thiruvAimozhi – 7.4.4 – nALum ezha

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

Full series >> Seventh Centum >> Fourth decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

See nampiLLai‘s introduction.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

See nampiLLai‘s introduction.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nampiLLai‘s introduction.

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

Fourth pAsuram. AzhwAr is mercifully explaining the way emperumAn protects during mahA praLayam (total deluge). Some AchAryas mercifully explain that AzhwAr is mercifully talking about the intermediary deluge as per purANam which says “mArkaNdEya witnessed everything which is seen outside, inside the divine stomach of emperumAn”.

pAsuram

nALum ezha nila nIrum ezha viNNum
kOLum ezha eri kAlum ezha malai
thALum ezhach chudar thAnum ezha appan
ULi ezha ulagam uNda UNE

Listen

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

nALum – the division between day and night
ezha – to be subdued
nila nIrum – land and water
ezha – to be subdued
viNNum – sky
kOLum – planets
ezha – to be subdued
eri kAlum – fire and air
ezha – to be subdued
malai – mountains
thAL – base
ezhavum – to be subdued
sudar thAnum – radiant objects such as stars
ezha – to be subdued
appan – the great benefactor who helps during deluge
ULi ezha – as said in “he ate with great hunger” [making sound will eating]
ulagam – world
uNda – consumed
E – how amazing it was!

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

How amazing the way emperumAn, the great benefactor, consumed the world as said in “he ate with great hunger” to subdue the division between day and night, land and water, sky and planets, mountain bases and shining objects such as stars!

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

  • nALum ezha – To subdue the division of time. As said in SrIvishNu purANam 1.2.25 “nAhO narAthri:” (no day and no night). ezha – pEra (to remove). Due to sun’s movement and stagnation, differences such as year, month, day, minute, second etc occur; when sun who divides the time gets consumed, these divisions will also follow him and cease to exist.
  • nila nIrum ezha – To have everything enter him, without distinction between cause and effect.  We have seen that both cause [primordial matter] and effect [manifested matter in the form of great elements etc] exist at the same time; while highlighting the [mUla] prakruthi thathva (primordial matter) thiruvAimozhi 10.7.10 “mAmAyai mangavottu”  (relieve me from matter), he also highlighted “ingu ivvuyirEy pirakiruthi” (the manifested matter which is together with soul). He said this to differentiate between the mUla prakruthi and his SarIram (body). He said “uyirEy prakruthi” (soul with matter), to highlight the matter which is with soul. [This is to explain that AzhwAr is talking about intermediary deluge and not total deluge).
  • viNNum kOLum ezha – To subdue the sky and the planets in there.
  • eri kAlum ezha – To subdue the fire and air.
  • malai thALum ezha – To subdue the mountains along with their bases;  to uproot them fully.
  • sudar thAnum ezha – To subdue those other radiant objects which are not enlisted here.
  • appan ULi ezha – ULi – sound. ezha – to appear. Just as the sound which occurs while everyone enters into SrIrangam through the gates of adaiyavaLaindhAn (the last layer of the seven layers) during dangerous times. When the creatures enter the divine stomach of emperumAn, many sounds occur due to the interaction between them; alternative explanation – ammAL explains this sound as “the sound of him sucking all of these into his mouth!”; with this it is thought that emperumAn is joyfully protecting them [by descending into this material realm] instead of pridefully sitting as the supreme lord [in paramapadham] and protecting.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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