SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – after the event of circumambulating the ritual fire, ANdAL says that she experienced the event of ammi midhiththal (stepping on to a grinding stone)
immaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum paRRAvAn
nammai udaiyavan nArAyaNan nambi
semmai udaiya thirukkaiyAl thAL paRRi
ammi midhikkak kanAk kaNdEn thOzhI! nAn
Word-by-Word Highlights
thOzhI! – oh, dear friend!
immaikkum – for this birth
Ezh Ezh piRavikkum – for all the births to be taken in future
paRRu AvAn – he remains as our refuge
nammai udaiyavan – as our SEshi (being our lord)
nambi – being complete with all the auspicious qualities
nArAyaNan – kaNNa pirAn, who is SrIman nArAyaNan
semmai udaiya thirukkaiyAl – with his reddish, divine hands
thAL paRRi – holding (my) foot
ammi midhikka – to keep atop the grinding stone
nAn kanAk kaNdEn – I dreamt
Simple Translation
Oh, my dear friend! kaNNapirAn, who is SrIman nArAyaNan, is our refuge for this birth as well as for all the births which we may take in the future. He is our lord, and is complete with all the auspicious qualities. I dreamt that such kaNNa pirAn, with his reddish, divine hands, held my foot and placed it on top of the grinding stone.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
immaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum paRRAvAn – In the previous pAsuram, ANdAL had said that since the two of them held their hands with agni, the lord of fire as the witness, each cannot let the other go. In this pAsuram, she says that even if that agni himself attempts to separate them, kaNNan is one who will not let go of us. Not only in this birth, irrespective of the number of births which we take, isn’t he the one who is our refuge!
EzhEzh piRavikkum – the meaning implied here is that if we are able to attain him and enjoy him without any break, there will be no deficiency in our taking births repeatedly. Didn’t she pray to him, as in thiruppAvai 29 “EzhEzh piRavikkum unRannOdu uRROmEyAvOm” (for all the births in the future, we will be related to you)?
EzhEzh piRavikkum paRRAvAn – if a ritual called as kArIri is observed in order to get benefits such as rains etc, there will be heavy rains, once. SrI rAma charama SlOkam (ultimate hymn) says “sakruth Eva prapannAya” (take refuge under me once), where he says that if he is taken refuge of once, the experience with the supreme entity will last for eternity. ANdAL refers this to EzhEzh piRavikkum. In his thiruvAimozhi pAsuram 9-1-7 “kuRRamil sIr kaRRu vaigal vAzhdhal kaNdIr guNamE” (His auspicious qualities are such that if we meditate upon his auspicious qualities which are opposite to all defects, we will live happily forever), nammAzhwAr implied this meaning for the word vaigal (forever).
nammai udaiyavan – one who remains as our swAmy (lord). Even if we do not get the benefit of enjoying him for eternity, just as mentioned a little earlier, where could we go, leaving him, our swAmy? We cannot even think “If we do not have any refuge, we are there, for ourselves”. mahAbhAratham udhyOga parvam 42-35 says “yO’nyathA santhamAthmAnam anyathA prathipadhyathE l kim thEna na krutham pApam chOrENa Athma apahAriNA ll (When a person considers AthmA [soul], which is the possession of bhagavAn, as his own, is there any sin which has not been committed by that thief?) Thus, isn’t considering AthmA, which is emperumAn’s property, as one’s own property, a huge theft?
nArAyaNan – isn’t this the divine name which refers to the qualities which are denoted by the verse “nammai udaiyavan” (he is our lord) and to the qualities which are denoted by the verse “paRRAvAn” (he is our refuge)?
nambi – He is complete with auspicious qualities which do not have any boundary.
semmai udaiya thirukkaiyAl thAL paRRi – when the bride steps on to ammi (flat, grinding stone), he holds the foot of the bride with his reddish, divine hand, which indicates his quality of ASritha pArathanthryam (he is dependent on his followers for his sustenance). While we did not show any interest since time immemorial, in holding on to his divine foot when he is our ordained lord, his ASritha pArathanthryam, by which he shows great zeal in holding the foot of his follower, explains the meaning for the term semmai in this verse. During the event of marriage, the relatives of the bridegroom will tell him “Do not hold on to her foot” while the relatives of the bride will tell him “You have to hold on to her foot”. While the two sides keep arguing about this [in jest], ANdAL shows that he displayed great zeal in holding her foot, through the term semmai. While instructing the person who wishes to take refuge under him, emperumAn says “mAm Ekam SaraNam vraja” (Take refuge under me alone); however, once he attains the follower and enjoys him, he holds on to the foot of the follower. That is the affection which he shows towards his follower.
ammi midhikkak kaNAk kaNdEn – I saw in my dream that he made me step on to the ammi, by reciting the hymn “aSmEva thvam sthirA bhava” (Be firm like this stone, while being my servitor), through which he instructed achithvath pArathanthryam (being dependent like an achith, an entity which has no knowledge).
ammi midhikka – it appears that she was afraid as to what will happen if his foot touches the stone while he was keeping her foot on top of it. What will happen if his foot touches the stone? She was afraid that this stone too would get up, just like ahalyA did in SrI rAmAyaNam!
thOzhi! nAn – Oh, dear friend! Haven’t you realised how soft is my foot, when you had touched it? By holding my foot, he too realised that! Alternatively, ANdAL tells her friend – I enjoyed his ASritha pArathanthryam which you had told me about.
Next, we will consider the 9th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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