archAvathAra anubhavam – thirumazhisai AzhwAr anubhavam

sri:
srimathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srimadh varavaramunayE nama:
sri vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:

In the previous article (https://granthams.koyil.org/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-azhwars-1/) we observed the mudhalAzhwArgaL anubhavam.


We will now move on to thirumazhisai AzhwAr who enjoyed many dhivyadhEsa emperumAns.

Thirumazhisai AzhwAr has a unique name – he is called as thirumazhisaippirAn, pirAn is a beautiful thamizh word which means upakArakan – one who helps or one who does us favours. AzhwAr has done us one of the biggest favours – he clearly established the parathvam of emperumAn sriman nArAyaNan and absolutely cleared the doubts of any supremacy in other dhEvathAs. That is why
maNavALa mAmunigaL identified him as “thuyya mathi peRRa mazhichaippirAn” (துய்ய மதி பெற்ற மழிசைப்பிரான்) in upadhEsa rathina mAlai. As shown by piLLai lOkam jIyar, here thuyya means “very pure” and mathi means “intelligence”. Purity in intelligence means “absolutely avoiding dhEvathAntharams” and that is what thirumazhisai AzhwAr showed us.

ArAvamuthan – thirukkudanthai

thirumazhisai AzhwAr generally was meditating on antharyAmi emperumAn because emperumAn was firmly seated in AzhwAr’s heart as sriya:pathi (with a beautiful thirumEni). But he also showed great attachment towards archAvathAra emperumAns.

He also has special attachment for emperumAns in sayana thirukkOlam. Many pAsurams in his prabhandhams are dedicated to emperumAns in sayana thirukkOlam.

Let us see the 36th pAsuram from nAnmukan thiruvanthAdhi where AzhwAr enjoys many emperumAns who are in sayana thriukkOlam at once.

NAgaththanNaik kudanthai veHkAth thiruvevvuL (நாகத்தணைக் குடந்தை வெஃகாத் திருவெவ்வுள்)
NAgaththanNai aranGgam pEranbil (நாகத்தணை அரங்கம் பேரன்பில்)

NAgaththanNaip pARkadal kidakkum AdhiNedumAl (நாகத்தணைப் பாற்கடல் கிடக்கும் ஆதிநெடுமால்)
anNaippAr karuththanAvAn (அணைப்பார் கருத்தனாவான்)

Simple translation: 

emperumAn sriman nArAyaNan who is the original cause of everything is lying down in thirukkudanthai (ArAvamuthan), thiruvekkA (yathOkthakAri), thiruevvuL (vijayarAghavan), srirangam (periya perumAL), thiruppEr nagar (appa kudaththAn), thiru anbil (vadivazhagiya nambi) and thiruppARkadal (kshIrAbdhinAthan). The purpose of him lying down in these dhivya dhEsams is to enter into the hearts of the devotees who meditate on him.

periyavAchAn piLLai
shows in the vyAkyAnam that it is because emperumAn is the mother (cause) of all jIvAthmAs, just like a mother will even help the child who is not favourable towards her, emperumAn also waits in dhivyadhEsams to attract even samsAris who are not showing any interest towards him.

In thiruchchanthaviruththam pAsuram 61, AzhwAr and ArAvamudhan are having beautiful exchange of anubhavam.

NadaNtha kAlgaL NoNdhavO? NadunGgu nYAla mEnamaay (நடந்த கால்கள் நொந்தவோ? நடுங்கு ஞால மேனமாய்)
idaNthamey kulunGgavO vilanGgu mAl varaicchuram (இடந்தமெய் குலுங்கவோ விலங்கு மால் வரைக்சுரம்)
kadaNdha kAl paraNdha kAvirikkarai kudaNthaiyuL (கடந்த கால் பரந்த காவிரிக்கரை குடந்தையுள்)
kidaNthavARu ezhuNdhiruNdhu pEchu vAzhi kEchanE (கிடந்தவாறு எழுந்திருந்து பேசு வாழி கேசனே)

Simple translation:

AzhwAr is asking why thirukkudanthai emperumAn did not speak to him as soon as he saw him. He is asking emperumAn that if he is resting due to the following reasons:

• Is it because you had to measure the three worlds using your lotus like soft feet in vAmanAvathAram?
• Is it because of the long walks you took in rAmAvathAram?
• Is it because you had to bring bhUdhEvi from the deep ocean in varAhAvathAram?
• Is it because you wanted to enjoy the coolness of cauvery river flowing in with so much enthusiasm to serve you?

Finally he requests emperumAn to climb up and speak to him and also says “vAzhi” which means mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn.

periyavAchAn piLLai in his vyAkyAnam beautifully explains the soft/tender nature of emperumAn’s lotus feet using “vadiviNai illA malar magal … pidikkum melladi” pAsuram, where it is explained that when the soft hands of pirAttis touch emperumAn’s lotus feet, the lotus feet will become red – such is the tender nature of emperumAn’s thiruvadi. periyavAchAn piLLai also explains that emperumAn is eagerly waiting for AzhwAr’s mangaLAsAsanam, which is why he did not speak a word with AzhwAr until he heard the “vAzhi” from AzhwAr. AzhwAr sustains himself by doing mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn and emperumAn sustains himself by hearing the mangaLAsAsanam from his bhakthas.


Azhwar is constantly enjoying archAvathAra emperumAns within his heart. Let us enjoy this in thiruchchanthaviruththam pAsuram 64.


NinRatheNthai Uragaththu iruNthatheNthai pAdagaththu (நின்றதெந்தை ஊரகத்து இருந்ததெந்தை பாடகத்து)
anRu veHkanNai kidaNthathu ennilAtha munnelAm (அன்று வெஃகணை கிடந்தது என்னிலாத முன்னெலாம்)
anRu NAn piRaNthilEn piRaNthapin maRaNthilEn (அன்று நான் பிறந்திலேன் பிறந்தபின் மறந்திலேன்)
NinRathum iruNthathum kidaNthathum en NenjchuLE (நின்றதும் இருந்ததும் கிடந்ததும் என் நெஞ்சுளே)

Simple Translation:
My swamy was residing in thiruvUragam (UragaththAn) in standing posture, thiruppAdagam (pAndava dhUthan) in sitting posture and when I still did not develop the ruchi towards him he came to thiruveHkA (yathOkthAkAri) in reclining position. I dont consider myself as a chEthanan until I understood emperumAn and his efforts to attract me and once I understood that I never forgot about him. But now emperumAn is showing all his great qualities of these archAvathArams right within my heart.

In the vyAkyAnam, periyavAchAn piLLai shows that AzwAr was given blemishless knowledge by emperumAn. He also shows sruthi vAkyam “asath brahmEthi vEdha chEth – asannEva sa bhavathi” which explains that a jIvAthmA can be considered as existing only when he has real knowledge about emperumAn. This pramANam “anRu NAn piRaNthilEn piRaNthapin maRaNthilEn” is also explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in mumukshuppadi to indicate the importance of artha panchaka jnAnam and how our AzhwArs and AchAryas considered themselves to be useless until they got this artha panchaka jnAnam.

AzhwAr’s anubhavam of thiruvarangam is also very beautiful. He beautifully relates many vibhavAvathArams charithram in his thiruvaranga pAsurams and enjoys those vibhavAvathArams in periya perumAL.