Periyazhvar Enlightenment

சென்னி ஓங்கு

What a feeling finally - Me in You and You in Me

Starting with tracing the birth of Krishna and his growth phase (infancy to childhood), describing his various activities, achievements and the reactions from those around him, Periyazhvar spent over 250 verses in this ‘Pillai Tamil’ praise.

And then he moved on singing praise of Lords at different temples. Unlike other Azhvaars, he did not sing praise of too many. In his entire 473 verses, he refers in detail only to Srirangam, Tiruvenkatam, Thiru Kottiyur, Thiru Maliruncholai, Thiru Vellarai and Kadi Nagar. Having described Krishna through his mother and then these temples, he transforms himself into a completely different poet in these final set of verses.

He is seen engaging  in beautiful personal conversation with the Lord surrendering to him, showcasing his helpless state asking for help and finding him finally holding on to him.

Feels the Lord in Him

In this last decad, he revels in his expressions of coming together with the Lord and a feeling of being one with him. He feels the Lord inside him and presents himself in a way that the Lord too has accepted him in his heart.

Praising the lord of Venkatam where mountains rise high, he says his body and soul have now been branded and embellished with the Lord’s discus emblem. He is now waiting for the Lord’s orders and wants to know what is in store for him next from the Lord. He wants to dedicate his life to serve the Lord and asks as to what else he wants from his true devotee.

சென்னி ஓங்கு தன் திருவேங்கடமுடையாய்

உலகு தன்னை வாழ நின்ற நம்பி - தாமோதரா சதிரா

என்னையும் என்னுடைமையையும்

உன் சக்கரப் பொறி ஒற்றிக் கொண்டு

நின்னருளே புரிந்திருந்தேன்

இனி என் திருக்குறிப்பே

He expresses his transcendental experience. He says that since the time the Lord ascended on his Garuda Vahana and showered his blessings on him, he has been on a different journey. The ocean of births and deaths has dried up and become sanctified.

Finds Eternal Bliss

He says in delight that the groves that had trapped him in the ruins of everyday life- karmas of his past are now being destroyed by the raging forest fire. And he is experiencing divinity like never before. Knowledge is flowing like a river brimming with water. And these are flooding his head in waves and waves of nectar. It is eternal bliss, he calls it.

Yama has to stay away from him

He goes on with his current blissful state of life. He says that he feels emancipated. No one else in this mundane world may currently be enjoying the bliss that he is experiencing. Till recently, all the sins and miseries had hung on him very heavily life Yama. But suddenly in a silent and quiet way these have disappeared and seem to have gone into hiding somewhere in the distant bushes.

நம்மன் போலே வீழ்த்து அமுக்கும்

நாட்டில் உள்ள பாவம் எல்லாம்

கம்மெனாதே கைவிட்டு ஓடித் தூறுகள் பாய்ந்தனவே

Like the nectar churned out of the ocean and filling the pot to the brim, Periyazhvar says he melted his self, opened his mouth drank deep and filled every thought with the Lord. He is now revelling in the beautifully new realised conscious state of finding delight in the Lord. Even the Lord of death cannot come near him now for he has to obey the Lord.

கொடுமை செய்யும் கூற்றமும் என் கோள் ஆடி குறுகப் பெறா 

Inscribed the Lord in his tongue

He follows this with another gem of a verse. He compares his current stage of life to Gold. He says just like gold is rubbed on a stone to determine its purity, he too has rubbed and inscribed the Lord’s name in his tongue and has encapsulated the Lord in him, while at the same time put himself in the Lord finding himself a place in the Sun. YOU IN ME and MYSELF IN YOU.

பொன்னைக் கொண்டு உரைகள் மீதே நிறம் எழ உரைத்தாற் போல்

உன்னைக் கொண்டு என் நாவகம் பால் மாற்றின்றி உரைத்துக் கொண்டேன்

உன்னைக் கொண்டு என்னுள் வைத்தேன் என்னையும் உன்னிலிட்டேன் 

என் அப்பா என் இருடீகேசா என் உயிர்க் காவலனே

Parasurama’s Praise- A Surprise one at the end!!!!

Parasurama finds an interesting mention here. Periyazhvar praises the Lord as one who holds the axe in his right hand in an effort to subdue the arrogant kings ( he had taken an oath to erase generations of Kshatriya Kings!!!) - மன் அடங்க மழு வலங்கைக் கொண்ட ராம நம்பீ......

Like the everlasting inscription on the temple wall or the art on the wall, he has inscribed his thoughts in the lord in an indestructible manner. All his valiant deeds without any omission he has engraved in the Lord.Having thus come to reside in his heart, he now tells the Lord that he (the Lord) has nowhere else to go.

உன்னுடைய விக்கிரமம் ஒன்று ஒழியாமல் எல்லாம்

என்னுடைய நெஞ்சகம் பால் சுவர் வழி எழுதிக் கொண்டேன்

Like the Pandya King

He compares the Pandya King’s emblem to his own. He says just like the Pandya king printed his fish emblem on the mountain peak, the Lord has imprinted the blooming lotus feet on the crown of his head. He says his tongue has swollen reciting his names non-stop in the recent past. He thanks the Lord for finally taking him into his lip service.

பருப்பதத்துக் கயல் பொறித்த பாண்டியர் குலபதி போல்

திரு பொழிந்த சேவடி என் சென்னியின் மேல் பொறித்தாய்

மறுப்பு ஒசித்தாய் மல் அடர்த்தாய் என்றென்று உன் வாசகமே

உருப் பொலிந்த நாவினேன் உனக்கு உரித்து ஆக்கினையே 

Lord leaves being his vehicles

He talks about the coming to an end of his miseries. Sharing lesser love on even his Anathan and Suparna 

(Serpant and Garuda), Periyazhvar talks about the Lord having decided to enter his heart blessing him with a new life thus delighting him.

Emotional Periyazhvar

Periyazhvar expresses great emotions in this verse. Having found the Lord by his side, he uses phrases such as ‘melting heart’ and ‘tearful eyes’.

என் மனந்துள்ளே வந்து வைகி வாழச் செய்தாய் எம்பிரான்

நினைந்து என்னுள்ளே

நின்று நேக்குக் கண்கள் அசும்பு ஒழுக

He thanks the Lord for ending his physical tiredness and mental fatigue as he is now living every moment with thoughts of the Lord.

நினைத்திருந்தே சிரமம் தீர்ந்தேன்

நேமி நெடியவனே

The final verses of 473

In successive verses ending the Periyazhvar Thirumozhi, he wonders as to how the Lord left his beautiful abode in the Northern Milky Ocean, Vaikunta, walled city of Dwaraka and came to reside in him when so many others in the solar region and the heaven are awaiting him. He compares this to the bright shining flag fluttering atop a high mountain and says that the Lord shines like a flame in his heart.

மணிக் கடலில் பள்ளி கோளைப் பழக விட்டு ஓடி வந்து

என் மனக் கடலில் வாழவல்ல மாய மணாள நம்பீ

....என்றென்று உனக்கு இடமாய் இருக்க

என்னை உனக்கு உரித்து ஆக்கினையே

தடவரை வாய் மிளிர்ந்து மின்னும் தவள நெடுங்கொடி போல்

சுடர் ஒளியாய் நெஞ்சினுள்ளே தோன்றும் என் சோதி நம்பீ

வடதடமும் வைகுந்தமும் மதில் துவராபதியும்

இடவகைகள் இகழ்ந்திட்டு என்பால் இடவகை கொண்டனையே