SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – She asks “When I have lost everything, is it possible to sustain myself through chanting of his divine names?”
oLivaNNam vaLai sindhai uRakkaththOdu ivaiyellAm
eLimaiyAl ittennai IdazhiyappOyinavAl
kuLir aruvi vEngadaththu en gOvindhan guNam pAdi
aLiyaththa mEgangAL! Avi kAththiruppEnE
Word-by-Word Meanings
aLiyaththa mEgangAL – Oh, clouds who are bound to be merciful!
oLi – radiance of the physical form
vaNNam – its complexion
vaLai – and the bangles
sindhai – as well as the heart
uRakkaththOdu ivai ellAm – along with sleep, all these
eLimaiyAl – due to my miserable state
ennai ittu – disregarding me
Idu azhiya – such that I become weak
pOyina – have left
Al – alas!
kuLir aruvi – having cold streams
vEngadaththu – one who has mercifully taken residence in thirumalai
en gOvindhan – my kaNNapirAn’s
guNam – divine, auspicious qualities
pAdi – reciting to my heart’s content
(with that recitation of his divine names as sustenance)
Avi – my life
kAththiruppEnE – could I protect myself?
Simple Translation
Oh, clouds, who are bound to be merciful! The radiance of my [physical] body, its complexion, my bangles, my heart and sleep have all left me, disregarding me, since I am in a miserable state. As a result, I have become weak. Alas! Is it possible for me to protect myself, reciting the divine, auspicious names of kaNNapirAn, who has taken residence mercifully in thiruvEngadam, which has cold streams?
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
oLivaNNam vaLai sindhai uRakkaththOdu ivai ellAm pOyina – distinguishing features of my physical form such as radiance, complexion etc, which came to me due to uniting with him, along with bangles which never used to slip out, my heart which was always for me and sleep, left me. The outer distinguishing features such as radiance of the body, its complexion and my bangles, as well as the inner distinguishing features such as my heart and sleep went away from me. The ornaments of the body as well as the ornaments of inner soul have left me, she says. AthmA is termed as mey (that which exists) and physical form is termed as poy (that which is not true), that which is not permanent. The ornaments for mey are radiance, complexion and bangles. oLi – radiance, obtained because of uniting with him; vaNNam – complexion, which is the repository for that radiance; vaLai – this is the ornament which is removed and fitted back while radiance, complexion and heart [mind and heart are interchangeably used in AzhwArs’ pAsurams] are ornaments which are never removed. uRakkaththOdu – along with sleep. ivai ellAm – usage of the term ellAm(all) confirms that there are many other features which I have lost. They are as spread-out as his twin vibhUthis (nithya vibhUthi, the spiritualistic realm, and leelA vibhUthi, the materialistic realm). Radiance, complexion and bangles really left the physical form (both the terms ‘real’ and ‘physical form’ have the same thamizh word, mey). Sleep also left, without having any compassion. What is the reason for all these features leaving?
eLimaiyAl – this could be construed as – due to my miserable state or due to the meanness of the features which left me. They left me after seeing my state of sadness; alternatively, they left me because of their quality of meanness, leaving me when I was in a calamitous state.
ennai ittu – just as some achEthana entities (those which do not have ability to think) are thrown away, these features of mine, threw me aside and left me. The inner features of radiance, complexion and bangles left me, without even thinking “We were moving with her as inseparables” while the external feature of sleep, without even thinking “We moved with her closely”, left me. When it went, it did so without any compassion.
Idazhiyap pOyina – they left me, destroying my strength. Before he [emperumAn] left me, he said that he was going to leave, asking me, with a smile on his face, to sustain myself till he returned, hugging me, making it clear to me that he did not have the mind to leave [but he had to]. Unlike him, just as it has been said in SrI vishNu purANam 5-18-29 “anurAgENa SaithilyamasmAsu vrajithE harau: l SaithilyamupayAnthyASu karEshu valayAnyapi ll” (when kaNNan goes, separating from us, we become thin, because of our affection towards him; the bangles on our physical form slip out, immediately), they left me, waiting for an opportune moment to separate from me.
kuLir aruvi … – the implied meaning here is – is he thinking that by meditating on his auspicious qualities or reciting his divine names such as gOvindahn et al, I would be able to sustain myself?
kuLir aruvi vEngadaththu – once I recall the chillness of thiruvEngadam with its cool streams, even this anguish of mine would disappear. Isn’t it a divine abode [of emperumAn’s] that it will remove all anguish?
en – even though he is making me anxious by not coming now, it is not possible to negate the fact that he made himself to be mine when he united with me! Hence, she says that he is her gOvindhan
gOvindhan – he manifested himself such that he is simplicity personified to all. This status cannot be forgotten or hidden.
guNam pAdi Avi kAththiruppEnE – thaiththirIya upanishath Anandhavalli 1-2 says “sO’SnuthE sarvAn kAmAn sahabrahmaNA vipaSchithA” (mukthAthmA [soul liberated from samsAram, and has reached SrIvaikuNtam], enjoys all the auspicious qualities of the supreme entity, along with the omniscient brahmam [supreme entity]). As mentioned in this SlOkam, is he thinking that those who meditate upon him, when they are together with him in their state of meditation, and enjoy his auspicious qualities, will be able to sustain themselves even when they have separated from him, by meditating on his auspicious qualities and reciting his auspicious divine names?
aLiyaththa mEgangAL – Oh clouds, who shower your mercy! She says that unlike him who had separated from her and unlike her radiance, complexion etc which left her, they are with mercy, due to her fortune. During the time of calamity when he left her, aren’t they great souls that they have come to manifest themselves to her!
Avi kAththiruppEnE – will I be able to sustain myself? Am I the lord for my life? Isn’t protecting my life, his responsibility, being my lord? Apart from enjoying him, is it my activity to protect myself? Is it possible for a horse to carry the decorations and binding chains which are meant for an elephant? The opinion is that it is not possible for her to protect her soul, which is the activity of the supreme entity.
Next, we will consider the 4th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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