated in the first nine songs, is not firsthand (as in the case of direct, ocular perception) but vision, projected by several limbs, on their own, on the lvrs mental plane, as vivid as the direct perception (darana samnkra). The commonalty should not, therefore, rush to the conclusion that the lvrs indulged in hyperbole, gross exaggeration and the like. They will do well to appreciate the veracity of the lvrs observations in the light of the special facility extended to them by the Lord, at His sweet volition. Put briefly, the lvrs saw (perceived mentally) just what the Lord was pleased to reveal to them as special case and, no more. It could, at best, have been only an infinitesimal fraction of His limitless splendour; otherwise, who indeed can face it, in full, the more so, the totality of the splendour of Lord Ranganthas peerless charm, the aggregate of all His other hypostatic forms-Para, Vyha and Vibhava ? The exhibition of His charming Form, to the extent He did, could be compared with Lord Krsnas brief revelation of his cosmic form even to Dhrtarstra, congenitally blind; the divine sight specially granted by Him to Arjuna on the battlefield at Kuruksetra so as to enable the latter to envision His Cosmic Form; and also His voluntary disclosure of His enthralling beauty to Akrra, Kamsas emissary and Mlkra, the flower vendor of Mathura. Likewise the esoteric truths, embedded in these songs, can hardly be appreciated by the lay public but for the erudite commentaries, bequeathed by knowledgeable doyens of massive learning the veritable eye-openers. For this particular hymnal alone three stalwarts of the towering statures of Periyavccnpillai, Alakiya Manavlaperuml Nyanr and Vednta Deika have written commentaries, yielding a rich harvest of the inner 6

contents, a sumptuous spiritual repast. The salient features of these commentaries have been projected in the notes below each stanza, in an easily assimilable form. The Appendix is an apt addition, a thoughtful one, at that. It gives a brief but self-contained summary of ri Vednta Deikas sparkling Sanskrit hymnal. Bhagavad dhyna sopnam, an integral part of rivaisnava stotra literature. Well, Sopnam means ladder, one, which in this case, leads the chanter on to the resplendent crown of Lord Ranganth (the top-most run) from His feet ( the first step) upwards, very much akin to Amalantipirn, the main work, dealt with in the body. The Sopnam, however, cuts new ground, in as much as the ladder takes the chanter, right up to the Lords crown unlike Pn Peruml, who could not proceed beyond the Lords pair of eyes. Moreover, the penultimate sloka gives the chanter a glimpse of the majestic form, of commanding stature, of Namperuml also. He is the mobile utsava mrti, taken out on cermonial rounds, standing in front of Lord Rangantha, actually yet another form of latter (see loka Eleven). Before passing on to an in-depth study of the hymnal (Amalantipirn) in the following section, it will be interesting to scan the why and wherefore of the Lords commissioning Lokasranga Mahmuni to fetch Pn Peruml to His immediate presence. On the face of it, it might, however appear that the probe in question is a needless luxury, a mere academic exercise, in as much as the offender was called upon by the Lord, as a matter-ofcourse, to make amends for the wrong done by him to Pn Peruml. And yet, there is something more subtle than this routine approach to the issue. Actually, it is a case of one Muni, deputed to fetch another Muni. But then, it might at once be asked how Pnar could be regarded as a Muni. The meaning of the Sanskrit term, Munih is Manana lo munih one who is soaked in deep contemplation of the Divine. Going through this hymnal, this sort of mental exercise on his part is very much in evidence. Song Two: My thoughts leaped from the Lords feet to the red, silken robes around his waist; Song Three: Ha! My mind remains sustained now, in sweet contemplation of the Lords navel; Song Four: Hark! My mind is now strolling along the Lords gold-plated band around His waist; Song Seven: O, what shall I say! My mind has suddenly been hijacked by the Lords coral lips from the Lords neck, while contemplating how the throat within it had gulped down, during the deluge, the entire universe with its enormous contents and Song Nine: What! My mind has got sucked, in full into the vortex of the exquisite charm of the Lords emerald complexion. And now, going back to Rmyana, it was Sugriva who was commissioned by Lord Rma to fetch Vibhisana, anchored then in mid-air, even though His own brother Laksmana was ready at hand to do His bidding. Why ? Apart from the fact that the most vehement resistance to Vibhishanas admission into Rmas camp came from Sugriva and it was, therefore, expedient (a subtle diplomatic move) that he be asked to the fetch the supplicant from the outer space. There was also the similarity between the two; both were in queue for the crowns of Kiskind and Lank, respectively. What a keen observation of Periyavccn Pillai, the Vykhyna Cakravarti! [The translation is in verse form but not with the usual tinge of poetic fancy (frenzy ?), indulging in fanciful (daring) departures from the text. The present translation faithfully conforms to the original, as in the case of my rendition, in English, of Tiruvymoli, Tiruppvai, Tirumlai, Tirupallielucci etc. The verse form has been choosen as it is found to have a better appeal than prose.] Taniyans (Invocatory Songs) Sanskrit loka (by Mahprnar) pda cdamanubhya harim synam Madhyekaveraduhitur muditntartm | Adrstrtm nayanayor visayntarnm Yo nicikya manavai munivhanam tam || Meditate I shall upon saint Munivahana who swore, His eyes shall none else behold anymore, 7

Having seen the Lord Hari, feet upwards, in splendor galore, Tween twin branches of, Kveri, in sweet repose. Note: pdacdam : [From the feet to the crown This might have been the lvrs resolve, to start with, but he could not lift his eyes of the Lords pair of lotus eyes, dazed and dazzled that he was. See notes under Song Eight.] Tamil Taniyan (by riaila Prnar) Kttave kanta pdakamalam nalladai unti Tettarum udara bandam tirumr pukantam cevvy | Vttamil kankal meni muniyerittani pukuntu Pttinl kantu vlum Pnar tlparavinome || Blessed are we to worship the feet of Pnar, the bard, By joy sustained, espying thro vision, by the Lord dowered, His feet lovely, radiant robes, exciting navel, glittering waistband, Wisome chest with Tiru, on it well-poised, Lovely neck, coral lips, eyes lotus-red, the cloud-hued Form enthralling, inside the sanctum on the Muni mounted. || Note : [In this treatise it is not proposed to tire out the readers with the mass of details, found in the several commentaries but to present the best parts of them all, in a compact and easily assimilable form, with suitable additions to make their reading intelligible]. Song One: Preamble : The exquisite charm of the Lords Supernal Form, His boundless wealth etc, in Paramapada (Heaven, the Lords transcendental abode), just sprout, (with just two leaves like beginnings of the infants teething) during His Avatrs as Rma and Krsna and flourish as a fully-grown fruit bearing tree with numerous branches (corresponding to all the other pilgrim centers) in rirangam, affording immense satisfaction to the beholders there, of His easily worshippable Form. Yes, easily worshippable, the more so, in the case of devotees of the caliber of the lvar Saints unto whom the Lord relaxes the self-imposed constraints of silence, passivity etc, incidental to His iconic manifestation and displays His innate charm, in super-abundance. It is noteworthy that the Lord did not even wait till Pn Peruml entered the Sanctum to behold and drink in the beatific vision in front. He displayed to him, even en route, the wealth of His resplendence, step by step, from His lovely pair of feet upwards, lest the devotee be swept off his feet, rather dazed by the dazzling splendour of His Form, when exhibited in full, all at once. The Lords feet constitute not merely the rallying point in this mental exercise but also the focal point, the final goal of attainment of the devotee, his sole Refuge. That is why Saint Nammlvr also referred to the Lords distress dispelling dazzling feet, right in the opening song of Tiruvymoli. This is like the new-born baby intuitively sucking the mothers breast, the source of its sustenance, with no physical aid whatsoever to locate it. The new-born baby is totally devoid of vision which it gains only gradually from the second month onwards. Text: Amalandipirn adiyrkkennai tpatutta Vimalan vinnavarkn viraiyr polil vnkatavan Nimalan ninmalan nitivnavan nilmatin. Arangattammn Tirukkamala pdam vanten kanninullana okkinrate! ||1|| Translation: Wonderful this, the lotus feet dainty, of our immaculate sire At Arangam, amid ramparts high, first and foremost Sire, 8

great and pure, The Benefactor who did me enlist in the service of the devout, Overlord of the celestials in high heaven, just and upright, Who did atop Vnkatam amid fragrant orchards alight, Did, on their own, into my distant eyes project. Notes: Amalan: The immaculate. Immaculate that He is, Lord Ranganth cleanses the massive dirt of ignorance of the worshippers and imparts purity to them. Indeed He is the purest of the pure and the most auspicious among the auspicious Pavitrnm pavitram yo mangalnm ca mangalam. The manner in which Lord Rangantha drew the lvr unto Him is indicated here. In this song, the lvr also refers to the Lord as Vimalan, the same as Amalan etymologically but with this difference (as brought out by the Commentator), namely this refers pointedly to the Lords magnanimity in putting the lvr on to the feet of His devotees for rendering them spotless service, ever and anon, a rare trait (gesture), not noticeable in anyone else. In this particular context, this refers to the manner in which Pnan, who was keeping himself studiously aloof from the likes of Lokasranga Mahmuni, was induced by the Lord to be submissive as not to disobey and flee from the Mahmuni, as in the past. Yet another appellation, bestowed on the Lord by the lvr, in this song itself, is Nimalan, also meaning the same as Amalan etymologically, but used in a different sense, as highlighted by the Commentator. The special connotation of Nimalan is: it denotes the Lords extra-ordinary gesture in redeeming the lvr, even unasked and unsolicited, enhancing His greatness still further. [The reader is now invited to go through Sri Parara Bhattars commentary on Names 157 and 252 (sucih): of Sr Visnu Sahasranma. 157-ucih: Pure(unsullied). Visnu Bhagavn is pure since He does not expect anything in return for all that He does to the subjects (in dire contrast to minor deities, who when sought after invariably seek something in return from the recipients); 252-Sucih: He, who is pure, the purity being natural to Him (innate), not induced or cultivated, as such. It is noteworthy that Lord Nryana, the Supreme Brahman is not only big(brhat) Himself but also makes His votaries big.] What more ? In this very song the lvr also refers to the Lord as Ninmalan, the same as Amalan etymologically, but in an even superior light, namely, the Lord looks upon the redemption of the lvr as but His own job, for His benefit, that is, as a matter of supreme personal satisfaction the benefactor redeeming Himself the beneficiary, once again redounding to His unique greatness and glory. The way the lvr has put it, in this song, the Lords limbs literally vied with one another to attract the lvr, even when he was very much outside the Sanctum, the feet being the pace setter. They are said to have (figuratively) sallied forth from the Sanctum and got into his eyes (a forward, feast, as it were, ahead of the diner entering the dinning hall !) Venkatam: Mounted on Lokasranga Mmunis shoulders, Pnan is on his way to the shrine of Lord Rangantha. Why then, this reference to the Deity, atop the holy Mount Tiruvnkatam? It is only to remind us that the Lord descended from heaven and alighted at Vnkatam, enroute to Arangam. Vnkatam, the mountain-top came in handy for the Lord as a springboard from where He could jump down to Arangam and rest there. It is comparable with His stepping down to Madhurmpuri (spelt as Mathura, these days) from the Milk-ocean, the Lords seat of creative activities whence His avatrs take place and then moving further on to Gokul (Tiru yppdi). [Saint Nammlvr also refers to the Lords stepping on to Mount Venkatam as an intermediary stop-over, and thence jumping into the lvrs mind Malaiml tn ninru en manattul iruntanai Tiruvymoli X-4-4]. With their deep insight, an uncanny perception, the lvrs as well as some of our ancient preceptors could envision (1) the celestials moving down from the high heaven to Mount Tiruvnkatam to see for themselves and appreciate the Lords amazing simplicity (not so well discernable in heaven, that glorious setting with all its pomp and pageantry), His loving condescension to stay in the midst of monkeys and hunters, (2) their (celestials) going back to heaven where His Supremacy (Paratva) is very much in evidence, a feature which shone, all the more, in the eyes of the celestials, in sharp contrast with His amazing simplicity (Soulabhya), witnessed by them below, (3) their coming again to Vnkatam, only to find that the Lord had by then moved to Arangam and (4) their further move to Tiruvarangam where they beheld the Lord reclining on the Serpent 9

Couch, vowing as it were, not to raise up and go back to the celestium till the uplift to heaven of the last being down below]. Nlmatil Arangattammn: Reference to the lofty boundary walls by Pn Peruml seems to be an anachronism. Actually, the walls were built by Tirumankai lvr (tenth in the chronological order), who must have taken cue from his immediate predecessor and rendered his vision realistic. rangattu Ammn: The Lord at Arangam is presented as our kinsman. Yes, He is intimately bound to everyone through every conceivable relationship father, mother, husband, son and so on. He is also our master, friend, donor, judge, so on and so forth. It behoves us, one and all, to take due note of this omnibus relationship binding us to Him intimately so that we do not run astray. See also 28th Song of ndls Tiruppvai. Tirukkamala pdam vantu en kanninullana okkinrate: The Lords lovely (Tiru) pair of feet, silken-soft and delicately massaged by Tiru, the Divine Mother, Herself, the very picture of softness and elegance, sallied forth from the Sanctum, straight inside Pn Perumls eyes, when he was still on his way to the temple. Earlier on, Pnan was running away, in self denouncing humility, but now the Lords feet run after him, in keeping with the Lords inclination and get implanted in his eyes! In sum, The opening song brings out (1) the Sovereignty of the Lord over the heaven (Nitya Vibhti the Eternal Land) as well as the worlds below (Lil Vibhti the sporting arena) Ubhaya Vibhti aivarya, (2) He is, at once, the goal of attainment (upeya), the means of attaining that goal (upya) and also the beneficiary [Bhokt who revels in the redemption of the individual soul (cetana lbha)] and (3) in Him alone is the unique blending of unrivalled Supremacy, exhibiting Him as higher than the highest (Partparan) and His astounding simplicity, presenting Him as lower than the lowest (soulabya parkstai); but for the latter aspect, His Partva (Supreme Sovereignty) would just scare away His devotees and distance them from Him, irretrievably. Song Two: Preamble: In the opening song, mention was made of the entry of Lord Ranganths lotus feet (shedding honey aplenty Visnoh pade parame madhvautsah), on their own, into Pn Perumls eyes. The taste of ultra-mundane honey from the Lords blissful feet trickled down to his mind and kindled in him the yearning to move upwards and have a taste of the limbs, higher up, one by one. And so, the mind switched on to the radiant robes, flowing down to the ankles. This movement of the lvrs mind is described in this song. The Commentator draws a parallel to this, as follows: Unlike the human babe, the calf, just yielded by the cow, can see the mothers teats, all right but it does not know that it has to suck them for getting milk, the source of its sustenance. And so, the mother introduces the the young one to the technique by inserting teats into the mouth of the calf and allowing it to suck. Having once tasted the sweet milk, the calf wishes to have more and more of it and dashes towards the mothers teats even though the mother signals, at times, her disinclination to feed the calf by kicking her hind legs. Text: Uvanta ullattany ulakamalantantamura Nivanta nlmutiyan anru nrnta niccararaik Kavarnta venkanaikkkuttan katiyr polil Arangattammn araic Civanta taiyinml cenratm ena cintanaiye ||2|| Translation: Fine! My thought moved on the robes, red and radiant, Of our Sire grand in Arangam enshrined, among orchards fragrant, Who spanned the universe; the jubilant one, sporting the 10

crown tall, Kkuttan *, the warrior invincible, aiming lethal arrows, dreadful, Who the other day slew the attacking Rksasas, one and all. || [* Lord Rma, who slew, single-handed, the Rksasa Janasthna, in an amazingly short period]. hordes, fourteen thousand strong, who attacked Him at

Notes: Uvanta ullattan: The Lord was mighty glad because (1) He could reclaim a devotee of the excellence of Pn Perml, overcoming his naichya (self-denouncing humility) and (2) when He set foot on His subjects, one and all (high and low, the devout as well as the diabolic), while spanning the sprawling universe, as Trivikrama, none of them thought in terms of moving so as not to have the Lords feet on their heads. In this song, Lord Rangantha is identified with Lord Trivikrama. Nl mudiyan: The tall crown worn by Lord Rangantha, symbolishes His Supreme Sovergnity, the overlordship of Brahm, Rudr, Indr and the rest. Anru nrnta niccarar: The other day, when during exile, the trio, Rma, St and Laksmana were camping at Janasthna, Khara, Dsana and Triiras and their army, fourteen thousand strong, charged toward Rma, courting disaster like the fireflies rushing to fire and perishing in it. Kavarnta venkanai Kkuttan: Lord Rma, whose arrows never missed their target, deadly as they were, literally scorching the enemy, vanquished the Rksasas, pitted against Him in such great strength, effortlessly, unaided, in an amazingly short period of a muhurt. Of the twin aspects of the Lords operations, this episode highlights the second namely, the elimination of the obnoxious (ansta nivrtti), the first being the succour of the Rss (devout, in general ista prti). Earlier on, Lord Rangantha was identified with Trivikrama and now, He is identified with Lord Rma. Arangattammn: This signifies at once, Lord Ranganths Supremacy as well as Simplicity, the latter denoting His intimate link with His subjects, in every conceivable manner, His multiple kinship and multi-faceted benefaction. Song Three: Preamble: In the preceding song, the lvrs mind moved on to Lord Ranganthas robe, flowing from the waist down to the ankles. And now, looking up, the waist as well as the navel, just above it become visible. Rather, it is a case of the navel, with an elegance of its own, drawing him up to it to tell him its tale of unique glory. The Lord was referred to, in the opening song, as the first and the foremost, the Progenitor, who ushered in the Universe. This could, however, be challenged by votaries of minor deities, each group contending their god is first and foremost. The Lords navel from which the lotus stalk emerged, projecting Brahma, the lotus-born, however, repudiates their contention, in no time. If the lvrs mind leapt from the Lords feet to His silken garment and thence to His navel, it was not as if the individual charm of the earlier ones had been enjoyed by him, in full (to the point of satiety), an impossible task, on the face of it. It only betrays the vacillating mind of the lvr, jumping from the one to the other, just like a twig, getting tossed up from one wave to the other in the surging ocean of Lord Ranganthas exquisite beauty. Evidently, Pn Peruml was in the same predicament as Nammlvr in his attempt to enumerate the Lords auspicious traits (Tiruvymoli III-4). If it is now the Lords Divya mangala vigrah which defies description, in the case of Nammlvr, it was His Divytma svarpa. As the Commentator of Tiruvymoli has put it, Nammlvr was in the same state of vacillation as the one who attempts to pick delicious fruits, dropping down the trees, in quick succession, under the impact of a violent gale. While picking up one, the picker gets attracted to another, yet another and so on, bewildered, not knowing what to pick first, and what next. So also, Nammlvr, who attempted to hit out the Lords auspicious traits, just did not know what to mention first and what next, in the order of priority. Text: 11

Mantipy vatavnkatammalai vnavarkal Canti ceyya ninrn Arangattaravinanaiyn Anti pl nirattdaiyum atanml ayanaip pataittatrelil Untimlatanr adiynullattinnuyir ||3|| Translation: Isnt it the sweet core of my mind that alights On the crimson robes and the navel above, seat Of Ayans origin, of the Lord who stood atop Mount Vatavnkatam where monkeys gambol and celestials meet And obeisance make, who does on serpent-couch at Arangam rest. || Four-faced Brahm. The sacred Mount in the northern frontier of the Tamil territory. Notes: Mantipy Vatavnkata mmalai: In the ten songs, comprised in this hymnal, this is the second and the last reference to Mount Vnkatam, the earlier one being in the opening song itself. Reference to the holy Mount in this song and to the monkeys, in particular, on their merry arboreal jaunts (jumping from one branch of the tree to another), has a special significance. In the Mount there are jack trees, loaded with fruits from top to bottom (root). The fickle minded monkeys would, while feeding on one fruit, look at another in a neighbouring branch, jump on to it and repeat the process. How apt is it to Pn Prumals present predicament ! Further, if the Lord in Mount Vnkatam is on intimate terms with the monkeys, as mentioned by the lvrs, it reminds us of Lord Rmas intimacy with Sugrva, Hanumn and the monkey hordes in general. Well, St, the captive in Lanka, was curious to elicit from Hanumn how indeed Rma, the prince royal, the disciple of Sage Vaista, could cultivate friendship with mere monkeys. She queried, Vnarnm narnm ca katam st samgamah ?. Pat came the clarification from Hanumn that very fact that he, a mere minion of Sugrva, had been sent on such an important mission as meeting Her in enemy territory, and conveying Lord Rmas message was an eloquent proof of the intimate bonds of friendship between Rma and Sugrva. Antipl nirattdai: Antipl niram refers to the crimson colour of the western sky at sunset, as if that colour is inseparable from the sky. Even so, the crimson colour of Lord Ranganths robes is inseparable from the robes. And then, what to say about the matching of this colour with the Lords sapphire complexion ! Ayanaippadaittatr elil: The Lords beauty got enhanced even further after His creation of the four-faced Brahm for the propagation of the multifarious genera and species in the worlds, ushered by Him. It is a matter of common knowledge that the mother looks more charming than before, just after delivery. Unti (elil unti): The Lords navel is deep-set (nimagna nbhih) and swirling too, giving rise to small whirlpools, the eddies. rivatsnkar (Krattlvn) has put it admirably in his Varadarja Sthavam, as follows : The perennial stream of the Lords beauty emanated from the crown, the fountain source, flowed along the broad expanse of His winsome chest with great gusto and as it entered the narrow gorge, the thin waist, the whirling waters gave rise to the whirlpool (navel). Those, who venture to behold the Lords exquisite charm, are bound to get stuck, sucked into that whirlpool, the navel. Here is a telling anecdote, illustrating this. Pillai Alagiyamanavla Araiyar, the temple bard, once sought the permission of Lord Rangantha to go on a pilgrimage to Tiruvnkatam to worship the Lord, enshrined there. The Lord asked the Araiyar to recite just once, in His presence, this hymnal (Amalantipiran) and then go. The Araiyar did accordingly but got stuck up in the whirlpool, the navel of the Lord. Then he meekly acknowledged, in the Divine presence, that there was no question of his going to any other pilgrim center anymore. This at once demonstrated beyond doubt that, by worshipping Lord Rangantha one can enjoy the aggregate of all the bliss one derives from all the other pilgrim centers, put together. Adiyn ullattinnuyir: Adiyn The vassal, enthralled by Lord Ranganths exquisite charm. Innuyir Here uyir denotes the mind; it is innuyir, the sweet mind, sweetened by the Lords beauty galore. Ironically, the navel is the very source of 12

origination of the universe, the birthplace of Brahm and yet, it is that life generating center which has submerged within itself my sweet mind, making it lose its separate entity ! And now, before we pass on to the study and appreciation of the contents of the next song, it deserves to be noted that the first letter of each of the first three songs (AUM), put together, constitutes the Pranava Mantra (AUM). The First Song of Tiruvymoli is similarly structured. U is the first letter of the opening line, M, that of the second line and A, that of the third line. Thus, all three letters of the Pranava are there, though jumbled. Our chryas opine that, in doing so, the lvr highlights Lord Visnus supremacy over all the rest. Letter A denotes that He is the sole Protector of one and all, while letter M denotes the objects protected (the Individual Souls). The middle letter U denotes that, by virtue of the protection extended by the Lord and the final state attained by the wards, as a result of such projection, the latter are entirely at the disposal of the Lord, totally subservient to Him- ananyrha esatva. The Fourth Song, beginning with the letter ca, always used in Sanskrit as the conjunction and, denotes that the Lord is also the final goal of attainment (prpyam). Again, the letters p, tu and kai with which Songs Five, Six and Seven begin, respectively, add up to ptkai, signifying that His feet alone can deliver the goods, that is lead the individual souls on to His lotus feet in heaven. How admirably and meaningfully structured are these inspired songs, the divine outpourings of the lvr Saints ! Song Four: Preamble: Revolving though, in the encircling current of the Lords navel, the lvrs mind could envision His belly where the navel is located and the ornamental band around it and stroll along. There are three folds in His belly, signifying that all three categories of His subjects, namely Nityas (the eternal angels in heaven), Muktas (the souls, freed from bondage and granted entry into heaven) and Baddhas (the bound souls, still wandering down below, caught up in the dreadful cycle of birth and death) are under His control, as the Sovereign Master of the entire Universe. But then, there is also the scar, beneath the folds, resulting from binding of the belly by Mother Yasodha with a rope (small bits, knotted together). While the former (folds) points to His supremacy, the latter (scar) brings into focus His amazing simplicity, the other extreme. As r Parsara Bhattar puts it, the gold plate around the Lords belly is but the bridge linking the two extremities (supremacy and simplicity). Pondering over this unique blending in the Lord of dire opposites (see also Tiruvymoli VI-3) the lvrs mind strolled along the belt greatly astonished. Text: Caturammatilcl ilankaikiraivan talaipattu Utiravtti r venkanai uyttavan ta vannan Maturam vantupta mmayilta Arangattammntiru vayirru Utarapantam ennullattul ninru ulkinrat ! ||4|| Translation: Saunters my mind along the belly-band of my Sire at Aranagam Where hum bees tuneful and peacocks dance in merriment, The sea-hued Lord whose supermissile felled the heads ten Of the monarch of Lank, well fortified besides walls tall around || Notes: Catura m matilcl ilankai: The impregnable city of Lank with tall, square-walls around, apart from the outer fortifications in the shape of water, forests and mountains, in succession. Iraivan: Rvana, the monarch, also fortified by many a boon, conferred on him by Brahm and Rudr, apart from his own formidable physical prowess and the military outfit with enormous striking power. Alas ! all these proved of no avail; his exclusive dependence on all these, in defiance of Rma, the Supreme Lord Visnu-incarnate, could hardly save 13

him from final doom. On the other hand, Vibhsana, whose only fortification was his refuge at the feet of Lord Rma (sarvaloka aranyan), is flourishing, down to this day, ruling over Lank (not the neighbouring island, you and I know of, but the glorious one, hidden from human sight). Yes, he is worshipping Lord Rangantha at rirangam daily, during night; they say, there is tangible proof of this. It is noteworthy that he was crowned King of Lank by Rma, symbolically, even ahead of the bunding of the ocean and engaging the enemy in battle. Of course, his formal coronation took place in Lank after the overthrow of Rvana. Talai pattu utira tti r venkanai uyttavan: The tyrants ten heads were felled down by Rmas dreadful darts, like the palmyra fruits, dropped down the trees. As the heads rolled down, new ones cropped up in their place, the mischief of the boons, granted by those very minor deities who, later on, entreated Lord Visnu to annihilate Rvana and rid the worlds from his tyranny. As the Commentator puts it, the heads which came up, in replacement, looked at their tumbling predecessors and dreaded a similar fate overtaking them in a few moments. It is indeed puzzling why Rma did not slay the demon straightaway although such a heinous offender, who went to the abominable extent of abducting no less than Sta, the Divine Mother and keeping Her captive in Lank, deserved to be slain at sight. Whereas the far more powerful Vli, the monkey chief, was shot down by Rma, mortally wounded, with just a single arrow and in no time, what was the logic behind Rma dragging the battle with Rvana over a whole week ? Well, the puzzle has been solved by the chryas, the intellectual stalwarts, with a rare vision as follows : At the end of the first days battle Rvanas chariot, horses, charioteer, arms and all were destroyed by Rmas unfailing bow and He could have done away with him, there and then. However, Rma, the Dharmtm called it a day (for the battle) on seeing His opponent, totally disarmed and His magnanimity bade him go back to Lanka for a nights rest and recuperation and come back for fight, the next day, refreshed and equipped. Implied in this command of the Lord was the option thrown open to the opponent to surrender at His feet and seek His pardon that very moment. The felon was asked to turn up the next day, only to resume the fight. Alas! He would not bend. The Lord (Karunmrti mercy personified), who just wanted to bend the evil-doer and not break him altogether, grieved over the opponents stubborn divergence. This way, the battle dragged on by Him for a whole week, during which He fondly hoped that Rvanas enmity towards Him would gradually subside, egging him on to surrender at the Lords feet. It is a case of His incurable optimism rooted in His boundless magnanimity, that took a whole week to perceive the opponents incurable divergence. On the seventh day, the Lord saw no point in prolonging the battle any further and He started felling down the demons ten heads, one by one, only to find that they got replaced, there and then. Rma was, therefore, obliged to press into service Brahmstra, the lethal supermissile and aim it into Rvans (heartless) heart, totally devoid of devotion to Him, contrary to His weeklong expectation. And that was the end of a long, long reign of parlous terror. r ndl has, however, given a swift burial to this long-drawn episode, in just half a line of Song Thirteen of Tiruppvi Polla Arakkanai killikkalaintnai, that is, the malignant Rksasa was done away with, by Rma, effortlessly and, in no time, like clipping off the stem of the betal leaf with ones finger nail ! Madhuramvandupda, mmayil da: The humming bees and dancing peacocks symbolize the singers and dancers in Lord Rangarjas court. Arangatammn: This has already been explained at length. It will, therefore, suffice to point out the special background of the Lord reposing in rrangam, in the present context. After slaying Rvana, the Lord entered the Shrine in rrangam by the principal (southern) gate and retired to bed. When He came down from Tiruvnkatam in the north (Vatavnkata mmalai), He entered the shrine in Arangam by the north-gate an intellectual treat indeed, provided by the learned commentators, with intuitive perception of God-head. Tiru utara bandham ennullattul ninru ulakinrate !: The belly-band is the gold belt, adding luster to the womb of Mother Yaod (the one who yielded Krsna for all intents and purposes), besides ridding the beholders of their earthly bondage. Little wonder then, it drew up Pn Perumls mind, releasing it from the clutches of the navel, the whirlpool in the center of the belly and made it saunter (stroll along the belt), intoxicated with joy like the elephant in rut. Song Five : Preamble: In the upward march of the lvrs mind from Lord Ranganths feet to His crown, each limb, in the ascending order, is said to have pressed, according to the Commentator, its special claim to the lvrs attention. And 14

now, when the lvrs mind was gaily strolling along the Lords golden belly-band, it looked as though the mind would simply stay on there. However, in its competitive exuberance, the Lords winsome chest, with its handsomeness, enhanced manifold by the gem-set Vyjayantiml, the lovely mole (rvatsam), the dazzling ruby (Koustubham) and, above all, the Divine Mother (Mahlaksmi), inseperably poised on it, compelled the lvrs attention. Did not the Divine Mother (Sit), Grace first, Grace last, Grace throughout, the very personification of Grace, try to turn even the fiend Rvana into Lord Rmas friend ? Little wonder, the Mother, adorning the Lords chest, could easily draw up the lvrs chastened mind. After a good bit of introspection as to how an ace-sinner like him, woefully transformed, beyond recognition, by truck-loads of sins, dark and dense, could at all enjoy such felicity, the lvrs mind could trace it to the Lords chest, motivated by His conjunction with the Mother (Devy krunya rpya). The lvr acknowledges, rather reveals, in this song, his grand discovery. The lvr aghast with wonder at this extra-ordinary turn of events, the Lord absolving him, in toto, of the age-long accumulation of sins and on the top of that, getting Himself firmly lodged inside him. Text: Pramya palavinai parraruttu ennaittan Vramkki vaittn vaittatanri ennul pukuntn Kramtavam ceytanankol Arangattammn tiru Vramrpatanr atinai tkontate ! ||5|| Translation: Surely, tis the bejeweled chest of my Sire at Arangam With Tiru, well-poised, that fastened me unto Him; Rooting out my age-long sins, dark and dense, He got inside me; indeed, I know of no penance, Tough and austere, gone thro by me in by-gone days || Notes: Pramya palavinai: The lvr is at loss to spell out the manner in which he committed sins, which have swelled up, down the ages, into mountainous proportions pressing him down miserably. It is said that the soul commits a vast variety of countless sins, in a trice, which cannot be neutralized by the resultant punishments, undergone over aeons of time(Brahma Kalpa, running into millions of years). The sins could be of various kinds, such as non-performance of duties, enjoined by the stras; performance of acts, specifically prohibited by them; moving in the company of sinners; bartering away God; seeking from Him petty gains; and owing allegiance to minor deities, keeping God away. Pity, the lvr could not recollect the vast variety of sins committed by him and the manner in which they were committed. It is a staggering past and the sins are also countless, baffling enumeration. He could only mention it, in general terms, as too dense, pressing on him much-too-heavily. Well Nammlvr also fared no better, going by his utterances in his hymns. He could describe the sins committed by him ancient and massive like the long stretch of a mountain range. [The reader should not, at once jump to the conclusion that the lvrs were also ace-sinners like us. Far from it; they were spotless souls, untainted by sins of any kind and that is why they were sent, in our midst, as His chosen emissaries. If they, as well as our illustrious charyas have, in their hymns and stotras, presented themselves before God in such terms, it is only a matter of self-denouncing humility, setting pace for us to follow in their footsteps. That is how we can suppress the ego in us effectively, leaving no room for conceit, arrogance and the like to raise their ugly heads and damn us beyond redemption]. Parraruttu: Eradicated, root and branch. Normally, when one tries to atone for the sins through the methods, indicated by the tras, only specific categories of sins can be got over by the relative rites and rituals and not the rest. But when the Supreme Lord cuts the Gordian knot, as in this case, sins one and all, however numerous and dense, get rooted out, never more to raise their ugly heads, the erstwhile stink of all the sins also vanishing. [If the stench from the sewage of sins keeps lingering on, even after the sins themselves have been wiped out, there is the offchance of the sins sprouting again. In the case of bugs, crushed to death, the resultant smell is said to give rise to further crop of bugs].

15

Ennaittan vramkki vaittn: Not only did the Lord absolve the lvr of all sins but He also admitted him into His fold as a hot favourite, inducing in him, at the same time, extreme liking for Him to the exclusion of everything else. What more ! (see notes below). Vaittatanri ennul pukuntn: Even as the spiritually regenerated, fully sanctified lvr lost his separate entity, soaked in God-love of intense magnitude, the Lord got inside the lvr and became part of him. What a grand reciprocity ! What a marvel ! Like Sage Vaista entering the hut of the lowly- Sarva bhtntartm Nryano Harih. This underscores Lord Ranganths Antarymi aspect, as well. Koramtavam ceytanankol ariyn: Amazed by the present turn of events, the lvr is led on to an intense introspection as to whether at all he had, at any time, gone through any austere penance, including the severest mortification for a good length of time, to merit this much. But he draws a complete blank. However much he scratched his brain and searched his heart, he could not find the slightest trace of self-effort, indulged in, by him, for his spiritual uplift. ri Vednta Deika, however, tries to examine the issue, the other way, interesting enough, although a bit stretched too far, according to his own admission. He wondered whether Lord Ranganth, who left Ayodhya, bound for Lank ( as intended by Rma and fondly looked for, by Vibhsana), took His abode, instead, at a spot, chosen by Him, on the bank of the river Kveri and lay on the Serpent-Couch at rrangam, doing tough penance, to get at Pnan, the long-lost treasure ! Tiru ra mrpatanr adiyenai tkondat ! Well, here is a flash ! O, I see ! My Mother is so near at hand, right on the Lords chest, surrounded by the gold necklace, par excellence [the hiranya prkra for the Mother (Harini) ri Sktam]. In this grand milieu, the proximate promptings of the Mother have clicked so well. Not only that; Grace personified that She is, She has lit up my essential nature (Svasvarpa Jnna, hitherto lying dormant). So far, I was enthralled by the Lords exquisite charm but now, I am inseparably drawn to Him by His auspicious traits, innumerable, each one being of unlimited dimensions. Above all, the knowledge has dawned on me that He is my Sole Master and I am His exclusive vassal (servitor)-(adiyn). It is noteworthy, in this context, that Hanumn introduced himself, initially, to Sit, the Divine Mother at Aoka vana, as but Rmas messenger (Dtoham). But with the influx of the Mothers Grace on him, he instantly realized (the dawn of true knowledge) that he was the Lords vassal, not a mere messenger. From then onwards, he introduced himself to everyone in Lank, that queried him who he was, as Dsoham Kosalendrasya I am the servant of Rma, the King of Kosala territory. Song Six: Preamble: And now, the Lords neck, higher up, tells its tale of superiority. Superiority apart, how charming it is, like the attractive neck of the tender arecanut tree, with three lovely streaks running around ! This does not, however, mean glossing over the greatness and grandeur of the Lords chest, just below. Of course, the Lords winsome chest is the seat of Mothers residense, decorating it much more than the jewels. But then, how can the necklace etc. stay there without the support of the neck from which they are hanging ? Again, Mahlaksmi, poised on the chest, as well as His other consorts, throw their forearms around the Lords neck only, while embracing Him, as could be inferred from the imprints of their bangles on the Lords neck. When the King of the swollen oceans (Prlayadevat) wanted to gobble up, during the Great Deluge (Mahpralaya), the entire Universe and its enormous contents, the Lord, the King of kings, forestalled the former and preserved all beings and the worlds, containing them inside His belly. Otherwise, they would have all been swept off by the swirling waters of the surging oceans, in dreadful fury and dismembered. This, at once, brings into focus His extra-ordinary prowess, His unrivalled supremacy over the rest. Side by side, His Grace galore is revealed in that He rescued the vast wealth of the Universe, things and beings of enormous dimensions and kept them in the safe deposit vault inside His belly for the duration of the Deluge; He did this, unasked and unsolicited by the subjects, one and all, the four-faced Brahm downwards. The Lords neck is the gateway through which all these entered. Further, the neck tells us its tale of amazing simplicity, as well; figuratively, it still reminds one of the folded errand scroll, tied on to it by the Pndavas to carry their message to King Dhrtarstra and his diabolic son, Duryodhana. In the olden days, messages used to be put across from one place to another through trained dogs and pigeons with the cudjon leaf on which they were inscribed, folded and tied around the necks of the couriers. They would reach the 16

destination and effect the delivery, all right. Yes, the manner in which the Commentator has put it only reminds the reader of the role of an errand boy, played by Lord Krsna. During the Deluge, the Lords neck played its part in rescuing all things and beings from the onrush of oceanic waters. Yet, it does not rest on its oars. Now, in the Lords iconic manifestation as Rangantha, it continues to play its due part in rescuing us all from the ocean of Samsra (earthly bondage), the very purpose for which the Lord, in His easily worshippable (iconic) form, is staying on, in the holy island. In the preceding song, the lvr claimed that his massive, age-long accumulation of sins got wiped off, at one stroke, by the Lord as soon as the Divine Mother, poised on His chest, put in a word to Him, pleading his (lvrs) case. But then, this might not be readily swallowed by the speculative philosophers and theoretical theologians. They would, in their very nature, certainly point to traik pronouncement that the sins committed by the individual in a trice, cannot be wiped off even through the resultant punishments, undergone over aeons of time. These skeptics, the superficial critics, the academicians, are, however, silenced by the lvr in this song. This song begins with the episode of Lord iva wandering along, begging alms, to get rid of his fathers (Brahms) skull which had stuck fast to the palm. It was only when, at long last, he approached Lord Badrinth in the Himlayas, and begged alms to fill the begging bowl ( the skull, which did not look like filling up, in spite of the long term of his mendicancy ), filled up fell off the palm. Yes, it was Divine Mother beside Lord Badrinth who pleaded for mercy, on behalf of the supplicant, and that very moment (tat ksandeva) the skull got filled up and fell off, granting iva instant relief from his long sufferings. See notes below, for further details. Text: Tuntavenpiraiyan tuyartrttavan anciraiya Vantu vlporilcl Aranganagar mya appan Antaranta bakirantattu orumnilam elu mlvarai murrum Unta kantam kantr atiynai uyyakkontate ||6|| Translation: Tis our Sire, resting in the city of Arangam, Amid orchards where abound bees with lovely wings, Who the distress dispelled of iv, sporting the Cresent Moon On matted locks; but look, tis His neck superfine, Which did the cosmic eggs and the worlds beyond gorge With all their contents, terrains vast and mountains huge, Which took this vassal on and granted him refuge || Notes: Tunda ven piriyan tuyar trttavan: Lord Rangantha, who dispelled the (dire) distress of iva, who sports on his matted locks the cresent Moon (just 2 days old in its waxing period of a fortnight). The episode runs as follows : In a fit of rage, born of jealousy, Rudr (iva) cut off one of the five heads of his father (Brahm). The latter could have no doubt retaliated, there and then and either cut off a head of iva or slain him altogether. But he did not do either, as the fatherhood in him gained the upperhand; he simply cursed Rudr, Kapl twam bhavisyasi. That is, iva was to undergo the torturing punishment of keeping the skull of the severed head stuck to his palm (with all its stench of flesh and blood) until such time that he got it filled with blood, seeking alms, employing the skull as the begging bowl. Alas ! all the wanderings of the mendicant for getting the bowl filled were of no avail and the skull did not look like filling up, at all. At long last, he went to Badrinth in the Himalayas and begged alms from Lord Nryana. Laksmi, the Divine Mother, seated by His side, also pleaded on behalf of the supplicant, to ensure the instant influx of the Lords mercy. As usual, She succeeded; the Lord shook off the sweat on His forehead into the skull, uttering the word, aksayam (ever full, with no depletion) and lo ! it got filled up and fell off. 17

iva, the supplicant, felt greatly relieved; he could not believe his eyes, whether he was awake or just dreaming, as he himself confessed to Prvati Devi, later on. The full text of his statement runs: Tatra Nryanah rimn may bhiksm praycitah Visnuprasdt suroni kaplam tat sahasrad sphutitam bahudytam svapnalabdha dhanam yad. What iva had committed was Brahma haty, the cruelest of sins. Our cryas, unreservedly, place the following categories of men, in our midst, on par with those committing Brahma haty: (1) Those, blest by God with the human body, with all the faculties, in tact, and still fail to make use of such a simple recipe as nmasankrtana (recitial of Lord Visnus auspicious names, spelling out His great glory) and ford across the ocean of samsra (see also loks 37 and 38 of Kulaekharlvrs Mukundaml where he laments, What a pity ! the worldings can but do not utter the holy names of the Lord, and court intead, endless miseries). And (2) those who foolishly believe that they are their own masters and not the Supreme Lords, the rightful owner to whom all things and beings, all over, belong; these folks virtually rob Him of His valued possession, the Jvtm (tmpahranam), theft of a severe magnitude, on par with Brahmahatya. Arangangar mya Appan: The eternal Father of one and all, all over (in all climes) and at all times (in all ages), the Supreme Lord has graciously taken up His abode in rrangam, in an exhilarating setting between two rivers, amid cool orchards, bright and gay, so as to redeem us over here, prone to commit sins, such as those mentioned above. And now, the last two lines of this Song (as per original text) depict an altogether different posture of the Lord, different from the one, set out in the opening line of this Song. There, mention was made of His ridding Lord iva of his traumatic sufferings, at the latters request (entreaty). But the lines, now taken up, describe the episode of the Lords succour of all things and beings along with the worlds, containing them, from the devastating waters of the Mahpralaya (the great Deluge) by sheltering them all inside His bowels, unasked and unsolicited by the latter The Lords neck, by itself cannot obviously play an independent role, in this regard. And yet it is a pleasant (harmless) piece of poetic imagery, attributing the benefaction to the neck. As a matter of fact, the gate of entry is the mouth and the gulping is done by the throat (implanted in the neck), a feature, noticeable from Song One. Well, the lvr Saints send their minds, quite often, as their messengers to the Supreme Lord as if the mind is a separate entity, functioning by itself. In Tiruvymoli (III-8) the lvrs limbs and senses are portrayed as vying with each other in lauding the Lords multifaceted glory, with competitive exuberance. Song Seven: Preamble: In keeping with the trend of the earlier songs, the Lords mouth, situated, a little above the neck, compels the lvrs attention. Is not the mouth the actual opening through which all the worlds, referred to, in the preceding song were gorged in ? The gulping of them all, down the throat, rooted in the neck is but a subsequent process. It is also noteworthy that Nammlvr has specifically addressed the Lord, atop Mount Venkatam, as the One with a mammoth mouth, which swallowed all the worlds (on this side of heaven) during the Deluge (Tiruvymoli VI-10-1). In the present context, Pn Peruml gets reduced to the sad plight of the swimmer aided by a raft, halfway through. That is the lvr, who had hitherto employed his mind for imbibing the exquisite charm of the Lords limbs, one by one, now stands dispossessed of his mind. How ? The mind was whisked away by the enchanting red lips of the Lords mouth, crying halt to further contemplation of the limbs upwards, right upto the Regal Crown, tall and majestic. Text: Kaiyinr curicankanalliyar nlvarai pl Meyyanr tulapavirayr kamalnlmuti em Ayyanr Ani Aranganr aravinanai micai mya myanr Ceyyavy aiy ennaic cintai kavarntatv ! ||7|| Translation: Alas ! my mind has away from me been whisked 18

By the coral lips of the wondorous Lord of exquisite charm, Reposing on serpant-couch in ornate Arangam Wearing the Crown tall with fragrant tulaci wreath bedecked And holding spiral conch lovely and the fire-spitting discuss || Notes: Kaiyinr curicankanalliyar : The Supreme Lord has innumerable celestial weapons, of rare excellence (Sarva praharana yudhah). However, He has always on His person, the five principal weapons, the Conch, Discus, Sword, Bow and Mace. These weapons are highly destructive as well as decorative. As the lvr is now enjoying the enthralling beauty of the Lord, reference to the Conch and Discus in the song, is to the decorative (ornamental) aspect. The destructive part of it is also wholesome inasmuch as the destruction, wrought by the weapons, is of the enemies of the devout. For instance, when, on the battlefield at Kuruksetra, Lord Krsna blew the Conch to signify the commencement of the battle, the tumultuous sound rent the air, causing the sky and the earth to echo and re-echo, piercing as it were the hearts of Duryodhana and others. Again, the mighty Discus would, the moment the Lord thought of annihilating an opponent, dart forth, deal a lethal strike at the intended target, scorching it with furious flames and then get back to settle down on the Lords right hand, as before. Well, weapons destroy our sins also. Are they (sins) not our opponents, standing between us and God as the worst impediments for attaining Him ? Here is a thrilling anecdote. When r Parsara Bhattar was staying in Tirukottiyr, he overheard the following dialogue that ensued between two local residents, Terklvn and Kolarilvn and got stunned. The former queried the latter, far from fastidious with regard to religious rites and rituals, whether he would not take a bath even on that day, marking the commencement of Dakshinyanam. Pat came the reply from him, Well, sir ! a hundred dips in the tank will not absolve me of my dense sins, which can however be rooted out by a single cut of the Lords Discus. Lord Rangantha, in repose, referred to, as Periyapermal, in r Vaisnava parlance, is seen by us all only with two hands. The extra couple of hands, sporting the Conch and Discus, referred to, in this song, are not at all visible to us. Was it then a mere figment of the lvrs imagination ? No, not so. Such a rare vision is granted by the Lord, at His sweet volition, to devotees of the caliber of Pn Peruml and the lvr Saints, in general, the hallowed mystics, blest by the Lord with the radiant joy of intuitive experience of this kind. r Vednta Deika has thrown additional light, namely, the Conch, with its configuration of Pranava, symbolizes that mantra while the Discus symbolizes mind. The two, viewed in juxtaposition, denote the Mantra and the Mind, meditating on the former. Nlvarai pl meyyanr: The Lords body resembles an outstretched emerald mountain, ready to crush down and pulverize our mountainous sins. Ani Aranganr: r Vednta Desikas comments are, as follows: The Lords auspicious traits of amazing magnitude, dearest to the hearts of the devout, are very much in evidence in the ornamental setting here, the Lords bedstead beneath the golden dome (ri Rangavimnam), beaming forth the Lords astounding simplicity. Yes, these attributes are far more manifest here than in His Transcendental Abode (ri Vaikuntha) and Milk ocean (the seat of His creative activities) so as to make it appear that the heavenly abode, down below, in rrangam is the common link, constituting, as it were, a single (monolithic) ornament ekbharanam. Lord Rangantha adorns such an ornament (it is not the ornament that adorns Him, who is infinitely charming, on His own), spanning both the spheres, namely, the Nitya vibhti (Eternal Land-Heaven) and the Lil vibhti (the sporting arena, embracing all the worlds, down below). Aravinanai micai mya Myanr: For the naked eyes, the Lord seems to be asleep on His sweet-smelling, cushiony Serpent-Couch. And yet, He looks very grand, a bewitching spectacle, deeply etched in the beholders mind, never to fade out of memory. See also Song twenty three of Tondaradippodi lvrs Tirumlai. This is in dire contrast to the slovenly state of disarray in which we, mortals, are noticed during sleep. But then, where is the question of the Lord, 19

characterized by pure, unalloyed Sattva, succumbing to sleep, the domain of Tamas. Well, He is in Yoga nidra, seemingly asleep but actually revolving in His mind ways and means of redeeming us all the highest form of selfactivisation of ones psychic energy. But, what if He is asleep ? dies, His serpent-bed, serving the Lord in multifarious ways, is ever-alert and the mere sight of him is enough to scare away the enemies of the devout, the diabolic ones with their anti-God posture. This is like the petty animals getting scared away by the tiger in the lair, even when asleep. Yes, it is thus the wondrous setting of the wondrous Lord (Myanr). Ceyyavy, aiy ! ennai cintai kavarntatv ! The lips are charming beyond description by dint of their tint and taste, red like lotus, sparkling like the coral reef and; tasty like the honey, shed by the lips in copious quantities. The lvrs mind was about to drink deep, both these, albeit like measuring the oceanic waters with a tiny measure which can hardly hold quarter liter. Even that, alas ! has become impossible, laments the lvr, in this song, as his measuring gadget, the mind, has been stolen away by the Lords bewitching coral lips. Song Eight: Preamble: Alas ! the Lords red-lipped mouth has whisked away my mind, thereby depriving me of the one and only means, hitherto employed by me for imbibing the exquisite charm of the Lords person, bit by bit, consistent, of course, with my all-too-meagre ability was the lvrs deep dejection due to the abrupt halt of the upward march of his mind to the intended destination, namely, the Lords majestic crown, the Lords lovely pair of eyes accosted him, as follows: Well, you found the lips displaying, just one color, namely, red, so charming as to lose your mind, in the bargain. How indeed will you fare if you look at this pair, displaying a riot of colors, red, black and white ? Yes, the voluntary projection of the Lords white eyeballs with red streaks stretching along, the black pupil with a seductive luster and the bluish iris, encircling it, thoroughly unsettled the lvr, sweeping him off his feet. Actually, this kind of self-projection by Lord Ranganths limbs, one by one, seems to have been the pattern, right from Song One (see also the notes under that song). The same pattern holds good for this song as well as the next. This aspect of self-projection by the limbs is now emphasized lest the reader should feel puzzled how the lvr sans his mind, could look above the Lords coral lips and envision the gleaming pair of eyes, throwing up a bewitching spectrum of colors and then proceed to behold the overall charm of the sapphire complexion of the Lords body (see Song Nine). The position is, however, entirely different regarding the Tenth (concluding) Song, the lvr having got inside the Sanctum by then. Against this background, let us now delve into this song and enjoy its poetic embellishments, as well. Text: Pariyanki vanta avunan utal knta amararkku Ariya tipirn Arangattamalan mukattu Kariyavkip putai parantu milirntu cevvariyti nnda ap Periyavya kankal ennaipptaimai ceytanav ! ||8|| Translation: Those eyes, long and broad, red streaks running along Eyeballs white and pupils dark, on the face glistening Of our Benefactor, first and foremost, unto celestials rare, The Lord immaculate at Arangam, who the bowels tore Of the burly demon, come to bully Prahld, his young son, Have by their charm exquisite overwhelmed me, on their own || Notes: Pariyanki vantu avunan utal knda(van): This refers to Lord Narasimha slaying the demoniac Hiranya, the fat bully. He was a veritable mountain of flesh, a stupendous mass of fleshy (corporal) ignorance (tamas), gathered from all the worlds, as r Vednta Deika puts it. Yes, the demon had been fattened awfully by boons of all sorts, secured from the celestials, a grand feast indeed for Lord Narasimhas robust, claw-like nails, of unimaginable strength. Pointing to a column of pillar, in front, the irate father threateningly questioned his son, Prahlda, whether that Hari, on the latters 20

lips, all the time, was right there or not. The little one, a staunch, unflinching devotee of Lord Hari (Visnu Bhagavn), affirmed without the slightest tinge of diffidence or hesitation; Sire ! Hari is everywhere, inside the animate beings like You and I as well as the inanimate things like this pillar. As if to prove the youngster wrong, the demon slapped the pillar, with frenzied fury. And lo ! there and then Lord Hari, in the exotic form of Man-Lion, stepped out of the rippedopen pillar, a fully-grown adult (more than a match for that fat ram, Hiranya), ready for instant combat, His face blazing with fury (righteous indignation), His tongue drooping down the lip, His looks, fierce and piercing, clenched fist, ready to land devastating punches on its target and ominous peals of laughter, terrific and terrifying. The strange Visitor took the formidable opponent (by now, mentally roasted like a pig) by that very hand, which slapped the pillar, led him on to the threshold of the palace and tore open his bowels with His formidable nails like the dry fiber of the plantain truck and finished him off. Yes, He eliminated him physically as souls vest in Him and the one inside the physical frame of the opponent would get lost to Him altogether, if allowed to remain in that foul frame any longer. But all these pale into insignificance before the achievement of the immaculate Lord at Arangam. Lord Narasimha responded to the prayer of just one devotee and put in His apperance between the two vertical halves of a pillar. But Lord Rangantha came down here from His transcendental abode, on His own, took His abode between two rivers, making Himself visible to our naked (fleshy) eyes in the Sanctum between two pillars (Manttn-moda sthamba) and retrieving numberless devotees through His indescribable beauty, an irresistible charm of unlimited dimensions, unasked, unsolicited (not prayed for, as Prahlda did). Therefore it is, Pn Peruml has referred to Him, in this song, as Arangattamalan, the immaculate Lord, possessed of purity of the highest order. (See also notes under Song One where the different facets of the Lords purity, par excellence, have been analysed). It may be recalled that, in the context of Vibhishanas admission into Lord Rmas camp, He solemnly affirmed that He would not give up the supplicant, at the doorstep on any account, whatever be the arguments, for or against admission. Even so, the immaculate Lord at Arangam would not give us up, not withstanding the host of infirmities, bedevilling us. It is also noteworthy that even while reposing on His serpent-bed at Arangam, He is facing the southerly direction, casting His sweet glances on Vibhsana. Kariyavki pudai parantu milirntu cevvariyti: The beautiful setting of the Lords eyes is projected in this line. Yes, He is Purdarikksa the one with eyes, resembling lotus, ever fresh and in full bloom. The colour of the eyeballs is white. The red streaks, running along the surface signify (i) the Mahpurusa laksana, the vestiges of the Great One, the Soverign Master of the Universe, (ii) He is the spouse of Goddess Laksmi whose red complexion gets imprinted in His grazing eyes (see IX-4 of Tiruvymoli) and (iii) His inordinate love for the devout turning His eyes red (blood-shot) with delight (see VIII-8 of Tiruvymoli which opens with a description of the Lords exquisite charm, getting enhanced manifold on His mingling with Nammlvr). The pupils are black and lustrous, glistening, all the more, against the backdrop of the white eyeballs, interspersed with red streaks. So charming and graceful the eyes are that they seem to vie with the Lords exuberance to redeem His devotees, the eyes themselves wanting to shed all that benevolence. As a matter of fact, ones benevolence as well as its opposite number, namely, wrathful displeasure gets reflected in ones eyes. Nnda: As r Parara Bhattar, noted for his unique presentation, would put it, the Lords eyes embarked on a grand project, namely, enlarging themselves so as to occupy His entire body and thereby exhibit His innate Grace in superabundance. But then, they got halted by the intrusion of the ear-lobes on either side and the two extremities of the nose-bridge a grand piece of poetic imagery indeed ! Yes, the Lords eyes are not merely long but also big (periyavya), too broad to admit of even the most ardent devotee enjoying their grandeur, in full, or they are big, with a vengeance, so as to attract even the hard-hearted me (lvr) and unsettle him, in this manner. Further, it is a twin operation, the dart from both the eyes aiming at the same target (lvr) and destabilizing him completely. See also loka nine of Saint Kulaekharas Mukundaml (Kntimannetramine whose dazzling eyes are like the flashy fishes). Apperiyavya kankal, in this song, seems to follow the pattern of Appncacanniyam in the opening song of Periylvrs Tiruppallntu. The eyes as well as the Conch, right in front, should have been referred to as Ipperiyavya and Ippncacannyam, respectively. But they were referred to, as things, far off, because the lvr, in each case, turned the face in the opposite direction lest he should cast an evil eye on the glorious setting of white, red and black in the former case and white, red and blue (white Conch, red palm and the bluish back of the palm, gripping the Conch), in the latter. 21

Song Nine: Preamble: [The destruction, wrought by the conventional arms, deployed, one by one or piecemeal, is very much limited, as compared with the wholesale destruction of an entire region, wrought by a single nuclear bomb]. Hitherto, the Lord pressed into service the missiles, one by one, in the shape of His limbs, but now, He throws His entire weight, the sum-total of the several regiments (members of the body, with the characteristic ornaments, worn by each) by exhibiting His enthralling Form, as a whole. The bewildered Pn Peruml exclaims, in this song, that, alas ! he has lost now his earlier composure, swept off his feet by Lord Ranganthas flooding beauty. The overall charm of His enchanting person and dazzle of His bluish complexion, of incomparable excellence. Text: lammarattinilaiml oru plakany Jnlamlumundn Arangattaravinanaiyn Kolammaniyramum muttuttmamum mutivilladr elil Nlamni aiy ! nirai kontatuennencinaiye ! ||9|| Translation: The endless charm of the peerless chains with sparking pearls and rubies set And the bluish tint, in glorious blend, of my Lord on serpent-bed At Arangam, who did once the worlds seven mouth and rest As Babe unique on a tender leaf of the banyan tree vast, Has the poor me thrown into awful disarray, distraught ! Notes: lammarattin ilai mel oru plakany jnlam lum undn: Wonderful and unimaginable it was. What ? A tender babe [in comparison with whom Yaodhas babe (Krsna) could be deemed a mature elder] devoured the worlds, one and all, with all their enormous contents, and rested on an equally tender leaf, plucked from a huge banyan tree, for millions of years (the entire duration of mahpralaya the great Deluge). The whopping stuff, gulped down by the unique Babe, however, occupied just a corner of the Babes belly ! Had they all got jumbled, huddled together ? No, far from it. Layer by layer, they remained, in tact, their contours and configuration were not disturbed, in the least so the texts say. One might question whether anyone has seen such a Babe and peeped inside the belly, so as to vouchsafe the veracity of seemingly hyperbolical statements, as above. A pertinent question indeed ! Well, sage Mrkandeya did, according to his own admission in rmad Bhgavatam and Mahbhrata, of unquestionable veracity, personally verify and testify. In the Aranyaparva of Mahbhrata, Sage Mrkandeya narrated to Yudhistira the marvelous deeds of (breath-taking exploits) of Lord Vishnu, when he beheld Him reclining, as a tender Babe, on a tender leaf of the banayan tree over the huge expanse of the furious waters of the Deluge. He said, O King ! I was awe-struck when I saw all the worlds in that infantile bowel of the Lord. With His special permission to this solitary observer, long after, I was inside His body, looking around for a hundred years and still I could not see the farthest limit of the bowels, at any time. Baffled that I was, I could not but exclaim, Ha ! where and how does this infant lie ! Arangattaravinanaiyn: Why beat about the bush ? The Lord, now reclining on the serpent-couch at rrangam, is the same as the One, who secreted, inside His bowels, all the worlds with all their things and beings, thereby protecting them all from the fury of the swirling waters of the Deluge, out to devour them. In earlier songs, Lord Rangantha was similarly identified with Lord Trivikrama, Rma, Krsna and Narasimha. When the Lord lay on a small piece of leaf on the watery expanse, there was none around to worry about His personal safety, whether such a tiny bed, with little or no space to roll about, was not fraught with the risk of His falling down and getting drowned in the deep waters, the more so, because of the heavy load inside His belly. But the milieu 22

here is entirely different. He is resting on the spacious, cushiony bed, the silken-soft bosom of diesa (Ananta) who also zealously guards Him against any possible danger. Of course, the Lord is potent enough to take care of Himself, unaided. And yet, it is diesas inordinate devotion which makes him apprehensive of the Lords personal safety, as did Perlvr and other lvr saints of the same ilk. Klammani ramum muttu tmamum mutivillatr elil nlamni: Elegant rows of necklaces of infinite charm, inset with priceless gems of exceptional radiance like Koustubha and sparkling pearls, keeping the Lords cloud-hued person, cool and refreshing are referred to here. Aiyo nirai kontata ennencinaiy: This points to the loss of the lvrs erstwhile stability and composure, in toto. Those traits had sustained him and made him feel elated and elevated while imbibing the exquisite charm of the limbs of the Lord, step by step. But now, by exhibiting the overall charm of His cloud-hued person, full and flooding, wellbedecked, the Lord has unsettled the lvr to such an extent as to make him apprehensive of the safety of One, so charmimg and alluring besides pining for ocular perception as well, unable to brook separation from Him, any longer. Song Ten: Preamble: And now is the grand finale, grand in every way, as indicated below: The aloofness observed by his kinsmen, in terms of their low birth, deterred Pn Peruml from treading and defiling the holy precincts of rrangam, holiest of the holy see. Even so, he stood daily on the southern bank of river Kveri, harp in hand, facing the direction of the holy Shrine at rrangam. He got lost in rapturous laudation of Lord Rangantha, with a mind, wholly riveted in Him - sight for gods ! The lord, as the unfailing Cognisor, took note of the lvrs unique stance, in dire contrast to the ways of the worldlings around, hankering after worldly pleasures, putting Him far away. Therefore, He felt greatly attracted to him. The Lord enabled him to come down to rrangam and that too, right inside the Sanctum, mounted on the shoulders of a high caste Brahmin, an extraordinary gesture ! What more ? He was also granted, en route, the vision of His charming person, feet upwards, on a par with direct perception Darana samna skstkra. The Lord, who ought to be beheld and worshipped by everyone, donning a body (drstavyah sarva dehibhih), was also agog to bestow this bliss upon a devotee of such a high order. c.f. Ymunacryas Stotra Ratna-56 Ksanepi te yadviraho atidussahah Seperation from you, O, Lord ! even for a split second, of those who devoutly aspire to have, at least once, a glimpse of Your Supernal Form (Divya Mangala Vigrah), is unbearable to you. From the lvrs songs, as above, Lord Rangantha also noted, with immense pleasure, that he saw in Him the aggregate of His other hypostatic forms, Para, Vyha and Vibhava as well as his Iconic manifestations elsewhere, a fact, which the lvr has given expression to, in this concluding song, as well en Aranganaik kanta kankal marronrinaikknv. Little wonder then, He has now drawn Pn Peruml, right inside His very person, not merely His proximity ! Here then is the meeting ground of mutual longing, the spiritual consummation of the individual Soul (Jvtm) and the Super-Soul (Paramtm). That the saint is no more a part of this mundane world is explicit from this song, as he has asserted that his eyes shall not behold anyone else, anymore, having seen Him who alone matters. That he has no name or roots anywhere in the mundane soil and has, in short, lost all sense of belonging here, is also patent from the fact that he has not mentioned, in this concluding song, his name and nativity (native place). One can however notice the other lvrs, with the exception of the first four and this lvr, invariably incorporating their name, native place, rulership (if any), special attainments, the benefits accruing to chanters etc., (which however has to be appreciated in proper light). Even so, it can, in a way, be construed that the fruits of chanting this hymnal have been indicated in the concluding song. The highest fruit is a close rapport with the Lord in heaven drinking in the perennial beauty of the Lord, that fountain source of eternal bliss, flowing incessantly, a marvelous communication, baffling description Sad payanta srayah Visnu Sktam. The same bliss can as well be enjoyed in the holy Shrine of Lord Rangantha, as demonstrated by Pn Peruml in this hymnal, short and (perennially) sweet. Text: Kontal vannanaik kvalany vennai Untavyan ennullam kavarntnai Antarkn Aniyarangan ennamutinaik Kanta kankal marronrinaikknv. ||10|| 23

Translation: None else shall the eyes look at, having Him beheld, The Cloud-hued, who, is sheperd born, mouthfuls of butter gulped, Sovereign Lord of Universe with ornate Arangam as His abode, My nectar-nonsatiate, who my sweetened mind has grabbed. Notes: kontal vannan: What ! He, whom the Vedik taxts proclaim as one beyond the range of naked vision (fleshy eyes), is now right in front of the lvr ! (na mmsa caksurapi vksate Rigveda, nacaksus payate kaca nainam Yajur Veda). It is this felicity galore bestowed, suo moto, by Lord Rangantha on Pn Peruml that enabled him to describe His complexion of exquisite charm, at first hand. The Lords complexion is suggestive of the rain-laden cloud, the very sight of which will render the beholder, cool and refreshed, shorn of all his/her erstwhile drab, dreariness. The transparence of this kind of cloud reveals the Lords innate traits.[complexion also means character, nature (svabhvana)] c.f. Mukil vannan adiyai adintu arulcdi uyntavan- Tiruvymoli VII-2-11 the one (referring to himself) who got redeemed through the attainment of the feet of the cloud hued Lord. It deserves to be noted, in this context, that the rain-cloud unleashes rains all over, without discrimination of the mobile and the stationary, caste, colour or creed, nourishing them all. Kvalany vennai unda vyan: By taking birth among the shepherds the dimwits (as r ndal puts it in Song Twenty Eight of Tiruppvai), the Lord has gone a step ahead of the rain-clouds. The clouds just rain and drift away. But the cloud-hued Lord comes down and mingles freely with all and sundries, high and low, in hall and hamlet. Himself, behaving as one among the shepherds, He, nevertheless, revealed to the simple folks His splendour galore besides eating mouthfuls of their butter with great relish as that produced by His devotees (rta karasparam). It has been pointed out by lvr Saints like ndl that, even in His iconic manifestation as Lord Rangantha, His mouth smacks of the smell of the butter of by-gone days (Kununku nrram). Yes, the simple folks of Nada Vraja, Nanda, the chieftain and all the rest devoutly wished and prayed that the Supreme Lord be born in their midst to partake of their wealth of milk, butter and curds in that pastoral settlement. The Lord with His wonted magnanimity and transparence of conduct, readily responded and ate all that milk-produce with great relish, even gulping them down greedily like one famished ! Ennullam Kavarntn: Well, even as He grabbed butter in those by-gone days, as Krsna, (as Lord Rangantha) has now grabbed unawares, Pn Perumls mind a deft theft, leaving no trace of it behind, that is, the lvrs body was very much there (at this stage only and not afterwards) sans the content (soul), stolen away by the Lord, unknown to him, in the first instance. Was not that ace thief, Krsna, in the habit of leaving the bare pot behind but not a bit at all that butter, kept in it ? The lvr revolves in his mind, well even Arjuna, possessed of Daiv sampath (divine wealth), confessed to Lord Krsna, in the course of the latters Gtopadea, that it was impossible to fix his vacillating mind on the tman for an appreciable time. He also made it clear that it was a task, just as impossible as impounding air in a pot or turning the direction of a whirlwind with a tiny, hand-worked fan, made of palmleaf (Gita VI-34). How much worse is my mind and yet, how amazing, it has become the object of the Lords attraction and been seized by Him ! I cannot call it mine anymore. In fact, the Lord has been pleased to eradicate, root and branch, the I-ness and Mine-ness, which were plaguing me hitherto. Andarkon: The sovereign Master of the whole Universe and the Sole Ordainer of one and all, from the four-faced Brahm downwards. Ani Arangam: And yet, fully bedecked, He has taken His abode in Arangam, with its ornamental setting, making Himself Visible to one and all here, including this mean fellow ! En Amutinai: Even the celestials got Amrt churned from the Milk-ocean with stupendous effort whereas I have got it without any effort on my part. What more ? The ambrosia, I am tasting now, is far superior and sustaining than the one, churned from the oceanic waters and dished out to the celestials. This recipient also vastly differs from the self24

centered celestials. Pity ! their attention was wholly on oceanic waters, without so much as casting a single glance at the exquisite charm of the Lord, who gave them a helping hand in that epoch making churning (apart from the various other forms in which He played His part, in that episode), His garlands dancing along, as He churned. That grand spectacle was sorely missed by the extremely selfish celestials but envisioned and enjoyed, long after, by the lvr saints. Yes, Pn Peruml and his confreres, the lvr saints, looked upon the Lord as the sole object of their love, wanting none but Him. The celestials, on the other hand, drank that stuff, the so-called Amrt, got from the ocean, only to lengthen their life-spans and roll in luxuries, back home. The lvr saints would however want to drink in, all the time, that non-satiate Nectar, the immediate presence of the Lord, not brooking separation from Him, even for a trice. And so was He, Who shall never lag behind His devotees in rewarding them, duly responding to their deep, inner urges. Kanta kankal marronrinai knv: Here is marked departure from Pnars earlier stance. It could be noticed from the earlier songs of his, that he referred to enkanninul (in my eyes), en nencam (my mind), en cintanai (my thought) and so on. But now, instead of saying en kankal (my eyes), he refers to his eyes in the third person as kanta kankal the eyes, which feasted on the (immediate) nectarean presence of Ani Arangan. This is a distinct pointer to the dawn, in him, of Tattva Jnna and the resultant detachement from the self and the material things around, in their totality. Even the little bit of I-ness and Mine-ness that was lingering in him, has now left him for good, the immediate result of his realization of his essential nature (svasvarpa) and ones inter-relationship with God (supreme Lord). Well, this could be looked at from yet another angle. Even if he used My and Mine, in the present context, the lvr cannot be faulted, as the current obsession is on an entirely different footing from what obtained earlier. Formerly, the enjoyment was of the mundane variety, rooted in the senses, their interaction with relative sense-objects. The objects of enjoyment, in the present milieu, is however, the special gift of the Lord, with a divine aura, elevating the lvr to a different plane altogether, if, as a result, he feels elated and gives expression to it, it is but a case of legitimate pride, delectable, all the way and, by no means, despicable. c.f. Nammlvrs utterances in Tiruvymoli VI-4, enakku evvulakam nikar ?, enakkr ini nyakar !, chuckling with pride over his new-found status as the Lords hot favorite. Reverting to this particular song, the lvrs detachment from the self having risen to its full stature, he has lost his body-consciousness. There is, therefore, no question of his beholding anyone (anything) else, anywhere, anymore. The self in him remains completely dissolved in the nectarean charm of the bejeweled Lord in His immediate presence. Yes, the lvr is not interested in anything else, not even the Lords hypostatic forms (Para, Vyha, Vibhava) nor the other pilgrim centers. Need it then be specifically mentioned that he is not all interested in those who hanker after worldly riches and those who strive hard for the sole enjoyment of the self (Jvtma), liberated from material bondage (the kevalas), not looking beyond and thus foregoing the far more exhilarating Paramtmnubhava (God-enjoyment). This is precisely what Hanumn said to Lord Rma when he was invited by the latter to accompany Him to heaven. Hanumn said that he would not like to go anywhere else, nanyatra, including heaven where he would not be able to behold his exclusive Master (Rma) in the same form, as before, nor have the pleasure of listening to the recital of Rmayana as often as he could, over here. Further, he would not like to discard the body which enjoyed the great, good fortune of getting locked in Lord Rmaa sweet embrace. He would not even mention the name of the place (heaven) to which he was invited; his statement Bhvo nnyatra gacchati (I shall not go anywhere else) sums up his feelings in this regard. At the same time, he asserted that his mind was well poised in steadfast devotion to Rma, the Price-valiant. Incidentally, it deserves to be noted that Rma fought Rvana mounted on Hanumn. Even as Hanumn enjoyed his role as Lord Rmas chariot, it has been pointed out by our charyas that Lokasaranga thoroughly enjoyed his role as Pn Perumls mount, duly realizing the latters pre-eminent stature. In the present case, on what pretext can Pn Peruml get away from, or lift his eyes off Lord Rangantha ? Should it be because He lacks generosity or His personality is not that attractive (absorbing) or He is stuffed with superiority complex, devoid of grace and loving condescension or He does not have a commanding stature or He is not-by-anymeans delectable ? No, he lacks none of these. On the other hand, He has each in super-abundant measure. c.f. Tiruvymoli I-7-4 where Nammlvr exclaims: O, what pretext can I find from Him to part, 25

The first Lord of Celestials, ever alert, A beautiful bundle of brilliance, heaping on me continually torrents of knowledge and wisdom, who brought me around and rooted out the ignorance in me lodged firmly ? [Extracted from my English glossary] Well, take the case of the babe whose only source of happiness, for the present, is the mothers breast-milk (her breast corresponding to the Lords feet, our Sole Refuge). If anyone tried to snatch the baby away from the mothers breast, the delectable feeder, the little one, lacking any other form of expression, will at once squeak, signaling its dislike for anything else. The Commentator likens the lvrs present predicament to that of such a babe. r Vednta Deikas commentary, Munivhana bhogam, has been included by him among his Rahasya granthas (esoteric texts meant only for the initiated, rather the inner circle of adherents to his teachings, as distinguished from the exoteric ones, intelligible even to outsiders, not admitted to the esoteric teachings.) This particular commentary has been numbered as the twentyeighth in esoteric series. It is couched in terse highly sanskritised dialect, intelligible only to a limited coterie with the requisite background. An attempt has, therefore been made, in the present treatise, to cull out from the said learned commentary a good bit of juicy notes, here and there, and present them in an easily assimilable form. r Vednta Deika has also added, at the end, two Tamil stanzas, composed by him. Easy to follow, the learned Commentator has presented Pn Peruml in these songs, in true light, the correct perspective. Put briefly, he has acknowledged, in these verses as follows: Pnan is the one who discovered in Arangam the ocean of Grace, proclaimed by the Vedik texts; his hymnal is the germ whose offshoot is the elaborate preaching of the Brahmins, well versed in Vedas. Let me proclaim to the world that the ten songs, graciously bequeathed to us by Pn Peruml, epitomize the teachings of the hoary Vedas. We shall not claim to be august and all-knowing but always shall be on the look-out for those who can guide us to the right path and studiously avoid the wrong one.

Blessed be the holy feet of Pn Peruml (Munivhanar) Blessed be the holy feet of Periyavccn Pillai (Vykyna Cakravarti) Blessed be the holy feet of Alagiya Manavlap Peruml Nyanr (the illustrious author of crya Hrdayam) Blessed be the holy feet of r Vednta Deika (Kavitrkika Simham)

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AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

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SERVE OUR TEMPLES ( ANCIENT VAISHNAVA SHRINES - DIVYA DESAMS)

Maintaining an ancient temple is better than building a hundred new ones. That is the reason why Yashoda who brought up Sri Krishna, attained greater eminence compared to Devaki who gave birth to Him. When the temple is a Divyadesam, the service is all the more significant.

Serve our Temples is an intiative to help our temples by restoring basic services, food, shelter, education, financial independence Dream a little. Do a little "What we can do, we must" - As He allows us to use His resources for Him via devotees like us. Back home in India, there are so many temples deprived of their basic needs and services, primarily due to lack of funds. With galloping prices, temple assets stripped, no government support, the temples have never found it as difficult to sustain as they have now. Most of the temples are deprived of basic necessities for the unhindered performance of minimum daily prayers. 1. One priest to offer prayers and keep the premises clean and open for devotees (Rs: 2500 per month) 2. Food (Prasadam), Oil, Flowers (Rs 2500 per month) With just $100 per month (Rs 5000 per month) we have a divine opportunity to preserve a temple. It is the solemn duty to preserve the temple not only for current day devotees to have a divine Darshan but also for our future generations. From the U.S, far away from India, yet you can still make a difference. Allow His Grace to flow, and spend His money for His causes. Vedics Foundation volunteers to serve as a bridge between those willing devotees who have resources and the temples in need. Vedics has already reached out to a few temples. Please visit www.vedics.net/projects vedics@yahoogroups.com
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Many of our purvacaharyas books are on the verge of being lost forever. Many more vyakhyana books as preserved in 1700s are already extinct. We have to preserve the existing books, especially books on Mulam (sources) and their explanations (vyakhyanams). Mulam preservation: The 4000 Dhivya prabhandam. Every year we see changes being introduced into the 4000 sacred verses. We have to print the originals as preserved in 1800s. This needs to be distributed as is in the original form and also be translated in to other languages. Once the originals are preserved, their vyakhyanams should be preserved. Periya Vacchan Pillai has given us the vyakhyanams for the 4000. Our Acharya lineage has expounded on this and given us vyakhyanmas in varying depth. All this needs to be made available to the public. Vedic_Books has started work in this progress. Please join this service. We have started this work with intial focus on Sri PB Annangarachar Swami. Swami preserved hundreds of ancient works and tried to print as many of them in 1930s. Most of his books are not available anymore. The orginals that he preserved for future generations are about to be lost forever.We need your time and your charitibale contributions towards this effort. Vedic_Books has started services in this area. Please join this service. E-mail: vedic_books@yahoogroups.com Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

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Sri:

Basic Tenets of VEDICS: www.vedics.net

FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD Pray with sincerity, humility and gratitude for atleast 15 minutes a day. RESTRICT FOOD CONSUMPTION Eat anything only after offering it to God. MEDITATION Meditate on the LORD, atleast thrice a day, a minimum of 3 minutes each time. Chant Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam (the 1000 Holy Names of Lord Vishnu) once a day. RESPECT FOR ALL THAT IS HIS Strive to lead a life in which you will never hurt a fellow living being for any reason. MONEY Earn to live, educate, support and serve and not for the sake of pursuing materialistic desires. CHARITY Donate however little it may be to noble causes. Feeding the needy is the highest form of charity. CONTENTMENT Be happy and content that you are His property. Thank your preceptors at least once a day for blessing you with this awareness. ABSOLUTE FAITH Place complete trust in the supreme LORD. Do not go against His way. SELF CONTROL Strive to live a life free from selfish desires and anger.

Always adorn a peaceful smile; it will work on others and on you too Always keep dwayam in your heart.
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