Daily Archives: February 12, 2017

Other sthOthra rathnam

sthOthra rathnam – 49

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

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Introduction

emperumAn asks ALavandhAr “When you have abundance of faults, instead of pursuing different upAyams to eradicate those faults or holding on to me giving up everything else, why are you forcing me saying ‘krupayA kEvalamAthmasAth kuru‘ (accept me as yours, only due to your mercy)?”. ALavandhAr replies “I have no knowledge to engage in SAsthrIyAnushtAnam (practices/means highlighted in SAsthram) [so no engagement in upAyAntharam]; since I have no other refuge, I cannot give up completely. So your special glance out of your great kindness, is the only means for my uplifting”.

avivEka ghanAntha dhingmukhE
bahudhA santhatha dhu:khavarshiNi |
bhagavan! bhavadhurdhinE padha:
skalitham mAmavalOkayAchyutha ||

Word by word meaning

bhagavan – Oh bhagavAn who is filled with gyAnam (knowledge), Sakthi (power) etc [6 primary qualities]!
achyutha – Oh one who does not abandon your devotees!
avivEka ghana antha dhingmukhE – having directions which is covered with clouds of darkness
bahudhA – in many ways
santhatha dhu:kha varshiNi – pouring down sorrows continuously
bhava dhurdhinE – the rainy season darkness of samsAram (material realm)
padha: skalitham – falling off from virtuous path
mAm – me
avalOkaya – bless me with your kind glance.

Simple Translation

Oh bhagavAn who is filled with gyAnam, Sakthi etc [6 primary qualities]! Oh one who does not abandon your devotees! I am falling off from virtuous path due to the rainy season darkness of samsAram which is having directions which is covered with clouds of darkness and pouring down sorrows continuously in many ways; bless me with your kind glance.

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

  • avivEka – That is, vivEka abhAvam (non-existence of wisdom, proper judgment); jIva para vivEka abhAvam (unable to distinguish between jIvAthmA and paramAthmA); dhEha Athma vivEka abhAvam (unable to distinguish between body and soul); thyAjya upAdhEya vivEka abhAvam (unable to distinguish between what is to be given up and what is to be pursued); bandha vimOchana vivEka abhAvam (unable to distinguish between bondage and liberation); having the mind covered by clouds of such aspects, not even knowing direction for uplifting oneself; further,
  • bahudhA santhatha dhu:kha varshiNi – Due to being bombarded continously with sorrows in many ways. avivEkam (lack of wisdom, proper judgement) causes dhu:kham (sorrow) means – ignorance leads to karma (actions of virtues/vices), that leads to birth in dhEva (celestial), manushya (human), thiryak (animal), sthAvara (plant) forms, and such birth leads to dhu:kham (sorrows) in the form of thApa thrayam [AdhyAthmika (sufferings caused by self), Adhi bauthika (sufferings caused by other entities), Adhi dhaivika (sufferings caused by nature) sorrows]. This is explained in thiruviruththam 1 “poyn ninRa gyAnamum pollA ozhukkum azhukkudambum” (ignorance, bad actions and dirty body).
  • bahudhA – [Sufferings] In many different forms such as AdhyAthmika, Adhi bauthika, Adhi dhaivika.
  • bhagavan – ALavandhAr is saying “Don’t you know that I do not have gyAnam, Sakthi etc to eliminate such suffering and only your highness can eliminate them?”.
  • bhava dhurdhinE – In this samsAram which is like darkness in rainy season. dhurdhinam – mEgathimira (darkness caused by clouds).
  • padha: skalitham – As said in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.9 “koduvinaith thURRuL ninRu pAviyEn pala kAlam vazhi thigaiththu alamaruginREn” (Being very sinful, I am being confused about the way (to escape), toiling and staying here for a long time, being caught in the quagmire (samsAram – material realm, where one cannot escape from)).
  • mAm – Me who is fallen from pursuing upAyams such as karma yOga etc. When I am suffering like this, where is the questioning of me pursuing practices recommended in SAsthram? Implies that “there is none other than your highness [for my help]”.
  • avalOkaya – As said in SrIvishNu purANam 1.20.16 “avalOkanadhAnEna bhUyO mAm pAlayAchyutha” (prahlAdha says – Protect me by glancing at me again), you should mercifully glance at me to free me from all sufferings. Even for those who pursue other means, your merciful glance will be uplifting. Even to become qualified to be your devotee, the merciful glance of your highness is required as said in mahAbhAratham SAnthi parvam 358.73 “jAyamAnam hi purusham yam paSchEnmadhusUdhana:” (One who is blessed by madhusUdhana’s merciful glance at the time of birth, will be born with sathva guNam (goodness)). As said in jithanthE sthOthram 1 “jithanthE puNdarikAksha” (Let the lotus-eyed lord be victorious), it is your merciful glance which removes attachment from worldly aspects.
  • achyutha – As said in thiruvAimozhi 1.7.2 “adiyarai valvinaith thuppAm pulanaindhum thunjak kodAn” (he protects his devotees from being perished by being caught in the powerful senses that are controlled by the popular karmas), your highness will never let your devotees perish. It is said in thiruvAimozhi 2.3.6 “avar uyiraich chOrndhE pOgal kodAch chudarai” (you manifest your divine form to them and keep them from moving/dying away from you (by engaging in worldly matters)).

In the next article we will enjoy the next SlOkam.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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thiruvAimozhi thiruvAimozhi 4th centum

thiruvAimozhi – 4.4.8 – thiruvudai mannarai

Published by:

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

Full series >> Fourth Centum >> Fourth decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In eighth pAsuram – parAnkuSa nAyaki‘s mother says “Even if my daughter is in a distressed state, she will exist only for emperumAn“.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, the mother says “Meditating upon his aiSvarya (wealth/control), beauty and venerable nature, my daughter remembers only him at all states, even while looking at objects which resemble him”.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

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

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

pAsuram

thiruvudai mannaraik kANil thirumAlaik kaNdEnE ennum
uruvudai vaNNangaL kANil ulagaLandhAn enRu thuLLum
karuvudaith thEvilgaL ellAm kadal vaNNan kOyilE ennum
veruvilum vIzhvilum OvAk kaNNan kazhalgaL virumbumE

Listen

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

thiru – complete wealth
udai – having
mannarai – kings
kANil – while seeing
thirumAlai – Sriya:pathi (SrIman nArAyaNa, who has the most complete wealth)
kaNdEnE – have seen
ennum – says;

(ocean, kAyAm flower, karuviLai flower etc [dark-coloured items])
uru – distinct forms
udai – having
vaNNangaL – entities
kANil – while seeing
ulagaLandhAn – one who is having divine fresh physical beauty while divinely measuring the worlds with his divine feet
enRu – saying so
thuLLum – joyfully dance;
karu – garbagruham (inner sanctum)
udai – having
thEvu ilgaL ellAm – all temples

(to be worshipped by his devotees)
kadal vaNNan – sarvESvara who has attractive form like that of an ocean
kOyilE – temples only
ennum – says;
veruvilum – while being fearful (due to the presence of bodily relatives)
vIzhvilum – while being unconscious due to the grief
OvAL – without any break
kaNNan – krishNa
kazhalgaL – divine feet
virumbum – desires.

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

While seeing kings who have complete wealth, she says she has seen Sriya:pathi; while seeing [dark-coloured] entities, she dances saying “one who is having divine fresh physical beauty while divinely measuring the worlds with his divine feet”; she says that all temples that are having garbagruham are the temples of sarvESvara who has attractive form like that of an ocean, only; without any break while being fearful or unconscious due to grief, she desires only krishNa’s divine feet.

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.

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

  • thiruvudai mannaraik kANil – When she sees kings with faultless wealth, she would say “I have seen a form of Sriya:pathi (consort of SrImahAlakshmi)”. It is well known that nAthamunigaL saw a king placing his feet on his assistant’s head and climbing up the elephant, and said “This resembles sarvESvaran placing his divine feet on the heads of brahmA et al and climbing up on periya thiruvadi [garuda]” and fainted. Subsequently, in gangaikoNda chOzhapuram, when the king arrives with his entourage, periya mudhaliyAr (nAthamunigaL) was worshipping mannanAr (emperumAn) at the [kAttu mannAr kOyil] temple. His daughter comes and tells him that two archers, a lady and a monkey came to our home. Hearing this nAthamunigaL thinks that “perumAL (SrI rAma), iLaiya perumAL (lakshmaNa), pirAtti (sIthA) and aindhravyAkaraNa paNditha (hanumAn) must have come”, and starts running towards them. He tried to locate them by going in the direction they went and at the eastern entrance [of the town], he asks those who were there about the whereabouts of the four persons. When those on-lookers mention that they have not seen any one like that, out of great sorrow, he leaves his body at once and ascends to paramapadham [SrIvaikuNtam].
  • uru udai vaNNangaL kANil – When seeing well drawn paintings of dark-coloured flowers such as neelam, kuvaLai, kAyAm etc, considering similarity in the complexion and the aspect of being perceived by worldly eyes, she thinks about them as emperumAn who placed his divine feet on the head of everyone without checking their qualities, and jumps around with joy, like a calf who is near its mother-cow.
  • karu udai … – Wherever she sees the presence of a stone [statue/deity], she considers those places as SrIrangam, where periya perumAL is reclining. Since the in-dwelling super-soul for all these deities (statues and other dhEvathAs too) is sarvESvaran, AzhwAr identifies them as “karu” (womb) (karu indicates garbha (womb) as well as garbhAdhAra (the progenitor) who is bhagavAn himself). thiruvAimozhi 5.10.8 “thisaimugan karuvuL vIRRirundhu padaiththitta karumangaLum” (the acts done by emperumAn by being the in-dwelling soul of brahmA). thEvil – dhEvAlyam – temple.
  • veruvilum … –  She constantly desires for krishNa’s divine feet whether she is fearful seeing her relatives or she is ignorant while being unconscious. Her state of mind remains the same always. The change is in whether she is being conscious or unconscious. With this, it is established that, for AzhwAr, bhagavath prAvaNyam (attachment to bhagavAn) is that which sustains him.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org