Sri Thirumylai Peyalwar mangalasasanam 2004 : புனந்துழாய்மாலையான் பொன்னங் கழற்கே

Till a few months ago ! ~ life was normal, people lived happily without fear of spread of dreaded disease. At Thiruvallikkeni there are numerous occasions of Perumal purappadu – once a year Sri Parthasarathi Perumal visits Eekkattuthangal and enroute He visits Thirumylai. .. .. and Thirumylai Peyalwar comes to Thiruvallikkeni for mangalasasanam .. [Sri Adhi Kesavar too visits Thiruvallikkeni for vana bhojanam and have heard from elders that Thirumazhisai Azhwar too had been visiting Thiruvallikkeni six or seven decades ago !]

At least 1 million people have now died from COVID-19. This grim milestone comes eight months after the public first learned that a mysterious respiratory virus was infecting people in China. The novel coronavirus swept quickly across the globe and overwhelmed hospitals from Italy to New York City. The virus has caused a larger death toll in some places than in others; there are constant fears that the official tally is presented to be lower than the actual death toll of the virus !

The dreaded virus has forced people to remain at home for long time – the constraint of human mobility to homes has resulted a probable rise in domestic abuse. Although domestic abuse (defined as behaviour that causes harm to intimate partners or family members) is common throughout society, women and children are disproportionately affected as victims. It has contributed to economic disturbance as also to mental stress and depression for some !

Science or religion ! ~ often people pose this Q to simply show that they are rational thinking ! Research is normally a plodding, tedious process. Scientists check and recheck their data; review and re-review their conclusions; .. .. yet, we find lot of confusion – what were once offered as remedies are faulted in subsequent studies. Many a times, Science urges people to desist from doing what once was believed to be the perfect answer. Corona too has left Scientists, doctors, administrators, Nations, common people and everyone confused. The simple recipe perhaps is – ‘be very careful’ – don’t venture out unnecessarily. Practice social distancing, wash your hands with soap / detergent / sanitizer. Do not have physical contact with people, try to keep good health, eat good food and pray Emperuman, the great Saviour for happiness and normal living.

Can you ever imagine this ? - life existed billions of years ago too ! – now Science tells that those eons, long before oxygen was readily available, the notorious poison arsenic could have been the compound that breathed new life into our planet. In Chile's Atacama Desert, in a place called Laguna La Brava, scientists have been studying a purple ribbon of photosynthetic microbes living in a hypersaline lake that's permanently free of oxygen. Microbial mats, which fossilize into stromatolites, have been abundant on Earth for at least 3.5 billion years, and yet for the first billion years of their existence, there was no oxygen for photosynthesis. How these life forms survived in such extreme conditions is still unknown, but examining stromatolites and extremophiles living today, researchers have figured out a handful of possibilities.

இப்பிறவியின் பயன் எம்பெருமானுக்கு அவர்தம் அடியார்களுக்கும் கைங்கர்யங்கள் செய்து, எம்பெருமானை அடைவதே ! .. ஆழ்வார்கள் பகவத் விஷயத்தில் மோகித்தவர்கள். எம்பெருமானுடைய திருவடிகளிலேயே தம்முடைய திருவுள்ளம் வியாமோஹம் கொண்டவர்கள். எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன் நாரணனின் திவ்ய குணங்களில் ஆழ்ந்து ஈடுபட்டவர்கள் ஆழ்வார்கள். பேயாழ்வார் தமிழ் தலைவன் என போற்றப்படுபவர் - எம்பெருமானின் திருவடியிடம் ஆழ்ந்த பற்று கொண்டவர். இன்று புரட்டாசி சதயம் - ஆழ்வாரின் மாதாந்திர திருநக்ஷத்திரம். அடுத்த மாதம் Oct 26 ஐப்பசி சதயம் - ஸ்ரீபேயாழ்வார் சாற்றுமுறை - அன்று விஜயதசமியும் கூட.

11^th Oct 2004 [yes 16 years ago !] was a significant day ~ Purattasi Ekadasi day. On all Ekadasis, there will be periya maada veethi purappadu of Sri Parthasarathi Swami at Thiruvallikkeni Divyadesam. It was special as Sri Peyalwar from Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Devasthanam visited Thiruvallikkeni. Later in the night, it rained pretty heavily making us worry how Thamizh thalaivan Sri Peyazhwar could have reached back his abode at Thirumylai. Rains are not new and the Muthal azhwargal enjoyed ~ in fact that was the very reason how we got those treasure-trove of thiruvanthathis. On that beautiful rainy day at Thirukkovalur, Sri Peyalwar in the company of Sri Poigai Alwar and Bootathalwar, lighting with the Universe and love, had darshan of Emperuman.

Sri Peyalwar was born in a well in Mylapore (thence known as Mylai Thiruvallikkeni). His birthplace is in the present day Arundel Street in Mylapore closer to Mylai Madhaava Perumal Kovil. At Thiruvallikkeni, the road adjacent to Sri Parthasarathi Kovil houses a separate sannathi (temple by itself) for Sri Peyalwar and the street is named after the Azhwar and is known as ‘Peyazhwar kovil Street’. Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Devasthanam better known as ‘Kesava Perumal Kovil’ is near Mylai Kapaleeswarar Temple and the Chithirai kulam belongs to this Temple. Here are some photos of Thirumylai Sri Peyalwar purappadu of 2004.

ஆழ்வார் பாடல்களிலே தமிழும், அற்புத உரையும், பக்தியும் கமழும். பேயாழ்வார் இடைகழியில் மற்ற இருவர் ஏற்றிய விளக்கினிலே பெருமாளை சேவித்து 'திருக்கண்டேன் பொன்மேனி கண்டேன்' என இசைத்தவர். அவரது வரிகள் இங்கே :

விரும்பி விண் மண்ணளந்த அஞ்சிறைய வண்டார்

சுரும்பு துளையில் சென்றூத, அரும்பும்

புனந்துழாய் மாலையான் பொன்னங் கழற்கே,

மனம்துழாய் மாலாய் வரும்.

பூக்கள் மணமானவை; அழகானவை; அவைகளை தொடுத்தால் கிட்டும் அழகிய மாலையிலே, சுறுசுறுவென இயங்கும் சிறகுகளையுடைய வண்டுகள் துளையில் சென்று ஊத, அதனால் அரும்புகள் உண்டாகப்பெற்ற மிக தூய நல்ல திருத்துழாய் மாலையை அணிந்தவனான எம்பெருமானுடைய பொன்னாங்கழல்கள் - சாதாரண திருவடிகள் அல்ல ! விண்ணுலகத்தையும் மண்ணுலகத்தையுமளந்த மிகவழகிய திருவடிகள், விஷயத்திலேயே எனது மனமானது லயித்து அதனையே நினைத்து மயங்கிக் கிடக்கின்றது. அந்த எம்பெருமானின் தங்க திருவடிகளையே சரணாக பற்றினேன் - எனக்கு எவ்வித குறையும் வாராது என அறுதியிடுகிறார் சுவாமி பேயாழ்வார்.