Thiruparamapadam is traditionally enumerated as number 107 among the 108 Divya Desams — the sacred abodes of Sri Maha Vishnu sung by the Alvars.
This is a divya desam which is not in this world. This is the place to which every vaishnavite would like to go on attaining moksha. This is varyingly referred to as Tiru Nadu, Thiru Paramapada and Paramakasam. It is said that the people staying in this Paramapada i.e. the muktatmas will look like God in their physical attributes. They will be spending all the time rendering service to God (kainkaryam).
Perumal who presides over this divya desa is known as Paramapathanathan. He is seen in a sitting posture facing south. The thayar is known as Peria Pirattiar. The theerthas here are Viraja nadhi and Iramadha pushkarini. The vimana under which God is seated is known as Anantanga vimana.
As stated earlier, no muktatma who goes to Paramapada ever returns to tell us what the place looks like. However, there are various religious literature and pasurams sung by the Alvars which enable us to get an idea of this place. In this chapter, I propose to briefly describe Vaikuntha as related by Nammalwar in his"Soozh visumbu adimukil"and by Pillai Lokacharyar in “Archi radhi gathi” and by Ramanuja in"Vaikunta gadyam” and by Kooratalwan in Vaikunta stavam, and as related by Brahma in Bhagavatha. Here I would like to publicly acknowledge my deep debt of gratitude to my teacher Pillai lokam Siromani Sthalasayanathuraivar Swamigal who spared no pains in explaining these original works to me. Whatever I say in the following paragraphs is therefore what I have learnt at the feet of my teacher by reading these original texts.
"Soozh Visumbu Adimukil"by Nammalwar Let us first see Vaikuntha through Nammalwar’s eyes.
The Jiva has to first have para bhakti, then para gnana and finally parama bhakti and only then can attain salvation or moksha. Nammalwar the vaishnavite saint visited Thirumoghur and prayed to Kalamega Perumal to give him moksha. It is believed that God personally accompained this great athma
to Vaikuntha. God would turn His head every now and then to ensure that Nammalwar’s soul was following. Nammalwar has described the beauty of Kalamega Perumal in one of his pasurams and it is said that the vision that he had of that Perumal was gathered from what he saw whenever Perumal turned His head to ensure that the Alvar was following Him to Vaikunta! The ten pasurams covered by Soozh Visumbu adimukil is Nammalwar’s vision of Vaikuntha. The great vaishnavite sage in these ten pasurams paints his “Manaseeka Anubhavam” of Vaikuntha.
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