thiruvAimozhi – 4.6.1 – thIrppArai yAm

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

Full series >> Fourth Centum >> Sixth decad

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In first pAsuram, the friend of this pirAtti (parAnkuSa nAyaki) explains the cause of her disease [to her relatives] and tells them “Whatever you are doing as the remedy is not the true remedy” and stops them.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

In first pAsuram, the friend of parAnkuSa nAyaki tells her mother “We analysed and found out that she is attached to krishNa who was partial to pANdavas; hence, where will we find the one who will cure her disease”.

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

thIrppArai yAm ini enganam nAdudhum? annaimIr!
OrppAl ivvoNNudhal uRRa nal nOy idhu thERinOm
pOrppAgu thAn seydhu anRaivarai velviththa mAyappOrth
thErppAganArkku ivaL sindhai thuzhAyth thisaikkinRadhE

Listen

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

annaimIr – (due to love towards her, you who think “somehow or other her disease should be cured”) mother!
ini – after the disease is not being cured
thIrppArai – those who can cure (this disease)
yAm – we (you all and I, who cannot understand the nature of the disease)
enganam – how
nAdudhum – to find?

(do you [the friend], who say this, know the remedy?)
OrppAl – by checking now
i oL nudhal – this girl with beautiful forehead
uRRa – affected with
nal – laudable
idhu – this
nOy – disease
thERinOm – clearly understood (by seeing her nature and bodily beauty and as it appears to have internally affected her, this is not a bodily disease, but a distinguished disease of attachment towards bhagavAn himself);

(when asked “how did she get this?”)
pOr – for the warfare
pAgu – having abilities
thAn – himself (as said in “yasya manthrI chagOpthA cha suhruchchaiva janArdhana:“)
seydhu – engaged
anRu – that day (when dhuryOdhana and his brothers dominated pANdavars)
aivarai – those five
velviththa – to be victorious
mAyam – having amazing activities in the form of deceit (such as vowing not to take up weapons and took up the same, changing day into night)
pOr – in the battle
thEr – in arjuna’s chariot
pAganArkku – for the one who stood as the charioteer (in front [of arjuna], as said in “pArtham sanchAdhya“, to accept the enemies arrows’ on himself)
ivaL – her
sindhai – heart
thuzhAy – bewildered
thisaikkinRadhu – losing her mind

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

[The friend says] Oh mother! After her (parAnkuSa nAyaki‘s) disease is not being cured, how to find those who can cure (this disease)? By checking now, I clearly understood that this girl with beautiful forehead is affected with this laudable disease. Her heart became bewildered and she lost her mind for the one [krishNa] who stood as the charioteer in arjuna’s chariot during the battle; on that day, krishNa who has the abilities for the warfare and performed amazing activities in the form of deceit, himself engaged to have those five pANdavas victorious.

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

[The disease explained in this pAsuram/padhigam is the exclusive devotion towards emperumAn and the subsequent sorrow in separation of emperumAn.]

  • thIrppArai yAm ini enganam nAdudhum – This is mercifully explained in three different ways.
    • Since it is said “thIrppArai – enganam nAdudhum” (where to find those who can cure this?), the crux is to negate their actions saying “Whatever you are doing is not the remedy”; when they are trying to find a cure, if it is said “where to find those who can cure?”, it implies that whatever they are not doing is not the cure.
    • We will only find those who will become bewildered like herself and where can we find those who can cure her? As said in thiruvAimozhi 6.7.2 “Urum nAdum ulagamum thannaip pOl” (AzhwAr is transforming everyone to become like him), she keeps transforming others to be like her.
    • It appears that her friend too is now looking for those who can cure the disease.
    • [A fourth explanation is given too – probably spontaneously thought about it as the first 3 explanations were given; alternatively, this is given as explanation for “ini” in some manuscripts] As said in thirunedunthANdagam 11 “kadalvaNNar idhu seydhAl kAppArAr” (if emperumAn himself does this, who can save her?), if the medicine itself becomes unsuitable, what is the remedy? That which is said as in thiruvAimozhi 3.4.5nachchu mA marundham” (the desirable medicine acquired from cow) itself becomes unsuitable; He who is said as in vishNu sahasranAmam “nirvANam bhEshajam bhishak” (bliss, medicine and doctor), himself becomes harmful.
  • yAm – After addressing specifically “annaimIr” (you, mother), here, she is saying “yAm” (we); this means that there is no difference between mother and friends [with regard to the sorrow]. When the mothers wished well for SrI rAma and returned, the friends could not even do that as said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 41st sargam “SOkabhArENa chAkranthASSayanamnajahusthathA” (SrI rAma’s friends being afflicted with sorrow, remained in their beds being unable to stand up); hence, this sorrow, would eliminate the difference between mother and friends; it can also be considered as highlighting the greatness of the friend [yAm, as in respectable yAn. that is, using we to say “I” with reverence “the royal we”].
  • ini – After knowing the nature of the disease.
  • enganam nAdudhum – When she said “Is there any remedy? where can we search?”, all the relatives thought “she must have the solution” and turned towards her; she thinks “If I told them that I already knew the issue, they will blame me only; let me pretend to analyse the situation now”,
  • OrppAl – She said “I think about the situation now; as you also analysed and I too have analysed, this is what I feel now”. She (this friend) is like kUraththAzhwAn (in her gyAnam); when she thinks inward, she can visualise the thathva thrayam (chith, achith and ISvara) part by part, in great detail.
  • ivavoNNudhal – This girl (parAnkuSa nAyaki) who has a distinguished forehead. For the one who has such distinguished face, can she be affected with a disease through any other means? Should she not be affected by emperumAn‘s face only, as said in thiruvAimozhi 7.7.8 “kaNNan kOLizhai vAL mugamAyk kodiyEn uyirk koLginRadhu” (krishNa’s glow having his own beautiful face which is like an ornament for him, through such face captivates the heart of me who is very bad)? If she has a disease, should it not be caused by emperumAn only? If bharathAzhwAn gets affected with a disease will it be chAthurthikam (a type of deadly fever)? Isn’t it well known that he was affected due to separation from SrI rAma? If some thing is troubling her, should it not be a distinct matter [emperumAn]? Can we not distinguish between one who died being killed by an arrow and one who died by drowning in water? Due to desiring for emperumAn who has great qualities and got bewildered due to not getting what she wanted, her fresh face demanded to rid of evil eyes.
  • uRRa – the disease which has penetrated very deep and has no cure.
  • nal nOy – This disease is not be cured. [Instead] one should pay some money and be affected with this disease. The mumukshus (those who desire for liberation) put in many efforts to acquire this disease. Instead of accepting such disease, I am trying to give a remedy! After acquiring true knowledge, until the body is shed, for the dhEha yAthrai (daily conduct of oneself), this disease exists and subsequently it continues eternally [after shedding the body as well]. When [this bhakthi (devotion) is] considered as a means which is different from prapaththi, when that thought it be being the means [instead of bhagavAn being the means] is eliminated, such devotion will become part of the goal. vishNu dharmam 68 “paramApadhamApanna:” (fell in great danger) – this is a distinguished danger. This danger will make emperumAn himself rush to protect in a chaotic manner. When this which is explained as in SrI bhagavath gIthA 11.54 “bhakthyA thvananyayA Sakya:” (I cannot be attained without devotion), is acquired, emperumAn will also be [easily] attained.
  • thERinOm – In their [AzhwArs] group, clarity is rare to find, just like bewilderment is rare to find in the group of rishis (sages). For the rishis, they only have the clarity “one should not be attached to worldly matters”; but in the case of AzhwArs they are bewildered due to bhagavath vishayam (matters related to bhagavAn).

“If you have understood, why don’t you explain it to us” query the relatives of parAnkuSa nAyaki.

  • pOrp pAgu … – Though krishNa was related to both [kauravas and pANdavas], when it was time for action, as said in mahAbhAratham rAjasUya parvam “yasya manthrI cha gOpthA cha suhruthchaiva janArdhana:” (janArdhana who is the lord of all the worlds and is the minister, protector and friend of arjuna), for pANdavas, krishNa remained everything which was taken away by kauravas from them. He himself managed all aspects of the war. pAgu – the act of the manager/controller.
  • thAn seydhuemperumAn who remained seated ruling over all the worlds, himself did. Instead of making it happen based on his powerful position, he personally engaged and completed the task. “thAn” indicates his supremacy. She is captivated by his saulabhyam (simplicity). If a lowly person manifests simplicity, she will not be attracted by that. When such supreme lord manifests simplicity, she becomes captivated.
  • thAn seydhu anRu aivarai velviththa – On that day when those hundred brothers along with all the evil forces stood together and when these five pANdavas stood without much help; this explains – how emperumAn himself arranged the soldiers, drove the chariot, gave rest and water to the horses when they became tired, tended/managed the horses and won the battle for the pANdavas himself. He took up all responsibilities of arjuna on himself.
  • aivarai velviththa – To make the pANdavas victorious was more difficult than defeating the dhuryOdhana and his group [and parAnkuSa nAyaki]. Since dhuryOdhana and group were prideful, it was difficult to defeat them; it is difficult to defeat parAnkuSa nAyaki due to her sthrIthva abhimAnam (pride of considering herself to be a perfect woman); similarly as arjuna said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 1.32na kAnkshE vijayam krishNa” (Oh krishNa! I have no desire for victory), it was difficult to make the pANdavas win [since they had no desire for that].
  • mAyap pOr – Amazing war; also explained as deceitful war. That is, in the pANdavas side, changing of day into night, krishNa declaring that he will not take up weapons and taking it up subsequently were done; in the kauravas side many athirathas (great charioteers) together attacked abhimanyu [when he was unarmed].
  • thErp pAganArkku – Whenever anyone attacked arjuna, krishNa stood there to take the attack on himself, ignoring his [tender] body, drove the chariot, sitting in front of arjuna, without any weapons. He would say as in mahAbhAratham “ayamasmi” (I am yours) – Am I not your servitor? Why don’t you engage me in your service?
  • ivaL …parAnkuSa nAyaki who was captivated by such act of emperumAn. As said in mahAbhAratham when bhIma tells hanumAn “nirguNa: paramAthmA saudhEhanthE vyApyathisthtathi” (the paramAthmA (SrI rAma) who has no inauspicious qualities is well pervaded and manifested in your body), is the sArathya vEsham (the form of emperumAn being a charioteer) not visible in her body? Her heart was shaken and she became bewildered for the one who controlled the chariot; if an ocean shakes, should it not be by the manthara mountain [when the dhEvas and asuras churned the ocean, it became wild]? She who is blessed with “mayarvaRa madhi nalam” (faultless knowledge and devotion), does not become bewildered for his supremacy in paramapadham, but only for his simplicity as the charioteer. When those who are blessed with faultless knowledge and devotion become bewildered, would it not be for emperumAn‘s ASritha pArathanthriyam (his subservience towards his devotees)? One who eliminated the sorrows of arjuna is now causing sorrow for parAnkuSa nAyaki. He removed the sorrow of a man, but is causing sorrow for a helpless woman.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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