SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
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Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
Seeing the way he is, when asked “What is the way in which you knew about him and joined him?”, amudhanAr replies “I am not one who knew about and joined him; those who think that only those who are connected to his (emperumAnAr ‘s) divine feet are to be related to, made me also to be subservient to that (divine feet)”.
Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)
To the ones who asked “In this way, did you surrender to him only after knowing his kindness etc., qualities which are amicable for one to surrender? How did you get this clarity?”. amudhanAr replies – First I did not know about his qualities or surrender to him; those who have the taste of being and enjoying in the divine feet of those most loving ones who know about and enjoy emperumAnAr’s auspicious qualities, due to their highly kind nature, saw me and made me a servant of those divine feet, and made me to be dedicated to only that; because of that I came to know it.
padi koNda keerththi irAmAyaNam ennum paththi veLLam
kudi koNda koyil irAmAnusan guNam kURum anbar
kadi koNda mAmalarth thAL kalandhu uLLam kaniyum nallOr
adi kaNdu koNdu ugandhu ennaiyum AL avarkku AkkinarE 37
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Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
irAmAyaNam ennum paththi veLLam – the ocean of devotion that is SrI rAmAyaNam
padi koNda – that is spread in the whole earth,
kO il – divine place
kudi koNda – of its living
irAmAnusan – is emperumAnAr.
anbar – The loving ones
guNam kURum – who talk about his qualities;
nallOr – The distinguished ones
uLLam kalandhu – whose mind joins
kaniyum – and becomes fond of
kadi koNda – the fragrant
malar – and enjoyable
thAL – divine feet
mA – of those loving ones,
said that this AthmA too is to be subservient to that feet,
adi kaNdu – seeing the nature of this,
ugandhu koNdu – accepting based on that connection (of AthmA)
ennaiyum avarkku AL Akkinar – made me also (like how they are), to be subservient to him.
So, I did not reach those divine feet by knowing. SrivaishNavas made me join and I joined, is all it is.
Calling rAmAyaNam as ocean of devotion, because it stimulates infinite devotion.
vyAkyAnam
padi koNda keerththi – As said in “vAlmeeki: giri sambhUtha rAmAsAgara gAmini | punAthi bhuvanam puNyA rAmAyaNa mahAnadhi” (from the mountain that is vAlmeeki, river joins the ocean that is rAmAn; one who immerses in the great river rAmAyaNam, would get all good karmas),
and, ‘SlOka sAra samAkeerNam sarga kallOla sankulam kANdagrAha mahAmeenam vandhE rAmAyaNArNavam’ (Innumerable water droplets that are the SlOkas, more than 500 waves that are sections, 6 big crocodiles that are the 6 cantos, I bow to that ocean that is SrI rAmAyaNam), and
“SruNvaN rAma kathA nAdham ko na yathi parAm gathim”, “ya pibhan rama charithAmrutha sAgaram” (here too it describes rAmAyaNam as an ocean),
and “idham pavithram pApagnam puNyam vEdhaiScha samhitham” (~ good karmas for those who read, listen to, or ask to read, etc.);
and, “Satha kOti pravisthram” (~rAmAyaNam of several crore Slokas in brahma lOkam), and ‘vEdha: prAchEdhasAdhAseeth sAkshAth rAmAyaNAthmanA’ (~ vEdham came and born as SrI rAmAyaNam)
– in such a way SrI rAmAyaNam is having the greatness of being spread in the whole world;
padi koNda is to say earth as an example, but is spread in all worlds like brahmA’s sathya lOkam, etc.
From sathya lOkam brahma and nAradha had come down to advise and instruct vAlmeeki about authoring rAmAyaNam, its greatness is spread and well known in all the worlds above as well.
rAmAyaNam ennum paththi veLLam – veLLam -> ocean. Even though it is said as “kAvyam rAmAyaNam kruthsnam seethAyaS chaitham mahath” (named it as rAmAyaNam, or seethA’s story, or as pulasthiyar’s son’s (rAvaNan’s) killing), since it is said as “yasyaithE thasya thadhdhanam” (~ what belongs to her belongs to him due to her subservience), so calling seethA’s story as rAmAyaNam is acceptable. Such SrI rAmAyanam that is the flooding devotion;
While one should say that its meanings are the flood of bhakthi (devotion), why say SrI rAmAyaNam itself as bhakthi? Like said in “thath guNa sArasyAththu thathvyapadhESa:” (~ if that is said for it, it is meant for this as well), it is because SrI rAmAyaNam stimulates such devotion. In the way of “Ekaikam aksharam prOktham mahApAthaga nASanam” (even one letter of it is recited, the bad karmas would be destroyed), even without going to the level of its meanings, even the beauty of the sound of its words itself would be enjoyable.
If asked where is that bhakthi (SrI rAmAyaNam) residing, and how do we go to it,
kudi koNda kOyil irAmAnusan – It is present as resident in the heart of emperumAnAr himself as a temple;
As said in “iruppidam vaikuntham vEkatam mAlirunchOlai ennum poruppidam mAyanukku enbar nallOr [rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi – 106]” (noble ones say that emperumAn stays in SrIvaikuNtam, thiruvEnkatam, thiru mAlirunchOlai, etc.), for what is discussed here who is the parama purusha (emperumAn), those are the places of His stay; likewise, what is discussed above that is the flow of bhakthi which is SrI rAmAyaNam, emperumAnAr is the temple, you see!
irAmAnusan – (connection with SrI rAmAyaNam) – in that rAmAvathAram, in the matter of the divine couple he is the one who performed all sorts of services (like eating everything by oneself (without sharing with others) and growing a big belly, he performed all sorts of kainaryams himself for them), and so knew the taste of bhakthi, isnt’ it?
guNam kURum anbar – those loving ones who spread about his auspicious qualities to everyone in the world;
(who are those loving ones?)
As said in “upagathA dhEsikA mukthimApu: sOyam rAmANuja munir api sveeya mukthim karasthAm yath sambhandhAdh amanutha katham varnNyathE kUraNAtha:” (~AchAryas before emperumAnAr established that they get mOksham due to their relationship with emperumAnAr‘s thirumudi (head) sambandham. Such emperumAnAr declared that he gets mOksham due to his sambandham with AzhvAn. How can we spell out the glories of such kUraththAzhvAn?) (focus here is on the first part of it regarding thirumudi sambandham),
so as said in “naliyum narakamum naindha namanukku ingu yAdhonRum illai, kaliyum kedum kaNdu koNmin [thiruvAimozhi – 5.2.1]” (~ there is nothing to do here for yama, watch out – kali is going to be destroyed (due to incarnation of emperumAnAr)– such nammAzhvAr who praised emperumAnAr, and,
he who performed thiruvArAdhanam to the divine deity given by nammAzhvAr, that is nAthamunigaL (this is explained in charamOpAya nirNayam – http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/p/charamopaya-nirnayam.html), and
he who had bestowed his wishes to emperumAnAr by saying ‘Am mudhalvan ivan [thiruvAimozhi – 7.9.3]’ – that is ALavandhAr;
they are the loving ones (anbar).
kadi koNda mAmalarth thALgaL – in the fragrant, distinguished, and very enjoyable divine feet of such loving ones (anbar); it would not reduce even if it is enjoyed till the end of life of a charama parva nishtar (one being subservient to His devotees); it would grow even more in its greatness;
malar – unlike the flowers of this world where they blossom only for some time, these divine feet are always in bloom; as said in “athra parathra chApi nithyam yadheeya charaNam madheeyam” (both in this and the other world surrendering to AchAryan’s divine feet as the means and destiny) (is the charama parva nishtai).
thAL– in their divine feet who are said as in ‘yAniSA sarvabhUthAnAm thasyAm jAgarththi samyami [SrI bhagavath gIthA]’ (When others are sleeping, my devotee is awake (and celebrating me)).
kalandhu uLLam – their divine mind joins such divine feet (of anbar)
kaniyum nallOr – Like very ripened fruit, that is those noble ones having matured knowledge leading to bhakthi (devotion) (towards such divine feet of anbar described above); nallOr like kUraththAzhvAn.
adi kaNdu koNdu ugandhu – They thought that this entity that is AthmA (of mine) is also the servant of that (emperumAnAr), saw its nature as subservient, just based on the eligibility of the association they liked this AthmA, and; like how when a very young prince loses his way and goes and sits inside the house of a hunter, and the virtuous ones who knew the prince would reach there, and show him to the king and vice versa and make them connected;
ennaiyum ALavarkku AkkinarE – ennaiyum – like himself (kUraththAzhvAn) to him (emperumAnAr), he made myself also to emperumAnAr. avarkku – the one who is having devotion towards chakravarththi thirumagan (SrI rAma), that noble one (emperumAnAr); emperumAnAr’s greatness is such that ‘avar’ implies only emperumAnAr.
AL Akkinar – made me suitable to get to emperumAnAr’s divine feet; made me subservient to him;
So I did not join him by learning that it is what is correct for me; kUraththAzhvan who is the one recommending me, got me to join and so I joined emperumAnAr;
From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI U.Ve. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’:
Since SrI rAmAyaNam contains SrI vaishNava principles through out, emperumAnAr himself is protecting it inside his mind.
The ocean of SrI rAmAyaNam being very enjoyable it got in and stayed in emperumAnAr’s mind. But in case of agasthya muni the salty ocean went in but so could not stay inside as he spat it out.
nallOr – the noble ones who share their enjoyable experience to others (as they discuss with them about emperumAnAr’s auspicious qualities that they enjoy).
– – – – –
Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan
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