Enclyopedia of Sri Vaishnavam

gokulkr · 10-01-2007, 04:45 AM

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WHO IS RAMANUJA?

Sri Ramanuja is the renowned 11th Century philosopher, devotee, and humanitarian who serves as the paradigmatic leader and central figure in a vast lineage of scholars and mystics belonging to the spiritual path of Sri Vaishnavism, a monotheistic religious tradition of India that has been described by both Eastern and Western scholars alike as being the most complete in its understanding of the Vedas, the Eternal Truths. His contributions to this spiritual path were so vast, that Sri Vaishnavism itself has come to be known as Ramanuja Darshanam, Ramanuja’s Vision.
Sri Ramanuja’s nine great philosophical and devotional works validated and united the his lucid understanding of ritual and philosophical ideals of the Vedas with the devotional outpourings of the Azhvars, the twelve mystical saints that form the basis of the Sri Vaishnava experience. Such a synthesis of scholarly understanding and heartfelt devotionalism lies at the center of Sri Ramanuja’s philosophy, which has come to be known as Visistadvaita, qualified monism.
Visistadvaita suggests the idea of a Personal Supreme Being, known in Sanskrit as Sriman Narayana (the refuge for all souls), Who is at once the Great Lord and Master of the Universe, and also the Divinely Merciful and Loving Protector, Who is ever striving to redeem souls from the bondage resulting from ignorance and false ego. The unifying factor between the Supreme Being and the individual souls is Divine Love,which is expressed by the Lord in His constant desire to protect and save, and is expressed by the devotee through adoration, surrender, and selfless service. The goal of human life in the Sri Vaishnava path is to awaken this Love for God in our hearts to a level that brings peace, strength, and higher purpose to this life, and eventually, salvation through a natural and heartfelt submission to the Lord's Boundless Grace.
In addition to being a prodigious thinker and esteemed religious leader,
Sri Ramanuja was also revered for his magnanimity and humanitarianism. His instructions to his disciples were that the message
of the Sri Vaishnava path should be shared with all, irrespective of race,
caste, creed or gender. Such an open and inclusionary attitude allowed
the Sri Vaishnava message of love and service to God and His Creation
to break through the rigidities of caste and communal segregation and
reach every corner of India. Such a peaceful revitalization of Vedic
thought would directly and indirectly elevate the spiritual ideals of India
for centuries, influencing such great souls as Ramananda, Tulsidas,
Kamban, Pothana, Guru Nanak, Kabir Das, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,
Mirabai, Swaminarayan, and most recently, Mahatma Gandhi.
During his time on earth, Sri Ramanuja appointed 74 of his closest
disciples to serve as keepers and propogators of this proper
understanding of the Eternal Truths. These 74 disciples and their
continuous lineage of successors up to the present day have come to
form the Acharya Paramparai, the lineage of Spiritual Teachers. It is this
lineage that each and every person is given the opportunity to link to in
their formal initiation into the Sri Vaishnava faith.
This link is likened to a beautiful necklace, which is depicted in the illustration on page 6. Sri Ramanuja serves as its main jewel, and the lineage of teachers that preceded him and follow him are precious gems that come to completion at the clasp, the Lord Sriman Narayana Himself. A Sri Vaishnava's daily spiritual practice includes meditation on this lineage. Along with one's own immediate Acharyas, the meditation proceeds through the necklace, which lists the Acharyas in reverse chronological order as follows:
• Sri Manavala Mamunigal
• Sri ThiruvaiymozhiPillai
• Sri PillaiLokacharya
• Sri VadakkuThiruvidhiPillai
• Sri Nampillai
• Sri NanJeeyar
• Sri ParasaraBhattar
• Sri Embar
• Sri Ramanuja
• Sri Parankusa
• Sri Yamunacharya
• Sri RamaMisra
• Sri Pundarikaksha
• Sri Nathamuni
• Sri Sattakopaya
• Sri Vishvaksena
• Sri (Maha Lakshmi, the Divine Mother)
• Sridhara (SrimanNarayana)

The chain is garlanding the rahasyatrAyam, the three Great Secret Mantras, that every Sri Vaishnava mediatates upon daily to understand his/her true nature, the nature of God, and the relationship of Divine Love that binds us to Him Eternally.

The first of these mantras is known as the Moola mantram, which was revealed by Sriman Narayana Himself to His Disciple Nara in his Nara-
Narayana avathara. The second mantra is the dvayam, which the Lord revealed to Sri, the Divine Mother. The last of these mantras, and most well-known is the charama sloka, which was revealed to Arjuna by the Lord in His avathara as Sri Krishna in Sri Bhagavad Gita.

While they may continue to be known as "secrets", it is solely through
the Compassion of Sri Ramanuja that these mantras were made available
to anyone and everyone. Indeed, in a paradigmatic example of his
resolve, Sri Ramanuja proclaimed the greatness of one of these mantras
from the top of a temple tower immediately after his Acharya had
revealed it to him under the condition that he reveal it to no one else.
When confronted by the teacher for what was an act of blasphemy, Sri
Ramanuja replied that he would risk eternal condemnation if it meant
that just one soul could achieve the Lord's Highest Abode. It is at this
point that the Acharya, Thirukoshtiyur Nambi, in awe of his kindness,
would proclaim him to be EmperumAnAr, our Lord of Lords. And it is
for this Kindness, this Magnanimity to the point of self-sacrifice that can
only be on par with God's Own Love, that Sri Ramanuja forever remains
in our hearts and lives as not only the Greatest among our Spiritual
Teachers, but also as our savior.

Om Namo Narayanaya

gokulkr · 10-02-2007, 01:17 AM

gokulkr · 10-03-2007, 04:21 AM

FOLLOWERS OF RAMANUJA & LORD NARAYANA

One of the fundamental qualities of a follower of Ramanuja Sampradayam is, although one must be completely tolerant of other beliefs, on a personal level the devotee maintains exclusive monotheistic devotion to the Supreme Lord, Sriman Narayana, as one's sole Refuge and Protection. The reason for this is not just dogma or blind faith, but is the result of a logical understanding of the purpose of spirituality as it is taught in the Vedas and as it is revealed to us by our Acharyas.

For every human being, faith is very essential towards leading a purposeful and productive life. That faith should be based on sound principles and should be derived from a proper understanding of the venerated practices and teachers of the past. Faith such be of such a nature that it frees one from worrying about the past, the present or the future, encouraging a person to focus instead on living a productive and good life, such that not only the individual but all those around that individual are benefited. To gain such an attitude that leads to the Good,
one must be safe in the knowledge that he/she is being guided and cared for by the Divine.
To have such a faith, one must follow a path that is lucid and straightforward, free of contradictions and discrepancies.Consequently, it must be directed towards One Being, One Supreme Good, One Absolute Truth. That One Being should be all powerful such that we know that He can easily save us from what would otherwise be an unending web of accumulated sins that bind us to our false egos and our material desires. At the same time, that Being should be very compassionate, forgiving, and accessible, so that we can be rest assured that we can turn to Him in spite of our sinful nature. He must also be impartial to everyone such that He readily accepts anyone and everyone who turns to Him, irrespective of their caste, race, gender or station in life. He must also possess many charming and wondrous qualities such that we are easily drawn to Him. And, He must be one who loves us unconditionally, and who is willing to accept our unconditional love in return. Such a being would easily be accepted into our hearts and lives.

Given our human foibles, however, even if such a being were to stand
before us at this moment, telling us that He is the One that we are
seeking, our nature would be to doubt Him. So, In addition to all the
Divine Qualities, He must be one whose supremacy has been proven by
what others have taught, and is time-honored and proven. Over the
ages, great people should have consistently worshipped Him, and that
worship should be consistent with the books/revelations that tell us of such a Person.

Our Acharyas teach us that the Vedas, which form the basis of any Indian spiritual system, emphatically declare that such a Lord is none other than Sriman Narayana, the Supreme Being Vishnu, the consort of the Goddess Sri, the refuge of all souls. Great saints and mystics have worshipped Him through the ages, and have passed on their legacy to others. Ramanuja adopted this legacy from them, and has shared this great treasure with all of us through his lineage of Teachers. It is for this reason, that followers of Ramanuja put their complete trust in Sriman Narayana as the Way and the Goal of Life.

gokulkr · 10-04-2007, 09:34 AM

This section will provide information about great saints and teachers. In this section we provide information about two great saints - (1) thondar-adi-p-podi-azhvaar, (2) thiru-mazhisai-azhvaar. Azhwars are mystic saints who are blessed with divine knowledge by the Lord, and whose outpourings known as the divya-prabhandam (divine verses) are venerated as the highest source of devotional/philosophical knowledge.

thondar-adi-p-podi-azhvar :
Literally translated, the meaning of the Azhvar's name is the Azhvar who is "dust of the feet of the devotees of the Lord". This is a tamil name. The equivalent in sanskrit is "Bhaktangrirennu".His original name was Vipra-Narayana.Vipra-narayana was born near Sri Rangam, and was brought up by his parents to be a devotee of the Lord. After his childhood, he moved to Sri Rangam, and started performing service laced with deep devotion to the Lord of SriRangam - Lord Ranganatha. His primary means of service was collecting flowers and basil leaves, making garlands out of them and offering it for adoring the Lord everyday. While living such a devout life, a dancer with some deceit and considerable effort, attracted him and made him fall in love with her. After Vipranarayana fell in love with her, she moved to a village near Sri
Rangam. Vipranarayana, in his illusion and demented state, forgot all about the Lord, and went to her house. She refused to let him in, and he stayed outside the house day and night praying for her to let him in. Seeing his state, the Lord and Lakshmi decided to change him. They enacted a few incidents, and Vipranarayana realized his wandering away from the truth and his true state of serving the Lord. He came back
to srIrangam, and to atone for all his sins, he took the name of thoNdar-adi-p-podi, and started performing service to ALL devotees, irrespective of where they came from. The Lord blessed him with diving knowledge; he gave us two works - thiru-p-paLLi-ezhuchchi and thiru-mAlai.
Thiru-p-paLLi-ezhuchchi literally translates to “the waking up of the diving”. It is sung everyday in most temples when the early morning rituals start. Thiru-mAlai translates into “divine garland”. It is an emotional outpouring on the Lord of Sri Rangam, and contains many verses where the Azhvaar thanks the Lord who blessed him with grace inspite of his many shortcomings.

thiru-mazhisai-AzhvAr :
This AzhvAr’s name is derived from the holy place where he lived - it is
called thiru-mazhisai, and is currently a suburb of the city of ffice:smarttags" />Chennai in

India

. His original name was Bhakti-sAra (the essence of devotion). This
AzhvAr practiced many different religions in his quest for the truth. He
got disillusioned with every one of them, and was fortunately, through
the divine will, taught by one of the earliest Azhvaars known as pEy-
AzhvAr. Bhakti-sAra found the truth in Vaishnavism, and became a great
devotee of Lord Sriman Narayana. His affection and concern for the
Lord, and his relationship with Him is legendary. The Lord of thiru-vehaa
(a place in current day kanchipuram), yathOkthakAri or sonnavaNNam
seydha perumAL (the Lord who did as instructed!) is said to have adhered
to this Azhvaar’s commands and have left the town for a day, and on the
Azhvaar’s commands, come back. Similarly, the Lord of thiru-k-kudandhai
(present day Kumbakonam, in Tamilnadu), Araavamudhan is said to have
listened to the Azhvaar’s pleas to stop getting up to welcome his
devotee, the Azhvaar who came there to worship Him. To this day, we
can see the Lord there in a posture that is between completely lying
down, and sitting. This AzhvAr gave us a composition called thiru-ch-
chanda-viruttam (chanda-viruttam is the name of a form of Tamil poetry;
thiru is added as it is holy poetry).

gokulkr · 10-06-2007, 03:17 AM

Divine Places - SriRangam

Presiding Deity :

Sri Ranganatha (The Lord of SriRangam), also known as Periya Perumal (the foremost lord) - reclining on Adisesha (the foremost devotee or servant of the Lord, present in form of a serpent, coiled up serving as a bed to the Lord) in a posture known as bujanga Sayanam (reclining with the hand supporting the face), facing south. The procession deity is called Azhagiya manavalan (the handsome bridegroom), or namperumal (Our Lord).

Divine Consort :

Sri Ranga nachiyar (The queen/goddess of SriRangam), also known as Sri Ranga Nayaki Thayar (The consort of Sri Rangantha).

Temple Legend :

Eons ago, Lord Ranganatha (in the exact same form as He is present in SriRangam Today), was worshipped by Brahma in a place knows as Satyaloka (one of the seven worlds according to Vedic literature). During a period, known as trethayuga (one of the four ages per Vedic Tradition), He was Worshipped on earth by a king knows as Ishvaku, the son of Manu (the author of code of conduct known as Manu Smrithi). This deity passed on through the generations to Lord Rama, who presented it to Vibheeshana, the king of Lanka after the ramayana war. On the way to Lanka from Ayodhya, the Lord was attracted by srirangam and wanted to rest there permanently. He promised Vibheeshana that he will grace him and Lanka by facing south (SriLanka is directly south of SriRangam).

Salient Aspects of the temple :

Vimanam (the name of the tower above the presiding deity's sanctum):
sri ranga vimanam, also known as pranavakruthi vimanam.

theertham (the name of the holy tank whose water is used for various purposes in this temple): chandra theertham (the most prominent one, currently present).

This temple has a unique arrangement. It is believed to be designed by satya varma (the divine architect) himself. There are seven gopuras(towers), named after the seven worlds, present in each of seven prAkArAs (passages around the temple). There are several sanctums for various incarnations/forms of Lord VishNu in these seven prAkArAs. There are also numerous sanctums for great teachers and saints of the religion in these prAkArAs.

Diving Outpourings on the Lord:

Srirangam is the only holy place that has been sung by 11 AzhvArs with a total of 247 verses. One of them, srI thoNdar-adi-p-podi AzhvAr sung exclusively about Lord ranganAthA. srI parAsara bhattar composed magnificent Sanskrit stOtrAs (praise verses) on the Lord, the key among which is known as srI rangarAja sthavam. Sri vEdAnta dEsika composed a
magnificent stOtra called srI pAduka sahasram (1000 verses on the Lord’s holy feet) here.

Great Teachers and Saints:

Srirangam has been, and is the seat of the Sri VaishNava religion. Given that, all the great teachers and saints have lived in Srirangam, and have propagated the religion from there. The following is a partial list of important sanctums present -
(i) All the AzhvArs (12)
(ii) srIman nAthamuni
(iii) srI yAmunAchArya (ALavandAr)
(iv) srI rAmAnuja
(v) srI kUrattAzhvAn
(vi) srI parAsar bhattar
(vii) srI nampiLLai
(viii) srI piLLai lOkAchAriAr
(ix) srI vEdAnta dEsika
(x) srI maNavALa mAmunigaL

Other important facts:
(i) Ramanuja established Srirangam as the seat of learning
(following the footsteps of yAmunAchArya and srIman
nAthamuni), established all the temple procedures and
services and established families to render specific services
to the Lord. He was followed by great teachers like srI
parAsara bhattar, srI nampiLLai and srI piLLai
lOkAchAriar. During the life of srI piLLAi lOkAchAriAr,
srIrangam was invaded by the North Indian rulers, and the
temple procedures were lost. Two generations later, svAmi maNavALa mAmuni reestablished the temple procedures,rejuvenated the rAmAnuja sampradAya, and made Srirangam the seat of learning again.
(ii) A method of propagating the concepts of SriVaishNavism
using song and dance, called araiyar sEvai, was established
by srIman nAthmuni. Following in that tradition, there are
several occasions a year when learned scholars belonging to
the araiyar family enact verses from the divine outpourings
of the AzhvArs.

How to get there:

Srirangam is located near Trichy (Thiru-chi-ra-palli) - about 10
kilometers from there. There is a railway station at Srirangam, and most of the express trains stop there. It is about 300 kilometers from Chennai. It takes about 6 hours by road from Chennai.

PROCESSION DEITY OF LORD RANGANATHA

gokulkr · 10-06-2007, 03:36 AM

Q & A: NEED FOR SPIRITUALITY AND ACHARYAS

Question 1: What is Spiritual Knowledge, and what is the need for it? Who is a bonafide Acharya (spiritual teacher)? (With so many available)
Any developed, civilized society seeks to find out the purpose of life, Why am I here, Who am I, Who created this universe, these questions will lead us to seek out the Truth.

There has to be a greater purpose than eating, sleeping and reproducing. This leads us to think further and more questions come, am I more than this flesh and blood, am I "jeevatma"? (Spiritual Being)

The very important question of "who am I and what is my purpose", makes us seek "True Knowledge" (Spiritual Knowledge).This spiritual knowledge is gained through the study of spiritual science.

This deals with
1. Chit - Jivathmas (Soul) :- has Knowledge
2. Achit - Time, Matter etc.
3. Ishwara - Paramathma (Supreme soul) :- God, Sriman Narayana

In order to gain a proper understanding of this knowledge such that it can be to our benefit, as well as of benefit to the world, we need to seek an Acharya who has this type of knowledge, and is willing to share it readily with those who sincerely desire to learn it.

Question 2: How do we know the Acharya is true? How do we find THE Acharya?
God out of his Kripa (mercy), reveals the true knowledge to us, via a Acharya parampara (lineage of Spiritual Teachers).
Lord, Sriman Narayana (a.k.a, Vishnu, Sri Hari) is the first Acharya. He revealed this true knowledge to: "Sri" (Maha Lakshmi, the Divine Mother). The Divine Mother revealed the true knowledge to Vishvaksena (Commander in Chief in Vaikhunta), who in turn taught it to Satakopa Muni (Nammazhwar). The lineage of teachers continued on through Nathamuni, Pundarikaksha, Ramamisra, Yamunucharya, Goshti Purna, to Sri Ramanuja, the foremost and most magnanimous of all of the Spiritual Teachers (Time on Earth: 1017 to 1137 AD).

Due to his unparalleled wisdom and compassion, Sri Ramanuja is regarded to be the foremost example of what it means to be a Spiritual Teacher. Thus all other teachers after him, have had their teachings validated because of their connection to Sri Ramanuja.

Consequently, All Acharyas following in this lineage of Acharyas after his time are named with suffixes/prefixes of Ramanuja, they represent Ramanuja and his teachings as they are.
All these Acharyas passed down the knowledge as it is, without any
adulteration to the original as given by Lord Narayana to MahaLakshmi.

You may approach any of the Acharyas in this lineage.

Question 3: Is this Acharya Lineage based on Birth. Are there any caste restrictions on who can be in this lineage?
No this lineage is not based on birth. We have Acharyas from all walks
of life and all castes. SwamiSatagopan (Nammazhwar) the first Acharya
in Earth was born in 4^th Caste. He is the most important acharya who
brought the teachings to all the Sri Vaishnavas. There is a lot of
misconceptions regarding Caste System, let us discuss that in another
session.

Question 4: Is the Spiritual knowledge we get today is same as was given by LORD?
In Sri Vaishnavite Sampradaya, this knowledge is being handed down from Teacher to Student (who then takes over the role of teacher for the next generation)

Such a lineage can be regarded to be like” a clean pipe”, with all the Acharyas being regarded as smaller clean pipes connecting through a main “junction box”, Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja.

Since the water coming in is pure, and all the pipes are clean and untainted by false ego or false knowledge, the water coming at the end of the pipe is exactly the same as it at was at its source (Sriman Naryana). Spiritual Knowledge revealed by the Lord, is given to us by our Acharya, as taught through the Lineage of Acharyas. This knowledge is thus flawless and true spiritual Knowledge.

So any one interested in learning the True knowledge will approach an
Acharya of this lineage (RamanujaAcharyas, some call them as
Sadacharyas) as they are all representing Acharya Ramanuja (and will pass the message AS IS to their devotees)

Question 5: How to approach Acharya?
Due to, Lord SrimanNarayana's grace and benevolence we get accepted by our Acharya, the Acharya accepts us (it is never the other way). One should be extremely grateful and fortunate to be accepted by a qualified RamanujaAcharya of this lineage.

Question 6: What do we need to get accepted by such an Acharya?
Genuine Interest is all that you need to have. If you are a true devotee seeking the Truth and are willing to understand and follow it respectfully, Ramanujacharyas will never turn you down.

It is our great fortune that Acharyas accept us and impart the True knowledge to us in appropriate doses based on our individual capacity. In Sastras, Acharya is Described as Equivalent to GOD, If needed we can explain reasons later.

So all the true devotees treat their Acharya as GOD himself.

Question 7: Like GOD, is that not stroking some Ego? Is this needed?

True devotees treat their Acharya as GOD himself, But the True Acharya NEVER says "I am God" never behaves with EGO or Anger,
Never entertains any caste, community, regional or language barriers.

Question 8: How to know the True Acharyas from Fake Sadhus?
There are so many others claiming to be the Perfect Acharya and that they are GOD. If you see such people go ask them if they are the SUPREME GOD (The Creator of this universe). Nobody is greater than or equal to the SUPREME GOD.

Ask such people if they can even create a grain of rice without the help of Lord, Sriman Narayana. Ask if anyone can create or bring life to an otherwise life-less object. No-one can create anything, only GOD can. Still we find fake ones claiming to be GOD etc.

True Acharya NEVER says "I am God"

You can be assured that an Acharya representing Bhagavad Ramanuja
and his message is passing on the message as revealed by LORD and is a Bonafide True Acharya, capable of delivering us to GOD.

In some sense it depends on what you are seeking, if you are seeking true spiritual knowledge, GOD will allow you to come under the guidance of an Acharya of the Lineage Started by HIM, with the LORD as the First Acharya.

HIS grace is always upon you; let us pray for all of us, to fall in love with HIM more and more and not to resist/block his Grace with our false ego.

Gopuram at Srirangam. Lord Ranganatha (main deity), The three great teachers
- NammAzhvAr, Ramanuja and MaNavALa mAmuni

gokulkr · 10-07-2007, 02:48 AM

MUMUKSHUPPADI
An Introduction

Sri Pillai Lokacharya, who is the son of Sri Vadakku Thiruveethi Pillai and the elder brother of Sri Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar, has written eighteen important rahasya granthas which are together known as the Ashtadasa Rahasyas. These contain such phenomenal works as Mumukshuppadi, Srivacana Bhushanam, etc., which are of great importance to Sri Vaishnavas.

Mumukshuppadi is an important work to Mumukshus - those who wish to attain Moksha (liberation), the lotus feet of Lord Sriman Narayana. It explains in three parts (prakaraNams) the sweet and immeasurable meanings of the three mantras together known as the Rahasyatraya. The Rahasyatraya are the Thirumantra, Dwaya mantra and Carama shloka. To every soul that seeks liberation from this samasaric and karmic (suffering due to ego and the complex effects of karma) existence, understanding of these three mantras is essential.

The three mantras contain in them the five great meanings known as Arthapanchakam. These five meanings are: 1. Knowledge of the Supreme, 2. Knowledge of the Jiva, 3. Knowledge of the means, 4. Knowledge of the goal, and 5. Knowledge of the obstacles to that goal. All three great mantras were revealed by none other than Sriman Narayana Himself. Thirumantra which is known as Mantra Rajam, was revealed in Badri and was advised to Nara by Narayana (both were forms of the Lord).
Dwayam which is known as Mantra Ratnam, was revealed to Sri Mahalakshmi by the Lord in Sri Vishnu Loka. Carama shloka was revealed to Arjuna by Lord Sri Krishna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. As all three mantras were given by Him, He stands as the first amongst acharyas. It is therefore that Sri Kuratthazhvan started his guru parampara thaniyan with "Lakshminatha" - Sriman Narayana.

Our acharyas have delighted in the great and deep meanings of these mantras for a long time. Prior to Sri Ramanuja, these rahasyas and their meanings were told only to a selective few by our acharyas. As foreseen by Sri Nathamuni, Sri Ramanuja was born in this world to break such rules and show the path of salvation to everyone. And so, Sri Ramanuja made these rahasyas available to everyone. Sri Pillai Lokacharya then
brought these meanings to us in written form through the work Mumukshuppadi. Swami Manavala Mamunigal, out of his greatcompassion to us, decided to make these meanings understandable even to us and wrote an extensive vyakhyanam for Mumukshuppadi.
It is therefore very important for all those who seek salvation to try to gain a greater understanding of these three mantras by learning the Mumukshuppadi. Even after gaining Mamunigal's vyakhyanam, the explicit and hidden meanings of this work are hard to grasp. It is therefore essential to seek learned acharyas and learn this work from them.

gokulkr · 10-08-2007, 01:29 AM

LIFE HISTORY OF OUR TEACHERS

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
The personal relationship between the Lord and the individual is the same for everyone, but how much one understands this varies from person to person. The great saints, called AzhvArs, were the most blessed people as the felt the Lord every moment. One of them Sri periyAzhvAr goes to the extent of treating Lord Krishna as a child, and
singing about the everyday activities for the child - bathing, getting dressed up, adorning flowers, playing with children etc. One other AzhvAr, thirumangai AzhvAr goes to the extent of fighting with the Lord when He hesitates to show Himself to the AzhvAr. Where are these saints? Where are we? Why don’t we feel the same way they did? Think about it.