SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
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Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
amudhanAr was sad seeing the state of samsAris who did not accept surrendering to this matter – that was in previous pAsuram; When asked ‘What is it the state you are in?’, amudhanAr replies, ‘I will serve those who consider as their destiny, the people who consider this matter (emperumAnAr’s divine feet) as their destiny, like in ‘ozhivil kAlam ellAm [thiruvAimozhi – 3.3.1]’ (at all times without break) – this in this pAsuram.
Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)
In the previous pAsuram, amudhanAr talked about the state of those in this world that instigates ignorance, who have sunken due to searching everywhere and floundering looking for some other god who might save them, by not accepting to surrender to emperumAnAr, even though emperumAnAr is there who has won the bad philosophies and established the true path of vEdhas.
In this pAsuram – unlike such people, those who are most distinguished compared to them, and not forgetting at any time and also being devotional and loving towards the supreme souls who always have reliance on emperumAnAr – I shall do services only to such devotees whatever few they may be – at all times, at all states, and of all types, and using all faculties of body, and under everyone’s knowledge about it (serve together) – says amudhanAr about his state.
nallAr paravum irAmAnusan thirunAmam namba
vallAr thiRaththai maRavAdhavargaL yavar avarkkE
ellA idaththilum enRum eppOdhilum eththozhumbum
sollAl manaththAl karumaththinAl seyvan sOrvinRiyE – 80
Listen
Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
nallAr – As said in ‘nallAr navil kurugUr nagarAn [thiruviruththam – 100]’ (those having auspicious qualities and good actions praise nammAzhvAr who incarnated in thirukkurugUr (AzhvAr thirunagari)), all the noble ones
paravum – from their respective places, based on love, they praise
irAmAnsan– emperumAnAr; his –
thirunAmam – divine name; as said by kUraththAzhvAn in ‘nachEth rAmAnujEthyEshA chathurA chathuraksharee – kAmavasthAm prapadhyanthE janthavO hantha mAdhruSa:’ (If there wasn’t this powerful four letter word ‘rA.mA.nu.ja’, Oh! what state would the animals like me be in), such divine name
namba vallAr thiRaththai – which they can consider as their shelter; such people’s ways
maRavAdhavargaL yavar – is always thought about
yAvar – by some few people –
avarkkE – only to them
ella idaththilum – in all the places
enRum – at all times,
eppOdhilum – at all situations / conditions,
eththozhumbum – by all types/forms of subservience
sollAl – by voice
manaththAl – by mind
karumaththinAl – by body (physically)
as said by ‘thanakkEyAga [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.4]’ (emperumAn should accept my service only for His benefit/enjoyment),
sOrvinRich cheyvan – will do without any separate enjoyment (pruthak rasam)
When some recite as ‘vallAr thiRaththai madhiyAdhavargaL’ , then ‘madhiththu’ to mean limiting the level of their devotion, and so this phrase to mean, those who do not look at limits of the level of their ways.
nambu – having faith; also, liking (of emperumAnAr’s divine name);
thozhumbu – slave/subservient.
By sol, karumam (words, actions), it identifies corresponding faculties, that is, speech and body.
sOrvu – deviation.
vyAkyAnam
nallAr paravum irAmAnusan – Like how nammAzhvAr is liked by the noble ones living in (AzhvAr) thirunagari as said in ‘nallAr navil kurugUr nagarAn [thiruviruththam – 100]’ (those having auspicious qualities and good actions praise nammAzhvAr who incarnated in thirukkurugUr (AzhvAr thirunagari)),
he is liked by that nammAzhvAr (nallAr) himself by saying ‘kaliyum kedum kaNdu koNmin [thiruvAimozhi – 5.2.1]’ (effects of kali yugam will be removed, you shall see), and by personal disciple of nammAzhvAr that is madhurakavigaL by saying ‘mEvinEn avan pon adi [kaNNinuN chiruth thAmbu – 2]’ (reached nammAzhvAr‘s divine feet (which is considered as emperumAnAr)), and by nAthamunigaL by doing thiruvArAdhanam to the bhavishyadhAchArya vigraham given by the grace of nammAzhvAr, and by ALavandhAr of the same clan (of SrIman nAthamunigaL) who got that vigraham, by saying ‘Amudhalvan [thiruvAimozhi – 7.9.3]’ (he shall be the head of the clan of prapannas) – in such ways they liked emperumAnAr.
As all of the aforementioned had spread emperumAnAr’s glory in this world earlier, like saying ‘innAnilaththE vandhu nAttinan’ (established in this world), getting clarity from that is how others starting from AzhvAn, AndAn had started liking emperumAnAr.
Noble ones read the words of nAradha purANam – ‘anantha:prathamam rUpam lakshmaNasthu thatha:param – balapadhra: thrutheeyasthu kalau rAmAnujas smrutha:’ (incarnated in krutha yugam as thiruvananthAzhvAn, in thrEthA yugam as lakshmaNAn, in dhvApara yugam as balarAman, and he will incarnate as rAmAnujar in kali yugam)
As said in ‘arvAnchO yath padha sarasija dhvanthvamASrithya pUrvE mUrdhnA yasyAnvayamupagathA dhESikA mukthi mApu: – sOyam rAmAnuja munirapi’, (Those who are after emperumAnAr would survive by relation with his divine feet, and those before him would survive by relation of his divine head), all the noble ones, from their respective places, due to subservience to their love (prEma paravaSar), would praise emperumAnAr.
Such emperumAnAr’s –
thirunAmam namba vallAr thiRaththai – thirunAmam : divine name (of emperumAnAr); As said in ‘nachEth rAmAnujEthyEshA chathurA chathuraksharee – kAmavasthAm prapadhyanthE janthavO hantha mAdhruSa:’ (If there wasn’t this power four letter word ‘rAmAnuja’, Oh! what state would the animals like me be in’), and in ‘rAmAnuja dhivAkara:’ (the sun that is emperumAnAr (bringing light (knowledge)), and in ‘rAmAnuja padhAmbhOja samASrayaNA sAlina:’ (those having glorious quality of surrendering to emperumAnAr’s divine feet), and in ‘rAmAnuja padhach chAyA’ ((being a) shadow of emperumAnAr’s divine feet (always being with him and serving him, like embAr)), and in ‘thasmai rAmAnujAryAya nama:parama yOginE [vEdhArtha sangraham thaniyan]’ (salutations to that emperumAnAr who is a great ascetic), and in ‘rAmAnujAryam namethEdhyavAdheeth’ (hey rAmAnujA! it is to you that I salute) , and in ‘thasmin rAmAnujAryE’ (towards that emperumAnAr), and in ‘rAmAnujaSSaraNamasthu’ (let emperumAnAr’s divine feet be our shelter), and in ‘rAmAnujam yathi pathim praNamAmi mUrdhnA’ (~we surrender to emperumAnAr’s divine feet ), they are not able to tolerate separation from the chathuraksharee (four letter word), that is, ‘rA.mA.nu.ja’ – they consider only that name as their shelter and are having strong conviction in it – the ways of such nobles ones, like AzhvAn, AndAn,
emperumAnAr – SrIperumbUthUr , mudhaliyANdAn (haritha vAraNa puram (Nazarethpettai))
(SAsthram shows that we should follow what the preceptors like the aforementioned have done) :-
‘yathA thE thathra varthEran, thathA thathra varthEthA: athAbhyAkhyA thEshu‘, (in the ways of AchAryan what he speaks, where he lives, do services to him till the end), and,
‘yAnyasmAkagum sucharithAni, thAni thvayOpAsyAni ‘ (what are to be followed by you are whatever the ancestors have done), ‘nO itharANi’ (there is no other shelter for us),
‘yE kE chAsmachchrEyagumSo brAhmaNA:’ and ‘thAni thvayOpAsyAni’,
and,
‘yanthvAdhyA: kriyamANam praSamSanthi svadharma yam vigarhasi sOdharma (what the preceptors say as correct path (dharma) is the correct path; what they show as adharmam is adharmam),
‘ vEdha SAsthra rathA rUdA: gyAna kadga dharAdhvijA: kreedArthamapi yath brUyu: sa dharma na ithara smrutha:’ (preceptor climbing the chariot that is vEdha SAsthram, with the big knife that is knowledge, whatever he says even as humor is dharmam),
‘yAm thvEshAm svairakathA: thA Esha bhavanthi SasthrANi samaya niyatha sAdhu vruthyA samEdham’ (even if such preceptors say something casually, that would end up being SAsthram to be followed);
As said in ‘parigrAhyam pUrvAchAryargaLudaiya vachanamum anushtAnamum [SrIvachana bhUshaNam]’ (~what preceptors said you say that, what they do, you do),
in these thousand ways that show the state of intellect and corresponding actions of emperumAnAr’s disciples;
the divine name rAmAnuSan as written by svAmi himself
maRavAdhavargaL yavar – As said in ‘svAdhyAyAnmA pramadha: (do not skip even one day from reciting vEdhas),
AchAryAyapriyam dhana mAhruthya prajA thanthum mAvyavachchEthSee: (earn the wealth (service) that is dear to AchAryan, stay with him at all times for doing service),
‘sathyAnna pramadhi thavyam, dharmAnna pramadhi thavyam’ (mind, speech, and body should be aligned – do not deviate from it; do not deviate from what SAsthram said as dharmam),
and so
instead of forgetting those (noble ones) due to weakness of faith, whatever few ones who are always thinking of the devotees of emperumAnAr;
To begin with amudhanAr meditates upon emperumAnAr’s divine name as said in ‘nenjE solluvOm avan nAmangaLE’ (oh mind! let us recite his names),
and he advises to people of the world as he said in ‘irAmAnusan enRu solluminE’ (say (the name of) emperumAnAr),
and he made it as a prabandham (this prabandham) about emperumAnAr for all the prapannas to recite about him as said in ‘sayam tharu keerththi irAmAnusa muni thAL iNai mEl uyarndha guNaththuth thiruvarangaththu amudhu Ongum anbal iyambum kaliththuRai anthAdhi Odha [rAmAnusan nURRanthAdhi thaniyan]’ (oh mind! please accept to recite the rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi) – for me to get such capability/interest, they reformed me who was like a barren land (karunthaRai); they are the ones like AzhvAn;
When recited as ‘namba vallAr thiRaththai madhiyAdhavargaL’ – it shall mean – those who do consider the limits in the ways of those who have the state of conviction on emperumAnAr’s divine name;
avarkkE – Avoiding doing in a common way that is both for the happiness in their face, and for my survival – doing it with staunchness that it is only for the happiness in their face as my destiny, as said in ‘thanakkEyAga [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.4]’ (emperumAn should accept my service only for His benefit/enjoyment); from the ‘E’ in ‘avarkkE’ – this meaning of ‘only’ is formed.
ellA idaththilum enRum eppOdhilum – As said in ‘sarvEshu dhESa kAlEshu sarvAvasthAsu sAchyutha – kinkarOsmi’ (all, all places and time, in all situations I wish to be able to serve you), and in ‘ozhivil kAlam ellAm [thiruvAimozhi – 3.3.1]’ (at all times without break, being always with you in all states/situations), and in ‘kAlam sakalamapi sarvathra sakalAsu avasthAsu Avisyur mama’ (at all times, all places and in all ways let me be a servant for You)– like how the involvement was in prathama vishayam (emperumAn), since He himself divined – ‘thasmAth madhbhaktha bhakthAScha pUjaneeyA viSEshatha: – math bakthaissahasam vAsa:’ (so my devotees and their devotees are to be worshiped; so you stay with them and worship them), and, ‘thasmai dhEyam thathOgrAhyam sacha pUjyOyathAhyaham [kaNNan’s words in gAurda purANam]’ (whoever wishes to do services to me, see them, they are my devotees),
in all the places, at all times, and in all situations;
ellA idaththilum – in all the places
enRum – in whichever place you are in (mountain, forest, or ocean) (avasthai),
eppOdhilum – at all times.
sollAl manaththAl karumaththinAl – by these three; in all the three of manO (mind), vAk (speech), and kAyam (body/physically); by sol, and karumam (words, actions), it identifies corresponding faculties, that is, speech and body.
eththozhumbum – in whatever form, any type of service/subservience; in any situation;
sOrvinRiyE – As prayed in ‘vazhuvilA adimai seyya vENdum nAm [thiruvAimozhi – 3.3.1]’ (we shall do services without any blemishes/deviation), without any break/deviation; sOrvu – deviation;
seyvan – I shall do.
Among those three, even within each of them, I shall do all kind of service by using each faculty of the body – says amudhanAr.
‘vAcha yatheendhra manasA vapushA cha yushmath pAdhAravindha yugaLam bhajathAm gurUNAm – kUrAdhinAtha kurugESamukAdhya pumsAm pAdhAnu chinthanaparas sathatham bhavEyam’ [yathirAja vimSathi – 3] is how jeeyar also has prayed.
Thus amudhanAr expressed his staunchness of service as said in ‘nanRum thiru udaiyOm nAnilaththil evvuyirkkum – onRum kuRai illai OdhinOm, kunRam eduththAn adi sEr irAmAnusan thAL – pidiththAr pidiththAraip paRRi [by piLLai uRangAvilli dhAsar in iyal sARRu]’ (we have the blessing of pirAttiyAr in this world, there is no shortcoming for anyone, we who hold on to the divine feet of those who hold on to the divine feet of emperumAnAr who holds on to the divine feet of the One who lifted gOvardhana mountain).
From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI u.vE. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’ :
Let samsAris’ state be so. What is your state? Replying to those asking so – I have not stopped at the stage of taking emperumAnAr as god. I got the attainment of state of doing service without any break to those who consider as their god the people who consider emperumAnAr as their god – says amudhanAr.
nallAr paravum irAmAnusan – those in any place and at any time – even in the past – who have praised emperumAnAr due to their love for him; vyAsa said ‘kalau kaSchith bhavishyathi’ (there is going to be one (emperumAnAr) born in kali yugam), and nammAzhvAr said, ‘kaliyum kedum kaNdu koNmin [thiruvAimozhi – 5.2.1]’ (~(due to emperumAnAr’s birth) bad effects of kali yugam will be nullified – you shall see).
There are two main 4-letter names – nArAyaNa which is prathama parvam, and rAmAnuja which is charama parvam. To show the greatness of the second name, it includes a special qualification as ‘chathurA’ chathuraksharee’. While nArAyana can give the joy of SrIvaikuNtam as well as ties of material world, the word rAmAnuja gives only the joy of SrIvaikuNtam – thus it has got this special skill.
{translator’s note: chathuryati could mean ‘wish for four of anything’. Here we wish for four letters of the name rAmAnuja} .
No need to consider their clan or gOthram (lineage of birth), if one is always thinking without forgetting, the great ways of those having staunch faith in rAmAnuja manthram, then I will do all kinds of service only to them, says amudhanAr.
nammAzhvAr says about himself, ‘thirumAl thiruppEr vallAr adik kaNNi sUdiya mARan [nammAzhvAr who wears the garland that is divine feet of the devotees who are well versed in the names of emperumAnAr who is the husband of lakshmI]’ (thiruviruththam – 100); but amudhanAr says that he would be subservient to those who always remembers those who have faith in the divine name rAmAnujar, and thus talks about his greatness being one level up.
eppOdhilum – in all levels/states. Whichever level/state I may be in. This is because the previous two phrases (ellA idaththilum, enRum) were about any place and any time.
sOrvinRi cheyvan – sOrvu – deviation; deviation in doing service is – considering the joy of service as one’s own and enjoying that by oneself. Unlike that, considering only the happiness of one who is accepting that service is the service without deviation.
– – – – –
Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan
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