vaishnavism---aazhvaar

Heading the list
 Nammazhvar is considered the foremost among the Azhvars, who are thought of as his organs. Parasara Bhattar, in a verse, gives a list of the Azhvars. But the list is not in chronological order. Bhootathazhvar is listed first, though he was the second. He is mentioned first because he is considered Nammazhvar’s head, 
Bhootathazhvar’s verses served as the model of philosophical explanations for the works of the later Azhvars and Acharyas. He writes in the first verse of his ‘Irandaam Thiruvandadi,’ that his love for Lord Narayana is a receptacle, his zeal is the oil. He calls the lamp he lights ‘gnana vilakku’— the lamp of knowledge. He also talks of ‘gnana Tamizh.’ Tamizh, as often emphasised, has a dictionary meaning of sweetness. Gnana too is sweet, for it liberates. So here gnana is sought to be imparted through Tamizh. And it is because Bhootathazhvar was the first among the Azhvars to begin the mission to impart knowledge, Parasara Bhattar puts him first in his list.
Thiruvarangathamudanar, in his ‘Ramanuja Nootrandadi,’ speaks of ‘pura irul’ and ‘agavirul’ when he mentions the first two Azhvars: Poigai Azhvar and Bhootathazhvar. Poigai Azhvar’s lamp, he says, dispelled the external darkness (‘puravirul’.) But it was Bhootathazhvar’s lamp that dispelled the darkness in our minds. In Parasara Bhattar’s verse, Ramanuja too is mentioned as ‘Yatindra Misra.’ Parasara Bhattar’s verse lists the Azhvars. As Ramanuja was not an Azhvar, why did Bhattar mention him? He is considered Nammazhvar’s feet.
Bhootathazhvar was the first to show us ‘Narayana sabdham.’ Poigai Azhvar, as did the other Azhvars, pointed to Lord Narayana as Paratva. But Poigai Azhvar says the One with Sudarsana Chakra is the Supreme One. He doesn’t give us Narayana Sabdham. It is Bhootathazhvar who gives us Narayana Sabdham, and is therefore the first in Bhattar’s list. Poigai Azhvar says the Supreme One is who that is the nayaka of Leela Vihbuti and Nitya Vibhuti. But Bhootathazhvar explicitly says this Ubhaya Vibhuti nayaka is Narayana


source; the hindu

blessing the LORD---VAISHNAVISM

கடவுளை  வாழ்த்திய  சீடன் 
Singing ‘pallandu’பல்லாண்டு to a person means blessing him/her

Now who is qualified to bless and who is qualified to receive a blessing?
Obviously one who is more learned blesses the one who is less learned. One who is older in age blesses a younger person. The one receiving the blessing is usually one who is dear to the one who blesses. However, a Vaishnava must not see anyone as an enemy, even if they are of other faiths. So a Vaishnavite is a tolerant person, .
Periazhvar is the author of ‘Thirupallandu.’ The prefix ‘thiru’ is used to qualify something; it indicates a good quality. Thus the house of a swami is referred to as ‘Thirumaligai,’ even if he happens to dwell in a humble house. Whatever be the nature of his house, it becomes blessed by virtue of the fact that a Bhagavata lives there.
Periazhvar’s ‘Thirupallandu’ is sung as his blessing to Lord Narayana.

Now the question arises: what category Periazhvar would fit in to be qualified to bless the Lord? He is not older than the Lord, who has no origin. He is not more learned than the Lord, who is Omniscient.

What qualifies him to bless the Lord is His love for the Lord, which gushes with the force of the Cauvery. In his ‘Upadesaratnamala,’ Manavala Mamunigal refers to the affection Periazhvar has for the Lord as ‘pongum parivu’ (overwhelming affection).பொங்குபரிவு

 When he sees Lord Narayana with His consort, seated on the Garuda, Periazhvar’s first reaction is not amazement that the Lord should have come down to the earth, but one of concern for the Lord.

What if someone were to cast an evil eye on the lord கண் திருஷ்டிபட்டுவிடப்போகிறதே என்னும் கவலை , he worries, and breaks out into spontaneous verse.

He is himself seated on top of an elephant, an honour shown to him by the Pandya king, and he uses the bells of the elephant as cymbals, and sings words of blessing to the Lord, hoping his words will keep the Lord from coming to harm because of evil eyes.தீயவர்களின் கொடுங்கண் திருஷ்டி பெருமாளை பீடிக்காமல் இருக்க பொங்கும் பரிவினால் பெருமாளுக்கே பல்லாண்டு பாடுகிறார்

Periazhvar’s concern for the Lord is that of a mother, something that he demonstrates later too, in his ‘Periazhvar Thirumozhi.’

Here he sees himself as Krishna’s mother and worries about the Lord, when He tackles Kalinga, the dangerous serpant

god's accessibility

ஆராதனைக்கு எளியன்:

யே யதா மாம் ப்ரபத்யந்தே தாம்ச்ததைவ பஜாம்யஹம்:
எந்த உருவத்தில் என்னை அர்ஜிக்கிரார்களோ அந்த உருவத்தில் நான் என்னை அவர்களுக்கு காட்டுகிறேன்.
ஒரு எஜமானன் தன்னிடம் வேலை செய்யும் ஆளிடம் இன்முகம் காட்டி, இனிய சொற்களைச் சொல்வதே வேலையாளுக்கு இனிமையாக இருக்கும். அதே போல் லோக எஜமானனான எம்பெருமான் நாம் விரும்பும் படி அர்ச்சையிலே நாம் விரும்பும் படி தன்னைக் காட்டிக் கொடுக்கிறானாம். எம்பெருமான் மிகப்பெரியவானாக இருந்தும் தன்னை எளியவனாகவே காட்டிக் காட்டிக்கொள்கிறான்.
ஆழ்வார் ஸ்ரீ சுக்தி:
தமருகந்தது எவ்வுருவம் அவ்வுருவம் தானே
தமருகந்தது எப்பேர் மற்றப்பேர்

narayana,the supreme

bhaya Vedantins
Sri Vaishnavas are referred to as Ubhaya Vedantins because they are the proud inheritors of both a Sanskrit and a Tamil literary tradition.

Their religious literature is not confined to Sanskrit alone, but encompasses the Tamil works of the Azhvars too,
It is, therefore, customary for Sri Vaishnavas to add the prefix ‘U.Ve’ to their names.

Once during a religious discourse given by Prativadhi Bhayankaram Swamy in Kanchipuram, Tamil scholar U.Ve Swaminatha Iyer is said to have remarked that since he was a Saivite he could not style himself ‘U.Ve’, as SriVaishnavas did. Yet, he was blessed that his initials happened to be ‘U.Ve’ so that at least his initials gave him a closeness to the Vaishnavites, who had as much regard for Tamil as for Sanskrit, Swaminatha Iyer observed!
The two languages of Tamil and Sanskrit are like two eyes to SriVaishnavas. In fact, Tamil may be said to even have a slight edge and might be considered the right eye.

Sanskrit is the left eye.

Tamil may be said to be the representation of Goddess Mahalakshmi, for the Goddess is gentle, and Tamil, like Her, is a gentle language. 

Sanskrit may be said to be representative of Lord Narayana, who, despite His being the embodiment of kindness, is capable of more harshness than His consort.

After all a mother is always more lenient than a father

. But to the child, both parents are equally important. 

Thus, for Sri Vaishnavas both languages are equally important.
The Sri Vaishnavas are doubly blessed, for to them Vedantic 

Truths are available in two languages.
There were Tamil works written before the Azhvars that also pointed to Narayana as the Supreme One. There are verses in the Paripadal that point to Narayana’s supremacy.

Tholkappiyam refers to Narayana as ‘maayon.’

But works such as the Paripadal also praise other smaller deities.

It was the Azhvars who praised none other than Narayana, and thus showed His supremacy.
During the deluge, there was no one except Narayana. All the worlds had been swallowed up.

Thus, it is clear that Narayana is the Supreme One.

source; the hindu, november09