thiruvAimozhi – 7.7.1 – Ezhaiyar Avi

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

Full series >> Seventh Centum >> Seventh decad

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In the first pAsuram, parAnguSa nAyaki is speaking about how emperumAn‘s divine eyes oppress her.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

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

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

pAsuram

Ezhaiyar Avi uNNum iNaik kURRangolO aRiyEn
AzhiyangaNNa pirAn thirukkaNgaLkolO aRiyEn
sUzhavunthAmarai nANmalarpOl vandhu thOnRungaNdIr
thOzhiyargAL annaimIr! en seygEn thuyarAttiyEnE

Listen

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

Ezhaiyar – girls’ (who are desirous)
Avi – life
uNNum – consuming
iNai – pair (matching each other)
kURRam kolO – death personified?
aRiyEn – I am unable to determine (them as eyes due to their causing harm);

(unlike that)
Azhi – like ocean (which has hidden gems)
am – being distinguished (infinite)

(in the beginning, with me)
kaNNan – being obedient
pirAn – krishNa (who favoured by uniting)
thiru – distinguished
kaNgaL kolO – are they divine eyes?
aRiyEn – I am unable to determine (them as [agents of] death due to their attractive nature);
sUzhavum – surrounding (not to move away)
thAmarai – lotus’
nAL malar pOl – like fresh flower
vandhu – come
thOnRum – appeared;
kaNdIr – see;
thOzhiyargAL annaimIr – oh friends (who are close, but cannot see the internal anguish) and mothers (who gave birth to me, and raised me knowing my nature well), who are controlling me!
thuyarAttiyEn – I who am with anguish (which is only known to me)
en seygEn – what remedy will do (to eliminate the anguish)?

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

I am unable to determine if these are “a pair of death personified which consume the life of girls? or “the distinguished, divine eyes of obedient krishNa who resembles a distinguished ocean”. They came and appeared like fresh lotus flower which is surrounding everywhere; see them; oh friends and mothers who are controlling me! What remedy will I who am anguished, do? Implies, I will neither hide the divine eyes which appear in front of me, nor will I enjoy them by getting close.

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

  • Ezhaiyar Avi … – Are these two death personified which will finish the lives of those helpless girls who develop desire towards certain matters and are unable to sustain themselves? Will these death personified finish the helpless girls so that they can remain neither for emperumAn who caused the anguish by separating nor for the elderly mothers who try to redeem the girls by advising “this is not proper”? He is not aware of the beauty of his eyes! Would he not come, if they harmed him as well? Has he not seen them in the mirror?
  • Avi uNNum – Like SrI rAma’s arrows, while the decorations remain intact, they would take away the life.
  • iNaik kURRam kolO – The harm caused by the divine eyes is like two death personified which discussed between each other and arrived.
  • aRiyEn – Why is she saying arIyEn (I don’t know)? Even if two persons discuss between themselves and arrive, they need not kill helpless girls; she is doubting due to this reason.
  • Azhi am kaNNa pirAn thirukkaNgaL kolO aRiyEn – Alternatively – would they only torment the girls? One cannot escape thinking “only others (unfavourable ones) will torment”, were these divine eyes not the ones which established the initial relationship? This means – the ocean like eyes of krishNa, the benefactor; and also means – the divine eyes of krishNa, the benefactor who has ocean like invigorating form.
  • aRiyEn – Since she has not experienced separation previously, she does not realise that the eyes could torment. Have we not heard previously in periya thirumozhi 7.1.9 “uyirkkellAm thAyAy aLikkinRa thaN thAmaraik kaN” (the cool lotus eye which protects everyone like a mother)? The whole universe sustains by this merciful glance. Now, it is contrary to what we have heard.

When asked “but, is it possible to escape?”, parAnguSa nAyaki replies

  • sUzhavum … – On the final day when SrI rAma was fighting rAvaNa, just as wherever one saw, only SrI rAma was visible, it has become similar here; is it that only when rAkshasas could escape from SrI rAma’s arrow, could the helpless girls escape from the beauty of his eyes? It is said in thiruviruththam 39 “puNdarIka nedundhadangaLpOlap polindhemakkellA idaththavum” (for us, everywhere it appears that his expansive lotus ponds like eyes are shining). It is similar to one’s fear for snake. Wherever she tried to move away, there too she only saw his eyes. Why is she saying “thAmarai nAL malarpOl” (like fresh lotus flower)? She is talking about the freshness during the union. [Explains why they cannot be fresh, in separation] SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 35.44 “mahathAjvalathA nithyamagni nEvAgni parvatha:” (Oh sIthAp pirAtti! As SrI rAma has not seen you, he is burning like fire garland which is surrounded by great fire), SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 36.42 “naivathamSAn namaSakAn” – perumAL (SrI rAma) is not aware of what crawls over him and what bites him; when asked for the reason for that, it is said in same SlOkam “thvath gathEnAntharAthmanA” – as perumAL [his soul] has moved here [to lankA, near pirAtti], who will realise these there?  said hanumAn. His [emperumAn‘s] anguish in separation is not the same as her [AzhwAr as parAnguSa nAyaki] anguish. She is not realising that. She only knows how he fresh he was after having fully united with her and then separated; that is what is deep-rooted in her heart; she does not know how he felt afterwards; that is why she is saying “fresh flower like eyes”.
  • vandhu thOnRum – Just as in real, emperumAn will arrive on his own will, even in uruvu veLippAdu (visualisation), he appears on his own will.
  • kaNdIr – Are you not seeing this?
  • thOzhiyargAL annaimIr – Her state is not such that she can reveal this to some and hide it from others. She is not at the state where she can reveal it to her friends but cannot reveal it to mothers. That is the special state she was in.
  • en seygEn – Should I try to escape it or try to experience it – what shall I do?
  • thuyarAttiyEnE – While I should remain as said in thaiththirIya upanishath “Anandham brahmaNO vidhvAn nabhibhEthi kuthaSchana” (One who realised bhagavAn’s bliss, will not fear anything), I started going through previous state of sorrow as said in “avaSyam anubhOkthavyam” (must be experienced).

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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