SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – when people in her proximity asked her “Could you feel dejected and blame emperumAn saying [as in the previous pAsuram] ‘thAmuRRa pEdhellAm eNNAdhE thammudaiya nanmaigaLE eNNuvarE’? Should you not forget what you have lost and try to sustain yourself by recalling his auspicious qualities?” she responds saying “I am also trying to forget him and sustain my life, but I am unable to forget him”
pAsi thUrththuk kidandha pArmagatkup paNdorunAL
mAsudambil nIrvArA mAnamilAp panRiyAm
thEsudaiya dhEvar thiruvarangach chelvanAr
pEsiyiruppanagaL pErkkavum pErAvE
Word-by-Word Meanings
paNdu oru nAL – at an earlier time
pAsi thUrththuk kidandha – with algae spread
pAr magatku – for SrI bhUmip pirAtti
mAsu udambil nIr vArA mAnam ilAp panRi Am – having a form of boar, without any shame, with water dripping from the form which has gathered dirt
thEsu udaiya dhEvar – emperumAn, who has splendour
thiruvarangach chelvanAr – SrIranganAthan
pEsi iruppanagaL – the words which he had spoken (earlier)
pErkkavum pErA – even if one tries to remove them (from one’s heart) they cannot be removed
Simple Translation
At an earlier point in time, emperumAn, for the sake of SrI bhUmip pirAtti, who had algae all over her physical form, had taken the form of a boar, without any shame, with water dripping from his physical form which had gathered dirt. The words which he had spoken then, could not be removed from one’s heart, even if one tries to remove them.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
pAsi thUrththuk kidandha pArmagatku – earth was under deluge for a very long time, due to which it had algae spread all over it. Was it not on pAr (world) that algae had spread? Could we say that it was on pArmagatku (lady of the world)? Since bhUmip pirAtti is the abhimAni dhEvathai (the representative deity) for the world, and since she considers earth to be her physical form, the algae which had spread on the world could be extended to SrI bhUmip pirAtti. Moreover, since it is her attribute, she is called as bhUmip pirAtti. Those who are connoisseurs would not like to have a clean physical form, removing all the dirt from it, when their beloved wives have dirt on their physical forms. In the same way, emperumAn took the form of a wild boar which will not detest water and mud, after seeing algae formed on bhUmip pirAtti’s physical form.
paNdoru nAL – That was a day when I [ANdAL} had embraced him. Is today too a day, when I have separated from him?
mAsudambil nIr vArA mAnamilAp panRiyAm – he took a form which was inferior to the azhukkudambu (deficient body) referred to by mumukshus (those who are desirous of attaining mOksham), inferior to the body of samsAris who consider the body as AthmA and nurture the body by keeping it clean, considering dirt to be sweet, with dirty water dripping from the physical form and not feeling ashamed that the physical form is dirty.
mAnamilA – krishNa tells the cowherd boys when they ask him as to who he was, when he lifted the gOvardhana mountain, as mentioned in SrI vishNu purANam 5-13-12 “nAham dhEvO na gandharvO na yakshO na cha dhAnava: l aham vO bAndhavO jAthO naithachchinthyamithO’nyathA ll” (I am not a dhEvan or gandharvan or yakshan [these are all different forms of celestial entities] or asuran [monster]. I have been born as your relative; my birth is not to be thought of (by you) as anything different from this). In SrI rAmAyaNam, SrI rAma identified himself as a human being and as the son of emperor dhaSaratha, just as it has been said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 120-11 “abravIth thridhaSaSrEshtAn rAmO dharmabhruthAm vara: l AthmAnam mAnusham manyE rAmam dhaSarathAthmajam ll” (SrI rAma, the most supreme among noble people, addressing the distinguished celestial entities said “I consider myself as rAma, a human entity, the son of dhaSaratha”). emperumAn went below the level of human entities, with change in type of food required to sustain the physical form. He had to consume kOraikkizhangu (sedge tuber, a type of tuber which is the food for boar) and took over the qualities of a wild boar. He synchronised himself with all these qualities of a wild boar. He lowered himself such that he had to eat kOraikkizhangu which is offered as muththakkAsu for varAhap perumAn [emperumAn in the form of wild boar].
When mArIcha [demon rAvaNa’s uncle] took the form of an illusory deer [to help rAvaNa in abducting sIthAp pirAtti], other deer [in the forest] came near that illusory deer and ran in fear, after knowing that it was not one of their species. Unlike that, when emperumAn incarnated as wild boar, other wild boars came near it, and affirmed that it was one of their species. Thus, mAmamilA is to be construed as one without any shame.
panRiyAm thEsudaiya dhEvar – the splendour which he manifested, having lowered himself for the sake of his followers. Just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 6-4-7 “thanakku vENdurukkoNdu” (accepting the dear forms which he desires), he takes the divine forms as per his desire to protect his possession, instead of taking a form as per karma (past deeds).
thiruvarangach chelvanAr – in order to eliminate our sorrow that we had not been able to carry out servitude during his incarnation as varAha (wild boar), he has mercifully come to the temple and reclined so that he could accept faultless servitude from us.
selvanAr pEsiyiruppanagaL – one who is wealthy will not fear to speak up his mind. Without thinking about how his words would affect others, those who are wealthy are wont to speak up their minds. In the same manner, when emperumAn had lifted SrI bhUmip pirAtti from deluge, he had spoken to her many words, manifesting his affection towards her. He has mercifully given the varAha charama SlOkam, SrI rAma charama SlOkam and krishNa charama SlOkam, regarding protection of his followers. The opinion here is that ANdAL is suffering, engaging with him after believing his charama SlOkam. Alternatively, we could construe this to mean that he had spoken to her when they were united, saying “I will not separate from you; if I separate from you, I will not be able to sustain myself”.
pErkkavum pErAvE – even if I try to somehow carry on, forgetting these words, I am unable to remove them from my heart. I am feeling distressed, by thinking about these words, repeatedly. Even if he forgets us without thinking about the suffering that he had to endure in separation from sIthAp pirAtti, and remembering only his greatness, just as it has been said in thiruvAimozhi 5-3-5 “kodiya en nenjam avan enRE kidakkum” (my heart will remain, considering he is the only refuge), I am unable to sustain myself, forgetting him.
Next, we will consider the 9th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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