Sri Boothath Azhwar Sarrumurai at Thiruvallikkeni 2014

Blessed are the Srivaishnavaites – to them worshipping and doing Kainkaryams to Sriman Narayana at His chosen temples is the way of life.   In  Divyadesams and other temples –Supreme Lord Maha Vishnu manifests Himself in various idol forms  (Archavathararupi) and comes near us to shower his munificence to us ……….. One  must ponder over the greatness of the ‘mayarvara mathinalam arulap perra Azhvargal’ ~ 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.  Boothathu Alwar was the incarnation of the divine Mace (Kaumodaki) – he was born at Thirukadanmallai [the present day Mahabalipuram] on a ‘kurukkathi’ flower. 

ஐப்பசியில் ஓணம் அவிட்டம் சதயம் இவை - ஒப்பிலவா நாள்கள் உலகத்தீர் - என ஸ்ரீமணவாள மாமுனிகள் தமது 'உபதேச ரத்தினமாலையில்'  எப்புவியும் பேசு புகழ் "பொய்கையார், பூதத்தார், பேயாழ்வார்' - வந்துதித்த நாள்களை சிறப்பித்தார்.   இன்று பூதத்தார் அவதரித்த நாள். வடமொழியில் பூ என்ற அடிச் சொல்லுக்கு "சத்து - அறிவு"  என்று பொருள். பெருமாளின் திருக்குணங்களை அனுபவித்தே இந்தச் சத்து எனும் பூதத்தைப் பெற்றதால், இந்த ஆழ்வார் பூதத்தாழ்வார் ஆனாராம்.

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’.

Here is a verse to relish of nam Boothathalwar :

அரிய தெளிதாகும் ஆற்றலால் மாற்றி,

பெருக முயல்வாரைப் பெற்றால், - கரியதோர்

வெண்கோட்டு மால்யானை வென்றுமுடித் தன்றே,

தண்கோட்டு மாமலரால் தாழ்ந்து.

Azhwar proclaims that there is ‘nothing as impossible on this earthly World’ if only we have with the Lord who corrects by force and accepts with affection – the black elephant battling its life could understand and win its desired path by offering flowers and bowing to the Lord – that is the path of salvation to us all. 

Today 1^st Nov 2014 being ‘Aippasiyil  Avittam’ marks the birth of  – Sri  Boothath Azhwar.   There was the grand purappadu of Azhwar with Sri Parthasarathi Perumal at Thiruvallikkeni.  Here are some photos of the purappadu ~ it rained and hence Perumal was covered during the Purappadu

Adiyen Srinivasadhasan.