rahasyam 4/8

Varththai 31
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31. kudai mudhalAnadhu AnEnO ananthAzhvAn pOlE

AnanthazhvAn is the name for Adisesha on whom the Lord rests. He is always with the Lord; even when He descends to this world, Adisesha accompanies Him in some form and performs services to Him. Since he is in eternal service and is the personification of service, he is called Adisesha.

Poygai Azhvar sings in his Mudhal Thiruvandhadhi about him thus:

“senRAL kudaiyAm irundhAl singAsanamAm
ninRAl maravadiyAm nILkadluL enRum
puNaiyAm maNi viLakkAm pUmpattAm pulgum
aNaiyAm thirumARku aravu”

Alavandar too describes him in a similar fashion in his Stotra Ratnam.
Azhvar says Thiruvananthazhvan is an umbrella when He walks; he is a seat when He sits; he is the footwear when He stands up; he is the float when He is in the milky ocean; he is a lamp; he is a cloth and he is a pillow - thus he is everything when it comes to rendering service.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Have I rendered any kind of service to Him like Adisesha does in various forms?"

Varththai 32
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32. koNdu thirindhEnO thiruvadiyaip pOlE

The term thiruvadi refers to both Garuda (periya thiruvadi) and Hanuman (siRiya
thiruvadi). They got this name because they both perform the service of carrying the
Lord. Just as Adisesha does various services (see previous vArththai), so too Garuda acts as the Lord's friend, His servant, His conveyance, His seat, His flag, His umbrella, etc.
Azhvars refer many times to the fact that the Lord rides Garuda and performs various acts.
During His avatar as Sri Rama, Hanuman carried Him and Lakshmana on a few
occasions. When they first arrive to meet Sugreeva, He talks to them and then carries them on his shoulders to Sugreeva. Later when Rama and Lakshmana wage a war against Ravana, he carries them again on his shoulders so that they do not have to stand on the ground and fight.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I carry the Lord on my shoulders with affection like Hanuman did?"

Varththai 33
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33. iLaippu vidAy thIrththEnO nampAduvAn pOlE

In Sri Varaha Purana, Sri Varaha tells Bhudevi the greatness of singing His praise and the benefits that it gets to the devotee. This is knowns as Kaisika Mahatmyam and in it is the story of the devotee Nampaduvan who sang the Lord's praise all the time.
In south India near the Ksheera river was Siddhashrama. Here a low caste person would come every day early in the morning from a long distance and sing the Lord's praises. He did this for several years. Sri Varaha called him 'mama gAyaka' and therefore his name became Nampaduvan.

One time, in the month of Karththikai on sukla paksha Dvadasi, he stayed awake in the night and left very early to go sing about the Lord. On the way, a brahmarakshas caught him and wanted to eat him. Nampaduvan requested the brahmarakshas to let him go so he can go and sing; he promised that he would return and allow himself to be eaten. The brahmarakshas did not trust him and he started swearing that he would attain a certain sin if he did not return; only when he swore that he would get the sin of equating Sriman Narayana with other devatas if he did not return, did the brahmarakshas let him go.
Namapduvan went to Thirukkurunkudi divyadesam, sang about the Lord and returned as promised. The brahmarakshas was a brahmin called Somasharma in his previous bir th.
Because he committed a sin during a yaga, he was born as a brahmarakshas. Determining that he would be liberated only by Nampaduvan, he asked for the fruit of Nampaduvan 's singing that night so that he may let him go alive. Nampaduvan did not agree. After some more requests, finally Nampaduvan agreed to give him the fruit of his singing one song sung in the Kaisika meter. Receiving that, the brahmarakshas was liberated, was reborn in a good family and finally attained moksha.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I sing and liberate someone from their birth as a rakshasa like Nampaduvan did?"

Varththai 34
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34. idaikazhiyil kaNdEnO mudhalAzhvArgaLaip pOlE

Mudhal Azhvargal are the first three Azhvars to appear in this world. They are Poygai Azhvar, Bhoothaththazhvar and Peyazhvar. They were born in three different flowers in the divyadesams of Kanchi, Mallai and Mayilai. Having been given the flawless knowledge by the Lord they went from one place to another every day and experienced Him.

One time the Lord decided to bring them all together in the divyadesam of
Thirukkovalur. It was a dark and stormy night. First Poygaiyazhvar arrived and sought shelter in the ashrama of Mrugandu Maharishi. He was resting in the idai kazhi (the area between the front and back of the house) area. Soon after Bhoothaththazhvar arrived to the same place. They both were able to sit comfortably in that place. Then came Peyazhvar and the three were able to stand only in the narrow area. Shortly after that the three Azhvars realized that a fourth person was in the place and pushing against all of them.

Realizing it was the Lord Himself, Poygaiyazhvar lit a lamp through a verse –

"vaiya thagaLiyA vArkadalE neyyAga veyya kadhirOn viLAkkAga" –

this became the first verse of Mudhal Thiruvandhadhi. In this verse, Azhvar made this world the cup, the ocean as the ghee and the Sun as the light.

Bhoothaththazhvar lit another lamp through a verse –

"anbE thagaLiyA ArvamE neyyAga inburugu sindhai iduthiriyA" –

this became the first verse of Irandam Thiruvandhadhi. In this verse, Azhvar made his love as the cup, his passion as the ghee and his thought as the lamp.



In this light, Peyazhvar saw the Lord with His divine consort and sang the verse
"thirukkaNdEn pon mEni kaNdEn". This became the first verse of Moonram
Thiruvandhadhi.

All three Azhvars thus saw the Lord in the narrow area of the ashrama and sang the first pasurams of the Nalayira Divyaprabandham.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I receive the grace of the Lord to see Him, like the first three Azhvars did?"

Varththai 35

35. iru mannar peRREnO vAlmIkiyaip pOlE

After the coronation at Ayodhya, Sri Rama ruled the kingdom for a long time. At one time, when Sita had become pregnant, Rama heard that a washerman spoke ill of the fact
that He had brought back Sita who was imprisoned in Ravana's place and made Her His queen. He then decided to leave Her in the forest.

During this time, Sita asked a boon from Rama that She be allowed to live in the forest for a while. So, Rama asked Lakshmana to take Her to the forest and leave Her near

Valmiki Maharishi's ashrama permanently. Lakshmana followed the order of Rama and did the same.

Valmiki Maharishi took mother Sita to his ashrama and protected Her there. After a while Sita gace birth to the twins Lava and Kucha. When they were born, Valmiki blessed them
by rubbing one child with the tip of the darba grass and the other with its root - the tip of this grass is called Kucham and the root is called Lavam - thus the boys were named.

Valmiki acted as their guardian and brought them up as worthy sons of Rama. He taught them all vidya's and also the Ramayana story.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I do service to the Lord and brought up the two princes, like Valmiki did?"

Varththai 36
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36. irumAlai IndhEnO thoNdaradippodiyAr pOlE

Thondaradippodi Azhvar lived in Srirangam and just like Periyazhvar at Srivilliputtur, he too maintained a garden there and performed flower service to the Lord. He would make beautiful garlands and present them to Sri Ranganatha daily.
The word "iru" in this vArththai of Thirukkolur Ammal has two meanings - one is "great" and the other is "two".

If used in the first sense, then we can say that Azhvar provided great and wonderful
flower garlands to the Lord. They were great because Azhvar considered himself as the dust under the feet of bhAgavatas - thoNdar adip podi - and gave the garlands only as pure service to the Lord. Also, Azhvar wrote amazing word garlands to the Lord through his works Thirumaalai and Thiruppaliyezhuchchi. We can also say that Azhvar provided great word garlands to the Lord.

If used in the second sense - that is, two - then we can say Azhvar provided two
wonderful garlands to the Lord. One was a pU mAlai – that is, a flower garland and the other was a pA mAlai - that is, a word garland. We can also say that the number two refers to the two word garlands that Azhvar wrote - Thirumaalai and Thiruppalli
Ezhuchchi.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I provide the Lord with such great garlands, as Thondaradippodi Azhvar did?"

Varththai 37
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37. avan uraikkap peRREnO thirukkachchiyAr pOlE

Sri Kanchi Purna (Thirukkachchi Nambigal)'s name was Gajendra Dasa. He was born in a family of merchants. His father once gave him a large sum of money and asked him to
invest it and grow it. Nambigal spent it all in the service of the Lord and His devotees.

After a couple of years, his father asked him about the money and where he had invested it. Nambigal said that he had invested it in the divine abode of the Lord. His father
became angry with him and so Nambigal left his household and went to Srirangam,where he began to do service at the divine feet of his acharya Swami Alavandar. Later,
per his acharya's order, he returned to Kanchi and started doing fan service to Sri Varadaraja Perumal. When the two were alone, Sri Varadaraja would some times talk to him.

At that time, Ramanuja who was known as Ilaiyazhvar at that time, was residing in Kanchi as well. He wanted to become Nambigal's disciple but Nambigal did not accept it
stating that as a a Vaisya he could not accept Ilaiyazhvar who was a brahmin as his disciple.

Ramanuja then asked Nambigal if he could ask Varadaraja about the questions in his mind. Nambigal agreed and that night placed Ramanuja's request to the Lord.

Varadaraja gave six answers to Nambigal and told him that those would answer the questions in Ramanuja's mind. The six replies were:

1. Sriman Narayana is supreme
2. The jIvAtma is different from the paramAtma
3. Complete surrender is the means to salvation
4. Moksham will be attained by one who has surrendered at the end of his birth
5. For one who has surrendered, remembrance of the Lord at his deathbed is not necessary
6. Ramanuja should take refuge with Maha Purna (Periya Nambigal) and take him as his acharya

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I have the fortune of conversing with the Lord like Thirukkachchi Nambigal did?"

Varththai 38
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37. avan uraikkap peRREnO thirukkachchiyAr pOlE

Sri Kanchi Purna (Thirukkachchi Nambigal)'s name was Gajendra Dasa. He was born in a family of merchants. His father once gave him a large sum of money and asked him to
invest it and grow it. Nambigal spent it all in the service of the Lord and His devotees.
After a couple of years, his father asked him about the money and where he had invested it. Nambigal said that he had invested it in the divine abode of the Lord. His father
became angry with him and so Nambigal left his household and went to Srirangam,where he began to do service at the divine feet of his acharya Swami Alavandar.

Later, as per his acharya's order, he returned to Kanchi and started doing fan service to Sri Varadaraja Perumal. When the two were alone, Sri Varadaraja would some times talk to him.

At that time, Ramanuja who was known as Ilaiyazhvar at that time, was residing in Kanchi as well. He wanted to become Nambigal's disciple but Nambigal did not accept it
stating that as a a Vaisya he could not accept Ilaiyazhvar who was a brahmin as his disciple.

Ramanuja then asked Nambigal if he could ask Varadaraja about the questions in his mind. Nambigal agreed and that night placed Ramanuja's request to the Lord.Varadaraja gave six answers to Nambigal and told him that those would answer the questions in Ramanuja's mind. The six replies were:
1. Sriman Narayana is supreme
2. The jIvAtma is different from the paramAtma
3. Complete surrender is the means to salvation
4. Moksham will be attained by one who has surrendered at the end of his birth
5. For one who has surrendered, remembrance of the Lord at his deathbed is not
necessary
6. Ramanuja shiuld take refuge with Maha Purna (Periya Nambigal) and take him as
his acharya

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I have the fortune of conversing with the Lord like Thirukkachchi Nambigal did?"

Varththai 39
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39. anuppi vaiyum enREnO vasishtaraip pOlE

One time Vishvamitra maharishi came to Dasaratha and asked him to give Rama to help protect the rishi's yaga from the rakshasas who were disturbing it. Dasaratha did not want
to send Rama with the rishi, since He was young and Dasaratha could not bear separation from Him, even though he had promised the rishi anything he wanted. Vishvamitra was
not pleased and became angry at Dasaratha. Dasaratha offered to go himself with the rishi but Vishvamitra wanted only Rama. At that time, Vasishta who was the rajaguru of
Dasaratha intervened.

Seeing the future with his powers and that Vishvamitra was going to give weapons training as well as great weapons to Rama, he told Dasaratha to send both Rama and Lakshmana with Vishvamitra.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I see the benefit for the Lord and ask the father to send his son with the sage like Vasishta did?"

Varththai 40
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40. adi vAnginEnO kongiRpirAttiyaip pOlE

Here, the phrase "adi vAngudhal" refers to requesting and receiving acharya padukas. Kongu Piratti's story is found in 6000padi Guru Parampara Prabhavam. Her original name is Sumathi and she belonged to a town called Kollaikkalam in Kongu desam. One time there was a great famine in the land. So, she and her husband left their town and moved to Srirangam. At Srirangam, she heard and saw the greatness of Swami Ramanuja and the quality of the people who were his disciples. She too desired to become his
devotee and did so. At that time, she received the name Kongu Piratti (or Kongil Piratti) from Ramanuja.

After some time, the famine lifted from the land and she desired to return to her home town. At that time, she approached Ramanuja, seeked his blessings and also obtained his ivine padukas for performing thiruvaradhanam.

Several years later, due to the distrubance of the Chola king, Ramanuja had to leave Srirangam and move to Thirunarayanapuram. On the way, he went through the town where Kongu Piratti was living. She proved to Ramanuja and his disciples that she had a connection to Ramanuja's divine feet by showing them his divine padukas and how she got them; then she hosted them at her place and made them happy.

Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I have the fortune of receiving acharya padukas like Kongu Piratti did?"

rahasyam3/8

Varththai 21
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?"

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
============

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
===========

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
==========

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
===========

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
===========

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
===========

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
===========

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
=========

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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