THIRUVAIMOZHI - NAMMAZHWAR: ADVICE TO THE SELF

2016-23  Thiruvaimozhi - Nammazhwar: Advice to the Self 

MaduraKavi - Nammazhwar - Nadamuni

[The Vedas and the Upanishads are the ultimate source of all our spiritual and philosophical knowledge. The Nalayira Divya Prabandham  of the Azhwars  present the jnana of all  these hallowed works of our tradition in Tamil in a melodious, inspired and easy to assimilate form. They are the combined works of the twelve Azhwars.

Tradition has it that all these works were brought back to us through Nammazhwar who appeared before Nathamuni to recite all the Nalayiram for him to compile. Hence he is hailed as "he who presented the substance of the Vedas in Tamil" and he who sang the 4000 Divya Prabhandams in praise of the Lord".

Nammazhwar was born in Thirukurugur immediately after the birth of kaliyuga. Historically he is placed at 8th century A.D. Thirukurugur is called as "Azhwar Thiru Nagari" to mark his Avathara there.

The Azhwar was born by the divine grace of "Thirukurungudi Nambi" and was named "Maran" by his parents. The child was unusual in many ways. He refused to take milk, did not respond to the people around but continued to live without any sustenance under a tamarind tree in the temple. He continued to sit there in padmasana, in divine contemplation for sixteen years.

The Azhwar gives details about his life in various verses. He mentions that Lord Krishna was food and water and everything necessary to him. He meditated at His holy feet, he had no interest in pleasures of the senses and he could not tolerate mundane life and that is why he kept his eyes closed. His mind dwelt on the Lord all the time.

Once Nammazhwar woke up from his trance, he started singing his verses on the Lord. It is believed that the Azhwar lived on the earth in the same place for 32 years. The works of Nammazhwar, which form part of Nalayira Divya Prabhandham, are Thiruviruttam - 100 verses, Thiruvasiriyam - 7 verses, Periya Thiruvandhadhi - 87 verses and Thiruvaimozhi - 1102 verses. They are believed to be the substance of the four Vedas.

In Thiruvirutham, the Azhwar maintains that he finds mundane life in this world unbearable. In Thiruvasiriyam, he describes and enjoys the beauty of the Lord. In Periya Thiruvandhadhi, he cries out to the Lord to take him in his fold. In Thiruvaimozhi, he enjoys the Lord, tells us the way towards Him and concludes with his "Moksha Anubhavam".

Swami Desikan says that Thiruvaimozhi makes those parts of the Vedas which are intricate, easy to understand. The title Thiruvaimozhi was given by the Lord Himself when he came before Nammazhwar to take him to His abode. In fact the Lord addressed the Azhwar as Nammazhwar showing that he was very special to Him.

Most of the verses of Nammazhwar flow out of his love and divine consciousness where there is no awareness of the external world. Some of them are directly addressed to the Lord. In some, the Azhwar addresses mankind and gives advice.] 

திருவாய் மொழி - முதல் பத்து (முதல் திருமொழி, 2791-2801)-
ஆத்ம உபதேசம்       ADVICE TO THE SELF [2791-2801]

2791 உயர்வு அற உயர் நலம் உடையவன் எவன்? அவன்
மயர்வு அற மதி நலம் அருளினன் எவன்? அவன்
அயர்வு அறும் அமரர்கள் அதிபதி எவன்? அவன்
துயர் அறு சுடர் அடி தொழுது எழு என் மனனே (1)

2791. O my heart! 
He is a matchless god.
He has unlimited goodness. 
He gave me abundant knowledge to remove my ignorance.
He is the god of the gods in the sky
and he never grows tired of protecting the world. 
Worship his shining feet that take away all sorrows.

2792 மனன் அகம் மலம் அற மலர்மிசை எழுதரும்
மனன் உணர்வு அளவு இலன் பொறி உணர்வு அவை இலன்
இனன் உணர் முழு நலம் எதிர் நிகழ் கழிவினும்

இனன் இலன் எனன் உயிர் மிகுநரை இலனே (2)

2792. He removes the faults in your mind. 
He keeps Brahma on the lotus on his chest.
There is no limit to what he can think.
He is not attracted by any feelings of the senses.
Whatever happens does not bother him. 
He is in my soul and he is ageless. 

2793 இலன் அது உடையன் இது என நினைவு அரியவன்
நிலனிடை விசும்பிடை உருவினன் அருவினன்
புலனொடு புலன் அலன் ஒழிவு இலன் பரந்த
அந்நலன் உடை ஒருவனை நணுகினம் நாமே (3)

2793. No one knows 
what he has and what he does not have.
The earth and sky are his forms.
He is formless.
He is the senses and he is not the senses.
He is endless. 
He is omnipresent.
He is all goodness. He is unique.
I approached and joined him.

2794 நாம் அவன் இவன் உவன் அவள் இவள் உவள் எவள்
தாம் அவர் இவர் உவர் அது இது உது எது
வீம் அவை இவை உவை அவை நலம் தீங்கு
அவைஆம் அவை ஆயவை ஆய்நின்ற அவரே (4)

2794. He is us. 
He is this man, that man and the man over there.
He is this woman, that woman and the woman over there.
Who is he?
He is our own. He is this one, He is that one. 
He is this and he is that. 
He is the thing over there, and he is what.
He is these, those and those over there. 
He is good and evil.
He is omnipresent and he is those things and these things. 

2795 அவரவர் தமதமது அறிவு அறி வகைவகை
அவரவர் இறையவர் என அடி அடைவர்கள்
அவரவர் இறையவர் குறைவு இலர் இறையவர்

அவரவர் விதிவழி அடைய நின்றனரே (5)

2795. People think as they wish,
"This one is my god and that one is my god."
They will reach the feet of the god they choose.
The god they worship 
will give them all things that they want.
They will reach the gods according to their fate.

2796 நின்றனர் இருந்தனர் கிடந்தனர் திரிந்தனர்
நின்றிலர் இருந்திலர் கிடந்திலர் திரிந்திலர்
என்றும் ஓர் இயல்வினர் என நினைவு அரியவர்  
 என்றும் ஓர் இயல்வொடு நின்ற எம் திடரே (6)

2796. He stands, sits, lies and wanders.
He does not stand, does not sit, does not lie and does not wander.
No one knows what his nature is
but he has only one nature and he is the mighty god.

2797 திட விசும்பு எரி வளி நீர் நிலம் இவைமிசைப்
படர் பொருள் முழுவதும் ஆய் அவைஅவைதொறும்
உடல்மிசை உயிர் எனக் கரந்து எங்கும் பரந்துளன்

சுடர் மிகு சுருதியுள் இவை உண்ட சுரனே (7)

2797. He is in the wide sky, the strong wind, water and earth
and he is in all the things in the world. 
He hides himself in the bodies and lives of all creatures
and he is spread everywhere.
He is the shining god of the world and he is the Vedas, 
and he swallowed all the worlds. 

2798 சுரர் அறிவு அரு நிலை விண் முதல் முழுவதும்
வரன் முதலாய் அவை முழுது உண்ட பரபரன்
புரம் ஒரு மூன்று எரித்து அமரர்க்கும் அறிவியந்து  
அரன் அயன் என உலகு அழித்து அமைத்து உளனே (8)

2798. He is the highest lord 
and he swallowed all the worlds 
and the sky where the gods are.
He burned the three forts of his enemies.
Gods wonder about his nature.
He is Shiva and Brahma 
and he creates and destroys the world.

2799 உளன் எனில் உளன் அவன் உருவம் இவ் உருவுகள்
உளன் அலன் எனில் அவன் அருவம் இவ் அருவுகள்
உளன் என இலன் என இவை குணம் உடைமையில் 

உளன் இரு தகைமையொடு ஒழிவு இலன் பரந்தே (9)


2799. If one believes he exists, he exists.
If one believes he has a form, he does. 
If one believes he has no form, he has none.
He has both natures, "he is and he is not," and he is omnipresent.

2800 பரந்த தண் பரவையுள் நீர்தொறும் பரந்துளன்
பரந்த அண்டம் இது என நிலம் விசும்பு ஒழிவு அறக்
கரந்த சில் இடந்தொறும் இடம் திகழ் பொருள்தொறும்
 கரந்து எங்கும் பரந்துளன் இவை உண்ட கரனே (10)

2800. He pervades the water of the cool wide ocean. 
He pervades all the worlds.
He pervades the vast sky.
He is in places no one knows. 
He is hidden in everything that shines,
the sun, moon and stars.
He swallowed all of them and spit them out.

2801 கர விசும்பு எரி வளி நீர் நிலம் இவைமிசை
வரன் நவில் திறல் வலி அளி பொறை ஆய்நின்ற
பரன் அடிமேல் குருகூர்ச் சடகோபன் சொல்  

நிரல் நிறை ஆயிரத்து இவை பத்தும் வீடே (11)


2801. Saḍagopan of Thirukuruhur 
composed a thousand pasurams worshiping the feet of the god 
who is the sky, the strong wind, water, earth,
the rainbow and the everlasting mountains.
If devotees learn and recite these ten pasurams 
they will reach moksha. 

Kovil Thiruvaimozhi Mudal Patthu Temple Rendering with English Meaning:[Click Here] 3:23 min

YouTube Audio: Kovil Thiruvaimozhi Nammazhwar [Click Here] 5:32m

YouTubeVideo: Talk on Nammazhwar by D.A.Joseph: [Click Here]

Thiruvaimozhi English Commentary Part 1: [Click Here]