October 10, 2018 – dhivya prabandham

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

avathArikai

emperumAn mercifully tells AzhwAr “You have not noticed an important aspect when you say ‘If I start praising emperumAn, it becomes a fault. If I stay away from praising him, it has a special distinction’. While looking at what you said superficially may appear correct, if one were to analyse deeply at what you said, it will be clear that one should follow the exact opposite of what you had said. If you stay away from praising me, others will think ‘only those who are greater than AzhwAr can attain matters related to emperumAn’ and will not come anywhere near me. If you praise me, others will think ‘everyone can hold on to the matter that AzhwAr has held on to’ and come to me. Hence, I will attain greatness only if you praise me”. Hearing this, AzhwAr becomes very pleased and starts praising emperumAn.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

ennil migu pugazhAr yAvarE pinnaiyum maRRu
eNNil migu pugazhEn yAn allAl enna
karunjOdhik kaNNan kadal puraiyum seela
perunjOthikku ennenju AtpeRRu

Word by Word Meanings

enna – being mine
karum sOdhi kaNNan – krishNa with black complexion
kadal puraiyum seelam – having the inherent quality of ocean
perum sOdhikku – to you who are having great radiance
en nenju – my mind
AL peRRu – became a servitor
maRRu eNNil – if one were to analyse
migu pugazhEn yAn allAl – only I have great fame and none else
pinnaiyum – more than that
ennil – more than I
migu pugazhAr – having more fame
yAvarE – who else is there?

vyAkyAnam

ennil migu pugazhAr yAvarE – this could be construed to mean (1) who else is there who has more fame than I do? (2) Just as bhUthaththAzhwAr mercifully said in the 100^th pAsuram of iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi “enRanaLavanRAl yAnudaiya anbu” (my affection [for emperumAn] became much larger than I), my fame has grown bulky, much larger than my basic form which is atomic. Who else has this much of fame?

AzhwAr further affirms the meaning brought out by both these meanings.

pinnaiyum maRReNNil migu pugazhEn yAn allAl – if one were to analyse, there is none who has fame which is not limited by the basic form. How is it that this AzhwAr, who praises himself to this extent in this pAsuram, said in thiruvAimozhi 4-7-1 “seelamillAch chiRiyanElum seyvinaiyO peridhAl” (even though I am lowly person without any knowledge, my sins are huge)? When he does not attain emperumAn, AzhwAr says that there is none who has sinned more than he. In the same way, when he attains emperumAn and he says that there is none who is his equal, there is no shortcoming in that.

AzhwAr now says the reason for this.

enna karunjOdhikkaNNan kadal puraiyum seelan perunjOdhikku ennenju AtpeRRu – praising kaNNan (krishNa) who has black complexion, who gave his divine form to me for me to enjoy completely as my right and thus showed his simplicity, who has the inherent quality of ocean and who is supremely radiant, being the sarvESvaran, added to his greatness. This verse should be read along with the previous part “ennil migu pugazhAr yAvarE ”. By referring to ennudaiya karunjOdhik kaNNan, emperumAn’s quality of simplicity by which he gives his divine form for AzhwAr to enjoy has been brought out. seelan refers to the quality of great person mingling with lowly person without any inhibition. Such a person is referred to in vEdhas (sacred texts) as paranjOdhi (supremely radiant), the sarvESvaran and AzhwAr refers to him here as perunjOdhi (great radiance). Alternatively, it can be construed that he is referring to emperumAn as perumjOdhi because of the deep affection that emperumAn has for AzhwAr as mentioned by AzhwAr himself in thiruvAimozhi 3-3-4 “Isan vAnavarkkenban enRal adhu thEsamO thiruvEngadaththAnukku nIsanEn niRaivonRumilEn enkaN pAsam vaiththa paranjudar sOdhikke” (Is it a great quality for thiruvEngadaththAn (emperumAn) to be the controller of nithyasUris? He showed affection towards me, who is lowly and who has no great quality in him and he is supremely radiant).

We will move on to the 5^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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

Full series >> Seventh Centum >> Seventh decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In the fourth pAsuram, parAnguSa nAyaki says “His distinguished, divine eye brows are tormenting so much that it makes me think that previous torments are pleasures”.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

Subsequently, parAnguSa nAyaki says “The divine eye brows of krishNa who is the real cupid and the cause for kAma (cupid) are tormenting my soul”.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

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

Fourth pAsuram. AzhwAr is mercifully explaining how the divine brows are tormenting him asking “What! Have the divine lips become great now?”

pAsuram

innuyirkkEzhaiyar mEl vaLaiyum iNai neela viRkol?
manniya sIr madhanan karuppuch chilai kol? madhanan
than uyirth thAdhai kaNNa perumAn puruvam avaiyE
en uyir mElanavAy aduginRana enRu ninRE

Listen

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

in – good
uyirkku – life (to steal)
Ezhaiyar mEl – on girls (who are desirous)
vaLaiyum – (themselves) bend and torment
neelam – having dark complexion
iNai – pair
viRkol – are these bows

(otherwise)
manniya sIr – having qualities such as firmness, beauty etc
madhanan – cupid’s
karuppuch chilai kol – is this the sugarcane bow (which torments those who are in love)?
madhanan than – for that cupid
uyir – being the life giver
thAdhai – being the father
kaNNan – krishNa
perumAn – greater than all
puruvam avaiyE – divine eye brows (like the bow in his hand);
en – my
uyir mElanavAy – (being desirous) on my soul
enRum – always
ninRE – remaining firm
aduginRana – tormenting.

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

Are they two bows which are having dark complexion when themselves bend and torment the good life of girls? Is this the sugarcane bow of cupid who is having qualities such as firmness, beauty etc? They are the divine eye brows of krishNa who is life giver and the father for cupid, and is greater than all; they are always remaining firm in tormenting my soul.

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

in uyirkku – to take away my good soul.
Ezhaiyar mEl vaLaiyum – While there is none to bend and no reason to bend – it bent due to no reason and no one to bend. As it says “Ezhaiyar” (helpless), there is no reason to bend, as there is none set out to bend, there is no karthA (doer). Are these two bows which are bending (to hurt) helpless girls? As said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 3.9 “SakrachApa nibEchApE gruhIthvA Sathru nASanE” (Holding on to bows similar to indhra’s bow which can destroy enemies). For indhra’s bow, there is no restriction that it should only torment helpless girls.
manniya sIr … – Is it the bow of cupid which only torments girls? That too, this must be the bow in his hand, before he lost his form at the hands of rudhra.
karuppuch chilai kol – Being unreal to the eyes and the harm is firmly placed in the heart. The bow in the hand of cupid who has royal heritage of having emperumAn as his father, will not do such harm. These must be the divine eye brows of krishNa who is the father of such cupid.
madhanan … – As ANdAL says in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 14.6 “than kaich chArngam adhuvE pOl puruva vattam azhagiya” [wife knows better], these must be the divine eye brows of emperumAn which resemble his own SArnga bow. [Explaining the meaning of this pAsuram] “dharumam aRiyAk kuRumbanai” – Should he not be born as the son of a crowned king, to know dharmam? yAdhavas are not direct rulers. krishNa does not know mercy at all. SrI nandhagOpar begot a son who would roam around as he pleased [without any rules]. “than kai …” – when one saw the bow in the hand, he would say “what was in his face [eye brows] is now present in his hand!” Similarly on seeing the eye brows in the face, “what was in his hand is now present in his face!” Saying “adhuvE pOl” indicates the equivalence between the eye brows and the bow. His divine form is so beautiful that even if he does not know any dharmam, we have to hold on to him. “poruththamiliyai” – some objects, when the complexion is nice, will still be unusable; similarly, he [and his eye brows] have such beautiful form, he will not let us enjoy him. “kaNdIrE” – though he does not want to unite with us, can we give up, if we don’t want to unite with him? His dislike makes us follow him more.
puruvam avaiyE – The suffering inflicted by the eye brows is such that it makes us think that the previous torments are pleasures.
en uyir mElanavAy – While they are present in his face, their target is me. They remain as said in thiruvAimozhi 2.6.2 “engum pakkam nOkkaRiyA” (they don’t look at anything else).
aduginRana – they are killing us.
enRu ninRE – While some objects are harmful, they are temporary too. Unlike those, these (the eye brows) are constantly tormenting me. They have assumed permanence to torment me; that which is said as “nithyam nithyA kruthitharam” (that which is permanent and assumed permanence) is tormenting me.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan