rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi – 23

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

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Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)

“I who am the worst, is praising in my despicable mind, about the matter that is kept in the heart as the ultimate wealth by the unblemished devotees; would something bad happen to the qualities of that matter (emperumAnAr) due to me?” says amudhanAr.

Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)

All the pUrvAchAryas consider it at all times in their divine mind as ‘vaiththamAnidhi’ (great wealth that is saved up), as their protection from dangers, as ever lasting wealth – such matter is emperumAnAr; I who am the worst is also keeping that matter in my mind and started to praise his auspicious qualities; because of this, would something (bad) happen to the auspicious qualities of him who is of great excellence? Thinking so, amudhanAr is getting distressed.

vaippAya vAn poruL enRu nal anbar manaththagaththE
eppOdhum vaikkum irAmAnusanai iru nilaththil
oppAr ilAdha u(a)ruvinaiyEn vanja nenjil vaiththu
muppOdhum vAzhththuvan ennAm idhu avan moy pugazhkkE      23

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Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
nal anbar Those who are faultless and full of love, like how one would keep important wealth within copper / closed layer of containers,
manaththagaththE would keep deep in their minds

vaippAya the wealth kept as for protection during difficult times, like saying ‘vaiththamAnidhi’
vAn poruL enRu as the eternal wealth
eppOdhum vaikkum with no difference of night or day, always keep in their minds, such matter is –
irAmAnusanai – emperumAnAr;
iru nilaththil (whereas) in the big world,
oppAr ilAdha u(a)ruvinaiyEn there are no sinners like me who even though is not having friendliness in mind, am pretending to be friendly, as said in ‘unnaiyum vanjikkum kaLLa manam [thiruvAimozhi 5.1.3]’ (my mind that would cheat even You), I can cheat even the know-all (emperumAnAr),
vanja nenjil vaiththukeeping emperumAnAr in my deceitful mind (cheating emperumAnAr easily)
muppOdhum – at all times of the day
vAzhththuvan – I sing praises of him (emperumAnAr);
idhu – due to this
ennAm – Oh what bad might happen
avan moy pugazhkkE to his (emperumAnAr’s) praiseworthy greatness.


moy – beautiful
nal anbar – considering goodness as adjective to the affection – distinguished devotion towards emperumAnAr without wishing for any other benefit.

vyAkyAnam

vaippAya vAn poruL enRu –  That it is a big wealth that is saved up; that it is a big wealth that is deposited; vAn – greatness; as said in ‘vishuNu: SEshI thadhIyas subha guNa nilayO vigrahas SrI SatAri: SrImAn rAmAnujArya padha kamalayugampAthiram yam thadhIyam’, is the lotus feet; since it is said ‘dhanamadhIyam’, it is establishing that such emperumAnAr is the greatest wealth. It is said too as ‘gururEva param dhanam’. In this way he is considered as the eternal savior by …

nal anbarthose who are of full of knowledge and who love his (emperumAnAr’s) divine feet;

nal anbar – considering goodness as adjective to the affection – distinguished devotion towards emperumAnAr without wishing for any other benefit.

Such noble ones are – AzhvAn, piLLAn, embAr, ANdAn, pillai uRangAvilli dhAsar, and such others.

AzhvAn, emperumAnAr, ANdAn

embar_madhuramangalamembAr – madhuramangalam (near kancheepuram)

manaththagaththE – vAn poruL enRu – Here when ‘vAn’ is taken as the huge space (a big one), implies guru as said in ‘gururEva parambrahma’, so guru is big like the brahmam; and these disciples are being ignorant (out of love) that they don’t realize that such a big thing (vAn) is better kept beautiful outside; instead they keep it in their mind which does not have any faculty!

As said in ‘sthOthra rathnamitham nyastham AchAryasthuthi samputE’, like how if one gets a priceless gem would keep it safe within a container, they are keeping this great distinguished wealth of this world (emperumAnAr) in their hearts.

eppOdhum vaikkum In their minds in the past, present, and future. Past – it was nammAzhvAr when he performed mangaLASAsanam to him (emperumAnAr) as ‘kaliyum kedum kaNdu koNmin [thiruvAimozhi 5.2.1]’ (note that the bad effects of kali yuga would be destroyed (due to incarnation of emperumAnAr); present – (emperumAnAr’s present) ALavandhAr after hearing about the greatness of emperumAnAr had wished to see him and so had come down to perumAL kOyil (kAncheepuram), and from kariyamANikkap perumAL sannidhi there he had done mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAnAr; and SrIman nAthamunigaL got the vigraham of emperumAnAr who was going to incarnate in the future as bestowed by nammAzhvAr and was nurturing it at all the times; so it is apt to say ‘eppOdhum’ (at all times), in this sense as well.

vaikkum – keep it together (in their minds). Even though what is said in ‘jangamaSrI vimAnAni hrudhayAni manIshiNAm’ (In the place that moves, that is, the heart of the humans), this phrase, is related to emperumAn because He stands in the midst of hot environment of sun, stayed in the forest and mountains with entangled plaited hair (in rAmAvathAram when waiting in the mountains for sugrIva to return after the rainy season), and being in the water at all times (ksheerAbhdhi nAthan) – and so the sarvEsvaran is doing sadhana anushtAnam (doing such for some benefit), for the benefit of getting the lotus heart of the devotees; this phrase is also applicable to emperumAnAr since it is said as ‘yasyadhEvE parAbhakthir yathAdhEvE thathAgurau’, and ‘dhEvamiva AchAryam upAsItha’, and, ‘dhEvavath syAth upAsya:’.

irAmAnusanai (keep) emperumAnAr (in their minds)

iru nilaththil  – in this big world

oppAr ilAdha – Tried looking for anyone who would be comparable to me who is lowly/the worst, but could not find any; so there is no comparison to me;

aru vinayEn – hard to rectify (my bad deeds) by doing amends/expiation, and as said in ‘avasyam anubhOkthavyam krutham karma Subha aSubham’ (~effects of good and bad deeds are compulsorily to be experienced), I who has done bad deeds, the bad effects of which would have to be experienced by me; as said in ‘nadhvirANi kruthA anyanEna nirayair nAlampuna:kalpithai: pApAnamithimath kruthEth adhikAn karththum pravarthEthvayi | thEbhya: abhyathikAni aham abhi kshudhra: karOmi kshaNAth’ (~ I have been accumulating sins for long, He has been incarnating to help me get rid of the sins, but I keep adding to it), and as said in ‘aham asmi aparAdha chakravarthi’ (~I am the emperor of sins), and as said in ‘yAvachcha yachcha dhuritham, sakalasyajanthO: thAvath thaththadhi gancham Asthi sathyam’, and as said in ‘pUrvais sva naichyamanusam hithamAryavaryair mAmEva vIkshya mahathAm nathadh asthithEshAm || naichyam dhvitham SataripOmamasathya mEva maththa: parOnamalinOyatha Avirasthi’ (while others have talked to you about their humbleness, I do not even have ability to do that, Oh nammAzhvAr) me who is such extreme sinner.

vanja nenjil vaiththu – even though I am like this, would my mind be pure? – because of its connection with me, it hurries before me to do bad deeds; as said in ‘bhandhAya vishayAsangi’ (if  we get interested in worldly affairs, that would tie us in this material world), my mind which is interested in other matters, and which cheats everyone on the outside that even you who knows everything would consider me in your mind as a good person and be happy about it – in such a mind of mine, I would keep (you).

JIyar too said  – ‘vruthyA paSur naravapusthvaham IdhruSOpi SruthyAdhi sidhdha nikhilAthma guNAsrayOyam, ithyAdharENa kruthinOp mithappravakthum adhyApi vanchana parOthra yathIndhra varthE’ [yathirAja vimSathi – 7] (~I am in the body of a human being, but by deeds I am that of an animal; I mislead others and so they think that I am an ideal one shining with noble qualities that are celebrated by the vEdhAms and vEdhAngams . I am completely bad inside. I am in this despicable state (even while seated in the seat that was decorated by you), Oh yathIndhra! (emperumAnAr));

muppOdhum vAzhththuvanjIyar too had praised emperumAnAr at all times, like – aRu samayach chediyadhanai adi aRuththAn vAzhiyE,  azhagArum ethirAsar adi iNaigaL vAzhiyE, ethirAsan vAzhi ethirAsan vAzhi [Arththi prabandham], and so jIyar performed mangaLASAsanam to emperumAnAr;

If someone had done a mistake the first time/once, then a penance/correction for it would be easy; but unlike that, I have committed mistakes as if that is my everyday activity.

ennAm idhu avan moy pughazhkkEavan (he -> emperumAnAr) (his greatness) – as said in brahmanAradhIyAm as: ‘anantha: prathamam rUpam dhvidhIyam lakshmaNasthathA | balabadhrasthruthIyasthu kalua rAmaAnujasmrutha:’ [brahmanAradhIyam] (He is originally Adhi sEshan; then incarnated as lakshmaNan; third as balarAman; and in kali yugam, as rAmAnujan), and as said in ‘SEshOvA sainya nAthOvA SrIpathirvEththi sAthvikai: | vitharkyAyam mahApragyai: yathirAjAya mangaLam’,  (~ is rAmAnujan incarnation of Adhi sEshan, or is it that of vishvaksEnar, or is it SrI:pathi himself (wonder the devotees), and they keep discussing but are not able to come to a conclusion; long live such yathirAjan;

and as said in ‘SamithOdhaya sankarAthitha: sarva svabhalAth uthuthrutha yAdhava prakAsa: | avarOpithavAn chruthEr apArthAn nanu rAmAnuja varajas sayEsya bhUya:’ [yathirAja sapthathi – 13] ((this has got two meanings that imply krishNa as well as rAmAnujan) – He (krishNa) put those like Sankara in their place (like in the case of bANAsura incident); by His strength he uplifted the yadhu kulam (clan of cowherds), by his bhagavath gIthA he defeated the enemies of arjuna (pArtha), that is balarAma’s brother krishNa; when interpreted as talking about rAmAnujan – he defeated Sankara philosophy that is adhvaitham, by the greatness of his divine feet he changed yAdhava prakASa who was adhvaithin into a SrIvaishNava; defeated those who gave wrong meanings to vEdhas – that is rAmAnujan;  So, is the brother of balarAma (rama anujan), incarnated as this rAmAnujan?

And so emperumAnAr who was praised by abhyukthar (vEdhAnthAcharyar), having such unparalleled greatness,

such emperumAnAr’s :

moy pugazhkkubeautiful greatness that is to be praised; Or, great qualities that are countless;

idhu ennAm –  Oh what might happen to (that greatness of emperumAnAr)?  This (mind) which is doing mangaLASAsanam, what would it do and finish the greatness of him? As said in ‘ninaindhu naindhu uLkaraindhu urugi imaiyOr palarum munivarum, punaindha kaNNeer sAndham pugaiyOdu Endhi vaNanginAl, ninaindha ellAp poruLkatkum viththAy mudhalil sidhaiyAmE, mananjei gyAnaththun perumai mAsUNAdhO mAyOnE’ [thiruvAimozhi 1.5.2] (~ if regulars come and try to praise you, would it not reduce your greatness?), he is feeling remorse thinking how he is tricking (as doing mangaLAsAsanam, etc).

ALavandhAr too said along the same lines, ‘dh4ik asuchim avinItham nirdhayam mAm alajjam parama purushayOgam yOgivarya agra gaNyai: | vidhi Siva sanakadhyai: dhyAthum athyantha dhUram thava parijana bhAvam kAmayE kAma vruththa:’ [sthOthra rathnam – 47] (I must be scolded, I don’t have purity, (because) I have not prostrated any noble ones, I do not have kindness, and am not even ashamed about these, and thought that I am the greatest one, and yet desirous of serving your divine feet, which those higher ones like yOgis, brahmA, sivA, and sanakA. etc., wish for).

(I kept you in my lowly mind, just because other great people keep you in their mind, says thiruvarangaththu amudhanAr).

From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI U.Ve. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’:

Talking in this way is the nature of great SrIvaishNavas – when in the state of love they would talk with happiness, and when in the state of knowing about themselves and when knowledge is in action they would realize their lowly nature and so back out thinking that nothing bad should happen to the loved because of their thinking about them.

nal anbar – they are pure, unlike me. Or, having good love; goodness of love is – not expecting any benefit.

vanja nenjil vaiththu – my mind is capable of cheating not only others, but emperumAnAr himself.

nammAzhvAr also said ‘unnaiyum vanjikkum kaLLa manam [thiruvAimozhi 5.1.3]’ (~ my mind would cheat even you (into thinking that I am very devoted).

amudhanAr is feeling terrible that he kept emperumAnAr in his impure mind, whereas it was kept in the pure minds of others.

Those noble ones would meditate upon him without others knowing about it; but I am saying it loud all three times of the day and letting others believe that I am great.

ennAm idhu avan moy pugazhkkEsince others know about my impurity and lowliness, if I kept him in my mind like how the nobles ones do, they might think – does emperumAnAr make his presence even in such people like me, and so for his beautiful greatness I might cause disgrace – saying so amudhanAr is being afraid.

– – – – –

Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan

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