SRIMAN NARAYANA, SRI LAKSHMI AMMA (DAYA DEVI) AND THE HOLIEST OF HOLY WORKS OF THE REVERENTIAL AZHWARS ( MYSTIC SAINTS ) OF THE SOUTH OF INDIA. ( Part 10 / 21)
Sri NamAzhwar (king among our azhwars) Part 10 of 21
PLEASE SEE OUR DEAREST NAMAZHWAR'S ABSOLUTE RESEMBLANCE WITH OUR LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA.
Our dear most Sri Namazhwar/ Sadagopan is unquestionably the king of our azhwars and also the most compassionate Emperor of mankind. According to our Sri Vaishnavism, he is the first mortal in Kali yuga, to have attained SriParmapadam, that too when our most beloved Lord Sri Krishna could not bear his separation at all, he himself very tenderly carried him to his most divine abode and his moksha dinam ( salvation day) is Sri Vaikuntha Ekadasi, coinciding between the months December and January in the holiest of holy Marghazi month. Our creator Lord Sriman Narayana, in the eleventh chapter , Vishwaroopa Darshanam of Srimadh Bhagavadh Gita, himself has proclaimed though his mukhakamalam that of all the months the most auspicious month is Dhanur.
At the very outset, request countless forgiveness, for any errors , for at my atom like total non entity level to write about our king, the one and only most compassionate NAMAZHWAR is very tough for me, for I do not know where to begin , what to write , but am very sure my pen is moving under our Lord Sri Krishna's grace. Our dearest Namazhwar, as we have seen, in the earlier series, is the guru of our Madhura kavi azhwar and our holiest of holy 4000 verses of our Dravida vedas ( 4000 divya Prabhandham) compiled by the most exalted Nathamuni acharyan, was very affectionately dictated by Namazhwar after he left for Sri Parmapadam.
Our Namazhwar once again came back to our dearest mother earth, with our Madhura Kavi azhwar, and ensured through Nathamuni acharyan, by very lovingly dictating to him every verse of the 4000 holiest of holy verses, to ensure the entire works of all the twelve azhwars are restored and to enable it to reach to mankind, such is our dearest of dear , Rajati raja Gajapati one and only Namazhwar. None can compete with him in total prapati and complete renunciation.
His own contribution combined with our Tirumangai azhwar sums up to more than half of the Divya Prabhandham. None of us, at our micro mini molecular state ,even comprehend his majestic stature, he is like a king of countless lions. His highly qualitative analysis of all our revered four vedas and their translation into Tamil language in the most simple manner for easy grasp and understanding, is monumental and his divine most verses are the greatest treasure trove to the entire universe.
As per our scriptures, although he is the incarnation of Vishwaksena ( commander in chief of our dearest of dear Lord Sriman Narayana), in reality he is the manifestation of Lord Sri Krishna himself in the kali yuga. It is said at the end of dwapar yuga after our lord Sri Krishna reached his holiest abode Sri Parmapadam, he could not bear to separate from all his loving devotees residing on our dearest mother earth and hence within 45 days at the beginning of Kali yuga rushed back to Bhuloka once again for our redemption. What a marvel of our most beloved lord Sri Govinda!.
To my mind, our dearest Lord Sri Govinda , as an unparalleled creator and king of all the worlds comes running in jet set speed to each of his staunch devotees to fully ensure none of them are despondent and to release each one of us from the vicious cycle of confusion, birth and death, good and bad, then Isn't it our moral duty to run to our lord Sri Govinda rather than the king , our creator coming to us.
If only we think of him constantly , sing his divine glories will he find some respite , otherwise him coming to us is a failure mechanism on our part for the moment we forget him he keeps coming to remind us of his presence and protects us in his divine most lotus heart , but my dearest spiritual sisters and brothers , can we just, this moment onward , please let our dearest of dear Lord Sri Govinda find some breather and let us run to him so that our lords most divine beautiful pink lotus feet does not ache , please let us do it just now, keep chanting his holiest of holy names, continue offering him delicious annaprasadam, weave beautiful garlands of the most scented multi colored flowers and above all include our divine most parents Sriman Narayana and our most beloved Lakshmi amma in all what we do, lovingly confide in them, so that they need not come running to us but vice-versa.
LET US FOREVER ENSHRINE , SHIELD AND PROTECT THEM IN OUR HEARTS AS OUR ANTARYAAMI ( IN DWELLER )SO THAT THEY NEVER LEAVE AND ETERNALLY RESIDE WITHIN US AND THEIR IMMENSE PAIN AND AGONY OF OUR SEPARATION IS TOTALLY ELIMINATED. THIS IS OUR DEAREST GREATEST NAMZHWAR'S CELESTIAL MESSAGE TO EACH OF US FOR HE NEVER LEFT THE DIVINE TAMARIND TREE WHERE HE MEDITATED ALL HIS LIFE IN HIS AVATARA ON OUR DEAREST MOTHER EARTH , INSTEAD ALL THE 108 DIVYA DESA LORD'S CAME TO HIM REQUESTING HIM TO SING A VERSE OR TWO ABOUT THEIR GLORIES, SUCH IS OUR MIGHTY SCHOLAR PAR EXCELLENCE NAMAZHWAR WHERE THE VARIOUS 108 ARCHA DIVYA MANGALA VIGRAHA OF LORD SRI KRISHNA CAME TO BLESS HIM, SO MUCH THEY LOVED HIS MOST SACRED OUTPOURINGS.
This is the only requisite of our dearest lord Sri Govinda , beloved Lakshmi amma and our all adoring azhwars, when they have done so much for us at all times, unmerited and unjustified at our end , CAN'T WE JUST RECIPROCATE IN THE SMALLEST WAY POSSIBLE?. WE SURELY CAN AND WE SURELY WILL. THIS IS THE DIVINE OATH WE TAKE JUST NOW TO FOREVER BE IN UNION WITH OUR DIVINE LORD SRI KRISHNA AND SRI MAHALAKSHMI AMMA.
Our dearest of dear Namazhwar's ( Nam in Tamil means ours, he is our azhwar, his divine manifestation is only for our deliverance) divine works is a magnum opus classic masterpiece which none in all the universe can even think of , but am summarizing some of the core essence of his epic:
- (A) He has defined very clearly who a PARMAATMAN IS (HE IS OUR VERY OWN LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA , SOLE CREATOR OF ALL THE WORLDS IN HIS MOST CHARMING PERSONAL FORM, WHICH OUR LORD SRI GOVINDA HAS MENTIONED IN OUR HOLY SRIMADH BHAGAVAD GITA TOO, OUR LORD SRI KRISHNA'S BEAUTY IS UNMATCHED)
(B) Jivatama ( individual soul, LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA'S CREATION)
(C)Relationship of OUR DEAREST PARMAATMAN WITH THE JIVAATMA ( JIVAATMA IS SUBSERVIENT TO OUR CREATOR, RELATIONSHIP IS THAT OF A SUBMISSIVE SERVANT)
(D)Hurdles of an individual jivatama to reach our PARMAATMAN ( THE INDRIYAS AND THE KARMEINDRIYAS (SENSORY PLEASURES) which block its way and act as stumbling blocks, one has to forcefully, under the divine guidance of our dearest creator, push aside the barrier
(E)Remedial measures to remove the hurdles ( TOTAL UNCONDITIONAL , VOLUNTARY LOVING SURRENDER UNTO THE DIVINE MOST LOTUS FEET OF OUR LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA AND LAKSHMI AMMA ( TOTAL PRAPATI )
These five vital factors sums up the complete TATTVA (ESSENCE) of the entire cosmos, if total prapati at the divine lotus feet of our most beloved Lord Sriman Narayana and our most affectionate indulgent mother Lakshmi amma is done by the jivatma then all problems solved, nothing to worry at all, to rest assured fully that everything occurs only on the will and divine ordinance of Lord Sri Govinda. To discard the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful , the intellect and the lower mind, TO FULLY BE SECURE IN THE DIVINE KNOWLEDGE THAT IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE EVERYTHING IS TRANSIENT, ONLY THE DIVINE CONSORT ARE ETERNAL AND TIMELESS.
ONCE THEY SHIELD US IN THEIR LOVING PROTECTIVE EMBRACE, NOTHING IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE MATTERS, WE NEED NOT APPLY OUR MINDS AT ALL FOR WE ARE ALREADY ENSHRINED IN OUR LORDS HEART, HE WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING, WE NEED TO JUST KEEP CHANTING DEVOTEDLY HIS DIVINE HOLIEST OF HOLY NAMES. THIS IS OUR DEAREST NAMAZHWARS SANCTIMONIOUS MESSAGE.
SIMPLE MOST FOR EACH OF US, IF ONLY WE UNDERSTOOD THIS STRAIGHTFORWARD DIVINE COMMUNICATION , OUR LIVES WOULD BE BLISSFUL ON OUR DEAREST MOTHER EARTH ITSELF, OUR ASPIRATIONS FOR SRI PARMAPADAM TOO MAY NOT MATTER MUCH, BECAUSE OUR LORD IS ALREADY MOST LOVINGLY CAPTIVATED BY US HERE ITSELF WITHIN OUR HEARTS. WHERE ARE OUR DIVINE MOTHER AND FATHER RESIDE THAT PLACE IS OUR SRIPARMAPADAM, WE NEED NOT GO TO THEIR HOLIEST ABODE, IT IS LIKE THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A MARRIED GIRL'S PARENTS STAYING WITH HER EVEN AFTER MARRIAGE, THEN WHY SHOULD SHE GO TO HER PARENTS HOME WHEN THEY ARE ALREADY RESIDING WITH HER.
- As with each of us, our relationship with our dearest lord Sriman Narayana and mother Mahalakshmi amma is THEY ARE SARVASVAM (ALL IN ALL ) FOR US. Sometimes, we think of them as our loving child, sometimes as our friend, at others as our life mate, and most of the times as OUR DEAREST PARENTS. Our dearest of dear Namazhwar also took to all these roles while drawing our Lord Sri Govinda close to him , sometimes he took the role of a NAYIKA (a lovely maiden in love with her dearest), sometimes as the doting mother of the nayika (mother is very worried that her girl is sick in love with her lover and hence pleads with our lord Sri Govinda either to fully accept her or abandon her ever for she cannot bear to see her dearest girl suffer in love), the nayikas friend who goes with her friends message to our lord Sri Govinda to accept her friend as his bride and inform him about her terrible condition due to his separation, this is the most exalted state of mind of our dearest Namazhwar, from one role to another he shifts effortlessly, the most distinct part of our most beloved Namazhwar he is always in divine trance, he faints at regular intervals for days because of his despondency on separation from our dearest lord Sri Govinda.
Our most beloved Namazhwar , is a saint one in countless, HE WHO NEVER WAS INTERESTED ONE BIT IN THE MUNDANE WORLDLY POSSESSIONS AND THE SAMSARIC MAYA (WORLDLY ILLUSIONS) , HE BEGS OUR DEAREST SRI GOVINDA AT EVERY INTERVAL TO REDEEM HIM IMMEDIATELY FOR HE CANNOT LIVE ONE BILLIONTH OF A SECOND WITHOUT OUR LORD SRI GOVINDA, BUT OUR LORD SRI KRISHNA, KEEPS REQUESTING HIM TO CONTINUE FOR SOME MORE TIME , TILL SUCH MOMENT OUR LORD'S DIVINE MESSAGE REACHES ALL OF MANKIND.
WHAT A BEAUTY! OUR NAMAZHWAR IS THE CHOSEN ONE BY OUR LORD AS HIS DIVINE MESSENGER FOR US. AT THIS STAGE, ALL WORDS FAIL ME. MY HANDS ARE JOINED HIGH ABOVE WITH ONLY ONE DIVINE THOUGHT HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAAMA HARE RAAMA RAAMA HARE HARE. COUNTLESS PROSTRATION AT THE MOST DIVINE HOLY FEET OF OUR MOST HOLIEST OF HOLY NAMAZHWAR. LET OUR PRAPATI TOWARDS OUR DEAREST OF DEAR LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA BE ONE BILLIONTH PART OF THAT OF OUR MOST ADORING NAMAZHWAR. IF THIS BE SO, OUR LIFE WOULD BLESSED TO THE SUPERLATIVE.
- As humbly stated at the very outset, our dearest Namazhwar through his divine most message, wanted to decode all the four vedas for each one of us. The right and the wrong conduct, the holy principles that one needs to relentlessly follow and strictly adhere to, in line with our divine scriptural injunctions, etc is the gist of namazhwars pious writings which are dripping with the highest prapati and bhakti.
Our namazhwar begs of our dearest creator Lord Sriman Narayana to gently carry us ever with him for he is worried if left alone our minds would once again get lost and cascade to the bottom most pit, for it is the perpetual habit of the wandering nomadic mind to ceaselessly drift here and there. Our Namazhwar's plea to the lord is to free him of the shackles of the worldly bonds but IN REALITY IT HOLDS WATER ONLY FOR US , NOT FOR HIM ,THE HIGHLY EVOLVED JIVATMA WITH A HIGHEST DISTINCTION TO REACH SRI PARMAPADAM FIRST.
THROUGH OUR DEAREST AZHWARS DIVINE MOST VERSES, OUR LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA WANTS US TO WAKE UP. OUR BELOVED NAMAZHWAR BLESSED OUR MOTHER EARTH WITH HIS EXISTENCE HERE FOR ONLY 32 YEARS OF WHICH, THE FIRST SIXTEEN YEARS HE WAS FULLY IMMERSED IN YOG MUDRA , COMPLETE ONE POINTED MEDITATION, HE DID NOT MOVE ONE BIT TOO, PEOPLE WONDERED WHETHER HE WAS ALIVE, THESE YEARS HE ATE, SLEPT AND THOUGHT ONLY OF OUR LORD SRI KRISHNA IN HIS YOGIC TRANCE, MOVEMENT LESS.
THE NEXT SIXTEEN YEARS HE WAS FULLY IMMERSED IN DIVINE DAZE AND KEPT DANCING AND SINGING THE CELESTIAL GLORIES OF OUR LORD SRI KRISHNA WHERE HE WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THE WORLD THEN SURELY HIS MESSAGE OF PRAPATI IS FOR MANKIND ONLY AND NOT FOR HIMSELF BUT HIGHLY EVOLVED MAHATMAS LIKE OUR DEAREST NAMAZHWAR ALWAYS CONSIDER THEM AS LOWEST OF LOW WHICH ONLY FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS THEIR HIGHEST POINT WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE HIMALAYAN PEAK AND OUR POSITION IS AT THE FOOTHILLS, OUR AZHWARS ARE AT ONE END OF THE SPECTRUM AND WE AT THE CORNER MOST OTHER END. WE NEED TO SLOWLY BUT VERY STEADILY BRIDGE THE HUGE GAP.
4 According to our Namazhwar, no matter how much our mind and body wants to reach the divine most lotus feet of our dearest lord Sriman Narayana, yet one has to learn to have immense patience, faith and above all have the highest humility to love our beloved Sri Govinda and our most adoring Lakshmi amma under all circumstances whether they appear before us or not and not question them of the delay. IT IS LIKE THE LOST BHAKTA KEEPS ASKING WHY ME? WHERE AS THE ENLIGHTENED DEVOTEE ALWAYS KEEPS CONVEYING TO OUR DEAREST CREATOR SRIMAN NARAYANA WHY NOT ME? EVEN AT THE WORST OF TIMES.
We need to know our dearest lord SriKeshava is the unparalleled creator of all the worlds, he is extremely busy, he needs some time to reach us and also we must surely understand there are more enlightened souls then us, turn by turn he will come to us, WE NEED TO LEARN THE ART OF WAITING PATIENTLY IN THE QUEUE , OUR TIME WILL COME WHEN OUR DEAR MOST DIVINE PARENTS WILL CARRY US. In our spiritual journey towards our PARMAATMAN Lord Sri Govinda unflinching devotion, steadfast mind, one pointed concentration on our parabrahman, a countless percent assurance THEY WILL COME (OUR DIVINE PARENTS) needs to be permanently embedded in our psyche .
Nothing happens on our own will and merit everything is THEIR DIVINE MERCY, GRACE AND BLESSINGS. If we are able to wait unquestioningly , obediently , allowing each of our more evolved brothers and sisters to first earn the grace of our lord SriGovinda, to believe in the magic of our dearest lord Sri Madhava, to gauge his ocean of love for us, if we are able to pass his exams then without an iota of doubt THEY WILL COME AT THE RIGHT MOMENT AND DELIVER US SPEEDILY, NO TWO OPINIONS ON THIS PRINCIPLE AT ALL. LET US ALL BE FULLY ASSURED ON THIS AND LEARN TO COMPLETELY BELIEVE IN THIS WHOLE COSMOS THERE IS ONLY ONE BEST WELL WISHER FOR US LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA AND MAHA LAKSHMI AMMA.
DESPITE OUR COUNTLESS FAILINGS AND ALSO THE FACT HE IS NONE OTHER THAN OUR DEAR MOST CREATOR LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA, POSSESSING SUPERLATIVE COMPASSION , HE WILL SURELY REACH US AND TENDERLY CARRY US.
THIS IS ALSO ONE OF THE BEST MESSAGE OF OUR BELOVED NAMAZHWAR WHO WANTS US TO LOVE OUR LORD UNCONDITIONALLY AND HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN HIS DIVINE WAYS AND STAND BY HIM AT ALL TIMES,IN PAIN AND GAIN, IN SUCCESS AND FAILURE, IN THE UPS AND DOWNS FOR THEY ARE MERE TRANSIENT CYCLES OF LIFE.
HE IS THE PERMANENT DIVINE FORCE AND HENCE LET EACH ONE OF US TOTALLY SHUN SELF PITY, SELF GLORIFICATION AND NOT WALLOW IN ME , I AND MYSELF BUT ALSO PRAY TO OUR DEAREST PARMATMAN TO GRANT EACH OF HIS CREATION SALVATION JUST AS OUR DEAREST OF DEAR AZHWARS THEY NEVER PRAYED ONE MOMENT FOR THEMSELVES BUT EVERY SINGLE SECOND THEY TRIED FOR OUR LIBERATION AND PLEADED OUR CREATOR'S MERCY FOR US.
- Our dearest Namazhwar also wants us to suffer silently and not feel agitated when we have bodily affliction, financial calamity or any other. He soulfully brings out numerous examples when our lord Sri Krishna suffered so much at the hands of the evil doers, our Lord SriRama had to go to exile and be separated from his most loved one Sita amma and face tremendous hardships, our most beloved Lord Sri Lakshmi Narsimhar in his highly agitated mind had to be calmed down by his dearest devotee Prahalada Maharaj, countless such instances our dearest Namazhwar quotes very sorrowfully drawing only one thing to each of mankind please be equipoised and to maintain our mental equilibrium to face the various vagaries of life.
In our divine Srimadh Bhagavad Gita our divine lord has mentioned about a STITHPRADGYNA ( a saint of steadfast mind who stays unaffected like the divine lotus flower under every circumstance ). Our sorrows should bring us joy for they are helpful in cutting our karmic residue and hence we can speedily reach our dearest lord Sri Govinda and merrily sit on the lotus lap of our dearest mother Lakshmi amma , for she will comfort us as our doting mother. ( TO BE CONTINUED)
SRIMAN NARAYANAM CHARANAM SHARANAM PRABHADYE SRIMAN NARAYANAYA NAMAHA.
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAAMA HARE RAAMA HARE RAAMA RAAMA RAAMA HARE HARE.
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