SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
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Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
As amudhanAr said (in previous pAsuram) ‘poruvaRRa kELviyan Akki ninRAn’, (emperumAnAr asks) what is the difference in such knowledge of yours? is it not applicable for everyone? (amudhanAr replies) – I am not in the group of those who surrender and get paramapadham; I am one who gets the destiny that is your divine feet, due to your generosity.
Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)
As outlet of his happiness, as he said ‘poruvaRRa kELviyan Akki ninRAn’ (in previous pAsuram), (emperumAnAr asks) “You praised me saying ‘he made me best in knowledge (upon hearing advises),’, did I make only you like so? I incarnated for the benefit of the whole world to take them all to paramapadham; so how are you different from others?” amudhanAr replies seeing his divine face, ‘you see, I am not like others who are in the state of thinking that they would surrender to emperumAn and go to paramapadham. I shall get based on your generosity the destiny that is your divine feet’. amudhanAr appeals so to emperumAnAr.
seer koNdu pEr aRam seydhu nal veedu seRidhum ennum
pAr koNda mEnmaiyar kUttan allEn un padha yugamAm
Er koNda veettai eLidhinil eydhuvan unnudaiya
kAr koNda vaNmai irAmAnusA idhu kaNdu koLLE – 83
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Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
seer koNdu – The ones having auspicious nature like control of internal and external senses, faith that nothing can be done independently by self (Akinchanyam), not dependent on any body else (than emperumAn) (ananyagathithvam), interest and faith (towards pious matters),
pEr aRam seydhu – (their) doing prapaththi (surrender) which is the most religious precept (dharma), unlike kaivalyam which is enjoyment of own AthmA only,
seRidhum ennum – (such people) say, shall attain
nal veedu – liberation that is identified as ultimate destiny (after surrendering);
mEnmaiyar kUttan allEn – I do not belong in those who are having such glory, who have surrendered to emperumAn,
pAr koNda – (the glory) which is spread in the whole earth;
irAmAnusA – Oh udaiyavar!
padha yugamAm – the two divine feet
un – of yours
Er koNda veettai – is the most distinguished destiny (mOksham), which
eLidhinin eydhuvan – I would get without any effort;
cause of that is –
unnudaiya vaNmai – your generosity
kAr koNda – of helping in all the matters at all times, which has won the rainy cloud (in its generosity);
idhu kaNdu koL – do I have to say this explicitly, would you not understand it from seeing it in practice?
Some would also recite as ‘nal veedu perudhum’;
pAr koNda mEnmai – also means – noble and common people all would take up emperumAnAr; he having such excellence;
When some recite as ‘Er koNda veettil’, without any effort I would join the most distinguished destiny that are your two divine feet.
Er – beauty.
koNda – having something
Saying emperumAnAr’s divine feet as ultimate destiny (mOksham) – is because that is where there is the most happiness. This is said in ‘mukthi: mOksha: mahAnandha:’.
nAthamunigaL and ALavandhAr (who wishes to serve nAthamunigaL while here and there)
vyAkyAnam
seer koNdu – Control of internal and external senses, etc., as said by ‘Santha: dhAntha:’, faith that nothing can be done independently by self (Akinchanyam), and, not dependent on any body else (than emperumAn) (ananyagathithvam), as said in ‘kaLaivAy thunbam kaLaiyAdhozhivAy kaLai kaN maRRilEn [thiruvAimozhi – 5.8.8]’ (~ whether you remove my sorrows or not, I do not have any other shelter than You), and ‘en nAn seygEn yArE kaLaikaN ennai en seyginRAy [thiruvAimozhi – 5.8.3]’ (Can I do anything by myself? Who is the protector? What do you plan to do? (I don’t have anyone to go to other than You)),
and as said in ‘priyOhi gyAnina: athyarththam aham [SrI bhagavath gIthA]’ (they pour so much of love towards me (says krishNan)), and, ‘rakShishyatheethi viSvAsa:’ (staunch faith that emperumAn would not let us down), having interest and faith (towards Him) – starting with such auspicious qualities; those having such qualities;
koNdu – is – having something.
pEr aRam seydhu – As said in ‘nyAsamEshAm thapasAm athirikthamAhu: [thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli – 50]” (nyAsam (SaraNAgathi) is said as the top-most penance), and, ‘sarva guhya thamam bhUya:’ (most sacred, most secret, best path (is SaraNAgathi)), doing prapaththi (surrender) that is the most special and the most virtuous path, and apt for true nature of AthmA;
It is as said in ‘nyasya thvath pAdha padhmE varadha nijaparam nirbharO nirbhayOsmi’ (have surrendered to your divine feet, and I have no responsibilities and worries about protection of my AthmA), leaving the protection of AthmA’s intimate matters to Him, and being without any worries, like leaving the responsibility of a milk drinking baby to its mother;
piLLai (lOkAchAryar) also divined – ‘palaththukku Athma gyAnamum aprathiSEdhamumE vENduvadhu [SrIvachana bhUshaNam]’ (~to gain the true destiny, only the knowledge of true nature of AthmA and non-denying (of His protection) are required);
pEr – greatness
aRam – dharmam (virtuous path).
nal veedu seRidhum ennum – veedu -> mOksham (SrIvaikuNtam). Place of goal;
As (kUraththAzhvAn) said in ‘sva AthmAnubhUthirithi yAkila mukthirukthA’ (being in the (sad) state enjoying one’s own AthmA only (kaivalyam) is (also) called as liberation (mOksham)’),
since ‘kaivalyam’ (enjoying one’s own AthmA and not interested in serving emperumAn), is also called ‘mOksham’, in order to distinguish liberation to SrIvaikuNtam, amudhanAr calls it specially as ‘nal’ veedu.
Goodness of mOksham (nal veedu) is – unlike kaivalyam which is lowly and for own enjoyment with AthmA, SrIvaikuNtam is as said in ‘nalam antham illadhOr nAdu [thiruvAimozhi – 2.8.4]’ (~place of endless good), it is in the form of unbounded happiness, and as said in ‘thanakkEyAga enaik koLLum eedhE [thiruvAimozhi – 2.9.4]’ ((not for others, not for me, not jointly for Him and me) exclusively for Him, He acknowledges me to be fully dependent), is in the form of enjoying/enjoyment of emperumAn only.
seRidhum ennum – that we shall reach such top most destiny; some recite it as ‘nal veedu peRudhum’, but there is no difference in meaning;
As said in ‘yOginAmamrutham sthAnam’ (place for the souls of the learned who chose kaivalyam), and, ‘yadhvai paSyanthi sUraya:’ (~ultimate/grand place, paramaphadham reached by those who have done bhakthi yOgam (etc)), geethAchAryan also divined distinguishing between kaivalya mOksham that enjoys just AthmA only, and the at most destiny that is reaching of emperumAn;
pAr koNda mEnmaiyar – that is, those noble ones having glory that is spread all across the earth; or, emperumAnAr having excellence who is taken up by people without regards to being noble or common; koNda – spanning, and, taking up.
kUttan allEn – I am not inside such group of those who have surrendered to emperumAn;
If so, what is your state/way? amudhanAr replies –
un padha yugamAm Er koNda veettai – the most distinguished mOksham, that is, your two divine feet; as said in ‘gururEva parAyaNam’ (Ultimate place to reach is that of AchAryan), ‘gururEva parAgathi:’ (Ultimate refuge is AchAryan), ‘pAdha mUlam gamishyAmi yAnaham paryachArisham [SrI rAmAyaNam]’ (I shall reach the divine feet to which I was doing services in this world), and ALavandhAr’s ‘nithyam yadheeya charaNau SaraNam madheeyam’ (AchAryans’ divine feet is the means and destiny), the mOksham that is most distinguished in every way; Er – beauty.
eLidhinil eydhuvan – would reach it without any strain;
When some recite as ‘un padha yugamAm Er koNda veettil’, the meaning is – in the distinguished mOksham that are the two divine feet of yours. You see, after he gets this most revered divine feet, he would not value attaining of emperumAn;
Saying divine feet as mOksham is because that is where the most happiness is.
If you are saying this, how do you attain this destiny? Let us hear you say that. amudhanAr replies –
unnudaiya kAr koNda vaNmai – As said in ‘adhuvum avanadhu innaruLE [thiruvAimozhi – 8.8.3]’ (~(I kept Him in my mind) that is also His kind blessing only), the means for reaching your divine feet is your generosity only, says amudhanAr. By the adjective of ‘kAr koNda’, he talks about the greatness of his generosity compared to that of rainy cloud;
While the cloud would only pour for a few months, and even during that time instead of pouring in the places of need, it would pour in the ocean, mountains, and forests, (too); unlike that, emperumAnAr’s generosity is ‘koLLak kuRaivaRRu ilangi kOzhundhu vittu Ongi’, unbounded and overflowing, it is available at all times, for everyone, and gives all the goals, and wins compared to the big cloud that is like a big tree; and he got me to serve him as if in writing (by legal agreement).
Your generosity due to your utmost kindness, is the means for me.
irAmAnusA – Oh emperumAnAr!
idhu kaNdu koLLE – Does this have to be told? Is it not obvious like a fruit seen in the palm of hand? Would you not understand it yourself? Is there an need for me to talk about it?
It is said too, ‘sulabham svagurum thyakthvA dhurlabham ya upAsathE
labdham thyakthvA dhanam mUdO gupthamanvEshathi kshithau’ (One who leaves the easily accessible AchAryan and practises difficult penances/practices, is like a fool who throws away the money already available to him and digs the earth in search of treasure).
From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI u.vE. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’ :
While those noble ones are in prathama parvam and they wish for emperumAn’s divine feet, I being in charama parvam wish for getting your divine feet, and I will easily get it because of your generosity.
pEr aRam – here it is not about karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams. It is about prapaththi (surrender).
Since prapaththi is not a means, amudhanAr refers to ‘seer koNdu’ not as something being done by those who surrender, but such people would by themselves be having some good qualities – having that is the good deed, is the idea here.
Not only here, even in SrIvaikuNtam, doing services to AchAryan is the most distinguished destiny; examples, Sabari, ALavandhAr (athra parathra chApi in sthOthra rathnam).
I am not in the group of those who gained knowledge and surrendered to emperumAn’s divine feet; I got the incomparable knowledge from your advises, and became the target of your affection, and (so) got the benefit of obtaining your divine feet as the destiny – says amudhanAr.
– – – – –
Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan
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