rahasyam2/8

Varththai 11
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11. pinjchAyp pazhuththEnO ANdALaip pOlE

Andal was born as the incarnation of Bhu Devi in the garden of Periyazhvar under a Tulasi plant. She was picked up Periyazhvar and was brought up in his household as his
own daughter. Not surprisingly, Periyazhvar's love for Sri Krishna also manifested in Andal and She developed great love for Sri Krishna even at a tender age. This love came
out as two great works which are part of the 4000 Divya Prabandhams – Thiruppavai and Nachchiyar Thirumozhi. Through both, She declared Her surrender to the Lord and that
She would not belong to any other. It is said that She wrote Thiruppavai at the age of five!

In his Upadesa Raththinamalai, Manavala Mamunigal states:
anju kudikkoru sandhadhiyAy AzhvArgal
tham seyalai vinji niRkum thanmaiyaLAy - pinjAyp
pazhuththALai ANdALai nALum paththiyudan
vazhuththAy manamE magizhndhu

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I show great love for Sri Krishna at a tender age like Andal did?"

Varththai 12
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12. emperumAn enREnO pattar pirAnaip pOlE

Pattar Piran is the name for Periyazhvar. Periyazhvar lived in Srivilliputtur where he maintained a flower garden and was making garlands for Vatapatrasayee every day. The
king of that area, Vallabha Deva arranged for a debate to determine the true Supreme Lord and announced that the winner would get a prize of gold coins ("kizhi"). The Lord
appeared in Periyazhvar's dream and told him to go to the king's court and determine that He is the supreme and win the prize. Accepting His word as command, Periyazhvar, who
had no formal education from a teacher, went to the court and proved with all pramANas that Sriman Narayana is the supreme being. Pleased by that, the king placed him on his
own elephant and took him around the city with praises. Sriman Narayana then appeared on Garuda with His consorts to see Periyazhvar. It is then that Periyazhvar sang the
magnificent Thiruppallandu pasuram.
In that pasuram, he said "ennAL emperumAn! undhanukku adiyOm enRu ezhuththuppatta annALE ..." - through that he showed His absolute supremacy and his natural servitude.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I learn my true nature and call out to Him as my Lord like Periyazhvar did?"

Varththai 13
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13. ArAyndhu vittEnO thirumazhisaiyAr pOlE

Thirumazhisai Azhvar was born to Bhargava maharishi and Kanakangi a divine samsel in the kshetram of Thirumazhisai. He was abandoned by his mother as soon as we was born and was picked up by a low caste person and was brought up as his own son.

Due to the grace of Lord Jagannatha of Thirumazhisai and being the son of a great rishi, he grew up with great knowledge of the sastras. He began to join and analyze various sampradhayams and eventually settled in Shaivism. At that time, Peyazhvar met him and through debate won him back into the Srivaishnava sampradhayam. He gained fame as a great devotee of the Lord and after much yatra settled in the divyadesam of Thirukkudandhai, from where he attained the Lord's divine feet. He describes his journey into various religions and eventually reaching Srivaishnavam in
his own words:


"sAkkiyam kaRROm samaN kaRROm sankaranAr
Akkkiya Agama nUl ArAyndhOm - bAkkiyaththAl
sengkatkariyAnaich sErndhOm yAm thIdhilamE
engkatkariyadhonRil"

In Nanmugan Thiruvandhadhi, he talks about how he examined various religions and concluded that Sriman Narayana is the supreme Lord.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I analyze other religions and gave them up as false like Thirumazhisaip Piran did?"

Varththai 14
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14. nAn (avan) siRiyan enREnO AzhvAraip pOlE

The word Azhvar refers to Swami Nammazhvar. In spite of being given the flawless knowledge ("mayaRvaRa madhinalam") by the Sriman Narayana Himself, in many of his pasurams he expresses his lowliness (naichyanusandhanam) to Him. In Thiruvaymozhi 3-3-4, he says "nIsanEn niRai onRumilEn". In Thiruvaymozhi 4-7-1, he says "sIlamillAchsiRiyan".


Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I understood my true nature and practice naichyanusandhanam like Azhvar did?"

In Periya Thiruvandhadhi 75, Azhvar says:

"puviyum iruvisumbum nin agaththa nI en
seviyin vazhi pugundhu ennuLLAy - avivinRi
yAn periyan nI periyai enbadhanai yAr aRivAr?
Un parugu nEmiyAy! uLLu"

In this pasuram, he shows the Lord to be the owner of everything - this world and paramapadham. He then expresses his amazement that this Lord is inside him. Being that, he asks the question, 'who knows if You are big or if I am big'. This is also broken a little differently.

It could also be said that Azhvar is saying 'yAn periyan'; 'nI periyai enbadhanai yAr aRivAr?' – that is, 'I am big, who knows if you are big?' The unsaid is that 'He is small'.

This is sAtvika ahankAram of Azhvar. He is amazed that One who swallowed everything has allowed Himself to be inside Azhvar for ever. This only shows His greatness. Because of this pasuram, Azhvar is called by the name 'periyan' in Azhvar Thirunagari. It is also said that this pasuram is the reason why this work is called Periya Thiruvandhadhi, even though it is made of only 87 pasurams, unlike other Andhadhis in the 4000 divya prabandham.

Thirukkolur Ammal may also be asking "Am I capable of speaking like Azhvar did?"

15. EdhEnum enREnO kulasEkarar pOlE

Kulasekhara Azhvar's pasurams are called Perumal Thirumozhi. In this work, he has sung a padhigam on Thiruvengadamudaiyan - "UnERu selvaththu" - Perumal Thirumozhi 4. In these pasurams, he expresses his desire to be born in any fashion on the divine mountain of Thirumalai. He asks that he be born as a bird, a fish, a tree, a pathway, a river, etc on the mountain. He also prays that he be born as the doorstep to the temple of the Lord - this is why the inner doorstep of divyadesa temples is called "Kulasekaran Padi". He
finally asks that he be born as anything on Thirumalai - "emperumAn ponmalai mEl EdhEnum AvEnE".

In this relation, Anandazhvan mentioned the following: "EdhEnum means Azhvar is ready to even lose his true nature of being subservient to the Lord and become the Lord
Himself, if it means that he could be on Thirumalai hills."
Bhattar said "EdhEnum means, let Azhvar not know who or what he is, let even the Lord not know who or what he is, let no one know or praise him - just let him be something on
Thirumalai".

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I wish to be always on Thirumalai like Kulasekhara Azhvar did?"

Varththai 16
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16. yAn sathyam enREnO krushNanaip pOlE

It is said by our Purvacharyas that the truth spoken by Sri Rama and the faleshoods uttered by Sri Krishna are our refuge. However, in this statement by Thirukkolur Ammal
it is shown that Sri Krishna too spoke only the truth. Just as Sri Rama was described as "rAmo vigrahavAn dharma:" so too Krishna can be described as "sanAtana dharma". In
his deathbed, when questioned by Yudishtra, Sri Bheeshma pointed to Sri Krishna as dharma personified.

Krishna's words uttered for the protection of His devotees, may appear like falsehoods but they are not. When He went as the messenger for the Pandavas, Draupadi asked that
He help her take her revenge on the Kauravas. At that time, Krishna stated that "The sky might fall down; the Earth may crumble; the Himalayas may break down into pieces; the
oceans may become dry; even if all these improbable things were to come true, my words will never be falsified".

Sanjaya too calls Krishna as truth personified.

When Uththarai's son was born lifeless like a black wooden piece, due to Ashvaththama's arrow, a voice was heard stating that if one who is a true brahmachari and a speaker of
nothing but truth were to touch the baby, he would gain life. When no one stepped forward, Krishna did. With the touch of His divine lotus feet, the kid came alive.

His words are always true. This is what is being established by Thirukkolur Ammal.

Varththai 17
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17. adaiyALam sonnEnO kabandhanaip pOlE

In the vamsa of Dhanu was born Kabandha as the son of the king Sri. He was disrespectful to a rishi called Stulasiras and was cursed by him to have a very large body.
Later he performed a severe penance toward Brahma and was blessed with a long life. He then went to war with Indra. Indra hit him with his Vajrayuda and pushed his thighs into his stomach and his head into his chest. Because he was blessed by Brahma with a long life, Indra could not kill him. Instead he gave Kabandha two long arms, a mouth with large canine teeth in his stomach and a single burning red eye.

Indra also told him that when Sri Rama and Lakshmana cut his arms off his curse would be lifted. Kabandha then lived in Krauncharanya forest. He stayed in one place and would catch anything that got within his arms reach and eat it.

After Ravana carried away Sita, Rama and Lakshmana came through Krauncharanya in search of Her. Kabandha caught them with his long hands and tried to eat them. When they cut off his hands, he realized that they were Rama and Lakshmana and asked that they burn his body. When they did that, he regained his original form.

He then told them the following: "Sugreeva who is the son of Surya, is currently living in the Rishyamukha mountain, after having been chased away by his brother Vali. He is one with good qualities and will help You in Your search for Sita. Accept his friendship and through his help You will gain back Piratti." He then told Rama and Lakshmana how to reach and identify Sugreeva and went to heaven.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I give any help to the Lord like Kabandha did?"

Varththai 18
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18. andharangam sonnEnO thrijadaiyaip pOlE

Trijada was a servant of Ravana and one of the rakshasis that he had ordered to guard Sita in the Asoka Vanam.
After Sita was kept under guard by Ravana for many months, not seeing Sri Rama
coming to rescue Her quickly, She becomes broken hearted. At that time, She is unable to handle the harsh words and demands of the rakshasis around Her. Seeing that, Trijada tells them of a dream that she had and chases them away. In that dream, she says, "I saw Ravana wearing a red dress and heading south while seated on a donkey. I also saw Rama wearing a white dress with white flowers and looking like Vishnu, fly in from the sky in a golden palanquin and carry Sita around on an elephant. Therefore, Rama will definitely defeat Ravana and take Sita away. If you all wish to survive, it is better to surrender to Sita and beg Her padron".
Later, during the war between Rama and Ravana, she brought news of the many victories of Rama's army to Sita.
When Indrajit made Rama and Lakshmana faint due to his nagastra, the rakshasas took Sita to the battelefied and claimed that they were dead. When Sita shed tears due to great sadness thinking them dead, Trijada consoled Her by saying "Do not fear. Rama and Lakshmana have only fainted. They cannot be killed by the arrows of these rakshasas".
Thus, Trijada helped Piratti in many ways.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Am I capable of giving the kind of help Trijada did by being a confidante and giving timely advice?"

Varththai 19
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19. avan dheyvam enREnO maNdOdhariyaip pOlE

Mandodhari was the wife of Ravana and his queen. She was the daughter of Maya, the architect of the devas. She was also a great pativrata. When Ravana captured Sita and
brought Her to Lanka, she advised Ravana that it was a great mistake to kidnap Her and that it would lead to great destruction. She also advised him to seek Rama's friendship.
Ravan did not listen to her and eventually went into war with Rama and Lakshmana.

At the end, he was defeated and killed by Rama. His many wives then came to the battlefield
and cried over his dead body.

At that time, Mandodhari said the following: "Rama is not just an ordinary human being. It is Sriman Narayana who carries the divine weapons of Shanka and Chakra that killed you. You did not listen to the good advise I gave you. The improper desire that you had for the great pativrata Sita is what caused this end. There is no doubt that Sri Vishnu came down as Rama and killed you".
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Am I capable of understanding avatara rahasya and talking about it like Mandodhari did?"

Varththai 20
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20. aham vEdhmi enREnO visvAmithraraip pOlE

One time the sage Vishvamitra came to king Dasaratha's court. The king received him with great honor and promised to fulfill his desire. The sage then asked Dasaratha to give
him Sri Rama so that He can defend the sage's yaga from the rakshasas who were disturbing it. The king replied that Rama was very young and would not be able to accomplish that task and that he could come himself instead.

Vishvamitra replied: "O King! I know Sri Rama. He is capable of defeating the rakshasas. Only those who do penance like myself and Vasishta truly know who He is. Understand that my words are nothing but the truth."

"aham vedmi mahAtmAnam rAmam satya parAkramam
vasishTopi mahAtejA ye cheme tapasistithA:"

Vasishta agreed with Vishvamitra and asked the king to send Rama and Lakshmana along with Vishvamitra. The king agreed and the two princes went with the sage and helped protect his yaga against the likes of Tataka and Maricha.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Am I capable of understanding the truth and speaking it like Vishvamitra did?"

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