Sarva Dharman: all varieties of religion
Parityajya; Abondoning
Mam: unto me
Ekam; only
Saranam: surrender
Vraja: go
Aham: I
Tvam: you
Sarva: all
Papebhyah; from sinful reactions
Maksayisyami: deliver
Ma; not
Sucah; worry.
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
Birth as Human being has only one purpose “GOD REALISATION” there is no other reason. This has been cited again and again by all our alwars. They have given us the path the way and the express method.Poigai alwar in his verses which fall under Mudhal Thiruvandhadhi, starts saying, the world is a lamp, the surrounding oceans the butter oil, and the blazing sun its wick, he dedicates his verses to the Lords feet saying the Lord sporting the sudarshana is there to protect us. The Alwars were able to visualize the great canvas of the gods Maya. They again and again in their outpourings relate how they have experienced the magical moment.
Poigai alwar says.
“What of me? A long time ago siva of the blue neck so turned by consuming venom, and overcoming the insurmountable pull of the five organs of Knowledge, instructed the four sages on the right path under the banyan tree, Yet he barely knew thee, that are both the Means and the End of all existence oh Lord.
This pasuram refers to the episode of siva in the role of Sri Dakshinamurthi, instructing the sages Agastya, Daksha, Pulastya and Kashyapa, on the various aspects of dharma. Shiva had himself attained enlightenment by meditating on Sriman Narayana under the same banyan tree as the one under which he instructed the sages. The alwars message in this pasuram is that since Narayana is both the upaya and the upeyam. It is not possible to realize Him without His Grace. He is the sustainer and soul of all beings.
In the first ten pasurams the alwar spoke of his deep love for the Lord in his various avtaras.
In the 11th pasuram he says
My tongue will not sing the praise of anyone but Him. Nor my hands will worship any one but the mighty one, who measured the worlds with his feet. My eyes will not set sight on any form nor ears hear of any name except my Lord who drank the venom of the demonesses breast as if it was nectar. Thus he shows the way of single pointed involvement of even the sense organs in the adorationof the lord.
The Alwar also says the five instruments of cognition, the body, mouth,eyes,nose and the ears, indestructible spiritual wisdom. The spiritual knowledge rooted in devotion qualities like non attachment and wisdom that help foster that devotion, all these are looked upon as the means for attaining liberation.
Kalidasa in Kumara Sambhava says the body is the first instrument of dharma. Sri ramanuja in sri Bhasyam says constant rememberence which is like a flow of oil is meditation.
The Upanishad states of Karma nushtanam i.e., observance of obligatory practices. Those who have realized the Brahman desire to seek the Parmathman through recitation of Vedas, renunciation, charity and contemplation.
Now that we know the purpose and ultimate goal, also that reaching the goal is by the grace of the Lord. We have to practice sadhana Bhakthi as the only means.
1. Discriminating life discipline.
2. Non attachment.
3. Conscious cultivation of interest in Bhagvad Vishayam.
4. Persuit of daily obligatory karmas to the extent possible.
5. Development of qualities like truthfulness, integrity, compassion, charity, non violence and self contentment.
6. Equanimity of mind.
The alwar says while you have all the faculties in tact pray to the consort of lakshmi. It is good when the mortal frame is in shape that you worship him daily with a garland of beautiful flowers or sacrifice or perform daily obligatory karma prayers or singing of his praise.
He tells himself. Oh. My sea like deep heart I implore you. Even if you succeed in overcoming age and disease and get to live through the aeons and rule the worlds, never never let go of your love for the lord who wields the golden sudarshana.
In another pasuram he says when my mind wanders it will only wander round their feet. When I sing every day I shall sing only thy praise. If I think of wearing any thing on my head. I shall only like to wear the golden feet of the lord who holds the golden sudarshana. He says the supreme being is forever with us. He resides forever in the hearts of those who remember Him. Know too that He that rests on the waves of the milk ocean and is present on the venkata hill is forever there in the inner recesses of your being.
What makes these alwars different from the saints and sages is that for the first time we find lovers of god establishing a human relationship with God. – be it a relationship of a servant to a master or a friend to friend or a mother to her child or of a lover to his beloved. Though the Lord was transcendent and beyond all comprehension, yet he was also the Lord who resided in the near by temple, again he was the mystic God. The God of their folklore who was far away in time and space. He was also the Lord of their hearts whom they longed to see and experience outside of themselves. More than anything else however, he was their own child, or their playmate or their beloved.
Prema was their only philosophy. Pure estatic love of God. Love for its own sake that all. They were not philosophers. They were men and women from all classes and walks of life. But they had one thing in common. God was their all in all. Their lives revolved around their god and with every action thought and deed.
Poigai alwar, Pudatt aand Pey alwar are said to have been born on three consecutive days in the sixth century. All of them shunned society and wandered alone from one holy place to another . little is known about their lives except for one incident where all of them came to the same place at the same time in the course of their wanderings during a ranging storm. As they waited for the rain to stop and their only interest was god, naturally their conversation had but one topic the lord and his qualities. The three of them went on conversing when suddenly they felt a fourth person amongst them. Poygai alwar then sang; the solid Land the lamp its girdling liquid main the oil and Light the shining sun. when I can discover the stealing stranger amongst them.
Pudatt alwar sang with love as the lamp bowl desire as its oil, with the mind melting in bliss as its wick I have kindled the lamp knowledge its light for Narayana.
Pey alwar sang (O mercy ) I see her (meaning Lakshmi) and his form of Gold I see. And their sun effulgent hues blending I see indeed. Proud daring discuss I see and I see the friendly Conch. All this I see on this blessed day. The Ocean hued was seen indeed by the three alwars in their divine intoxication spontaneously sang a 100 songs each. These are called Tiruvantathi I , II, & III. They form verses where the final word of one stanza is the beginning word of the next stanza.
For the early alwars, Krishna’s mythological appearances and his activities during them are full of wonder, they transcend logical comprehension, cause amazement and are awe struck. Frequently they address Krishna and ask him what it all means. Some times they also show a clear understanding like when they say. What is subtle Knowledge? Close the door of the senses and apply on them the locks of discrimination. Then study the revelatory works repeatedly and try to understand their meaning. Gradually the ocean hued Lord will reveal himself.
Attaining the Lord: The Only Goal.
All the three alwars have declared him as the only ultimate goal. Sri Poygai alwar in the verse 76, of the 1st Thiruvanthadi says those who worship Him in the proper way as enjoined in the Vedas will surely attain Him. He goes further to say the thiruvengadam hill on which he stands alone is itself capable of leading to him. Sri Phuttat alwar in verse 65 of the 2nd thivanthadhi says that through thought word and deed he is for ever worshiping the Lord who he is determined to attain and serve. Sri Pey alwar urges his mind to keep a its goal the pair of feet of the Lord who creates and permeates the universe in its varied forms and who shines like a million sons. (verse 44 in the 3rd thiruvanthadi.) He assures this will surely fetch liberation.
The Lord is both the Means and the End.
He is the goal as well as the means. This fact is stressed by all the alwars.
Sri Poygai alwar (V 75) says that when one thinks about him all obstacles will disappear. The Karma which bind one to this world of repeated births will loosen their hold and disappear. One who meditates on him will never suffer by of the six changes which the body undergoes (birth, existence,alteration,growth,dimination and destruction) The Lord will surely show the way.
Sri Phuttat alwar says the same in the verses 3 & 7 of the 2nd thiruvanthadi. He says those who offer frest flowers at the lords feet will reach parama padam the abode of the Lord.
Further he will rout the persons known and unknown enemies.
Sri Pey alwar says he who revels in destroying the enemies of his devotees who resides in the waveless milky ocean, who is ever in the company of his consort and who wears a garland of Tulsi is the only Panacea and he stays in his heart forever. (thiruvanthadi 3 verse 4.) he says the means, the goal and the bliss thereafter are His feet alone. [ marundum porulum amudamum)
Oneness of thinking.
Thus the three alwars have unequivocally declared the supremacy of the Lord, His constant association with Goddess Sri, and his immanence in the universe, besides declaring that He is the goal as well as the means of attaining that goal. They have together proclaimed the three cardinal principles of visistadvaita reality means and goal. Popularly known as Tattva, Hita and Purushartha. Ramanuja charya used the above three ideas in the Sri Bhasyam. Swami Desika paid homage to the three alwars in the prabandha sara in three verses, they unfold to the world the true nature of the Lord for the welfare of mankind. Thus the very first lamps to dispel the external and internal darkness were lit by the first three alwars who ushered in the golden age of Tamil Prabandhas. The Tiruvantadi reflect the three alwars known as “Mudal Alwars”, spontaneous outpourings of intense devotion and overpowering love for the Supreme.
Even today so many centuries later all this seems so true and practical. This is followed in all our temples and homes, the lord decorated so well and his postures so appealing when the Divya Prabandhams are recited is so satisfying, fulfilling and a sence of purpose of life is established. Not only do these prabandhams state what we should do to attain the goal, it also shows how god is ever willing to accept our surrender. He likes to listen to the bhaktas singing his praise and doing kainkaryams. Our one step towards him and the Lord takes ten steps to reach out to us. He more than assists us in our taking even the direction of our goal. We can imagine then what the alwars must have felt by the presence of the Lord in their midst.It truly makes one so jealous of the alwars who had the great opportunity of being one with the lord physically and mentally. May we atleast read of their experience and enjoy the description of the lord so lovingly rendered by them in the 300 most beautiful verses of the thiruvantadi
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