SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
In the earlier pAsuram AzhwAr mentioned about the bhakthi (devotion) that was created in him. Or, it could be construed as how emperumAn taught him to be subservient to him. In this pAsuram, he thinks of emperumAn’s simplicity and worships him without mamakAram (being possessive).
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
nagarizhaiththu niththilaththu nANmalar koNdu AngE
thigazhumaNi vayiram sErththu nigarillAp
paingamalam Endhip paNindhEn panimalarAL
angam valam koNdAnadi
Word by Word Meaning
nagar izhaiththu – making my heart as the capital for emperumAn to reside
AngE niththilaththu nAL malar koNdu – making affection (devotion), also termed as pearl, as a flower that has just blossomed that day
thigazhum maNi vayiram sErththu – keeping carbuncle and diamond as water lily and pollen respectively
nigar illA – the incomparable
paim kamalam Endhi – donning bhakthi as a cool lotus flower
panimalrAL angam valam koNdAn – emperumAn who keeps SrIdhEvi (SrI mahAlakshmi), who dwells in a lotus, on his right chest
adi – divine feet
paNindhEn – I worshipped
vyAkyAnam
niththilaththu nAL malar koNdu AngE nagar izhaiththu – The meaning for this could be construed either as referring to flower like bhakthi or creating a flower which is as cool as pearl. Just as in the case of “anbE thagaLiyA” where AzhwAr referred to affection (devotion) as a simile for lamp, here too he is referring to bhakthi (devotion) as a simile for flower and is attaining emperumAn with that.
nagar izhaiththu – keeping his heart as a dwelling place fit for emperumAn. nagar is town, referred here to as temple (it is pertinent to recall that periyAzhwAr has also said ‘mArvam enbadhOr kOyil amaiththu’ (setting heart as a temple)).
niththilaththu nAL malar koNdu – thinking of a cool pearl as a petal. Making a petal out of devotion.
niththilaththu nAL malar – cool, fragrant flower. As said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam “dhvidhAbhajyEyamapyEvam na namEyam” (even if split into two, I will not worship [SrI rAma, said rAvaNa]), being unlike this is in itself cool and comfortable to the mind.
nAL malar – cool flower
AngE – in that mind
thigazhum maNi vayiram serththu – taking shining carbuncles and diamonds as being involved, and keeping them as water lilies and pollens. bhakthi is referred to as radiant carbuncle and diamond gems.
nigar illAp paim kamalam Endhi – donning the incomparable meditation as flower, attained emperumAn.
paingamalam – well spread out lotus flower. In other words, I worshipped with the lotus of my heart. There is a simile for other lotuses. But since there is none for AzhwAr’s lotus like heart, he is terming it as incomparable cool lotus. In this pAsuram, AzhwAr is terming love as a metaphor for pearl and devotion as a metaphor for carbuncles and diamonds. Hasn’t been divinely mentioned as in thiruvAimozhi 1-4-9 “nAdAdha malar nAdi” (searching for flowers which are difficult to get) and in thiruvAimozhi 4-3-2 “pUsum sAndhu en nenjumE” (the sandalwood paste to be applied to emperumAn is my heart itself)! The reason for terming bhakthi as a bhAvapushpam (emotional flower) is because of the maturity of bhakthi resulting from the enjoyment of emperumAn who is always with pirAtti (SrI mahAlakshmii).
Who is AzhwAr attaining?
panimarAL angam valam koNdAn adi – I fell at the divine feet of emperumAn who is embracing the boundlessly sweet pirAtti on his right side. Thus, he is saying that the entity to be attained is only emperumAn who is with thirumagaL (SrI mahAlakshmi). The apt person to be subservient to like this is only emperumAn. The attainment, even if it is faulty, will become faultless if he is attained when she is with him. She will not allow him to analyse the good and bad deeds of the followers! She will tell him that if compassion is shown only for those with good deeds, it will create a fault in the relationship of being father and mother to the world.
We shall take up the 5th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa ramanuja dhAsan
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