SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
ALavandhAr and nAthamunigaL – kAttu mannAr kOyil
Introduction
emperumAn asks “Are you not born in a great family? Why are you talking like a helpless person?”, ALavandhAr says “Though I am born in this great family, due to my overwhelming sins, I am drowning in this samsAram (material realm); kindly uplift me”.
janithvA’ham vamSE mahathi jagathi khyAthayaSasAm
SuchInAm yukthAnAm guNa purusha thathvasthi thividhAm |
nisargA dhEva thvachcharaNa kamalaikAntha manasAm
adhO’dha: pApAthmA SaraNadha! nimajjAmi thamasi ||
Word by word meaning
SaraNadha – Oh my lord who bestows refuge!
aham – I
jagathi – in this world
kyAtha yaSasAm – well known to be famous
suchInAm – pure
yukthAnAm – who desire to be together with you
guNa purusha thathva sthithi vidhAm – who are well aware of the nature and characteristics of achith (insentient entities) and chith (sentient entities)
nisargAth Eva – naturally
thvath charaNa kamala EkAntha manasAm – great personalities whose minds are exclusively engaged in your divine feet
mahathi vamSE – great family lineage
janithvA – though being born
pApAthmA – being sins personified
thamasi – in material nature
adha: adha; – deep down
nimajjAmi – drowning
Simple Translation
Oh my lord who bestows refuge! Though I am born in a great family lineage with great personalities who are well known to be famous in this world, who are pure, who desire to be together with you, who are well aware of the nature and characteristics of achith (insentient entities) and chith (sentient entities), who are great personalities whose minds are naturally and exclusively engaged in your divine feet, since I am sins personified, I am drowning deep down in the material nature.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
- mahathi vamSE aham janithvA – Greatness for vamSam (family/clan) is having great personalities appearing in there. ALavandhAr is saying, I have been a disaster even after being born in a great family lineage as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 6.42 “Ethadhdhi dhurlabhatharam lOkE janma yadhIdhruSam” (Aren’t these births difficult to attain [for people] in this world?).
- jagathi kyAtha yaSasAm – One who has well known fame across the world. This fame is due to being accepted by bhagavAn as said in thiruvAimozhi 8.7.5 “thigazhu than thiruvaruL seydhulagaththAr pugazhum pugazh” (By bestowing his mercy and hence being glorified by the people of this world).
- suchInAm – Being completely devoid of any attachment towards matters other than bhagavAn. It can also indicate both internal and external purity.
When asked “Would you claim to be the abode of inauspiciousness having been born in such lineage?”,
- yukthAnAm – Those who are very desirous to be together with bhagavAn always as said in ithihAsa samuchchayam 7.38 “kruthakruthyA prathIkshanthE …” (Having fulfilled all responsibilities waiting for the arrival of death considering it to be like a dear guest [to ascend to paramapadham]). To be as said in thiruvAimozhi 9.3.7 “mAga vaikuntham kANbadhaRku en manam EkameNNum” (My heart is desirous of seeing the supreme abode, paramapadham). Also explaining it as some one like iLaiya perumAL (lakshmaNa) who can never be separated from your highness.
When asked “Having been born in such lineage would you say ‘I don’t have sufficient desire’?”,
- guNa pursha thathvasthithi vidhAm – Those who are well aware of the nature, characteristics and relationships among chith, achith and ISvara. guNam (qualities) indicates prakruthi (matter), which is the abode of guNam. sthithi indicates svarUpa (nature), svabhAva (character) etc.
- nisargA dhEva … – Like a calf would naturally seek out mother cow’s udder as soon as it is born, those who are having their mind attached to your divine lotus feet as a natural quality from birth. Implies that all the aspects explained previously are natural for those belonging to this lineage.
- pApAthmA – Me who appears like embodiment of sins. I am (AthmA) not identified with gyAnam (knowledge) and Anandham (bliss) but by pApa (sins).
- SaraNadha – Your highness would provide refuge to even persons like me as said in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 60 “AL pArththu uzhi tharuvAy” (emperumAn would seek out for servitors).
- thamasi adhA’dhO nimajjAmi – In this material nature, I am deeply drowned to be unreachable even for your highness. ALavandhAr is saying – I have not yet hit the bottom of this ocean of material nature as said in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.2 “panmA mAyap piRaviyil padiginRa yAn” (I am living in a well fitting manner assuming many different forms (such as dhEva, manushya etc) in prakruthi (material realm) which is amazing, that is variegated (due to the qualities and resulting forms)). By this, ALavandhAr is saying “I am deeply drowned in this material nature as sAnthAnikar [residents of sAnthAnika lOka who are great devotees of emperumAn] was deeply drowned in your highness”. This is lineage I am born in; your highness is the refuge; [yet] this is my suffering. Abundance of my sins is such that, I am like asamanjas who did not live up to his family lineage and compassion of your highness is also not helping me.
In the next article we will enjoy the next SlOkam.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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