SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram that emperumAn, with his simplicity, whom he had enjoyed in the previous pAsuram, mercifully resided in divine abodes such as thiru Uragam etc in order to create an interest in the heart of AzhwAr. Once AzhwAr developed the interest, due to his great affection for AzhwAr, he shifted to AzhwAr’s heart. AzhwAr says that emperumAn’s simplicity which he had mentioned in the previous pAsuram, fructified in his case.
ninRadhendhai Uragaththu irundhadhendhai pAdagath(thu)
anRu vehkaNaik kidandhadhu ennilAdha munnelAm
anRu nAn piRandhilEn piRandhapin maRandhilEn
ninRadhum irundhadhum kidandhadhum en nenjuLE
Word-by-Word Meanings
endhai – one who is my swAmy (lord)
Uragaththu – in thiru Uragam
ninRadhu – when he mercifully stood
endhai – one who is my swAmy
pAdagaththu – in thiruppAdagam
irundhadhu – when he mercifully sat
anRu – that time (when I had not developed taste in the two divine abodes mentioned)
vehkaNai – in thiruvehkA
kidandhadhu – when he mercifully reclined
ennilAdha – when I had turned my face away [from emperumAn]
munnelAm – all the time preceding it
anRu – during that time
nAn – I
piRandhilEn – remained as not having been born (since I did not have knowledge about emperumAn)
piRandha pin – after I gained knowledge (about emperumAn)
maRandhilEn – I did not forget
endhai – one who is my lord
ninRadhum irundhadhum kidandhadhum – all the activities which he did in the three divine abodes mentioned above
en nenjuLE – he does inside my heart
Simple Translatioon
During all the time preceding the time when I had turned my face away from emperumAn, who is my swAmy, and when I had not gained knowledge about him, he had mercifully stood in the divine abode of thiru Uragam, mercifully sat in the divine abode of thiruppAdagam and mercifully reclined in the divine abode of thiruvehkA. After I gained knowledge about emperumAn, I did not forget that. emperumAn, who is my lord, does all the activities which he was doing in those divine abodes, from inside my heart.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
ninRadhendhai Uragaththu – As thrivikraman, emperumAn had measured all the worlds, gently stroking every one such that his magnanimity was manifested. With that divine form, he mercifully stood in the divine abode of thiru Uragam. The implied meaning is that emperumAn, through measuring the world, wanted to indicate the rule that he is the owner and that the entire world is his possession. He manifested his beauty to AzhwAr such that he would accept that emperumAn is his lord and to create a taste in AzhwAr towards him. Alternatively, even during the time that AzhwAr had not agreed to “He is my lord”, the reason for emperumAn coming to thiru Uragam and standing there is to announce that the owner will not let go of his possession.
irundhadhendhai pAdagaththu – Since emperumAn found that AzhwAr had not developed an interest in him despite coming to thiru Uragam, he showed his beauty in the divine abode of thiruppAdagam such that AzhwAr would accept the fact that “You are the lord; I am your servitor” and mercifully remained in sitting posture in thiruppAdagam. This is just like the way lakshmaNa told hanuman, when hanuman came to enquire about them, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 4-12 “ahamasyAvarO bhrAthA guNair dhAsyamupAgatha:” (Through his (SrI rAma’s) thoughts, I am his younger brother; (factually) through (his) auspicious qualities, I am his servitor).
anRu vehkaNaik kidandhadhu – Since AzhwAr did not develop an interest towards emperumAn despite standing in thiru Uragam and sitting in thiruppAdagam, displaying his beauty, he reclined in the divine abode of thiruvehkA, manifesting his beauty, such that AzhwAr would develop an interest towards him. AzhwAr explains the boundary before he came to these divine abodes.
ennilAdha munnelAm – During the long time when I (referring to AzhwAr) did not exist. The implied meaning is – during the time when I had not developed an interest towards emperumAn. How is ennilAdha to be treated as nAnilAdha (when I was not)? The vyAkyAthA, periyavAchchAn piLLai, quotes nammAzhwAr’s thiruvAimozhi 7-9-4 “appanai enRu maRappan? ennAgiya thappudhalinRith thanaik kavi thAn solli” (Is it possible to forget that emperumAn? He sang hymns on himself through me such that there will be no deficiency), where a similar usage is seen. He, who is the lord of paramapadham, which is nithya vibhUthi (permanent realm) and of leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm), stood, sat and lay down in order for a samsAri (dweller in leelA vibhUthi) to develop an interest towards him! While even my existence is only through his mercy, is he longing for my glance! When asked as to what he was doing then, AzhwAr says ……
anRu nAn piRandhilEn – during the time of creation, even though emperumAn had given a form and name, I (AzhwAr) had not bowed down to his divine feet since I had interest in other matters. Despite having been born, I remained as one who had not been born.
nAn piRandhilEn – The opinion here is that since birth for AthmA happens only when it gains knowledge, despite having taken many births, I was without knowledge. Has this not been said in upanaishaths too, just as it has been said in thaiththirIya upanishath Anandhavalli 6?
“asannEva sa bhavathi l asath brahmEthi vEdha chEth l asthi brahmEthi chEdh vEdha l santhamEnam thathO vidhu: ll (Since the soul does not have knowledge about brahmam (supreme entity) he is considered as not existing; if it has (such knowledge), for that reason alone, he is considered to be existing). Has it not been said in smruthi too that only he, who had created knowledge about brahmam, is the greatest father? uthpAdhaga brahmapithrOr garIyAn brahmadha: pithA (Between the biological father and the father who gave instructions about brahmam, it is only he, who gave instructions about brahmam, is considered as eminent)
piRandhapin maRandhilEn – due to emperumAn’s efforts since time immemorial, I have not forgotten him after I received knowledge about him. Just as it has been said in bhagavadh gIthA 15-15 “sarvasya chAham hrudhi sannivishtO maththas smruthir gyAnamapOhanancha l
vEdhaiScha sarvair ahamEva vEdhyO vEdhAnthakruth vEdhavidhEva chAham ll” (I am sitting in everyone’s heart; it is only through me that memory, knowledge and forgetfulness emerge; only I am known through all the vEdhas; it is only I who grants the benefits as mentioned in vEdhas and it is only I who knows vEdhas), isn’t it through emperumAn that soul gets knowledge? Since the knowledge obtained through emperumAn’s efforts transforms into bhakthi (devotion), just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi, madhinalam (knowledge with devotion), there is no scope for forgetting it. Thus, it is firmly established that one would exist only if one becomes interested about emperumAn and that without that interest, he becomes non-existent.
ninRadhum irundhadhum kidandhadhum en nenjuLE – after I developed interest towards emperumAn such that I will not forget, he carried out his activities of standing, sitting and reclining, which he was carrying out in those divine abodes, in my heart, as if he had forgotten about those divine abodes.
It appeared that emperumAn was desirous, since time immemorial, to attain AzhwAr. He made AzhwAr, who was non-existent, to exist, creating devotion in AzhwAr which he will not forget, made himself as the target for that devotion and fulfilled his desire. In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said “sindhaiyuL senRirundhu thIvinaigaL thIrththa“, implying that emperumAn had entered the minds of his followers and removed only their sins. In this pAsuram, he says “ninRadhum irundhadhum kidandhadhum en nenjuLE” emphasising that emperumAn, staying in his mind, enjoyed him in many ways. Through these two pAsurams, it is made clear that AzhwAr mentions the superiority of attaining emperumAn through himself instead of attaining him through other means (devotion).
Next, we will take up the 65th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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