SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
AzhwAr instructs the others to engage their sensory organs, which were given in order to carry out service for emperumAn, in the matter of that sulabhan (simple person).
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vAzhthuga vAy kANga kaN kEtka sevi magudam
thAzhththi vaNangumingaL thaNmalarAl sUzhththa
thuzhAy mannu nINmudi en thollai mAl thannai
vazhA vaN kai kUppi madhiththu
Word for Word Meanings
sUzhththa – encircling
thuzhAy – divine thuLasi garland
mannu – aptly fitting
nIL mudi – one who has the long divine crown
en thollai mAL thannai – sarvESvaran (supreme being) who has been having affection towards me for a long time
vazhA – without even a moment’s break
vaN kai kUppi madhiththu – joining the hands together in salutation and meditating
magudam thAzhththi – bowing the head down
thaN malarAl – with cool flowers
vaNangumin – attain him
vAy – (your) mouth
vAzhththuga – let it praise (emperumAn)
kaN – eyes
kANga – let them see( only him)
sevi – ears
kEtka – let them hear (only his narratives)
vyAkyAnam
vAzhththuga vAy – praise him with the mouth which has been created only for praising him, as mentioned in the saying “sA jihvA yA harIm sthauthi” (only that which praises hari (emperumAn) is termed as tongue)
kANga kaN – see him with the eyes which have been created only for seeing his divine form.
kEtka sevi – hear his divine qualities, names and activities with the ears which have been created only for hearing his auspicious qualities.
magudam thAzhththi vaNangumingaL – lower the head which has been created to bow down to his divine feet, at his divine feet and worship him.
vaNangumingaL thaNmalarAl – worship him with the apt flowers which are cool enough for his soft divine form.
malarAl – among flowers, there is no rule that only such and such flowers are apt for him and others are not. Has he not mercifully mentioned in SrI bhagavath gIthA 9.26 “pathram palam pushpam thOyam yO mE bhakthyA prayachchathi I thadhaham bhakthyupahrutham aSnAmi prayathAthmana: II” (I take with full happiness with whatever leaf or flower or fruit or water has been offered to me by one with devotion) and hasn’t AzhwAr too mercifully mentioned in his thiruvAimozhi 1.6.1 “purivadhum pugai pUvE” (whatever fragrance or flower is offered to emperumAn…)!
AzhwAr next describes the distinguished feature of emperumAn for our bowing our head to him.
sUzhththa thuzhAy mannu – donning thuLasi garland in itself is a distinguished feature for his being the supreme entity.
sUzhththa thuzhAy mannu – decorated with the coiled thuLasi garland.
thuzhAy mannu nINmudi – isn’t he the entity who has “thOLiNai mElum nanmArbin mElum sudar mudi mElum thALiNai mElum punaindha thaNNandhuzhAyudai ammAn ” (the lord who is decorated with cool thuLasi garland on his divine shoulders, on the great chest, on the radiant lock and on his divine feet)! Didn’t kUraththAzhwAn (a primary disciple of bhagavath SrI rAmAnuja) also mercifully say in athimAnusha sthavam “AdhirAjyamadhikam bhuvanAnAm Isa! thE piSunayan kila mauli:” (Oh Lord! That you are the controller of all the worlds is indicated by your divine crown)!
en thollai mAl thannai – we can construe this as one who has showered his affection on me from time immemorial. mAl – an affectionate person.
vazhA – unchanged.
vaN kai kUppi – joining the magnanimous hands together. AzhwAr quotes the adjective (vaN) based on emperumAn’s recitation in SrI bhagavath gIthA 7.18 “udhArAs sarva EvaithE” (those who worship me are magnanimous persons). It can also be taken as AzhwAr celebrating since those who bow down to emperumAn in samsAram (materialistic realm) are indeed rare.
thollai mAL thannai madhiththu vaNangumingaL – worship the supreme being with the heart which thinks of him. Since periyavAchchAN piLLai has said in his vyAkyAnam for this pAsuram “thinking, without a break, of the divine names of supreme being ” it could be construed that the words in the text could also be thollai mAl nAmam.
magudam thAzhththi vaNangumingaL – since you are thinking in vain that you are someone great, get rid of that vanity and worship emperumAn with bowed head.
vAzhththuga vAy…..vaNangumingaL – AzhwAr is recalling the verse of rishis who said “vichithrA dhEhasampaththirISvarAya nivEdhithum I pUrvamEva kruthA brahmaN hasthapAdhAdhi samyuthA II” (Oh brahmaNa! This body with its strange hands and legs has been created at the beginning only for offering to the supreme being) and the divine hymn of mudhal AzhwAr (poygai AzhwAr) who mercifully said in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 11 “vAy avanai alladhu vAzhthAdhu kaiyulagam thAyavanai alladhu thAm thozhA…” (the mouth will not praise anyone except emperumAn and the hands will not worship anyone other than emperumAn who is like a mother to the worlds..).
We will go on to the 12th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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