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iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 44 – siRandhArkku

November 13, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr says that those who do not attain emperumAn like this do not have any knowledge. Just as emperumAn’s followers are apt for us, those who are not his followers are most inapt and are to be given up! Only those who are related to emperumAn are to be respected while others are not to be respected. AzhwAr says that he does not have any connection with such people.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

siRandhArkkezhu thuNaiyAm sengaNmAl nAmam
maRandhArai mAnidamA vaiyEn – aRandhAngum
mAdhavanE ennum manam padaiththu maRRavan pEr
OdhuvadhE nAvinAl uLLu

Word by Word Meaning

siRandhArkku – the great SrIvaishNavas (followers of emperumAn)
ezhu thuNaiyAm- support, which is the reason for uplifting
sem kaN mAl – emperumAn’s, who is having reddish eyes
nAmam – divine names
maRandhArai – those who forget
mAnidam A – [considered as having been] born in the species of humans
vaiyEn – I will not keep in my heart
aRam thAngum mAdhavanE ennum manam padaiththu – having the heart which says “Oh mAdhava who establishes rightesouness!”
maRRu – and
avan pEr – his divine names
nAvinAl OdhuvadhE – reciting with tongue
uLLu – keep meditating (that it is apt for us)

vyAkyAnam

siRandhArkku – those who have attained emperumAn, considering his divine feet as most appropriate. Just as krishNa has said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 7-18 “gyAnI thu Athmaiva mE matham” (it is my opinion that the knowledgeable person who desires only me, is my AthmA), those who have been referred to as gyAni (knowledgeable) by emperumAn himself.

ezhu thuNaiyAm – he [emperumAn] will be the companion (guide) on the way for such people so that they do not forget him. For those who attain his divine feet, he will remove their involvement in worldly pursuits, create involvement for them in himself, and at the time of their death, he will precede the AdhivAhikars (those who guide the AthmA in its journey towards paramapadham, after it crosses the world of vidhyuth (lightning) ) towards SrIvaikuNtam). He will hand-hold the AthmA and take it to paramapadham just as he had mentioned in varAha charamaSlOkam “nayAMi paraAm gathim” (I take them to exalted status).

sengaNmAl – due to his motherly affection, which is the reason for being a companion, he has reddish eyes. This implies how he will act towards those who do not forget him and the reason why we should not forget him.

nAmam maRandhArai – those who forget his divine names

mAnidamA vaiyEn – will not consider them to be human beings. AzhwAr says that he will not think lowly of those who do not know his divine names. I may even consider them to be omniscient since they have the qualification to know him henceforth. But the one who has forgotten him, after being born as a human being, fit to follow sacred texts and after knowing his sweetness, is not a human at all. krishNa called arjuna, who had forgotten the gIthA that he had discoursed to him, in mahAbhAratham aSvamEdhikha parvam 17-19 as “dhurmEdhAhyasi pANdava” (Oh ignorant pANdava!).

mAnidamA vaiyEn – Can one, who AzhwAr considers in his divine mind as “not a human”, be a human! If one looks at a pebble and thinks it is a gem, it will not become a gem, will it! Whatever an expert in gems calls a gem, will be a gem. In the same way, only the person, who AzhwAr considers in his divine heart as human, will be a human. Following his footsteps, thirumangai AzhwAr has mercifully mentioned in periya thirumozhi 11-7-9 “AnvidaiyEzh anRadaththArkku ALAnAr allAdhAr mAnidavar allar enRu en manaththE vaiththEnE” (I firmly kept in my mind that the one who does not attain emperumAn who killed the seven raging bulls, is not a human at all). Hasn’t it been said in narasimha purANam 16-13 “gyAnEna hIna: paSubhissamAna:” (one who does not have knowledge is equivalent to an animal!). Knowledge is that which is mentioned by poygai AzhwAr in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 67 “oNdAmaraiyAL kELvan oruvanaiyE nOkkum uNarvu” (knowledge will attain only the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi).

mAnidamA vaiyEn – AzhwAr says that it can be engraved on stone or copper plate that those who are not like that are not humans (implying that this opinion is very firm). In other words, those who are given up by AzhwAr, who in turn are those who have been given up emperumAn himself, have no further refuge. Hence, those who have been given up by AzhwAr will not be considered by anyone as humans.

aRam thAngum mAdhavanE ennum manam padaiththu – Having the intelligence that it is only emperumAn, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, with his mercy, who protects everyone. Alternatively, having the knowledge that emperumAn, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, wears the righteousness of protecting the world. Doesn’t emperumAn protect the world, being kindled by pirAtti (SrI mahAlakshmi) and to make her happy! (this is the reason why AzhwAr is referring to emperumAn here as mAdhavan, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi).

mAdhavanE ennum manam padaiththu – having the knowledge that it is only the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi is like this. We can also construe this as AzhwAr calling his heart and telling it “Oh heart! Try to recite the divine names of emperumAn, who protects the world, with your tongue. Meditate on him”.

The thoughts in the heart went towards

aRam thAngum mAdhavanE – the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi who sustains righteousness.

nAvinAl maRRu avan pEr OdhuvadhE – reciting the divine name which refers to the union of emperumAn with pirAtti, viz. dhvayam (the couplet which is mentioned at the time of surrendering to emperumAn in the presence of pirAtti).

nAvinAl – the purpose of having the tongue

uLLu – recite (meditate).

We shall move on to the 45^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

iyaRpA thiruvAsiriyam

thiruvAsiriyam – 5 – mAmudhal adi

November 13, 2017 Published by: Booma Madhusudanan

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

Full series

Previous pAsuram

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram AzhwAr expressed his desire to perform mangaLASAsanam to emperumAn’s divine feet as “mAmudhaladiyE vAzhiyavenRu yAm thozha isaiyum kol”. Here, emperumAn asks “what for are you performing mangaLASAsanam like this?”, AzhwAr thinks of replying “even though your great favour (which is like a mother who takes care of her sleeping baby, i.e., the motherly forbearance) is not understood by anyone, you still created jIvAthmAs who were without a physical form [at the time of deluge], appointed dhikpAlakas (guardians for the eight directions) to protect the jIvAthmas, and then appointed indhra as the protector for the three lOkam to ensure that the strong persons do not persecute the meek persons. When indhra lost his kingdom to the demonic mahAbali and was in tears, being incapcitated, instead of being indifferent to his difficulties thinking “I created jIvAthmas, and protected them by appointing dhikpAlakas; let them handle the situation”, you being the SrIya:pathi (divine consort of SrI mahAlakshmi who is the deity for all wealth) changed yourself as a mendicant, and begged on behalf of indhra with the hands which had only been giving to others constantly. Thinking about how you accomplished the task for indhra, who else can be offered mangaLASAnam other than you?”. Since AzhwAr had to tell about emperumAn measuring the worlds with his divine feet while replying to emperumAn, he speaks about that and enjoys the experience.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

mAmudhal adip pOdhu onRu kavizhththalarththi,
maN muzhudhum agappaduththu, oN sudar adip pOdhu
onRu viN seleei, nAnmugap puththEL
nAdu viyandhuvappa, vAnavar muRai muRai
vazhipada neReei, thAmaraik kAdu
malark kaNNodu kani vAy udaiyadhu
mAy, irunAyiRu Ayiram malarndhanna ,
kaRpagak kAvu paRpalavanna ,
mudi thOL Ayiram thazhaiththa ,
nediyOykku alladhum adiyadhO ulagE

Listen

Word by Word Meaning

mA mudhal – emperumAn who is the supreme cause, your
adi – divine foot
onRu pOdhu – a (red lotus) flower
kavizhththu alarththi – overturned and spread out
maN muzhudhum agappaduththu – captured the whole surface of the earth
oN – beautiful
sudar – shining
pOdhu – like a flower
onRu adi – the other divine foot
nAnmugan puththEL – for the dhEvathA brahmA
nAdu viyandhu uvappa – to the amazement and delight of the world
vAnavar – and the dhEvathAs in that world
neReei – to walk in the right path
muRai – ordain
muRai – as said in SAsthras
vazhipada – to worship
viN – in the sky
seleei – sending upwards
thAmarai kAdu – forest filled with lotus flowers
malar – blossoming
kaNNOdu – with divine eyes
kanivAi udaiyadhumAy – having (reddish) divine lips like a fruit
iru – vast (with many rays)
Ayiram nAyiRu – thousand suns
malarndhanna – like rising
mudi paRpala – many crowns
kaRpagakkAvu anna – like a forest with kaRpaga (celestial, wish-fulfilling) trees
thazhaiththa – grown up tall
Ayiram thOL – having thousand divine shoulders
nediyOykku alladhum – for any one except emperumAn who is supreme
ulagu – this world
adiyadhO – is it subservient?

vyAkyAnam

mA mudhal adi pOdhu onRu kavizhththalarththi – As said in irandAm thiruvandhAdhi – 61 “ninRadhOr pAdham nilam pudhaippa” – emperumAn’s one divine foot covered the entire earth; and while measuring the world, the divine foot went all the way to AvaraNa jalam (water surrounding the aNdam (oval shaped world)) and covered all under it – thirunedunthAndakam – 5 “oNmidhiyil punaluruvi orukAl niRpa [after making the soft step with one divine foot it went all the way to AvaraNa jalam]. People will say that the huge divine shoulders permeated and measured all the directions. [anRu karumANiyAy irandha kaLvanE! unnaip piramANiththAr peRRa pERu] You, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, went about asking for alms, with happiness, without distinction between the time when people gave you and did not give you alms. Did you not hide your greatness when you took the form of vAmana having scars due to seeking alms! You did not carry out this act only for indhra. Was this act not done for the sake of all your followers who would meditate on your simplicity of lowering your esteem and carrying out their tasks so that they could sleep without a worry!

mA mudhal adip pOdhu – As said in previous pAsuram [4th] “mAyakkadavuL mAmudhaladiyE” since emperumAn is the supreme primordial cause, it can be explained as the divine feet (mAmudhaladi) of the supreme lord. Alternatively, mAmudhal could be considered as an adjective for the divine feet themselves, and in this case the meaning could be construed as: since all his followers attain his divine feet, the divine feet are the apt goal for the followers. adipOthu – divine foot which is like a lotus flower that had blossomed that day.

What did he do with the divine foot which was like a flower which blossomed on that day?

kavizhththalarthi – When emperumAn spread his divine foot to pervade and measure all the places, the smaller entities when pressed under the larger ones could get trampled.

Did not the entities which were under the divine foot suffer?

The entities did not suffer in any way, similar to the situation when a lotus flower, that had blossomed that day, is inverted and its petals are spread out, the pollen inside the flower would have so much of space that they will not get trampled. Did not thirumangai AzhwAr say in thirunedunthAndakam – 5 “oN midhiyil” (the step that did not trample on the entities under it)!

maN muzhudhum agapaduththu – As said in thirunedunthAndangam – 5 “punal aruvi (it went all the way to AvaraNa jalam)” his divine foot extended till the water surrounding the aNdams (AvaraNa jalam).

If the planted foot did all these, what did the other divine foot, which was stretched, do?

oNsudar adi – Starting with the verse mentioned in thirunedunthAndangam – 5 “orukAlum kAmaRu seer avuNan uLLaththu eNmadhiyum kadandhu aNdamIdhupOgi iruvisumbinUdupOy ezhundhu” (the other foot, going past the thoughts of the great mahAbali in his heart, rose to go over the aNdam, piercing the expansive sky…) and ending with the verse “maNmuzhdhum agappadhuththu” (measuring all the places) it measured all the worlds above.

oNsudar adippOdhu onRu – the divine foot which is like a flower that had blossomed on that day, and being very radiant. AzhwAr terms the divine foot as being radiant because it removed the arrogance of all the dhEvathAs (celestial entities), each of whom, starting with indhra (lord of all dhEvathAs) had ego equivalent to the sum of egos of all the people in samsAram (materialistic realm) and bringing them under it.

viNseleei – pervaded the entire sky.

Till which place did it permeate?

nAnmuga puththEl nAdu viyandhuvappa – The people in sathyalOkam (abode of nAnmugan or brahmA) were amazed at the divine foot which extended up to their abode. viyandhu uvappa – they were amazed saying “we came in search of this abode where emperumAn‘s auspicious qualities of saulabhyam (easy to attain), sauseelyam (simplicity) etc would not reach but these qualities are flowing into this place! How wonderful it is this! It seems that there is no one who is not desired by this divine foot. When emperumAn came to keep his divine foot on our head in order to establish our svarUpam (basic nature), we shunned it since we didn’t need it. But it appears that this divine foot will not leave us! We have got a benefit which we would have never obtained”. They were extremely delighted at this.

thirumazhisai AzhwAr describes what brahmA, the head of sathyalOkam, did then, in the 9th pAsuram in nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi:

kuRaikoNdu nAnmugan kuNdigai nIr peydhu
maRaikoNda mandhiraththAl vAzhththi kaRaikoNda
kaNdaththAn senni mElErak kazhuvinAn
aNdaththAn seEvadiyai Angu

emperumAn‘s divine foot settled on brahmA’s hand when he hadn’t thought of that. Having been blessed to get this fortune, brahmA looked around in a perplexed way, wondering how to pay compliment to the divine foot. At the same time, the entity dharmam (righteousness) looking at the divine foot melted like a liquid and entered brahmA’s kamaNdalam (a vessel for holding sanctified water). brahmA washed emperumAn’s divine foot with that water. As soon as he saw this, Siva felt that this was the right moment to purify himself and put out his head under the flow of water, coming from emperumAn’s divine foot. Isvara samhithai describes this as follows:

dhravIbhUthas thadhA dharmOharibhakthyA mahAmunE
gruhIthvA dharmapAnIyam padham nAthasya thushtayE
kshALitham parayA bhakthyA pAdhyArghyAdhirarchitham
thadhambu pathitham dhrustvA dhadhAra SirasA hara:
pAvanArtham jatAmadhyE yOgyOsmIthyavadhArANAth
varshAyuthAnyatha bahUn na mumOcha thathA hara:

(Oh great sage! At that time (when bhagavAn measured the worlds) dharmam (righteousness) turned into liquid due to its devotion towards hari. With that dharmam in the form of water, for the happiness of jagannAthan (emperumAn), (his) divine foot was washed (by me [brahmA]) with great devotion; it was worshipped with pAdhyam and argyam (water used for washing feet and hands respectively); looking at the water falling (from emperumAn’s divine foot) Siva affirmed that he is qualified (to purify) himself and took the water in the centre of his matted hair to purify himself. After that, for several tens of thousands of years, rudhra did not let go of that water). Thus, affirming that people who are lowly are also qualified for these divine feet, to get rid of the sin of having severed the head of his father [brahmA], rudhra carried the SrIpAdhathIrtham (purified water from the divine feet of emperumAn) on his head. When someone gets a good article, would he let go of it? In the same, way, since he obtained the impossible-to-get SrIpAdhathIrtham of emperumAn’s divine foot, Siva held that water, which is river gangA, on his head for a very long time. Did not periyAzhwAr, in his periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4-7-3 mercifully say “chathumukan kaiyil sathuppuyan thALil sankaran sadaiyinil” describing the history of gangA – initially at the hands of brahmA, then dwelt on the divine feet of the supreme being emperumAn and then fell on the head of rudhran. The benefit which brahmA accrued out of this was mentioned in the 78th pAsuram of iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi “dharaNi nivandhaLappa nIttiya poRpAdham sivandha than kaiyanaiththum Arak kazhuvinAn” – to realise the benefit of getting eight hands, brahmA washed the divine foot of emperumAn. The 9th pAsuram of nanmugan thiruvandhAdhi describes the benefit that brahmA obtained – (kuRai koNdu) – brahmA, displaying his emptiness (Akinchanyam). The meaning implied is that even though brahmA has high levels of knowledge and strength, he thought “there is nothing that I have to honour the divine foot” (kuNdigai nIr peydhu maRai koNda mandhiraththAl vAzhththi) – offering mangaLASAsanam (praising emperumAn) through manthras (incantations or vEdhic hymns) such as purusha sUktham etc which are mentioned in vEdhas (sacred texts) directly referring to emperumAn, he poured the dharmajalam (the deity for righteousness in the form of water) on the divine foot of emperumAn. (kaRai koNda kaNdaththAn senni mElERak kazhuvinAn) – Just as a father sprinkles sanctified water on his mischievous child to purify him, thinking “being without the power to distinguish [between right and wrong] he is carrying out wrongful deeds without realising their effects. Henceforth at least, let not inauspicious incidents come his way” [reference here is to the act of Siva severing brahmA’s head and suffering due to that], brahmA let the SrIpAdhathIrtham fall on his son rudhra’s matted hair.

What did the other deities in various lOkams (worlds in the upper reaches) do when brahmA was carrying out this act?

vAnavar muRai muRai vazhipada nereei – they worshipped emperumAn together, in the proper ways mentioned in SAsthras. It is implied here that just as people worship the divine feet of periya perumAL in SrIrangam by gathering near the thiruvaNukkan divine entrance near the thirumaNaththUN (two divine pillars) inside SrIrangam temple, the dhEvathAs also worshipped emperumAn as per the thiruvArAdhanam way (method of worshipping emperumAn) mentioned in SAsthras.

AzhwAr explains what emperumAn did when the dhEvathAs worshipped him.

thAmarai kAdu malarkkaNNOdu kanivAi udaiyadhumAi – emperumAn’s divine eyes will blossom when someone, whoever he may be, places his head on his divine feet, just as a lotus will blossom on seeing the sun. Thus, even if they are arrogant, when the dhEvathAs worshipped [his divine feet], emperumAn’s eyes blossomed like a forest of lotus.

iru nAyiru Ayiram malarndhanna – just as a thousand suns blossomed with their great rays. Unlike the sun which we see in this world, a thousand suns, with all their greatness mentioned earlier, rose together, with their thousands of rays.

kaRpagakkAvu paRpalavanna – like many orchards of kaRpaga trees (a celestial wish-fulfilling tree)

What was like this?

mudi thOL Ayiram thazhaiththa – The crown of the emperumAn looked like thousand suns which rose at once. The thousands of divine shoulders looked like kaRpaga orchards.

nediyOykku – one who has long memory, thinking “I haven’t done anything for him [his follower]; what can I do further for him?” Even after changing himself into a mendicant and taking alms for the sake of indhra and accomplishing his task, he feels sorry for the dhEvathAs just like a person robs money from another who had trusted him, thinking “I have not protected him [indhra] before he was troubled by mahAbali. I have lost my sense of righteousness as I have delayed”. The term nediyOn refers to one who, feeling ashamed for not having done anything and feeling his shortcoming, thinks about it for a very long time.

nediyOykkallathum adiyathOvulagE – AzhwAr is asking “was this world under the feet of someone else, to offer that deity mangaLASAsanam (praise) , other than emperumAn who protects everyone? Which is correct – offering worship to you who kept your divine foot on those deities who are trying to convince other people to fall at their feet and worship them or to those other deities who were trampled under your divine foot?” Here the term nediyOn refers to thrivikrama, the greatest among all.

Let’s see the 6th pAsuram next.

adiyEn boomA rAmAnuja dhAsi

iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 43 – thOLiraNdettEzhum

November 12, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr says that it is not possible for us to give up worldly pursuits; we cannot think of emperumAn too; it would be better to hold on to the divine feet of his followers who are firmly engaged with him with the belief that he will remove the enemies of his followers. He says that he need not worship emperumAn’s shoulders; it is apt to worship those who worship him.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

thOL iraNdu ettu Ezhum mUnRum mudi anaiththum
thALiraNdum vIzhach charam thurandhAn thAL iraNdum
Ar thozhuvAr pAdham avai thozhuvadhu anRE en
sIr kezhu thOL seyyum siRappu

Word by Word Meaning

thOL iraNdu ettu Ezhum mUnRum – twenty shoulders
mudi anaiththum – all the heads (which sprouted)
thAL iraNdum – the two legs
vIzha – to be destroyed
saram thurandhAn – emperumAn who shot arrows
thAL iraNdum – two divine feet
thozhuvAr Ar – whoever worships (their)
pAdham avai – divine feet
thozhuvadhu anRE – isn’t worshipping them
en sIrkezhu thOL seyyum siRappu – the help provided by my beneficial shoulders (to me)

vyAkyAnam

thOL iraNdu ettu Ezhum mUnRumB – rAvaNa’s twenty shoulders (2+8+7+3)

mudiyanaiththum – his heads which could not be kept count of, as they kept on sprouting even while they were being severed

thAL iraNdum vIzha – making the two feet, which are the support for his shoulders and heads, to fall down

saram thurandhAn – the purpose of saying individually the shoulders, heads and legs is to provide some pastime for SrI rAma’s arrows when they were shot. AzhwAr mercifully gives the sequence in which the arrows played. This implies that even though rAvaNa was also created by emperumAn only, since he became an enemy to his followers, emperumAn had to destroy him.

saram thurandhAn thAL iraNdum – the two divine feet of chakravarthy thirumagan (son of dhaSaratha chakravarthy). Aren’t they the target to be attained by us! (implying that only the one who removes our enemy is to be attained).

Such two divine feet

Ar thozhuvAr – in whatever species we are born, with whatever knowledge that we have, worshipping emperumAn’s divine feet is what is required. The greatness or lowliness for a person comes out of worshipping or not worshipping his divine feet. It is always beneficial for one, whoever he may be, to worship emperumAn’s divine feet. nammAzhwAr has mercifully stated this in his thiruvAimozhi 3-7-1 “pARkadal sErndha paramanaip payilum thiruvudaiyAr yavarElum avar kaNdIr” (whoever worships emperumAn who is reclining in thiruppARkdal (milky ocean), in whichever clan he is born or whatever qualities he has, he is a great person).

Ar – whoever he may be. That person can be a rAkshasa such as vibhIshaNa, or a monkey such as sugrIva or hanuman, or a regal personality such as arjuna or even a devil such as ghaNtAkarNan.

pAdham avai thozhuvadhu anRE – the person who worships emperumAn can be anybody. Even with such a person, his divine feet are apt to be attained. Attaining emperumAn is similar to holding on to someone’s hands for getting a work carried out. Attaining him through his follower is similar to holding on to his divine feet for the same work. In the latter case, it will be impossible to refuse help.

pAdham avai thozhuvadhanRE – what is being sought is not equality with followers, but attaining their feet [being a servitor to emperumAn’s followers].

en sIrkezhu thOL seyyum siRappu – the assistance which my shoulders can provide to me while desiring a benefit. The eminence which my beautiful shoulders can provide for me.

sIr kezhu thOL – AzhwAr gives the difference between our shoulders and those of emperumAn’s follower (the shoulders of emperumAn’s follower worship the divine feet of emperumAn while my shoulders worship the divine feet of the follower, which is more apt). Hence it is enough if one worships such shoulders. The purpose of one’s body is to attain purushArtham (goal). AzhwAr is terming his shoulders as sIr kezhu thOL since they have provided the benefit of attaining the followers of emperumAn.

We shall take up the 44^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

thiruvAimozhi thiruvAimozhi 6th centum

thiruvAimozhi – 6.2.7 – kanmam anRu

November 11, 2017 Published by: Sarathy Thothathri

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

Full series >> Sixth Centum >> Second decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, parAnguSa nAyaki says “It is inapt for you who are having the greatness of protecting all the worlds without expecting any benefit in return, to touch us and grab our doll”.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

Seventh pAsuram. emperumAn went through all difficulties which SrI bharathAzhwAn had gone through by pursuing many means towards him, with parAnguSa nAyaki and her friends. SrI bharathAzhwAn struggled greatly to bring SrI rAma back as said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 82.19 “vinivarthayithumbalAth” (I am going to pursue all means to bring SrI rAma back). I will make sure that he himself will show his mercy; should he hear it from anyone else? – SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 111.14 “SEshyE purasthAth SAlAyA yAvan mEna prasIdhathi” (I shall remain lying down at the entrance of SrI rAma’s hut until he returns to ayOdhyA); he said “purasthAth” (in front) [so his efforts are clearly visible to SrI rAma]. Similarly, though emperumAn tried hard various means, they remained firm to not let him get closer; he thought “what shall we do next?”; he determined “let us accomplish this task by force”, and set out to pick up their doll; as said in “prEkshithagyAsthu kOsalA:” (the residents of kOsala kingdom will read the thoughts of others based on the way they see), since they can read emperumAn’s thoughts, everyone picked up her doll; emperumAn thought “this is what we wanted too”. He thought “now, I don’t have to go and try with every one of them [since they have all collectively taken their doll]”. He did not have to hold everyone’s hand individually [by assuming multiple forms] as he did in thirukkuravai (rAsa krIdai); he thought “this is a good opportunity” and went and grabbed their doll.

pAsuram

kanmam anRu engaL kaiyil pAvai paRippadhu kadal gyAlam uNditta
ninmalA! nediyAy! unakkElum pizhai pizhaiyE
vanmamE solli emmai nI viLaiyAdudhi adhu kEtkil ennaimAr
thanma pAvam ennAr oru nAnRu thadi piNakkE

Listen

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

engaL – our
kaiyil – in the hand
pAvai – doll
pArippadhu – touching and grabbing
kanmam – apt acts
anRu – not;
kadal – submerged in the causal ocean
gyAlam – world
uNditta – consumed and protected by placing in stomach
ninmalA – Oh one who is having radiance due to doing that as a great accomplishment!
nediyAy – Oh one who is having greatness (of letting them out and protecting them thinking “what I have done is not sufficient”)!
unakkum – even for you (who are having such greatness)
pizhai – mistake (of touching and grabbing the doll from us, the helpless girls)
pizhaiyE – is a disgrace;
nI – you (who are great in this manner)
vanmam – (saying “Shall I touch you? Who were you thinking before?”, reminded us about our previous union) secrets (which cannot be thought about or spoken about by us)
emmai – towards us
solli – telling
viLaiyAdudhi – teasing playfully;
ennaimAr – our brothers
adhu kEtkil – if they hear that
thanmapAvam – will not analyse whether it is right or wrong;
ennAr – will not prove
oru nAnRu – one day they will come
thadi – picking up a stick
piNakku Am – will engage in fight.

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

Touching and grabbing the doll in our hand are not apt acts; oh one who consumed the world and protected it by placing in stomach when it was submerged in the causal ocean, and is having radiance due to doing that as a great accomplishment! Oh one who is having greatness! Even for you, such an act is a disgrace; you are telling us secrets and teasing us playfully; if our brothers hear that, they will not analyse and prove whether it is right or wrong; one day they will come with a stick and engage in fight [with you].

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

kanmam anRu – They said “Come on! It is not apt for you do this”.

He asked “Why is it not apt for me to do?”, they said,

engaL kaiyil pAvai paRippadhu – They said “Who did you think are the owners of this? It does not belong to those you think it belongs to! It is ours!”. He said “that is true!”; mahAbhAratham udhyOga parvam “yasyaithE thasya thadhdhanam” (to the one who owns a person, his property also belongs to the same owner). The reason for his liking towards the doll is their claim of ownership. His goal is to make them claim ownership of the doll; their goal is to tell him that it is not owned by those who he thinks to be its owner.
engaL kaiyil pAvai paRippadhu – He is grabbing as if he is leaving part of the doll in their hands! If they fully leave it, there is no use for him; only when they have part of it and he has part of it, it is enjoyable like [closely related persons] eating out of the same plate.
kaiyil pAvai paRippadhu – While there is so much to do, it is not proper for you to grab the doll from our hands. You are doing what is not allowed to be done; there is no use in doing it – they said. Hence, what is understood from this? When a vaishNava claims ownership for a particular object, that is what is desirable for emperumAn.

emperumAn asks – How come you are telling me “you are doing what is not allowed to be done”! Isn’t it I who set the rules of what can be done and what cannot be!”.

kadal gyAlam uNditta – Did I not protect all of these objects during the dangers such as praLayam (deluge) etc? But their situation [danger] is not as limited as that of the worlds [i.e., it is greater]. Their state is such that, had he not gone and grabbed the doll, they would have been finished. But this world would still exist [in a subtle form] even during deluge; for them, in his absence, their existence itself is destroyed! He said “Am I not Apathrakshaka (saviour when in danger)! Hence, all my acts will be without any expectation; hence, this itself is my benefit! when there is a benefit for benefit, it will lead to anavasthA (unending chain); only when I consider this as means, I will look for a separate result”; they said “you cannot talk like this; while we don’t accept your approach, you are forcefully doing this and calling yourself ‘Apathrakshaka’ is not acceptable; now, this will only lead to a faulty quality in you”.
ninmalA nediyAy! – emperumAn asked “While I have so many auspicious qualities, do you only see this one fault in me?”.
ninmalA! nediyAy! – Even for chandhra (moon) who is known as ninmala (pure), there is scar! So, where the auspicious qualities shine, the faults shine too!! Oh one who is opposite of all faults and filled with unlimited, great qualities!
unakkElum pizhai pizhaiyE – Even for you who have unlimited auspicious qualities, a fault remains a fault.

On hearing this from them, as he could not give an apt reply, he set out to whisper in their ears, what could not be shared with others; they are saying “vanmamE solli” (saying secrets). Only their hearts and his heart know about those; and it cannot be explained explicitly.

emmai nI viLaiyAdudhi – When you tell those secrets, should you not tell knowing about you who tells and us who hear [only when we have a good relationship, you can tell such things]. (When some devotees asked embAr, “what secrets did he tell”, embAr mercifully replied “when AzhwAr who was divinely blessed with unblemished knowledge and devotion himself just says ‘vanmam’ (secret), how can you expect me to explain what secrets are they?”).
viLaiyAdudhi – He transformed himself [minimizing his stature] and told a secret; but they consider it as his playful act; they ask “when you tell something just for the sake of it, what is the benefit?”.

He again tried to say something.

adhu kEtkil ennaimAr – If our relatives hear your words, it will lead to undesirable results. ennaimAr – brothers.
thanma pAvam ennAr – They do not know that we have no attachment for you. On seeing you coming at us, they will harm you without thinking about what can be done and cannot be.

emperumAn asked “So what? Would they know that? They are not here now!”, they said,

oru nAnRu – Oh! Now they may not know, but some day they will come to know.

He asked “Alright! What would they do when they come to know?”, they said

thadi piNakkE – It will end up in fights and tussles. As he would use his bow in SrI rAmAvathAram for everything, in krishNAvathAram, he would use his stick for everything [so they would also fight him with their sticks].

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 42 – ninaippan thirumAlai

November 11, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr, getting dejected with the worldly pursuits, says that only those who think of emperumAn will not enter samsAram again.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

ninaippan thirumAlai nINda thOL kANa
ninaippAr piRapponRum nErAr manaippAl
piRandhAr pirAndhu eydhum pErinbam ellAm
thuRandhAr thozhudhArath thOL

Word by Word Meaning

thirumAlai – the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi
nINda thOL kANa ninaippan – to enjoy (his) divine shoulders, I think of him
ninaippAr – those who think (like this)
piRappu onRum – any type of birth [in any of the classes of dhEvas, humans, animals and plants]
nErAr – will not attain
ath thOL – those divine shoulders
thozhuvAr – those who worship
manaippAl pirAndhAr piRandhu eydhum inbam ellAm – the small [worldly] pleasures which those who attain since they are born in samsAram (materialistic realm)
thuRandhAr – they detest [them]

vyAkyAnam

ninaippan thirumalai – isn’t the consort of thirumagaL (SrI mahAlakshmi) apt to be meditated upon! It is similar to thinking of one’s mother and father. AzhwAr thinks of emperumAn just like how a person who has gone to another country, thinks of his parents. He says that he thinks of the way SrI rAma and sIthAppirAtti were together seen in the ASram (hermitage) of sage SrI athri bhagavAn. He says that it is similar to the way he saw perumAL and pirAtti in the corridor of mrigaNdu maharishi in thirukkOvalUr. Just as lakshmaNa said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 8-31 “bhrAthA bharthA cha bandhuScha pithA cha mama rAghava” (SrI rAma is my elder brother, lord, relative and father), the purpose of thinking of emperumAn is not for begging him to obtain any benefit.

If not, then for what?

nINda thOL kANa – Instead of seeing the shoulders which have wizened due to separation from pirAtti, I want to see his divine shoulders which have become larger due to his being together with pirAtti. To see the shoulders which appear sweet because of his being together with her. It is not obtaining benefits such as attaining heaven etc.

What should be done with the births which present a hurdle to think of him?

ninaippAr piRappu enRum nErAr – Those who think of emperumAn this way will not attain any birth, ever. If the text is taken to be piRappu onRum nErAr, the entity which goes by the name birth will not come anywhere near such a person.

manaippAl – in the house

piRandhAr piRandhu eydhum – those who are born in various houses [various births]. The benefit that they attain, after being born like this . . . .

pErinbam ellAm – all the pleasures. AzhwAr terms the worldly pursuits as pErinbam (great pleasures).

The heaviness of these pleasures which prevents one from approaching emperumAn all these days ..

thuRandhAr thozhudhAr ath thOL – Aren’t they the ones who had renounced such petty pleasures! They are the ones who worship the divine shoulders of emperumAn. Alternative interpretation – who can renounce these petty pleasures and worship emperumAn unless emperumAn himself shows his shoulders to the one who thinks of him?

We shall take up the 43^rd pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 41 – poruLAl amarulagam

November 10, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram, did not AzhwAr say “think of the divine feet of emperumAn who is decorated with SrI mahAlakshmi on his chest?”. He takes that instruction for himself and tells his divine mind not to forget emperumAn, who has a beautiful form which removes all the ennui and confers happiness, in the first place.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

poruLAl amarulagam pukkiyal AgAdhu
aruLAl aRam aruLum anRE aruLAlE
mAmaRaiyOrkkIndha maNivaNNan pAdhamE
nI maRavEl nenjE ninai

Word by Word Meaning

amarulagam – the world of dhEvas [heaven]
poruLAl – with wealth
pukku iyal AgAdhu – is not proper to enter
aruLAl – with mercy
aRam – through the fruits of puNya (good deeds)
aruLum anRE – will grant with his mercy
aruLAlE – through his mercy
mA maRaiyuOrkku – for the parama vaidhikas (those who stand by vEdhas, the sacred texts)
Indha – one who offered himself
maNivaNNan pAdhamE – the divine feet of emperumAn who has blue complexion
nenjE – Oh my heart!
nI maRavEl – do not forget
ninai – keep meditating

vyAkyAnam

poruLAl amar ulagam pukkiyal AgAdhu – there are two interpretations: (1) with wealth as purushArtham (end goal), not entering the apt place for one’s svarUpam (basic nature), mOkshalOkam (SrIvaikuNtam); (2) not considering places such as brahmalOkam etc as a goal and not attaining them. Just as SrI guNarathna kOSam 21 says “surapuri yadhgachchathO dhurgathi:” (you made those who wanted to attain you to think of dhEvalOkam too as hell), reaching dhEvalOkam is considered as lowly. Just as brAhmaNas would not go anywhere near places inhabited by those born in lowly clans, one should not even go near svargam (heaven).

aruLAl aRam aruLum anRE – why so? Why is it that it is considered as an inappropriate place? The chEthana (sentient entity) likes only materialistic possessions. If he does not get them, he becomes sorrowful. emperumAn, who has immeasurable mercy, unable to tolerate his sorrow, may give him what he desires, saying “why should the chEthana lose out on wealth? Let him have it”. chEthana has sensory perceptions which are active. Hence when he desires wealth, he may even say “do what is righteous for you”. This is similar to a mother yielding to a child which desires to eat sand. He may even say, just as he had told a brAhmaNa by name gOvindhaswAmy, mentioned in periya thirumozhi 5-8-5 “bOgam nI eydhip pinnum nammidaikkE pOdhuvAy” (stay in the world for some time, enjoy all the worldly pleasures and then reach my SrIvaikuNtam). aRam refers to the benefit obtained through righteousness. If svargam is obtained, it will be inimical to the svarUpam (basic nature) of chEthana. Even for obtaining lowly benefits, one needs the mercy of emperumAn. AzhwAr says, that being the case, why not attain emperumAn himself with the help of that mercy.

aruLAlE mAmaRaiyOrkkIndha maNivaNNan pAdhamE – the divine feet of the one who gives himself through his mercy. He gave mOksham to great sages such as sukar (son of vEdha vyAsar), vAmadhEvar et al who detested the materialistic life and prayed to him to grant his divine feet. Just as it is said “sukhO muktha: vAmadhEvO muktha:” (sukar attained mOksham, vAmadhEvar attained mOksham), he granted them SrIvaikuNtam through his mercy. If the text is taken as mAmaRaiyORku (singular number) it will refer to sage mArkaNdEya who was granted nithyathvam (permanency). If the text is taken as mAmaRaiyOrkku (plural number) it can be taken to refer to the sages in dhandakAraNyam, to whom he gave his beautiful form itself to enjoy. Hasn’t it been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 1-13 “rUpasamhananam lakshmIm saukumAryam suvEshathAm dhadhruSu: vismithAkArA: rAmasya vanavAsina:” (the sages, who dwell in forests, looked with amazement at SrI rAma’s beautiful form, gentleness and the aptly fitting guise of sage). rUpasamhananam – natural beauty; lakshmIm – radiance over the beauty; saukumAryam – the gentle form of his divine body, which, even by looking at it, will become red [it is so gentle and soft]; suvEshathAm – such was his guise as a sage that even the dress made of bark and the matted hair looked like ornaments on him; vanavAsina: dhadhruSu: sages who dwell in forests saw him. Who beheld the sight which is normally held by whom? rig ashtakam 1-2-7 says “sadhA paSyanthi sUraya:” (nithyasUris always behold the sight of vishNu). Thus, the sight, normally seen by nithyasUris in SrIvaikuNtam, was seen in the forest by the sages!

maNivaNNan pAdhamE – wasn’t it his beautiful form that he gave the sages! AzhwAr tells his heart to think constantly, without forgetting, of the divine feet of emperumAn who has bluish complexion which will remove the fatigue of those who see him. Oh heart which manifests knowledge, do not forget this matter which has been exclusively created for you! Oh heart, you need not be lectured upon! Do not consider these words as having been uttered in an assembly for the sake of utterance! Forgetting emperumAn is equivalent to keeping desire in worldly matters. AzhwAr tells his heart not to forget, so that his heart will not contemplate on worldly matters.

We shall take up the 42nd pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 40 – surukkAga vAngi

November 9, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said that the essence of all vEdhams is reciting emeprumAn’s divine names. Instead of saying something for namesake, he tells people in this pAsuram, to think of the meaning of those divine names, emperumAn, soon. Any entity other than him does not have the characteristic of an entity. Hence, only he is apt to be attained. He says that instead of attaining at one’s convenience, attain him immediately.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

surukkAga vAngi sulAvi ninRu aiyAr
nerukkAmun nIr ninaimin kaNdIr thiruppolindha
AgaththAn pAdham aRindhum aRiyAdha
bOgaththAl illai poruL

Word by Word Meaning

aiyAr – phlegm (a mucous material)
surukkAga vAngi – contracting the body
sulAvi ninRu – surrounding the body fully [spreading to all parts of the body]
nerukkA mun – before it starts troubling
thirup polindha AgaththAn pAdham – the divine feet of emperumAn who is decorated with SrI mahAlakshmi on his chest
nIr ninaimin kaNdIr – please think of [his divine feet]
aRindhum – even if you are conversant with matters relating to emperumAn
aRiyAdha – those which will make you ignorant
bOgaththAl – enjoying worldly pursuits starting with Sabdham (the five sensory perceptions)
poruL illai – there is no purpose

vyAkyAnam

surukkAga vAngi sulAvi ninRu aiyAr nerukkA mun nIr ninaimin kaNdIr – phlegm, which is present everywhere in the body, will start giving trouble during the last days. At that time, the sensory perceptions of the chEthana (sentient entity) will not be under his control and will not allow him the desire to think of emperumAn. Thus, before such a situation arises, think of emperumAn immediately.

surukkAga vAngi – phlegm will start contracting the body, made of five elements, to look like a purse with a double string [so that it can be contracted fully at the neck].

sulAvi ninRu – it will spread all over the body and kill the person

aiyAr nerukkA mun – before phlegm starts troubling

nIr ninaimin – please keep this in your mind. It is not enough if you say that you will do it. You have to do it. Has it not been mercifully mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1-3-8 “mALumOr idaththilum vaNakkodu mALvadhu valamE” (even at the time of leaving this body (at the time of death) it is better to bow down [to emperumAn] and leave)! For those who are trying to attain emperumAn through bhakthi yOgam (the path of devotion) it is compulsory to think of emperumAn at the time of death. For those who are trying to attain emperumAn through emperumAn himself, there is no such compulsion (as mentioned in varAha charamaSlOkam). If one were to think of dhvaya manthram [emperumAn] in the last stage, irrespective of these two states, it is welcome.

But should one have to think [of emperumAn], to the point of hurting oneself, at that stage?

thiruppolindha AgaththAn – AzhwAr is asking whether emperumAn’s physical beauty is such that it can be forgotten. One need not fear that one has not attempted to attain emperumAn in a long time and feel guilty. This is because as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 116-44 “na kaSchinnAprAdhyathi” (there is none who has not committed a mistake), pirAtti is always there with emperumAn to plead on our behalf. Hence think of the divine feet of emperumAn who is made to look radiant by pirAtti.

aRindhum aRiyAdha bOgaththAl illai poruL – despite being knowledgeable about emperumAn there is no purpose in going after worldly pursuits just like ignorant people do. There is no purpose in going after worldly pursuits which will make even a knowledgeable person to appear as ignorant. Even though sugrIva maharAjar had total devotion towards SrI rAma, since he was immersed in worldly pursuits for some time, he had to be reminded [about his responsibility] like others. aRindhum aRiyAdha bOgam can also refer to wealth which does not allow one to give up worldly enjoyments despite knowing that they are harmful. Another interpretation – even if one enjoys worldly pursuits to a large extent, he cannot clearly understand what he had enjoyed and thus even such a person is made to look ignorant. Thus there is no benefit out of enjoying worldly pursuits. Has it not been mercifully mentioned in SrI vishNu purANam 6-5-87 “sandhruSyathE vApyavagamyathE vA thathgyANamagyAna mathOnya dhukkam” (except seeing and knowing about emperumAn, knowledge about all other things is ignorance)! The knowledge which does not lead to attaining emperumAn is not knowledge at all. It will be termed only as ignorance. If a person knows about everything other than emperumAn, he will be called as ignorant only. Even if he does not know about anything other than emperumAn, he will be referred to us a knowledgeable person only. In the pAsuram, while referring to emperumAn, it says nIr ninaimin (you think) while referring to worldly pursuits it says aRindhum, meaning one should understand fully about those worldly things. If one were to ask whether it is comfort that one gets through other entities, in reality since they prevent one from attaining the real benefit that one should go after, they create only discomfort. Other entities, other than creating no purpose, also become hurdles to attaining the real benefit. This is brought out well in this pAsuram.

We shall take up the 41^st pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 39 – Oththin poruL

November 8, 2017 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

How to praise through the mouth [as mentioned in the previous pAsuram]? Through reciting thirumanthram (ashtAksharam) which is the gist of all vEdhams (sacred texts), without diminishing its dignity as mentioned in upanishaths, and attaining [emperumAn]. This is OK for those who are able to attain him. AzhwAr says that for those who cannot attain him this way, it is enough if they can recite the divine names of thirumAl (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi) which would be gist of vEdhAnthams (upanishaths). When asked “vEdhAthams say that indhra (lord of celestial entities) et al are fit to be attained but you say that thirumAL is fit to be attained” AzhwAr responds saying “you people are talking ignorantly about the superficial meaning of vEdhAnthams, without understanding the inner meaning. Please know the inner meaning of those statements and understand that in those places where vEdhAntham says that indhra et al are fit to be attained, it says that it is only thirumAl, who has those entities as his body and is their inner residing soul who is fit to be attained”

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

Oththin poruL modivum iththanaiyE uththaman pEr
Eththum thiRam aRImin EzhigAL Oththadhnai
valleerEl nanRu adhanai mAttIrEl mAdhavan pEr
solluvadhE Oththin surukku

Word by Word Meaning

uththaman pEr – with the divine names of emperumAn, who is the most supreme among all entities
Eththum thiRam – the activity of praising
iththanaiyE – just this much
Oththin poruL mudivum – is the essence of meaning of vEdhams
Oththu adhanai valleerEl – if you are capable of knowing the meaning of vEdham
aRimin – do know
EzhaigAL – Oh people, impoverished by ignorance!
nanRu adhanai mAttirEl – if you do not have the capability to know that meaning
mAdhavan pEr solluvadhE – reciting the divine names of SrIman nArAyaNan is
Oththin surukku – the gist of vEdham
aRimin – know, at least, this.

vyAkyAnam

Oththin poruL mudivum iththanaiyE – AzhwAr says “what I am going to say now is the essence of all inner meanings of vEdham”. Hasn’t emperumAn himself declared in SrI bhagavath gIthA 15-15 “vEdhaiScha sarvai: ahamEva vEdhya:” (through all vEdhams, only I am known)!

poruL mudivum – Isn’t this the limit of the benefit that we would attain!

uththaman pEr Eththum thiRam – knowing the way of reciting the divine names of the supreme being who can take this confused jIvAthmA, who had thought of emperumAn when he was in good physical and mental state, from this world to SrIvaikuNtam. emperumAn is such a supreme being that he can protect in a way as mentioned in varAha charama SlOkam “sthithE manasi susvasthE SarIrE sathi yO nara: dhAthu sAmyE sthithE smarthA viSvarUpancha mAmajam” (whoever thinks of me, who has the universe as my body and who is without any birth, in a state of good health and balanced state of mind, with all the three dhAthus (the elements of kapam, piththam and vAtham which are related to breathing, digestion and bone joints) in balance) “thathastham mriyamANanthu kAshta pAshANa sannibham aham smarAmi madhbhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim” (in later years, when he is like a log of wood or stone, in his last stages of life, I think of him, my devotee, and take him to a glorious state). Thus emperumAn is capable of protecting even when the jIvAthmA is not in a position to think of him. Reciting the divine names of such an emperumAn alone is proper.

uththaman pEr Eththum thiRam – reciting the divine names of the entity who has everything else as his attributes. uththaman – one who provides all protections. mukundhamAlA 34 says “uththarthumarhasi harE purushOththamOsi ” (Oh hari! You, the supreme being, are fit to protect)! krishNa says in SrI bhagavath gIthA 15-19 “yO mAmEvamasammUdO jAnAthi purushOththamam sa sarvavidhbhajathi mAm sarvabhAvEna bhAratha” (one who knows me, the supreme being, without any bewilderment, knows all the ways by which he can attain me and is one who worships me in all aspects ). One should know that emperumAn has everything as his attribute.

pEr – the word which refers to the quality mentioned earlier. In other words, thirumanthram (ashtAksharam). This thirumanthram also contains all the words in it, just like him. hArIthasmruthi 3-45 says “sarvam ashtAksharAnthasththam” (everything present in the four vEdhams is present in the eight lettered thirumanthram). Aren’t there sayings such as “OmithIdham sarvam” (everything is praNavam), “akArO vai sarvA vAk” (for all words, the letter akAram ‘a’ is foremost)!

aRimin EzhaigAL – Oh fickle minded people who think that there is something else to be known! Please know this.

EzhaigAL – How sad it is that I have to tell you all that there is nothing else to be known other than emperumAn! How sad that when the apt entity emperumAn is there you are all involved with worldly matters! It implies that these are ignorant people who take in only the words and not the inner meanings.

Oththadhanai valleerEl – if you are capable of carrying out everything mentioned in the vEdhams without any shortcomings

aRimin – then know. Practising vEdhams with their ancillaries. If you care capable of understanding the inner meaning by listening about vEdhAntham, then know you ignorant people, that reciting the divine name of the supreme being is the essence of all vEdhams. Keep this in your mind.

nanRadhanai mAttIrEl – if you are not capable of carrying out what has been said, viz., carrying out in an orderly way samskArams (rituals) such as upanayanam (wearing yagyOpavIdham, the sacred thread), practising vEdhams with ancillaries, knowing the meanings of vEdhams, carrying out activities as mentioned in vEdhams without any shortcoming and finally seeing emperumAn.

mAdhavan pEr solluvadhE Oththin surukku – reciting the divine names of emperumAn, the consort of Sri mahAlakshmi, is the essence of all that has been said in vEdhams.

mAdhavan – is it not pirAtti (SrI mahAlakshmi) who identifies emperumAn himself! AzhwAr says “Consider that the sayings of one who attained knowledge through emperumAn’s mercy [AzhwAr himself] are the true meanings. Believe me who has seen emperumAn with his mercy” Since it has been mentioned that reciting emperumAn’s divine names is the essence, it should be considered that in the context of not carrying out what has been mentioned in vEdhams (nanRadhanai mAttirEl), everything has been thought of such as practising vEdham etc.

We shall move on to the 40^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

thiruvAimozhi thiruvAimozhi 6th centum

thiruvAimozhi – 6.2.6 – kuzhagi engaL

November 7, 2017 Published by: Sarathy Thothathri

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

Full series >> Sixth Centum >> Second decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, parAnguSa nAyaki says to emperumAn who manifested his greatness and picked up her doll “don’t show your supremacy to us; you show it to those who deserve that”.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nampiLLai‘s introduction.

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

Sixth pAsuram. parAnguSa nAyaki and her friends were hiding what is going on in their mind and remaining to be not overcome; seeing them, emperumAn manifested facial expressions, emotional words and pleasing acts which matched such speech, and changed their mind. Now, having them dumbfounded to not object to his actions, he approached closer to them and picked up their doll, which is part of their play.

pAsuram

kuzhagi engaL kuzhamaNan koNdu kOyinmai seydhu kanmam onRillai
pazhagiyAm iruppOm paramE iththiruvaruLgaL?
azhagiyAr ivvulagu mUnRukkum dhEvimai thaguvAr palar uLar
kazhagam EREl nambI! unakkum iLaidhE kanmamE

Listen

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

kuzhagi engaL kuzhamaNan koNdu – picking up our doll which is used in our play
kOyinmai seydhu – feeling superior due to the pleasure of having got hold of it
onRu – any
kanmam – use
illai – not there;

(your elegance and supremacy)
yAm – we
pazhagi – previously used
iruppOm – to it;
i – these
thiru – great
aruLgaL – mercies
paramE – we cannot handle;
azhagiyAr – having beauty (fitting to receive your mercy)
i – (target of your supremacy,) these
ulagu mUnRukkum – for the three worlds
dhEvimai – to be crowned along with you
thaguvAr – deserving
palar – many (as said in “dhEvyas sahasram“)
uLar – are present;
nambI – aren’t they fitting for you who are complete in all qualities!
kazhagam – in our assembly
EREl – do not mingle;
unakkum – for you (who have the nature of only harming others)
kanmam – this act
iLaidhu – childish.

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

There is no use in picking up our doll which is used in our play and feeling superior due to the pleasure of having got hold of it; we are previously used to it; we cannot handle your great mercies; there are many who are having beauty fitting to receive your mercy, deserving to be crowned along with you for these three worlds; aren’t they fitting for you who are complete in all qualities! do not mingle in our assembly; this act is childish for you [to do]. By highlighting the doll, it implies that the devotees’ play items are also desirable for him.

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

kuzhagi engaL kuzhamaNan koNdu – kuzhagugai means the [crazy] acts of youth which are done to unite with their counterparts when they are not honouring their attempts to speak to them. Whether by showing supremacy or humility; he set out to somehow approach them, change their mind and pick up their doll.
engaL kuzhamaNan koNdu – Who did you think is its owner? It is not owned by those who you think, but it is ours. There is no use for you with this. They said “as soon as we said ‘it belongs to us’, you should drop it and leave”; but that itself led to his pursuit of it.

When they asked “don’t you need our permission to take it?”, he said “Is there any one who can question me! Can I not do do what I like to do?”. They said,

kOyinmai seydhu kanmam onRu illai – There is no use of whatever improper acts you do. Here karma implies karma palam (result of the action). Don’t do here what is done in a headless region. At least if there is any benefit, you can do it. kOyinmai seygai means grabbing their doll without their permission, not giving it back to them etc.
kanmam onRu illai – You cannot carry these along to where you are going; you don’t need them; and these are dear to us; hence, what is the use of this act [of picking those up]? Even if you carry those there, since they are not their belongings, they won’t care for them; since these don’t belong to those who are dear to you, you don’t need them, and since you took them without our permission, it [the act] does not please us as well! They said “Hence, there is no use of this act”.

He said “leave it aside; previously we were like minded; I too have no specific expectation and I did not do this expecting any other benefit; this itself is my benefit; can there be any benefit for a benefit; if we try to imagine such benefit that will lead to an endless chain”. They said,

pazhagi yAm iruppOm – Aren’t we used to your lies! You cannot tell these to us! They said – Why don’t you go and tell these to those who believe your lies to be truth.

emperumAn, acted as if saying “I cannot sustain without you”. They said,

em paramE ith thiruvaruLgaL – You are showing great love towards us. Are your such acts bearable for us, just as the ocean cannot be placed in small spot? They said “there are others who can tolerate all your actions”.

He asked them “who are they?”. They said,

azhagiyAr ivvulagu mUnRukkum – SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 16.14 “thrailOkya rAjyam sakalam sIthAyAnApnuyAth kalAm” – if the three worlds and emperumAn who himself is called by the term “viSva” are placed in one side of the weighing scale, they will not match a fraction of sIthAp pirAtti’s beauty.

He asked them “What are their qualities?”. They said,

dhEvimai thaguvAr – They are qualified to be crowned along with you.

He said “But I also need some one to dislike”. They said,

palar uLar – There are some who are present there to be rejected by you too. When something is natural for a person, it will not change even when he goes to a different place; similar to what he did to their own group, they imply that he would reject some persons there too. They said “You are not limited to a few of us; you have many persons! You go to them”. He said “Alright! But I need to know how to go there and what to do after reaching there and I need to hear that from you; it is usually instructed only to anthEvAsis (close Sishyas); those who heard from learned persons are explained in SrI bhagavath gIthA 4.34 ‘paripraSNEna sEvayA‘ (by asking questions with proper attitude and by performing service)” and hence entered the assembly of parAnguSa nAyaki and her friends.
kazhagam EREl nambi – Let them be the primary ones; is it possible for us to assume a teacher’s position? First, you don’t enter our assembly. Here bhattar mercifully explains – sarvESvaran who is filled with all auspicious qualities, the lord of both spiritual and material realms, greater than all and controller of all, is unable to resist entering the assembly of a few cowherd girls, and they say “you cannot enter here” He feels shackled and is neither able to leave nor able to stay and stumble upon there – such is his sauSeelyam (quality of mingling with inferior persons without any hesitation) – vyAsa et al documented this [in purANams] – who did they think are going to celebrate this great quality of emperumAn?”. When one says “the controller of all, assumed such a simple position to be controlled by a few”, there will be no one who thinks “it is true”. When all of SAsthram distinguishes between the supreme lord and the subordinate entities, here the roles are reversed! periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.11 “sAdhu gOttiuL koLLap paduvAr” (will be accepted in the assembly of vaishNavas) – when someone enters an assembly of vaishNavas, it is apt for him to not manifest great pride and instead mix as water mixes with water, and them accepting him naturally; this is not just for vaishNavas but applicable for emperumAn too; as said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 4.31 “sa chApi rAma parishadh gathaSSanair bubhUshaya AsakthamanA babhUva” (SrI rAma with the desire to enjoy the singing of kuSa and lava, entered amidst the audience and listened from there) – SrI rAma arranged kuSa and lava’s singing in the royal assembly to be heard by greatly knowledgeable scholars and himself, being seated on the royal throne; but their being in a lower platform and his being in a higher platform, was not pleasing to his heart; so he quietly slid down from the throne, and entered the audience. That is because – if we rose making noise, the assembly will be disturbed; it is said in the SlOkam “to avoid that, he quietly stepped down from the throne”. What is the need for that? anububhUshayA implies “to enjoy being amidst the audience” and “bavithumichchayA” implies “to sustain himself”.
nambI – See the great difference between you and us! Is there anything that you have to ask and get? They said “For you, who is a lord, is it apt to enter our place?”. He said “Good! It does not matter whether I am the lord or a small [child like insignificant] person; don’t you know me! I am known as said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 2.1 “thImai seyyum sirIdharan” (SrIdhara, who is engaged in mischievous acts)? Thus, isn’t it natural for me to engage in mischievous acts wherever girls are present?
unakkum iLaidhE kanmamE – Even for you who are an expert in mischievous acts, this is childish. Some relationship is necessary between you and the ones who are affected by your mischievous acts – isn’t it?

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan