SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – Since she will not be satisfied if she just enjoys him after he comes [to the place where she is staying], she wants to enjoy from the time when kaNNan comes, in her dream, to the place where she is staying, with the people of the town telling one another that kaNNan has come to marry her, and the way the streets are decorated when he comes walking.
vAraNam Ayiram sUzha valam seydhu
nAraNan nambi nadakkinRAn enRu edhir
pUraNa poRkudam vaiththup puram engum
thOraNam nAttak kaNak kaNdEn thOzhI nAn
Word-by-Word Meanings
thOzhI – Oh, my dear friend!
nambi – one who is complete in all the auspicious qualities
nAraNan – SrIman nArAyaNan
Ayiram vAraNam sUzha – surrounded by a thousand elephants
valam seydhu nadakkinRAn enRu – is mercifully coming in the clockwise direction (affirmed by the music from nAdhaswaram [a type of wind instrument, similar to flute])
edhir – opposite [to his direction of arrival]
pon pUraNa kudam vaiththu – keeping golden pots filled with water [as a mark of welcome]
puram engum – throughout the town
thOraNam nAtta – welcome arches being erected
(this situation)
kanAk kaNdEn – I enjoyed in my dream
Simple Translation
Oh, my dear friend! I saw in my dream that SrIman nArAyaNan, complete in all the auspicious qualities was coming in a clockwise direction, surrounded by a thousand elephants. He was received with due respect, by being offered water in golden pots. Throughout the town, welcome arches have been erected [to celebrate his arrival].
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
vAraNam Ayiram sUzha valam seydhu – in thiruvAyppAdi [SrI gOkulam], only cows and calves are roaming. Where did elephants come from? Since ANdAL herself has mercifully said in thiruppAvai pAsuram 18 “undhu madhakaLiRRan”, with nandhagOpar [head of cowherds and father of krishNa] coming on elephants to oppose his enemies, there is no issue in his son coming, surrounded by a thousand elephants. It is also well known that SrI nandhagOpar often roams around the place, riding an elephant. How did nandhagOpar get an army of elephants? Just as SrI rAma had accepted sugrIva as a dear friend, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 5-18 “thvam vayasyO’si mE hrudhyO hyEkam dhu:kkam sukhancha nau l sugrIvam rAghavO vAkyam ithyuvAcha prahrushtavath ll” (SrI rAma told sugrIva, with lot of happiness “You have become a very dear friend to me. For the two of us, happiness and sorrow will be the same, henceforth”) since vasudhEvar and nandhagOpar are close friends, the wealth of nandhagOpar’s cows was also the wealth of vasudhEvar’s and the wealth of vasudhEvar’s army of elephants and horses was also the wealth of nandhagOpar’s. During the time when vasudhEvar was imprisoned by kamsan, it is possible that his elephants were left with nandhagOpar. Moreover, for children taken in adoption, there is a right on the wealth of both parents [the one who had sired and the one who nourished]. Hence, by this manner also, there is no issue with elephants coming with kaNNan, during his marriage. What is the reason for saying “a thousand elephants”? Just as it has been said in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3-1-1 “thannEr Ayiram piLLaigaLOdu thaLar nadai ittu varuvAn” (kaNNan will come together with his thousand friends who are like him, after grazing the cows), since kaNNan would not bear any [even unintentional] slighting of his friends, he would have organised for a thousand elephants such that each of those thousand friends too could sit atop an elephant. thirumangai AzhwAr had mercifully said in periya thirumozhi 11-3-5 ”thammiaiyE nALum vaNangith thozhuvArkkuth thammaiyE okka aruL seyvar” (emperumAn will mercifully make those who worship him every day, to be like him). Isn’t emperumAn one who grants eminence to those who worship him constantly, matching his?
nAraNa nambi – when kaNNan, who is the leader of thiruvAyppAdi and mathurA, came, it appeared that it was SrIman nArAyaNan, the lord of both nithya vibhUthi (spiritualistic realm) and leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm) who was coming.
nambi – one who is complete with all auspicious qualities. In his supreme state, being the lord of both nithya vibhUthi and leelA vibhUthi, we have heard from SAsthrams [sacred texts] that he is full of auspicious qualities. But we have not enjoyed those qualities. It is only during vibhavAvathAram (incarnations such as SrI rAma, krishNa et al) that we could enjoy those qualities. Moreover, in paramapadham, where he lets nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs (those who had got liberated from samsAram and had reached parama padham) to enjoy his auspicious qualities, his qualities such as saulabhyam (easy approachability), sauSeelyam (simplicity, where a superior entity becomes friendly with a lowly entity) etc do not get manifested. These qualities shine explicitly only when he offers himself to the deficient samsAris, just like a bright lamp lights up a dark room. His qualities such as honesty etc can be seen only in samsAram, with those who do not have honesty, since in paramapadham, there is no dishonest person. Thus, the word nambi indicates the completeness of qualities in vibhavAvathAram.
nadakkiRAn enRu – Just as it has been said in mahAbhAratham udhyOga parvam 73-1 “kuSasthalE nivasathi sa cha prAtharihEshyathi” (bhagavAn krishNan has mercifully reached kuSasthalam (an intermediate place) today. He will mercifully come here tomorrow morning), the news about his arrival to those who are favourable towards him, will be an aid in their sustaining themselves. Unlike viSvAmithrar, who was capable of carrying out any task as mentioned in the verse ”SApAdhapi SarAdhapi” ((I am capable of completing a task) through curse or arrows), had to bring SrI rAma towards sIthAp pirAtti, without the need for anyone like that, kaNNan came on his own towards ANdAL.
edhir pUraNa poRkudam vaiththu – keeping pots with water, opposite to him [to welcome him]
puram engum thOraNam nAtta – just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 10-9-2 “thOraNam niRaiththu engum thozhudhanar” (people erected welcome arches everywhere and worshipped), when mukthAthmAs ascend to paramapadham, those who are already in paramapadham will erect arches and celebrate their arrival. In the same way, when the head of paramapadham comes here, people here will erect welcome arches. puram – town. If the text is considered as puRam, it would refer to orchards at the periphery of the town.
kanAk kaNdEn – during the time when we are awake, there are many matters which keep coming to us through our five sensory perceptions for us to enjoy, just like window in the house which allows rays of sun to come inside the house. However, since there are many matters to be dealt with simultaneously by the sensory organs, it is difficult to enjoy them properly. However, in a dream, only one matter comes to us and hence it is possible to enjoy it in a focussed manner. ANdAL says that she saw this [kaNNan coming to the town in a grand manner] happening in her dream and enjoyed it.
kaNdEn – instead of hearing from affectionate mothers or from you, my dear friend, I saw it myself such that I could reveal it to you.
Next, we will consider the 2nd pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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