Category Archives: thirunedunthANdakam

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<< previous pAsuram – 29 – minnumA mazhai thavazhum

In this last pAsuram, it is saying about him getting emperumAn, and that he says that those who learn this dhivya prabandham are able to remove fully, on their own, all the sorrows that are created in this material world.

parakAlan kaliyan

minnumA mazhai thavazhum mEga vaNNA

viNNavar tham perumAnE aruLAy enRu

annamAy munivarOdamarar Eththa

arumaRaiyai veLippaduththa ammAn thannai

mannumA maNimAda mangai vEndhan

mAnavEl parakAlan kaliyan sonna

panniyanUl thamizh mAlai vallAr – thollaip

pazhavinaiyai mudhalariya vallAr thAmE 30

Word by word meaning

ammAn thannai – About sarvESvaran

veLippaduththa – who brought out,

aru maRaiyai – the vEdhas that are difficult to obtain,

annam Ay – incarnating in the form of bird hamsam (swan),

munivarOdu amarar Eththa – as saints and dhEvas praised,

kaliyan – thirumangai AzhvAr,

mannu mA maNi mAda mangai vEndhan – who is the head of thirumangai that has got strong and best buildings,

mAnam vEl – and who is having the army that is spear,

parakAlan – and who is like yaman for other philosophies,

(kaliyan prayed)

minnumA mazhai thavazhum mEga vaNNA – Oh One having form like a cloud that is cool and crawling and is with lightning!

viNNavar tham perumAnE – Oh! the head of nithyasUris!

aruLAy – You should show your mercy (on me)!

enRu sonna – praying so and divined

panniya – very detailed

thamizh nUl – thamizh SAsthram

mAlai – in the form of garland of words;

vallAr thAm – those who can recite it,

ariya vallAr – they would be able to remove

pazha vinaiyai – earlier karmas

thollai – of eternal past

mudhal – completely along with any scent of it.

vyAkyAnam

minnu mA mazhai etc. – Oh One having the form like a rainy cloud that pours beautifully with lightning, thunder, and throwing rainbow! It talks about how like a cloud pouring rain on a dry paddy field, upon hearing the pleading call of AzhvAr as “adi nAyEn ninaindhittEnE”, emperumAn, looking with comforting eyes, came to him and showed Himself, to remove AzhvAr’s sorrows.

In previous pAsuram, the words like “mAlai adi nAyEn ninaindhittEnE” implied that emperumAn was not present then, and now as he addresses Him, “mEgavaNNA!”, it could imply that emperumAn has come and showed Himself. It is how the anger of love did not help (pAsuram 28), but his appealing with mentioning his blemishes (pAsuram 29), has helped.

nammAzhvAr started his dhivya prabandham with mentioning emperumAn’s supremacy, jagathkAraNathvam (having nature of being creator of the worlds), and finished with jagathkAraNathvam in “avAvarach chUzh ariyai ayanai aranai [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.11].

This AzhvAr started this dhivya prabandham with emperumAn’s form in “maNi uruvil bhUdham aindhAy [thirunedunthANdakam – 1]”, and is ending the dhivya prabandham by mentioning His form, as “minnu mA mazhai thavazhum mEga vaNNA”.

viNNavar tham perumAnE – It is talking about nithyasUris who live based on the food that is His divine form, fed by emperumAn. Oh! You who are giving Yourself for ayarvarum amarar (nithyasUris) to enjoy! Is it a greatness for You to give Yourself to them, since it is like a rain pouring on the ocean; please show mercy for me also to get rid of association with the body and see you at all times (in paramapadham), like how nithyasUris always see your presence.

aruLAy – Even though AzhvAr is at the stage of paramabhakthi thus creating highest form of longing for Him, he is not considering that devotion as the means to attain Him like how upAsakas do; he thinks that it is emperumAn’s mercy that is the means for attaining him. So he is saying aruLAy. He is saying, that for getting rid of interest in worldly matters also, His mercy is the means – as he said “AzhiyAn aruLE [periya thirumozhi – 1.1.4]“, and for getting the experience of emperumAn also, His mercy is the means.

annamAy etc. – AzhvAr is giving an example for explaining how emperumAn came and gave Himself to AzhvAr. Like how He brought out pramANam (vEdhas) to brahmA, He brought out Himself, the pramEya-BhUtha:, that is, One who is known from that pramANam.

munivarOdu amarar Eththa – Along with rishis, brahmA and others came to emperumAn and praised, while saying, “Oh! We have lost the eyes that are the vEdhas”. rishis need pramANam for their AthmA to attain wellness. For brahmA et al too there is need for pramANam, for the activities of creation etc.

annamAy – incarnating in the form of swan so that there is no doubt that vEdham is apaurushEyam (not authored by anyone). (If He had directly said the vEdhas to them, then a doubt might arise against apaurushEyathvam. Hence He came in this form and told them the vEdhas).

arumaRai – vEdham that is difficult to obtain. It is not the pramEyam (emperumAn) which was difficult to be attained, but was pramANam (vEdhas). (For me it was pramEyam that was difficult to obtain; for them it was the pramANam).

veLippaduththa – Creation and destruction of vEdham is about it being brought out and not brought out.

ammAn thannai – about sarvESvaran; He brought out vEdham to them because He is their owner – is the meaning here.

mannu mA maNimAda mangai vEndhan – As he sustained himself, the place also became strong, is the thought. thirumangai became a place having buildings with best gems, and which would not be destroyed till end of time of kalpam (a day of brahmA).

mangai vEndhan – He who fell at birds’ feet, became the ruler of thirumangai.

mAnavEl parakAlan – He became able to hold the spear. Also was able to do kainkaryam (of destroying the enemies of emperumAn and devotees). He holds spear due to compassion towards Him.

mAna-vEl – Even if a commoner holds that spear, it would make him similar to thirumangai AzhwAr. So this is about the greatness of the spear. Or, it could talk about the greatness of AzhvAr as ‘mAna vEl-para-kAlan’ (using spear He is great like yama for enemies).

parakAlan – Using sword in hand, and by explaining the meanings of vEdhas using dhivya prabandhams, he won the opposers, and established the limits instructed by vEdham.

kaliyan – Having strength to do these both (sword/dhivya prabandham). kali – midukku – ~strength. Another meaning is – He who destroyed the problems of kali yugam. He calls himself too as ‘kali-kanRi’.

panniya nUl thamizh mAlai vallAr – panniya – spanned. That is, emperumAn’s true nature, form, qualities/attributes, wealth – this dhivya prabandham spanning all of these, and having all these in it – such dhivya prabandham. nUl – dhivya prabandham satisfying all the definitions required of a literature. In the future when someone tries to show the definitions, then they could use this dhivya prabandham as the reference for that. thamizh – being eligible to be learned by everyone.

mAlai – For empermAn to wear it in His head. This dhivya prabandham being so.

thollai etc. – avidhyai that is ignorance, karmas that are good and bad ones, and vAsanai that arises out of habit of these karmas, ruchi that is interest in these matters, and association with body which is the cause of the above, – all of these are there in us from eternal past, following us in the form of cause and effect for each other; He says that those who learn this dhivya prabandham would be able to remove association with them on their own.

vinai – effects on self for two deeds in the form of good and bad. These two also show the happiness and anger of emperumAn for the respective deeds. These are in the form of those deeds done in previous births, and the ones done in current birth. The ones done in previous births is called pUrvAGam. Ones that are going to be done are called “uththarAGam”. Out of pUrvAGam whatever part has started yielding its effects is called “prArabDha karmam”.

The karma here also includes “avidhyai” – lack of / blemish in true knowledge; it is of three types. They are: “gyAna-anudhayam” – not having knowledge, “anyathA-gyAnam” – understanding the nature/attribute of something differently, and “vipareetha-gyAnam” – understanding something as totally something else.

karma also includes relationship with insentient (body, etc.) that are in the forms of sthUla Sareeram (gross body), and sUkshma Sareeram (subtle body).

karma also includes, vAsanai which is the smell left out of habits that involved these relationships with insentient, and includes the interest/taste of involvement in these insentient matters.

All these are hurdles for a jeevAthma to reach paramAthmA.

thollaip pazhavinai – These karmas are being very old, and not being possible to determine the starting point of its accumulation. These are really very old, is the meaning.

thAmE – They would be able to remove completely these hurdles all on their own; they will not even require emperumAn’s help (eeSvaranudaiya muzhangaith thaNNeerum vENdA). (This is considering the importance of Him showing grace to us out of happiness for learning this dhivyaprabandham). That is, for those who learned this dhivyaprabandham, emperumAn’s grace would automatically reach them.

aruLAy enRu – munivarOdu amarar Eththa – Originally the phrase “minnu mA mazhai thavazhum mEga vaNNA viNNavar tham perumALE aruLAy” is taken as said by thirumangai AzhvAr to perumAL. Instead, if it is taken as part of the phrase munivar and amarar praising emperumAn, then it is shown that the original meaning is more apt and better.

thirumangai AzhvAr does not have the strength to say openly about his greatness, as “en avAvarach chUzhndhAyE [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.10]” like nammAzhvAr, That is why, he divines such that the phrases have to be aligned differently. Also, unlike previous pAsurams, AzhvAr is not expressing his longing. He is saying that emperumAn’s divine body is like rainy clouds. He is saying that emperumAn gave Himself to the enjoyment of nithyasUris. He says that emperumAn would give him strength to hold the spear. He says he can destroy the enemies. All these talks would be suitable for this AzhvAr’s talks only and will not match even the words of nithyasUris and munis. So, in this pAsuram, it is clear that AzhvAr got emperumAn as he wished and got satisfaction in his mind.

So the apt ordering of phrases is – munivarOdu amarar Eththa – annamAy arumaRaiyai veLippaduththa ammAn thannai, mannu mA maNimAda mangai vEndhan mAnavEL parakAlan kaliyan – “minnu mA mazhai thavazhum mEga vaNNa viNNAvar tham perumAnE aruLAy” – enRu sonna – panniya nUl thamizh mAlai vallAr thollaip pazhavinaiyai mudhalairiya vallAr thAmE (This is as listed in the word-by-word meaning here).

——

Translator’s note – This completes the translation of this dhivya SAsthram. It had been an immersive experience to learn the divine words of AzhvArs and Acharyas, puththUr swami’s vivaraNam, and upanyAsams of learned swamis, in trying to translate this with proper meanings as much as possible. If there are any corrections needed, kindly feel free to send them.

adiyEn realized that this vyAkyAnam grew sweeter and more beautiful as it progressed from pAsuram to pAsuram. This is an experience that everyone could get by the grace of thAyar and emperumAn, and AchAryas.

—–

Translation by raghurAm SrInivAsa dhAsan.

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<< previous pAsuram – 28 – thennilangai araN sidhari

In the first ten pAsurams, after determining the true nature of the self, the true nature of the supreme, determining the benefit that is according to the nature of the self, determining the hurdles to achieving those benefits, determining the means that helps removes hurdles and enables achievement of benefit, making thirumanthram the subject of speech, which informs about these five aspects, he got clarity and spent his time accordingly.

In the middle ten – Not stopping with thinking about it in his mind as for spending time, he fainted out of overwhelming love, and he nurtured the longing for seeing Him with his eyes, and fainted as he could not see Him in person as he expected, and as others talked about her being fainted like this, the mother saying those words about her daughter – this is how these pAsurams were set.

In the third ten – Seeing her state, her friend wished to get her to calm down, and hence asked her about what had happened, and since this was about the story of what happened with Him, she sustained herself and talked to her friend about it; then as there were no questions or answers, her suffering due to separation reared its head; she got involved in sending messengers. Since He did not show up after that, anger due to love-quarrel reared its head. If this had extended over time like it did for nammAzhvAr, then He might have come and showed Himself. Due to this AzhvAr’s delicateness, anger left in the middle itself, and the state of desperation came back as before. Even in this state she could sustain herself only if He came and showed Himself. Since that was not there, parama-Bhakthi that was born for nammAzhvAr in “muniyE nAnmuganE [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10]”, was born for thirumangai AzhvAr at this point; so expressing His ananyagathithvam (not having any other refuge than Him), and expressing his having blemishes and so having no good deed in Him, in this pAsuram, AzhwAr wails, “Oh! You who are having love, are not showing up even in this stage!”.

nammAzhvAr started by talking about emperumAn in supreme state in “muniyE nAnmuganE [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.1], and about emperumAn in avathAram (incarnation) state in “kOla varAham onRAy [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.7]”, and called emperumAn mentioning these states.

Since for thirumangai AzhvAr in the place of supremacy it is avathAram (incarnation), he is calling emperumAn based on incarnations of rAma and krishNa, and the archAvathAram (deity form).

nappinnai thinking about only krishNan

anRAyar kulamagaLukkaraiyan thannai

alaikadalaik kadaindhadaiththa ammAn thannai

kunRAdha valiyarakkar kOnai mALak

kodunjilaivAych charam thurandhu kulangaLaindhu

venRAnaik kunReduththa thOLinAnai

virithiraineer viNNagaram maruvinALum

ninRAnaith thaNkudanthaik kidantha mAlai

nediyAnai adinAyEn ninaindhittEnE 29

Word by word meaning

araiyan thannai – Him who is a leader

Ayar kulam magaLukku – for nappinnai pirAtti who incarnated as the best woman for the clan of cowherds,

anRu – once upon a time,

alai kadalai kadaindhu – Him who churned the milky ocean having waves splashing,

adaiththa ammAn thannai – Him, the lord who constructed bridge (in salty ocean),

kunRadha vali – having blemishless strength

arakkar kOnai mALa – that is, rAvaNan to die,

kodum silai vAy – Him who in the grave bow

saram thurandhu – set the arrows and shot them

kulam kaLaindhu venRAnai – and destroyed the clan of asuras and won,

thOLinAnai – Him who is having shoulders

kunRu eduththa – that lifted the gOvardhana mountain as an umbrella,

nALum ninRAnai – Him who is living forever

viri thirai neer viNNagaram maruvi – well set in thiruviNNagar that is full of water bodies having waves,

kidandha mAlai – Him who is in the dear one being in reclined position

thaN kudandhai – in the cool place of thirukkudandhai,

nediyAnai – Him, the perumAL who is the most eminent that others,

nAy adiyEn – I who am a lowly one like a dog,

ninaindhittEn – thought about – Him.

vyAkyAnam

anRu etc. – He is talked about as showing up for His lovers. First, AzhvAr divines about His helping nappinnaip pirAtti.

anRu – At that time also a danger happened like today. Considering the beauty of nappinnaip pirAtti, deciding that her groom should be the one who is having the ability to protect her, and hence it was established that winning the bulls as the condition for giving her daughter in marriage; so before krishNan came for that, the shivering of nappinnai is the shivering with the thought that she might become related to someone else.

Ayar kula magaLukku – For nappinnai who was born in noble clan; thinking that it would not be possible to get nappinnai unless born in an equally noble clan, is the reason why krishNa had come and took birth as nandhagOpar’s son.

araiyan thannai – Equivalent to destroying enemies and getting back a kingdom and ruling it, is His winning the bulls that were in His way to get nappinnai, and getting the delightful nappinnai. Like how He removed the hurdles and helped Her get Him, should He not remove the hurdles for me and come to me – parakAla nAyaki asks.

alai kadal etc. – He is divining about the way perumAL helped SrIdhEvi and seethAp pirAttis. To get periya pirAtti He churned the ocean. To solve the loneliness of seethAp pirAtti, He bridged across the ocean. Giving nectar to dhEvas, giving their places back in rAmAvathAram are all side effects only. ALavandhAr knowing well this inner thought of emperumAn, had divined “yadharThamamBhoDhiramanThyabhanDhi [sthOthra rathnam – 37]” (Only to get Her did emperumAn churn the ocean; only to get Her did He construct bridge across the ocean).

ammAn thannai – If You do not come here and show yourself to me who is longing for You, not only would You lose your name as a big lover of ones who love you, you would also lose the supremacy attributed to you for giving, as a side-effect, the nectar to and removing the poverty of dhEvas who became poor due to the curse of sage dhurvAsa and came to you asking for help, and giving back their places when brahmA et al lost their places of living due to rAvaNan – she says.

kunRAdha vali – If it is just the strength of shoulders, then that could diminish over time; since this is strength based on boons for penances, it does not diminish over time (the for rAkShasas).

arakkar kOnai mALa – For the death of rAvaNan the head of rAkShasas whose living, using the boons they obtained, was troubling for others.

kodunjilaivAych charam thurandhu – Shooting arrows from His SrI-SArngam bow such that the enemies lose upon just seeing it.

kodunjilai – using the arrows from bow that is having greatness as said in “dheeptha pAvaka sankASai: [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 16-23]” (bows are like burning fire), and “svarga mArga praBhAvanam [SrI rAmAyaNam – kishkindhA KANdam – 17-8]” (bow that would send one to paramapadham).

kulam kaLaindhu – Making the clan of rAkshasas to be destroyed. What about viBheeshaNAzhvAn? Is he not a rAkShasa?

Based on viBheeshaNa’s own thoughts, and based on rAvaNan calling him as a destroyer of own family (and so does not belong), and based on the thoughts of SrI rAma, SrI viBheeshaNAzhvAn belongs to the clan of IkShvAhu, that is SrI rAma’s clan.

That is, since rAvaNan did not listen to his good words, viBheeshaNa said “niSAchara! [SrI rAmAyaNama – yudhDha KANdam – 6-26]” (Oh, rAkshasa! (thus separating himself from that clan)). rAvaNan said “thvAm thu dhik kulapAmsanam [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 16-16]” (You who has come to destroy the clan of rAkshasas is to be hated). perumAL asked SrI viBheeshaNAzhvAn, “rAkShasAnAm balAbalam [SrI rAmAyaNAm – yudhDha KANdam – 19-7]” (tell me the strength and weakness of rAkShasas); vibheeshaNAzhvAn said that he would help in destroying the rAkShasas – “rAkShasAnAm vaDhEsAhyam [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 19-23]” (I will help destroy the rAkShasa army of rAvaNan); so he does not belong to the clan of rAkShasas.

While only rAvaNan did the mistake, it was such a heavy one that his whole clan got destroyed. Like how if one is loving towards emperumAn, then its benefit reaches all series of people in his chain of relationship, if one performs bad deeds towards Him, then that also would affect all the people in the line of relationship with such person. Anger towards rAvaNan ended up in destruction of his clan of rAkShasas. Due to the friendship towards mahArAjar (sugreevan), the clan of monkeys flourished.

venRAnai – Like how He destroyed the clan of rAkShasas without missing anyone, He won the war while making sure not even one from the clan of divine monkeys had any trouble.

kunReduththa thOLinAnai – Making the girls of five lakhs families get the experience by creating desperation in them that they cannot survive without seeing krishNan, by holding the gOvardhana mountain as umbrella using the strength of His arm. By this, she asks – Should You who created the longing that does not look for anything other than You, not make me enjoy You?

viri thirai neer viNNagaram maruvi – For helping – those who are living after that incarnation, those who send messengers, and those who get involved in quarrel out of love, is why He lives in thiruviNNagar.

viri thirai neer viNNagaram – place that is suitably cool having plenty of water to match the delicateness of ermperumAn.

maruvi – Leaving paramapadham and living in archA (statue) form in this material world that causes sorrows, is due to excessive love towards His devotees. For a farmer, it would be apt for him to sleep in the place where water flows to the fields, instead of sleeping inside his house. emperumAn is “paththi uzhavan [nAnmukan thiruvanthAdhi – 23]”.

nALum ninRAnai – Him who is standing till the end of period of kalpa.

thaN kudandhaik kidandha mAlai – If He is in standing position, one might think that there is some place else He might be going to. Preventing that thought, Him who is lying down in a resting position in thirukkudandhai that removes difficulties, like saying that He would not leave until all the people of the material world is fully taken with Him to paramapadham.

What is the reason for His being in this world in the positions of standing, sitting, and lying down?

mAlai – It is because He is having excessive love towards His devotees.

nediyAnai – Him who is long; Is it possible for me to talk fully about how much He gives Himself to His devotees? I can only say that He is limitless.

Or,

nediyAnai – Him who is easily attainable for others, is being a hard-to-reach-flower for me, she says.

adi nAyEn ninaindhittEnE – Like how there is no limit to His greatness, there is no limit to my lowliness.

nAyEn – Born in this birth (like a dog) which roams into any house having doors open, and being hit and thrown away from each such house entered, owner having to take bath even if he touches out of happy friendliness;

adinAyEn – Me not having any other place to go than You, such that it is only You who would see me or go away from me, based on your considering of our relationship. Whether it is the time of surrendering or of union, for this AzhvAr there is only Akinchanyam (not having any other source of strength), and sva-dhOsha-kyApanam (presenting own mistakes). That is his greatness.

At the time of surrendering to Him he said, “nAyEn vandhadaindhEn [periya thirumozhi – 1.9.1]. Here when enjoying/experiencing Him, he is saying, “adi-nAyEn”. When this AzhvAr is at the stage of getting his blemishes removed and is going to reach Him, why say like this about himself? It is because this AzhvAr is such, that he thinks that all the good that happened to him are done by emperumAn as instruments for enjoying emperumAn.

nammAzhvAr finished his dhivyaprabandham by saying, “adhanil periya en avA [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.11]” , thus saying that his devotion is bigger that the thathvams of chith, achith, and eeSvaran. This AzhvAr is finishing his last dhivya prabandham saying “adi nAyEn”.

What is the reason? –

nammAzhvAr was free from worldly attachment from the time of birth itself, so getting him to gain more and more devotion towards Him is what emperumAn had to do for that AzhvAr. So He made that AzhvAr to be able to say “adhanil periya en avA [thiruvAimozhi – 10.10.11]”.

thirumangai AzhvAr was in the state as he himself said in “venRiyE vENdi veezh porutkirangi vERkaNAr kalaviyE karudhi, ninRavA nillA nenjinai udaiyEn [periya thirumozhi – 1.1.4], that is, having many blemishes in earlier state. So emperumAn grew naichyAnusandhAnam in this AzhvAr (thinking about own blemishes and considering self as lowly), and in the end of made him say “adi–nAyEn ninaindhittEn”.

ninaindhittEnE – Earlier in thirumaNangollai, there is one acceptance He did as He accepted without expecting any qualification from AzhvAr. I thought that that grace should be there till the time AthmA lived. In the state of being parakAla nAyaki the lover, that voluntary grace of emperumAn is said as gAndharva type of wedding, that is, natural union. I thought that such natural union with You should exist till the time AthmA exists, is the thought here.

—–

Translation by raghurAm SrInivAsa dhAsan.

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<< previous pAsuram – 27 – sengAla mada nArAy

nammAzhvAr in the thiruvAimozhi of “vaigal pUngazhivAy [thiruvAimozhi – 6.1]” had sent birds to emperumAn as messengers, and since that did not get emperumAn to show up, he became angry due to overwhelming love (praNaya rOsham) towards Him, and hence in the next thiruvAimozhi of “minnidai madavAr [thiruvAimozhi – 6.2]”, she closed the door on Him saying “pOgu nambi” (leave me alone), thus showing his love-quarrel towards Him. Thirumangai AzhvAr also sent messengers earlier, and is now showing love-quarrel.

The next state after sending messenger due to sadness of separation, is the state of having anger out of love. Like how one would get their mind cleared upon hearing a loud thunder when immersed in anger, she also got a clarity in her mind. So she determined that since she is suffering from separation, and hence sent messengers, and now good signs are also visible, His coming here would not fail. And she thought for sure that if He came, then she would not show her face to him / not welcome Him.

Reason for that is – His next union would end in separation only; so instead of that, it is better to not welcome Him, but die in front of Him and thus escape from the suffering due to separations – is her thought. Like how someone who has decided to die would eat betel leaves, wear flowers, and laugh, etc., acting normal on the outside, she too was looking well while suffering inside. Her friend who saw this, thought what could be the reason for her to look well when seen, while suffering inside due to anger based on love. She asks “What is it you are thinking in your mind?”. She replies, “If He comes I won’t interact with Him like before. I have strongly decided to die in front of Him itself”.

To that her friend thought, “Oh fool! Are there wrestlers who fight against a mountain? Would you, who do not have any strength, be able fight against Him who is the lord of both the worlds, fully able, and is like an elephant that is equal to a mountain?”. So she strongly decided that she should somehow prevent her from dying. But the friend had anger more towards emperumAn than she had towards him.

So she said, “There is use in having union with lover having affection. There is no point in having union with lords”. She replies, “You are going to see for yourself about the trouble His lordship and His leadership of both the worlds are going to go through in my hands”.

Her friend thought, “Oh she is being very staunch, and looks like she might die. So I should save her such that she would be one who is stopped at the state of anger due to love, and not one who reached the stage of dying”. So she said, “Not being punctual to His devotees is His habit”.

She replies in this pAsuram, “Like you say, His love is all for a show on the outside only; I cannot stay alive”.

It fits for her to be angry towards her lover; is it apt for her friend also to be angry at emperumAn? SrI vAlmIki BhagavAn, who is not interested in any worldly affairs, who eats dry leaves, had said “This SrI rAman learned only to rule the country and to tie horses and elephants, but not reached even the beginning stage of having love”, which he says as the words of hanuman when he sees seethAp pirAtti in aSOka vanam. That is, “dhushkaram kRuthavAn rAma: heenO yadhanayA praBhu: | DhArayathyAthmanO dhEham na SokEnAvaseedhathi [SrI rAmAyaNAm – sundhara KhANdam – 15-53] (Oh this rAma has not died after separation from seethA! He is still having his body! He is doing something impossible!).

To make her sustain her life, her friend first said about emperumAn showing up for His devotees during the incarnations of rAma and krishNa. The lover girl repeats her friend’s words in the first half of ths pAsuram, and in the second part she says that those are just a show by Him on the outside, and that she is definitely going to die.

thennilangai araN sidhari avuNan mALach

chenRulagamUnRinaiyum thirindhOr thErAl

mannilangu bArathaththai mALavUrndha

varaiyuruvin mAkaLiRRaith thOzhee! enRan

ponnilangu mulaikkuvattil pUttik koNdu

pOgAmai vallEnAyp pulaviyeydhi

ennilangamellAm vandhinbameydha

eppozhudhum ninaindhurugi iruppan nAnE 28

Word by word meaning

thOzhee! – Oh friend!

senRu – (He who) went (there and won, as the),

araN – forts

sidhari – got destroyed

thennilakai – in the beautiful lankA,

avuNan mALA – and also rAvaNan got destroyed;

ulagam mUnRinaiyum thirundhu – and who spanned all the three worlds by His steps (during thrivikrama avathAr),

Or thErAl Urndha – He who conducted using a chariot,

bArathaththai mALa – for everyone to be destroyed in the mahAbhAratha war

man ilangu – that was having bright presence of kings;

varai uruvin mA kaLiRRai – that is, emperumAn who is big like an elephant in form like a mountain,

pUttik koNdu – (I will) tie (Him in)

en than – my

pon ilangu mulaik kuvattil – pillars that are the bosom that are beautiful like gold,

pOgAmai vallEnAy – and become able to stop and prevent from going away,

pulavi eydhi – and go through all the sorrows in front of Him which I went through in His absence,

ennil angam ellAm vandhu inbam eydha – for all the parts of my body to come to me and become happy,

nAn – I (would)

ninaindhu – think about Him only

eppozhudhum – at all times,

urugi iruppan – and die, so I can survive by escaping from sorrows of separation.

vyAkyAnam

then ilangai araN sidhari – In the next line of this pAsuram she refers to emperumAn as elephant, “varai uruvin mA kaLiRRai”; so when talking before that about the deeds of emperumAn, she talks about Him using elephant as metaphor. Destroying that beautiful fort; it is the strength of fort that looks beautiful for the brave. When thiruvadi went to lankA in search of seethAp pirAtti, seeing the strength of forts, and that of rAvaNan, he thought “With the way this fort is, only my entering it, or my father vAyu entering it would be possible. Other than that, nobody else can enter it. Even that entry would have to be in the night only and not during the day time. To such a strong fort, I am trying to bring in the princes who are delicate”, and thus felt terrible in his mind. If we look at the strength of the head of this place, he is able to win many in other places all by himself.

sidhari – Like an elephant destroying a sand castle without any effort. If it is a stone or tree then the word idari (tripped) could be used. viBheeshaNAzhvan, just only with the knowledge of hearing about valour of perumAL, had told “yadhA saikathamamBhasi [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KANdam – 16-24], that is, like how a river destroys a sand castle, you and your army are going to be destroyed in the hands of SrI rAma.

avuNan mALach cheRRu – Going there such that rAvaNan dies. rAvaNan was dead just on the walk of SrI rAma. Then it was just cutting his dead body, and breaking his sword. That is, Like how when a mad elephant walks, it would destroy everything in its path with its foot and trunk, seeing how He destroyed karan, dhUshaNan, etc., destroying vAli who had tied rAvaNan in his tail, going and staying in the sea shore and building a bridge across the ocean that was protecting lankA, reaching lankA and surrounding it, rAvaNan was dead much earlier.

Aren’t these His acts for his lover? He did not do this based on love. He did these to get the women who are powerless, so these are just a show only, she says.

ulagam mUnRinaiyum thirindhu – Spanning the seven worlds above and seven worlds below; It used the word thirindhu to imply that like how a mad elephant would roam as per its wish, He had kept His divine foot on anyone and everyone.

Not only He showed up for His lover seethAp pirAtti, He kept His divine feet on everyone including those who ignore Him due to subservience to others, or feeling independent; isn’t He of such nature? (asks her friend).

“He is an expert, you see; He would rather keep His divine feet on those who ignore Him, but not show up for those who wish to be near His divine feet as I said about me in “emperumAn thiruvadik keezh aNaiya [thirunedunthANdakam – 22]”, she replies.

Or thErAl mannilangu bArathaththai mALa Urndha – oru thErAl – Enemies had said that krishNan shall not use weapon, but they did not say that He should not do such acts as going as messenger, or driving the chariot; So, as a charioteer He destroyed using a chariot. There is no restriction for Him that using certain things He accomplish only certain things. It is said too as “kollA mAkkOl kolai seydhu [thiruvAimozhi – 3.2.3]” (~using the stick of chariot driving, He destroyed all the armies).

mannilangu bArathaththai – The bhAratha war that was led by the roaming soldiers like Bheeshma, dhrONa who were experts in chariots, and with expertise as athi-ratha, mahA-ratha.

mALavUrndha – emperumAn directing the chariot such that it is not possible to even see the dead bodies. As said in “Adiya mA-nedun thEr padai neerezhach cheRRa pirAn [thiruvAimozhi – 6.8.3]”, He drove the chariot that the enemies got ground under the wheel and got powdered.

He did all these for dhraupadhi who did not consider anyone else as Her protector, isn’t it? – asks her friend.

He did all these for the world to fall for Him by making them think, “Oh He did all these acts that are not a match for His greatness, so that a woman could tie her hair!”. He is the one who would make the hair be spread out for those like me who cannot survive without Him – she replies.

varai uruvin mA-kaLiRRAi – Him who is like an elephant having strength and pride like a mountain. Her friend’s thought is – He who is staunch in destroying the enemies of His devotees, and having pride due to happiness of accomplishing the deeds for His devotees.

thOzhee – He who is described by you as having all these greatness, is going to suffer in my hands, which you are going to see for sure, she says.

Or,

as said in “Ekam dhu:Kham suKham cha nau [SrI rAmAyaNam – kishkinthA KANdam – 5-17]” (Our happiness and sorrows are together (said SrI rAma to sugreeva)), Like rAma and sugreeva, you are together with me in happiness and sorrow, if you don’t stop me dear friend, then you will see what He undergoes in my hand – could be the meaning.

thOzhee – addressing her so, thereby requesting her not to stop what she is going to do.

enRan pon ilangu mulaik kuvattil pUttik koNdu – When there is brahmAsthram (ultimate weapon) with me, is there anyone who cannot be won by it? She says.

enRan ponnilangu mulai – Is my bosom grown only as much as it is grown for the women of this country? Is my bosom grown only as much as his bosom [Here bosom represents the counter-part for males – moustache and beard]?

ponnilangu mulai – Is my womanliness only as much His manliness? My womanliness is such that the colour of my body would pale if He separates. His manliness is that, as said in “minnilangu thiru uruvum [thirunedenthANdakam – 25]”, even when separated, His body stays bright like before. Would He become equal to me, when the coloiur of His body stays the same whether together or separated?

mulaikkuvattil pUttik koNdu – enjoining Him in the pillar that is the bosom; enjoining Him like that, is – expressing to Him her sorrow of separation.

pOgAmal-pUttik koNdu – As He tries to leave because of not getting attention from me, I shall fully express my sorrow of separation.

mulaik kuvattil pUttik koNdu – Enjoining Him in the mountain that is the bosom. He is “varai-uruvin mA-kaLiRu”(A big elephant like a mountain), so it has to be tied together with a mountain.

vallEnAy – This is the only If, she says. If I have the ability to stop Him from going away. If i get this ability, then I would do all these, she says. That is – If my mind would help me do this difficult task, is the meaning. If He comes and shows Himself to me, then my heart will fall for Him. If he does not do that; if you, my friend, would not stop me what I do, and be on my side; she is seeking her friend’s help because her friend is closer to her than her heart is.

pulavi eydhi – All the sorrows I went through, I am going to go through in front of Him; Or, all the sorrows I went through, I will make Him go through the same in front of my eyes.

ennil angam ellAm vandhu inbam eydha – At first glance, this might give the meaning of getting happiness. But the topic here is showing anger due to love; so, it means – since there is no happiness for me than dying, “I shall die in front of Him” is the meaning for this phrase. That is, “Without giving room for another separation, I shall die in front of Him”, is the thought.

ennil angam ellAm – All parts of my body which He liked and also praised when together, as, “Oh! How beautiful these eyes are! How beautiful this smile is! How beautiful this bosom is!”.

inbam eydha – die and thus get ultimate joy (because there would not be repeated separations from Him). Like how a man having a big family would drown together with His family when not able to tolerate His family’s and His hunger duringfamine, I will die along with all parts of my body, and be joyful, she says.

vandhu –(all parts of my body would come to me).Seeing the sweetness of emperumAn, various parts of her body would behave like sentient and would wish to enjoy Him, and so compete independently. Like how BharathAzhvAn and kaikEyi had had different opinions, She the mother cow, and the parts of her body which are the calves, would be eager to enjoy Him independently. I will retrieve all of these from Him, and join them in me which is their place, and we (self and the parts of the body) will die together – she says.

inbam eydha – She is saying ‘for me to attain happiness’, to imply, ‘I am going to die’. Because her suffering from separation is such, that she thinks that only dying would be paramapadham.

eppozhudum – In all states. That is – As her friend said, “You are saying these because He has not come in person. If He does, then as said in “mye-vaNNam [thirunedunthANdakam – 21]”, you would become involved with Him”, she is replying, “I would die even in that state”.

eppozhudhum – He is the owner, I am His property – even if He shows me this relationship of ours, I am still going to die, she says. This is due to her staunchness based on – “I shall not join Him and give room for another separation”.

ninaindhurugi iruppan – I would be destroyed the moment I think of Him. I will not give room for Him to come to me and say “I would not leave you; I would not survive if I leave”, and such false words like He did before; instead I would die just as I think of Him, she says, and this is due to her delicateness.

Anger of love came to nammAzhvAr in “minnidai madavAr [thiruvAimozhi – 6.2]; then when emperumAn came to her, she together with her friend, stopped Him by putting up the protection wall that is her anger of love (like how thAyAr closes the door in thiruvarangam periya kOyil during praNaya kalaha uthsavam). Then emperumAn had to show to her step by step His inability to go anywhere else, remove her anger of love, and then only get her. Instead, without giving room for that, I would die the moment I think of Him, says parakAla nAyaki.

nAnE – But this kind of delicateness is not seen anywhere else (is it possible)? – Being this delicate is my quality only, she says. “Those like parAnkuSa nAyaki would be having strength to fully execute their anger of love if they decided -‘Let me not get emperumAn to come near me if He showed up’. Unlike that, my delicateness is such that I would die the moment I think of Him”, she says.

—–

Translation by raghurAm SrInivAsa dhAsan.

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<< previous pAsuram – 26 – thEmaruvu pozhilidaththu

Introduction

In the previous pAsuram she sent bees as messengers. Since she did not have the strength to sustain herself till the time they went and conveyed the message, and brought the reply, she is sending a crane as a messenger. As said in ‘dhikshu sarvAsu mArganthE [SrI rAmAyaNam – sundhara KhANdam – 30-3]” (seethAp pirAtti who searched in all directions) like how He sent monkey warriors in four directions, she is also sending whichever messengers she saw. Like how the clan of monkeys were gratified in SrI rAmAvathAram, after AzhvArs’ incarnation, the clan of birds were gratified.

sengAla mada nArAy inRe senRu

thirukkaNNapuram pukken sengaNmAlukku

en kAdhal en thuNaivarkkuraiththiyAgil

idhuvoppadhemakku inbamillai; nALum

paingAnameedhellAm unadhEyAgap

pazhanameen kavarndhuNNath tharuvan; thandhAl

ingE vandhinidhirundhun pedaiyum neeyum

irunilaththil inidhinbam eydhalAmE                                    27

Word by word meaning

sem kAla mada nArAy – Oh crane having reddish legs!

inRE senRu – Going today itself

thiruk kaNNapuram pukku – and entering thirukkaNNapuram

uraiththi Agil – If you would tell

en sem kaN mAlukku – one with lotus eyes, and who is in love with me,

en thuNaivarkku – and who is my companion, that is sowripperumAL,

en kAdhal – about my interest in Him,

idhu oppadhu inbam illai – there would be no other happiness like this

emakku – to me (who is suffering due to separation).

Favour I could do for you in return is –

tharuvan – I will give

eedhu – this

paingAnam ellAm – full area of garden,

unadhE Aga – making it fully yours

nALum – for all the time that you are alive, and

kavarndhu uNNath – for you to pick, and eat

meen – fish

pazhanam – in the water of the land;

thandhAl – After I give you so,

un pedaiyum neeyum – your wife and you

ingE vandhu – come to this place and

inidhu irundhu – be with happiness

iru nilaththil – in (this) big land

inidhu inbam eydhalAm – and attain utmost happiness.

vyAkyAnam

sem kAla mada nArAy – Since she has seen Him praising her feet when she was with Him, when she is sending message, she is praising the feet of the messenger, and not other parts of it. Oh what a foot and how reddish it is!, she praises.

It appears that she has got connections with reddish feet. Oh! this foot is like that of my lover! Like how it would be pleasant if we kept a load of black forest flower in our head, it feels like I could keep looking at your reddish feet only, and not even send you as a messenger. I said it wrongly when comparing your feet as equal to His. Whereas giving His feet is what He does, your feet have the greatness of giving His feet as well as of yourself. You have got the greatness of being easy to obtain, and making Him also easy to obtain.

mada-nArAy – Oh crane that does not have intellect! By madam it is saying about absence of intellect. Should she talk like this when indulged in praising it? Like an ironical phrase, this also leads to praising only. Ironical phrase (nindhA-sthuthi) is – cursory meaning would be a ridicule and inner meaning would be praise. As said in “na SAsthram naiva cha krama:” ((one having at most love) would not see the rules of SAsthram nor the manners of world), you are having great ability of involving in love such that you behave differently during togetherness.

If one interacts with proper etiquette during the time of togetherness, it would just maintain the nature of being a male and female lover, but it would not have the greatness of having love. (Or, considering the meaning of madam as completeness (madappam and other qualities of a woman)), I am having you with completeness in you that would help during my loss by going as a messenger.

nArAy – As vocative case word, it is like saying “Oh mother!”, asking for help. Like while having lost everything to robbery and then seeing the mother who would console; your appearance is like that when I am suffering due to separation from Him, she says to the crane.

As said in “pampA theerE hanumatha: sangatha: [SrI rAmAyaNam – bAla KhANdam – 1-58]” (In the bank of river pampA, SrI rAman joined hanuman), when in the state of suffering in the hands of things that reminded SrI rAma of pirAtti, thiruvadi came to Him – for SrI rAma this was like meeting the mother after having lost everything to robbery.

nArAy – Calling it in high pitch shows the excess of her sadness. Since I am the lover of emperumAn, if you see the greatness of me the wife of king, you should give me payment for doing my work! – she says.

“Do you have to ask me? Won’t you just tell me what is to be done?”.

She replies –

inRe senRu – It is not a matter that you can postpone to tomorrow. If you see His nature, it could not be done next day. If you see my nature, then also it could not be done next day. As said in “na-jeevEyam kShaNamapi [SrI rAmAyaNam – yudhDha KhANdam – 66-10]” ( I would not live even for a second, being separated from seethA), His nature is that He cannot live even for a second when separated from me, she says. As said in “jalAn mathsyAviva-udhDhruthau [SrI rAmAyaNAm – ayODhyA KhANdam – 53-31]” (Like how a fish would live only for short time when out of water, we would also live for only a short time when without you), my nature is like separating fish from water.

thirukkaNNapuram pukku – When thirumangai AzhvAr says thirukkaNNapuram, it does not sound like how rishis and other AzhvArs say. Interest in that place for this AzhvAr is much more compared to them. Like how it is when ananthAzhvAn says “thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn”, when Bhattar says “azhagiya maNavALap perumAL”, when sOmAsiyANdAn says “emperumAnArE SaraNam”, it is so when thirumangai AzhvAr says “thirukkaNNapuram” out of desire.

kaNNapuram pukku – As she had sent message to thiruvazhundhUr, instead of sending there again, why send to thirukkaNNapuram? He would not sustain Himself in thiruvazhundhUr after I had sent the bee. He and the bee would have started their journey to here in a big hurry (that the clothes in their waist, and plait in their head would loosen up), and would have reached thirukkaNNapuram. So go there and give the message, she says.

en sem kaN mAlukku – en mAlukku – Seeing the supreme lord who controls both the worlds is under her control, she is saying, “To the One who is under the control of my love”. sem kaN mAlukku – To the One who showed the beauty of His eyes, and won me over, and kept me under the control of His love;

senkaNmAlukku – As said in “anidhras sathatham rAma: [SrI rAmAyaNam – sundhara KhANdam – 36-44]” (SrI rAma is sleepless always), He does not sleep due to separating from me; so His eyes would be watery and reddish – that would be an identification of Him for you – she says this also.

mAlukku – To the one who is a big mad lover. (Tell) Him who showed His madness and elevated my madness of love. Only gaining madness is there on my part; gaining madness and making me mad is there on His part only. It is said so too in “mAlAyp piRandha nambiyai, mAlE seyyum maNALanai [nAchchiyAr thirumozhi – 14-3]” (~One who is madly in love, and who makes others be madly in love).

en kAdhal – Tell Him that my love is not like His love. “Your love is such that there won’t be any change in the brightness/make-up of the divine body when you show your love, as said in “minnilangu thiru uruvum periya thOLum [thirunedunthANdakam – 25]”; whereas, as said in “pongAr mel iLam kongai ponnE pUppa [thirunedunthANdakam – 17]”, her love is such that the colour of her body would drain away” – is what you go and tell Him.

en kAdhal – As said in “yA preethir avivEkAnAm vishayEshvanapAyinee [SrI vishNu purANam – 1-20-19]” (Like how for those who don’t have discerning knowledge there is desire in the worldly matters, (I should always have interest in you (prayed prahlAdha to emperumAn)), my love is not like the people of the world who love the worldly aspects like sound, form, taste, etc. Those desires would be abandoned after gaining true knowledge. But this desire of mine would not be abandoned. My love is not like those who got liberated from the material world. That love will give only happiness. My love will give sorrow due to separation.

en thuNaivarkku – To my relative who cannot be avoided. Tell Him who is always my companion. His companionship is such that, when I was not interested in Him He gave me life, then created interest, and after union with me and then separation, He made sure I am able to sustain myself (thiruvarangam Ur).

en thuNaivarkku – Tell the One who can remove the trouble I am going through due to separation.

uraiththiyAgil – If you would say. We can only request and not order someone who is helping to get us together. That is only the reason she is saying “if your divine heart wishes”.

uraiththiyAgil – It can also mean – if you would avoid getting distracted by His beauty but do the work as messenger and tell Him about my state.

uraiththi – She is saying, “vAchA dharmamavApnuhi [SrI rAmAyaNam – sundhara KhANdam – 39-10]” (You gain good karmA (puNNiyam) by telling such words to SrI rAma).

For you the effort is saying just a word; what I would gain is my being – she says.

idhu oppadhu enakku inbam illai – There is nothing more joyous than this, she says. There is no pleasure for me beyond your telling Him. There is pleasure only after gaining His togetherness; is there pleasure gained just by announcing to Him? Yes since she is of the thought – there is delay only in announcing to Him; His coming and making me happy would not fail.

nALum, etc – It is not enough that you help me and leave, you should accept the little honour I give you due to my gratitude – she says.

nALum, etc. – If Acharyan helps even one time, disciple shall be grateful to Acharyan his entire life.

paingAnam eedhu ellAm – She is saying that she would give to the crane all the land that she thinks is hers. That is, the area of all the garden which is near the sea shore. In thamizh tradition, the place where lover girl spends time is the sea shore (neydhal nilam) when suffering due to separation from her lover. So she is saying she would give that area to the crane.

eedhu ellAm – She is giving all the land that the eyes could see. “I will give you all my wealth”, she says. With crane representing AchAryan, and she representing disciple, giving this land implies disciple shall give both the worlds to Acharyan. This is said too in “ponnulagaLeerO bhuvani muzhudhALeerO [thiruvAimozhi – 6.8.1]”.

unadhEyAga – Will not keep it common for both you and me; I will give such that it is all for you – she says.

pazhana meen – In the land of water, since there would always be water, the fish would be fat and big like elephant. By this it implies that what a disciple gives to AchAryan should be of great quality.

As said in “yadhanna: purushO Bhavathi thadhannAs thasya dhEvathA: [SrI rAmAyaNAm – ayODhyA KaNdam – 103-30]” (Whatever one eats, should be presented to the deities also (said SrI rAma when doing last rites for His father)), one could give to forefathers in pithRulOkam the same food that one takes; but, for AchAryas one should search for and give what is desired by AchAryas.

kavarndhu uNNa tharuvan – I would give with hospitality such that it could be eaten with eagerness.

thandhAl ingE vandhu – It is not enough that you accept based on fullness of your qualities what I present to you; you should come here and eat them in front of me.

vandhu – Unlike my lover who came once and helped me and then not showed up, you should come to the place I am in and eat.

un pedaiyum neeyum inidhu irundhu – Should not come alone. Should come with your lover.

iru nilaththil inidhu inbam eydhalAmE – In this world of samsAram that is the place for endless sorrows, you could attain endless bliss of liberation. You could get to live with your family as said in “nalla padhaththAl manai vAzhvar koNda peNdir makkaLE [thiruvAimozhi – 8.10.11]”.

Since SrivaishNavas living here are with body, they could achieve at most happiness of gladly giving the things desired by others, by living in a family – this greatness is not there in SrIvaikuNtam.

—–

Translation by raghurAm SrInivAsa dhAsan.

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Full Series

<< 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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