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Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Sri Vipranaranar ~ Thondaradipodi Azhwar Sarrumurai 2019

The shares of Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd are trading at a measly Rs.2.81 ~ not a great news for its shareholders.  In fact the Nation’s    year-on-year sugar production in 2019-20 till November 30 is lagging by 53.6 per cent, said industry body Indian Sugar Mills Assciation (ISMA) in a release. The country has produced 18.85 lakh tonnes of sugar till November 30, against 40.69 lakh tonnes produced by same date of previous year.  This is no post on sugar, though Thiru Arooran

ஒருவில்லால் ஓங்கு முந்நீர் அடைத்து உலகங்களுய்ய*
செருவிலேயரக்கர் கோனைச் செற்ற நம் சேவகனார்*
மருவிய பெரிய கோயில் மதிள் திருவரங்கமென்னா*
கருவிலே திருவிலாதீர் காலத்தைக் கழிக் கின்றீரே.

Very powerful message from this Alwar.  What should one do in this World without whiling away time ~ other than chanting the names of Sriman Narayana, the only Saviour who is worshipped in the famed Thiruvarangam Periyakoil. It is He (in Rama avathar) parted the Ocean with a single bow and relieved the World of its trouble by killing the Rakshas chief in the battle.  Just chant His names all the time. 


~ and today  25th Dec 2019   is the right day to know something about this Alwar who was born in Chozhanadu at a place called Mandangudi.

மண்டங்குடி என்பர் மாமறையோர் மன்னியசீர்
தொண்டரடிப்பொடி தொன்னகரம் - வண்டு
திணர்த்தவயல் தென்னரங்கத்தம்மானைப் பள்ளி
உணர்த்தும் பிரான் உதித்த ஊர்.

~ the introductory lines to his prabandham “Thirumalai” by  Thiruvaranga Perumal Araiyar.  ஸ்ரீ திருவரங்கப் பெருமாள் அரையர் ஸ்வாமி அருளிச் செய்த தனியன்:

தமிழ் ஒரு இனிய மொழி.  நம் ழ்வார்களோ  அந்த அமிழ்தில் திளைத்தவர்கள்.  இங்கே வண்டு  திணர்த்த வயல் என்றதும் வண்டுகள் நிறைந்து இருக்கும் கழனிகள் என போறும் சூழற்க்க ;  திணர்த்தல் என்றால் -  நெருக்கமாதல் ; கனமாகப் படிந்திருத்தல்.  இதன்படியே - வண்டல் மண் கனமாகப் படிந்து அதிலே  வளமான பயிர்கள் விளையும் வயல்கள் சூழ்ந்த திருவரங்கத்தில் எழுந்தருளி இருக்கும் அரங்கநாதப் பெருமானை துயிலெழுப்பப் பாடல்கள் அருளவே (ஒரு சூரியன் போல) ஒளியோடு தோன்றிய, நிலைபெற்ற பெருமை வாய்ந்த, தொண்டரடிப்பொடியாழ்வார் அவதரித்த பழமையான தலம் திருமண்டங்குடி என்று நான்மறையாளர்கள் பகர்வர்.

Today  marks the birth anniversary (sarrumurai) of  Thondaradippodi Aazhwar  (kettai nakshathiram in the month of Margazhi).. ..  Thondaradipodiar gave us - “Thirumalai” (45 songs) and  Thirupalli Ezhuchi (10) which are sung everyday to wake up the Lord.  He sang about Thiruvarangam  and Paramapatham.  This Azhwar at birth was named Vipra Narayanar,  also known as Bhaktanghri renu .  His father ‘Veda Visaradhar’ belonged to "Kudumi Sozhiyap Brahmanar" community,  also called as "Vipra" people, whose routine work was to sing paeans in  praise of  Sriman Narayana.  Thondaradippodi Alvar was born in a small village by name 'Thiru mandangudi' in Prabhava year, Margazhi month, Krishna chaturthi, in Kettai (Jyestha) Nakshatram (star).  

This Thirumandangudi is in Chozha nadu near Kumbakonam,  the nearest landmark being Thiruvarooran sugars factory.  A few years ago, after having darshan at Kabisthalam Sri Gajendra Varadhar, travelled via Umayalpuram took a left turn in around 2 kilometers – sugar of mill of Thiru Aarooran Sugars (around 10 kms from Kabisthalam) and less than that from Swami Malai – there are two other divyadesams of Thiru Adhanur and Thiru Pullam Poothamgudi nearer…….. this place is  known as Mandangudi…

“ “ – Sun is seen arriving atop the Eastern mountain and has dispelled the darkness of dreams ~ it is the beautiful early morning – honey is oozing out of the great fragrant flowers; those from Heaven – Devas, Kings have all lined up – the high and mighty of the land are lined up on opposite rows – there is the elephant, drums making pleasant sound – the sounds reverberate as if the mighty ocean is churning ” ”  ~ and all these for the Lord of Greatest Him at Thiruvarangam to wake up…..


We adore and love our Lord so much that we see Him the way the ordinary mortals do ~ though the Supreme is above everything and can never be estimated or understood – but is the lovely blind faith and love unto Him that made Azhwargal and Acharyars to initiate the Uthsavams and other rituals to the Supreme Lord – in the manner that we want Him to have.  We have the system of sending Lord to sleep and waking Him up with Suprabatham / Thiru Palli Ezhuchi.  ~ and this Mandangudi gave us the Azhwar who rendered the poems in praise of Lord Thiruvarangar and  waking  Him up every day

Azhwar in his early days started doing pushpa kainkaryam by maintaining a Nandavanam.  In between, he was attracted by worldly pleasures, started following a woman Devadevi by name – only to realize the lotus feet of Lord as nonpareil and surrendered himself to Him and to His service.  He was attached to the Lord that he found the soil at the feets of Srivaishnavas as the best one to be liked and hence regarded Bagavathas of Emperuman as serving to Thyself.  He preferred calling himself ‘Thondaradippodi’ – the loose soil at the feet of those serving the Lord.
At this place of Thondaradi Podi Azhvaar i.e., Mandangudi, Lord Ranganatha is seen in a rare standing posture.  Azhwar dedicated himself to serving the God at Thiruvarangam and sought darshan of the Supreme Lord Ranganatha – who yielded by providing him a special standing darshan.  It would appear that the same Lord Ranganatha of Sri Rangam has just stood up to provide darshan to His devotees here.  Here at Mandangudi, we have Lord Ranganatha in a standing posture alongwith Sridevi and Bhumadevi.  The Uthsavar is Azhagiya Manavalar. There is separate sannadhi for the Thayar also.  Just before the Perumal sannathi, there is the sannadhi of Azhwar.  Here Thondaradip Podiazhwar is seen alongside Thirupathi Balaji and Thirumalirumcholai Azhagar. 

His clarion call to people spells -  none of us  would do mistakes, if  one is humble and realize that ‘life on earth is short’ and can come to an end very suddenly.   புரளும்போது அறியமாட்டீர்இந்த சரீரமானது எப்போது நிலத்தில் சாயும் என்ற சமயத்தை அறிந்தவர் அல்லீர் ! Azhwar describes himself as a person standing before the Lord with the flower container [pook koodai] in his shoulders and neatly strung ‘Thiruthuzhai maalai’ on his hands waiting for the benevolence of Lord Ranganathar and gives darshan in the same manner aptly described.

***தொடையொத்த துளவமும் கூடையும் பொலிந்து தோன்றிய தோள்
தொண்டரடிப்பொடி  என்னும்   அடியனை அளியனென்றருளி உன்னடியார்க்கு ஆட்படுத்தாய் 
பள்ளி எழுந்தரு ளாயே!!




This morning dawned so well, as I had darshan of Azhwar having thirumanjana vaibhavam with Sri Madhava perumal at Thirumylai.  Here are some photos taken this morning.  A small video clip  uploaded on Youtube can be accessed here : Thirumylai thirumanjanam . .. .. .. the period being ‘anadhyayanam’ – there would be no purappadu nor rendering of suprabandham.


~adiyen Srinivasa dhasan. [Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar] 
25th Dec 2019.

The photos below are the ones taken earlier at Azhwar avatharasthalam Thirumandangudi.  



Tailpiece :  
1.       Year 2019 had Azhwar Sarrumurai twice – On 4th Jan 19 & today on 25 Dec 2019.
2.       Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd was incorporated in 1954, setting up a sugar factory at Vadapathimangalam, Thanjavur with crushing capacity of 1200 tonnes of cane per day.  In 1990, they expanded their crushing capacity setting up a new mill at Thirumandangudi, Papanasam Taluk, Thanjavur.  Things are not good for them as the  Chennai bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has ordered initiation of corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP).    An SBI-led consortium including Punjab National Bank (PNB), IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India and Standard Chartered Bank had granted financial assistance in the nature of credit facility to the company for an amount of `159.94 crore in 2016. As repayment was not made as agreed, the account was declared as NPA in 2018 and the Bankers have now moved  the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT).
3.       In In the last century there were Cinemas based on puranas and in 1938 came the film titled “Vipra Narayana” – directed by A. Narayanan; dialogue – Somayajulu; Songs – Narayanan Vathiyar; Actors : Kothamangalam Seenu, D Suryakumar, TV Rajasundari, Ds Krishnaveni and others.  One cannot think of such films in the era where they parody Gods and take films ridiculing Hinduism, Brahmins and our faith. Let us shun such people and never encourage such things.

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