And Now The Perfect Ending For The Perfect Love Story!

Dear Sridhar,

Thanks for giving the audience for two of us and quoting the example of the great scientist. But we do not know whether we get a noble price or not but you have become a torch light for us in showing the way with all your sincerity and with the same sincerity we too start our journey on this path.

Thanx for being there and showing us the light.

My sincere thanks to Sriniketan for initiating this enlightening thread.

Dear Sriniketan and Lalitha,
Well, it's time to get into the 4th paasuram. Sriniketan, that A-Z quote was quite interesting. Nammazhwar says
பேரும் ஓராயிரம் பிற பல உடைய எம்பெருமான்
He has a thousand names and some more.

In this paasuram the Azhwar is immersed in the Lord's Udharabandham. Udharabandam is the sanskrit word for Arai gnan kayiru (known as arunaakayiru colloquially). Our Acharyas have enjoyed this ornament of God. A commentator says that inside his stomach are three kinds of souls : the devas, then mukthas (enlightened people) and the devotees. This is denoted by the three folds in His stomach. So the three folds talk about his sovereignty and supremacy over all the living beings.

A little below the folds we can find the marks of the rope with which Yashoda bound him to the grinding stone. The Lord who contains all the worlds in His stomach and who can show them in His mouth to his mother, let himself bound by the small rope by Yashoda. Kanni nun siruthaambinaal kattunna panniya perumayan is what Madhurakavi Azhwar says.
Those rope marks talk about God's love or saulabhyam, easy approachability. If you want to see a Governt office peon you need to go to his office at a particular hour and wait outside if he is taking tea or just loitering around.
But with our Lord you can go to him any time, any season, any place. He is only too eager to receive us in His arms and ask what can He do for us. That is saulabhyam. Even the peon does not have it. The Lord has it to the full.
And the Udharabandham is so very important because it acts as a bridge between the omnipotence of God and His all-loving nature, saulabhyam.
Naturally the udhara bandham has entered the Azhwars heart and stays there.
love,

Dear Sridhar,

One more doubt what is this connection with ravan -- Lankaikku irraivan thalai pathu........ Can you elaborate on this?

Sridhar,
This is for your sincerity..to work and this is for keeping up your word..(when you asked us , will you let me work for you.)..we are giving you the work you had requested.. and it is for our benefit, isn't it...too much selfishess..mmm..

It is nice to know the meaning for the 4th pasuram and also the importance of 'udhara bandham'..Sure He is available 24/7...but we forget about that..

In the 5th one..one of His greatest qualities of 'sowbalyam' is explained....
In this Azhwar says...He cut off my previous sins and made him enter His heart and then He slowly entered Azhwar's heart and he is amazed what thavam have I done to enjoy this privilege from Him..this time his broadened chest, where Goddess Lakshmi resides, has captured his heart...
waiting for more on this...


Lalitha,
We are all learners here..as I had mentioned before, let this Amalanaadhipiran be the 'pillyar suzhi' for me reading the Nalayira Divya Prabandham'..
Happy to see you are with me here...

sriniketan

Sriniketan and Lalitha,
First please forgive me for the delay. I had been to Chennai and came back to my base only this morning. Did not have computer access and/or reference books there and hence could not respond earlier.

I have already posted this paasuram as my 5000th post but I am reproducing it here for completeness.


ாரமாய பழ வினை பற்றறுத்து என்னைத் தன்
வாரமாக்கி வைத்தான் வைத்ததின்றி என்னுள் புகுந்தான்
கோரமாதவம் செய்தனன் கொல் அறியேன் அரங்கத்தம்மான் திரு
வார மார்பதன்றோ அடியேனை ஆட்கொண்டதே


I am not attempting a poetic translation of the paasuram. But just explain the meaning . This paasuram is on Thiruvarangans jewel-bedecked chest.
(திருவார மார்பு) The Alwar says, “ My Lord snapped the thread that
linked me to my past karma. (பாரமாய பழவினைப் பற்றறுத்து) Thus he
unburdened me of my past karma of a million births. Not only did he do that, but also made me His slave. (தன் வாரமாக்கி)
How can I ever hope to describe his Love. Not only that he entered my heart to live there for ever.
How can I ever deserve His great act of Love? Did I do gruesome penance
(கோர மாதவம்) in my births past? I do not know. His necklace-bedecked broad chest has for ever enslaved me.

What attracts me in this paasuram are the key words paaramaya pazhavinai patraruthu.
Only He can sever the connection between us and our karmas and give us the release. There are many who think that we can work for our release. When we work, we add only more karmas. How can adding more karmas destroy the past karmas. Impossible.
This is the mistake many people do when they start to learn meditation. Listening to the words of half-baked teachers, they attempt to "drive" all thoughts away from their minds. But if you want to drive way your thoughts then the driving thought has to be more powerful than the driven thoughts. Thus you have thoughts to the power x sitting in your mind, you need to have at least thoughts to the power x+1 to drive the older ones away. Then you end up with a stronger thought and a worse karma.
Only He by His eternal grace can drive away our thoughts. And because he destroyed the Azhwar's Karma, Azhwar is able to see Him. So but by His Grace we cannot even think of Him.
The Lord made the Azhwar His slave and then entered his mind. This is just to show that it is not just the Master-slave relationship. Because God in addition to making Azhwar His slave,has entered his mind. Slaves normally detest their masters. But in this case the Master is permanently living in the slave's mind. Meaning, this is not the ordinary slavery. Did not Aandal say,

எற்றைக்கும் ஏழேழ் பிறவிக்கும் உன்தன்னோடு
உற்றாமேயாவோம் உனக்கே நாம் ஆட்செய்வோம்
We do not have a word inany of our languages to describe this God-Devotee relationship; so we use the word slave - vaaram.

And Azhwar says that he is not sure whether he did penance for years on end to attain to this state. We cannot prescribe what is to be done to get his Grace. Please refer to the Swamiji's lecture in HE Final episode where he talks about Anugraha or Grace. It is not attained by penance or any other deed or effort. Only He has to bestow it on us.
He did it on the Azhwar. And will surely bestow it on us one day. When? It could be tomorrow, or a hundred life-times later. Let's just keep our hands folded in prayer till then.
Love,

Sridhar,
Nice to know the explanation for that pasuram...I was a little bit busy today..I got hold of this computer only now...
I will be back tomorrow with the next paasuram...i went through all today...but to understand the meaning...I had to wait till tomorrow..
I think in this next one...Azhwar describes about Thirumal's kandam ... the throat...

sriniketan

O wow!

Dear Sridhar, Lalitha and Sriniketan,

I didn't know that you three were carrying this thread forward and you have been discussing, teaching and learning Pasurams etc. Just goes to show how big IL has become and how varied its themes are.
Well, this sure has been my loss.
But, it is too late now...I shall look into your discussions when I have some real good time for myself and take the full pleasure of it.
Thanks to all of you and especially Sridhar:)

L, Kamla

Dear Sridhar,

Saw your post yesterday but just could not come to give a fb due to work pressure. Hence today first thing I came here to give my

It was a beautiful narration..... without total surrender to HIM, his grace will not be there fully on us. The azwar had surrendered to him so he became a slave. When all our thoughts and actions are unto him, maybe with his grace we can try to be his slave but ethanai janam endru yarukku theriyum......... avan illamal naam illai. Andha karunai kadaldhan anugruhikka vendum.

Waiting for more !

Dear Sriniketan, Lalitha and Kamla,
Before we go further in the discussion let's have a look at the paasuram of the day
துண்ட வெண்பிறையான்* துயர் தீர்த்தவன்* அஞ்சிறைய-
வண்டுவாழ் பொழில்சூழ்* அரங்கநகர் மேய அப்பன்*
அண்டர் அண்ட பகிரண்டத்து* ஒரு மாநிலம் எழுமால்வரை, *முற்றும்-
உண்ட கண்டம் கண்டீர் *அடியேனை உய்யக்கொண்டதே
will be with you shortly,
love,
sridhar

Dear Lalitha,
I am sorry I forgot this question totally.
இலங்கைக்கு இறைவன் தலைபத்து-
உதிர வோட்டி,* ஓர் வெங்கணை* உய்த்தவன்
This is the line you are talking about. I don't see any special significance in bringing in Ravan here. May be it is just to show us that the Lord who is capable of finishing off the ten heads of Ravan by a single arrow, the All powerful, omnipotent and omniscient God,if that God lets Himself to be tied up by the small rope of Yasodha....
Lalitha, you can some time or other finish talking about Lord's Valour and his strength. Give me a billion billion births; I won't be able to talk about a trillionth of His love for us.
love,

Originally Posted by lalitha shivaguru

Dear Sridhar,

One more doubt what is this connection with ravan -- Lankaikku irraivan thalai pathu........ Can you elaborate on this?