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Thus spoke Mahatmas

Chennai: The works of the Azhwars are unlike the Puranas and Ithihasas in one important respect. The Puranas and the Ithihasas narrate stories. But the Azhwars do not narrate incidents, except where they are needed to illustrate a philosophical point they are making, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan, in a discourse. And they present to us the Vaishnava siddhanta as seen in the earlier religious works.

The Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the collection of the verses of all Azhwars, answers five important questions. One should know the five basic concepts necessary for moksha — artha panchakam. They are knowledge of the Supreme One — Paramatma Swaroopam; knowledge about the self — Jivatma Swaroopam; that which prevents us from realising the Supreme One — Virodhi Swaroopam; the means of attaining Him — Upaya Swaroopam; the fruits of observing the means to attain Him — Phala Swaroopam.

The scriptural texts speak of these five concepts. The Azhwars have presented the five concepts in Tamil. There is a Sanskrit verse that says that these five concepts are the ones spoken of in the Vedas, the Ithihasas, the Puranas, and by the Mahatmas and sages (Munis). Who are the Mahatmas and Munis? Those who gave us the Ithihasas and the Puranas are the Munis. Those who gave us the Divya Prabandhams, that is the Azhwars, are the Mahatmas.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah. “Those who realise that Lord Vasudeva is everything and have no thought of anything but surrendering to Him, such people are rare, and they are the Mahatmas.” The Azhwars also have no other thought except bhakti for Lord Narayana, hence they qualify to be called the Mahatmas.

One of the thanians to Nammazhwar’s Tiruvaimozhi says Nammazhwar gives the artha panchakam in his Tiruvaimozhi. Therefore Tiruvaimozhi is comparable to the Vedas.

The Paramatma is superior to all. The Jivatma is subordinate to the Paramatma. We can reach the Paramatma only through His grace. The purpose of our quest is to serve the Supreme One.

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