from another's post. S Thirumadal.

Let us enjoy Kaliyan (Thirumangai AzhwAr’s) siRiya Thirumadal.

pEdhai n^enjE! inRaip perumai aRin^dhilaiyO! ..."

This is how Sri maNavALa mAmunigaL starts while singing about my
Dear most AzhvAr Sri thirumaN^gai mannan's thirunakshathram. Once you
start, you can never stop talking about our "mAyOnai vAL valiyAl
man^dhiraN^koL maN^gaiyarkOn". What a versatile poet! What an
inspiring story!! Maan! nam kaliyan is Great...

Let me just briefly talk about an interesting portion from siRiya
thirumadal. (It is in fact very difficult to 'select' a beautiful
portion from siRiya thirumadal. )

Some background:

SiRiya thirumadal is a special style of poem where our AzhvAr
assumes the role of the n^Ayaki madly in love with the perumAL. Here,
She sends her heart as a messenger to perumAL. A lot of poets have dealt
with this. But nam kaliyan is so very special.

"ArAnum onnAdhAr kELAmE sonnakkAl
ArAyumElum paNi kEttu AdhanRenilum
pOrAdhozhiyAdhE pOn^dhidu n^I enRERkuk
kArAr kadal vaNNan pin pOna n^eNJamum
vArAdhE ennai maRan^dhadhudhaan..."

ArAnum onnAdhAr kELAmE sonnakkAl - While you go and tell him about me
you should very carefully look around to see if there is anybody who
might influence him badly. You should avoid such enemies. You should
whisper in His ears so that nobody listens to it.

ArAyumElum kEttu paNi - On seeing you, if He gets very concerned about
me and enquires ,"How is she? is she alive? If I leave rightaway would I
be able to see her and unite with her? Could I get her?...", listen to
all his enquiries and then let him know about my status.
Here, She wants Him to enquire about her. She wants Him to feel restless
about her.

AdhanRenilum paNi - By chance if he doesn't even recognize me and like
dhushyanthan if he disowns me, even then you should let him know my
status. Don't feel bad and return rightaway. Make sure you explain Him
my status.
Look how she, very logically analyzes every situation and teaches her
heart to react properly.

pOrAdhozhiyAdhE - But don't keep waiting there, trying to elaborate my
situation.

pOn^dhidu n^I - Even if He forgets me, you shouldn't. You must come back
whatever He says.
She makes this point emphatically in another place too, just few lines
before this section. "sIrAr thiruththuzhAy mAlai n^amakku aruLi, thArAn
tharumenRu iraNdaththil orRadhanai..."
She is very particular that her heart should return back to her whatever
be the message.

enRERku - I took so much pain to explain in such great detail to my dear
heart, that he should not stay there. But alas! It look like I have made
a negative influence on my heart. On listening to my repeated stress on
not stay back, my heart probably realized that it is a great blissful
feeling to stay with Him. And so it did! :-(
( Here enters our parama kAruNIgar Sri peiyavAccAn piLLai with his
imaginative style of commentary. He gives an analogy. A rich landlord
had a servant to look after his paddy fields. The problem was that he
used to hide bags of rice in a corner and would take them home. One day
the landlord caught him redhanded and fired him. He hired a new servant
and the first thing he told him was," Hey man, you should not hide the
rice in a corner like the old servant did. OK? " You know what happened
with the new servant. The landlord himself taught him a way to steal.
Likewise She herself taught her heart to stay back. )

kArAr kadal vaNNan pin pOna neNJamum
vArAdhE ennai maRan^dhadhu dhaan -
My heart went behind the dark coloured kaNNan and never came back.

What a sorry state! paavam nam kaliyan...

thirumaN^gai AzhvAr thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Rudra Gita.

Rudra Gita is a hymn of praise taught by Shiva to Prachetases when they approached Him to be blessed with good progeny. It is a hymn of praise rendered by Lord Shiva on Narayana

Sri Rudra said: " O Lord! victory unto thee! Thy supremacy is for the exaltation of the great knowers of the Atman! may good befall me! Though art the ever Self-fulfilled. Salutations to thee who bearest the cosmic Lotus in thy naval.................................................

Under the circumstances what intelligent men would forsake Thy feet, knowing that his life has no meaning and is spent in vain if it has not been utilised for Thy worship? O Supreme Lord the whole world is gripped with the fear of death; but to us who know thee, Thou art a heaven free of Fear.

Of all the blessings a man can receive, the highest is what is got by spiritual enlightenment. With spiritual enlightenment as the boat, man crosses the limitless ocean of Samsara. whoever recites with faith and devotion this hymn imparted by me is able to please Sri Hari.

"Ksheerasaagara-taranga seekarasaara-taarakita-chaarumoorthaye
Bhogi-bhoga-sayaneeya-saayine Maadhavaaya Madhuvidvishe Namah"

Anustup mantra.

Narasimha Parvatapani Upanishad says that Perumal appeared before Brahma as Narasimha first and taught him the Narasimha Anushtup mantra with which he was able to develop the four vedas.

Ugram, veeram, Mahavishnum, Jalantham,
Sarvathomukam, Narasimham Beeshanam
Badram mrutyo mrutyum Namamyaham.

These are the nine forms of Narasimha ugra angry; Veera fighting; Mahavishnu lakshmiarasimha; Jwalantha figure emitting flames; Sarvathomukha Narasimha with a no of faces; Narasimha as Narasimhamavtara Ordinary;Bheeshana frightful;Bhandra terrible; Mrutyo mrutyu killer of death;

a prapatti sloka;

Aho veeryam aho sowryam aho bahu parakramaha
Narasimham param deivam Ahobalam Ahobalam.

these special six days.(7-12)

Starting from the seventh day of Margali to the 12th. day is always very special they transport one to another plane altogether. The Paavai nombu the rites performed by young maidens during the month of maargazi corresponding to dec- jan is a unique cultural tradition in TamilNadu going back to the 9th century. The personal aspirations of young maidens to secure worthy spouses was very much behind these religious austerities. Even more important in the ritual was the pragmatic social concern for timely onset of rains for a good harvest and plentiful supply of milk spelling all round prosperity to all humankind. these six verses from among the thirty are so special they give a gusto to the complete celebration spanned over one month long. The anecdotal richness, philosophical intuition literary brilliance the evocative pastoral scenes add charm and elegance. the coming together of girls calling others to join the procession. the verbal tactics including friendly persuasion, cajoling admonition, and sarcasm. 
to be continued.

stories connected to the pancha ayudhams of Maha Vishnu.

Pancha Janya.
A mighty asura lived inside a conch. Sri Krishna and Balarama were students in the ashram of sage sandeepani. On the eve of completing their education, an asura named Panchajana carried away the sages son as he was bathing in the Prabhsa theertha. The asura kept the child captive inside the conch where he lived. The sage was grief striken. He asked his disciples as guru dakshina to bring back his son. accordingly Krishna and Balarama went to the banks of the river and prayed to Varuna. Varuna appeared before them. Krishna appraised him of the situation and asked for assistace.  With the help of Varuna, Krishna and Balarama killed the Asura Panchajana and got back the son of their Guru. The conch in which the asura lived was taken as a momento  by Krishna. Because the conch belonged to Panchajana the conch got the name Panchajanya.

Kaumodaki:
The club of Sri Krishna is known as Kaumodaki. This weapon was given to Vishnu by Varuna the Lord of the waters. It was given at the time of burning the forests Khandava. it is said to be capable of killing every daitya and producing the sound of lightning and thunder.

Nandaka: 
The sword of Maha Vishnu also has a story behind it. Once Brahma performed a sacrifice on the banks of the Ganga on the peak of Mount Meru. While Brahma was sitting in deep meditation one Lohasura came to disturb the sacrifice. Immediately a male being came into existence from the meditation of Brahma. The male being paid homage to Brahma and the devas. the gods blessed and welcomed him. even as the gods blessed and welcomed im he changed into a sword called Nandaki. Nandaka means the one that gives joy. that sword was received by Maha Vishnu by the request of the Gods. just as he took it Lohasura came near he was an asura with a blue complexion with a thousand hands and fists he whirled his club and scattered the assembled devas. Maha Vishnu then used the sword to cut down the limbs of the asura. those limbs became metals when the sword touched them. Maha Vishnu thus killed the asura. he then granted Nandaka a pure body, thus Nandaka became a deity amongst the weapons of the earth. and Brahmas sacrifice was completed with the aid of Vishnu through Nandaka.

Saranga:
It is Sri Krishna's bow. When Krishna showed his visvaroopa in the assembly of the kauravas. he held in one hand a bow. this bow was made by Brahma and given to Krishna.

Sudarshana:
this story is relayed in another post dedicated entirely to the great sudarshana. 

proximity parama pada

Uraimel kondu en ullamovadu eppodum
varaimel maragadame pola tirai mel
kidandanai kkindanai kezalay ppumi
idandanai ettiezum.

My heart will at all times find fulfilment singing in ecstasy the glory of the lord. who is like a sapphire embedded mountain, who is like a sapphire embedded mountain floating on the waves of the milky ocean, who in the form of a boar retrieved this earth lost in the unfathomable depths of the ocean, and restored it to its position. This gives the description of the Sarvasakthi, soulabhya and sowsheelyam f the Lord.

ezuvar uidaigolvar intuzayanai
vazuvar vagai ninaindu vaigal tozuvar
vinai ccudarai nanduvikkum vengadame vanor
mana ccudarai ttundum malai.

The lofty venkata mountain it is that puts out the fire of past sins, of those desirous of worldly riches, those who desire to be with the Lord for the joys of paradise, also to those who constantly seek and pray for proximity of the Lotus feet of the Lord who do not wish to part or stir from being the realized ones at parama padha to be among the ones who are with the Lord wearing the beautiful Tulasi garland.

The alzwar extols the properties of Thiruvenkatam the abode of Lord Srinivasa. 
Lord Krishna in the Bhagvad gita classifies his devotees in the following four folds;
1. A'rtha, those who are afflicted:
2. Jigya,su, those who seek wisdom for hevenly happiness,
3. Artha'rti, those who aspire worldly prosperity,
4. Gya'ni realised beings who wish for nothing except the feet of the Lord.
Thiruvenkatam puts out the fire of accumulated karma of the first three sets of devotees of the Lord. At the same time it kindles the gentle fire of love for the Lord of the realised being.

Abhya sa yoga

Iyalvaga in tuzayan adikke sella
myyalvar iyal amarar munnam --iylvaga
nidiyal odi niyamangalal parava
adiyay ninral avar.

From time immemorial the blessed eternal beings nityasuris have always been in attendance at the lotus feet of the "tulasi garland clad one". But he is ever in the forefront to bless others who, in earnest, recite His auspicious Names, and follow the pursuits prescribed in the spiritual texts.

The alwar observes that it is not as if the Lord is only accessible to the Nithya suris  of Vaikunta who are always in attendance on Him, with garlands, holy water, and incense. He is facile enough for worldly beings like us to reach, if only we recite His names and observe the pursuits prescribed in the shastras for reaching him.
The shastras prescribe a, observance of fasts and other measures of self rectitude. b. listening to the acharya about the teachings of srutis (Sravanam) c, internalising the teachings (Mananam) 
d, worship of the Lord (Archanam) e, singing his praise (nama sankirthanam) f, and rendering service at his feet, and the feet of his beloved devotees(Bhagavad - bha gavatha pada sevanam) Poigai alwar stresse sNidiyal and Iyalvaga meaning in proper manner, to the best of one ability respectively. this is also what Sri Krishna tells in Bhagvad gita as abhyasa yoga practice of devotional service and math karma parama or dedicated to my work (12.9; 12.10)