rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi – 5

SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:

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pAsuram 5

avathArikai (introduction)

(maNavALa mAmunigaL’s introduction) – Thus explaining about emperumAnAr accepting him under his lotus feet fully, as he started to recite his names as he had planned earlier, and increased his desire in doing so, he thought about some of the learned people who only look at the mistakes in the formation of the poetry, he wanted to avoid backing out from reciting due to such people, and convinces himself to continue reciting his names.

(piLLai lOkam jIyar’s introduction) – In the previous pAsuram he happily sang that emperumAnAr accepted him under his lotus feet out of his own mercy; in this one, encouraged by the desire towards emperumAnAr, he wanted to sing about his qualities, he thinks that if those who find only faults would say wrong things about this then such words would be ornaments for him, and that those who understand the beauty of his affection would see the goodness of the prabandham.

enakku uRRa selvam irAmAnusan enRu isaiyagillA
manakkuRRa mAndhar pazhikkil pugazh, avan manniya sIr
thankkuRRa anbar avan thirunAmangaL saRRum en pA
inakkuRRam kANagillAr paththi Eyndha iyalvidhu enRE   – 5
 

pAsuram

Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
mAndhar – people (who)
manakkuRRam – having faults in their mind
isaiyagillA – (who are) not accepting/thinking that
irAmAnusan enRu – emperumAnAr is
selvam – the wealth
enakku – for us
uRRa – as per our nature,
pazhikkil – (if they) faulted (the prabandham / its grammar)
pugazh – it is a praise only;
uRRa anbar – those, befitting their greatness, having devotion towards,
avan – his (emperumAnAr’s)
manniya sIr thanakku – ever present auspicious qualities,
kANagillAr – would not look at
kuRRam – the defects, (since they know that)
en – my
pA inam – collection of poetry (chandhas)
chARRum – that recites
avan – his
thirunAmangaL – divine names
iyalvu idhu enRu – is developed
paththiyEyndha – based on devotion.
(alternatively)
paththi Eyntha iyal idhenRu – words combined by devotion

Due to their affection towards emperumAnAr, due to my devotion, and due to the pAsuram saying emperumAnAr’s names, they would not focus on the defects in the prabandham.

vyAkyAnam

enakkuRRa selvam – What is the true wealth? Unlike the wealth described in : “sarIra pathanAvadhi prabhu nishEvaNa ApAdhanAth, abhindhana dhananjaya prasamadham dhanam dhandhanam” [vEdhAntharchariAr’s vairAgya panchakam-5] (Wealth obtained by serving the rich till one’s body falls on the ground, is the wealth that will quell one’s hunger but causes sorrows) – that is, the wealth that is not to be had by us, which is a sharp object that destroys the true nature of AthmA, and which would not stay with us at all times, is not the appropriate wealth for us. The next two lines of the above slOkam is described as the desired wealth: “dhananjaya vivardhanam dhanam udhUda gOvardhanam, susAdhanam abAdhanam sumanasam samArAdhanam” [vairAgya panchakam-5] (The wealth that made Arjuna fulfilled, that wealth which made it possible to lift gOvardhana, which is the ever-present means, and that wealth which fills the good minds with joy is the real good wealth);  ‘dhananjaya syandhana bhushaNam dhanam’ [vairAgya panchakam -4] [(the black one) which was the ornament of the chariot of arjunan] is the wealth;

‘dhanam madhIyam thava pAdha pankajam’ [ALavandhAr’s sthOthra rathnam -30] (your divine feet is my most desired treasure) “asthy mE hasthi-sailAgrE vasthu paithAmaham dhanam” [vairAgya panchakam 6] (grandfather (brahma) has given me the wealth, which is the one who lives atop the hasthi mountain (dhEvapperumAL who incarnated from the fire of yAgam of brahma)). {here vEdhAnthAchAriar uses the word ‘grandfather’, to imply that such wealth automatically comes to him, the grandchild (by law)) }.

From the above steps, as one would reach the charama parvam (final stage), is the wealth that is AchAryan (emperumAnAr) – this is the inner meaning on discussion of wealth. ‘gururEva param dhanam’ [48, Chapter 4 – guru paddhathi – of – prapanna pArijAtham – by nadAdhUr ammAL] (Only guru is the wealth] Thus implying that this wealth is higher than bhagavan; after coming to this stage, one would not consider perumAn as wealth; only the AchAryan would be the true-to-the-nature and established wealth.

irAmAnusan enRuthe wealth that is rAmAnujar. As said by maNavALa mAmunigaL, “thandhai nal thAi thAram thanaiyar perunchelvam enRanakku nIyE ethirAsA”  [Arththi prabandham -3] (father, good mother, spouse, children, big wealth for me are only you, yathirAja!), who have decided that emperumAnAr is everything for us;  and as said in “thruNIkrutha virinchAdhi nirankusa vibhUthaya: rAmAnuja padhAmbhOja samAsrayaNa sAlina: “ [prArththanA panchakam – by kUraththAzhvAn] (One who is dedicated to rAmAnujar’s lotus feet would ignore all the words (of leelA vibhUthi) as a grass/dust), that is, who have decided that other things/riches are lower than a grass/dust, and have concluded that we shall be only praising the qualities of rAmAnujar;

isaiyagillA manakkuRRa mAndhar – those well learned people who have poor minds because of not considering such things as above regarding rAmAnujar, (and even those who are only in prathama parvam of going to perumAn only)

pazhikkil – (if they find faults); if they would not understand the good qualities, but would always be identifying (as) faults; as said in “vidhyAnyA silpanaipuNam” (knowledge other than about emperumAn is useless), they use useless arguments, and are based on their show of knowledge of doing poetry; those who are lost in mAyavAdha philosophy; ‘param bhAvam ajAnantha:’ (bhagavath gIthA) (they are not going to understand that I have incarnated here), due to the curtain of agyAna surrounding them; they are ‘mAndhar’ – people; also implies here as being ‘mAndhi’ – immersed in thamO guNam (laziness), (lack of bhagavath knowledge); (pArthasArathy emperumAn came as emperumAnAr, so He (emperumAnAr) was talking about people not surrendering to him (emperumAnAr).

pazhikkil pugazh – The fault they find is that amudhaAr has forgotten about the karmas that are done for other benefits, like said in (swarga kamO yajEtha) (do yagyas for achieving heaven), or other benefits like wealth; if their words are analysed, as krishNan said in gIthA, these people think that such benefits mentioned in sAsthram are the only benefits, and they do not look beyond, and so they would not know me, and so they would not reach me.

So when they fault based on their affinity towards activities that beget other lowly benefits, their faulting would be praise for us; those who are always doing good karmas, pure in body and mind, and those who have gained knowledge of nature of Athma, are still not comparable to someone who has said ‘saraNam’ to me, says krishNa.

One cannot achieve much by bhakthi yOgam, or gyAnam (knowledge), but can reach me by doing saraNAgathi, says krishNa. Now for those who strongly hold on to His divine feet, there would always be a doubt whether they would get Him – since he is independent, and cannot be forced. (svathanthranai upAyamAgap paRRina pOdhirE ipprasangam thAn uLLadhu – srI vachana bhUshaNam 407);

Unlike the above, for those who have taken devotees’ divine feet as the way to reach Him, there would not be any doubt of achieving that. So, if those who do not understand this would fault me, then that would be a praise for me.

They do not understand the meaning of “gyAnam anuttAnam ivai nanRAgavE udaiyan Ana guruvai adaindhakkAl mAnilaththIr thEnAr kamalath thirumAmagaL kozhunan thanE vaikuntham tharum” [upadEsa raththinamAlai 61] (~if one reaches the AchAryan who is knowledgeable and practices the same, then, dear people, thAyAr’s husband would automatically give you srIvaikuNtam);

nor do they understand the meaning of “uyya ninaivu uNdAgil umgurukkaL tham padhaththE vaiyum anbu thannai indha mAnilaththIr, mei uraikkEn pai aravil mAyan paramapadham ungaLukkAm kai ilangu nellikkani” [upadEsa raththinamAlai 62] (if you have the thoughts of surviving (from here), place your love towards your AchAryan, dear people of this world; am telling the truth that (then) paramapadham would be yours as sure as like having a fruit in your palm.) and since they find fault in such matters, their words would be a praise only.

The same meaning is also provided in ‘nIchai: krutha sthuthi: nindhA | nindhA sruthir bhi sthutha’, and “alagai mulai suvaiththArkku anbar adikku anbar thilatham enath thirivAr thammai, ulagar pazhi thURRRil thudhiyAgum [gyAna sAram 39].”

(Now he talks about those devoted to rAmAnujar)

avan manniya sIr thanakku uRRa anbar:

bhagavad_ramanuja_2011_mayavan(emperumAnAr) who incarnated to remove the pAshaNdar, etc., and other philosophies like chAruvaga, buddhism, Jainism; also was the garuda for the snake that is mAyAvadha (adhvaitha). He is the ‘thraividhya chUdAmaNi:” – the central stone of those who have learned all three vEdhas; and ultimately, the winner and protector like a dhvaja sthambam of srIrangam(n).

manniya sIr thanakku ever present qualities (of emperumAnAr); “svakIya pApa vimOchanE saktha: thvam” [yathirAja vimsathi 17 by maNavALa mAmunigaL] ((yathirajA!) you have got the power to rid us from the pApams); such auspicious qualities.

uRRa anbar – the mahAthmAs who possess the devotion that is suitable for their qualities and knowledge.

avan thirunAmgangaL sARRum en pA inak kuRRamas I was pushed by my bhakthi and encouraged to write the prabandham, they would not find fault in my words;

kANa killArthey do not have the smarts (to find fault) (as they have used up their smarts for seeing the good qualities); also their nature is to consider faults as qualities; unlike those narrow minded who fault him that he is not following the prescribed ways for achieving other benefits;

this is because,

paththi Eyndha iyalvu idhu enRu(they see that ) it is based on devotion (to emperumAnAr) that I am coming up with the words for the prabandham.

– – –

Translation: raghuram srInivAsa dhAsan

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