thiruvAimozhi – 1.10.4 – nenjamE nallai

srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImath varavaramunayE nama:

Full series >> First Centum >> Tenth decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In fourth pAsuram – AzhwAr contemplates his own lowly nature and mercifully instructs his heart “Even if you are unable to sustain yourself in separation from emperumAn, you have to hold on to him”.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, AzhwAr being delighted on seeing that his heart is following his orders, tells it “You try to enjoy him incessantly”.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nampiLLai‘s introduction.

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

Fourth pAsuram – AzhwAr glorifies his heart on seeing it following his orders and worshipping emperumAn, instructs his heart “Even if I leave him citing my lowly nature, you hold on to him”.

pAsuram

நெஞ்சமே நல்லை நல்லை உன்னைப் பெற்றால்
என் செய்யோம்? இனி என்ன குறைவினம்?
மைந்தனை மலராள் மணவாளனைத்
துஞ்சும் போதும் விடாது தொடர் கண்டாய்

nenjamE nallai nallai unnaip peRRAl
en seyyOm ini enna kuRaivinam
maindhanai malarAL maNavALanaith
thunjum pOdhum vidAdhu thodar kaNdAy

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Word-by-Word meanings (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)

nenjamE – Oh heart (which is the abode of knowledge)!
nallai nallai – (what you have done is) very good.
unnaip peRRAl – when I have you
en seyyOm – what can I not accomplish?
ini – after having acquired your acceptance
enna kuRaivinam – is there anything that is impossible for us? What deficiency do we have?
maindhanai – (then)  one who is eternally youthful
malarAL – to SrI mahAlkshmi who is infinitely enjoyable
maNavALanai – one who is the enjoyer
thunjum pOdhum – even while we are finished
vidAdhu – without leaving
thodar kaNdAy – try to engage with him

Simple transalation (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)

Oh heart! What you have done is very good. When I have you, what can I not accomplish? After having your acceptance, is there anything impossible for us? Thus, even if we are being finished (due to separation from emperumAn), you keep engaging with him who is the eternally youthful enjoyer of the infinitely enjoyable SrI mahAlakshmi.

Being finished means AzhwAr suffering in separation due to considering himself lowly and shying away from emperumAn.

vyAkyAnams (commentaries)

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s vyAkyAnam

See vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s translation.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s vyAkyAnam

See nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s vyAkyAnam

See nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam.

• thunjum pOdhum vidAdhu thodar kaNdAy – Here two slOkams are quoted – srI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 31.5 “na cha sIthA thvayA hInA” (sIthA who is separated from you will not survive) and srI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 27.17 “yasthvayA saha …” (When I am with you it is heaven and when I am separated from you it is hell).

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

• nenjamE nallai nallai – Just like parents embrace their children who obediently completed a task, AzhwAr embraces his heart and glorifies it.
• nenjamE nallai nallai – Why is the repetition in appreciating his heart? Just like AzhwAr sends a messenger to bhagavAn, it appears to him that he also needs to send a messenger to his own heart which already reached bhagavAn leaving AzhwAr behind as explained in thiruviruththam 30 “en nenjinAraik kaNdAl ennaich cholli avaridai nIr innam selleerO” (If you see my respectable heart, you ask on behalf of me why he has not reached bhagavAn with my message yet?). Since it is “mundhuRRa nenju” (the heart which headed towards emperumAn even before me), AzhwAr glorifies it repeatedly.

When the heart asks “Why are you praising me like this?”

• unnaip peRRAl en seyyOm – When you are in sync with me and speak the same principles, what can I not accomplish? ISwaran is there to bless the result; you are there to not push it aside; thus, is there anything not possible to accomplish?
• ini enna kuRaivinam – In previous phrase, it looked like I mistakenly said that “I can accomplish anything” . But when bhagavAn is ready to unconditionally help us, what is it that we can do? When he is the means eternally without any expectation, there is nothing for us to independently pursue.

When asked “But, is there nothing we need to do?” AzhwAr says “Yes, there is something for us to do” [Further explaining, that when emperumAn pursues us, we have to hold on to him instead of ignoring the great opportunity].

• maindhanai – can any one leave this [eternally youthful] emperumAn?. maindhu – sweetness, beauty, strength.
• malarAL maNavALanai – I am telling you to never leave emperumAn who is inseparable from periya pirAttiyAr herself as she said in thiruvAimozhi 6.10.10 “agalagillEn iRaiyum” (I will never leave even for a moment).
• thunjum pOdhum vidAdhu thodar kaNdAy – Even if I say I am “unqualified” and try to leave, you have to hold on to him. vislEsham (separation) is explained as vinAsam (destruction). For him thunjudhal (getting destroyed) means separation as explained in srI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 31.5 “muhUrththamapi jIvAva:” (we will stay alive for only a moment after separating from you – said by srI lakshmaNa to srI rAma). AzhwAr says “even I  tell you leave him, you don’t leave him”.  He further says “You drink bhagavAn just like drinking medicine” and “You enjoy emperumAn from whom pirAtti is saying ‘agalagillEn iRaiyum‘”.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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