Humility.
The Tiruppavai celebrates the glory of the Supreme Lord as much as that of a true devotee. Its emphasis is on the eternal quality of the relationship between them which, when internalised by the latter, equips him with absolute humility, pointed out Sri Rajahamsam Swami in a discourse. The Gopis in Ayarpadi are all soaked in thoughts of Krishna. They never tire of recalling His feats and His master plans by which He outwits Kamsa’s wily attempts to murder Him.
Andal shows that along with this devotion, it is important to realise that no one is infallible and that all are liable to faults. So, in one verse, when one Gopi accepts that she is at fault, and accepts this truth graciously and honestly, it generates the ennobling trait of humility. When one is humble, one finds that shortcomings and failures are inherent in human nature and one does not succumb to the sense of ego and pride. The true devotee knows his limitations and is also aware that this bhakti bhava in him is owing to the compassion of the Lord. In his inner self he is honest about it. One who is endowed with the bhava of humility is indeed the most fortunate person. For in him devotion and virtue can grow and thrive.
One who lacks humility loses all and is lost in the cycle of birth. In this context, Bharata exemplifies the virtue of absolute humility that is rooted in his faultless integrity. When Rama is exiled and Dasaratha dies, he is driven to a situation when though guiltless, he faces blame and censure from all. But such is his mental maturity that springs from his spontaneous love for Rama that he deals with this plight with tremendous dignity. He invokes on himself all kinds of punishment if he is guilty. But finally instead of blaming others, he blames himself for all this.
Strong Bond
In the Gita, Krishna analyses the various ways in which devotion takes root in people. He knows that many seek favours of Him for various reasons, for wealth, knowledge, relief from distress, and so on. Though He then claims that one who seeks Him for His sake is very dear to Him, His unparalleled magnanimity is seen in His recognition and response to all who seek Him, irrespective of their motive, pointed out Kalyanapuram Sri Aravamudhachariar in a discourse. None knows better than Him that for every jivatma, crossing this life on earth is beset with hurdles and therefore His devotees find great mental strength in seeking His help. It is held that at the end of Krishna avatar, the Lord departs with the feeling that he has not done enough for Draupadi. When she is in distress and on the verge of extreme humiliation, she knows that none but He alone could help.
Though Krishna is in Dwaraka, her loud cry for help in her utter helplessness, bears fruit in a totally unbelievable manner. It proves beyond doubt His omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. But He still has this misgiving that He could not be present in person to alleviate her distress. He says that He is indebted to Draupadi in this account.
He comes to the assistance of Gajendra when the elephant calls out to the one who is the primordial source of all. With extraordinary sincerity He befriends a Guha or a Sugriva; accepts the humble offerings of a Sabhari or a Kuchela and graces them handsomely. When He enters Mathura to meet Kamsa, He goes out of the way to bless Kubja who gains a beautiful form and to shower His grace on the garland vendor. He grants the highest attainment to the unlettered and simple Gopis. It is no wonder that His devotees automatically feel doubly indebted to Him.
Balancing act.
In his Thiruvezhukoottrirukkai, in praise of Lord Aravamudhan of Kumbakonam, Thirumangai Azhvar uses words referring to numerals, counting from one to seven, to get the image of a ratha. But why not go beyond seven? The grammar for this type of poetry does not talk of more than seven numerals and seven Azhvars have praised Aravamudhan. There is a Vedic story, too, which could be seen as justification for ‘seven,
The devas decided to use poetic metres to form a chariot for Prajapati. The metres they chose were Gayatri, which has 24 aksharas; UshNik with 28 aksharas; Bruhatee with 36 aksharas; Pankti with 40 aksharas; Trishtubh with 44 aksharas; anushtubh with 32 aksharas and Jagati with 48 aksharas. The seven lokas are said to be contained in these seven metres. But the question now arises as to how a ratha could be constructed using mantras, each of which had a different number of aksharas. This problem was solved by metre Bruhatee. Bruhatee suggested that with its own 36 aksharas, it would be the anchor, and all other metres could be brought to equal its aksharas. So, Pankti yielded four aksharas to anushtubh; Trishtubh gave eight aksharas to UshNik; Jagati gave 12 aksharas to Gayatri. Thus, all mantras ended up having 36 aksharas, and the required balance was achieved.
It could be that Thirumangai Azhvar did not go beyond ‘seven’ in his Thiruvezhukoottrirukkai, because only seven metres were used for Prajapati’s chariot. The word chandas also means desire. So, the Lord goes wherever and whenever He wants to, travelling in His ratha. If one performs a yaga, focusing one’s thoughts on the Lord proceeding in his chandoratha, one will be blessed. An easier alternative is for one to listen to the mantras being recited.
Desirable qualities.
The Tamil word ‘aram’ is not easy to translate. Some translate it as dharma. Qualities like envy, anger and greed predominate in most of us. Overcoming such qualities can be called ‘aram,’
Many Tamil poets have written about ‘aram’. Vilambi Naganar says love towards all leads to empathy and kindness, and these may be taken to be the foundation of ‘aram’. Munaippaadiyar wrote a work called Aranericchaaram. It talks of worldly attachments and of being freed from attachments, which eventually leads to liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. It says that to live without malice towards anyone, to have love for all mankind, is the proper way to live. Deceiving others and turning away from those who need help are traits to despised. This poet lists ten qualities as desirable: honesty, patience, lofty thoughts, penance, humility, impartiality, selflessness, saintliness, desire to do good to others and adherence to ‘vratas’.
Kanimedhaviyar says honesty, spurning alcohol, not befriending wicked people, not abusing others are the qualities one must have, and a person who has such qualities does not need to read works that preach dharma, for he already knows the dharmic way of living. Poet Avvaiyar said we should have the urge to do good things. She said there is nothing better than domestic life. The Tamil work Pinkalandai says a person who has no gratitude towards those who helped him deserves to be punished. Thiruvalluvar says he who has a pure heart is a good man. This might seem easy, but having good thoughts is difficult. We may pretend to be good, but our hearts are filled with envy and ill-will towards others. If we can get rid of such negative thoughts, we will qualify to be called good human beings.
Lessons taught.
The Supreme One incarnates to help jivatmas attain moksha. As Krishna, He gave the world the Bhagavad Gita. But He also got Bhishma to tell Yudhishthira about the power of His names. Bhishma had already set an example to everyone by his virtuous conduct. Sages have laid down rules which we must follow to attain His feet.
When He Himself has taken avataras, to show us the right path, why did He send sages to instruct us? Although as Rama He lived an exemplary life, we might dismiss it saying He was able to adhere to dharma, because He was the Supreme One. But if a fellow human being were to advise us and show us how to live life in accordance with dharma, then we are likely to pay attention. That was the reason why He sent rishis to this world, to give us important lessons in life, said Velukkudi Krishnan in a discourse. Saunaka was one such rishi who listed steps to follow in life in order to reach Him and to be rid once and for all of repeated births and deaths. Saunaka’s advice is compiled under the title Vishnu dharma, and it came in response to questions asked by King Sataneeka.
Sataneeka had an illustrious lineage. He came in the line of Pariskhit. Parikshit, knowing that he had only a few days to live, listened to Suka’s narration of Srimad Bhagavatam. Parikshit’s son was Janamejaya and Janamejaya’s son was Sataneeka. Kings used to pay attention to what sages told them, for they needed to govern in accordance with dharma. They, therefore, paid heed to rishis.
True Devotion.
Periazhwar and his daughter Andal teach by example the way to serve and worship God. Periazhwar offers fragrant flower garlands to the Lord with great affection, and Andal in addition, offers a unique garland of verses, the Tiruppavai hymns that exude the fragrance of the very essence of the Vedas in simple terms. The structure, form and content of the Tiruppavai hymns emphasise that the aim of life is to be engaged in devoted service to the Lord eternally. One need not be well-versed in the sastras to seek Him; nor do jnana, bhakti, vairagya and viveka depend on one’s birth, status, livelihood, etc.
The verses on the whole instil bhakti bhava that is synonymous with Dasya Bhava, a significant trait fostered in the devout by the Vaishnava tradition, pointed out Sri Srinivasa Gopala Maha Desikan in a discourse. First of all the devotee is trained to see himself as a servant of the Lord and be aware of his status as one treading the journey to salvation. So it follows that the jivatmas’ prime duty is to pay obeisance to the Paramatma, who is the supreme and sole refuge for all. Serving the Lord with simple offerings and with hearts filled with love is no doubt the practice of devotees. But as devotion takes root, one realises like Nammazhwar that true devotion finds fulfilment in serving the devotees of the Lord.
Azhwars too take pride in being at the lowest rung in the hierarchy of servants who serve the Lord. True devotion leads one to believe that the dust from the feet, the ‘adi podi’ of ‘tondars,’ bhaktas, can purify the mind and rid one of sins. Andal shows this bhava as predominant in the Gopis observing the Katyayani vrata in Ayarpadi whose only desire is to nurture their ‘feeling of relation’ with Krishna.
The Tiruppavai celebrates the glory of the Supreme Lord as much as that of a true devotee. Its emphasis is on the eternal quality of the relationship between them which, when internalised by the latter, equips him with absolute humility, pointed out Sri Rajahamsam Swami in a discourse. The Gopis in Ayarpadi are all soaked in thoughts of Krishna. They never tire of recalling His feats and His master plans by which He outwits Kamsa’s wily attempts to murder Him.
Andal shows that along with this devotion, it is important to realise that no one is infallible and that all are liable to faults. So, in one verse, when one Gopi accepts that she is at fault, and accepts this truth graciously and honestly, it generates the ennobling trait of humility. When one is humble, one finds that shortcomings and failures are inherent in human nature and one does not succumb to the sense of ego and pride. The true devotee knows his limitations and is also aware that this bhakti bhava in him is owing to the compassion of the Lord. In his inner self he is honest about it. One who is endowed with the bhava of humility is indeed the most fortunate person. For in him devotion and virtue can grow and thrive.
One who lacks humility loses all and is lost in the cycle of birth. In this context, Bharata exemplifies the virtue of absolute humility that is rooted in his faultless integrity. When Rama is exiled and Dasaratha dies, he is driven to a situation when though guiltless, he faces blame and censure from all. But such is his mental maturity that springs from his spontaneous love for Rama that he deals with this plight with tremendous dignity. He invokes on himself all kinds of punishment if he is guilty. But finally instead of blaming others, he blames himself for all this.
Strong Bond
In the Gita, Krishna analyses the various ways in which devotion takes root in people. He knows that many seek favours of Him for various reasons, for wealth, knowledge, relief from distress, and so on. Though He then claims that one who seeks Him for His sake is very dear to Him, His unparalleled magnanimity is seen in His recognition and response to all who seek Him, irrespective of their motive, pointed out Kalyanapuram Sri Aravamudhachariar in a discourse. None knows better than Him that for every jivatma, crossing this life on earth is beset with hurdles and therefore His devotees find great mental strength in seeking His help. It is held that at the end of Krishna avatar, the Lord departs with the feeling that he has not done enough for Draupadi. When she is in distress and on the verge of extreme humiliation, she knows that none but He alone could help.
Though Krishna is in Dwaraka, her loud cry for help in her utter helplessness, bears fruit in a totally unbelievable manner. It proves beyond doubt His omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. But He still has this misgiving that He could not be present in person to alleviate her distress. He says that He is indebted to Draupadi in this account.
He comes to the assistance of Gajendra when the elephant calls out to the one who is the primordial source of all. With extraordinary sincerity He befriends a Guha or a Sugriva; accepts the humble offerings of a Sabhari or a Kuchela and graces them handsomely. When He enters Mathura to meet Kamsa, He goes out of the way to bless Kubja who gains a beautiful form and to shower His grace on the garland vendor. He grants the highest attainment to the unlettered and simple Gopis. It is no wonder that His devotees automatically feel doubly indebted to Him.
Balancing act.
In his Thiruvezhukoottrirukkai, in praise of Lord Aravamudhan of Kumbakonam, Thirumangai Azhvar uses words referring to numerals, counting from one to seven, to get the image of a ratha. But why not go beyond seven? The grammar for this type of poetry does not talk of more than seven numerals and seven Azhvars have praised Aravamudhan. There is a Vedic story, too, which could be seen as justification for ‘seven,
The devas decided to use poetic metres to form a chariot for Prajapati. The metres they chose were Gayatri, which has 24 aksharas; UshNik with 28 aksharas; Bruhatee with 36 aksharas; Pankti with 40 aksharas; Trishtubh with 44 aksharas; anushtubh with 32 aksharas and Jagati with 48 aksharas. The seven lokas are said to be contained in these seven metres. But the question now arises as to how a ratha could be constructed using mantras, each of which had a different number of aksharas. This problem was solved by metre Bruhatee. Bruhatee suggested that with its own 36 aksharas, it would be the anchor, and all other metres could be brought to equal its aksharas. So, Pankti yielded four aksharas to anushtubh; Trishtubh gave eight aksharas to UshNik; Jagati gave 12 aksharas to Gayatri. Thus, all mantras ended up having 36 aksharas, and the required balance was achieved.
It could be that Thirumangai Azhvar did not go beyond ‘seven’ in his Thiruvezhukoottrirukkai, because only seven metres were used for Prajapati’s chariot. The word chandas also means desire. So, the Lord goes wherever and whenever He wants to, travelling in His ratha. If one performs a yaga, focusing one’s thoughts on the Lord proceeding in his chandoratha, one will be blessed. An easier alternative is for one to listen to the mantras being recited.
Desirable qualities.
The Tamil word ‘aram’ is not easy to translate. Some translate it as dharma. Qualities like envy, anger and greed predominate in most of us. Overcoming such qualities can be called ‘aram,’
Many Tamil poets have written about ‘aram’. Vilambi Naganar says love towards all leads to empathy and kindness, and these may be taken to be the foundation of ‘aram’. Munaippaadiyar wrote a work called Aranericchaaram. It talks of worldly attachments and of being freed from attachments, which eventually leads to liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. It says that to live without malice towards anyone, to have love for all mankind, is the proper way to live. Deceiving others and turning away from those who need help are traits to despised. This poet lists ten qualities as desirable: honesty, patience, lofty thoughts, penance, humility, impartiality, selflessness, saintliness, desire to do good to others and adherence to ‘vratas’.
Kanimedhaviyar says honesty, spurning alcohol, not befriending wicked people, not abusing others are the qualities one must have, and a person who has such qualities does not need to read works that preach dharma, for he already knows the dharmic way of living. Poet Avvaiyar said we should have the urge to do good things. She said there is nothing better than domestic life. The Tamil work Pinkalandai says a person who has no gratitude towards those who helped him deserves to be punished. Thiruvalluvar says he who has a pure heart is a good man. This might seem easy, but having good thoughts is difficult. We may pretend to be good, but our hearts are filled with envy and ill-will towards others. If we can get rid of such negative thoughts, we will qualify to be called good human beings.
Lessons taught.
The Supreme One incarnates to help jivatmas attain moksha. As Krishna, He gave the world the Bhagavad Gita. But He also got Bhishma to tell Yudhishthira about the power of His names. Bhishma had already set an example to everyone by his virtuous conduct. Sages have laid down rules which we must follow to attain His feet.
When He Himself has taken avataras, to show us the right path, why did He send sages to instruct us? Although as Rama He lived an exemplary life, we might dismiss it saying He was able to adhere to dharma, because He was the Supreme One. But if a fellow human being were to advise us and show us how to live life in accordance with dharma, then we are likely to pay attention. That was the reason why He sent rishis to this world, to give us important lessons in life, said Velukkudi Krishnan in a discourse. Saunaka was one such rishi who listed steps to follow in life in order to reach Him and to be rid once and for all of repeated births and deaths. Saunaka’s advice is compiled under the title Vishnu dharma, and it came in response to questions asked by King Sataneeka.
Sataneeka had an illustrious lineage. He came in the line of Pariskhit. Parikshit, knowing that he had only a few days to live, listened to Suka’s narration of Srimad Bhagavatam. Parikshit’s son was Janamejaya and Janamejaya’s son was Sataneeka. Kings used to pay attention to what sages told them, for they needed to govern in accordance with dharma. They, therefore, paid heed to rishis.
True Devotion.
Periazhwar and his daughter Andal teach by example the way to serve and worship God. Periazhwar offers fragrant flower garlands to the Lord with great affection, and Andal in addition, offers a unique garland of verses, the Tiruppavai hymns that exude the fragrance of the very essence of the Vedas in simple terms. The structure, form and content of the Tiruppavai hymns emphasise that the aim of life is to be engaged in devoted service to the Lord eternally. One need not be well-versed in the sastras to seek Him; nor do jnana, bhakti, vairagya and viveka depend on one’s birth, status, livelihood, etc.
The verses on the whole instil bhakti bhava that is synonymous with Dasya Bhava, a significant trait fostered in the devout by the Vaishnava tradition, pointed out Sri Srinivasa Gopala Maha Desikan in a discourse. First of all the devotee is trained to see himself as a servant of the Lord and be aware of his status as one treading the journey to salvation. So it follows that the jivatmas’ prime duty is to pay obeisance to the Paramatma, who is the supreme and sole refuge for all. Serving the Lord with simple offerings and with hearts filled with love is no doubt the practice of devotees. But as devotion takes root, one realises like Nammazhwar that true devotion finds fulfilment in serving the devotees of the Lord.
Azhwars too take pride in being at the lowest rung in the hierarchy of servants who serve the Lord. True devotion leads one to believe that the dust from the feet, the ‘adi podi’ of ‘tondars,’ bhaktas, can purify the mind and rid one of sins. Andal shows this bhava as predominant in the Gopis observing the Katyayani vrata in Ayarpadi whose only desire is to nurture their ‘feeling of relation’ with Krishna.
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