Thiruppavai Goda's Gita - Volume 4: Thiruppavai - Goda's Gita, #4

Pasuram 16

நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்தகோபனுடைய

கோயில் காப்பானே! கொடித்தோன்றும் தோரண

வாயில் காப்பானே! மணிக்கதவம் தாள் திறவாய்

ஆயர் சிறுமியரோமுக்கு அறை பறை

மாயன் மணிவண்ணன் நென்னலே வாய் நேர்ந்தான்

தூயோமாய் வந்தோம் துயிலெழப் பாடுவான்

வாயால் முன்னம் முன்னம் மாற்றாதே அம்மா

நீ நேய நிலைக் கதவம் நீக்கேலோர் எம் பாவாய்

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The Eastern horizon was slowly turning into a coral pink colour. Wisps of pink clouds appeared like lotus blossoms which had been collected on a giant plate called the sky to welcome Lord Aditya Narayanan. Flocks of birds flying in the sky looked like throngs of devotees who were waiting to see the Rath Yathra of Perumal in the form of Lord Aditya Narayanan. The cool gentle breeze carried with it drops of dew which combined with the fragrance of the Earth appeared like an invisible hand holding the divine samara (fan) and rose water pot waiting for the divine golden chariot to arrive. The divine Vedic hymns sung by the Brahmins combined with the chirping sounds of the birds reverberated with the praise of that Hrishikeshan who showered warmth and happiness upon the Earth.

The usual meaning provided by many for Hrishikesha is, the one who controls our senses, but Kesham also means effulgence in Sanskrit; hence, Hrishikesha means the one who makes others happy by showering His effulgence on them. This name refers to Perumal who gives His powers to the Sun and the Moon, to please us with sunlight and moonlight. This explanation is found in the Vishnusahasranama commentary by Sri Chinmayananda and by Sri P.Sankaranarayanan in the Sri Vishnusahasranama stotram commentary. This is also explained in the Vishnupuranam commentary by Sri Vishnu Chitta also known as Engal Azhwan; the verse is shown below.

केशौ-तेजसी  कःआत्मा तस्मिन् शेते इति केशः।

मोक्षधर्मे केशवनामनिर्वचने

सूर्यस्य तपतो लोकानग्नेस्सोमस्य चैव हि।

अंशवो ये प्रकाशन्ते  मम ते केशसंज्ञिताः।। इति।।)

Kesau-tejasi ka:atma tasmin shete iti kesa mokshadharma kesavanaamanirvachane

Suryasya tapatho lokaanagressomasya chaiva hi Amsavo ye prakaasante mama te kesasamgnitha ।। iti ।।

The girls led by Goda walked through the streets of Gokulam. Yonder they saw many large mansions. One of the homes had a tall mast on its roof. On that mast was a large flag with the picture of a golden eagle. The flag gently fluttered in the breeze and it appeared as if it was beckoning the girls to come near it. The girls walked towards the Royal Street guided by the flag. Krishna’s palace was at the end of that street. Large fig, wood apple (விளாம்பழம்  ), neem trees lined the Royal Street. The trees on either side of the street spread their branches over the street to form a thick canopy that offered shelter from the scorching sun on hot summer days, but in that morning hour, the lengthy shadow cast by the trees made it seem as if it was still nighttime. 

‘Finally’  said Shyama. ' All our friends are here.'

'Shall we proceed to the Yamuna?' Asked Padma. ‘Is this the way to the Yamuna?’

'Not so fast,' said Goda. ' we haven't finished waking up everyone.'

'Who else is there?' Asked Shyama.

'Have you forgotten Krishna! Come with me,' said Goda, ' Let us go to Krishna's home.'

'Do you know the way to Krishna's home?' Asked Padmini who was a newcomer to Gokulam.

'Have you gone to Purushottam Kshetram?' Asked Goda.

'No. Where is it?'

'It is in the state of Orissa. The temple town is famously known as Puri. Perumal is called  Lord Puri Jagannath.

As soon as one enters the boundary of this town, the beautiful flag flying from the temple gopuram guides travellers to the temple.

Do you see that beautiful flag with the golden eagle?'

'Yes.'

'That's the royal flag of Krishna. It's fluttering in the breeze to show us the location of our darling's home.'

‘Is that why they have that flag?’ asked Padmini. ‘To guide devotees like us?’

‘Haven’t you seen flags flying above the homes of doctors to guide the sick to the right place to get medical attention?’ asked Goda.

‘Yes I have, but why is it flying here? Is there a physician in the family of King Nanda Gopan?’

‘Isn’t the Supreme Doctor  the one who cures the terrible disease called samsara? He is praised as भैषजं भिषक् Bhaishajam Bhishak in the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. Moreover, our darling Krishna is the one who cures our illness.’

‘Samsara?’

‘No, we are all in love with Him. We are suffering from lovesickness and only Krishna can cure us. This is why He has the royal flag flying from the mast to guide us.

Do you know how Bharatazhwar located Lord Rama’s ashram?’

‘How?’

‘When he neared Chitrakootam, he saw smoke from Lord Rama’s Agnihothram fire.

यम् एव आधातुम् इग्च्छन्ति तापसाः सततम् वने |

तस्य असौ दृश्यते धूमः सम्कुलः कृष्ट वर्त्मनः || २-९९-१२

Smoke is the flag of Agni. Smoke is called Dhuma Kethu, i.e the flag of Agni. As soon as he saw the smoke, he knew that he had arrived near Lord Rama’s ashram.

The flag indicates the presence of Perumal. Lord Hanuman was present on the flag flying from the chariot of Arjuna. As soon as the Duryodanas saw the flag with Lord Hanuman on it, they knew that Lord Parthasarathy was driving Arjuna towards them and those enemies of Arjuna trembled with fear!

The Vedic Verses state Asyeshaana jagatho vishnupathni and hrishcha te lakshmimcha pathnyou to sing the glories of Perumal’s consorts Sri Devi Nachiar and Sri Bhumi Piratti. The Vedic Verse says that Lord Narayana and Goddess Sri Devi are the twin tattva who are never separated from each other and as they are always together, the glory of one also belongs to the other; hence, in Sri Kamba Ramayanam, the poet sings that the flags flying from the masts of the mansions in Mithila waved at Lord Rama in a welcoming manner and showed to Him the location of His dharmapathni Goddess Mahalakshmi.

'மை அறு மலரின் நீங்கி, யான் செய் மா தவத்தின் வந்து,

செய்யவள் இருந்தாள்' என்று செழு மணிக்  கொடிகள் என்னும்

கைகளை நீட்டி அந்தக் கடி நகர், கமலச் செங் கண் ஐயனை , 'ஒல்லை வா' என்று

அழைப்பது போன்றது அம்மா (கம்பராமாயணம் 1.10.1)

Deelipa Chakravarthi was an emperor who belonged to the lineage of Emperor Ishwaku. The emperor sought the advice of his guru Sage Vasishta because he did not have progeny. Sage Vasishta told him that when Emperor Deelipan visited Swarka Lokam, he had paid obeisance to all the Devas and the wish-fulfilling Karpaka Vriksham, but by mistake, the emperor had failed to pay obeisance to the divine cow Kamadhenu. As a result, Kamadhenu had cursed that the emperor will not have any children. Sage Vasishta advised the emperor to serve Nandhini the daughter of Kamadhenu with his wife Sudakshina. ‘If Nandhini is pleased with you, she can negate her mother’s curse,’ advised Sage Vasishta.

Emperor Deelipan immediately went to the forest with his wife Sudakshina in search of the divine cow Nandhini. The poet Mahakavi Kalidasa describes this scene in his poem Raghuvamsam. The emperor and his wife were welcomed by many decorative banners in the forest. The banners were flying high unsupported by any masts....’

‘Were they magical banners?’ interrupted Padma. ‘How can anyone tie banners without using poles?’

‘ They were not magical banners but were flocks of birds called saarasa (sarus cranes) flying high in the sky. The flight of birds is considered a good omen and the flocks of flying birds seemed like banners that indicated to the emperor that his mission would be successful.

श्रेणीबन्धाद्वितन्वद्भिरस्तम्भां तोरणस्रजम्।

सारसैः कलनिर्ह्रादैः क्वचिदुन्नमिताननौ॥ १-४१

śreṇībandhādvitanvadbhirastambhāṁ toraṇasrajam |

sārasaiḥ kalanirhrādaiḥ kvacidunnamitānanau || Raghuvamsam 1-41’

By then the girls had arrived near Lord Krishna’s house. There was a huge gateway and sentries were standing on either side of the gateway.

‘Nayakanaai nindra Nandagopanudaya kovil kaapaane (நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்தகோபனுடைய கோயில் காப்பானே!)’ praised Goda.

‘Goda,’ said Lalitha pulling Goda away from the sentries. ‘Why are you praising the sentries?’ She asked in a hushed voice.

‘I didn’t hear her praise the guards!’ said Manjari. ‘She only praised King Nanda Gopan.’

‘Isn’t our Goda clever!’ admired Radha. ‘The adjective Nayakanaai nindra (நாயகனாய் நின்ற) can be taken to qualify the noun Nanda Gopan and also the noun கோயில் காப்பான்! Only Goda can compose poems like this!’

‘What does Nayakanaai nindra (நாயகனாய் நின்ற) mean?’ asked Rangavalli.

‘Don’t you know?’ answered Radha. ‘It means the one who established himself as the Lord and it can also mean the hero who is standing here. The adjective Nayakanaai nindra (நாயகனாய் நின்ற)  in the case of the subject Nanda Gopan is interpreted as the one who established himself as the nayakan i.e Lord and in the case of the subject the sentries, it means the hero who is standing here.’

‘Goda, tell us whom were you praising? King Nanda Gopan or the guards standing outside King Nanda Gopan’s house?’

‘Both,’ answered Goda. ‘I am trying to teach you the proper way to worship Perumal when we visit temples. Don’t think of this palace as King Nanda Gopan’s house, but consider this as the temple. Our Krishna has chosen to reside in this palace, so this has become our temple. This is our Thirumaamani Mantapam. It is said that when we attain Parama Patham, we will have darshan of Perumal at the Thirumaamani Mantapam, but as our Krishna has come here, the home of King Nanda Gopan has become our Thirumaamani Mantapam.

We are the seshan of Krishna. I had explained to you earlier that a seshan exists to bring glory to the seshi. ...’

‘You always speak about seshan and seshi,’ complained Shyama. ‘We never understand the meaning of seshan and seshi.’

‘A Seshan is one who exists solely to be of use to another and that person for whom the Seshan exists is the Seshi. The Seshan works to bring glory to the Seshi.’

‘In simple terms please,’ asked Manjari.

‘What is our swaroopam? The jeevan exists only for the sake of Perumal. It exists to serve and bring glory to Perumal. The jeevatma is sesha bhutan of Perumal.

Perumal is the only seshi served by the jeevatma.

What is the meaning of the word seshan? The word seshan is a relative term. As soon as we say seshan, we have to explain whose seshan? i.e the next question is, if someone is a seshan, then who is the seshi? Or who is that person who is served by the seshan?

Many words convey the relationship between people/entities. For example, when we say he is a son, we have to explain whose son that person is.  A son has a father/mother.  An employee has an employer. Property has a proprietor.

Like the above terms, the words seshan-seshi reveal the relationship between us and Perumal.

Let us take an example of two entities called X and Y. If Y exists only to bring glory to X, then Y is seshan of X and X is seshi.

When we add jaggery to freshly squeezed lime juice, the taste of the lime juice is improved. Everyone who drinks the juice says that the lime juice was fantastic but no one says that jaggery was fantastic. In this example, jaggery is seshan of lime juice.

When a brick wall is whitewashed, the white paint improves the appearance of the brick wall and is hence the seshan of the wall.

Like the jaggery and white colour in the above examples, we exist only to bring glory to Perumal, therefore we are His seshan.

Seshan need not be sentient, but dasan दास, kinkaran किङ्कर (தொண்டன்) has to be sentient. When we serve Perumal, we should understand that we are His seshan. When we cook kheer and offer to Perumal, the credit for making kheer goes to Perumal only. We made the kheer to please Perumal and it was Perumal who gave us the ability and capacity to cook kheer. He used us as a tool to make kheer to please Himself.

We should hence say, this Karma which is His seshan, was performed by Him for His pleasure by using me, the seshan of Perumal along with other tools and components which are also the seshan of Perumal.

When a person does work to bring benefit to someone else, that person who enjoys the fruit is the seshi. The person who does the work is the seshan. The fruit resulting from the work is not enjoyed by the person doing the task and is enjoyed by only the seshi.

Let us take the example of a fan. The fan runs to bring relief to the people sitting in a room. The fan does not benefit from the breeze generated. The fan starts and stops at the command of the user. The seshan is like the fan and seshi is like the user.  The fruit is enjoyed by the person using the fan and not by the fan.

Most of the sesha-seshi relationships we see in this world arise out of a condition. For example, the patient is served by nurses in a hospital; this service is conditional. The nurses serve the patient as long as they are in the hospital and the service stops when the patient is discharged from the hospital. Not only is the service temporary, but the service also benefits both parties. The patient is helped with recovery while the nurses get paid for their service. Our relationship with Perumal is not like the worldly sesha-seshi relationships that arise from a condition. By nature, we are the seshan of Perumal and He is our seshi. He is sarva-seshi.

In summary, Sesha refers to the one that glorifies and seshi denotes the one that gains that glory, the object of that glory. The moment we realise that we are Perumal’s seshan we will never commit misdeeds because such deeds do not please Perumal. We will only do those deeds which are recommended by the shastra solely to please Perumal.

Sesha-Seshi means slave and master relationship,’ explained Goda. ‘We are the servants or slaves and Perumal is our master.’

‘The word slave is not very appealing,’ protested Shyama.

‘True,’ said Goda. ‘We associate slaves with those unfortunate people who are tormented in our world by cruel masters like Kamsa but know that only our Krishna is the true master. Perumal is merciful. He loves all the jeevatmas and wishes only good for them. Do you agree that slaves serve the master?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then, who should drive the chariot; slave or the master?’

‘The slave.’

‘But, who drove Arjuna’s chariot?’

‘Krishna!’

‘Krishna, the Supreme Master took the place of the charioteer and guided His seshan, Arjuna. Servants take the message of their master to others, but it was Krishna who conveyed the message of the Pandavas to the Kauravas. Have you heard the story of Sage Veda Vyasa’s disciples’ pilgrimage?’

‘No. Do tell us,’ pleaded Radha.

‘Sage Veda Vyasa taught the Mahabharata to his disciples, but in his first edition, he skipped details about Krishna driving the chariot of Arjuna and Krishna acting as the messenger of the Pandavas.

How can I write such things! thought Sage Vyasa. He is the Supreme Master and I cannot state that He served the Pandavas. Common people who read these slokams may not understand His glories.

And so Sage Vyasa taught the Mahabharata to his disciples but never mentioned anything about Krishna driving Arjuna’s chariot or Krishna acting as the messenger of the Pandavas.

One fine day, the disciples obtained permission from Sage Vyasa to visit temples in Soth India. They arrived at the city of Thiruvallikeni (present-day Triplicane in Chennai).

They had darshan of the handsome Perumal with His white moustache surrounded by His family.

What is the name of Perumal at this temple?

He is called Parthasarathy, said the bhattachar.

What? But, why?

Haven’t you heard that He drove the chariot of Arjuna during the war? He is worshipped in this form as the charioteer of Arjuna.

What nonsense! exclaimed the disciples. We have studied the Mahabharata from our guru Sri Veda Vyasa and our acharyan never mentioned that the Supreme Perumal drove the chariot of Arjuna! How can you utter such a statement?

Whether you believe it or not, it is a fact that Perumal drove the chariot of Arjuna.

The disciples were upset by the bhattachar’s statement. They left the temple and travelled to Kanchipuram. They had darshan of Varadaraja Perumal, Ulagalandha Perumal at Thiruooragam and then they arrived at a temple to have darshan of Perumal in a seated posture.

They were in awe when they had darshan of the 25 feet Perumal in His seated posture.

What a wonderful darshan! they exclaimed. Pray tell us the name of Perumal at this Divya Desam.

The ever compassionate Perumal is called Sri Pandava Dhootha Perumal.

What? exclaimed the disciples. Why is He called Pandava Dhoothan?

Haven’t you studied the Mahabharata? asked the Bhattachar.

Of course we have studied the Mahabharata and that too directly from Sri Sage Veda Vyasa.

Didn’t you acharyan speak about the time when Lord Krishna acted as the messenger of the Pandavas?

Why would the Supreme Perumal act as anyone’s messenger?

Out of compassion.

We can’t accept this! said the disciples.

It doesn’t matter if you accept or not!

The disciples felt very confused. They decided to cut their pilgrimage short and returned home to discuss with their acharyan.

Did you have a good trip? asked Sri Sage Veda Vyasa.

We had good darshan, but had to cut our journey short because of some strange discussions we had with the bhattachars of two temples.

Really? asked Sage Vyasa. What happened?

"At first, we went to the Divya Desam of Thiruvallikeni. We had darshan of the handsome Lord Krishna who sports a white moustache at this Divya Desam. To our dismay, the bhattachar called Him Parthasarathy. After arguing with the bhattachar, we went to a temple near Kanchipuram and again the bhattachar at the temple gave Perumal a very strange name! He called Him Pandava Dhootha Perumal!

The bhattachars argued that Lord Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna and that He went to Hastinapura as the messenger of the Pandavas. We couldn’t continue our journey after hearing such names of Perumal."

Are those the names of Perumal at those two Divya Desams? asked Sage Veda Vyasa. He lets Himself to be called  Parthasarathy and Pandava Dhoothan?

Yes.

Oh! cried Sage Veda Vyasa and he fainted. After a few minutes when he came to, he said, It is true. Perumal did drive the chariot of Arjuna and He did take the message of the Pandavas to Hastinapura. I was afraid that writing about these leelais of Perumal may make people misunderstand about His seshitvam and hence omitted these events from my original write-up.

Girls, now tell me. Is it hard to serve such a loving master as our Krishna who is the epitome of compassion?’

‘Not at all!’ cried the girls in unison.

‘The seshi is Lord Krishna. We exist to please Him. When do you think Krishna is easily pleased?’

‘When we give Him a large pot filled with fresh butter?’ asked Chandra.

‘No,’ said Goda. ‘When we praise and serve other devotees Krishna is easily pleased.

These sentries are not ordinary sentries. They are the lucky ones who have obtained the honour of serving Perumal. Luckier than these men are those guards who are inside guarding the main entrance!

Don’t think of these men serving Lord Krishna as mere Dwara palakas. There is a slokam in the Ramayana describing the guards who served Lord Rama at His palace.

After announcing the coronation ceremony of Lord Rama, Emperor Dasaratha requested his minister Sumantarar to take a message to Lord Rama.

‘Please tell my son Rama that I wish to see Him,’ said Emperor Dasaratha.

Sumantarar immediately mounted his chariot and proceeded towards Lord Rama’s palace...’

‘One moment,’ interrupted Padmini.  ‘Why did Sumantarar have to travel by chariot?’

‘The Royal Palaces were spread across many miles in Ayodhya,’ explained Goda. ‘Did you think the Royal Apartments were built within a few acres?

When minister Sumantaraar arrived at the inner quarters of Lord Rama, he saw nonagenarians serving as palace guards...’

‘Who?’ interrupted Shyama.

‘What do you mean by who?’

‘You said nanogenarian. Who is this?’

‘Not who silly! Nanogenarian is a person who is from 90 to 99 years old. These old men were so engrossed in their duties that they didn’t even notice that their white robes had turned ochre in colour!

तत्र काषायिणो वृद्धान् वेत्रपाणीन् स्वमंकृतान् |

ददर्शविष्ठितान् द्वारि स्त्रध्यक्षान् सुसमाहितान् || २-१६-३

This shows that those who are keen on service do not pay attention to their attire. Bhattachars at temples don’t even notice the turmeric and sandalwood paste stains on their white clothes.’

‘Why were old men serving as security guards at Lord Rama’s palace?’ asked Lalitha.

‘It was customary to hire retired security guards to guard the inner quarters of the kings and queens. Youth were not given the task of guarding the inner quarters to avoid youthful indiscretions. See how the Ramayana even teaches us the dos and don’ts of everyday life!

The aged sentries outside the inner quarters of Lord Rama held a cane in their hand in the same style and majesty with which Lord Rama held His bow.

When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita Piratti after spending fourteen years in the forest, Lord Rama pointed at the aerial view of Ayodhya to Sita Piratti.

‘Look at the capital city of my father,’ said Lord Rama.

Lord Rama didn’t say Ayodhya was His city, but He took pleasure in thinking of Ayodhya as His father’s city. Lord Rama is greater than Emperor Dasaratha and yet He as a dutiful son felt happier to glorify His father. Lord Rama showed that we should be grateful to our parents.

Our parents are the Devas we perceive on a day to day basis. Perumal wants us to show our respect to the Pithru Devathai we perceive daily; hence, I have composed this pasuram by praising King Nanda Gopan.

King Nanda Gopan established himself as our Nayakan by ruling over the eternal wealth! Ordinary mortal kings are rulers of only the lowly material wealth and the Lordship they have attained is only temporary.

Do you remember the following song from the Thiruvaimozhi of Sri Nammazhwar?

ஒரு நாயகமாய் ஓட உலகுடன் ஆண்டவர்

கரு நாய் கவர்ந்த காலர் சிதைகிய பானையர்

பெரு நாடு காணஇம்மையிலே பிச்சை தாம் கொள்வர்

திருநாரணன் தாள் காலம் பெறச்  சிந்திதுய்ம்மினோ’

The Kings and emperors spend their lifetime in accumulating wealth. They try to exercise their lordship over others, but the power they exercise over others is only temporary. They lose their kingdom and wealth to their enemies and are reduced to poverty. Such Kings are tuned into beggars overnight. Ashamed at seeking alms during the daytime, these kings seek alms at night in the hopes that they may go unrecognized. The only property these erstwhile rulers of the land have are a bowl for seeking alms. Alas, they are not even destined to own that bowl for a long time. While seeking alms on a dark new moon night, incited by cruel fate they step on a black dog which was lying in their path and bitten by the dog, they drop their only possession to the ground which breaks into a thousand shards! The yell let out by the king also brings people to his aid who unfortunately recognize the beggar standing in front of them as their former king! Alas, these kings do not realise that the only everlasting wealth is the precious thiruvadi of Perumal! Our King Nanda Gopan on the other hand has obtained the Supreme Perumal as his son. Along with the Supreme wealth, King Nanda Gopan has also obtained the ultimate wealth of serving the devotees of Perumal; thus King Nanda Gopan has firmly established himself as the Nayakan. The lordship King Nanda Gopan has obtained is permanent unlike the lordship obtained by ordinary kings.  This is why I sang நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்த கோபன் to emphasize that King Nanda Gopan has firmly established himself as the Nayakan by obtaining the supreme wealth of serving Bhagawan and Bagawathas.

Our Krishna is the Supreme Protector. He is the Supreme Ruler who controls all the beings from Brahmma to a micro-organism. The words (Nanda Gopanudaya Ko) நந்த கோபனுடைய கோ also refers to our Krishna. Ko (கோ) in Tamil means King. Who is the king of the hero Nanda Gopan? It is our Krishna, the emperor of this Universe.

The true Ishwaran is only Perumal. He is the Seshi and everyone else is His Seshan.

நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்த கோபனுடைய கோயில் (Naayakanaai nindra Nanda Gopanudaya Koyil) can be explained in two different ways. Literally, it can be taken as the dwelling of King Nanda Gopan who has obtained permanent Lordship. As per shastra, this phrase can also be explained as the dwelling of the Supreme Ruler. According to the shastra, only Perumal has nayakatvam (நாயகத்வம்)

The adjective naayakanaai nindra நாயகனாய் நின்ற can be taken to qualify the subject Nanda Gopan; this interpretation refers to the Lordship obtained by King Nanda Gopan. The adjective நாயகனாய் நின்ற naayakanaai nindra can also be taken to qualify the subject Nanda Gopan’s Ko. Nanda Gopan’s Ko is our Krishna. Hence, நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்த கோபனுடைய கோ shows that Only Perumal has eternal Lordship. He is the only Supreme Ruler of this Universe. The power and the control Perumal has over all beings never diminishes.

Our Krishna is the only one who has Universal sovereignty. He is our sovereign, He is our atma, He is our supporter and our inner controller (antaryami). He is the Supreme Protector and the ultimate enjoyer. There is nothing in this Universe which does not belong to Him.

Swami Vedanta Desikan sang in the 611th slokam of Sri Ranganatha Padhuka Sahasram

बद्धानां यत्र नित्यानां

मुत्तानामीश्वरस्य च I

प्रत्यक्षं शेषशेषित्वं

सा मे सिद्धयतु पादुका II

பத்தாநாம் யத்ர நித்யானாம்

முக்தாநாமிஸ்வரஸ்ய ச I

ப்ரத்யக்ஷம் ஸேஷஸேஷித்வம் 

ஸா மே ஸித்த்யது பாதுகா II

baDdhAnAm yathra nithyAnAm

mukthAnAmIshvarasya cha

prathyaksham shEShashEShithvam

sA mE siDdhayathu pAdhukA:

The above Padhuka Sahasram slokam reveals the special relationship which exists between Perumal and the bound jeevatmas, the emancipated souls and the eternally liberated souls. The bound jeevatmas (Badha बद्ध பத்த), the emancipated souls and the eternally liberated souls are all lieges (seshan) who owe loyalty and service to the Supreme Sovereign, Perumal. The Supreme Sovereign is the Seshi and the jeevatmas are the seshan. The seshan exists to serve and bring glory to the seshi.

Hence, through நாயகனாய் நின்ற நந்த கோபனுடைய கோயில் we sing the praise of the Supreme Sovereign (Perumal), of King Nanda Gopan and also the sentries. ’

‘That’s all fine,’ said Shyama, ‘but, why should we praise the sentries?’

‘When we visit temples, we shouldn’t enter the sanctum without paying respects to the Dwara Palaka. ‘

‘Why?’

‘My father has taught me the proper way of worshipping at temples as per the agama shastra. We must first pay our respect to the Bali Peedam. The shastras say that all the deities present in the temple are present in the Bali Peedam; hence by worshipping at the Bali Peedam, we please all the deities who are present in the temple. It is said that the deity present in the Bali Peedam is five-faced and by worshipping this deity, all the other deities present inside the temple are pleased. Even if the sannidhis (sanctums) for these deities (Chakrathazhwar, Ggarudazhwar et al) are closed for that day, by worshipping at the Bali Peedam we pay our respects to all of them. After worshipping at the Bali Peedam, we must pay our respect to Sri Vishwaksenar and then to Goddess Mahalakshmi. Only after worshipping Goddess Mahalakshmi, we should enter the sanctum of Perumal. Before entering the sanctum, we should worship the Dwara Palakas who stand at the entrance of the sanctum.

Haven’t you heard of the pasuram வேதம் வல்லார்களைக் கொண்டு விண்ணோர் பெருமான் திரு பாதம் பணிந்து?’ asked Goda. ‘This is from the following Thiruvaimozhi Pasuram 4.6.8 by Sri Nammazhwar.

வேதம் வல்லார்களைக் கொண்டு விண்ணோர் பெருமான் திரு பாதம் பணிந்து இவள் நோய் இது தீர்த்துக் கொள்ளாதுப் போய் ஏதம் பறைந்தல்ல செய்து கள்ளுடு கலாய்த் தூய் கீத முழுவிட்டு நீர் அனங்காடுதல் கீழ்மையே

It is believed that this decad was sung for Lord Rajagopalan at Sri Raja Mannargudi temple. This temple is known as Dakshina Dwaraka and as these ten pasurams praise Lord Dwarakanathan, this decad is submitted to Lord Mannargudi Rajagopalan.

Swami Nammazhwar in the above pasuram recommends seeking the guidance of acharyans to cure the girl’s love-sickness because of being away from Perumal. As per acharyans’ instructions, one must worship the Nithya Suris who are the thiruvadi of Perumal.

Our prayers are fulfilled only when we attain Perumal through the guidance of the Nithya Suris. If we worship Perumal directly without paying our respects to His devotees, He doesn’t accept our worship.

In fact, my father even sang that he prefers to have darshan of those who worship Perumal than having the darshan of Perumal.

பூதம் ஐந்தொடு வேள்வி ஐந்து

புலன்கள் ஐந்து பொறிகளால்

ஏதம் ஒன்றும் இலாத வண் கையினார்கள்

வாழ் திருக் கோட்டியூர் நாதனை நரசிங்கனை

நவின்றேத்துவார்கள் உழக்கிய பாத தூளி படுதலால் இவ்வுலகம் பாக்கியம் செய்ததே

குருந்தம் ஒன்றொசித்தானொடும் சென்று

கூடி ஆடி விழாச் செய்து

திருந்து நான்மறையோர் இராப்பகல்

ஏத்தி வாழ் திருக் கோட்டியூர்

கருந் தடமுகில் வண்ணனைக் கடைக்

கொண்டு கை தொழும் பத்தர்கள்

இருந்த ஊரில் இருக்கும் மானிடர்

எத்தவங்கள் செய்தார் கொலோ

It is a blessing to live in a place which is inhabited by devotees. My father feels fortunate to come in contact with the foot dust of bagawathas. If we sing the praise of Lord Narasimhan, we will not understand the greatness of Prahladan, but if we sing the praise of Prahaladan we will also easily understand the greatness of Perumal. 

When we listen to Prahalada Charitram we say, Perumal appeared to uphold the words of this child!

When a King visits a child to protect it from danger and we say, the King came to protect this child! whom are we praising? The King or the child?

After Sri Vibheeshnazhwan joined the army of Lord Rama, Perumal asked him, Vibheeshana, you must have come in search of me after hearing about my glories. Tell me, has my fame spread like wildfire in Lanka? Is everyone in Lanka speaking about the time when I killed 14,000 Rakshashas including Khara and Dushana in Dandakaranyam? Are the citizens of Lanka amazed that I killed the powerful Vali?

Rama, said Sri Vibheeshnazhwan. We had no idea about your fame. I admired the courage and intelligence of Lord Hanuman. The more I admired Lord Hanuman I wanted to know about his master. I knew that only the greatest could be the master of the intelligent and courageous Lord Hanuman. It was the glory of Lord Hanuman which brought me here in search of you.

What did Hanuman do to deserve your admiration?

What didn’t he do? asked Sri Vibheeshnazhwan. He set fire to Ravana’s favourite garden the Ashoka Vanam. He killed Ravana’s favourite son Akshaya Kumaran in a duel. He waged war against the army of Ravana and has destroyed almost 75% of the demons. He would have easily destroyed Ravana too, but he left Ravana alive in Lanka to please you.

‘Goda,’ said Sundari. ‘Do you know Manjari who lives in the street closer to the Yamuna?’

‘We all know her very well.’

‘Manjari used to make many tasty dishes every day along with ladoos which were her husband’s favourite dish. By the time her husband returned home in the evening, the other sweets except ladoos had been consumed by her. He had no idea that she had made a variety of snacks. She used to eat all the other snacks and stayed away from only the ladoos.

I even asked her one day why she didn’t eat the ladoos too with the other snacks. She mentioned that since her husband loves ladoos, she didn’t have the heart to eat them.

Lord Hanuman behaved like our Manjari! He destroyed all the Rakshasas and left only Ravana for Lord Rama!’

‘True,’ said Goda. ‘When we sing the praise of bagawathas we easily understand the greatness of Perumal. We realize that the Perumal who is the master of such great personalities must definitely have infinite auspicious attributes!

செம்பொனார் மதிள் சூழ் செழுங்

கழனி உடைத் திருக் கோட்டியூர்

நம்பனை நரசிங்கனை நவின்-

றேத்துவார்களை கண்டக் கால்

எம்பிரான் தன் சின்னங்கள் இவர்

இவர் என்றாசைகள் தீர்வனே

Since we were speaking about Sri Vibheeshnazhwan I am reminded of his words. In the Yudha Kandam of Sri Valmiki Ramayana, Sri Vibheeshnazhwan said निवेदेअयत माम् क्षिप्रम् राघवाय महात्मने | सर्व लोक शरण्याय विभीषणम् उपस्थितम् ||६-१७-१७ The moment he arrived at Thirupullani, he didn’t go directly to Lord Rama, but submitted his request to Sugreeva Maharaja and the troops of Vanaras. This was the right thing to do. Lord Rama appreciated the fact that Sri Vibheeshnazhwan respected the devotees of Lord Rama. We should also behave like Sri Vibheeshnazhwan. Lord Rama also did not approach Vibheeshnazhwan directly, but He requested Sugreeva Maharaja to bring Sri Vibheeshnazhwan to Him. Do you know why Lord Rama did so?’

‘Why?’

‘Sugreeva Maharaja had objected to Sri Vibheeshnazhwan joining them. Lord Rama not only convinced Sugreeva Maharaja but made him bring Sri Vibheeshnazhwan to Him. By this way, Lord Rama effectively removed the hurdle standing in the path of Sri Vibheeshnazhwan. The objector himself admitted Sri Vibheeshnazhwan into their group.

As the Nithya Suris are always with Perumal, they are more compassionate than Perumal Himself. I will tell you a story that beautifully illustrates the compassionate nature of the devotees who serve Perumal.

There was a king who ruled over Andhra Desam. He had a very beautiful daughter who was the apple of his eyes. After the princess came of suitable age, the king started searching for a suitable groom for her. The ministers thronged to the king’s court with many recommendations.

This is the Prince of Vanga Desam, said the chief minister and showed a portrait of the prince to the king.

He is not a match for my daughter, said the king. Show me another portrait.

At that time, Lord Vishnu with Goddess Mahalakshmi was flying over the palace on Garudazhwar. Goddess Mahalakshmi looked at the princess.

Doesn’t she look beautiful like me? asked Goddess Mahalakshmi. I see that her father is trying to find a suitable groom for her. Tell me, since she looks like me, does the one who is going to wed her look handsome like you?

You shouldn’t ask me such questions and I should definitely not answer your questions, said Perumal.

Why? asked Piratti. Isn’t it natural to think that her husband will look handsome like you? You have to show me the man who is going to marry her.

Okay,  said Perumal, but promise me that you won’t be cross with me.

I won’t be cross with you. Please show me who her husband is.

Come with me, said Perumal grabbing hold of Piratti’s hand. He took her to the city limits where many homeless people lived. Look at that man, said Perumal pointing at a man who was eating food from a garbage bin. Not only was the man very poor, but he also was deformed. This man will marry the princess.

What! exclaimed Piratti. How is this person a match for the princess? This is an injustice! If we allow such marriages to take place, who will worship us?

Who are we to interfere? asked Perumal. This man has accumulated punyam to marry a princess while the princess has accumulated papams to get this man as her husband.

I don’t agree! said Goddess Mahalakshmi.  I shall not allow this wedding to take place. If I move this man far away from this place, he will never meet the princess !

Piratti called Lord Garuda to her side. Take this man and leave him on an uninhabited island.

While Piratti was instructing Lord Garuda, the king was celebrating the engagement of his daughter with the Prince of Kalinga. The following day an auspicious muhurtham was selected for the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, Lord Garuda forcefully carried the beggar and dropped him off at an uninhabited island. As Lord Garuda left the island, he was suddenly overcome by compassion. What will this poor man do in this island? thought Lord Garuda. At least he got some morsel to eat in the city, but here there is nothing for him to eat. What if he starves to death! That would be wrong! We have to save lives! thought Lord Garuda. He knew that he couldn’t disobey the command of Piratti, but nothing was stopping him from bringing food to the man.

Lord Garuda flew back to the Kingdom of Andhra. The capital city looked jubilant ready to celebrate the wedding of the princess with the Prince of Kalinga. Lord Garuda spotted a very large basket in the wedding hall. Lord Garuda was unaware of the custom of the Andhras; they conceal the bride inside a large bamboo basket and the person who opens the basket to look at the bride is her husband.

That basket is sure to contain ladoos! thought Lord Garuda. He flew in through the large windows and flew away with the basket. He rushed to the uninhabited island and jumped in front of the man.

Look, said Lord Garuda. See what I have got for you!

The man eagerly opened the basket and removed a yellow silk cloth that was inside the basket. To his astonishment, the beautiful princess stepped out of the basket and gazed at him.

She too was shocked to see the poor man, but she said, this auspicious moment was ordained for me to look at my would-be husband. Since I looked at you at this auspicious hour, I accept you as my husband. She put the flower garland around the man’s neck.

Perumal looked at the wedding of the princess from Sri Vaikuntam and showered yellow rice grains (akshathai) on