mUnRAm thiruvandhAdhi – 19 – aruLAdhu ozhiyumE

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avathArikai

AzhwAr had requested emperumAn to grace him to be without fear. His divine mind told him “If we compel him like this to grace us, would it mean that we are qualified to ask him for his mercy? Or, is he capable of showering his grace on us?” and backtracks. AzhwAr then consoles his mind saying “There is nothing in this, you see. Before showering his grace on people who are qualified, he will grace even unqualified people like us due to his ability to achieve impossible tasks. Hence do not fear”.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

aruLAdhu ozhiyumE Alilai mEl anRu
theruLAdha piLLaiyAich chErndhAn iruLAdha
sindhaiyarAych chEvadikkE semmalar thUyk kaithozhudhu
mudhaiyarAy niRpArkku mun

Word by Word Meanings

iruLAdha sindhaiyarAy – having a heart which has not been touched by the darkness of ignorance
sE adikkE – for the reddish divine feet
sem malar thUy – submitting fresh flowers
kai thozhudhu – joining the palms together as anjali
mundhaiyarAy niRpArkku –  devotees  who stand at the forefront (in emperumAn’s matter)
anRu – at an earlier point of time
theruLAdha piLLai Ay – as an innocent child
Al ilai mEl sErndhAn – emperumAn who took rest on a tender banyan leaf
mun aruLAdhu ozhiyumE – will he not shower grace ahead?

vyAkyanam

aruLAdhu ozhiyumE – Will he remain without showering grace on us? Will he remain without gracing us despite our being qualified? thirumazhisai AzhwAr also  mercifully mentions in thiruchchandha viruththam 115 “eththinAl idark kadal kidaththi Ezhai nenjamE” (Oh foolish heart! Why are you immersed in the sea of sorrows?). Was it not for us that emperumAn had said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 18-66 “aham thvA sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi ” (I will liberate you from all sins)!

Alilai mEl anRu theruLAdha piLLaiyAych chErndhAn – the innocent child who reclined on a tender banyan leaf. For one who carried out the impossible task of keeping all the worlds in his stomach as a child, it is not that he cannot shower his mercy. When the worlds were under deluge, even without anyone asking him to protect, he protected all by keeping them in his stomach. AzhwAr is asking whether he would not shower his mercy on us to remain without fear when he is showering his mercy on those who do not even know to ask him to shower his mercy on them. He says that people would have hoped that he would protect them from deluge of samsAram just as he protected the worlds from [actual] deluge.  He says that he carried out an impossible task when he reclined on a tender banyan leaf which had just sprouted when the worlds were about to be destroyed.

iruLAdha sindhaiyarAy – those with hearts which do not have any ignorance with regard to matter concerning emperumAn.

sEvadikkE semmalar thUyk kaithozhudhu – offering fresh flowers to his reddish, divine feet. Worshipping him with hands, offering him flowers.

mundhaiyarAy niRpArrku mun – you would see [AzhwAr tells his heart] that he will grace us ahead of those who are standing in the forefront. He will delay showering his grace on those who are trying to attain him on their own efforts. For those like us who are holding on to him, he will shower his grace ahead [of others].

theruLAdha piLLaiyAy – during deluge, emperumAn did not have the knowledge to make a distinction between those who prayed to him to protect them and those who did not pray to him for protection. Isn’t that the reason that he protected everyone in his stomach!

We will take up the 20th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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