September 9, 2017 – dhivya prabandham

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

Full series >> Fifth Centum >> Ninth decad

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In the seventh pAsuram, parAnguSa nAyaki says “Would we eternally pray by placing flowers at the divine feet of emperumAn who is mercifully standing in thiruvallavAzh?”.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, parAnguSa nAyaki says “Would we at least worship the flowers which were worn by Apathsakan (companion in difficult situations), the lord of thiruvallavAzh which is having attractive ponds?”.

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

pAdhangaL mElaNi pUnthozhak kUdungol? pAvai nalleer!
Odha nedum thadaththuL uyar thAmarai sengazhunIr
mAdhargaL vANmugamum kaNNum Endhum thiruvallavAzh
nAdhan ingyAlam uNda nampirAn thannai nAdoRumE

Listen

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

Odham – like ocean
nedu – vast
thadaththuL – in ponds
uyar – tall
thAmarai – lotus
sengazhunIr – red lily
mAdhargaL – women
vAL – having radiance
mugamum – beauty of the face
kaNNum – beauty of eyes
Endhum – reflecting
thiruvallavAzh – for thiruvallavAzh
nAdhan – being the lord
i – this
gyAlam – world
uNda – with the incident of his consuming and protecting from total deluge
nam – for us
pirAn thannai – appearing as our benefactor
nAL thoRum – eternally
pAvai – like a doll
nalleer – oh beautiful ladies who are having features!
pAdhangaL – divine feet
mEl – on
aNi – wearing
pU – at least the flower
thozha – to worship
kUdum kol – will it be possible?

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

thiruvallavAzh is having ponds which are vast like ocean, with tall lotus and red lily flowers which reflect the radiance from the beautiful face and eyes of the ladies. emperumAn, who is the lord of such thiruvallavAzh consumed and protected the world from total deluge. Hence he is appearing as our benefactor. Oh beautiful ladies who are having features like a doll! Will it be possible to at least worship the flower which is on the divine feet of such emperumAn?

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

pAdhangaL mElaNi pUnthozhak kUdum kol – Will it be possible for us the decorate his divine feet with flowers and worship him?
pAvai nalleer – Three explanations – 1) The ladies who appear like doll to not have the ability to stop her. 2) They appear like an [beautiful] art work. 3) parAnguSa nAyaki is conversing happily with them since they are not stopping her.
Odham … – In the ponds which are as vast as the ocean, the tall lotus and red lily flowers reflect the radiantly beautiful faces and eyes of the ladies of the town [both the flowers and beauty of ladies are comparable]. Alternative explanation – as in a great scholarly assembly ignorant people will be discarded, the beauty of the town discards everything else [such as the beauty of tall lotus and red lily flowers, the radiance of the beautiful faces and eyes of the ladies].
mAdhargaL vAL mugamum kaNNum Endhum – It is difficult to distinguish between the [beauty of the] town and fertile fields.
thiruvallavAzh nAdhan – Superior to SrIvaikuNtanAthan. Being the lord of SrIvaikuNtam means being the lord of antha:puram (private quarters of the queen) only, since it is said in thiruvAimozhi 4.9.10 “oNdodiyAL thirumagaLum nIyumE nilA niRpa” (While SrImahAlakshmi, the one who is having distinguished forearms with ornaments like bangles, and you stand alone; but this samsAram (material relam) is unlike that, it is barren land where one person’s clothes are to be shared by seven persons [and you are mercifully here to help everyone here].
i gyAlam uNda – Without considering his own supremacy, he will be the abode of those who are suffering. Just considering the danger, he would place everyone in his stomach and protect them.

When asked “Was this only heard in history?”, parAnguSa nAyaki replies,

nam pirAn – emperumAn who rescued me who was consumed by the deluge of samsAram and brought me up to this stage.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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

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avathArikai

AzhwAr says that even though emperumAn is such that he would grant whatever we ask of him, other than those who get rid of their desire for worldly pursuits and surrender to his divine feet, it is very difficult to attain paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam). In order to attain the goal, shouldn’t one get an inkling about lowly matters that they are lowly and attainable matters that they are to be attained? In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr mentioned about the help that emperumAn rendered to one (prahlAdha) who had desire towards him. In this pAsuram, he says that desire is the only one which is required.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

Unak kurumbaiyin uL pukku iruL nIkki
gyAnach chudar koLIi nAL dhORum Enaththu
uruvAy ulagu idandha UzhiyAn pAdham
maruvAdhArkku uNdAmO vAn

Word by Word Meaning

Unak kurumbaiyin – in the hut called body made of flesh
uL pukku – entering (analysing)
iruL – ignorance (which considers the body as sweet)
nIkki – removing
gyAnam sudar – lamp of true knowledge
koLIi – lighting
Enaththu uru Ay – incarnating as varAha form (wild boar)
ulagu idandha – one who separated the world from the shell of the universe
UzhiyAn – one who was present during deluge, that emperumAn’s
pAdham – divine feet
nAL dhORum – every day
maruvAdhArkku – those who do not worship
vAn – paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam)
uNdAmO – will it be available?

vyAkyAnam

Unak kurumbaiyin uL pukku – reaching up to the point where faults are located inside the body which is having abundance of faults. Isn’t the body made of flesh! Doesn’t body, looking at it superficially, appear to be good to look at, hiding its qualities of being lowly, mean, unstable, worthless, disgusting, covered with a layer of skin to hide the inner features! Body is referred to as a hut since the body is like a hut for AthmA (soul).

iruL nIkki – removing the ignorance which considers body as pleasurable

gyAnach chudal koLIi – lighting the lamp of knowledge. Knowing the characteristics of AthmA (soul) as they are, enabling knowledge about emperumAn, forgetting about self which is an attribute and focussing on emperumAn who is the substrate [holding the attribute]. The characteristic of AthmA is not something which is formed at one point of time and removed at another. It is there always. If it is hidden, thoughts seeking other benefits [instead of service to emperumAn] and about other means [instead of emperumAn’s divine feet] will come on their own.

nAL dhORum maruvAdhArkku uNdAmO vAn – will paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam) fructify for those who do not worship at the divine feet of emperumAn who transformed himself in order to protect his possessions (when he protected earth by transforming himself as varAha, the boar) unlike those who try to save themselves when their possessions are being destroyed?

nAL dhORum – would SrIvaikuNtam be attainable for those who do not think everyday ,with total focus, of the divine feet of emperumAn who dug out the earth during his incarnation as varAha?

UzhiyAn – he protects us even during deluge, when we are not there and he is present. An incident is quoted here about periya kOyil dhAsar, who was a disciple of nanjIyar (AchAryan of nampiLLai, who is the commentator for this prabandham). periya kOyil dhAsar, who had surrendered to the divine feet of nanjIyar, did not come to nanjIyar for many days. One day he came to nanjIyar and heard a few good words. One of the persons present there at that time, told dhAsar “it has been a long time since you came here” to which dhAsar responded saying “isn’t my goal a certainty when I attained the divine feet of nanjIyar? My loss is a few days when I did not see him in-between” The person (who spoke to him first) realised that dhAsar has given up the habit (and the faith due to that) of coming to his AchAryan everyday and listening to his good words. He asked dhAsar “has not AzhwAr mercifully sung the pAsuram ‘nAL dhORum maruvAdhArkku uNdAmO vAn?’. Have you not heard of this pAsuram?’ You do not speak like someone who has seen the difference of having worshipped at the divine feet of nanjIyar for a few days”. While atonement has been mentioned [in sacred texts] for those who, out of ignorance, miss a step when carrying out their karma (deeds, both good and bad), has it been stated that emperumAn can be attained even by those who do not have a desire in attaining him? Would a person, who has once surrendered to emperumAn but who goes about his usual ways in pursuing worldly matters in samsAram [after this act of surrendering], get his desired benefit? He had missed out on the benefit [of carrying out service to emperumAn] not because he had no qualification for it but because he had not desired it. In order to enjoy emperumAn, it is not that only chEthana (sentient entity) is required; the desire [by chEthana] is also required. When obtaining such a huge benefit, shouldn’t at least desire be there?

Let us consider the 92^nd pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa ramanuja dhAsan