Category Archives: periya thiruvandhAdhi

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 55 – marungOdham mOdhum

January 6, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr says that since his sins have disappeared, he is able to constantly see emperumAn.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

marungOdham mOdhum maNi nAgaNaiyAr
marungE vara ariyarElum orungE
emakkavaraik kANalAm eppozhudhum uLLAl
manakkavalai thIrppAr varavu

Word by Word Meanings

varavu – due to (his) arrival

manam kavalai thIrppAr – one who removes sorrow from the mind

marungu – nearby

Odham mOdhum – such that ocean will keep lapping

maNi nAgaNaiyAr – emperumAn who is reclining on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan) who has gems

marungE vara ariyarElum – even if he is beyond approach (by us)

emakku – for us

uLLAl – through mind

eppozhudhum – at all times

orungE – in the same manner

avarai kANalAm – have direct vision of him.

vyAkyAnam

varavu manakkavalai thIrppArai – he will remove sorrow from my mind due to his arrival [at the place where I am present]. This implies that emperumAn, on his own, fell head over heels on AzhwAr and made him his servitor.

Next, the pAsuram says about the place where emperumAn carried out sAdhanAnushtAnam (performing activities as means to attain)

marungu Odham mOdhum maNi nAgaNaiyAr – the opinion here is that emperumAn, thinking of attaining AzhwAr, reclined on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn, in the milky ocean, with the waves gently massaging his feet.

marungE vara ariyarElum – even if it is difficult for us to go near him

namakku orungE uLLAl avarai eppozhudhum kANalAm – since he dwells in our mind, we can constantly see him in the same manner, through our mind. yajur vEdham 1.6 says “prajApathis thvam vEdha prajApathim thvO vEdha yam prajApathir vEdha sa puNyO bhavathi” (supreme being thinks of one (chEthana, sentient entity); one thinks of supreme being. The one who is thought of by supreme being, undoubtedly, attains supreme being). Thus, it is clear from this that AzhwAr has the greatness to be thought of by emperumAn.

We will take up the 56^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 54 – vAnO maRikadalO

January 5, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

emperumAn asks of AzhwAr “You said that only this experience is great. What happened to the sins which were a hurdle for that experience?” AzhwAr responds “I have not seen the place where they went to”.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

vAnO maRikadalO mArudhamO thIyagamO
kAnO orungiRRuk kaNdilamAl AnInRa
kanRuyarath thAmeRindhu kAyudirththAr thAL paNindhOm
vanthuyarai AvA marungu

Word by Word Meanings

An InRa kanRu – vathsAsura who came in the form of a calf which appeared as if it had been given birth to on that day by a cow

thAm uyara eRindju – tossing him high, by emperumAn himself

kAy udhirththAr – one who made kapiththAsura, who was in the form of a wood apple, to tumble down [as a consequence], his

thAL paNindhOm – worshipped divine feet

van thuyarai – sins which are very strong

marungu kaNdilam – we did not see anywhere near us, at all

Al – what a wonder!

vAn odungiRRO – did they hide in the sky?

maRi kadal odungiRRO – did they dissolve in the ocean with agitating waves?

mArudham orungiRRO – did they merge with wind?

thIyagam orungiRRO – did they melt in fire?

kAn orungiRRO – did they hide in the forest?

A A [AvA] – Oh my!

vyAkyAnam

vAnO maRi kadalO mArudhamO thIyagamO kAnO orungiRRu – Did my sin merge with the sky? Did it dissolve in the ocean? Did it disappear in the wind? Did it get destroyed, entering fire? Did it proceed towards the forest in order to end its life by facing the northern direction, by the method called as mahAprasthAn (a procedure by which a person sits facing north, and ends his life, by observing fast)? Where did it go to, among these places?

van thuyarai marungum kaNdilamAl – since the sin is not anywhere near us, we have to think of these possibilities.

AzhwAr explains further on, as to why the sin ran away. . . .

An InRa kanRu uyarath thAm eRindhu kAy udhirththAr thAL paNindhOm – Manifesting his power of destroying powerful hurdles, emperumAn tossed a demon, vathsAsura, who came in the form of a calf as if it had been born on that day, at a wood apple, in which another demon, kapiththAsura had pervaded, and brought down both. We worshipped the divine feet of such emperumAn. The implication is that the sins ran away because of this.

van thuyarai kaNdilamAl A A – emperumAn says that he had not seen the sins anywhere. Where did they disappear? Oh my! He calls sins which are the reason for his thuyar (sorrow) as sorrow itself.

We will move on to the 55^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 53 – onRuNdu sengaNmAl

January 4, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr told emperumAn “All my sensory perceptions are able to enjoy you now”. emperumAn tells him back “It is not just that I have created an involvement in you [towards me], here itself. I have also decided to take you to SrIvaikuNtam and enable you to enjoy great services there” to which AzhwAr responds “That is not greater than the pleasure that I have here of thinking about you. Thus, you have done everything in this samsAram itself”.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

onRuNdu sengaNmAl yAnuraippa(dhu) unnadiyArkku
enseyvan enRE iruththi nI nin pugazhil
vaigum tham sindhaiyilum maRRinidhO nIyavarkku
vaigundham enRaruLum vAn

Word by Word Meanings

sem kaN mAl – Oh one who has reddish eyes and who is biased towards your followers!

yAn uraippadhu – what I have to tell (you)

onRu uNdu – there is a word

nI – you

un adiyArkku – for those who have love towards you

en seyvan enRE iruththi – you are constantly thinking as to what benefit you could do

maRRu avarkku – for them

nin pugazhil vaigum – being engaged with your auspicious qualities

tham sindhaiyilum – more than their mind [thought]

vaigundham enRu nI aruLum vAn – the (huge) paramapadham which you bestow on them

inidhO – is it sweeter?

vyAkyAnam

onRuNdu sengaNmAl yAn uraippadhu – Oh one who has reddish eyes because you are not satisfied with whatever you do for your followers! There is something which I have to tell you. emperumAn tells him “I am supposed to be omniscient. Do you have to tell me anything?” to which AzhwAr responds “You are totally perplexed due to your bias towards your followers and you do not know this. Hence I have to tell you this”.

AzhwAr explains through the rest of the pAsuram as to what it is . . . . .

sengaNmAl un adiyArkku en seyvan enRE iruththi nI – Oh who has reddish eyes due to your motherly forbearance towards your followers! You are thinking constantly “What should I do for them?” due to your bewilderment, when your followers do not need anything from you. Just as it is mentioned in mahAbhAratham uththara parvam 47-22 “gOvindhEthi yathAkranthath krishNAmAm dhUravAsinam I ruNam pravruththamiva mE hrudhayAn nApasarpathE II” (the outcry which dharupadhi made from far away calling me “gOvindha! gOvindha!” does not leave my heart, just as credit keeps increasing (due to interest)), even after the pANdavas got back their kingdom, dhraupadhi had platted her hair [as a result of the vow when she was insulted], you felt indebted to dhraupadhi since she called out to you by reciting your gOvindha nAmam even though her husbands were very much nearby to protect her! You are constantly thinking “What further could I do” towards such people who are devoted towards you.

AzhwAr proves that this is due to the perplexity in his mind . . . .

nin pugazhil vaigum tham sindhaiyilum maRRinidhO nI avarkku vaigundham enRu aruLum vAn – Is the paramapadham which you grant your followers sweeter than their minds which are constantly involved with your auspicious qualities? The implication here is whether what they will get in future (paramapadham) will be a match for what they have now on their hands [engaging with your auspicious qualities].

We will take up the 54^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 52 – mANbhAviththa agygyAnRu

January 3, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr says in this pAsuram that whatever he had mentioned in the previous pAsuram that SrIvashNavas should possess, in general, is very much present in him.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

mANbAviththa agygyAnRu maNNirandhAn mAyavaL nanju
UNbAviththu uNdAnadhu Or uruvam kANbAn nam
kaNNavA maRRonRu kANuRA sIr paravAdhu
uNNavAy thAn uRumO onRu

Word by Word Meanings

agygyAnRu – during that time

mAN bAviththu – in the guise of a bachelor

maN irandhAn – sought alms for three steps of land

mAyavaL nanju – poison (present in the bosom) of the deceitful pUthanA

UN bAviththu – acting as if he is drinking it (desirously)

uNdAnadhu – emperumAn who drank (both her milk and her life)

Or uruvam – his unique divine form

kANbAn – only to worship

nam kaN avA – desire for our eye

maRRU onRu – anything else

kAN uRA – (it) will not desire to see

vAy thAn – mouth

sIr paravAdhu – without praising (emperumAn’s) auspicious qualities

onRu uNNa uRumO – will it desire to eat anything?

vyAkyAnam

mAN bAviththu – taking very well, the guise of a bachelor. When emperumAn, as vAmana, asked of mahAbali to grant him land which would be equivalent to his three steps, mahAbali told him “When I am granting you whatever you want, would you ask for such a miniscule object? Ask for more; I will grant you”. vAmana told him “This is all that I need; I do not want anything more than this”. Thus, emperumAn did justice to the guise of bachelor that he had taken [bachelors are expected to be satisfied with small things]. The word bAviththu would mean assuming on a deceitful role. But this is not applicable here. emperumAn donned the role of bachelor, very truly.

mAyavaL nanju UN bAviththu uNdAn – Just as pUthanA assumed the guise of a mother and gave him her bosom with the firmness that “I cannot sustain myself unless I nurture him” emperumAn too thought “I cannot sustain myself unless I drink milk from her” and took her milk as his nourishment. nammAzhwAr is mercifully mentioning the same meaning which poygai AzhwAr had mercifully said in his mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 11 “pEymulai nanju UNAa uNdAn” (emperumAn consumed the milk from the demon’s bosom as his nourishment).

uNdAnadhu Or uruvam kANbAn nam kaNNavA – the desire for our eye is to see the divine form of the one who drank milk from the demon’s bosom, in order to sustain himself.

maRRonRu kANuRA – When the eye sees his divine form it will see with the certainty “only that divine form should be seen and nothing else”. If it sees any object other than emperumAn’s divine form, it will get destroyed, out of shame.

AzhwAr says further on that this feature is applicable not only to the sensory perception of vision but also to the sensory perception of speech….

sIr paravAdhu uNNa vAydhAn uRumO onRu – Will the mouth attempt to enjoy anything other than speaking about emperumAn’s auspicious qualities? No, it will not. If it attempts to enjoy anything else, it will get destroyed, is the implication here.

We will move on to the 53^rd pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 51 – manamALum Oraivar

January 2, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr loathed, finding that emperumAn had not graced him mercifully. In this pAsuram he says “the possession should accept whatever the possessor does, patiently. It is not correct to speak out in disgust”.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

manamALum Oraivar van kuRumbar thammaich
chinamALviththu OridaththE sErththup punamEya
thaN thuzhAyAn adiyE thAm kANum ahdhanRE
vaNthuzhAm sIrArkku mANbu

Word by Word Meanings

manam ALum – those who take control of the mind

van kuRumbar – being powerful and indulging in mischief

Or aivar thammai – the unique five sensory perceptions

sinam ALviththu – removing anger (towards them)

Or idaththe sErththu – engaging with the incomparable bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to emperumAn)

punam mEya thaN thuzhAyAn – one who has the cool, comfortable thuLasai, which blossoms as if it were on its own land, such emperumAn’s

adiyE thAm kANum – the activity of worshipping the divine feet

ahdhanRE – isn’t that

vaN thuzhAm sIrArkku – for SrIvaishNavas (devotees of emperumAn), who are magnanimous and who have great qualities,

mANbu – beautiful?

vyAkyAnam

manam ALum – it appeared as if the lowly people who indulge in mischief, rise in tumult. The AthmA (soul) is expected to be under the control of emperumAn; mind is expected to be under the control of AthmA and the sensory perceptions are expected to be under the control of the mind. But this order is contravened and the mind is under the control of sensory perceptions.

van kuRumbar – AzhwAr is referring to the five sensory perceptions as being very powerful and indulging in mischief. He is calling them powerful since they are able to lead the mind in their path.

van kuRumbar thammai – these mischief mongers are like the wicked people who bribe government officials and keep them under their control.

Oraivar varn kuRumbar thammai sinam ALviththu – removing the anger which rises due to the effect of earlier bad deeds, against these five sensory perceptions. Has it not been said in SrI bhagavath gIthA that anger results due to effects of virtuous and vicious deeds when one engages with worldly matters, as mentioned in 2-62 “dhyAyathO vishayAm pumsas sangas thEshupajAyathE I sangAth sanjAyathE kAma: kAmAth krOdhO’pijAyathE II” (for a person who continuously indulges in worldly matters, a connectivity is created with them; this connectivity creates lust; anger results from such lust)! When sensory perceptions indulge in any matter other than that related to emperumAn, they do not get satisfaction however much they enjoy and this results in lust and anger. In the case of matters related to emperumAn, even if all the sensory perceptions engage simultaneously, since the part to be enjoyed is huge, such enjoyment will never result in anger. Since indulging in matters related to emperumAn reduces the tendency to engage with worldly matters, anger will lessen. Hasn’t AzhwAr mercifully mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 6-9-8 “innam keduppAyO”, in 6-9-9 “pAviyEnaipala nI kAttip paduppAyO” and again in 6-9-9 “siRRinbam” in all of which he says that indulging in worldly matters leads only to earthly pleasures, which lead to more and more of lust and anger, resulting in destruction of AthmA’s nature?

Unlike engagement with such worldly matters which only gives rise to dissatisfaction, AzhwAr says further that if one engages with emperumAn with all sensory perceptions, it will lead to unlimited happiness….

punamEya thaN thuzhAyAn adiyE – the divine feet of one who dons the cool, comfortable thuLasi garland, which blossoms as if it were on its own land.

vaN thuzhAm sIrArkku mANbu – manam ALum Or aivar van kuRumbar thammaich chinam ALviththu Or idaththE chErththup punamEya thaN thuzhAyAnadiyE thAn kANum ahdhanrE – the thing of beauty for SrIvaishNavas who are magnanimous and who have expansive qualities is – winning over the wicked sensory perceptions which pull mind in their path, removing the anger which results from involvement with worldly matters, keeping the sensory perceptions with emperumAn and seeing the divine feet of such emperumAn who dons the cool, comfortable thuLasi garland. This is also the only correct way. The implied meaning is that loathing as in the previous pAsuram “andhE validhE kol” is not correct.

We will take up the 52^nd pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 50 – pirindhonRu nOkkAdhu

January 1, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr loathes in this pAsuram saying “Looking at the similes (cloud, ocean, mountain etc), we are thinking that these are only emperumAn. But he is not showering his grace on us ”. Just as AzhwAr had mentioned in his thiruvAimozhi 2-7-6 “edhirsUzhal pukku enaiththOr piRappum”, AzhwAr is not thinking of the efforts taken by emperumAn to obtain AzhwAr whenever he had taken birth in this samsAram. With the (physical) body given by emperumAn and after developing a desire in emperumAn due to the efforts put in by emperumAn, even if there is a slight delay on the part of emperumAn [in coming to the chEthana], that appears like a fault for AzhwAr. He is not considering the toils of emperumAn when he had come after AzhwAr wondering if he would get involved with him during each of his earlier births. The saying in SAsthras that when a chEthana (sentient entity) gets involved with emperumAn and if emperumAn does not shower his mercy on the chEthana, then it is emperumAn’s fault, is explained here. However much troubles a child may give its mother, if the mother does not give food to her child when the child cries for food, then it is said that the mother is at fault.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

pirindhonRu nOkkAdhu thammudaiya pinnE
thirindhuzhalum sindhainaiyAr thammaip purindhorugAl
AvA ena irangAr andhO validhE kol
mAvAy piLandhAr manam

Word by Word Meanings

pirindhu – other than self [emperumAn]

onRu nOkkAdhu – not thinking of anything else

thammudaiya pinnE – going behind him

thirindhu uzhalum – roaming, and tottering

sindhanaiyAr thammai – my mind

oru kAl – even once

purindhu – showering mercy

A A [AvA] ena – saying “Oh my! How sad!”

irangAr – he is not showing any consideration

andhO – Oh my!

mA vAy piLandhAr manam – the mind of emperumAn who tore the mouth of demon kESi, who came in the form of a horse

validhE kol – how did it become so hardened?

vyAkyAnam

pirindhu onRu nOkkAdhu thammudaiya piNNe thirindhu uzhalum – without thinking of anything else, following only him and tottering

sindhanaiyAr thammaip purindhu oru kAl A A [AvA] ena irangAr – he [emperumAn] does not show mercy on the heart [AzhwAr’s], by looking at it with affection, thinking “There is none for this heart other than myself”,

andhO validhE kol mAvAi piLandhAr manam – emperumAn had killed the demon kESi for the sake of his followers, in order to rid them of their troubles. How such emperumAn’s mind has hardened now! The mind of one, who tore the mouth of a horse for the sake of his followers then, has become like a stone now, says AzhwAr.

We will take up the 51^st pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 49 – koNdaldhAn mAlvaraidhAn

January 1, 2019 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr ascertained that emperumAn is the means who will remove our hurdles and grant us paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam). In this pAsuram, he gives out the way by which those who are with the firm belief [that emperumAn is the means] have to follow till their physical bodies fall, to spend their time.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

koNdaldhAn mAlvaraidhAn mAkadaldhAn kUriruLdhAn
vaNdaRAp pUvaidhAn maRRuththAn kaNdanAL
kAruruvam kANdORu(m) nenjOdum kaNNanAr
pEruruvenRu emmaip pirindhu

Word by Word Meanings

koNdaldhAn – the clouds

mAlvaraidhAn – the huge mountains

mAkadaldhAn – the vast oceans

kUriruLdhAn – the dense darkness

vaNdu aRA pUvaidhAn – the pUvai tree (bilberry) from whose flowers the beetles will never leave

maRRum kAr uruvam thAn – other objects which are dark in complexion

kaNda nAL – on days when they are seen

kANdhORum – whenever they are seen

nenju – my heart

kaNNanAr pEr uru enRu – thinking (this is) kaNNa’s (krishNa’s) huge physical form

emmai – us

pirindhu Odum vittu – will run (towards him), leaving [us]

vyAkyAnam

koNdaldhAn mAlvaraidhAn mAkadaldhAn kUriruLdhAn vaNdaRAp pUvaidhAn kANdhORu – on seeing clouds, huge mountains, vast oceans, dense darkness, pUvai tree which has flowers from which beetles will not leave, all of which are similes [for emperumAn]

maRRu kAruruvamdhAn kaNda nAL – when looking at dark pUnguvaLai (a type of dark coloured flower), neelamalar (blue coloured flower), kAyAmalar (purple coloured flower), which have not been mentioned earlier [as similes for emperumAn]

kANdhORum – every time that they are seen

kANdhORum nenjOdum – whenever any dark coloured object like the above is seen, even when others tell “this is not emperumAn” , my heart runs away from me, towards such objects

kaNNanAr pEruruvenRu – not realising that these are very small objects and cannot contain his huge form, my heart runs.

emmaip pirindhu nenjOdum – leaving me, the heart runs towards them, thinking that they are all kaNNan’s divine form.

We will take up the 50^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

periya thiruvandhAdhi – 48 – emakkiyAm viNNattukku

December 30, 2018 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

AzhwAr says “We were thinking that we will have emperumAn, who is capable of removing our strong hurdles, as the means and will attain paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam) through him. Isn’t this the way that we should be?”

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

emakkiyAm viNNAttukku uchchamadhAm vIttai
amaiththirundhOm ahthanrE yAmARu amaippolindha
menthOLi kAraNamA vengOttu EREzhudanE
konRAnaiyE manaththuk koNdu

Word by Word Meanings

amai polindha – being like a bamboo

menthOLi kAraNamA – nappinnai pirAtti (SrI neeLA dhEvi) who has soft shoulders

vem kOdu – sharp horns

Ezhu ERu – seven bulls

udanE – simultaneously

konRAnaiyE – krishNa, who killed

manaththuk koNdu – keeping in the mind

nAm – we

viNNAttukku uchchamadhAm vIttai – paramapadham which is above svarga (heaven) etc

emakku amaiththirundhOm – we were desirous

ahdhanRE AmARu – isn’t that, the correct way?

vyAkyAnam

emakkuyAm viNNAttukku uchchamadhAm vIttai amaiththirundhOm – We had desired for us, paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam) which is above the worlds occupied by brahmA, rudhra, indhra et al.

ahdhanRE AmARu – Isn’t that the way that we should be?

When asked “There are many hurdles to attain paramapadham. How will you overcome these?”
AzhwAr says further “He, who removed the hurdles which prevented him from attaining nappinnaip pirAtti, will remove those hurdles”.

amaippolindha menthOLi kAraNamA vengOttu EREzhudanE konRAnaiyE manaththukkoNdu – AzhwAr says that since he has kept in his mind kaNNan (krishNa) who killed seven bulls which had sharp horns, simultaneously, for the sake of nappinnaip pirAtti, who has soft shoulders resembling bamboo, his hurdles would suffer the same fate which those bulls suffered.

Here, the word amaivu [as in the first verse amaiththirundhOm] comes in the meaning of ‘desire’ with the variant samaivu. Since the word amaiyum would mean “not required”, the word amaiththirundhOm would mean ‘we did not need it’. This would convey the meaning that we did not require kaivailya mOksham (a variant of liberation in which the AthmA (soul), instead of enjoying emperumAn, enjoys itself) which is located in the outskirts of paramapadham and which is above the worlds of brahmA, rudhra, indhra et al. The implied meaning is that for us, who have thought of the consort of nappinnai, kaivalya mOksham, which excludes experience of emperumAn, is not required.

Instead of this, we could also interpret the meaning in another way – we can consider viNNAttukku uchchamadhAm vIttai to refer to paramapadham itself. However, just as hanuman had said “Other than this physical form of a monkey which was embraced by SrI rAma, in whose auspicious qualities I had got engaged, with his divine form, I do not require the aprAkrutha (not related to primordial matter) form with which I have to enter paramapadham as there is nothing in paramapadham for me to enjoy”, we can consider that AzhwAr says “For me who has kept firmly in the mind nappinnaip pirAtti’s consort kaNNa, the experience of paramapadham is not required ”. Did not thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr too say in thirumalai 2 “ichchuvaithavira yAn pOy indhiralOgam ALum achchuvai perineum vENdEn aranga mAnagaruLAnE” (I will not like if I have to leave this experience of enjoying thiruvarangam even if I were to get the opportunity of going to paramapadham)!

We will take up the 49^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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periya thiruvandhAdhi – 47 – ninaiththiRainji

November 22, 2018 Published by: T N Krishnan

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

avathArikai

emperumAn tells AzhwAr “You are considering me as the means and goal and keep praising me to spend your time. But the other people in samsAram are just the opposite of this” to which AzhwAr responds “They are people without your grace. Do not feel bad about this”.

Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:

ninaiththiRainji mAnidavar onRirappar enRE
ninaiththidavum vENdA nI nErE ninaiththiRainja
evvaLavar evvidaththOr mAlE adhu thAnum
evvaLavum uNdO emakku

Word by Word Meanings

mAlE – Oh sarvESvara! (who cannot be estimated)
mAnidar – manushyas (chEthanas or samsAris, dwellers of the materialistic realm)
ninaiththu – thinking
iRainji – worshipping
onRu irappar – will seek a small benefit
enRu – saying like this
nI – you
ninaiththidavum vENdA – do not think
nErE ninaiththu – thinking (of you), as you are
iRainja – to worship
evvaLavar – how much knowledge do they (samsAris) have?
evvidaththAr – in which place are they?
adhu thAnum – that too (seeking other benefits)
evvaLavum – even a little bit
emakku uNdO – do we (who have your grace), have?

vyAkyAnam

ninaiththiRainji mAnidavar onRu irappar enRE nI ninaiththidavum vENdA – [AzhwAr tells emperumAn] Do not think that other samsAris are “thinking of me, falling at my feet but unlike you [AzhwAr] they do not ask for me as the benefit; they are asking for lowly benefits”.

nErE ninaiththiRainja evvaLavar evvidaththOr – who can think clearly that you are the natural means and goal? From which place and with what level of knowledge could they think this way? The implied meaning here is that only nithyars (permanent dwellers of paramapadham) and mukthars (those who have got liberated from samsAram and have attained paramapadham) could think this way.

mAlE – Oh the great entity! The opinion is that those with very low levels of knowledge cannot think of a great entity such as emperumAn and arrive at a conclusion that emperumAn is like this or that these are his qualities.

adhu thAnum evvaLavum uNdO emakku – Do I have such lowly quality that these samsAris have, of seeking other benefits from you? For persons like me who have your grace, there is no connection with other lowly benefits. It is no wonder that other samsAris, who do not have your blessing, ask for other benefits from you. The opinion is that emperumAn cannot dislike them because of this.

We will take up the 48^th pAsuram next.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan