Periyalwar _ One of the Twelve Alwars

When knowledge ripens into love, the one who expected the omnipotent God to protect him, now longs to take care of him. Om Asmath Aachaarya Paryanthaam Vandhey Guru Paramparaam Today is Periyalva's Tirnakshatra. What is meant by Tirnakshatra? Tirnakshatra means birthday. Actually those divine souls of the Lord, actually those are the incarnation of all weapons. For us, these are like ornaments. They come to us to save us, to protect us. Not only to protect us, even to protect the Lord. Is it necessary to protect the Lord? In their opinion, they have to protect even the Lord himself. We know Lord is omnipotent. Even they know Lord is omnipotent. He is the protector and caretaker of all of us. That's what we feel. But they, only because of their strong positive feeling towards the Lord, they want to protect the Lord from all evil impacts. Actually, suppose if our children are grown up well, and they might have settled very well somewhere else, and they are earning good jobs, and they are earning more money and all, they settle well. They don't require any of our help. Even then, we feel, we consider them as just kids, because for us, they appear to be like kids. We develop such positive feelings only because of our strong love towards them. In the same way, these Aalavas, they witnessed God directly. They did not read any scriptures, they did not have any gurus behind. Even then, they visualized God directly, and they expressed their ecstasy of joys in different ways, through their Ketanas and all. Anyway, they developed such positive feelings, they don't want anything except God. So, they want to protect their God, they want to save their God. We may think like that, what God needs any protection? For them, God also needs protection. It is only because of their such love towards God, make them feel like that. So, he is Periyalvar. Periyalvar means, Peri means very big. He is the biggest of all Aalavas. What is the meaning of biggest of all Aalavas? It means that he made his heart as a huge temple of God, and he is continuously doing Mangalasasanas to the Lord, by chanting the shloka, Pallandu Pallandu Pallai Rathandu. Pallandu means God, you should be saved, you should be saved from all impacts, all evil impacts, and they pray God in that way. Normally, we do Mangalasasanas, by litting camphor, right? In the same way, they also lit camphor, and continuously they do Mangalasasanas to the Lord, to be protected from all evil impacts. So, it is only because of their too much of love towards God. So, suppose if we go to the temple, what do we do? We pray God for the fulfillment of our desires, but they pray God only for his protection. You should be saved, you should be protected, because you are mine, that is the feeling they develop. So, he is Periyalvar, that is why as he made his heart as a huge temple of the Lord, he is also called Vishnuchitta. He is called Vishnuchitta, because he made his heart as the temple of Lord Vishnu. So, and one more thing is, we know Gaudadevi, Gaudadevi is also one of the 12 Arvas, and at the time of Dhanurmasam, we perform Dhanurmasa Vratam and all, and we recite Tirupavai, and he was the father of Gaudadevi. Vishnuchitta was the father of Gaudadevi. Today is his Thiru Nakshatra in our words, his birthday. So, let us also do Pallantu, I mean give Mangalasasanas to Vishnuchitta. Thank you. Jai Shri Mannarayana.