engkaL

engkaL

thirukkOttiyUr

tirumangai AzhwAr started with ‘vADinEn vADi’ where he expressed his gratitude to BagavAn for teaching him tirumantra. He analyzed the meaning of the mantra in the following tirumozhi’s, visited the divya dESa which is the ‘ellai nilam’ (boundary) of tirumantra artha.

First he visited vaDanATTu tiruppadi’s (North India), then toNDainATTu tiruppadis, naDunATTu tiruppdis, SOzhanATTu tiruppadis and pANDiya nATTu tiruppadis. In the middle he went to malainATTu tiruppadi tiruvallavAzh again went back to pANDiyanADu. He last visited tirumAliruSOlai, the greatest of the pANDiyanATTu tiruppadis. Now he goes to tirukkOTTiyoor, the ‘tilaka’ of the pANDiyanATTu tiruppadis.

Once dEvas wanted to discuss about the ways of getting rid of the asuras and their king hiraNyAsura. They selected a place to meet which could not be entered by him due to kadamba muni’s SApa (curse). Since they gathered there the place is called gOShTeepuram which in tamizh is called kOTTiyoor.

koorattAzhwAn went to tirumAlirumSOlai to escape from the saiva king. Similarly his son BaTTar went to tirukkOTTiyoor for the same reason and stayed there for some time. Both Sree rAmAnujar and his SiShya koorattAzhwAn visited this place several times to learn the rahasyArtha of tirumantra.

1. engaLemmirai embirAn
imaiyOrkku nAyahan EttaDiyavar
tangaL tammanattum piriyAdaruL purivAn |
pongutaNNaruvipudam Seyya
pongaLE Sidarum ilangoLi
Sengamalam malarum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || One ||

He who resides in the heart of the aDiyArs and in tirukkOTTiyoor is our swAmi and succor. He is the Lord of the nityasooris. This divya dESa is beautiful with lotus ponds and gushing rivers that bring gold and gems to the shore.

engaL emmirai—When it suffices to say engaLirai or emmirai AzhwAr uses both the words. His idea is to call Him ‘our swAmi and our swAmi only’. He is not the swAmi of others but exclusively ours. Hence He is some one special (asAdhAraNa swAmi) paravAsudEva is enjoyed by nityasooris and muktas; where He is in pArkaDal He is approached in case of necessity by the dEvas and riShis; viBavAvatAra like Sree rAma and Sree kriShNa are enjoyed by the people of those periods. antaryAmi can be enjoyed by the yOgis and Baktas like prahlAda and a few. For the people like us only archAvatAra can be enjoyed. He has come to these divya dESas for our sake only, who are blind. Can we see Him even in archa since we are blind? Yes, we can if we desire to see Him and if He desires to show Him. ‘aDiyOmukku emberumAn alleerO neer indaLooreerE’—tirumangai AzhwAr.

engaL emmirai is our swAmi and we are His property. It does not stop there. A swAmi is one who receives the kainkarya from His dAsas. For that purpose it is He who should remove the obstacles too for the dAsas to be able to do kainkarya. Hence He is ‘embirAn’ (upakAraka). What is the upakAra that He does? He enables the dAsas to do kainkarya at all times. That is what a prapanna wishes to have.

Even the nitya sooris do such kainkarya without pause. But He feels to get kainkarya from them is not something great (imaiyOrkku nAyahan). Hence He comes down from paramapada to places like tirukkOTTiyoor.

periyavAchchAn piLLai interprets the word ‘budam’ as cloud i.e., the clouds pour rain like gold and gems.

2. evvanOi tavirppAn emakkirai
innahaittuvarvAi nilamahaL |
SevvitOyavallAn tirumAmahaTku iniyAn
mouvalmAlai vaNDADum mallihai
mAlaiyODu maNandu mArudam
deivanAravarum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Two ||

tirukkOTTiyoor is the diyva dESa which is beautiful with mallihai and SAdi mallihai flowers the scent of which is carried by the blowing southern breeze and makes theplace fragrant. Here resides emberumAn who is the consort of Boomi pirATTi and periya pirATTi. He removes the disease of samsAra of those who worship Him.

evvanOi tavirppAn— evva means duhKa. The disease is samsAra. ‘eruttu koDiyAnum piramanum indiranum maTTrum oruttarum ippiravi ennum innOikku marundarivArum illai’. Then how does one get out of it? It is He who is the doctor who cure the disease. He is the medicine too.

innahai tuvar vAi nilamahaL- emberumAn is the PaladAta. He calculates all the sins committed by him and puts him in naraka or punishes him suitably. Boomi pirATTi smiles at Him and says ‘Well! You want to punish Him? Are You going to send him to naraka? Who is there to save him except You? If You lose him You are the loser, not he. Isn’t there an inseparable sambandha between You and him? Aren’t You sarvajna? Do consider well before You punish him'. BagavAn listens to her and does what she says.

3. veLLiyAn kariyAn maNinaravaNNan
viNNavar tamakkirai emakku
oLLiyAn uyarndAn ulahEzhum uNDumizhndAn |
tuLLuneer moNDu koNDu SAmaraikkaTTrai
Sandanam undivandaSai
teLLuneer puravil tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Three ||

emberumAn in different yugas. In krita yuga He is white (as the satva guNa predominates); in kali yuga He is dark (His natural colour); in dwApara yuga He is blue like sapphire. Thus the sarvESwara who swallows all the worlds during praLaya and who releases them all during creation is the Lord of the nitya sooris and has come to tirukkOTTiyoor to save His Baktas by lifting them out of samsAra sAgara. This divya dESa is wealthy with sandal trees, chAmaras, etc., brought to shore by the current of water of the river maNimuttAru.

4. ErumEriyilangum ONmazhuppaTTrum eeSarku
iSaindu uDambilOr
koorutAn koDuttAn kulamAmahaTku iniyAn |
nAru SeNbaha mallihai malarpulhi
inniLavaNDu nannarum
tEralvAi maDukkum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Four ||

emberumAn has given a part of His body to His loving consort periya pirATTi as well as to Siva who is full of ahankAra and dares to call himself eeSwara. Thus He is impartial to all alike. He resides in tirukkOTTiyoor which has plenty of forests full of SeNbaha and mallihai flowers which the honey bees seek for honey, drink to their stomachful and feel happy about it.

5. vangamAkaDalvaNNan mAmaNivaNNan
viNNavarkOn madumalar
tongal neeNmuDiyAn neDiyAn paDikaDakaDandAn |
mangultOi maNimADa veNkoDi
mAhameeduyarndEri vAnuyar
tingaL tAn aNavum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Five ||

He who is the supreme Lord of all, the Lord of the nityasooris, who measured all the worlds, who wears a tuzhasi mAla on His tall diadem, who is like the sea and sapphire in colour resides in tirukkOTTiyoor where there are tall buildings whose walls are gem-studded and on whose tops fly white flags which flutter in the wind touching the moon and clouds spreading in the sky.

6. kAvalan ilangaikkiraikalanga
SaramSelavuittu maTTravan
Evalam tavirttAn ennaiyALuDai embirAn |
nAvalam puvimannar vanduvaNanga mAl
uraihinradu ingena
dEvar vandirainjum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Six ||

Sree rAma discharged a volley of arrows at rAvaNa, the king of lankApuri who prided himself as the jagat rakShaka. He not only destroyed his life but also his pride and defeated him. Humiliated as he was he died in the battle. This emberumAn, who revealed His strength in lankApuri reveals His charm to me and enslaved me. He resides in tirukkOTTiyoor where the kings of jamboodweepa and brahmAdi dEvas come and worship.

7. kanrukoNDu viLanganiyerindu Aniraikku
azhivenru mAmazhai
ninrukAttuhandAn nilamAmahaTku iniyAn |
kunrinmullaiyin vASamum kuLir
mallihai maNamumaLaindu iLam
tenral vandulavum tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Seven ||

emberumAn who killed both vatsAsura and kapittAsura by throwing the former on the latter, who lifted gOvardhana mountain to protect the AyarpADi folks and cattle against the downpour caused by indra, who is the lover of Boomi pirATTi resides in this divya dESa, tirukkOTTiyoor where the southern cool breeze bring the fragrance of mallihai and mullai flowers from the mountain and blow through the streets.

8. poongurundoSittu AnaikkAindu arimA
Sehuttu aDiyEnaiyALuhandu
ingennuL puhundAn imaiyOrhaL tam perumAn |
toongu tANpalavinkani tohu
vAzhaiyin kaniyODu mAngani
tEngutaNpunalSoozh tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Eight ||

He broke the kurunda tree full of flowers. He killed with anger the mad elephant kuvaLayApeeDa of kamsa. He killed the horse called kEsi haunted by an asura. This mAya of wonderful feats enslaved me and entered into my mind as if it is His favourite abode. This ‘imaiyOrhaL perumAn’ resides in tirukkOTTiyoor where there are forests full of ripe mango fruits, lushy jack fruits and bunches of bananas that fall into the stream.

9. kOvai indamizhpADuvAr kuDamADuvAr
taDamAmalar miSai
mEvu nAnmuhanil viLangu purinoolar |
mEvu nAnmaraivANar aivahaivELvi
Arangam vallavar tozhum
dEva dEva pirAn tirukkOTTiyoorAnE || Nine ||

This pASura speaks of the greatness of the vaidikas of tirukkOTTiyoor. periyAzhwAr too in 4-4 speaks of the same vaiShNavas of tirukkOTTiyoor. ‘nAvakAriyam SollilAdavar nADOrum virundOmbuvAr dEva kAriyam Seidu vEdam payinru vAzh tirukkOTTiyoor’ ‘kuTTram inri guNam perukki kurukkaLukku anukoolarAi SeTTram onrum ilAda vaN kaiyinArhaL vAzh tirukkOTTiyoor’ ‘boodam aindoDu vELvi aindu pulanhaL aindu porihaLAl Edam onrum ilAda vaN kaiyinArhaL vAzh tirukkOTTiyoor’ ‘kASin vAi karum virkinrum karavAdu maTTrili SOriTTu dESa vArttai paDaikkum vaN kaiyinArhaL vAzh tirukkOTTiyoor’. Thus more than emberumAn, greatness of the vaiShNavas is eulogized by AzhwArs .

kOvai indamizh pADuvAr—Even before he finishes this tirumozhi AzhwAr says ‘those who read this tirumozhi’. It is interpreted as—nammAzhwAr says ‘toNDarkku amuduNNa nan mAlaihaL SonnEn’. Similarly tirumangai AzhwAr says that BAgavatas who always sings BagavadguNas shall find this tirumozhi a pleasure to hear and sing. Hence AzhwAr says so.

kuDamADuvAr-kuDakkoottu is an act of playing with two or more pots carrying two on each shoulders and on the head. It is played like balls as done by jugglers. It is normally done by AyarpADi folks. To say that it is played by the Sree vaiShNavas of tirukkOTTiyoor is something strange. But remember periyAzhwAr’s pASura ‘vaNNa mADangaL Soozh tirukkOTTiyoor mannu nAraNan nambi pirandamai’ where he says kaNNan is born in tirukkOTTiyoor. Here too AzhwAr says kuDakkoottu played in tirukkOTTiyoor. How ever this interpretation is not very satisfactory. There is another interpretation. In nammAzhwAr’s tiruvAimozhi he says in the tirumozhi ‘moimmAmpozhil poihai’ that BAgavatas do ‘samBramanrutya’—a dance done out of ecstasy of BagavadanuBava. taDa mA malar miSai mEvu nAn muhanil viLangu purinoolar—The Sree vaiShNavas of tirukkOTTiyoor excel even brahma and others in learning vEda, leading a vEdic life and performing vEdic ceremonies. They out weigh him even jnAna and Bakti.

10. AlumAvalavankalikanri mangaiyar
talaivan aNipozhil
SElhaL pAi kazhanittirukkOTTiyoorAnai |
neelamAmuhil vaNNanai neDumAlai
intamizhAl ninainda
innAlumArum vallArkku iDamAhum vAnulahE || Ten ||

Those who read these pASuras will live for ever in paramapada. It is interpreted as—those Sree vaiShNavas who read these pASuras will live in the place which itself become paramapada. ‘OrAyirattuL ippattum uraikka vallArkku vaihundamAhum tam oorellAm’—tiruvAimozhi (or) It can also be interpreted as ‘when these pASuras are sung, the nityasooris, muktas and even paramapadanAtha will come to this place making it another paramapada.