SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:

perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

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avathArikai (Introduction)

In this pAsuram, AzhwAr longs to look at emperumAn, with tears in his eyes.

maRam thigazhum manam ozhiththu vanja mARRi
    aim pulangaL adakki idar bArath thunbam
thurandhu irumuppozhudhu Eththi ellai illAth
    thol neRikkaN nilai ninRa thoNdarAna
aRam thigazhum manaththavar tham gadhiyaip ponni
    aNi arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum
niRam thigazhum mAyOnaik kaNdu en kaNgaL
    nIr malga enRu kolO niRku nALE

Word-by-word-Meanings
maRam thigazhum – full of qualities such as murder, anger, cruelty
manam ozhiththu – removing from the mind, with their traces
vanjam mARRi – getting rid of falsehood
aim pulangaL adakki – controlling the five senses such that they do not enter worldly pursuits
idar bAram thunbam thuRandhu – getting rid of the burden of karma (results of virtues and vices from previous births) which engender sorrow
irumuppzhodhu Eththi – worshipping five times in a day
ellai illAth thol neRIkkaN nilai ninRa – not slipping from the ancient limits which are countless 
thoNdarAna – being followers (of emperumAn)
aRam thigazhum manaththavar tham – for SrIvaishNavas (followers of emperumAn) who have compassionate minds
gadhiyai – the distinguished goal
ponni aNi arangaththu – in beautiful SrI rangam which is surrounded by the river kAvEri
aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum – one who is reclining on AdhiSEshan
niRam thigazhum – one who is beautiful
mAyOnaik kaNdu – to get to worship the amazing entity
en kangaL nIr malga – with my eyes shedding tears of joy
niRkum nAL enRu kolO – when will I stand?

Simple Translation
emperumAn is lying atop AdhiSEshan, inside the beautiful SrI rangam which is surrounded by the river kAvEri. He has a beautiful form and is an amazing entity. He grants superior refuge to his followers who have removed from their minds evil qualities such as murder, anger, cruelty, falsehood etc, along with their traces, who have controlled their senses such that they do not graze on worldly pursuits, who have got rid of karma which is a huge burden resulting in sorrow, who have not slipped from the good paths of yore, who have compassion towards others and who worship emperumAn five times in a day. When will I stand in front of that emperumAn and worship him, with tears of joy in my eyes?

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

maRam thigazhum manam ozhiththu – the term maRam refers to qualities such as murder, anger, cruelty etc towards someone. Getting rid of these qualities, with their traces, from the mind.

vanjam mArri – getting rid of falsehood. Through these two verses, AzhwAr has spoken about getting rid of bad qualities from the mind. Next, he speaks about controlling the shortcomings in the five senses.

aim pulangaL adakki – periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5-2-3 says “vanpulach chEvai adhakki” – controlling five senses which are like strong bulls which stray into all lands for grazing.

idarp pArath thunbam thuRandhu – amalanAdhipirAn 5 says “bAramAya pazhavinai paRRaRuththu” (severing connection with the dreadful load of old sins). Old deeds (both virtuous and sinful) always create sorrow. The opinion expressed here is that we should get rid of our connection with all the old deeds and overcome all the bad qualities mentioned above with the mercy of emperumAn.

iru muppozhudhu Eththi – A day is divided into five parts – upAdhAnam, abhigamanam, ijjyA, svAdhyAyam and yOgam – starting from around 4 in the morning, each portion is of roughly of 2 ½ hours duration. During these times, keep praying to emperumAn appropriately, as panchakAla pArAyaNar (worshipping emperumAn on five occasions). Alternatively, a day is considered as morning, afternoon and evening. This will be muppozhudhu (three occasions). irumuppozhudhu will mean ‘the great three occasions’ and the meaning for this verse will be – praying to emperumAn during the great three times – in other words, worshipping him constantly.

ellaiyillAth thonnerikkaN nilai ninRa thoNdarAna – SrI vaishNavas, who cannot be afflicted by anyone when they are engaged with the customary, ancient method of carrying out thiruvaradhanam (divine worship of emperumAn).

aRam thigazhum manaththavar tham gadhiyai – one who is considered as the supreme refuge by these (SrI vaishNavas) who show mercy towards others as their basic nature.

ponni aNi arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum – one who is reclining on top of the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn inside SrI rangam which is surrounded on all sides by the river kAvEri, just as it has been mentioned in thiruchchandha viruththam 55 “ponni sUzh arangam” (SrI rangam which is surrounded by kAvEri)

aNi arangam – for this samsAra maNdalam, also called as leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm), SrI rangam is like a decorative jewel.

niRam thigazhum mAyOnaik kaNdu – looking at the amazing entity who is beauty personified. By the term niRam thigazhum, we can say that the quality ‘beauty’ too becomes great because it is holding on to him. The term mAyOn refers to one who has amazing activities.

en kaNgaL nIr malga enRu kolO niRku nALE – when will I see his beautiful and divine form, feel ecstatic and shed tears of joy?

We will take up the 8th pAsuram of this padhigam, next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

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avathArikai (Introduction)

In this pAsuram, AzhwAr longs to worship emperumAn such that his mind will melt.

aLimalar mEl ayan aran indhiranO(du) Enai
    amarargaL tham kuzhuvum arambaiyarum maRRum
theLi madhisEr munivargaL tham kuzhuvum undhith
    thisai thisaiyil malar thUvich chenRu sErum
kaLi malar sEr pozhil arangath(thu) uragam ERik
    kaN vaLarum kadal vaNNar kamalak kaNNum
oLi madhi sEr thirumugamum kaNdu koN(du) en
    uLLa miga enRu koLo urugu nALE

Word-by-word Meanings
aLi malar mEl ayan – brahmA who is sitting atop a lotus flower which is teeming with beetles
aran – Sivan
indhiranOdu Enai amarargaL tham kuzhuvum – other groups of celestial entities along with indhran
arambaiyarum– celestial women such as rambA et al
maRRum – further
theLi madhir sEr munivargaL tham kuzhuvum – groups of wise sages such as sanaka et al, with clear knowledge (that SrIman nArAyaNa is the supreme lord for us all)
undhi – crowding each other
thisai thisaiyil – in all the directions that one could see
malar thUvi senRu sErum – strewing flowers and approaching
kaLir malar sEr pozhil arangaththu – in SrI rangam surrounded by gardens which have flowers which overflow with honey
uragam ERi– climbing atop thiruvananthAzhwAn
kaN vaLarum– closing his eyes (in semi-sleep)
kadal vaNNar – having the form of an ocean
kamalak kaNNum – having lotus-like eyes
oLi madhi sEr thirumugamum – having a divine face which resembles moon with cool rays
kaNdu koNdu – worshipping [such emperumAn]
en uLLan – my mind
miga urugum nAL enRu kolO – when will it melt fully?

Simple translation

emperumAn is reclining on top of AdhiSEshan in SrI rangam, which is surrounded by gardens where flowers are overflowing with honey. Such emperumAn has the form of an ocean, lotus-like eyes and a divine face which resembles moon with cool rays. He is worshipped by barhmA, Sivan, various celestial entities including indhran, celestial women such as rambA, wise sages such as sanaka et al, who come from all the sides, strewing flower all along the way, as they approach SrI rangam. When will I worship such emperumAn such that my mind will melt fully?

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

aLi malarmEl ayan aran indhiranOdu – brahmA who is sitting on top of a lotus flower which is swamped by beetles, together with his son Siva and indhra who is mentioned along with these two in thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 11 “sa brahmA sa Siva sEndhra:” (brahmA, Siva and indhra are possessions of SrIman rArAyaNan)

Enai amarargaL tham kuzhuvum – the groups of other celestial entities, apart from brahmA, Sivan and indhran

arambaiyarum – celestial women such as rambA et al

maRRum theLi madhi sEr munivargaL tham kuzhuvum – jIvAthmAs are classified as brahmabhAvanA nishtar (those who are deeply engaged with the supreme being), karmabhAvanA nishtar (those who are deeply engaged with carrying out their karma (activities appropriate to their past virtues and sins) and ubhayabhAvanA nishtar (those who are engaged with both supreme being and their karma). Until now, AzhwAr had spoken about karmabhAvanA nishtar and ubhaya bhAvanA nishtar. Now he is speaking about those who are deeply engrossed with the supreme being alone – sages such as sanaka, sanandhana, sanAthana, sanathkumAra et al, who have clear knowledge (about supreme being).

undhi – all these entities are fighting with each other to take precedence over the rest (in approaching emperumAn).

thisai thisaiyin malar thUvich chenRu sErum – they keep strewing flowers on all the sides and are approaching SrI rangam

kaLi malar sEr pozhil arangathtu uragam ERi – getting on top of thiruvananthAzhwAn inside the temple at SrI rangam, which is surrounded by gardens where beetles are swarming on flowers

kaN vaLarum kadal vaNNar kamalakkaNNum – one who is reclining in a divine posture, having the complexion of ocean and having lotus-like eyes

oLi madhi sEr thirumugamum kaNdu koNdu – having dharSan of the divine face which has the splendour and coolness of moon

en uLLam miga enRu kolO urugu nALE – when will my mind melt (after seeing such emperumAn)?

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

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avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr is longing to worship emperumAn with his head, in this pAsuram.

iNaiyillA innisai yAzh kezhumi inbath
    thumburuvum nAradhanum iRainji Eththa
thuNaiyillAth thonmaRai nUl thOththiraththAl
    thonmalarkkaN ayan vaNangi OvAdhEththa
maNimAda mALigaigaL malgu selva
    madhiL arangaththaravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum
maNivaNNan ammAnaik kaNdu koNdu en
    malarchchenni enRu kolO vaNangu nALE

Word-by-Word Meanings
inbath thumburuvum nAradhanum – thumburu and nAradha maharishi (celestial entities) who have attained happiness (through their music)
iNaiyillA innisai – having music which is unmatched and sweet
yAzh kezhumi – stringing their vINAs (stringed musical instruments)
iRainji Eththa – to praise (after falling at the divine feet of emperumAn)
thuNai illA – without any match
thol maRai nUl thOththiraththAl – with hymns from the sacred vEdhas (religious texts) which are timeless
thol malar kaN ayan – brahmA, who is residing on the divine navel which is always permanent
vaNangi OvAdhu Eththa – to keep praying continuously (at the divine feet)
maNi mAda mALigaigaL – mansions which are studded with gemstones
malgu selvam – having opulence in abundance
madhiL arangaththu aravaNaiyuil paLLI koLLum – reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn inside SrI rangam temple, fortified with protective walls
maNivaNNan ammAnai – sarvESvaran (lord of all) who is having a beautiful form
kaNdu koNdu – prostrating before him, without break
en malar senni – my head, which is decked with flowers
vaNangum nAL enRu kolO – when will I worship him at his divine feet?

Simple Translation

SrI ranganAthan is worshipped and praised by celestial entities such as thumburu and nAradhar, with their stringed instruments, which are without any match. brahmA, who resides on the divine navel of that emperumAn, is worshipping him through hymns from the most sacred texts, vEdhas, without any break. That emperumAn is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn, inside the temple at SrI rangam. SrI rangam is a town, where mansions are studded with gemstones, and has abundant opulence. When will I worship the divine feet of that emperumAn, who has a beautiful form, with my head?

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

iNaiyillA innisai yAzh kezhumi – playing on the music instrument yAzh (a stringed instrument, similar to vINA), which has no match, and which produces sweet music

inbath thumburuvum nAradhanum iRainji Eththa – thumburu and nAradha maharishi (celestial entities) who are in a blissful state because of the music, fall at the divine feet of emperumAn and praise him.

thuNaiyillA thonmaRai nUl thOththiraththAl – with hymns from SAsthrams (sacred texts) such as the ancient vEdhams which have no match, and ithihAsas and purANas which explain vEdhams. The opinion is that all these sacred texts were created to praise emperumAn.

thonmalarkkaN ayan vaNangi OvAdhu Eththa – as brahmA, who was created first from (emperumAn’s) divine navel, prostrated at the divine feet of emperumAn and praised him without a break.

maNi mAda mALigaigaL malgu selvam – having mansions and palaces which are embedded with invaluable ruby stones, and which possess opulence

madhiL arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum – one who is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn, inside the huge temple in SrI rangam, which is protected with huge walls.

maNivaNNan ammAnaik kaNdu koNdu – after having dharSan (seeing) emperumAn who has a beautiful divine form, like a bluish gemstone.

en malarchchenni enRu kolO vaNangu nALE – AzhwAr is longing to know as to when his head, which is decorated with flowers, will bow down to the divine feet of such emperumAn.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:

perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

<< Previous

avathArikai (Introduction)
In this pAsuram, AzhwAr longs to praise emperumAn, proffer flowers and perform anjali.

mAvinai vAy piLandhu ugandha mAlai vElai
    vaNNanai en kaNNanai van kunRam Endhi
Avinai anRu uyakkoNda Ayar ERRai
    amarargal tham thalaivanai am thamizh inbap
pAvinai av vadamozhiyaip paRRaRRArgaL
    payil aravangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum
kOvinai nAvuRa vazhuththi enRan kaigaL
    koymmalar thUy enRu kolO kUppu nALE

Word-by-Word Meanings

mAvinai vAy piLandhu – tearing the mouth of the demon kESi (who came in the form of a horse)
ugandha – feeling happy (that an enemy of his followers has been destroyed)
mAlai – having affection towards his followers
vElai vaNNanai – having the complexion of ocean
en kaNNanai – being krishNa, who is easy to approach for me
anRu – on that day (when indhra created a hailstorm)
val kunRam Endhi – lifting the mighty gOvardhana hill
Avinai uyak koNda – one who protected cows
Ayar ERRai – head of herds-people
amarargaL tham thalaivanai – lord of nithyasUris (permanent dwellers of SrI vaikuNtam)
am thamizhin – with beautiful thamizh
inbap pAvinai – most enjoyable, similar to aruLichcheyal (dhivya prabandham)
av vada mozhiyai – being sweet like SrI rAmAyaNam in samskrutha language
paRRu aRRArgaL payil – the place where those who have given up attachment towards worldly pursuits, live permanently
arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum – one who is reclining atop thiruvananthAzhwAn, inside SrI rangam
kOvinai – SrI ranganAtha, the lord
nAvuRa vazhuththi – praising him till scars form on the tongue
en than kaigaL koy malar thUy – proffering the flowers plucked with my hands
kUppum nAL – the day when I can perform anjali (cup the palms together to worship)
enRu kolO – when will it be?

Simple Translation

SrI ranganAthan, the lord, is reclining atop thiruvananthAzhwAn, inside the temple in SrI rangam. He is the one who had torn apart the demon kEsi and felt happy that he had destroyed the enemy of his followers; he protected cows and cowherds, as their leader, by lifting a strong mountain, gOvardhanam. He has the complexion of an ocean; he is the lord of nithyasUris. He is most enjoyable through the divine hymns in thamizh as well as in samskrutham. SrI rangam is the place where his followers, who have given up attachment with worldly materials, reside permanently. When will I go there, sing his praises until scars form on my tongue and proffer flowers, which were plucked by my hands, at his divine feet?

vyAkyAnam

mAvinai vAy piLandhu ugandha mAlai – emperumAn showed that he is one with deep affection towards his followers by killing a demon who came in the form of a horse by tearing his mouth effortlessly and feeling happy that he was able to destroy the enemy of his followers.

vElai vaNNanai – even if he nurtures the enemies of his followers instead of destroying them, he makes his followers to be deeply engaged with him through his cool, ocean-like complexion.

en kaNNanai – not only does he have mere beauty of form, he is also submissive towards me.

van kunRam Endhi Avinai anRu uyakkoNda Ayar ERRai – van kunRam Endhi – this could be construed either as a strong hill which would not move when indhran caused hail storm or as a strong hill which will remove the ennui of his followers. Avinai anRu uyak koNda– he is the one who protected cows which do not even know how to express gratitude. Ayar ERRai – he is highly distinguished when compared with other herds-people who are of his age.

amarargaL tham thalaivan – he is greater than nithyasUris who have eminence similar to his eminence. He is their lord.

andhamizhin inbappAvinai – he is sweet like the aruLichcheyal pAsurams (divine hymns) as brought out by AzhwAr’s first pAsuram iruL iriyach chudar maNigaL imaikkum neRRi.

avvadamozhiyai – he is sweet like SrI rAmAyaNam which has been written in samskrutham language and which is praised by everyone. Through these two terms, AzhwAr clearly brings out the fact that emperumAn is more beautiful and brings more happiness than aruLichcheyal pAsurams and great granthams (samskrutha compositions) such as SrI rAmAyaNam

paRRaRRArgaL payilarangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLikoLLum kOvinai – he is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn, as the swAmy (lord) of his followers who have held on only to him, after rejecting all the worldly pursuits as useless, and who have taken residence in SrIrangam.

nAvuRa vazhuththi – praising him until the tongue gets scarred.

endhan kaigaL koy malar thUy enRu kolO kUppu nALE – when will it be that I can proffer flowers and other materials for his divine worship until my hands get scarred and I am able to cup my palms together in anjali posture?

We will take up the 5th pAsuram in this decad, in the next article.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:

perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

<< Previous

avathArikai (Introduction)
In this pAsuram, AzhwAr expresses his longing to be with the followers of emperumAn and proffer flowers at emperumAn’s divine feet.

em mANbil ayan nAngu nAvinAlum
    eduththEththi IriraNdu mugamum koNdu
emmAdum ezhil kaNgaL ettinOdum
    thozhudhEththi inidhu iRainja ninRa sem pon
ammAn than malarkkamalam koppUzh thOnRa
    aNi arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLI koLLum
ammAn than adi iNaikkIzh alargaL ittu angu
    adiyavarOdu enRu kolO aNugu nALE

Word-by-word meanings

em mANbil ayan – brahmA, who has greatness in all ways
nAngu nAvinAlum – with his four tongues (which were created to praise emperumAn)
eduththu Eththi – worshipping, appropriate to his eagerness
IriraNdu mugamum koNdu – with the four faces (created to recite the four vEdhams)
emmAdum – on all sides
ezhil kaNgaL ettinOdum – with eight beautiful eyes
thozhudhu – with folded hands
Eththi – praising
inidhu irainja ninRa – one who stood to prostrate (at the divine feet of emperumAn, to worship him)
sem pon ammAn than – golden hued emperumAn who is most desirable, his
kamala malar – lotus flower’s
koppUzh thOnRa – divine navel to appear
aNi arangaththu – in the temple which is like an ornament for samsAram (materialistic realm)
aravu aNaiyil paLLi koLLum – reclining atop thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
ammAn than – the supreme being’s
adi iNaikkIzh – under the divine feet
alargaL ittu – proffering flowers
angu adiyavarOdu – with [emperumAn’s] followers, there
aNugum nAL– the day that I approach
enRu kolO – when is it?

Simple Translation

 Golden-hued emperumAn is reclining on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn, with his divine navel, which is like a lotus flower, appearing, inside the temple at SrI rangam which is like an ornament for samsAram. brahmA, who has four tongues with which to praise emperumAn, four faces with which to recite the four vEdhams, eight eyes which appear on all sides and with folded hands, is waiting to prostrate (at the divine feet of such emperumAn). When will I approach that emperumAn to proffer flowers at his divine feet and be together with his followers?

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

em mANbil ayan – brahmA, who has greatness in all ways, viz. he is without any shortcoming in praising and worshipping emperumAn. AzhwAr describes this further…

nAngu nAvinAlum – with four tongues which are the implements for praising emperumAn.

eduththEththi – to praise emperumAn appropriate to his level of eagerness and desire.

IriraNdu mugamum koNdu – with four faces which have been formed to recite the four vEdhams.

emmAdum – in the front, back as well as on all the sides

ezhil kaNgaL ettinOdum – he realised the benefit of having many eyes to enjoy [emperumAn’s] beauty.

thozhudhEththi inidhu irainja ninRa – (brahmA) stood to worship, praise and prostrate to emperumAn, urged by his love towards emperumAn

sem pon ammAn than malark koppUzh thOnRa – being desired just like reddish gold, emperumAn is splendorous with his lotus like navel, which is responsible for the creation of all entities in samsAram

aNi arangaththu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum ammAn than – SrI rangam is like a jewel for samsAram. emperumAn is lying atop thiruvananthAzhwAn inside that SrI rangam. His ….

adi iNaik kIzh alargaL ittu – offering flowers at his divine feet. Offering flowers is representative of carrying out other kainkaryams (services) such as offering fragrance sticks, lamp etc.

angu adiyarOdu enRu kolO aNugu nALE – When will I stand together with other devotees of emperumAn who carry out kainkaryams? While nammAzhwAr desired to be with followers in SrI vaikuNtam, just as he had said in thiruvAimozhi 2-3-10 “adiyArgaL kuzhAngaLai udan kUduvadhu enRu koLo” (when will I be together with groups of followers?), this AzhwAr expresses his desire to be with followers in bhUlOka vaikuNtam (SrI rangam is referred to as SrI vaikuNtam on earth).

We will next take up the fourth pAsuram in this decad.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:

perumAL thirumozhi >> 1st Decad

avathArikai (Introduction for this pAsuram)

In kaushIdhakI upanishath, in the paryanka vidhyai chapter, when emperumAn is about to awaken from his sleep atop the mattress of ananthAzhwAn, also called as AdhiSEshan, how a mumukshu (a samsAri, desirous of attaining mOksham (liberation)), is longing to experience him has been described. In the same way, AzhwAr is longing to experience periya perumAL in SrI rangam and describes this in the first pAsuram. When a jIvAthmA (one born in samsAram) gets liberated and goes to mOksham, kaushIdhakI upanishath says in SlOkam 1-51

SrIrUpabarhaNam thasmin brahmAsthE I
thamiththamvith pAdhE naivAdhyArOhathi II

On that mattress of AdhiSEshan, pirAttiyAr (SrI mahAlakshmi) sits like an embankment for emperumAn’s divine feet. On that mattress, SrIman nArAyaNan, parabrahmam, is reclining. The liberated jIvAthmA, knowing this, climbs onto brahmam, through the divine feet. The mukthAthmA (liberated AthmA) steps on that mattress of AdhiSEshan; emperumAn asks him “Who are you?” The mukthAthmA responds saying, just like he is a prince, “aham brahmAsmi” (I am an attribute for brahmam).

iruLiriyach chudarmaNigaL imaikkum neRRi
    inaththuththi aNipaNam AyirangaL Arndha
aravarasap perunjOdhi ananthan ennum
    aNi viLangum uyar veLLai aNaiyai mEvit
thiruvarangap perunagaruL theNNIrp ponni
    thiraikkaiyAl adi varudap paLLi koLLum
karumaNiyaik kOmaLaththaik kaNdu koNdu en
    kaNNiNaigaL enRu kolO kaLikkum nALE

Word-by-word Meanings

thiruvarangap perunagaruL – in the big town known as SrI rangam
iruL iriya – for darkness to get scattered
sudar maNigaL – effulgent carbuncles
imaikkum – shining brightly
neRRi – forehead
inaththuththi aNi – appearing such that two divine feet have joined together
paNangaL Ayiram Arndha – having a thousand hoods in full
aravu arasan – being the king of snakes
perum jOdhi – being splendorous
ananthan ennum – thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
aNi viLangum – with a high degree of beauty
uyar veLLai aNaiyai – distinguished, white coloured divine mattress
mEvi – fitting well
theL nIr ponni – kAviri, which has clear water
thirai kaiyAl adi varuda – to massage the divine feet with waves, which are like hands
paLLi koLLum – having divine sleep
karumaNiyai – like a bluish gemstone
kOmaLaththai – periya perumAL who has unmatched tenderness
en kaN iNaigaL – my eyes
kaNdu koNdu – worshipping without a break
kaLikkum nAL – that happy day
enRu kolO – when is that day?

Simple Translation

periya perumAL, who has unmatched tenderness and is like a bluish gemstone, is fitting well with, and having a divine sleep, on the great, white coloured mattress of ananthAzhwAn, in the huge city of SrI rangam. The splendorous ananthAzhwAn is the king of all snakes, with a thousand hoods spread out fully, with forehead shining brightly and with each of his heads appearing like a pair of divine feet having joined together. periya perumAL’s divine feet are gently massaged by the river kAviri, with her waves which are like her hands. When will my pair of eyes worship such perumAL, without a break?

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

iruL iriyach chudar maNigal imaikkum neRRi – Through the first part of the pAsuram, AzhwAr describes how emperumAn is mercifully reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn, who is having forehead emitting a brightness which scatters darkness.

inaththuththi aNi paNam AyirangaLArndha – the term inaththuththi refers to the divine feet which are joined together. Each head of AdhiSEshan appears like a pair of divine feet which are joined together with thirumaNkAppu (the divine mark carried on the forehead of SrIvaishNavas). Who has such hoods which are a thousand?

aravarasap perunjOdhi – nAgarAjan – one who has an effulgence affirming that he is the king of all snakes.

ananthan ennum – In line with his name of ananthan (one who is without an end), he has such a divine form and auspicious qualities that he contains within himself even emperumAn, who pervades all entities.

ennum – there are other great snakes such as sumukhan, dhakshan, vAsuki et al. ananthAzhwAn is closer to emperumAn than all these other snakes.

aNi viLangum uyar veLLai aNaiyai mEvi – fitting well atop AdhiSEshan, who is having eminent beauty, and who has a distinguished whiteness without any trace of other colours.

thiruvarangap perunagaruL – It has been said in SAsthras (sacred texts) that emperumAn is enjoyed by nithyas (permanent dwellers of SrI vaikuNtam) and mukthas (those who reached SrI vaikuNtam after being liberated from samsAram). Saiva purANam SlOkam brings this out clearly as in vaikuNtEthu parElOke SriyA Sardham jagathpathi: I
Asthe vishNur achinthyAthmA bhakthair bhAgavathais saha II (SrI mahAvishNu, who is the swAmy (one who owns) and whose basic form is beyond anyone’s comprehension, mercifully resides in the distinguished SrI vaikuNtam along with SrIdhEvi, bhakthas (those who are totally engaged with emperumAn’s auspicious qualities) and bhAgavathas (those who are totally involved in carrying out kainkaryam (service) to emperumAn)). AzhwAr longs for that experience in this thiruvarangam itself. This verse refers to SrI rangam which is a magnificent town. Further, AzhwAr describes as to how emperumAn mercifully resides in this place.

theNNIrp ponni thiraikkaiyAl adivaruda – river kAviri, who flows with clear water, gently massages the divine feet of emperumAn with her waves, which are like her hands.

paLLi koLLum karumaNiyai – one who is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn like a blue gemstone

kOmaLaththai – he is such tender that his divine form will not tolerate if one were to even look at him constantly.

kaNdu koNdu – for his followers, just looking at him is the ultimate benefit, just like a famished person would look at food.

en kaNNiNaigaL – my eyes, which are famished.

enRu kolO kaLikkum nALE – thaiththirIya upanishath, bhruguvalli 10-6 says “aham annam aham annam aham annam I
aham annAdhO’hamannAdhO’ham annAdha: II” (I am an enjoyable entity (for emperumAn), like food. I am the enjoyer of food (enjoying the happiness of emperumAn)). AzhwAr is wondering as to when he will attain the happiness of having dharSan of perumAL in SrI rangam, just like the mukthAthmA enjoys after attaining mOksham.

In the next article, we will take up the 2nd pAsuram of this decad.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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emperumAn is the consort of thiru (SrI mahAlakshmi); he is the epitome of knowledge and joy; he is the repository of all the auspicious qualities; he is the owner of both nithyavibhUthi (spiritual realm, SrI vaikuNtam) and leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm, samsAram). Such emperumAn manifested to kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, his basic nature, his divine form, his qualities and his possessions. AzhwAr, upon being shown these by emperumAn himself, received gyAnam (knowledge) which was the end result of matured bhakthi (devotion). Had he been like other upAsakars (those who attain emperumAn through the path of upAsanam or bhakthi), he would have made attempts on his own to reach emperumAn, waiting patiently for that devotion to transcend the states of parabhakthi, paragyAnam and paramabhakthi (knowledge about emperumAn, reaching a stage where one would sustain oneself while being together with emperumAn and not sustain in separation from him and finally attaining emperumAn, respectively). However, since AzhwAr received knowledge and devotion through the manifestations of emperumAn himself, he did not have the patience of an upAsakar and wanted to see and attain emperumAn immediately. Even if he had gone to paramapadham (SrI vaikuNtam) he would have enjoyed the auspicious qualities of emperumAn, related to his eminence, there. However, in SrI vaikuNtam, he would not have experienced emperumAn’s auspicious qualities of saulabhyam (easy to approach), sauSeelyam (a great person being affable with a lowly person), vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance; treating even the faults in followers as noble qualities) etc [these qualities are displayed only in samsAram, to samsAris (those who dwell in samsAram) who are lowly people]. AzhwAr longs to go to SrI rangam and enjoy these auspicious qualities, which are amply present in SrI ranganAthan, in this first decad. This begs the question – why should he long to go to SrI rangam, when it does not take a great effort? The reason is that from the time when he was born, he was destined to be a ruler, with total independence. His ministers and others would connive at creating hurdles in his journey to SrI rangam. Hence, he was unable to proceed to SrI rangam. This is the reason for the verse ghushyathE yasya nagarE rangayAthrA dhinE dhinE (from whose capital city, resounding words of SrI ranga yAthrA (journey to SrI rangam) were heard everyday) to become a part of his thaniyan. Thus, since he could not go directly to SrI rangam and enjoy the auspicious qualities of emperumAn, he desires to enjoy the auspicious qualities which were prayed for by nammAzhwAr in his thiruvAimozhi 2-3-10 “adiyAr kuzhAngaLai udan kUduvadhu enRukolO” and thiruvAimozhi 10-9-11 “andhamil pErinbaththu adiyarOdu irundhamai” in this decad.

• pAsuram 1
• pAsuram 2
• pAsuram 3
• pAsuram 4
• pAsuram 5
• pAsuram 6
• pAsuram 7
• pAsuram 8
• pAsuram 9
• pAsuram 10
• pAsuram 11

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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avathArikai (Introduction)

This thaniyan, composed by maNakkAl nambi (AchAryan of ALavandhAr), manifests his bias towards SrI vaishNavas

Aram kedap parananbar koLLArenRu avargaLukkE
vArangodu kudappAmbil kaiyittavan mARRalarai
vIrangeduththa sengOl kolli kAvalan villavar kOn
sEran kulaSEkharan mudivEndhar sigAmaNiyE

Word-by-word Meaning

Aram keda– since the ruby necklace went missing (due to the conspiracy of ministers)
paran anbar koLLAr enRu – telling them that SrI vaishNavas will not touch others’ possession
avargaLukkE – in the matter of SrI vaishNavas (who were charged with the theft)
vAram kodu – showing bias
kudap pAmbil kai ittavan – one who thrust his hand inside a pot, containing a poisonous snake
mARRalarai – enemies’
vIram keduththa – one who destroyed their valour
sengOl – one who has the sceptre
kolli kAvalan – being the controller of the city of kolli
villavar kOn – being the leader of other kings
mudi vEndhar – for the kings who were crowned
sigAmaNiyE– one who is like a jewel in their crowns
sEran kulaSEkharan – it is kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, who is like a ruby for the clan of chEra kings

Simple Translation

kulaSEkhara AzhwAr vowed to his ministers that SrI vaishNavas will not desire others’ possessions when they blamed the SrI vaishNavas for stealing a ruby necklace. To prove his confidence in them, he thrust his hand inside a pot containing a poisonous snake. He destroyed the valour of his enemies; he ruled over the town of kolli with a sceptre in his hand. He was a king among kings, being a jewel on their crowns. He was the ruby for the clan of chEra kings.

vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

Aram keda – The ministers in kulaSEkharar’s council thought that the affection which kulaSEkharar had towards SrI vaishNavas was hindering his regal duties as a king. Hence, they decided to put an end to his affection towards SrI vaishNavas. They hid a ruby necklace of emperumAn’s and shifted the blame on SrI vaishNavas.

Hearing this ….

paran anbar koLLAr enRu – kulaSEkharar made a vow that SrI vaishNavas, who are deeply devoted to paravasthu (supreme entity, SrIman nArAyaNa) will not covet para vasthu (material, belonging to others). Only those who are not devoted to emperumAn will act similar to kaNNinuN siRuththAmbu pAsuram 5 “nambinEn piRar nanporuL thannaiyum” (I will covet AthmA, which belongs to emperumAn).

Due to this ….

avargaLukkE vAram kodu kudappAmbil kai ittavan – Not only did kulaSEkharar vow that SrI vaishNavas will not steal others’ belongings. He exhibited his bias towards them by putting his hand against the hood of a snake which was kept inside a pot, in line with the saying of nammAzhwAr as in periya thiruvandhAdhi pAsuram 14 “pAmbAr vAy kai neettal pArththi” (you are trying to put out your hand into the mouth of a snake (here, samsAram is referred to by the term snake)). The opinion here is that he undertook a frightening vow of putting his hand inside the mouth of a snake since he was of the firm belief that SrI vaishNavas will not at all steal anyone’s possession.

Was the person who carried out such an act, an ordinary, lowly person? No, he was an emperor who would disarm the valour of enemies …….

mARRalarai vIram keduththa – one who made the valour of enemies as useless.

How did he achieve this?

sengOl – Through his sceptre, with which he was ruling over his enemies too. Did not nammAzhwAr mercifully state in thiruviruththam 33 “iruLAr vinai kedach chengOl nadAvudhIr” (emperumAn rules over both spiritual realm and materialistic realm through his sceptre)!

kolli kAvalan – Just as nammAzhwAr is referred to as kurugaik kAvalan (ruler of kurugUr), kulaSEkharar is referred to as kolli kAvalan, ruler of chEranAdu (land of chEras), whose capital is kolli.

villavar kOn – we can construe this as – the king of those who are ruling other countries with their bows. Alternatively, since bow is the symbol for chEra kings, we can consider this term to refer to the king of chEras. kulaSEkharar himself had referred to the fact that he is the king of all three lands, chEra, chOzha and pANdiya, through his verse in perumAL thirumozhi 2-10 “kolli kAvalan kUdal nAyagan kOzhikkOn kulaSEkharan” – kolli refers to the capital city of chEras, kUdal refers to madhurai, the capital city of pANdiyas and kOzhi refers to uRaiyUr, the capital city of chOzhas. Hence, we can say that he is the head of all three lands.

sEran kulaSEkharan – though he is the head of all three lands, here he is referred to as the head of kings of chEras. kulaSEkharan is his divine name.

Since he is the most powerful king among all the kings, he is referred to as

mudivEndhar sigAmaNi – just as it has been said in periya thirumozhi 5-8-9 “thuLangu nINmudi arasar” (king with a splendorous long crown), since all the kings who wear long crowns on their heads bow down their heads at the divine feet of kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, he is referred to as mudivEndhar sigAmaNi. kulaSEkharar himself had mercifully stated in perumAL thirumozhi 7-11 “mAladi mudimEl kOlamAm kulaSEkharan” (kulaSEkharan who is bowing down his head at the divine feet of SrIman nArAyaNa). Just as his crown was decorating the divine feet of emperumAn, the crowns of all the other kings were decorating his divine feet. periya thirumozhi 9-5-4 says “perumaNi vAnavar uchchi vaiththa pEraruLALan” – emperumAn is the jewel for other celestial entities. Similarly, kulaSEkharar is the jewel on the crowns of other kings. “ISvarANAm SrImath kirIta thata bIditha pAdha pItam” – emperumAn has great divine feet which are bowed down to by the crowns of all the other celestial deities. In the same way is the greatness of this AzhwAr who is referred to as perumAL.

mudivEndhar sigAmaNiyE – we can construe this to say that his greatness is immeasurable, since he is like the jewel decorating the crowns of all the kings and is nonpareil. Alternatively, we can say that it is indeed wondrous that such kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, who is matchless, put his hand inside the pot containing poisonous snake, for the sake of followers of emperumAn. He had mercifully said in his perumAL thirumozhi 2-10 “arangan meyyadiyArgaL tham ellaiyil adimaith thiRaththinil enRu mEvu manaththananAm …. kulaSEkharan” (kulaSEkharan is always at the boundary of servitude, of carrying out service to the divine followers of SrI ranganAthan). We can say that in this thaniyan, he has manifested his bhaktha pArathanthriyam (being totally subservient to the followers of emperumAn).

In the next article, we will discuss the pravESam (introduction) for the first decad.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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The thaniyan has been composed by emperumAnAr (bhagavadh rAmAnujar). The commentary for the thaniyans has been written by piLLailOkam jIyar.

avathArikai (Introduction)

This thaniyan has been mercifully composed by emperumAnAr. It would appear that emperumAnAr, engaging with kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, assumes the emotions of a lady and is asking a parrot to praise the auspicious qualities of AzhwAr. innamudham UttugEn – In many dhivyadhEsams (divine abodes), AzhwArs have mercifully told parrots and animals to recite the divine names of emperumAn. The following pAsurams are examples of this:

• periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4-2-8 – “pUmaruvip puLLinangaL puLLaraiyan pugazh kuzhaRum punalarangamE”
• periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4-2-8 – “aRugAl varivaNdugaL Ayira nAmam solli siRu kAlaip pAdum thirumAlirunjOlaiyE”
• periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4-8-8 – “elliyambOdhE irunjiRai vaNdu emperumAn guNam pAdi malligai veN sangu Udhum madhiLarangam enbadhuvE”
• periya thirumozhi 4-10-7 – “alliyam pozhil vAy irundhu vAzh kuyilgaL ari ari enRu avai azhaippa veLLiyAr vaNanga viraindhu aruL seyvAn kiLi nAnmaRai pAdu thillAiththiruchchithrakUtam senRu sErmingaLE”
• Following AzhwArs, parASara bhattar (son of kUraththAzhwAn) too, in his SrI rangarAnatha SthOthram has said “SagunAnUdhitha brahma gOshAm” (SrIrangam which is full of birds which repeat the vEdhams which are recited by brAhmaNas). We could consider this thaniyan as the followers of kulaSEkhara AzhwAr asking parrots to recite the divine names of AzhwAr just as AzhwAr, who was a devotee of SrI rAma had asked the parrots which were with him to recite the divine names of SrI rAma.

Alternatively, we can consider the term parrot to refer to disciples. Thus, it could be said that emperumAnAr is telling his disciples to speak about the greatness of kulaSEkhara AzhwAr. emperumAnAr was always engaged with the epic SrI rAmAyaNam, as said in irAmAnusa nURRandhAdhi pAsuram 37 “irAmAyaNam ennum bhakthi veLLam kudikoNda kOyil irAmANusan..” and with the dhivyadhEsam SrIrangam, as mentioned in irAmANusa nURRandhAdhi pAsuram 37 “ponnarangam enil mayalE perugum irAmAnusan…” In the same way, kulaSEkhara AzhwAr too was engaged with SrI rAmAyaNam as brought out by his perumAL thirumozhi pAsuram 10-11 “ellaiyil sIrththayaradhan maganAyth thOnRiRRadhu mudhalAth thannulagam pukkadhu IRA..” and perumAL thirumozhi 10-8 “emperumAn than saridhai seviyAl kaNNAl paruguvOm innamudham madhiyOminRE”. Also, he was always engaged with the dhivyadhESam SrI rangam as brought by the lines in his thaniyan “ghushyathE yasya nagarE rangayAthrA dhinE dhinE I thamaham SirasA vandhE rAjAnAm kulaSEkharam” (I bow down to the divine feet of that kulaSEkharar from whose capital city the cry of ‘SrIrangayAthrA’ is heard everyday) and in his pAsuram perumAL thirumozhi 3-9 “arangan adiyiNaith thangu sindhaith thanipperum piththanAm”. Thus, just as it is mentioned in irAmANusa nURRandhAdhi pAsuram 14 “kolli kAvalan sol padhikkum kalaikkavi pAdum periyavar pAdhangaLE thudhikkum paraman irAmANusan”, since emperumAnAr who is like a king among ascetics was totally engaged with the (chEra) king kulaSEkharar, he had composed this thaniyan on AzhwAr. We could consider that emperumAnAr was referring to his disciples such as kUraththAzhwAn et al as parrot, since his disciples were constantly dwelling in SrI rangam as mentioned in thiruchchandhaviruththam pAsuram 52 “aRRapaRRar suRRi vAzhum andhaNIr arangamE”. A parrot will repeat what it is taught, dutifully. kUraththAzhwAn too mercifully recorded in his works such as panchasthavam, that which he had been taught by emperumAnAr. Has he ever said anything that he was not taught? Thus, we can say that in this thaniyan emperumAnAr is asking his disciples such as kUraththAzhwAn to narrate about the greatness of kulaSEkharar.

innamudham UttugEn ingE vA paingiLiyE
thennarangam pAdavalla sIrpperumAn – ponnin
silaisEr nudhaliyarvEL sEralarkOn engaL
kulaSEkharan enRE kURu

Word-by-word Meanings

paingiLiyE – Oh parrot with a greenish complexion
in amudham UttugEn – I will offer you sweet nectar to eat
ingE vA – come near me
then arangam – regarding thiruvarangam, which is on the southern side
pAdavalla – capable of composing (sweet poems)
sIr – overflowing with qualities such as devotion
perumAn – having the divine name ‘perumAL’
ponnin silai sEr – having brows which are desirous, and which resemble a bow
nudhaliyar vEL – one who steals the minds, just as manmatha (cupid) does to women
sEralar kOn – being the head of the clan of chEras (kings of kEraLa)
engaL kula – for our clan of prapannars (those who have surrendered to SrIman nArAyaNa)
SEkharan – kulaSEkharap perumAL who is like a jewel on the crown
enRE kURu – keep blabbering the divine name

Simple Translation

Oh parrot! Come near me, I will offer you sweet nectar to eat. All that you have to do is to keep blabbering the divine name of kulaSEkhara AzhwAr, who is also called as perumAL. He is capable of composing sweet hymns on emperumAn who is lying in SrI rangam. AzhwAr has overflowing qualities such as devotion towards emperumAn, has eye-brows which are like bows and which are desirable, he steals the minds, just as manmathan did towards women, and he is the head of the clan of chEras. He also happens to be the head of the clan of prapannars.

vyAkyAnam (Detailed commentary):

innamudham Uttugen – Did not ANdAL, a lady, mercifully say in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 5-5 “innadisalOdu pAlamudhu Utti eduththa en kOlakkiLiyai” (did I not nurture my beautiful parrot with sweet rice and milk)? In the same manner, emperumAnAr too nurtured kUraththAzhwAn and others with the divine names of thirumAl (SrIman nArAyaNa) just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 6-10-6 “thEnum pAlum amudhumAya” (like honey and milk). In order to bring this out clearly, emperumAnAr, who had mercifully recited dhvayam (the two esoteric lines which are recited while surrendering to emperumAn) at the time of carrying out panchasamskAram (a ritual, composed of five parts, which is conducted during the performing of surrendering to emperumAn), once again mercifully recited dhvayam in kUraththAzhwAn’s right ear.

ingE vA – beckoning them (AzhwAn and other disciples), since emperumAnAr tells them “engaL kulaSEkharan enRE kURu” (say that he is our kulaSEkharar), it is clear that emperumAnAr had seen the joy emanating from the forms of kUraththAzhwAn and others. Hence, he is calling them to come near him.

paingiLiyE – having green complexion, emitting the radiance of emerald gem, and being obedient (to emperumAnAr). This brings out the equality between emperumAn and the parrot, just as it has been mercifully stated by nammAzhwAr in his thiruvAimozhi 9-5-6 “en Aruyir kAguththan nin seyya vAyokkum vAyan kaNNan kai kAlinan nin pasum sAma niRaththan”. muNdaka upanishath 3-1-3 says “paramam sAmyam upaithi” (mukthAthmA (the liberated soul) attains distinguished equality with emperumAn). Thus, has it not been said in upanishath too that wise people, similar to the parrot, attain equality with emperumAn!

When the parrot queried as to why it was being called,

thennarangam pAdavalla sIrpperumAL ponnin silaisEr nudhaliyar vEL sEralarkOn engaL kulaSEkharan enRE kURu – the meaning of the verse thennarangam pAdavalla sIrpperumAL is this: in his first three decads of perumAL thirumozhi, kulaSEkhara AzhwAr mercifully praised SrI ranganAthan, as in perumAL thirumozhi 1, iruLiriya, perumAL thirumozhi 2, thEttarum thiRal then and perumAL thirumozhi 3, meyyil vAzhkkai. Also, in the 8^th thirumozhi 10^th pAsuram, he had mercifully said yAvarum vandhu adivaNanga aranga nagarth thuyinRavanE. In the divine verses of other AzhwArs too, such as in siRiya thirumadal 71 ArAmam sUzhndha arangam (thiruvarangam surrounded by gardens) mention is made of this divine abode. Similarly, in thiruvAImozhi 7-2-3, nammAzhwAr calls kAguththA kaNNanE (Oh SrI rAma! Oh krishNa!), just as kulaSEkhara AzhwAr mercifully speaks about archAvathAram (SrI rAma) in his concluding 10^th decad. SrI ranganAthan too has been referred to by thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr in his thirumALai 11 as seruvilE arakkar kOnaichcheRRa nam sEvaganAr and by thiruppANAzhwAr in his amalanAdhipirAn 10 as vennEy uNda vAyan; thus, SrIranganAthar has been praised as both SrI rAma and krishNa by AzhwArs. Hence it would not be inappropriate to say that kulaSEkhara AzhwAr has mercifully spoken only about the divine abode of SrI rangam in his entire perumAL thirumozhi. The meaning of the verse ponnin silaisEr nudhaliyar vEL is this – he (kulaSEkhara AzhwAr) has his eye brows which are much desirable and which are in the form of a bow, and who is much desired by women just as they desire manmathan (cupid, the god of love). The term vEL refers directly to manmathan.  In SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 34-30 too, was not SrI rAma spoken of as kandharpa iva mUrthimAn (one who has the form of manmathan)! The term ‘women’ in the above-mentioned reference refers to gyAnis (wise people); just as it has been mercifully stated by nammAzhwAr in his thiruvAimozhi 5-8-11 kAmar mAnEy nOkkiyarkku. Thus, it is clearly stated that kulaSEkharap perumAL was desired by followers who had gyAnam (knowledge about emperumAn) and who had distinguished effulgence from their forms.

sEralar kOn – being the head of all the kings who had been born in the chEra clan. Just as it has been said in mahAbhAratham “rAjAdhi rAja: sarvEshAm vishNu” (vishNu is the king among all the kings), kulaSEkharar is the king among all kings. The term kOn refers to his being the king. The meaning is that he is the head of chEra clan.

engaL kulaSEkharan – he is not only the head of chEra clan, he is also the head of the clan of those who surrender to SrIman nArAyaNa. thiruvarangaththu amudahnAr, who had composed irAmAnusa nURRandhAdhi, had referred to rAmAnujar as “irAmAnusan engaL kulakkozhundhu” (rAmANujar is the head of our clan (of those who have surrendered)). In the same way, rAmAnujar mercifully says that kulaSEkharar is the head of prapanna kulam (clan of those who have surrendered).

kulaSEkharan enRE kURu – Oh parrot, who is being nurtured by me! Do not talk gibberish with your sweet voice. Recite the divine name of kulaSEkhara AzhwAr. For saying that, I will offer to your mouth, the divine names of SrIman nArAyaNa which are like nectar. Hence, recite the name of kulaSEkhara alone. Has it not been mentioned mercifully in SrIvachana bhUshaNam 274 “vakthavyam AchArya vaibhavam” (always recite the greatness of AchArya)!

In the next article, we will take up the second thaniyan.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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