SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
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Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
Looking at the divine face of emperumAnAr who is showing so much love towards him, amudhanAr says ‘there is one request that I got to ask of your highness’, and requesting emperumAnAr about the wish he is having.
Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)
In the previous pAsuram – thinking about how emperumAnAr entered his divine mind and is residing with boundless affection, and thinking about acceptance of him by emperumAnAr,
in this pAsuram – addressing him, ‘Oh the one having such love and boundless sauSeelyam (easy availability to any simpleton)’, even if I go through countless sorrow of repeated births and deaths in various bodies that would be affected by diseases to the level of bone (severe) and end up getting completely destructed,
at all places, at all times, and in all situations, I would like to have at most love towards those who are devoted only to you, and to be theirs that they could buy and sell me – please grace me by shaping me to be in this way – is how amudhanAr is requesting about his wish.
inbuRRa seelaththu irAmAnusA enRum evvidaththum
enbuRRa nOy udal thORum piRandhu iRandhu eNNariya
thunbuRRu veeyinum solluvadhu onRu uNdu un thoNdarkatkE
anbuRRu irukkumpadi ennai Akki angu At paduththE – 107
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Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
Not only you have entered into the heart of the most lowly me, you consider it as a great privilege, and
inbuRRa – are staying fully happy;
irAmAusA – Oh emperumAnAr
seelaththu – having such sauSeelyam!
To you who is being in this way,
uNdu – there is a
solluvadhu – request
onRu – for an action;
It is –
even if I,
piRandhu iRandhu – in each birth and death
udal thORum – in each body that is the abode of
nOy – diseases
enbu uRRa – which can destruct at the level of bone, not just at the level of skin, as said in ‘aiyAr kaNdam adaikkilum nin kazhal eyyAdhu Eththa [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.3]’ (even if my throat becomes speechless, bless me to be tireless to praise your divine feet ),
and so
uRRu – experience
eNNariya – countless
thunbu – sorrows
veeyinum – and get destructed, (even then)
uRRu irukkumpadi Akki – make me have the
anbu – pure love
enRum – at all times
evvidaththum – at all places
un – to your
thoNdarkatkE – disciples only who are devoted only to you, and
ennai AL paduththu – make me become subservient
angu – to their divine feet.
Only this is my destiny – is the thought here.
inbu – pleasure
seelam – sauSeelyam – nature of a noble one to easily interact with a simpleton without hesitation.
enbu – bone
thunbu – sorrow
vyAkyAnam
inbuRRa seelaththu irAmAnusA – Without looking at the value of your highness who as an AchAryar to thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn and thirukkuRunkudi nambi, gave thiru vilachchinai (conch and disc), and SrIbAshyam (respectively), and of being the father for chelvap piLLai, and not looking at the lowliness of me who is the complete sinner, you considered my heart as more noble that that of yours, and came and entered into my heart, and are considering that itself as the great privilege, and are being present with complete happiness – Oh emperumAnAr having such sauSeelyam!
inbu – pleasure
seelam – sauSeelyam – nature of a noble one to easily interact with lowly ones without hesitation.
You see, now amudhanAr has started realizing emperumAnAr’s Seelam.
solluvadhu onRu uNdu – there is one request to you who knows everything.
Like how geethAchAryan divined starting from ‘nathvEvAham’, explaining in detail about karma, gyAna, and, bhakthi, and when advising ‘sarva guhya thamam bhUya: SruNumE paramam vacha:’ (I am going to advice you now about most secretive meaning, listen to it),
amudhanAr too, as said in the beginning ‘irAmAnusA idhu en viNNappam [rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi thaniyan]’, till now amudhanAr had presented his love, devotion, etc., (in various ways), and in this pAsuram – amudhanAr is divining the essence of his wish;
There (in SrI bhagavath gIthA) it was SEshi’s (krishNan’s) words/command/advice; Here, it is SEsha bhUthan’s (devotee amudhanAr’s) wish/plea/prayer.
You said there is something to say – what is it?
enbuRRa nOy udal thORum piRandhu iRandhu eNNariya thunbuRRu – nOy – disease; that, is – sorrows like AdhyAthmikam, etc. That disease is – since it is the result of karmas (deeds) based on my acts using inner and outer senses, so it is not just at the skin level (that is, not temporary, not just cursory), but is bone deep (severe), and since it is destructive of the nature of AthmA, he is specially saying it as enbuRRa (strong disease effected at the level of bone) uRRa – based on that (bone level).
udal thORum – In each body which holds such diseases which go to the level of bone.
It is said too as ‘dhurvAra dhuritha mUlam dhusthara dhu:khAnAm bandha neerandhram vapu:’ (Source of all sorrows that cannot be rid of, this body is the place of all sorrows that cannot be overcome).
Or,
As as said in ‘nOy ellAm peydhadhOr Akkai [periya thirumozhi – 9.7.7]’ (body full of diseases), that disease itself is being in the form of bodies of dhEva, animal, human, and, plant.
In each series of births of these categories;
Saying being born and dying – is – representative of other states (garbha, janma, bAlya, yauvana, vArdhavya, maraNa, naraka);
iRappu – destruction;
piRandhu iRandhu eNNariya thunbuRRu veeyinum – If we fold the finger to try to count as one, two, three…, each collection of seven states from birth through death, that act of counting would be hard to complete even if continued till Time exists – such number of sorrows; even if I experience those sorrows without missing even one;
You see, amudhanAr is saying, that even if it is possible to determine the size of the quality of Seelam of your highness as said in ‘pORRarum seelaththu irAmAnusA [rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi – 89]’, it is not possible to count the sorrows related to this body;
thunbu – sorrow.
enRum – at all times
evvidaththum – in all the places
un thoNdarkatkE – Not being common to both – ties to this world, and to liberation {that is, unlike emperumAn}, you are one who has vowed to give liberation only, and reformed me to this level, and entered my heart, and are residing there;
Only for those who are devoted only to you of such nature;
By avadhAraNam (‘E’ = only) – he is doing anya yOga vyavachchEdham (rejecting the notion of association with others who are not devoted only to emperumAnAr).
As said in ‘thanakkEyAga enaik koLLumeedhE [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.4]’ ((not for others, not for me, not jointly for him and me) exclusively for him, to be fully dependent, acknowledge me, this only..),
‘Arenakku nin padhamE charaNAgath thandhozhindhAy [thiruvAimozhi – 5.7.10]’ (You gave me your divine feet only as the means),
‘thamEva chAdhyam purusham prapadhyE’ (should take shelter under that first purushan (SrIman nArAyaNan) only),
(are examples of this) in case of prathama parvam (emperumAn),
and,
as said in ‘gururEva param brahma’ (Only AchAryan himself is the brahmam),
‘upAyOpEya bhAvEna thamEva SaraNam vrajEth’ (shall take shelter only of guru himself as means and destiny), and,
‘thEvu maRRaRiyEn [kaNNinuN chiRuth thAmbu – 2]’ (do not know of any god other than nammAzhvAr), and,
‘theedhil, charaNAgathi thandha than iRaivan thALE, araNAgum ennum adhu [gyAna sAram – 31]’ (One’s own AchAryan showed the faultless path of total surrender unto SrIman nArAyaNan; Only the lotus feet of such AchAryan who is one’s god is the refuge for the person. SharaNAgathi shAsthram says so.),
(are examples) for charama parvam (AchAryan),
amudhanAr also says here in the same way (in charama parvam).
anbuRRu irukkumpadi – to be one having infinite love; anbu – snEham – affection/love.
ennai Akki – making me the target of your kindness,
angu AL paduththE – amudhanAr is saying – please make me one who performs all kinds of services related to the divine feet of your devotees (thadheeyar).
AzhvAr too divined in this way only in ‘aiyAr kaNdam adaikkilum nin kazhal eyyAdhu Eththa aruL sey enakkE [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.3]’ (even if my throat becomes speechless, bless me to be tireless to praise your divine feet ).
From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI u.vE. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’ :
inbuRRa seelaththu irAmAnusa – The most noble, you, have entered in to the heart of most lowly me, and you are considering it as a privilege. This shows your love towards me. Only due to love would it be possible to do this.
This is similar to emperumAn being present in the heart of everyone without seeing the lowliness of them; upanishath says that for everyone emperumAn is present in the middle of their heart in the size of a thumb; its meaning (bhAshyam) says – So, for the people who have lived, and for the ones of future, He is being eeSvaran (commander), and so He is having vAthsalyam (affection); due to that affection, He is seeing the lowliness of body as enjoyable.
SrI vEdhAntha dhESika says:
‘audhvanthE mahathi sadhmani bhAsamAnE, SlAkhyE cha dhivya sadhanE thamasa: parasthAth | antha: kaLEbharamidham sushiram susUkShmam, jAtham kareesa! kathamAdharaNAspadham thE || [varadharAja panchAsath – 21]’ (When there is a big residence existing in milky ocean, and when there is the celebrated residence of spiritual realm beyond the area of material realm (SrIvaikuNtam) existing, Oh aththigiri perumAL! how did this minute small hole inside the body become the place you are fond of?!).
emperumAnAr having the glory of even emperumAn coming looking to stay in his heart, he did not consider that greatness but came and stayed in my heart. What level of quality of Seelam is this?!
As he got involved in the quality of Seelam in the beginning ‘mikka seelam allAl uLLadhu en nenju [rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi – 2]’, he is getting involved near the end of this prabandham as well.
enRum evvidaththum … angu AL paduththu – Whatever difficulties may arise, my mind should not waver, and my love should not change, towards your devotees, and should be subservient only to them; please grant me such a state – is how amudhanAr is asking for the destiny in its essence form.
enbuRRa nOy udal thORum – If I would be made subservient to your devotees and perform all services, then even if there would be several births that are affected by diseases it would be a good thing, says amudhanAr.
dying – happens to the body; destruction (veeyinum (even if destructed)) – is related to AthmA where it is stuck in the cycle of birth through death;
I am not praying that being stuck in the cycle is not wanted; I am praying that even if I am stuck so, I be able to serve your devotees only.
For those who are devoted to the devotees of emperumAnAr, the sorrows and destruction due to cycles of birth through death would not happen at all. But, even if it does, when seeing the pleasure of subservience, those sorrows would vanish – is the thought.
un thoNdarkatkE – Only to those who are having their aim of life to be serving you.
anbuRRu irukkumpadi – That kind of subservience to your devotees should be based on firm and matured love towards them.
ennai Akki angu AL paduththu – Please grant love and also subservience towards them.
If I grant love, then would subservience not follow?
It should be based on your command of ‘You be subservient to them’ – it should be something you gave out of kindness;
thoNdaradippodi AzhvAr too asked, ’un adiyArkku AL paduththAy [thiruppaLLiyezhuchchi – 10] (Please make me be subservient to your devotees).
thoNdarkatkE AL paduththu – Love and subservience should be only for the benefit of your devotees; not for them and also for others, but only for them; not for them as well as for my benefit – it should be only for them – is the essence of destiny requested by amudhanAr.
– – – – –
Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan
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