SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
emperumAnAr with thirumazhisai AzhvAr
The thaniyan for this dhivya prabandham (divine composition) was composed by SrIrAmappiLLai (twin brother of parASara bhattar and son of kUraththAzhwAn). In this thaniyan he says “Oh heart! Meditate on the divine feet of thirumazhisai AzhwAr who had established the supremacy of SrIman nArAyaNa and who had given this divine composition [called as nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi] and praise his divine feet”
Let us go through the thaniyan and its meanings:
nArayaNan padaiththAn nAnmuganai nAnmuganukku
ErAr Sivan piRandhAn ennum sol sIrAr
mozhi seppi vAzhalAm nenjamE moy pU
mazhisaip parAn adiyE vAzhththu
Word by Word Meanings
nArAyaNan – SrIman nArAyaNa
padaiththAn – created
nAnmuganai – the four-headed brahmA
nAnmuganukku – for that nAnmugan (brahmA)
Er Ar Sivan piRandhAn – Siva, who became complete by following prescribed means, was born
ennum sol – the pAsuram (hymn) which says this
sIr Ar – one which has greatness
mozhi seppi – reciting this prabandham (divine hymn)
vAzhalAm – we can attain redemption
nenjamE – Oh my heart!
moy pU mazhisai paran adiyE – the divine feet of thirumazhisaip pirAn, filled with flowers
vAzhththu – praise
vyAkyAnam
nArAyaNan padaiththAn nAnmuganai ….. ennum sol – references from authentic texts have been quoted to prove that SrIman nArAyaNa is the supreme lord:
- mahOpanishath “EkO havai nArAyaNa AsIth I na brahmA nESAna: II” (only nArAyaNa was there (at the beginning); not brahmA, not Siva)
- nArAyaNa sUktham “nArAyaNa parO jyOthi:” (nArAyaNa is the supreme radiance)
- nArAyaNa upanishath “nArAyaNE praLIyanthE” (everything attains nArAyaNa in the end)
- mahAbhAratha “Ekasthishtathi viSvAthmA sa cha nArAyaNa: prabhu:” (only paramAthmA (supreme being) who is viSvAthmA (soul for all the creations) remains (at the end, during deluge) and he is the supreme being nArAyaNa)
- vishNu purANam “srushti sthithyantha karaNIm brahmA vishNu SivAthmikAm I sa samgyAmyAdhi bhagavAnEka Eva janArdhana: II” (that bhagavAn janArdhana himself takes the names of brahmA vishNu and Siva to carry out the tasks of creation, protection and destruction)
- upabrahmaNams such as mahAbhAratham and vishNu purANam “Eka Eva jagathswAmI SakthimAnachyuthaprabhu: ” (achyuthan, who is omnipotent, indestructible and who controls everything, is the lord of the world )
- mahOpanishath “yannAbhi padhmAdha bhavan mahAthmA prajApathir viSvasrut viSvarUpa: I thamEva vidhithvAthimruthyumEthi nAnya: panthA vidhyathE’yanAya II” (one who knows him, from whose divine navel the mahAthmA (great soul) prajApathi ,who is the creator of universe, was created, crosses samsAram (materialistic realm); there is no other path to attain mOksham (SrIvaikuNtam ))
- nArAyaNOpanishath “nArAyaNadh brahmA jAyathE nArAyaNAdh rudhrO jAyathE” (brahmA was born from nArAyaNa; rudhra was born from nArAyaNa)
- sAmavEdham “virUpAkshAya brahmaNa: puthrAya jyEshtAya SrEshtAya” (virUpAksha, who is the son of brahmA and who is great)
- mahAbhAratha “yath thath padhmamabhUth pUrvam thathra brahmA vyajAyatha I brahmaNaSchApi sambhUtha: Siva ithyavadhAryathAm II” (brahmA was born out of the lotus (which came from bhagavAn’s navel); it should be known that Siva was born out of brahmA only)
From these aforementioned references it is clear that brahmA and rudhra were created by supreme being nArAyaNa only. Even though it is said that rudhra was created by brahmA, since bhagavAn created brahmA and as the indwelling soul of brahmA, he created rudhra, there is nothing wrong in saying that rudhra came from nArAyaNa. It is also known that during one kalpa (denotes a passage of time equivalent to one day for brahmA) rudhra was born out of brahmA and during the other kalpA, he was born out of nArAyaNa. To make sure that everyone knows these meanings of vEdhas (sacred texts) thirumazhisai AzhwAr mercifully mentioned in the first verse of this divine hymn “nAnmuganai nArAyaNan padaiththAn” (brahmA was created by nArAyaNa) and in the last verse “ISaRkum nAnmugaRkum dheyvam naRkirisai nArANan nee” (you are the beneficial deity for Siva and nAnmugan). This is the meaning for the two lines “nAnmugan ……. ennum sol” The word ennum refers to all the quotations taken above from vEdhams and smruthis.
sol sIr Ar mozhi – one meaning is that the words are aligned to the metrics used in the poems (poetic grammar). Another meaning is that these are words with auspicious qualities, as mentioned by nammAzhwAr in periya thiruvandhAdhi 86 “sIr kalandha sol”
mozhi seppi – reciting such nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi
vAzalAm – one can redeem oneself. One can attain higher levels of existence.
nenjamE – Oh heart! You have to help me
How to ‘help’ in this?
moy pU mazhisaip paran adiyE vAzhththu – keep worshipping the divine feet of thirumazhisai AzhwAr who composed this divine hymn. Just as thiruvarangaththu amudhanAr (a disciple of bhagavadh SrI rAmAnuja) had mercifully mentioned in his irAmAnusa nURRandhAdhi 12 “idam koNda kIrththi mazhisaikkiRaivan iNaiyadippOdhu ” (on the two divine lotus like feet of the lord of thirumazhisai, which is a very famous place), you should also be devout towards the two divine feet which are sweet. The words moy pU could be taken as adjectives for the divine feet of thirumazhisai AzhwAr as well as to the place thirumazhisai. When they are used as adjectives for the divine feet, these two words moy pU would mean dense (tightly packed) flower and beautiful flower. The word moy would refer to both denseness and beauty. Thus the words would mean divine feet which are like beautiful and dense flower. If they are taken as adjectives for thirumazhisai, they would mean thirumazhisai which is beautiful or thirumazhisai which has beautiful and densely packed flowers.
adiyE vAzhthtu – praise the divine feet of thirumazhisai AzhwAr who has such greatness. While he has praised emperumAn (SrIman nArAyaNa) in his thiruchchandha viruththam 61 “vAzhi kEsanE” (long live, kESava!) and thiruchchandha viruththam 68 “mAlai vAzhththi vAzhminO” (live by praising thirumAl), you keep praising the divine feet of thirumazhisai AzhwAr without any break.
paran adiyE vAzhththu – while thirumazhisai AzhwAr had accepted emperumAn as supreme being in his verses “ISaRkum nAnmugaRkum dheyvam” (SrIman nArAyaNa is the worshippable deity for Siva and brahmA) and “guNapparanE” (Oh one with supreme qualities!), you accept thirumazhisai AzhwAr as supreme and praise him.
We shall next take up the avathArikai (introduction) for this divine hymn.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org