SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
AzhwAr says that all those births in which we do not attain emperumAn are wasted. If emperumAn who is to be attained, is not attained, then it is wasted. When emperumAn asks “if I am not attained, will the births be wasted?”, AzhwAr responds saying “it is my opinion”.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
irundhaN kamalaththu irumalarin uLLE
thirundhum thisaimugainaith thandhAy porundhiya nin
pAdhangaL Eththip paNiyAvEl pal piRappum
EdhangaL ellAm emakku
Word by Word Meaning
Iru – large
thaN – cool
kamalaththu – the navel which is like lotus flower
iru malarin uLLE – inside the great flower
thirundhu – capable
ninthisaimuganai – nAnmugan (brahmA)
thandhAy – Oh emperumAn, the benefactor, gave us!
porundhiya – fitting with all
nin – your
pAdhangaL – divine feet
Eththi – praising handsomely
paNiyA El – if not utilised in worshipping with bowed head
emakku – for us
pal piRappum ellAm – the various births that we take
EdhangaL – totally useless
vyAkyAnam
irundhaN kamalaththin iru malarin uLLE – inside the large flower shooting from very cool lotus-like navel of emperumAn. irumalar – large flower. This implies that the dwelling place for brahmA is expansive. If the word irumai is taken to mean greatness, the meaning will change to: inside the expansive, cool and unique flower. If the text itself is taken as thirumalar the world thiru will refer to the radiance of the flower.
thirundhu thisaimuganaith thandhAy – emperumAn gave brahmA the capability so that while creating the worlds, brahmA need not come every time to seek guidance. He gave brahmA both gyAnam (knowledge) and vEdham (spiritual texts) so that there would not be a need to ask emperumAn at every step [of creating the worlds]. Hasn’t SvEthAsvathara upanishath 6-18 mentioned “yO brahmANam vidhadhAthi pUrvam yO vai vEdhAmScha prahiNOthi thasmai . . . . . mumukshUr vai SaraNamaham prapadhyE” (I, desiring mOksham, surrender to him . . . . who created brahmA, who gave him vEdham)! Thus it mentions that the one who created brahmA is the apt entity to be surrendered to. thandhAy – AzhwAr says thandhAy as if emperumAn did a favour to AzhwAr by creating brahmA. Probably he says so since this creation helped him to attain emperumAn.
porundhiya nin pAdhangaL Eththip paNiyAvEl – the others will not fit with each other [fit here refers to being amiable]. emperumAn is the only one who fits with all. The entire world fits him. Being humble towards him is the only requirement. If one does not surrender to his divine feet praising him, it would lead to many types of births.
nin pAdhangaL Eththip paNiyAvEl – Everything would become wasted if we do not fulfil your expectations and do not become your servitors. Just as sumithrA told lakshmaNa in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 40-5 “srushtathvam vanavAsAya” (you were sired by me only to follow SrI rAma to the forest), all the days would be good days if we continue to serve emperumAn. The purpose of taking a birth will be served only if we attain emperumAn.
palpiRappum – all the births that we take due to our karma (deeds). As mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 3-9-10 “senRu senRAgilum kaNdu” (even if many births pass by, emperumAn hopes that the jIvAthmA will realise in one birth and approach him), emperumAn creates many births for this jIvAthmA so that some birth, out of the innumerable births, will bear fruit. The reason for using the plural number in EdhangaL is because of the varied types of difficulties undergone by the jIvAthmA in each birth. AzhwAr says that all those difficulties are there only for him.
paNiyAvEl – if I do not say that I, desiring liberation, surrender as mentioned in SvEthAsvathara upanishath 6-18 “mumukshurvai aham prapadhyE”
emakku EdhangaL – those births will become wasted. The purpose of life is only to attain emperumAn. If it is anything other than this, it is useless, says the AzhwAr. Hasn’t gAruda pUrvabhAgam 222-22 said “yanmuhUrtham kshaNam vApi vAsudhEvO na chinthayathE sA hAni: thanmahachchidhram sA bhrAnthis sA cha vikriyA” (if one doesn’t think of vAsudhEvan (emperumAn) in any moment in a muhUrtham (approximately one and a half hours), that will be destruction; that will be disaster; that will be bewilderment; that will be evil disposition).
We shall move on to the 38th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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