SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
<< previous pAsuram – 25 – minnilangu thiruvurum
Introduction
Since her longing for Him is the result of His long term efforts, He became happy about that and stayed away from her; since the mother stayed away with appreciation for daughter’s state of not listening to her good words, her friend tried to determine what could calm her down, and asked the story of what happened, since it was the story of what happened with Him she could sustain herself and tell the story in the previous two pAsurams (21 & 22);
Then her friend inquired, “As He is under your control, could you not have asked Him when you got a chance, telling Him not to go?”, and she replied “I tried, but since garudAzhvAn came and called Him and He flew away from here, my asking Him to stop had not helped” (pAsuram 23).
In pAsuram 24, “Could you not stop garudAzhvAn who came and took Him away?”, “Was it just one or two to stop? I could not because all of His servants (nithyasUris) came and surrounded Him”.
In the previous pAsuram (25), she summarized her state that she explained in these previous pAsurams. That is, “He came like one who was going to give everything of Him, showed straight what was there with Him, and stole everything from me and left; as He left, in order for me to sustain my life, He told the name of His place.
In this pAsuram (26), since there was no one to ask (more) questions, there was no answer she needed to give, and so her longing reared its head, and she thought, “He is not coming because He doesn’t know about my longing; if that is informed to Him, then He would come somehow”, and so she is sending some bees as messengers.
Instead of sending some human being who is sentient, why send bees that are non-sentient?
Seeing her state, all her relatives were already in bewildered state even before her. Since it was not known that it gave any fruitful result when Humans, sentients, had gone as messengers, but in rAmAvathAram when hanUman who is not a human had gone as a messenger, it had given the results, she is sending bees in this pAsuram, and crane in the next pAsuram, as messengers. When kaNNan who is of utmost wisdom had gone as a messenger His help only created a war.
But instead of sending a monkey as messenger like in rAmAvathAram, why send a bee? There, SrI rAma who is a male had to send a messenger to a female, so He had to choose hanUman who was able and detached towards worldly affairs. Here, since it is a longing female sending to emperumAn a male, she had to send only those who experience union and suffer due to similar longing. Since they would understand the suffering due to separation, and since she has seen these bees earlier that were in union and happy, she is sending bee as a messenger. But would the bees who are staying together happily agree to go as messengers? She is asking them to go because of understanding her experience she had when together with Him.
That is, when she and Her man were together, if some people who suffer due to separation came to her, then she would take care of their problem and only then be together with her lover, as said in “apyaham jeevitham jahyAm thvAm vA salakShmaNAm | na thu prathigyAm samSRuthya brAhmaNEBhyO viShEshatha: [SrI rAmAyaNam – AraNya KhANdam – 10-19]” (Hey seethA! I might lose my life, and lose you along with lakShmaNa, but I will not ignore the promise I made (that too especially ones made to brAhmaNas)); based on this experience, she is in the state that seeing her suffering, the bees would go as messenger.
She is first praising the bees, to request them to take care of her problem, by their gaining mercy towards her.
In terms of inner meaning, bees represent AchAryas who get us to reach emperumAn. Acharyas are to be praised, as said in – “prathyakShE gurava: sthuthyA: parOkShE mithrabAnDhavA: | kAryAnthE dhAsa-BruthAScha na kadhAchana puthrakA: || (One should praise Acharyas right in front of them; praise friends and relatives in their absence; praise servants after they finish their work; should never praise the children).
krishNa as a messenger
thEmaruvu pozhilidaththu malarndha pOdhai
thEnadhanai vAy maduththu un pedaiyum neeyum
pUmaruvi inidhamarndhu poRiyilArndha
aRukAla siRu vaNdE thozhudhEn unnai
Amaruvi niRai mEyththa amarar kOmAn
aNiyazhundhUr ninRAnukku inRE senRu
neemaruvi anjAdhE ninROr mAdhu
ninnayandhAL enRiRaiyE iyambik kANE 26
Word by word meaning
thEn maruvu – Having honey flooding fully
pozhil idaththu – in the garden,
malarndha pOdhai – with flowers blossoming,
vAy maduththu – drinking
thEnadhanai – that honey,
un pedaiyum neeyum – your female and you
pUmaruvi – well set in the flower
inidhamarndhu – and be in union with her;
aRukAla siRu vaNdE – Oh the bee having six legs,
poRiyin Arndha – having lots of dots in the body
unnai thozhudhEn – I prostrate and beg you;
To Him who
maruvi mEyththa – herded with interest
A niRai – the groups of cows,
amarar kOmAn – and who is the head of nithyasUris,
aNi azhundhUr ninRAnukku – and who is standing in the beautiful place of thiruvazhundhUr,
inRE nee senRu – you go now itself and
anjAdhE – without being afraid,
maruvi ninRu – stand there strong,
iyambik kANE – try to tell Him
iRaiyE – a little bit, that
Or mAdhu – one female
nin nayandhAL enRu – is being interested in You,
vyAkyAnam
thEmaruvu pozhilidaththu – In the place that is having gardens that are always with honey. By the word maruvu, it says that honey is always present, and it is being plentiful; by pozhil it says that it is a garden that removes tiredness. These three qualities are present in paramapadham also which is the place of enjoyment. Only if you placed us in such a place of happiness, would the place of your enjoyment be enjoyable.
malarndha pOdhaith thEnadhanai vAy maduththu – Drinking honey from the flowers as they blossomed. Since it is the honey from the flowers that blossomed just then, it would be fresh and very tasty. If time has passed since a flower blossomed, then its honey would be past time, less, and old. If honey is extracted when the flower is still a bud, then there would be less honey, and since it is taken forcefully, that honey would taste less. So, it is saying here that the honey is from just blossomed flower.
Would the flowers which blossom (only) when wind blows, would blossom when these bees go there? We can consider it as – since those flowers are at the stage of blossoming even if touched, they blossom due to the wind from the wings of bees, and also the air of their breath.
This same aspect is divined by AzhvAr in “pUviriya madhu nugarum [periya thirumozhi – 3.6.1]”. Unlike Him who left me without understanding my freshness and sweetness, you got to understand the freshness and sweetness of flowers, she says. Only if you join me with Him while I am fresh and sweet, would you be known as having complete ablity to enjoy fresh honey, she says.
vAy maduththu – Like husband and wife eating from the same vessel, taking the honey in mouth and feeding it to each other. Honey is there for enjoying each other in this way. That is, “Don’t you have to make me enjoy the sweetness by joining me with Him, like how SrI rAma enjoyed together with seethAp pirAtti as said in “idham mEDhyam idham svAdhu [SrI rAmAyaNam – ayODhyA KANdam – 96-2]” (This is pure, This is sweet.. – saying these, SrI rAma was present together with seethAp pirAtti in thiruchchiththirak kUdam).
un pedaiyum neeyum – The female bee that is under your control, and you who are under her control; the female bee behaves as per your thoughts, and you who behave as per her thoughts; Oh it is good that you both are able to interact knowing each others’ mind, unlike Him who does not behave with understanding of my wishes.
un pedaiyum neeyum – You who are together as male and female, don’t you have to take care of work for me who am separated from my lover?. It is my fortune that you are together and so not need someone to get you together first – she says. SrI rAma had to unite mahArAjar (sugreevan) with his wife and kingdom first and then only had to search for His wife. Unlike that, you are already together, and that is my fortune, she says to the bees.
pUmaruvi – Oh what a dare this is, like someone hugging the fire!- she says. As said in “menmalarp paLLi vem paLLiyAlO [thiruvAimozhi – 9.9.4]”, bed with flowers in it (soft like flowers) is like a bed on fire for her. Since she is separated from her lover, she thinks only those who knows agni-sthamBha-vidhyA would be able to lie down in such a bed. agni-sthamBha-vidhyA is union of man and woman. As I am lying on floor since I cannot tolerate the bed, only if you do my work would it be enjoyable for you to be together in bed; Oh what a great wonder it is that unlike for me, you both as male and female got the garden which removes tiredness as a place of enjoyment, honey as enjoyable, and flower as bed! – she says.
inidhamarndhu – Sitting nicely. Nicely being together as male and female. Since her union with Him ended in separation, that union become one that gave sorrow. She herself said “enRAlum idhu namakkOr pulavi thAnE [thirunedunthANdakam – 23]”. Idea is – only if you removed my sorrow would your union be enjoyable.
poRiyilArndha – By poRi it refers to dots. Having rich number of dots in its body. This phrase is adjective for the bee. It talks about the brightness to its body due to union.
The male bee is in beginning stage of youth like said in “yuvA kumAra: [ruk – ash – 2.2.25]”, (vishNu is in the age of youth, and having a bit of previous stage of adolescence).
The female bee is in the beginning stage of youth as said in “yuvathiScha kumAriNee” (pirAtti is in upper stage of adolescence, and beginning of youth).
As said in “BharthA nAma param nAryA: BhUshaNam BhUshaNAdhapi | EshAhi rahithA thEna BhUshaNArhA na SOBhathE || [SrI rAmAyaNam – sundhara KhANdam – 16.26]” (Husband is like an ornament above the ornaments worn, and so He is the reason for her brightness. Since she is separated from such a husband, seethAp pirAtti who could wear ornaments, was not being beautiful), for me who has become lean due to not eating because of separation, if you create beauty for me, only then your beauty would be meaningful, she says.
aRukAla siRu vaNdE – Oh small bee who has got six legs! Since it is natural for bees to have six legs, why mention this as adjective to the bee? Oh! Instead of having just two legs, or just four legs, it got to have six legs that would enable it to go to Him fast! – This was the meaning established by previous AchAryas. But since the means for a bee to travel is its wings, since she is going to say next in this pAsuram – thozhudhEn (prostrating and praying to you), I got six legs for it to touch my head (when I prostrate / when I happily keep your six legs in my head when you return from Him) – is the establishment of meaning by SrI parASara Bhattar.
(From puththUr swAmy’s vivaraNam – bee refers to AchAryas who enjoy the honey that is auspicious qualities of BhagavAn. Like towards AchAryan, one should also serve AchArya’s divine son, and Acharya’s divine wife. Combined, it is their six divine feet. There is a phrase matching SrI parASara Bhattar’s meaning in “en thUdhAy, num kAlgaL en thalai mEl kezhumeerO numarOdE [thiruvAimozhi – 9.7.1]”)
siRu vaNdE – You who is already small unlike thiruvadi (hanUman) who had to make himself small when entering lankA when doing the messenger work.
vaNdE – You do not have to take additional efforts like thiruvadi who had to figure out where to sit and how to talk to seethAp pirAtti; you could be in the flower ring garland in His head, or in the garland in His shoulders, and talk to Him without anyone else knowing – such is the type of birth yours is!
As she called the bees, they who were experiencing their togetherness heard her requesting voice, and got up with a startle like someone threw fire, and peeked.
thozhudhEn unnai – I prostrated, fell, on your feet. It shows that one should prostrate, fall on AchAryan’s feet, and praise him.
unnai – I am not falling at His feet; even at this state of His having left me, I am falling at your feet, you who are going to join the severed connection between Him and me. I am separated from Him and suffering even while He exists, and I exist; you who are going to join us are the one who are to be praised, and prostrated. This is the way of her “athra-parathra-chApi [AlavandhAr’s sthOthra rathnam – 2]” (SrIman nAthamuni’s divine feet is my destiny in this world and the other world).
As the bee says, “Let your prostrating me be; what is it to be accomplished by me. You shall tell me that”, and so she replies –
amarar kOmAn – Please go and announce the following to the leader of nithyasUris as said in “ayarvarum amarargaL athipathi [thiruvAimozhi – 1.1.1]”.
Is it possible for us to go near Him?
A-maruvi nirai mEyththa – He is one, though so superior, who had been set together with the cows and protected them. Like how He is the head of nithyasUris who could not exist if separated from Him, His existence depended on the cows He protected. Since nithyasUris cannot live without Him, He is being approachable to them. Since He cannot sustain Himself if separated from cows, He is well set among them. maruvi – well set/involved.
Oh! But that was the earlier time of krishNAvathAram..
aNiyazhundhUr ninRAnukku – Like how He protected the cows during the time of incarnation as krishNa, to protect those who are present after that time and who are with no wisdom similar to cows, He stood in thiruvazhundhUr. Please inform Him about me. When He left, He said “punal-arangam-Ur [thirunedunthANdakam – 24]”, and so must have gone to thiruvarangam; why send messenger to thiruvazhundhUr? Sending so is meaningless – it is similar to saying “karNE spRushtE gatim chAlayathi [saying]” (He moves his hip if one touches his ear)? “Since He is also a sentient, suffering would be there for Him too due to separating from me; He left me for some work; He would not leave me altogether; He might have stayed in thiruvazhundhUr on the way. Please go and request to Him there” – she says.
Or, “Since thiruvarangam is bhOga-maNdapam (meant for enjoyment), He would not have been able to stay there for long because He would not be able to sustain the separation from me. So, as He would have started returning to me, He might have reached up to thiruvazhundhUr. Go there”, could be the other meaning of her saying this.
ninRAnukku – In the first meaning, He could not go to His place, so He stood in thiruvazhundhUr like a tree; In the second meaning above – during return, He might be staying in thiruvazhundhUr thinking that He should not voluntarily go to me showing eagerness, and so He may be waiting there hoping that I send someone to Him”.
inRE senRu – You should not say “We will go tomorrow”. I will not sustain myself till tomorrow – she says. If I won’t be there, then He too won’t be there. If you think both of us should live, then you go today itself. If both He and I are destroyed, then it is like the whole world is destroyed.
nee maruvi – Since He was well set among the cows and protected them, He would definitely welcome you who is of animal species. So you approach Him and;
nee maruvi – Like how I who had seen the excess of His quality of simplicity but had hesitated thinking that He is supreme god instead of thinking as human being, as said in “avarai nAm dhEvarenRu anjinOmE [thirunedunthANdakam – 21]” – you please do not behave like me, but approach Him and be well set with Him.
anjAdhE ninRu – Stand there without fearing when seeing His supremacy. Instead of being afraid thinking that He is the leader of nithyasUris, consider His being well set among the cows and taking them for gracing; and so stand there sustaining yourselves.
Or, anjAdhE ninRu – Stand with pride and talk to Him, with the appearance of coming as messengers from the Queen. If you talked with pride, it would be clear to Him that you came from me.
What is it to be conveyed to Him? She responds –
Or mAdhu – No need to say my name to Him; If you just said “one woman”, that would be enough. He would know automatically. If someone says “There is a deer in a forest which has got arrow-wounds and is suffering from it”, then the one who shot that arrow would be knowing the place of that deer.
Or,
Or mAdhu – She says – tell Him that the girl has no equals. If you say so, then He would know who it is. It is because she is not a part of those who are immersed in the material world, not of liberated souls, and not of those people who wish to leave for SrIvaikuNtam (mumukshus). She is present like said in “pinnai kol, nila mAmagaL kol, thirumagaL kol piRandhittAL [thiruvAimozhi – 6.5.10]” (unique woman like the divine consorts of emperumAn).
ninnayandhAL – If you (who is a bee) went to Him as a messenger, then He would know whose messenger you are. There would be no need to say anything. Even if you say any words, if you just said “Or mAdhu”, then He would definitely know. If even that is not enough, it is enough if you just said a word “ninnayandhAL”- She wished for you – is the meaning. That is, that she is hurt at the part vital to life.
Ask Him, “Did she wish for someone walking in the road? She wished for You who are the greatest of all. She wished for you who are of greatness that one could not sustain themselves if separated”.
ninnayandhAL – Did she wish for you in your state of para, vyUha, viBhava, that she could stay without great anxiety? She wished for you who is in archAvathAram (vigraham/statue form).
enRu iRaiyE iyambik kANE – So as you start talking these words to Him He would know, and would not even let you finish; and you will see Him rejoicing about you – she says.
iRaiyE iyambi – (say only a little) – It is enough if you said “Or mAdhu”, it would be excessive to say even “ninnayandhAL”.
kANE – You are definitely going to see all the respects He would pay to you after you just said this. Saying like “Dharmatha: parirakShithA: [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 1-11]” (We all got saved of our lives because of your deed of beneficence – SrI rAma says to hanUman when he returns after finding seethAp pirAtti),
and hugging like “Esha sarvasva BhUthasthu parishvanga: [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 1-13]” (This my embracing you which is like giving everything of me.. (said SrI rAma to hanUman)),
you are going see that He would do all these – she says.
kANE – Oh you are going to see His divine body which I could not see! – she says – This could also be the meaning.
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Translation by raghurAm SrInivAsa dhAsan.
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