Learning of arunagirinathar's thiruppugazh

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

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Dear all
I would like to introduce Arunagirinathar's THIRUPPUGAZH in this forum. Around 700 years ago, there was lots of fights between saivam and vainavam and the god decided to put a full stop and hence born as "His Holiness Arunagirinathar". He was blessed by Lord Subrahmanya since he is the combination of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. Thiruppugazh though is in praise of Lord Muruga, H.H has cleverly linked Muruga to Arusamayam ie. shanmadham (Saivam, Vainavam, saktham, kaumaram,etc.). There were about 16,000 songs penned by H.H. we have around 1300 songs only available.

These verses have been tuned by various bakthas espcially.. H.H.Vallimalai satchidananda swamigal, "Thiruppugazh" Mani, etc. But unfortunately this was left out without teaching to the public and hence disappearing slowly. In this century, Guruji Shri A.S.Raghavan has tuned these Thiruppugazh in a very beautiful way and His disciples have started spreading by taking daily classes.

In recent days many childrens are singing "B" grade cine songs in TV.. and as brahmin community I feel such spiritual verses should be propogated among the public and get HIS blessings..

What more i have to write....

 

[RVR]

Sri Krishnan Anantharaman ji,

Please do the good work. Please visit the following website.

Sri Vaishnavi Shrine, Aavadi (Chennai)

Vallimalai Sri Sachidanda swamigal installed Sri Vaishnavi statue at Tirumullaivayil. Late Sri P.N.Krishna Iyer who did last rites for Sri Vallimalai Swamigal use to propagate Tiruppugazh. During Kargil war, he propagated few stanzas from Tiruppugazh under the title `Kargil Gundu'.

If you can upload the songs with music and translation to our website, it will be really good.

All the best

 

[G. Soundara Rajan]

Namassathasae.

Shri Krishnan Anantharaman ji:

Thank you very much. I eagerly look for the column by you on Thiruppugazh. Guruji Raghavan, through his programmes and through 'Anbargal' group, which has become worldwide, renders excellent service to Thiruppugazh. For the work of spreading of Thiruppugazh, sky is the limit. Persons capable for this purpose are welcome anytime. Let us all be enlightened pls. Congrats for having chosen this subject.

Shri Venkatraman ji:

Kindly note that under 'web resources' heading, I have made a mention about kaumaram.com in a thread (under the heading of Aadhi Sankarar's Subramanya Bhujangam). This website has almost all the Thiruppugazh songs,. sung by Shri Guruji Raghavan of Delhi and so many other qualified persons in this field, which are available in MP3, texts and meanings, both in Tamizh & English. As the title of this website explains, this contains all those items, which all could be of interest to Lord Muruga's devotees, as a whole.

Vetrivel muruganukku .. arohara

 

[RVR]

Thanks Sundararajan ji,

kaumaram.com is a good website for Murugan related information

Keep it up

All the best

 

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

Dear Mr.Soundara Rajan
Thank you very much for strengthening the thread. Can I know about you more... Well! I am living in Abudhabi and trying to spread the Holy TP. I am basically from chennai and Guruji knows about me well..
Krishnan.A


Dear Mr.R.Venkataramani
Sorry for the delay in reply. I know very well of Late Sri P.N.Krishna Iyer. I used to meet him regularly during my visit to vallimalai gurupooja. Hope you have visited www.kaumaram.com as mentioned by Mr.Soundara Rajan.
Krishnan.A

 

[G. Soundara Rajan]

Namassathasae.

Dear Shri Krishnan,

Pleased to see your response. I am associated with one Tiruppugazh Sabhai in Mylapore, Chennai, for the past 30 years. Guruji Raghvan's disciple Mr. Sankaranarayanan, along with other enthusiasts in Thiruppugzh, started this sabhai, 35 years back. I shall take part in Guruji's programmes in Chennai. My email id is: '[email protected]'. If you let me know your mail id, it will be ideal for our communication, which need not be of interest to others, pls.


Shri Venkatramani ji,

I observe that you are the first person to respond with positive comments, not only to my postings, but in general to all the entries.
Kindly keep it up, sir.

Thanks & Regards.

 

[RVR]

Dear Shri Soundara rajan and Shri Krishnan Anantharaman,

Tiruppugazh is a wonderful masterpiece of Arunagirinathar. Vallimalai Sri Sachidanda swamigal popularised it at nook and corner of Tamilnadu. Vallimalai Swamigal is neither well versed in Tamil nor Music. He got enlightenment at Palani when tribal women (Kurathi) were singing the same during a festival. Vallimalai swamigal started singing Tiruppugazh with his own music compositions which purely due to the blessings of Lord Muruga.

Late Sri P N Krishna Iyer is a Palghat brahmin knowing only spoken tamil. He only did last rites for Vallimalai Swamigal. Again he mastered Tirupugazh (one of the toughest compositions in Tamil) and use sing with ease. I am sure it is due to the blessings of Lord Muruga.

திருப்புகழை பாட பாட வாய் மணக்கும்

All the best

 

[akura]

velmaral

Respected sirs,
We have in this Website Velmaaral on Thiruttanigai velan given
by Sri Sachidhanandha Swamigal under Devotional music.
In Mylapore Ramana Kendra There used to be regular classes.

Sachinanda Swamigal fine tuned his Thirupugazh Knowledge when
he was with Bhagavan Sri Ramana and from there only he was
sent by both Sri Ramana and Sri Seshadri Swamigal to Vallimalai
for doing Thirupugazh service to the world .

Regards and great feelings for doing the services to H H .

 

[G. Soundara Rajan]

Namassadhase.

Shri Akura ji;

I enjoy reading your postings incl. Bharathiyar.
In this thread, your posting on 'velmaRal vaguppu' by Vallimalai swami and the influence Maharishi RamaNar and Sri Seshadri Swamigal in kindling vallimalai swami's interest in Thiruppugazh are new information to me. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Shri Venkatrmani ji,

I had not yet visited Vallimalai Ashram. I have heard quite a lot about Vallimalai Swamiji and also through Murugan devotion, Temples, Songs, Festivals, Muruha, Muruka worship.
Thiruppadi Thiruvizha in Thiruthani on every new year day midnight, adopted, introduced and followed by him, I understand. This tradition is followed by various Thiruppugazh sabhis.

With regard to late krishnan (palghat iyer), who performed the last rites of Vallimalai swamiji, are new information to me. 'Entharo mahanubhuvalu, anthariki vandhanamu'. Learnt Tamil much later in their lives and becoming sizeable contributors in a very tough Tamil bakthi literature 'Thiruppugazh' is commendable and nothing but Lord Murugan's arul made them render this kind of service.

Thanks & Regards.

 

[RVR]

Sri Akura ji and Sri Soundara rajan ji,

Sri Seshadra Swamigal has blessed Sri Vallimalai swamigal and told him Tiruppugazh is his manthra. Ramana Maharishi was age wise younger than Sri Vallimalai Swamigal and hence directed him to Sri Seshadri Swamigal. I have a book written by late Sri Anvanandaji, founder of vaishanavi temple at Tirummulaivayil. Sri Vallimalai swamigal identified the statue collected by Sri Anvanandaji as `Vaishnavi' and installed it at the shrine at Tirumullaivayil. Vallimalai swamigal didn't follow any Agama Sastra for the installation and singing Tiruppugazh, he installed the deity. Late Krishna Iyer succeeded Sri Anvananda ji, as President of Vaishanavi temple. Even today `Tiruppugazh' is recited every day and at every function at Vaishnavi temple.

All the best

 

[akura]

Shri Rv Ji
If lord decides , even an ordinary man when reaching His abode
becomes The Lord Himself . That is the sannidhi magimai
சந்நிதி மகிமை ... இறைவன் சந்நிதி வாயில் சேரும் அதி சாமானிய உயிரும் உன்னதமான அச்சொருபம் ஆகவே வுற்று ஒளிரும் . Though there were so many Tamil Scholars available
it was one Sri Sachidhananda swamigal , who was not much
educated and knowing less Tamil only chosen by the LORD MURUGA
to spread the Thirupugazh . By reaching The LORD , Sri Sachidhananda
swamigal become great person by his devotion to LORD MURUGA.

Everything possible if one is devoted to HIM and Surrender to HIM.
The life of Swamigal is a great example.

 

[akura]

Satchidananada swamigal

My experience with Vallimalai Satchidananda Swamigal

P.S. Krishnan

There have been many narrations in print by various devotees, particularly, Sri R. Kalyanasundaram (1957) and Swami Anvananda (1975) but few copies remain as they are long out of print. However it is my attempt to present information received directly from Swami as well some of the earliest episodes prior to 1948 narrated to me during the period of my contact with him.
Under a divine order alone my first contact with the great soul Sri Sacchidananda Swami occured at his beloveed Tiruttani on 31 December 1948 during the Step Festival initiated by Swami in the year 1917-18 (as I learned later from Swami in detail). Prior to that first encounter I had had a dream of Sri Ramana Mahārshi of Tiruvannamalai leading me up a ladder, standing in an empty field. In the middle he disappeared and in his place a stalwart figure was leading me further up.
I later recognised the stalwart figure as Sri Vallimalai Swami as introduced by my friends who accompanied me enroute to Tiruvannamalai for darshan of Sri Ramana. The dream and its symbolism became a key factor in my life. I had the great fortune to move closely with Swami for about two years from 1948 to 1950 when he attained samadhi at the ripe age of 80.
At that time Swami needed help owing to old age. During his permanent stay at Chennai until 1950, my services were readily accepted by Swami and thereafter hardly a day passed without my meeting him till the end. During this period he helped me in various ways to practise spiritual sadhana.
Saint Arunagirinathar at T

iruvannamalai Swami was very particular in singing Tiruppukal songs of Saint Arunagirinathar and used to explain that Saivate Saint Tirujñāna Sambandhar, who sang Tēvarām about Lord Śiva, was the incarnation of Lord Murukan. Similarly Lord Śiva came to this earth as Saint Arunagirinathar to praise Lord Murukan and show humanity the proper way to worship Him through the songs of Tiruppukal.
At Palani, Swami was ordered by Lord Murukan to go to Tiruvannamalai, the birth place of Saint Arunagirinathar, where he could come in contact with the great saint Sri Ramana Bhagawan. In Sri Ramana, Swami saw the avatar of Sri Palani Āntavar (Lord Dandapani). Swami could learn properly the meaning and candam (cadence) of Tiruppukal. By the grace of Bhagawan, he mastered everything and rendered the songs in an emotional manner.
However, by the order of Sri Ramana Bhagwan, the search for a guru by Swami ended in meeting Sri Sēśādri Swamigal at Tiruvannamalai, who has also confirmed that Tiruppukal songs are mahā mantrams, by reciting which all could be achieved. A parallel śloka from Śiva Manasīkapūja by Adi Śankara (4th śloka) was equalised by Swami by rendering a Tiruppukal song (Ācaikkor paktan). [SIZE=-1]Vallimalai Satchidananda Swamigal[/SIZE]
Thenceforth Sri Seśadri Swamigal directed Swami to go to Vallimalai, the famous abode of Lord Murukan and His Consort Sri Valli, as explained in Kantap Purānam. Swami stayed at this place more than 38 years for his spiritual sādhana as well as to bless devotees irrespective of cast or creed, young or old, rich or poor. Ultimately Swami had a rare experience at Vallimalai culminating in darśan of Lord Murukan and Sri Valli.
His attachment towards Devi Sri Valli was very great. He used to tell me often that we should always praise Sri Valli through Tiruppukal songs, so that She will point out to Lord Murukan at an opportune moment all our our needs, which He will fulfil readily as the request comes from his Consort.
Swami used to find the grace of Sri Valli in all and believed that Lord Murukan alone was Purusha and all the jīvas were only His consorts. (Jīva-BrahmĀ ikyam). In this connection Swami had complied with the help of Tiruppukal songs a medical with very great spiritual significance to the theme "Tiruppukal Jñana Saccidānanda Valli Caitam" (more details later).
At Vallimalai he was a true illustrator of ideal bhakti. He never suffered for want of money or means of sustenance. But he always spent away then and there whatever money came to him and never retained a pie for morrow. He was very particular to feed the needy and believed that service to fellow beings was only true service.
He never claimed to any power to work miracles or cure diseases or grant earthly requests. Always wanted to be a true and humble bhakta and to be called as "Valli Pāda Hridayan".



THANKS ...My experience with Vallimalai Satchidananda Swami
http://murugan.org/research/krishnaiyer.htm

 

[RVR]

I have a book written by Sri Anvanandhaji on `Arunagirinathar' which I am willing to lend to anybody interested in the subject. He has narrated the life of Arunagirinathar, Tiruppugazh and Sri Vallimalai Swamigal after lot of research.

All the best

 

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

Its very great to see the response by various Thiruppugazh devotees and many more information about H.H.Vallimalai satchidananda swamigal shared. Vallimalai is a wonderful divine place soon you step into the street... you will feel the peace and divine power. In the Vallimalai Ashraam... there are many divine incidents happened and even now we can see the yellow colour in one of the Sunai where valli used to take bath... and the lingam where SHE prayed.. the Sooriyan Kaana Sunai (Sun have not seen this water) where Valli gave water to Lord Murugan... and the Elephant shape mountain.. etc and soooooooooo on.

I feel everyone should have the target to visit vallimalai atleast once in their lifetime and get the blessings of HOLY.

 

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

Skanda sashti

Dear Anbargal!
Tomorrow is Skanda Sashti (23.10.2009) and i am sure all the Subrahmanya Temple in Tamilnadu will be fully crowded singing various praises of Lord Muruga.

One of the Aarupadai Veedugal - Thiruchendur, the place where soorasamharam took place is the ideal place to worship Lord Murugan.

chendhilai uNarndhuNarn dhuNarvuRak
kandhanai aRindhaRin dhaRivinil
chendruche rugunthadan theLithara ...... thaNiyAdha

chindhaiyu mavizhndhavizhindh uraiyozhith
enseyal azhindhazhin dhazhiyameyc
chinthaiva raendrunin dherisanaip ...... paduvEnO


chendhilai uNarndh uNarndh uNarvuRa: to contemplate the greatness of ThiruchchendhUr deeper and deeper until wisdom dawns;

kandhanai aRindhaRindh dhaRivinil chendru cherugun thadan theLithara: to understand You, KandhA, more and more, until that knowledge leads to the final destination with immaculate clarity;

thaNiyAdha chindhaiyum avizhndh avizhindhu: to disentangle my uncontrolled mind from each and every knot;

uraiyozhith enseyal azhindh azhindh azhiya: to put an end to my speech and to let my action fade out gradually;

meychinthaivara: and to attain the Real Wisdom;

endru nin dherisanai paduvEnO: when will I be granted Your vision (to accomplish all the above)?

lets all pray for the world peace and to have a good life throught out..

 

[[email protected]]

To Krishnan Anantharaman, RV sir, a wonderful Idea to popularize the Thiruppugazh.among Tamil Brahmins and every one should sing avery day a song. I will be more benifical if Thiruppgazh will be posted in this site. God bless you. s.r.k.

 

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

Dear all
I welcome few ideas from you all of how to present a Thiruppugazh in this forum. Ofcourse MP3 format is not allowed and i am not able to put tamil script also.

Awaiting from co-operation

Krishnan.A

 

[Jamadagneya]

Be more inclusive! Enfranchise not Disenfranchise!

I came across this thread looking for something on Google. The posts on this thread at face value seem innocuous. If, among Tamil Brahmins you, you belong to one of the minorities- who do not even recognize Kumara- then, there is a problem. Shanmatam is an advaitic concept. Advaitam is not all of Vedanta by itself. It is just the school of the majority. Advaitam doesn't require Shanmatham actually, though they go together. Other than Vishistadvaitins, there are even a few Tamil Brahmin Dvaitins here and there in Tamilnad; some of them are actually descendants of Maratha or Kannada Brahmins, who by now are more Tamil Brahmins than else. Here and there are even one or two who arent pure Vedantins, but are still Brahmins. So, even among Tamil Brahmins there is such diversity. You can't speak for Iyers/Advaitins and think you speak for all of us.

Start with the very first post- the poster wants to spread something, which is fine. But, the theology offered in his post and the succeeding posts, are unwittingly exclusivist. Take me, I have never been to Palani. No one in my family has been to Palani. This doesn't mean we are biased. It just don't come up in our minds. I am not against Kaumaram and certainly don't disagree with people who worship Ambal or Kumara- each to their own is true Hinduism; but I would be turned off in seeing a manifestation of Vishnu in Kumara. How can I agree with, " [FONT=&quot]mukkatpara maRkuchchuruthiyin murpattathu karpith thiruvarum muppaththumu varkkath thamararum adipeNa"?
Why would the Paramatma Krishna, bow to Kumara? (iruvarum .... adipena)
To a Vaishnavite of any stripe, this is heresy. I don't mean this to start a fight. For a counterexample, take Venkatesa Suprabhatam "Vidishankerendra vanithabhir archite". Or "shreyo'rthino haraviriïca sanandanädyäH dväre vasanti varavetra hatottamängäH".

My point is that we must be sensitive even in this forum and respect each other. Otherwise we cannot come strengthen our weak, dispirited, disunited and eroding community. We must also be served by the power of wisdom and scholarship. That is, we are Brahmins in the first place- people who know and grow in the 'Brahman'. A nescient Brahmin, is no Brahmin.

[/FONT]My point is that rather than promote merely devotion we must use such forums to educate and empower.

Please note that Tirupugal is not charitable to Brahmins in some places, accusing us of ritual sacrifices or meat consumption- historically where such things existed in post-Upanishadic Hinduism, they were subsumptions of regional practices and not authentic Sanatana Dharmic worship. There are also clear conflicts with Vedic/traditional theology and worship in other places in the book- we must not gloss over these to be PC, but reconcile them too, honestly. But, there should be no problem in accepting good, wherever it comes from. Appar was not one of us, but did he not write beautiful verses? We must always keep our community's common agenda, suffering and welfare in mind.

Next, many are there to promote Tirupugal and other Tamil works. Let's us first promote what is considered by TamilNad government and other Tamil communities as being only our Brahmin heritage and so is unsupported. My point here is pure survivalism. We are a struggling community always under attack, despite cases of individual prosperity- we cannot promote everything; and what we do, must always be in line with our common goals. For example, as it is so few recensions of the various Vedas are known in TamilNad... although as Kanchi Periyavar and other scholars have said, many more were known in olden times. It matters that we must search and find and preserve these recensions like the two Pillais who preserved Tirupugal. Even if some recensions extinct or nearing extinction in TamilNad are available in other places in India, note that the particular Tamil based accent and pronunciation (da,la,zha,La) etc, won't be there. So TamilNad recensions will need to be preserved either way. But we know the stat government is opposed to this.

 

[Krishnan Anantharaman]

Dear Sir,
I have gone through your long long description and explanation of the subject matter. My intention is very clear that people should spend atleast few hours of the day for devotion and not to propogate a particular phrases. Since i am spending my time with Thiruppugazh and got benefited by HIS blessings, i have just pointed this holy text.

I would consider its a part of Tamilnadu Government policy to spread Tamil language. Whoever gone thro Thiruppugazh would have experienced the beauty of Tamil. For me it is immaterial whether it is Thevaram or Thiruppugazh or Thirumurai or Bagavthgeetha but on how a day of time is spent in a positive way is the ultimate.

If you see my first posting i have notated "many young childrens are trained to sing cine song mixed with first grade and Third grade songs" which is not acceptable in the indian culture.

Even after your postings.. i would still stand on Thiruppugazh which is setting example on how to live a good and healthy life. Since Arunagirinathar's hero is Lord Muruga and obviously Murugan on Arunagirinathar's point of view, the superior power is Lord Muruga. In case of Thevaram, Lord Siva is the supreme power and in case of Bagavatham, Lord Krishna. So we cannot debate on why Mumoorthigal has to bow on Lord Muruga.

GOD is one and the name keep changing as per our taste.

I think this subject is ocean and lets contribute to the society something constructive instead of debating such thing.

Krishnan.A

 

[Jamadagneya]

Dear Sir,
I have gone through your long long description and explanation of the subject matter. My intention is very clear that people should spend atleast few hours of the day for devotion and not to propogate a particular phrases. Since i am spending my time with Thiruppugazh and got benefited by HIS blessings, i have just pointed this holy text.

I would consider its a part of Tamilnadu Government policy to spread Tamil language. Whoever gone thro Thiruppugazh would have experienced the beauty of Tamil. For me it is immaterial whether it is Thevaram or Thiruppugazh or Thirumurai or Bagavthgeetha but on how a day of time is spent in a positive way is the ultimate.

If you see my first posting i have notated "many young childrens are trained to sing cine song mixed with first grade and Third grade songs" which is not acceptable in the indian culture.

Even after your postings.. i would still stand on Thiruppugazh which is setting example on how to live a good and healthy life. Since Arunagirinathar's hero is Lord Muruga and obviously Murugan on Arunagirinathar's point of view, the superior power is Lord Muruga. In case of Thevaram, Lord Siva is the supreme power and in case of Bagavatham, Lord Krishna. So we cannot debate on why Mumoorthigal has to bow on Lord Muruga.

GOD is one and the name keep changing as per our taste.

I think this subject is ocean and lets contribute to the society something constructive instead of debating such thing.

Krishnan.A

You are precisely an example of a nescient Brahmin. You are not a credit to the Brahmin community. How much have you read of the Bhagavatham? In the original? Without some fellow's commentary? Or of other serious religious texts like Upanishads or Sankara's works?

And now you are trying to sanitize your earlier posts which clearly pretended that Kaumaram subsumes other faiths and spoke purely from an Iyer/smartha point of view- which your respondents also echoed. Don't try to backpedal now. Go and read your own words.

Do you have the knowledge to contribute anything to this society? Except your mere number?

If you are still going to stand by Tirupugal, how are you going to resolve the 3 statements in Tirupugal critical of Brahmins? Have you considered that much of Tamil-Saiva-Siddhanta culture, even centuries before the Justice Party was formed, was opposed to Brahminical/Vedic/Agamic worship? If you are a Brahmin, your first heritage is the Vedic one. Regional cultures were subsumed later. Example: Namboodiris migrated from Maharashtra a few centuries ago to Kerala. Their culture is an amalgam- but their real roots are only their Vedic roots. Who matters more to you? A Vedic Rsi, or Tirumoolar? What are you?

My problem is not with Arunagirinathar. Otherwise why would I give a counterexample about Prativadi Bhayankaram Anna? My problem is with you and people like you, who don't know what they are talking about. You can't pretend you speak for everybody one day and then try to simonize the next day.

'God is one' is not a smart statement to make. It is only pseudo-lofty. That is a loser's statement. The winner says "My God, is the God of all"- I mean historically, those who have won religiously-motivated wars like Crusades or Ghaznavid wars on Guzerat etc. No one has seen God, or even understood God. What you can see and experience are concrete paths to God. In this, some paths are right and superior. All paths are not the same. If a religion asks you to convert by fire and sword and fight religious wars, it cannot be anything good. Compare this with something that promotes universal brotherhood and peace for all.

Btw, I have gone thru Tiruppugal and I can give you a number of places where Tiruppugal is factually flawed, or technically flawed in terms of refinement of prosody. No one is infallible. In fact, there are questions among Tamil literateurs about whether all the 1300 verses compiled, are truly by one author and in uncorrupted form.

My point again is that you first need to know your Brahmin heritage well. Then you must try to promote it first because Brahmins are under attack in India. Then promote anything else in life. Otherwise, tomorrow, only your community will disappear. Not everything else. As TamilNad is the most anti-Brahmin state in India, followed by Andhra, Tamil Brahmins have a first duty to protect themselves and their heritage.