Thirumazhisai AzhwAr---திருமழிசை ஆழ்வார்

Thirumazhisai is a small town on the Chennai—BengaLUru highway, 3 km from the town

PUvirundhavalli. It was a small hamlet several centuries ago when, it is believed, that a sage by
the name BhArgava visited that place and performed a yagna to propitiate lord Vishnu. The lord
granted a boon to the sage that a son will be born to him and his wife KanakAngi bearing some
aspects of the lord himself. When a son was born, however, it was only a lump of flesh without
any limbs or life. So the sage and his wife left the “baby” in a bamboo bush and went their way
on their pilgrimage.
A couple, tiruvALan and Pankayachelvi, belonging to the “fifth” class found the baby and
picked it up and took it home thinking it was god’s will. They named the baby tirumazhisai
pirAn (திருமழிசை பிரான்). But the baby was not eating or drinking until an old couple brought
cow’s milk. The baby drank it and indicated the old couple to drink the left-over milk. The old
couple got their youth restored and soon they got a child who was named KaNikaNNan
(கணிகண்ணன்). The two grew up to be friends.

Thrumazhisai piran (from now on referred to as AzhwAr) and KaNikaNnan toured several
shrines. The AzhwAr learnt the vEdAs as he was growing up. He studied other religions and
their merits versus demerits before being convinced of the superiority of Lord Narayana. He met
the three AzhwArs (called mudal AzhwArs) in thirumazhissai. All the four went to the shrine
tiruvallikkENi and stayed for a few days together. Then the AzhwAr went to a shrine called
tiruvekkA and stayed there along with KaNikaNnan to serve the lord.

In the city of KAnchIpuram during the reign of Pallava king Parameswaran I (670-680 CE),
AzhwAr was pleased with the services rendered by an old lady at the ThiruveqkA temple and
restored her to her youthful form so that she could continue to render service to the Lord for a
long time. The king was attracted by the beauty of this lady and married her. However, he
wanted his own youth returned to him too and he asked the assistant of the AzhwAr
(KaNikaNNan) to convey that desire to his guru. The disciple refused to do such a command.
Consequently the king banished KaNikaNNan out of his country. The AzhwAr not wanting to
part with his disciple walked with him and requested that the Lord of the temple too do likewise.
The request is described in the following poem which means, “KaNikaNNan is leaving, oh Lord.
You should not stay here since I am also leaving. Roll up your (serpent) bed and let us go”

கணிகண்ணன் பபாகின்றான் காமரு பூங்கச்ைி

மணிவண்ணா நீகிடக்க பவண்டா-- துணிவுசடய
சைந்நாப் புலவனும் சைல்கின்பறன் நீயும் உன்றன்
சபந்நாகப் பாய் சுருட்டிக் சகாள்.

kaNikaNNan pOginRAn kAmaru pU#ngacci

maNivaNNA nIgiDakk vENDA-- tuNivuDaiy
sennAp pulavanum selginREn nIyum unRan
painnAgap pAy suruTTik koL.

The Lord, it is believed, obeyed. Soon the kingdom faced untold hardship of drought and famine.
The king was contrite and requested the duo to return. They acceded and asked the Lord to return
with them as described in the following verse which means “KaNikaNNan decided to stay back.
So, oh lord, you should also stay back because I am also staying back. Spread your (serpent)
bed”

கணிகண்ணன் பபாக்சகாழிந்தான் காமரு பூங்கச்ைி

மணிவண்ணா நீ கிடக்க பவண்டும் --துணிவுசடய
சைந்நாப் புலவனும் சைலசவாழிந்தான் நீயுமுன்றன்
சபந்நாகப் பாய் படுத்துக்சகாள்.

kaNikaNNan pOkkozhindAn kAmaru pU#ngacci

maNivaNNA nI kiDakk vENDum --tuNivuDaiy
sennAp pulavanum selavozhindAn nIyumunRan
painnAgap pAy paDuttukkoL.

The Lord obeyed the dictates of His devotee again. Accordingly the Lord at ThiruveqkA is called
“YatOktakAri” or “sonna vaNNam seyda PerumAL” (the Lord who did what He was told to
do).

PerumpuliyUr incident: The AzhwAr and his disciple, on their way to tirukkuDanthai, went to
a place called perumpuliyUr and stopped to rest on the pial of a house where some Brahmins
were reciting vEdas. Upon sighting these two, they stopped their recitation on the belief that the
two (from the “lower” class) should not listen to the vEdas. They ordered to the two to move on
and started on their recitation but could not remember where they left off before stopping. The
AzhwAr (being an expert on vEdas) came back, took a black paddy grain, opened the hull with
his thumb nail to indicate the context (referring to the black paddy grain in the recitation) where
they left off. The Brahmins got ashamed and begged the Azhwar’s pardon. They started the
recitation using the clue (“KrishNAnAm vreeheeNAm nakanirbandham” ). The AzhwAr got
the moniker, “bhakthisArar” (one who is the epitome of devotion) as a result of that incident.

At another shrine the temple priest wanted to honor bhakthisArar. However, a few local residents
spoke ill of the AzhwAr in an attempt to deny the honor due to him.. The AzhwAr invoked the
lord to show himself to those people which the lord did as an image in the body of the AzhwAr.
That put the protesters to shame. The AzhwAr then moved on to tirukkuDanthai
(KumbakONam).

At tirukkuDanthai the AzhwAr wrote his famous work on birch leaf, “tiruchchanda vruttam” (a
compilation of 120 verses). The first verse goes as follows:

பூநிலாய ஐந்துமாய்ப் புனற்கண்நின்ற நான்குமாய்,

தீநிலாய மூன்றுமாய்ச் ைிறந்தகால் இரண்டுமாய்
மீ நிலாய சதான்றுமாகி பவறுபவறு தன்சமயாய்
நீநிலாய வண்ணநின்சன யார்நிசனக்க வல்லபர. -
திருச்ைந்தவிருத்தம் (NDP 752)

pUnilAya aindumAyp punaRgaNninRa nAngumAy,

tInilAya mUnRumAyc ciRandagAl iraNDumAy
mInilAya tonRumAgi vERuvERu tanmaiyAy
nInilAya vaNNaninnai yArninaikk vallarE.
–tiruccandaviruttam (NDP 752)

Meaning: “Lord, you are the manifestation of the five attributes of the earth, four
attributes of water, three attributes of fire, two attributes of air, and one attribute of
space. Still you stand apart from all of them. Can anyone comprehend you?”

It is said that AzhwAr went to ThirukkuDanthai to worship the reclining Lord ArAvamudhan.
He was enchanted by the beauty of the Lord and sang (NDP 812 ―…… ”(Oh, KEsavA, please
just raise yourself slightly and talk to me). The Lord, it appears, readily obliged and tried to get
up (from the sleeping posture) to speak to the AzhwAr. The AzhwAr requested perumAL to
remain in the same exact posture of getting up, and to this day the Lord in this shrine can be seen
in this udhAna sayanam (slightly raised reclining) posture. The full pAsuram is given below:

நடந்த கால்கள் நநாந்தவவா? நடுங்க ஞான வமனமாய்

இடந்தநமய் குலுங்கவவா? இலங்குமால் வசைச்சுைம்
கடந்தகால் பைந்தகாவி ரிக்கசைக் குடந்சதயுள்
கிடந்தவாறு எழுந்திருந்து வபசுவாழி வகைவன! NDP 812

naDanda kAlgaL nondavO? naDu#nga ~nAna mEnamAy

iDandamey kulu#ngavO? ila#ngumAl varaiccuram
kaDandagAl parandakAvi rikkaraik kuDandaiyuL
kiDandavARu ezhundirundu pEsuvAzhi kEsanE! NDP 812

Meaning: The AzhwAr addresses the lord, “Are you lying down because
your feet hurt after walking so much (as trivikrama)? Does your body ache
after carrying back a distressed bhUmidevi (who was abducted by
HiraNyAksha) from under, taking the shape of a boar? Is that why you are
lying on the banks of the river KAviri which overcame several obstacles like
hills and desert and flows here? No need for you to get up completely but just
answer me while reclining.”

The AzhwAr has sung about 14 divya dEsams in all. He is the author of two works
included in nAlAyira divya prabandham (NDP): tiruchchanda vruttam (120 verses)
and nAnmukan tiruvandAthi (96) verses) He is considered the manifestation of
Sudarshana cakram (the discus) of the lord.

The story of tirumazhisai AzhwAr is narrated in video format in two parts asunder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfKqmKDTfeg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLFUcMTQPn8
For further study about the AzhwAr visit
https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/thirumazhisai-azhwar/
http://sriramanujar.tripod.com/thirumazhis.html
http://alwarsandacharyas.blogspot.com/2007/02/pey-azwar.html