The divine path shown by Paramahamsas
Tiruppavai 6
The sky represents the spreading nature of NaaraayanaTatwam. In that sky birds fly with the help of two wings. Their chirping sounds indicate it is about to dawn. The winged bird symbolizes Aacharya who shows the path to disciples. One wing is Jnana – the knowledge, and the other, its practice. Without two wings none can fly.
Tamil Paashuram
Pullum SilambinaKaannPullAraiyanKoyilil
Vellai Vili Sangin PeraravamKettilaiyo
Pillaay! EzhundhirayPeymulaiNanjundu
Kallla-ch-chagadamKalakkazhiya-K-kaalochi
VelllaththuAravilThuyilAmarndaVitthinai
UlllathuKkonduMunivargalumYogikalum
MelllaEzhunduHariEnraPer-aravam
UlllamPugunduKulirndhu-elorEmpaavaai.
English Poem6
Wake-up calls of Chirping birds before dawn
Hear that sound of snow-white Conch from temple.
Young Girl, get up, Krishna who sucked poison and life of Pootana
Whose casual leg-move destroyed demon Sakata
Meditating of creation while on serpent in ocean,
in the mind and words of Yogi and Muni
gently rising up chanting Hari Hari
that resound with peace in the minds of girls.
Art by Bapu
Krishna’s boon to Puthana who gave poisonous milk
Several Bhagawata stories and incidents from the Raamayana are referred to along with some more stories in Tiruppavai. Goda in a very crisp symbolic way, in a few words mentions an interesting episode in Srimad Bhagavatam. In Sixth Pashuram, Goda writes about Putana, the demon, who was commissioned by Kamsa to find and finish the boy who was born a few days ago everywhere in his kingdom. His aim was to remove his proclaimed enemy the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. He knew the He was born in his jail, but he does not know when he left jail and where he is growing up.
The books “prabhupadabooks.com” explained: Putana was neither a devotee nor a non-devotee; she was actually a demoniac witch instructed by Kamsa to kill Sri Krishna. Nonetheless, in the beginning she assumed the form of a very beautiful woman and approached Sri Krishna exactly like an affectionate mother, so that mother Yasoda and Rohini did not doubt her sincerity. The Lord took all this into consideration, and thus she was automatically promoted to a position like that of mother Yasoda. Putana was immediately promoted to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, which is also sometimes described as Svarga. The Svarga mentioned in this verse is not the material heavenly planet, but the transcendental world. In Vaikuṇṭhaloka, Putana attained the position of a nurse as described by Uddhava. Putana was elevated to the position of a nurse and maidservant in Goloka Vrindanam to assist mother Yasoda.Writer M.A. Venkatakrishnan said the wicked Putana got moksha, when her life was taken by Krishna, but instead of milk mixed with poison, it seemed as if Putana fed Krishna milk mixed with her life, for Krishna sucked out her life, when she fed Him! He put in no effort to do so. He even enjoyed the milk that she offered to Him. True it was poisoned, but to Krishna it tasted sweet, because Putana had come with the exclusive intent of offering it to Him, and to no one else. She was giving Him whatever she could, and she was doing so without offering it to anyone else. https://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/moksha-for-putana/article37971829.ece
When Lord Vamana punished King Mahabali (Called Bali) by sending him to Patala, Ratnamala got furious with him. Thus, her emotions for Vamana changed, and she felt like killing him by making him consume poison.Hence, in her next birth, when Ratnamala was born as Putana, she could fulfill both her wishes. She could breastfeed the baby and also make him consume venom.Nonetheless, after attaining Moksha, Putana secured a place for herself in Vishnu’s abode because he addressed her as his mother.
Obeying Kamsa’s order to kill any infant of a few days age all over his kingdom, Puthana among others, came to Vrepalle. She came to know that in Yashoda -Nanda’s house, a child was recently born. She daubed poison on her milky breasts reached their house. Pretended to be a mother, she requested Yashoda to allow her to breastfeed little Krishna. Krishna in her lap, sucked her milk, and poison also out of her. As He went on sucking, she could not tolerate the pain and fell dead. Lord Krishna relieved the demon of the vicious circle and liberated her soul. He was very kind towards her because at least for a few minutes she thought of herself to be His mother. No bounds to His generosity and compassion towards the jeevas, irrespective of their character.
The meaning of sixth pashuram
Goda got up early to reach another young girl. She asked: “Are you not hearing the chirp of birds, are they not waking up all of us? Listen to the beckoning sound of the white conch Sanka from Temple of Vishnu who moves on Garuda, the king of birds. Vishnu is none other than Krishna, who as a baby sucked the poison, milk and life of Pootana too, who disguised herself as mother and when He casually moved his leg, the demon of Sakata has broken into pieces. He meditates upon the next creation while leaning on five hooded serpent – Adishesha, who is the cause of regeneration of Universe, who also resides in the minds and hearts of Yogis and Munis, who gently get up without disturbing the Vishnu residing in their heart, chanting “Hari…Hari”. That Hari Chant is resounding in the minds of Girls of Vrepalle. In this Paashuram Andaal is showing the proofs of sunrise through chirps of birds, sound of Conch from temple, Hari Harinamam chanting by Munis and Yogis while getting up to tell others that it was dawn and time to get up.
(Art by Bapu)
Destroying Sakataasura
Once, Yashoda took Him to the banks of River and safely placed him underneath the bullock cart before she got into her routine works. Another Demon sent by Kamsa invisibly entered the cart and was trying to kill Him. At that time young Krishna was flashing his hands and legs crying for milk. The effect of that automatic movement was so severe that the cart flew up and has broken into pieces. The cart is a symbol of body that runs on two wheels of two different consequences of Good (Punya) and Bad (Paapa) deeds. Once that person realizes that God is the driving force, touches His feet and He would be liberated. Krishna showered mercy over Sakata just by touching the cart, and the latter attained the abode of Lord.
Jaana Shrithi Story
Jaana Shrithi is a king, pious, and good donor. One day, two swans were flying over his palace. One of them said to the other, ‘King is a good dharmika, righteous person, but he has less interest in Brahma Jnanam. Let us not fly over the king and disrespect him by allowing our shadow to fall over him. The other swan asked, “Why are you afraid of him so much? Is he Raikwudu?” Jaana Shriti understood their conversation, wanted to know that person who was referred as greater than him, located Raikwudu with all efforts. His emissaries found him under a bullock cart behaving like a maverick. The king left the kingdom, offered all the wealth to Raikwudu and got lessons of Brahma-Jnaana from him. This story establishes that the Aachaarya in the form of Swan cautioned about his lapse and showed the right path to reach Parabrahma. Goda’s reference to chirping birds refers to this Upanishadic story.
In this Paashuram, Goda specifically explained how Yogi is different from Muni. Muni maintains silence always thinking about Bhagavan who the cause of the whole Universe is. Unlike him, Yogi does all activities in service of God but meditates on His deeds.
Lakshmana is Yogi who served Lord Raama throughout especially the period of 14 years of exile. Whereas Bharata though far off from Raama deeply and silently thinks about Him always. Bharata is Muni.
In Nanda Vrajam Munis and Yogis used to wait for the Darshan of Sri Krishna at the cowshed expecting that Lord Krishna would come there to feed the cows and lay them to rest before He went home.
One who feels the presence of Paraamatma in him, will be very careful; Like a pregnant lady, Yogis and Munis get up cautiously feeling His heaviness in their minds, chanting Hari and Hari.
As per legend in Bhagavat describes: Prahlada son of Hiranyakashipu, an evil daitya king who had been granted a boon that he could not be killed off by anything born from a living womb, neither by a man nor an animal, neither during the day nor at night, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither on land nor in the air nor in water, and with no man-made weapon. However, after repeated attempts of filicide by Hiranyakashipu against Prahlada, Prahlada was finally saved by Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu, who descended to demonstrate the quality of divine rage and redemption by killing the demon king. The word “Narsimha” is derived from the Sanskrit words “nara”, meaning man, and “siṃha”, meaning lion. Thus, the preserver god took the form of a part-man, part-lion to kill the asura.
Prahlada a saintly boy, known for his innocence and bhakti towards Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, he continues to worship Vishnu.Prahlada is considered such a Yogi, who held his heart strongly with his hand when soldiers threw him down from the hill-top lest Naaraayana in him should be injured. Prahlaada did not mind any harm to himself. The devotees like Yogis, Munis or Prahlada think that they have a duty to protect Naaraayana, though He does not need it.
Goda’s sixth Paashuram has such depth of meaning with such allusions.
Twelve Aalwaars (Azwars)
Andaal wakes up each Gopika/Alwar from Paashurams 6 to 15. There are Ten Alwars prior to Goda: 1. Poyigai (Saro Yogi). 2. Poodatta (Bhootha Yogi), 3. Peya (Mahayogi), 4. Thirumazhishai (Bhakti Saara), 5. Nammaalwaar (Sathagopa), 6. Kulasekhara, 7. Periyaalwar (Bhattanatha, Vishnu Chitta), 8. TondarAdippodi (BhaktaanghriRenuvu, or Sri Pada Renuvu, or Vipra Naaraayana), 9. Tiruppani (Yogi Vahana) and 10. Tirumangai (Parakala).
After scripting Tiruppavai and NaachiyaarTiruvayiMozhi and herself merging with Ranganatha, Goda became the 11th Aalwaar and then another great devotee Madhura Kavi joined the Aalwaars. Goda is invoking the kindness of ten Aalwaars in these ten Paashurams.
Unless the Aalwaar is kind, it is not possible to attract the benevolence of Bhagawan. Aacharya Kripa comes first and then only Bhagavan Kripa.
Also read: Goda’s love letter: A poetic garland
Madabhushi Sridhar 21.12.2023
