Varththai 21
============
21. dhEvu maRRaRiyEn enREnO madhurakaviyaip pOlE
Madhurakavi Azhvar was born in the divyadesam of Thirukkolur near Azhvar Thirunagari. He was on a yatra to the North when he saw a divine light in the southern sky. Following it he reached Azhvar Thirunagari and found Swami Nammazhvar. He then tested him and realizing the greatness of Azhvar fell at his feet and became his disciple.
He then considered his acharya Nammazhvar as everything - mother, father, acharya and God - to him ("annaiyAy aththanAy"). He expressed that in his divine work Kanninun
Siruththambu - a work entirely dedicated to Nammazhvar.
In that work, occurs the following pasuram:
"nAvinAl naviRRu inbam eydhinEn
mEvinEn avan ponnadi meymmaiyE
dhEvu maRRaRiyEn kurugUr nambi
pAvin innisai pAdith thirivanE"
In this pasuram, Madhurakavi Azhvar states that he knows no God other than Nammazhvar ("dhEvu maRRu aRiyEn"). He not only is renouncing the things of this world, but he is rejecting the other world and even Him, in favor of his acharya. This is the status of Sri Shathrugna who ignored even Sri Rama and was devoted only to Sri Bharatha.
The philosophy of following one's acharya as everything, demonstrated by Srivaishnava Acharyas ("AchArya abhimAnamE uththAragam") arose from Madhurakavi Azhvar's
Acharya bhakti.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I demonstrate Acharya bhakti like Madhurakavi Azhvar did?
vaarththai :- 22
============
22. dheyvaththaip peRREnO dhEvakiyAr pOlE
During the time the Brahma's son Svayambhuvamanu ruled this earth, Sutapas and his wife Pruchni prayed to Narayana for a long time. When He appeared before them and asked what they wanted, they asked for a son like Him to be born to them.
He blessed them and He Himself was born to them as Pruchnigarba. When they were reborn as Kashyapa and Atiti, He came as their son Vamana. They were reborn for a third time as Vasudeva and Devaki. In that birth, Devaki was born as the younger sister of Kamsa.
After their wedding, a divine voice was heard announcing that their eighth son would kill Kamsa. So, Kamsa put them both in jail and began to kill their children one by one as they were born.
The eighth child was born inside the jail in the month of Avani in the star Rohini in Ashtami thithi at midnight. That child was Krishna. He told them how He was born to them three times.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I do severe penance and give birth to the Lord Himself like Devaki did?"
Varththai 23
===========
23. Azhi maRai enREnO vasudhEvaraip pOlE
When Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva, He came bearing His weapons such as Shanka and Chakra ("devakI pUrvasandhyAm AvirbhUtam mahAtmanA"). Devaki and Vasudeva prayed to Him to hide His form as they were worried that Kamsa would cause some harm to Him - this is the nature of doing mangaLAshAsanam to Him without thinking about His stature and ours. This concern has been demonstrated by others such as the people of Ayodhya and Periyazhvar.
Sri Krishna hid His form and changed into a normal human child. He then told them to carry Him to Gokulam and leave Him at Nandagopa and Yashoda's place, which they did. There He grew up as their son and performed His avatara activities.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I show great concern for Him like Devaki and Vasudeva did?"
Varththai 24
===========
24. Ayanai vaLarththEnO yasOdhaiyAraip pOlE
After Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva, He told them to take Him across the Yamuna river to Gokulam and leave Him there at Yashoda and Nandagopa's place.
Vasudeva followed those instructions. Krishna then grew up as the son of Yashoda and she did not know any different.
Even though He was born in a kshatriya clan, He grew up as a cowherd yadava (Ayan) in their house. There were many instances in the childhood of Krishna where He showed his paratva - such as the time He showed all the worlds in His mouth to Yashoda. However, she continued to treat Him as her son only - by sending Him to herd the cows, teaching him to play the flute, tying Him up with a rope when He was mischievous, etc.
When He lifted the Govardhaa mountain to protect the yadavas from the anger of Indra, they asked Him if He was a deva. He told them that He was their relative and that they should never separate themselves from Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I bring up Krishna like Yashoda did (as one of her own)?"
Varththai 25
============
25. anuyAththiram seydhEnO aNilangaLaip pOlE
After Sri Rama and Lakshmana assembled the army of monkeys along with vAnara king Sugriva, they marched toward Lanka in search of the abducted Sita and reached the ocean. In order to cross the ocean, they decided to build a bridge across it. The monkey army got busy in this activity by using rocks and boulders. At that time, the squirrels in the nearby forest also decided to help Sri Rama's endeavor.
They jumped into the ocean and made their bodies wet; came back to the beach and rolled in the sand; then they went back on the boulders and shook the sand from their bodies in the gaps between the rocks. Their hope was to help drain the ocean by making their bodies wet and help build the bridge by adding sand to it.
Thondaradippodi Azhvar celebrated their service to the Lord in his Thirumaalai pasuram:
“kurangugaL malaiyai nUkka kuLiththuth thAm puraNdittOdi
tharanga nIr adaikkaluRRa salamilA anilum pOlEn”
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I do divine service by going behind the monkeys (anu yAtra) like the squirrels did?"
Varththai 26
===========
26. aval poriyai IndhEnO kusElaraip pOlE
Sri Krishna learned all the arts from the rishi Santhipini. His fellow student at that time was Sudama who was also known as Kushela. Kushela was a very poor brahmin. He had
great knowledge and knew the truth about Krishna. As such he had great love for Him.
After the end of their studies, Kushela went back home and married Suseelai and lived with her. He continued to be poor and survived on alms.
One time Suseelai approached Kushela and told him "Your childhood friend Krishna is now king and ruling Dvaraka. Go see Him. He will help us get rid of our poverty".
Kushela did not want to ask Krishna for anything but he agreed to go to Him, because it would be an opportunity to meet Him again. He did not want to go empty handed though.
So, Suseelai borrowed some aval (fluffed rice) from her friends and gave it to Kushela. With this small offering, Kushela left to see Krishna.
Krishna received him with great honor and happiness at His palace. He sat him in His own seat and had Rukmini fan him. He then talked about the old days with Kushela.
Then, He asked Kushela what he had brought for Him to eat. Kushela was ashamed to give Him the small amount of aval that he had brought. Krishna would not leave him
though and forced him to give the aval to Him. With great pleasure and claiming that it was more dear to Him than the butter in Gokulam, He ate a handful of the aval. As soon
as He did that, His full grace had fallen on Kushela. It is said that Rukmini stopped Him from eating any more of the aval.
Kushela spent the night there at the palace and left the nextday without asking Krishna for anything. However, on his return to his home, he found that his hut had become a
great house and that his family had received great wealth. He continued to live a simple life while praising His greatness.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I take aval with great affection to the Lord like Kushela did?
27. AyudhangaL IndhEnO agasthiyaraip pOlE
When Sri Rama entered the Dandakaranya forest, He went to the ashramas of several maharishi's and paid His respects to them. One of these rishi's was the sage Agastya (who is credited with being the one who put together the Tamil language).
Agastya received Rama with honor. Knowing Rama's avatara rahasya and what was to come, he presented Him with several weapons. He told Rama "See this bow which belongs to Vishnu. It was made by Vishvakarma. Using this bow, Mahavishnu killed many asuras and helped the devas. These two quivers which never reduce in arrows and this sword were given to me by Indra. Take these weapons." and gave his mangalashasanas to Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I help the Lord like Agastya did?"Varththai 27
===========
27. AyudhangaL IndhEnO agasthiyaraip pOlE
When Sri Rama entered the Dandakaranya forest, He went to the ashramas of several maharishi's and paid His respects to them. One of these rishi's was the sage Agastya (who is credited with being the one who put together the Tamil language).
Agastya received Rama with honor. Knowing Rama's avatara rahasya and what was to come, he presented Him with several weapons. He told Rama "See this bow which belongs to Vishnu. It was made by Vishvakarma. Using this bow, Mahavishnu killed many asuras and helped the devas. These two quivers which never reduce in arrows and this sword were given to me by Indra. Take these weapons." and gave his mangalashasanas to Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I help the Lord like Agastya did?"
Varththai 28
===========
8. andharangam pukkEnO sanjchayanaip pOlE
Sanjaya was the charioteer for Dritharashtra and was also his close friend. They both learnt from the same guru in their young age. When the Kuaravas and Pandavas went to war in Kurukshetra, he acted as the eyes for the blind king and kept him up to date on the daily events in the war.
He told the king that whichever side Krishna and Arjuna were on, that would be the side that would emerge victorious:
“yatra yogeshvara: krushNo yatra pArtho danurdhara:
tatra shrIrvijayobhUti: druvanIdirmatirmama”
Before the war, Dritharashtra sent Sanjaya as his messenger to see Krishna. At that time, Krishna, His wife Satyabama, Arjuna and Draupadi were together in their private chambers having a discussion. No one was allowed in at that time. When they heard of Sanjaya's visit, Krishna said "Let's have him meet us here. Seeing how close we are, he will take back that message to the Kauravas. That itself will destroy them." And Sanjaya did take that message back to Duryodhana.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I get a private audience with Him like Sanjaya did?"
Varththai 29
============
29. karmaththAl peRREnO janakaraip pOlE
King Janaka, despite being the ruler of a kingdom, was a great karma yogi. He carried on the rules of the sastras with detachment, control of his senses, without ahankara and mamakara and without expecting anything in return. That is, he performed all his duties as per the sastras as a service to the Lord.
One time his teacher Yagyavalka wanted to show his greatness to his other disciples.When all of them were at his ashrama, due to his yogic power he made it appear that the kingdom of Mithila was completely on fire. When all the other disciples ran helter and skelter trying to save their meager belongings, King Janaka sat without moving in the state that nothing truly belonged to him.
In Bhagavad Gita, when Sri Krishna explains the karma yoga, He says
"karmaNyaivahi samsiddhim AsthitA janakAtaya:" - saying that rAjarishis such as Janaka attained siddhi through karma yoga.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Am I capable of being steady in karma yoga like Janaka?"
Varththai 30
===========
30. kadiththu avanaik kaNdEnO thirumangaiyAr pOlE
Thirumangai Azhvar wanted to marry the beautiful Kumudavalli Nachchiyar. She
demanded that he prove his worth by feeding the devotees of Sriman Narayana every day. He spent all his wealth on that. After running out of funds, wishing to continue the ervice, he became a highway thief and used the stolen money for this purpose.
In order to shower their grace on Azhvar, the Lord and His divine consort dressed
themselves as a newly-wed young couple and wearing many ornaments appeared in front of Azhvar at a place called Thirumanangkollai. Azhvar stopped them with a sword in hand and demanded all their jewelry. When it came to a ring worn on the feet of the Lord, he was unable to take it off. So, Azhvar used his teeth to bite the ring and take it off His feet.Then he put them all together into a sack and tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy for him. So, he demanded the Lord to tell him what mantra He had used to make it that heavy.
(Azhvar was wondering if such a slender young lad could carry these jewels on Him, why the strong Azhvar was unable to lift them). When he threatened the Lord with a sword,
He spoke the great Thirumantra in Azhvar's ears. That opened Azhvar's inner eyes and he truly saw the Lord.
He became Thirumangai Azhvar in that moment and began singing the magnificent "vAdinEn" pasuram.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I get the opportunity to attain His grace by biting Him ike Thirumangai Azhvar did?"
============
21. dhEvu maRRaRiyEn enREnO madhurakaviyaip pOlE
Madhurakavi Azhvar was born in the divyadesam of Thirukkolur near Azhvar Thirunagari. He was on a yatra to the North when he saw a divine light in the southern sky. Following it he reached Azhvar Thirunagari and found Swami Nammazhvar. He then tested him and realizing the greatness of Azhvar fell at his feet and became his disciple.
He then considered his acharya Nammazhvar as everything - mother, father, acharya and God - to him ("annaiyAy aththanAy"). He expressed that in his divine work Kanninun
Siruththambu - a work entirely dedicated to Nammazhvar.
In that work, occurs the following pasuram:
"nAvinAl naviRRu inbam eydhinEn
mEvinEn avan ponnadi meymmaiyE
dhEvu maRRaRiyEn kurugUr nambi
pAvin innisai pAdith thirivanE"
In this pasuram, Madhurakavi Azhvar states that he knows no God other than Nammazhvar ("dhEvu maRRu aRiyEn"). He not only is renouncing the things of this world, but he is rejecting the other world and even Him, in favor of his acharya. This is the status of Sri Shathrugna who ignored even Sri Rama and was devoted only to Sri Bharatha.
The philosophy of following one's acharya as everything, demonstrated by Srivaishnava Acharyas ("AchArya abhimAnamE uththAragam") arose from Madhurakavi Azhvar's
Acharya bhakti.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I demonstrate Acharya bhakti like Madhurakavi Azhvar did?
vaarththai :- 22
============
22. dheyvaththaip peRREnO dhEvakiyAr pOlE
During the time the Brahma's son Svayambhuvamanu ruled this earth, Sutapas and his wife Pruchni prayed to Narayana for a long time. When He appeared before them and asked what they wanted, they asked for a son like Him to be born to them.
He blessed them and He Himself was born to them as Pruchnigarba. When they were reborn as Kashyapa and Atiti, He came as their son Vamana. They were reborn for a third time as Vasudeva and Devaki. In that birth, Devaki was born as the younger sister of Kamsa.
After their wedding, a divine voice was heard announcing that their eighth son would kill Kamsa. So, Kamsa put them both in jail and began to kill their children one by one as they were born.
The eighth child was born inside the jail in the month of Avani in the star Rohini in Ashtami thithi at midnight. That child was Krishna. He told them how He was born to them three times.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I do severe penance and give birth to the Lord Himself like Devaki did?"
Varththai 23
===========
23. Azhi maRai enREnO vasudhEvaraip pOlE
When Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva, He came bearing His weapons such as Shanka and Chakra ("devakI pUrvasandhyAm AvirbhUtam mahAtmanA"). Devaki and Vasudeva prayed to Him to hide His form as they were worried that Kamsa would cause some harm to Him - this is the nature of doing mangaLAshAsanam to Him without thinking about His stature and ours. This concern has been demonstrated by others such as the people of Ayodhya and Periyazhvar.
Sri Krishna hid His form and changed into a normal human child. He then told them to carry Him to Gokulam and leave Him at Nandagopa and Yashoda's place, which they did. There He grew up as their son and performed His avatara activities.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I show great concern for Him like Devaki and Vasudeva did?"
Varththai 24
===========
24. Ayanai vaLarththEnO yasOdhaiyAraip pOlE
After Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva, He told them to take Him across the Yamuna river to Gokulam and leave Him there at Yashoda and Nandagopa's place.
Vasudeva followed those instructions. Krishna then grew up as the son of Yashoda and she did not know any different.
Even though He was born in a kshatriya clan, He grew up as a cowherd yadava (Ayan) in their house. There were many instances in the childhood of Krishna where He showed his paratva - such as the time He showed all the worlds in His mouth to Yashoda. However, she continued to treat Him as her son only - by sending Him to herd the cows, teaching him to play the flute, tying Him up with a rope when He was mischievous, etc.
When He lifted the Govardhaa mountain to protect the yadavas from the anger of Indra, they asked Him if He was a deva. He told them that He was their relative and that they should never separate themselves from Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I bring up Krishna like Yashoda did (as one of her own)?"
Varththai 25
============
25. anuyAththiram seydhEnO aNilangaLaip pOlE
After Sri Rama and Lakshmana assembled the army of monkeys along with vAnara king Sugriva, they marched toward Lanka in search of the abducted Sita and reached the ocean. In order to cross the ocean, they decided to build a bridge across it. The monkey army got busy in this activity by using rocks and boulders. At that time, the squirrels in the nearby forest also decided to help Sri Rama's endeavor.
They jumped into the ocean and made their bodies wet; came back to the beach and rolled in the sand; then they went back on the boulders and shook the sand from their bodies in the gaps between the rocks. Their hope was to help drain the ocean by making their bodies wet and help build the bridge by adding sand to it.
Thondaradippodi Azhvar celebrated their service to the Lord in his Thirumaalai pasuram:
“kurangugaL malaiyai nUkka kuLiththuth thAm puraNdittOdi
tharanga nIr adaikkaluRRa salamilA anilum pOlEn”
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I do divine service by going behind the monkeys (anu yAtra) like the squirrels did?"
Varththai 26
===========
26. aval poriyai IndhEnO kusElaraip pOlE
Sri Krishna learned all the arts from the rishi Santhipini. His fellow student at that time was Sudama who was also known as Kushela. Kushela was a very poor brahmin. He had
great knowledge and knew the truth about Krishna. As such he had great love for Him.
After the end of their studies, Kushela went back home and married Suseelai and lived with her. He continued to be poor and survived on alms.
One time Suseelai approached Kushela and told him "Your childhood friend Krishna is now king and ruling Dvaraka. Go see Him. He will help us get rid of our poverty".
Kushela did not want to ask Krishna for anything but he agreed to go to Him, because it would be an opportunity to meet Him again. He did not want to go empty handed though.
So, Suseelai borrowed some aval (fluffed rice) from her friends and gave it to Kushela. With this small offering, Kushela left to see Krishna.
Krishna received him with great honor and happiness at His palace. He sat him in His own seat and had Rukmini fan him. He then talked about the old days with Kushela.
Then, He asked Kushela what he had brought for Him to eat. Kushela was ashamed to give Him the small amount of aval that he had brought. Krishna would not leave him
though and forced him to give the aval to Him. With great pleasure and claiming that it was more dear to Him than the butter in Gokulam, He ate a handful of the aval. As soon
as He did that, His full grace had fallen on Kushela. It is said that Rukmini stopped Him from eating any more of the aval.
Kushela spent the night there at the palace and left the nextday without asking Krishna for anything. However, on his return to his home, he found that his hut had become a
great house and that his family had received great wealth. He continued to live a simple life while praising His greatness.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I take aval with great affection to the Lord like Kushela did?
27. AyudhangaL IndhEnO agasthiyaraip pOlE
When Sri Rama entered the Dandakaranya forest, He went to the ashramas of several maharishi's and paid His respects to them. One of these rishi's was the sage Agastya (who is credited with being the one who put together the Tamil language).
Agastya received Rama with honor. Knowing Rama's avatara rahasya and what was to come, he presented Him with several weapons. He told Rama "See this bow which belongs to Vishnu. It was made by Vishvakarma. Using this bow, Mahavishnu killed many asuras and helped the devas. These two quivers which never reduce in arrows and this sword were given to me by Indra. Take these weapons." and gave his mangalashasanas to Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I help the Lord like Agastya did?"Varththai 27
===========
27. AyudhangaL IndhEnO agasthiyaraip pOlE
When Sri Rama entered the Dandakaranya forest, He went to the ashramas of several maharishi's and paid His respects to them. One of these rishi's was the sage Agastya (who is credited with being the one who put together the Tamil language).
Agastya received Rama with honor. Knowing Rama's avatara rahasya and what was to come, he presented Him with several weapons. He told Rama "See this bow which belongs to Vishnu. It was made by Vishvakarma. Using this bow, Mahavishnu killed many asuras and helped the devas. These two quivers which never reduce in arrows and this sword were given to me by Indra. Take these weapons." and gave his mangalashasanas to Him.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I help the Lord like Agastya did?"
Varththai 28
===========
8. andharangam pukkEnO sanjchayanaip pOlE
Sanjaya was the charioteer for Dritharashtra and was also his close friend. They both learnt from the same guru in their young age. When the Kuaravas and Pandavas went to war in Kurukshetra, he acted as the eyes for the blind king and kept him up to date on the daily events in the war.
He told the king that whichever side Krishna and Arjuna were on, that would be the side that would emerge victorious:
“yatra yogeshvara: krushNo yatra pArtho danurdhara:
tatra shrIrvijayobhUti: druvanIdirmatirmama”
Before the war, Dritharashtra sent Sanjaya as his messenger to see Krishna. At that time, Krishna, His wife Satyabama, Arjuna and Draupadi were together in their private chambers having a discussion. No one was allowed in at that time. When they heard of Sanjaya's visit, Krishna said "Let's have him meet us here. Seeing how close we are, he will take back that message to the Kauravas. That itself will destroy them." And Sanjaya did take that message back to Duryodhana.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I get a private audience with Him like Sanjaya did?"
Varththai 29
============
29. karmaththAl peRREnO janakaraip pOlE
King Janaka, despite being the ruler of a kingdom, was a great karma yogi. He carried on the rules of the sastras with detachment, control of his senses, without ahankara and mamakara and without expecting anything in return. That is, he performed all his duties as per the sastras as a service to the Lord.
One time his teacher Yagyavalka wanted to show his greatness to his other disciples.When all of them were at his ashrama, due to his yogic power he made it appear that the kingdom of Mithila was completely on fire. When all the other disciples ran helter and skelter trying to save their meager belongings, King Janaka sat without moving in the state that nothing truly belonged to him.
In Bhagavad Gita, when Sri Krishna explains the karma yoga, He says
"karmaNyaivahi samsiddhim AsthitA janakAtaya:" - saying that rAjarishis such as Janaka attained siddhi through karma yoga.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Am I capable of being steady in karma yoga like Janaka?"
Varththai 30
===========
30. kadiththu avanaik kaNdEnO thirumangaiyAr pOlE
Thirumangai Azhvar wanted to marry the beautiful Kumudavalli Nachchiyar. She
demanded that he prove his worth by feeding the devotees of Sriman Narayana every day. He spent all his wealth on that. After running out of funds, wishing to continue the ervice, he became a highway thief and used the stolen money for this purpose.
In order to shower their grace on Azhvar, the Lord and His divine consort dressed
themselves as a newly-wed young couple and wearing many ornaments appeared in front of Azhvar at a place called Thirumanangkollai. Azhvar stopped them with a sword in hand and demanded all their jewelry. When it came to a ring worn on the feet of the Lord, he was unable to take it off. So, Azhvar used his teeth to bite the ring and take it off His feet.Then he put them all together into a sack and tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy for him. So, he demanded the Lord to tell him what mantra He had used to make it that heavy.
(Azhvar was wondering if such a slender young lad could carry these jewels on Him, why the strong Azhvar was unable to lift them). When he threatened the Lord with a sword,
He spoke the great Thirumantra in Azhvar's ears. That opened Azhvar's inner eyes and he truly saw the Lord.
He became Thirumangai Azhvar in that moment and began singing the magnificent "vAdinEn" pasuram.
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I get the opportunity to attain His grace by biting Him ike Thirumangai Azhvar did?"
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