Sri Poigai Azhwar; Pillai Logacharyar sarrumurai at Thiruvallikkeni 2013

We live – we pray – we go to temples….. in Sri Vaishnavism, in the various forms of God – the one which is easiest and the form in which the Supreme God makes Himself available to us daily is ‘Idol worship’ in Divyadesams and other temples – this is known as ‘Archai’ ~ Archavatharam, where the Supreme Lord Maha Vishnu manifests Himself in various idol forms and comes near us to shower his munificence to us ………..

Sri Poigai Alwar;  Pillai Logacharyar and Swami Manavala Mamunigal

We see Him in the beautifully decorated Idols…… there lived Azhwars who have sung beautiful verses on God in Tamil, which are collectively known as “Sri Nalayira Divya Prabandham’…… one must ponder over the greatness of the ‘mayarvara mathinalam arulap perra Azhargal’ ~ those Azhwars were supreme in their wisdom and were showered specially by God Himself with abundance of knowledge and devotion to thyself…….. to the Azhwars, the transcendental reality was not merely an abstract principle ~ the life was not illusion… to them their very purpose of birth and living and their confinement on earth was for service to Lord Sriman Narayana – serving Him in the most servile manner with all glorious, flawless and auspicious attributes which included floral worship and lyrical – those of verses on Supreme Lord.  They realized that the entire cosmos of all sentinent and  insentinent entities were alive with the underlying divinity of Emperuman being the inner controller or the soul; they realized the need for not just feeding this earthly body but more of the ‘soul – the athma’ inside.

Among the 12 Azhwaars of Srivaishanva Tradition, Poigai Azhwar, Boothath Azhwar and Peyazhwar – were the ones to have descended on this Earth earlier.  They were contemporaries and are praised as “Muthal Azhwars (the first among the Azhwars).  They were born in the month of “Aippasi: in the thirunakshathirams of ‘Thiruvonam, Avittam, Sathayam’ respectively. This divine trio met on a rainy day at Thirukkovalur – when they sang 100 verses each which now form part of Moonravathu Ayiram (Iyarpa) in Naalayira Divyaprabandham. 

ஐப்பசியில் ஓணம் அவிட்டம் சதயம் இவை - ஒப்பிலவா நாள்கள் உலகத்தீர் - என ஸ்ரீ மணவாள மாமுனிகள் தமது 'உபதேச ரத்தினமாலையில்' எடுத்து உரைத்தார். இவை எப்புவியும் பேசு புகழ் "பொய்கையார், பூதத்தார், பேயாழ்வார்' - இவ்வுலகில் வந்துதித்த நாள்கள். பன்னிரு ஆழ்வார்களில் முதலில் வந்துதித்ததனால் முதல் ஆழ்வார்கள் என பெருமை பெற்றவர்கள் இவர்கள்.  ஸ்ரீ மணவாள மாமுனிகள்  "உபதேச ரத்தினமாலை"யில் மேலும்  :

மற்றுள்ள ஆழ்வார்களுக்கு முன்னே வந்துதித்து * 

நற்றமிழால் நூல் செய்து நாட்டை உய்த்த * - 

பெற்றிமையோர் என்று முதலாழ்வார்கள் என்னும் பேரிவர்க்கு * 

நின்றது உலகத்தே நிகழ்ந்து.                --         என சிறப்பித்தார். 

In the Thondai Naadu,  the land of radiance  and nature's beauty,  is  Thiru Vekka, nearer the Thiru Kachi Sri Devathirajar temple, also called as "Yadhothakaari Sannadhi"  [sonna vannam seitha perumal ~ the God who did as ordained by His devotee].  Nearer to the Yadhothakaari temple, is found a Poigai (small pond), which is full of beautiful, fresh lotus flowers are found.  In this Pond was born Sri Poigai Azhwar in the month of Aippasi and on Thiruvonam nakshathiram being the amsam of Panchajanyam – the weapon of Lord.   Alwar was extremely devoted and led his life in service to God only, going to several Divyasthalams and doing service to Lord and His followers

The muthalazhwargal vaibhavam is a very interesting one… the trio came together for the first time at Thirukkovalur on a rainy day when there was lightning accompanied by thunders – in the front passage [idai kazhi] of a house referred as ‘dehali or rezhi’……….. the place being very small – it was good enough for Poigai Azhwar to lie down; when Boothathazhwar joined him, they were able to sit ~ and then came Peyalwar who was invited to their fold saying that ‘one can lie; two can sit while there is sufficient place for all the three to stand’……. They were sharing their peregrinations in their divine journeys, they felt strange pressure in total darkness as there was some one more amidst……  being great sages with total dedication to Lord they lit light ~ how great and mighty in their bakthi they were….  Poigai Azhwar made the Great Earth  as the lamp; Ocean as the oil; the Sun as the light – all to be placed at the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord  and he sang 100 verses ~ Muthal Thiruvanthathi.  Sri Boothathalwar followed – making ‘love as the lamp; eagerness as the oil – the endearing thoughts as the wick to the lamp and the lit the lamp of wisdom’ – Sri Peyalwar having had the benefit of these lights rendered his ‘Moondram Thiruvanthathi’.

வையம் தகளியா வார்கடலே நெய்யாக *

வெய்ய கதிரோன் விளக்காக, *- செய்ய

சுடராழி யானடிக்கே சூட்டினேஞ்சொன் மாலை,*

இடராழி நீங்குகவே என்று.

Today 10^th Nov 2013  being ‘Aippasiyil Thiruvonam’ marks the birth of first among them – Sri Poigai Azhwar. Today assumed more significance as today happens to be birthday of a great Acharyar – Pillai Ulagacharyar ~ a person of great wisdom who underwent untold sufferings in ensuring that the primordial Lord Thiruvaranganar is safe [more on this on a later post…] ~ today along with Sri Poigai Azhwar and Pillai Ulagariyar – Swami Manavala Mamunigal also had purappadu being the culmination of ‘Vidayarri’ utsavam.

There was the most grand purappadu of Azhwar, Acharyargal and Sri Parthasarathi Perumal at Thiruvallikkeni mada veethis and fortunate were those who had darshan of this grand purappadu.  Here are some photos of the purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni

Adiyen Srinivasadhasan.

10^th Nov. 2013

Sri Poigai Alwar