Monthly Archives: January 2021

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

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avathArikai (Introduction)

The nAyakan (leading man) asks the nAyaki (leading lady) and her friend as to who are the people who had put them in charge of guarding the fields. Just as one goes to a place where those who are dear to that person are assembled, asking for water (in order to start a conversation), the nAyakan goes to the fields where these girls are guarding with some foliage in his hand and asks them “Have  you seen an elephant here?” in order to strike a conversation with them. They respond asking in return “Are we here to guard these fields or are we here to answer your queries?” When the nAyakan went there, why did he break the shoot of a tree? This was to tell them [especially the nAyaki] that just as the tree shoot has started withering after being separated from the tree which is its sustaining force, he too is withering in separation from the nAyaki. However, the shoot appeared to have become fresh due to its contact with sarvESvaran (supreme entity) who is the nAyakan. The friend, thinking that her friend, the nAyaki, has not become rejuvenated like the shoot after coming in contact with the nAyakan, tells him “You have brought this foliage in order to express your anguish in separation. However, the foliage appears to be as fresh as it would have been had it been on the tree”. The nAyakan responds “Any entity which is in your presence will not get withered. Won’t the entities show signs of drooping only when they are in their respective place, being separated from you?”

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

kombAr thazhaikai siRu nAN eRivilam vEttai koNdAttu
ambAr kaLiRu vinavuvadhu aiyar puLLUrum kaLvar
tham pAragaththenRum AdAdhana thammiR kUdAdhana
vambAr vinAchchollavO emmai vaiththadhu ivvAn punaththE

Word-by-Word Meanings

kombu – stick
Ar – full of
thazhai – foliage
kai – was in the hand
siRu – small
nAN – bow’s
eRivu – scar
ilam – we are not seeing
aiyar – a respectable person such as you
koNdAttu – celebrating
vEttai – hunting
vinavuvadhu – asking
ambu – with arrow
Ar – being complete
kaLiRu – elephant
puL – garuda
Urum – one who conducts
kaLvar tham – sarvESvaran who is deceptive, his
pAragaththu – leelAvibhUthi (our world)
enRum – at any time
AdAdhana – (these activities) did not happen
thammil – amongst them
kUdAdhana – will not gel
i – this
vAn – expansive
punaththE – fields
emmai – us
vaiththadhu – appointed
vambAr – complete with oddities
vinA – query
sollavO – is it to answer?

Simple Translation

It is only foliage which is held by this respectable person in his hands. There is no mark of any scar which would have occurred had he held a bow in his hand. It is only to talk to us that he is saying that he has come hunting [an elephant] This sort of incident has never taken place in this world, belonging to sarvESvaran who conducts garuda. His words are contradicting one another other. Is it to respond to his odd queries that we have been appointed here?

vyAkhyAnam

kombAr thazhai kai – at a place where one can gain [sympathy] by standing with a forlorn face, why should that person carry a bow and show his valour?

siRu nAN eRivilam – we are unable to see the scar on your hand which forms due to constantly holding the bow. For a bow, the presence of arrow is characteristic. The arrow will never leave its owner, the bow. But there is no bow in your hand, say the friends. Immediately, the nAyakan shows them the foliage and tells them “Here is the bow”

vEttai koNdAttu – they are amused that the shoot is bow and the place that he entered [where they are standing guard over their fields] is his hunting ground, and are amazed at the strange combination. Even if we assume that the shoot in your hand is the bow, where is the arrow? He says “The arrow was shot at the elephant and is stuck in it”

ambAr kaLiRu vinavuvadhu aiyar – they make fun of his words which are contradictory [since he has foliage in his hand and tells them that he was hunting elephant]. Using a respectable word aiyar [a respectable person], they tell him “You are saying words which are not gelling with one another. You seem to be a great chief!”

puLLUrum kaLvar – one who controls everything; the supreme entity

tham pAr agaththu enRum AdAdhana – in this world which is under the control of emperumAn, the supreme entity, we have not come across such words or deeds which are contradictory. We do not know whether such events take place in paramapadham.

thammil kUdAdhana – though it has not happened before either at paramapadham or here, why cannot such contradictions be taken as the normal from now onwards, asks the nAyakan. They say “It is not possible to consider it that way. There is no congruence between your words and you. An entity should either be existing or non-existing. It cannot be said to be outside these two, as propagated by the mAyavAdhis (those who claim that everything in this world is illusory). Where did you learn to say such words which are not seen either in this world or in paramapadham?”

vambAr vinAchchollavO emmai vaiththadhu – They ask him “Have we been kept here by our parents in order to ask counter questions to your novel queries?” It could also be taken that they are asking him “Have we been kept here by our parents to ask questions on the novel words which you are using?”

ivvAn punaththE – We do not have the time to respond to your queries. We do not have the time even to guard these huge fields.

svApadhESam (distinguished meaning): these are words mentioned by nammAzhwAr to SrIvaiNavas who were engaged with the svarUpam (true nature), rUpam (form) and gUnam (qualities) of AzhwAr who himself is fully engaged with the svarUpam, rUpam and guNam of emperumAn.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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avathArikai (Introduction)

In the previous pAsuram, it should be said that both mother and friend (of the nAyaki) did not know the greatness of emperumAn. While the mother was in bewilderment, the friend told the mothers to adorn her with the divine thuLasi garland which had earlier adorned the divine shoulders of emperumAn. On hearing this, the nAyaki woke up. In other words, the mere mention of the word thuLasi was sufficient for the nAyaki to come to her senses and wake up. There was no need for adorning her with the garland made of thuLasi. Such was the greatness of emperumAn. How would we know that on waking up, the nAyaki engaged with krishNa’s incarnation? On waking up, she did not speak about thiruvAimozhi 1-1-1 “uyarvaRa uyar nalam udaiyavan” (one who had greatness nonpareil) but spoke about 1-3-1 “uralinOdu iNaindhirundhu Engiya eLivu eththiRam” (What simplicity did emperumAn have that he remained tied to a mortar!) The opinion is that followers of emperumAn, when they wake up after being in bewilderment for a long time, would engage with his incarnation as krishNa which only is apt for them [this pAsuram, which follows the earlier one, talks about krishNavathAram].

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

sUttu nanmAlaigaL thUyanavEndhi viNNOrgaL nannIr
Atti andhUbam tharA niRkavE angu Or mAyaiyinAl
Ittiya veNNey thodu uNNappoNdhumilERRuvan kUn
kOttidaiyAdinai kUththu adalAyar tham kombinukkE

Word-by-Word Meanings

angu – in that nithya vibhUthi (spiritual realm)
thUyana – being sacred
sUttu – apt to be adorned as an ornament on the divine crown
nal – distinguished
mAlaigaL – garlands
Endhi – holding them
viNNOrgaL – nithyasUris (permanent dwellers of nithyavibhUthi)
nal – sacred
nIr – with water
Atti – giving a divine bath
am – beautiful
dhUbam – fragrant smoke
tharAniRkavE – even as they were offering
Or – unique
mAyaiyinAl – with his solemn vow
Ittiya – gathered
veNNey – butter
thodu – stealing
uNNa – to eat
pOndhu – mercifully reached
imil – very strong
ERu – bulls’
val – powerful
kUn – curved
kOdu – horns’
idai – in-between
adal – strong
Ayar tham – the cowherd boys’
kombinukku – for nappinnai pirAtti
kUththAdinai – you had danced

Simple Translation

nithyasUris, who are the permanent dwellers of the spiritual realm, are holding ornaments and divine thuLasi garland, which are apt to be adorned on your divine crown, to submit to you, after divinely bathing you with sacred water. Even as they were waiting to offer you the divine fragrant smoke, you, with your incomparable divine vow, took birth in the clan of herdsmen in order to steal and eat butter which had been gathered by them. You danced in between the curved horns of the strong bulls in order to marry nappinnai pirAtti, who was also born in that clan.

vyAkhyAnam

sUttu – distinguished materials which are apt to be decorated on the head. If emperumAn’s followers wish to offer something to his divine feet, just as mentioned in the words “gruhNAthi SirasA svayam” he would lower his head and accept the offering on his head. When ponnAchchiyAr asked her husband piLLai uRangAvillidhAsar (a disciple of SrI rAmAnuja) as to why emperumAn accepts on his head what had been proffered to his divine feet, he responded by quoting SrI bhagavath gIthA SlOkam 9-26 “pathram palam pushpam thOyam yO mE bhakthyA prayachchathi | thadhaham bhakthyUpahrutham aSnAmi prayathAthmana: ||” (if one offers me a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water with devotion, I partake of that article with pure consciousness). When he [emperumAn] is like that, should we even say that he would accept with his head any material which has been proffered to his divine feet?

nanmAlaigaL – these are not flowers of erukkam or thumbai (shrubs such as Indian madder plant or dead white nettle) plants which are offered to him because he is willing to accept any leaf or any flower; these are distinguished flowers which are apt and most appropriate for him. When krishNa was going along with balarAma to mathurA for participating in the bow-festival, he came across a washerman who refused to give the clothes which krishNa asked for; krishNa dealt him a blow which killed the washerman. Next he went to a garland vendor and got himself the beautiful garlands which he desired and donned them on his divine crown. Then he saw a kUni (grotesque woman) who was selling sandalwood paste. He asked for sandalwood paste to apply on his form. Thinking that these lads are cowherd boys who do not know the value of sandalwood, she gave him a watery paste; he smelt it and said “sugandham Ethath” (the smell of this paste is not appealing) and wanted a better paste. When she offered a better paste, he said “rAjArham” (it is fit to be applied to kings); I need better than this. She then gave him an even better paste; he said “ruchiram” – its colour alone is beautiful. On hearing this, the affection which the kUni had in her mind, for krishNa, spread to her face too. She was amazed, thinking “We thought that the herdsmen do not know about the differences in sandalwood paste, but these boys seem to know!” She then proceeded to offer him the sandalwood paste which she had kept for kamsan (the king of mathurA). krishNa told her “AvayOrgAthrasadhruSam dhIyathAm anulEpanam” (You are capable of offering the most distinguished type of sandalwood paste) Don’t you know which type of sandalwood would suit which type of person? You decide which type of sandalwood would suit my brother’s divine form and my form and offer that.

thUyana – garland, sandalwood paste etc which are offered by those who do not expect any benefit for their offering.

Endhi – just as offering these to him in itself is a benefit, waiting with these materials for him is a benefit for the nithyasUris. Just as periyAzhwAr had mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-4-4 “manjaLum sengazhunIrum vAsigaiyum” (turmeric, reddish water-lily, string of flowers), they will hold distinguished garlands and give him thirumanjanam (a divine bath) so that they could adorn him with these garlands.

viNNOrgaL . . .  – he is one who accepts materials offered by people in this world. Should we even speak about his accepting such materials from nithyasUris in paramapadham? The thirumanjanam which those who are there [paramapadham] carry out is not in expectation of any benefit. It is carried out for the welfare of world.

andhUbam tharA niRkavE angu – he remains as the source of sustenance, nourishment and enjoyment for them there. While they are waiting to perform dhUpa hArathi (offer the fragrant smoke), he carried out an amazing act. Sage nAradha et al told him “In thiruvAyppAdi (SrI gOkulam) there is lot of butter available with those who are favourable to you”. Immediately he hid himself from nithyasUris who are referred to in rig vEdham as “sadhA paSyanthi sUraya:” (the nithyasUris keep looking at him constantly) when they offered him the fragrant smoke and went to thiruvAyppAdi.

mAyai – just as it is mentioned in the phrase “mAyAvayunam gyAnam” (mAyA, vayunm, gyAnam etc mean knowledge) he left for gOkulam on his desire.

Ittiya veNNey thodu uNNappOndhu – eating mischievously, the butter earned over a long period of time. He would not relish if someone offered him butter in his hand. He has to steal it and eat.  It was through this manner that he showed both his supremacy and simplicity to AzhwAr [for one moment he was in paramapadham, accepting thirumanjanam etc from nithyasUris, a mark of his supremacy; the next moment, he was in thiruvAyppAdi eating butter by stealing it, showing his simplicity].

Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 14-1 “atha panchavatIm gachchan” (SrI rAma came across jatAyu, the king of eagles, as he was proceeding towards panchavati), while his primary purpose in reaching thiruvAyppAdi was to steal and eat butter, he attained the gem among women, nappinnaip pirAtti (neeLA dhEvi) when he was there. It is similar to attaining a carbuncle while going to buy firewood.

imilERRi . . .  – he pounced on the strong bulls which had powerful, curved horns, in order to embrace nappinnaip pirAtti next. Since it was appropriate for him, AzhwAr calls it as kUththu (dance).

adalAyar tham kombinukkE – just as it has been said “krishNASrayA: krishNabalA: krishNanAthAScha: pANdavA:” (krishNa was the refuge, strength and lord for the pANdavas), after krishNa was born amidst them in the clan of herdsmen, the herdspeople looked upon him as their strength and did not respect their enemies. Why was nappinnaip pirAtti not offered to him immediately after he came to gOkulam by pouring water on his hands as symbolic of offering her, but bulls were lined up for him to fight with? If he had to embrace nappinnai who was like a kombu (she had waist as thin as a stick; the term kombu would refer both to thinness of the waist of a lady and to the horns of a bull), he had to fight with the bulls which had kombu (horns). The term tham refers to his identification with the clan of herdsmen, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 67-22 “janakAnAm kulE kIrthim Aharishyathi mE suthA” (king janaka tells of his daughter “My daughter sIthA will bring celebrity to the clan of janakas”)

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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avathArikai (Introduction)

This pAsuram belongs to the classification of veRivilakku in thamizh literature. Concerned with the illness of the nAyaki (leading lady), the mothers engage fortune tellers to tell them the reason for her state. They say that it is because of (a lowly) deity. Believing that, the mothers engage in remedial activities to rid the nAyaki of her illness. The lowly deity, seeing all these, possesses a person in the crowd, making him to go into a frenzy. The nAyaki’s friend tells the mother to stop all these and drives away the one who is in frenzy. This is called as veRivilakku.

Looking at the clouds surrounding, both the nAyaki and her friend became bewildered. The nAyaki’s mother became very saddened on seeing this state. Determining that this is the correct time, those who worship deities other than emperumAn, came there and started giving remedial measures to improve the situation of nAyaki. The mothers too started carrying out such remedial measures. Another friend of the nAyaki’s, who knew the real reason for the nAyaki’s sorrow, came there at that time. She told the mothers “When a beautiful garland is given to you, with water sprinkled on it to freshen it up, you act as if you want to throw it into fire. Don’t destroy her svarUpam (true nature) by indulging in these remedial measures”. She explained to them the reason for her illness, the antidote for that illness and the method to remove that illness.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

chinmozhi nOyO kazhi perum dheyvam innOyinadhenRu
inmozhi kEtkum iLam dheyvam anRu idhu vEla nil nI
en mozhi kENmin en ammanaimIr ulagu Ezhum uNdAn
sonmozhi mAlai andhaNNandhuzhAy koNdu sUttuminE

Word-by-Word Meanings

chinmozhi –  she, who speaks (illegible) small words , her
nOy – illness
kazhi – very much
perum – huge
dheyvam – happened due to such supreme entity
innOy – this illness
inadhu enRu – resulted due to lowly Gods
inmozhi – non-existent (false) words
kEtkum – feeling happy on hearing
iLam dheyvam – a lowly God
idhu – this illness
anRu – did not result
vEla – Oh vEla (subrahmaNya)!
nI – you
nil – stand at a distance
en ammanaimIr – Oh my mothers!
en mozhi – my words
kENmin – do listen to
ulagu Ezhum – the seven worlds
uNdAn – one who ate
mozhi – divine names
sol – recite
am – beautiful
thaN – cool
thuzhAy – strung with divine thuLasi
mAlai – garland
koNdu – bring
sUttumin – adorn

Simple Translation

nAyaki’s friend tells her mothers “The reason for the illness of this girl, who talks only a few words, is the supreme entity who is huge. Her disease has not been caused by any lowly God, as said by some people. Oh subramaNya! Go far from this place. Oh my mothers! Do listen to what I am saying. Keep reciting the divine names of the supreme entity who ate up the seven worlds. Offer her a garland strung with beautiful, cool, divine thuLasi”.

vyAkhyAnam

chinmozhi – there are two interpretations: one who uses very few words because of her young age or one who uses few words because of deep sorrow. The commentator uses the former meaning. If one were to consider this as a case where the girl is so young that she cannot even repeat the words spoken of by others, one would wonder as to how such a person became engaged with emperumAn to such an extent that she suffers in separation. The commentator gives reference here to SrI rAmAyaNam bAlakANdam 18-27 “bAlyAth prabhruthi susnigdha:” (lakshmaNa was very affectionate towards SrI rAma from infancy stage).  In the same way, the nAyaki too has been affectionate towards emperumAn from a young age. However, the illness which she exhibits is not congruent with her age. Does it not come after observing many deeds? Is it proper to term the love that one shows towards emperumAn as illness? Since it is a state which one takes upon oneself, it is apt only. The svarUpam (true nature) of the person is such that it becomes difficult to sustain himself/herself when separated from emperumAn.

nOy O – she is amazed that it is not the illness which befalls a person at such an age. She says that one can even make a payment in order to get such an illness. It is that good. One’s inability to sustain oneself during separation from emperumAn is the svarUpam of the AthmA.

kazhi perum dheyvam – the term kazhi refers to abundance. Here, it refers to a huge deity or one who has such greatness that he cannot be described by words. Several references are cited: purusha sUktham “pathim viSvasya” (lord of all the worlds); pathim pathInAm – superior to all the kings of the world; tham ISvarANAm paramam mahESvaram – one who is his own lord [he does not worship any other lord] and is the lord of all other deities; thaiththirIya upanishath yathO vAchA nivarthanthE – words return unable to describe the supreme entity.

innOy inadhenRu – [it is difficult to say] that this is the illness that she is suffering from or that this is the medicine or method to get rid of that illness

inmozhi – the lowly words which convey the meaning that this illness was caused by a lowly deity who wishes to listen to meaningless words such as “This disease was caused by such and such lowly deity”. Here, inmozhi refers to meaningless words.

kEtkum iLam dheyvam anRu idhu – all the lowly deities are happy and they celebrate when the people praise them ascribing non-existent greatness to them. However, the deity who caused her the illness is not one such deity. This is not the deity who grants people their wishes, expecting in return, words of praise from such people.

inmozhi – as far as other deities are concerned, their greatness will not equal the words spoken in their praise. However, in the case of bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to emperumAn), his greatness will be such that no words of praise can truly reflect it.

vEla nil nI – on hearing the words spoken by the nAyaki’s friend finding fault with the fortune tellers who were praising him, vElan (one who has spear, subrahmaNya) started getting jittery. Through the fortune teller, who he had taken possession of, he started blabbering “We will protect her as our child” etc. But the friend told him “We will not allow you to enter this place. Just as it has been said in thiruppaLLANdu engaL kuzhuvinil pugudhalottOm, we will not permit you to enter our group. Just as thiruvAimozhi 6-6-1 says kUrArAzhi veNsangEndhi, we are waiting to see sarvESvaran with his divine hands carrying divine disc and white conch. But you are standing here with your spear. Leave this place at once”.

enmozhi kENmin enammanaimIr – the nAyaki’s friend tells them “Oh mothers! Listen to my words”. Normally we see people instructing those who are younger or disciples or children. We do not come across younger people instructing elders. piLLai lOkAchAryar says that this is similar to the words spoken by Sukra to pithrus (forefathers) who had incurred a curse from brahmA. The remedy for the curse is for them to approach Sukra. Sukra comes there and tells them “puthrakA ithihOvAcha”. However, there, Sukra addresses the pithrus as puthrakA (children) whereas here, the friend addresses them as “Mothers!” which appears to be incongruent. There is a difference between the two incidents. In the case of Sukra, the pithrus were ignorant; hence he addressed them as puthrakA. Here, the mothers are aware of bhagavath vishayam. They appear bewildered on seeing the condition of daughter who is separated from emperumAn. Thus, it is not incongruent here.

ulagamEzhum . . . . – She tells them to recite to the daughter the divine names of the entity who had protected the worlds from the dangers of deluge by keeping them in his stomach. The mothers counter this saying “He will protect if there is danger to the worlds. For this girl alone, will he come and protect?” The friend responds saying “He protected the worlds as an equivalent of ridding her of her disease. You could consider that her illness is similar to the illness of all the worlds”.

mAlai andhaNNandhuzhAy koNdu sUttuminE – ensure that the divine, cool, beautiful thuLasi garland on his divine shoulders touches this girl’s form. The commentator says that sonmozhi (reciting the divine names of emperumAn) is internal medicine while thaNNandhuzhAy koNdu sUttumin is external medicine for her illness.

svApadhESam (distinguished meaning) – for nammAzhwAr, connection with other deities and their followers is harmful while connection with emperumAn and his followers is the reason for his sustenance.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org

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

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avathArikai (Introduction)

The friend, in order to placate the nAyaki [leading lady] had told her several lies, as in the previous pAsuram when she told her that it is not the rainy season. Just because she had told lies, will the real monsoon season become false?  Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 28-31 “raNOthyathAnAm ivavAraNAnAm” (clouds which have thunder and lightning as their flags), the clouds have surrounded on all sides, like an army of elephants and are pouring rain. Seeing this, the nAyaki swooned, thinking that her nAyakan (leading man) has not returned yet, to her. Looking at this, the nAyaki’s friend too swooned. Looking at this state, the nAyaki’s mother says “Let her sorrow take leave of her”

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings.

kArigaiyAr niRai kAppavar Ar enRu kAr koNdu innE
mAri kaiyERi aRaiyidum kAlaththum vAzhiyarO
sArigaip puLLar andhaNNandhuzhAy iRai kUyaruLAr
chErikaiyERum pazhiyAy viLaindhadhu en chinmozhikkE

Word-by-Word Meanings

kArigaiyAr – of the women
niRai – modesty
kAppavar – one who protects
yAr – who?
enRu – saying so
kAr koNdu – becoming dark
innE – like this
mAri – rain
kaiyERi – gathering in groups
aRai idum kAlaththum – during the time when they announce victoriously like a war cry
sArigai – flying in circles
puLLar – SrIya:pathi (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi), who has garuda as his vehicle
am – beautiful
thaN – being cool
thuzhAy – divine thuLasi garland
iRai – even a little bit
kUy aruLAr – is not offering mercifully, after calling out
en – my
chinmozhikku – for her who talks in feeble (gibberish) words
chEri – those who reside in the neighbourhood
kai ERum – lifting their hands
pazhiyAy – as an accusation
viLaindhadhu – happened
vAzhiyarO – let this sorrow get eliminated

Simple Translation

The clouds, becoming darker, have gathered on all sides and ask uproariously “Which women could protect their modesty in our presence? Or, who is there to protect the modesty of these women?” Even during this time, sarvESvaran, who has garuda who can circle rapidly in the skies, has not called out to her and given her his cool, beautiful thuLasi garland. As a result, those who live in our neighbourhood raise their arms and accuse my daughter who talks very few words. Let her live long, after getting rid of this sorrowful state.

vyAkhyAnam

kArigaiyAr . . . – There are two interpretations for this term – one meaning is that the clouds ask “When we are roaming here, who is there to protect these women who are suffering in separation from their beloved?” The other meaning is that the clouds ask “When we are roaming, which lady can protect herself or another person?”

kAr koNdu – becoming dark or becoming angry

innE – like this

mAri kaiyERi – the rain which is lashing heavily. It could be said that the clouds had rain as their ornament.

aRaiyidum kAlaththum – similar to making a war-cry in battlefield. Just like sugrIva called out to vAli for battle, with SrI rAma as his support. The clouds here, unlike sugrIva who needed support, won on their own strength. There it was the warrior, vAli. Here, it is the women who are helpless. There, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 32-17 “antharEnAnjalim badhvA lakshmaNasya prasAdhanAth” (the only option to save yourself is to perform anjali (join palms together) to lakshmaNa), sugrIva, being a sentient entity, did just that. However, here, the clouds, being insentient, wound not listen even when told.

vAzhiyarO – let her live long, after getting rid of her sorrows.

sArigaip puLLar – it is not possible for the nAyakan to say that he could not come before the rainy season. It could not be said that he had never come fast anytime before this. One needs to recap his speed when he came to help the elephant gajEndhran. It could not be said that he does not have any support to come fast, since he has garuda who comes fast in circles. He has the quality of offering himself to his followers when they are in distress, thus manifesting to them his quality [of being a protector]. While he was wondering “Should I leave today?” to save sIthA who was with him for fourteen years, he did not think for a moment when setting out to save the elephant, and had the support of garuda, too. He has all the qualities of being a supreme entity by having garuda who could take him fast to his followers in distress, by having the divine disc in his hands [again to protect his followers], by having periya pirAtti [SrI mahAlakshmi] who he refers to as “mine” and by having the divine thuLasi as his garland.

andhaNNandhuzhAy – the divine thuLasi which is capable of redeeming life. Similar to saying santhAnakaraNi – visalyakaraNi: the former term refers to his divine feet and the latter, to thuLasi.

iRai kUyaruLAr – If he tries to avoid her love, should he avoid being her lord too? He has forgotten that he is her nAyakan. However, should he not have come to protect her since he is the lord for all? He has forgotten that too! He should have come on his own, embraced me and made the divine thuLasi which is on his shoulder to touch my chest. But he did not do that. He could have at the least, called me and offered thuLasi as well as many other entities. He did not do that. Whether he comes to me or calls me out towards him, the benefit is his only.

chEri kaiyERum pazhiyAy viLaindhadhu – looking at my state, all those who are near me are saying “Oh how she is craving”. Everyone started pointing out to me, saying “Instead of waiting for him, she is attempting to seek the benefit on her own!”

chinmozhikkE – it is not the age for her to crave like this! Isn’t her age such that even if she were asked to say something, she is unable to utter anything!

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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avathArikai (Introduction)

The leading man had told his beloved “I will return once monsoon arrives”; however, he did not return even after monsoon had arrived. This pAsuram indicates the mental make-up of the nAyaki (leading lady) regarding the monsoon season. This pAsuram, like the seventh pAsuram in this prabandham (gyAnam panippa) belongs to the classification of kAlamayakku (bewilderment due to change in time). While this has been spoken about in the seventh pAsuram itself, what is the need to mention the same here too? That pAsuram was composed when monsoon had just set in. However, this pAsuram speaks about the nAyaki’s anguish at the non-arrival of her beloved when the rainy season is about to end. It has been said this way since she is of a soft nature who cannot tolerate separation, he is one with greatness and this is the time at which he had promised he would return. There is no other way for her to sustain herself other than crying about his continued absence. thirumangai AzhwAr had spoken about SaraNAgathi (surrendering to emperumAn) in ten different ways in ten different pAsurams. This AzhwAr too is carrying out in the same way. He too is bewildered on account of kAlamayakku. In the seventh pAsuram, she [AzhwAr in feminine pathos] comprehended what she had seen – gathering of clouds – as two bulls fighting with each other; here, she is comprehending a similar incident (rainfall) as arising out of the fight between ocean and cloud. She is mistaking the intimacy of ocean and cloud as a fight between them and is bewildered.

Let us look at the pAsuram and its meanings:

kadal koNdu ezhundhadhu vAnam avvAnaththai anRich chenRu
kadal koNdu ozhindha adhanAl idhu kaNNan maNNum viNNum
kadal koNdu ezhundha akkAlam kolO puyaRkAlam kolO
kadal koNda kaNNIr aruvi seyyA niRkum kArigaiyE

Word-by-Word Meanings

kadal – ocean
koNda – defeating
kaN – from the eyes
nIr – tears
aruvi seyyA niRkum – making it as a flood
kArigaiyE – Oh lady!
vAnam – the sky
kadal – ocean
koNdu – swallowing
ezhundhadhu – rose
kadal – the ocean
avvAnaththai – that sky
anRi – getting angry
senRu – following it
koNdu – retrieving (the water taken by cloud)
ozhindha adhanAl – due to the water which stayed (in it)
idhu – these drops of rain
(are pouring)
kaNNan – krishNa’s
maNNum – bhUlOkam (earth)
viNNum – the upper lOkam (svarga etc)
kadal – ocean
koNdu – swallowed
ezhundha – developed
akkAlam kolO – is it that time of deluge?
puyaRkAlam kolO – or is it the monsoon time
(I am unable to determine)

Simple Translation

Oh lady who is shedding tears like a flood, which can defeat the water contained by ocean!  The sky imbibed the entire water present in ocean and rose up. Ocean, becoming furious at this, followed that sky and went up. Reaching the sky, it retrieved the water from. At the end of all this, a few drops of water fell down as rain. I do not know whether this is the time for seasonal rains or the time when deluge swallowed krishNa’s upper world and this world.

vyAkhyAnam

kadal koNdu ezhundhadhu vAnam . . .  – the term vAnam here refers to cloud [and not to sky]. Cloud drank up the water from ocean so completely that the ocean bed was visible. Due to this, creatures living in the ocean started struggling for life. Seeing this, the ocean became furious thinking “Our citizens are suffering acutely. The cloud has taken away our possession of water so easily”. It ran behind the cloud to retrieve its water. The term anRi refers to fury. These should be taken as the words of the nAyaki’s [leading lady’s] friend. The nAyakan [leading man] had not returned during monsoon time, as he had promised when he separated from the leading lady. Since it started raining, and a few drops of water fell on her, the leading lady queries her friend “The monsoon has arrived; however, the nAyakan has not arrived”

ozindha adhanAl idu – when the two are fighting with each other [for that water] just a few drops are falling on us; it is not raining, assures the friend. When rAvaNa and jatAyu were fighting in the sky, several articles such as the decorations of rAvaNa’s chariot, his flag etc fell down. In the same way, these drops of water are falling during the fight between ocean and sky. The friend feigns surprise and says “How did this flood get generated? Is it that or this?” The reason for this is that she had been giving some excuse or the other since the nAyaki would not be able to bear the continued absence of nAyakan despite the rainy season having set in. Guessing as to what she could do if the nAyaki finds out that she had been telling lies, she continues cleverly.

kaNNan maNNum viNNum . . .  – don’t this world and sky which belong to sarvESvaran, appear to have been taken up by the ocean, as happens during a deluge?

puyaRkAlam kolO – Or is it the rainy season? I am unable to ascertain. The friend, who was cleverly saying such words, says “Oh! I have found out how this flood was formed” and continues.

kadal koNda kaN – Is this [flood] not coming from your eyes? Your eyes will defeat the ocean itself in terms of the water held. There are two interpretations to the term kadal koNda kaN – the eyes are as expansive as the ocean; also, the eyes hold more water than the ocean.

nIr aruvi seyyA niRkum – have you not realised that the reason for this flood, which looks like a deluge, is the large quantity of water shed by your eyes, like a stream?

kArigaiyE – you are like a helpless woman, unable to tolerate these.

svApadhESam (distinguished meaning) for this pAsuram: This pAsuram appears to have been narrated by those who are unable to bear the anguish of AzhwAr who is anxious to unite with emperumAn or his followers at the correct time. It appears that since deluge has come in, it has created an urge in him to unite with emperumAn and has bewildered his knowledge.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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