Today Is The Day Of Love, Of Devotion and Absolute Surrender!

Most Gracious ILites,

I have been keeping away from the Religion Forum for quite some time. I have a strange feeling that people listen to me when I talk about a controversial topic, even when I detail what a plastic surgeon does and when I write a serial or short story, but not when I talk about Religion. Then I remembered the proverb "Satan quoting the Vedas". And perhaps on the authority of the proverb the Gracious Ladies are right in ignoring my religious meanderings.

But Ladies, today is a very special day. Vaikasi Visakam. Today is the Janma Naksthatram of Sri Nammalwar. Sri Sadagopan. Who was born in Alwar Thirunagari near Tirunelveli (then known as Kurukoor).

Nammalwar has written a thousand verses called the Thiruvaimozhi. They constitute the final thousand paasurams of Naalayira Divya Prabandam. The pasurams are rich in meaning - so rich that the commentaries on these pasurams are several times larger than the original text.

But to just chant these paasurams without even caring to know what they mean! How I wish Ladies, that I can transfer the experience to you! Alas, it is not possible. They are the very essence of love, love for God expecting nothing in return, love in which the self destorys itself and finds Him in his perfect form of Love Divine.

When Nammalwar imagines himself a love-lorn woman sending swans and koels as his messengers to Lord, well, if some one does not cry, then her heart is made of solid rock.

All his songs are in the form of Andaathi. That is the last word of the first song is the first word of the next song. And so on for all the thousand songs.

The Vedas and the Upanishads are the ultimate in Hinduism. But they are like the hard Jack Fruit (Pala Pazham) which are beyond the reach of ordinary men like me. But this great man, blessed be his soul for all time to come, cut open the jack fruit, separated the fruit from chaff, dipped them in honey and then lets them slip into our mouths.

To talk about his paasurams I may require hundred times the bandwidth of the entire site. I am not going to do that.

I do not know how many of you can lay hands on his works. And how many of you will have the time and inclination to read them.

But please do remember this day. Today is the birth anniversary of a saint who preached nothing but love and who had nothing but love. Remember him and pray to him that you should also be blessed with a millionth of his love. I am sure your lives will change for the better.

திருவழுதி நாடென்றும் தென்குருகூர் என்றும்
மருவினிய வண்பொருநல் என்றும் - அருமறைகள்
அந்தாதி செய்தான் அடியிணையே எப்பொழுதும்
சிந்தியாய் நெஞ்சே தெளிந்து.

நம்மாழ்வார் திருவடிகளே சரணம்

 

Hari Om Vidya,

Thanks for being the first to respond. I also felt happiness surging within me when I wrote this piece. It was with trembling hands and tearful eyes that I keyed in those words.

My ignorance of Vaishnavite literature is no less than that of yours. I chanced upon Naalayira Divya Prabandam and particulary Thiruvaimozhi (by Nammalwar) just a few days back. That's all.

After chanting some of the beautiful verses of this Saint of Love, I feel that even to look for meanings and commentaries is an act of intellect trying to appease itself. As you chant the verses with love, meanings just start flowing in from up above.

Let me make an honest attempt starting with you Vidya as yours was the first post.
Let me just write a small verse of the great Alwar with every reply I make today.

மின்னின் நிலையில
மன்னுயிராக்கைகள்
என்னுமிடத்து
இறை உன்னுமின் நீரே