SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram “Your highness, during the time of deluge when the chEthanas (those with knowledge) were under threat, protected them all in your small stomach manifesting your quality that you are the omniscient. For your highness, is saying ‘You have affection towards your followers’ a matter of eminence?” The implied meaning is that in the previous pAsuram, the quality of ASritha pakshapAtham (partiality towards followers) mentioned was a natural one and not something which is to be looked at as being great.
paNdum inRum mElum Ayor bAlanAgi gyAlamEzh
uNdumaNdi Alilaith thuyinRa Adhi dhEvanE
vaNdu kiNdu thaN thuzhAy alangalAy! kalandha sIrp
puNdarIga pAvai sEru mArba! bUmi nAdhanE!
Word-by-Word Meanings
paNdum – the time before creation
inRum – the time of creation
mElum – time of deluge
(For all these times)
Ay – being the controller
or – unique
bAlanAgi – as a child
maNdi – desirously
uNdu – ate
Alilai – tender banyan leaf
thuyinRa – one who reclined
Adhi dhEvanE – Oh one who is the causative factor!
vaNdu – beetles
kiNdu – probing
thaN – invigorating
thuzhAy alangalAy – Oh one who dons the divine thuLasi garland!
kalandha – being permanently together
sIr – having auspicious qualities
puNdarIga– having lotus flower as the place of birth
pAvai – pirAtti (SrI mahAlakshmi) who has the quality of natural feminism
sErum – permanently residing
mArba – Oh one who has the divine chest!
bUmi nAdhanE – Oh one who is the consort of SrI bhUmip pirAtti!
The implied meaning is that for one who has all these, is the quality of having motherly forbearance towards your followers, a great quality!
Simple Translation
Oh one who is the controller of time, prior to creation, during creation and during deluge! Oh one who desirously ate the worlds during deluge and lay on a tender banyan leaf! Oh one who is he causative factor for the worlds! Oh one who dons the divine, invigorating thuLasi garland in which beetles probe for honey! Oh one who has the divine chest in which pirAtti, who is permanently together with auspicious qualities, who has the quality of natural feminism and who was born on a lotus flower, resides! Oh one who is the consort of SrI bhUmip pirAtti! For such an entity with all these qualities, is the quality of having motherly forbearance towards your followers an eminent one!
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
paNdum inRum mElAy – paNdu refers to the time prior to creation; inRum refers to the present time of creation; mEl refers to the time of deluge, which will follow. chAndhOgya upanishath 6-2-1 says “sadhEva sOmya idhamagra AsIth EkamEva adhvithIyam” (Oh child! brahmam, which is also called as sath [that which exists] (which is now seen with names and forms for all entities) was only one (since it was without names and forms for entities) during the time of deluge; (and since it was without an identical entity) it was without a second entity). subAlOpanishath 2 says “thama: parE dhEva EkIbhavathi” (primordial matter, called as thamas, subsides in paramAthmA). In line with the above-mentioned authentic texts, during the time prior to creation, when chEthanas were without names and forms, when they were similar to achEthana entities, in a sorrowful state, emperumAn protected them by keeping them within his stomach. During the time of creation, he creates them as per their karmas (deeds in previous births) and protects them in line with that. Thus, at all times, since he controls them fully, the term Ay is used to refer to this.
Or bAlanAgi – like a new born infant, without any match.
gyAlam Ezhum uNdu maNdi – Though he protects them when danger comes in the form of deluge, by keeping them in his stomach, the underlying opinion here is that he does as if to satisfy his hunger. By controlling all the worlds in his small stomach, he carries out impossible-to-carry-out-tasks and reveals that he is the sarvESvaran, through this amazing ability.
Alilaith thuyinRa Adhi dhEvanE – Oh one who reclined in a just then sprouted tender banyan leaf, revealing that you are causative factor for the worlds!
vaNdu kiNdu thaN thuzhAy alangalAy – the rest of the pAsuram says – Isn’t he, the supreme entity who reclines alone in the deluge, with no one present to show affection for him! Oh one who wears the divine thuLasi garland, which is invigorating and which is always fresh such that beetles will keep splitting the thuLasi for honey, all the time! The word kiNdal refers to tearing or splitting. This verse reveals that since he wears thuLasi, he is the sarvESvaran.
kalandha sIrp puNdarIga pAvai sEru mArba – since pirAtti is the one who confirms the svarUpam (basic nature) of emperumAn, she is always with him; she has lotus as her place of birth; she has the natural feminism. Oh one who has such pirAtti, who has been praised by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 6-10-10 as “agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu” (I will not separate from emperumAn even for a moment) on your divine chest!
bhUmi nAdhanE – Oh one who is the consort of SrI bhUmip pirAtti (bhU dhEvi)! Through these two qualifications, just as it has been said in purusha sUktham 2-5 “hrIScha thE lakshmIScha pathnyau” (Oh supreme entity! SrI dhEvi and bhUmi dhEvi are your consorts), it says that emperumAn has the greatness of having lakshmi, who is the presiding deity for wealth and bhUmi dhEvi, as his wives.
The underlying opinion is that such a supreme entity is reclining in the ocean of deluge, without anyone to shower affection on him, lying all alone by himself.
Next, we will consider the 23rd pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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