Synopsis:
This pAsuram explains how foolish a person can be when he disregards his AchAryan as human. In addition to this, he goes ahead and reaches out to perumAL sriman nArAyaNan who is somewhere so far, and thinks that HE will come to help HIM when in need. This person is doing something foolish and this is being illustrated with an analogy.
thamizh:
“எட்ட இருந்த குருவை இறையன்று என்று
விட்டு ஓர் பரனை விருப்புறுதல் – பொட்டனத்தன்
கண் செம்பளித்திருந்து கைத்துருத்தி நீர் தூவி
அம்புதத்தைப் பார்த்திருப்பான் அற்று”
English:
“etta irundha guruvai iRai anRenRu
vittu Or paranai virupuRudhal – pottenathan
kaN sembaLithirundhu kaithuruthi nIr thUvi
ambudathai pArthirupAn aRRu”
Verbatim Meanings:
| etta irundha | (If a person disregards the) one who is very close |
| guruvai | i.e., AchAryan |
| iRai anRenRu | and thinks that he is not his master |
| vittu | and dismisses him |
| Or paranai | and goes out to someone who is very far and not easily reachable (sriman nArAyaNan) |
| virupuRudhal | and desires to reach HIM. This act is similar to the act of a person who |
| pottena | instantly |
| sembaLithirundhu | closes (without knowing what is going to happen soon) |
| than kaN | his eyes |
| thUvi | and pours out in the ground |
| kaithuruthi nIr | the water that is stored in a handy jar and |
| ambudathai | looks out for the water in the clouds |
| pArthirupAn aRRu | and tries to find a way to get to it. (It is as foolish as this) |
Explanation:
etta irundha guruvai: The word “ettudhal” would mean to catch hold off and thus connotes with “adjacent” or “nearby”. In this context it would describe the AchAryan who is so near to a person. In addition to geographical proximity, the nearness would also describe the AchAryan as someone who can be seen with our naked eye (unlike perumAL), someone who protects us when we need protection, someone who is very sweet, someone who is always helping out for the betterment of the soul and finally someone with whom we can talk and mingle. He is so close to a person.
iRai anRenRu vittu: This is to discard or dismiss one’s AchAryan as just another person. svAmi aruLALa perumAL emberumAnAr describes that a person would dismiss his AchAryan and not take him as his master. Instead of adhering to “charnAgathi thandha than iRaivan thALE (31st pAsuram)”, i.e., to treat one’s AchAryan’s lotus feet as everything, a person may disregard his AchAryan completely and regard him as just like one among the innumerable persons that he meets every day. Thus, he would not treat him as his master.
Or paranai virupuRudhal: The person, who disrespects his AchAryan would look out for perumAL sriman nArAyaNan, who is beyond anyone and is somewhere out of his reach. This perumAL is someone whom even the shAsthrAs do not completely, ONE who is somewhere distant and ONE who is very difficult to reach. The person would yearn out to reach such a perumAL, with the thought that HE is the protector and is very sweet to him. svAmi aruLALa perumAL emberumAnAr describes a beautiful analogy to compare the actions.
Pottena: This means “instantly”, i.e., to act without thinking about the consequences
thankaN sembaLithirundhu: This would mean to close the eyes like a person who is sleeping, without knowing the impacts of it.
kaithuruthi nIr thUvi: When in thirst, a person would drink water from the can he has. He would have already filled it with water. However, if in thirst, a person throws away this water away into the ground.
ambudathai pArthirupAn aRRu: After having spilt the water in his can, the person now looks up and yearns for the water in the clouds in the form of rain. He thinks that rain water in the clouds would be an easy target to reach to satisfy his thirst which he is experiencing currently. This is similar to the act of a person who looks out for perumal sriman nArAyaNan thinking that HE is easily reachable and thereby ignoring the AchAryan who is readily available to him. This act of comparison is known as “thozhil uvamam” (comparing by acts)
The fact illustrated in this pAsuram is being reflected in srivachanabhUshanam in the choornikai “vidAi piRandhapOdhu karasthamAna udhagathai upEkshithu jImUtha jalathayum, sAgara salilathayum, sarith salilathayum vApI kUpa payasukalayum vAnjikka kadavan allan”(srivachabhUshanam #449).
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