SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – she tells in this pAsuram “This yaSOdhAp pirAtti was also like us, born as a woman. There is no purpose in blaming her for not bringing up kaNNan properly. Despite being his father who had the duty to bring him up with due control and having the power to do that, SrI nandhagOpar did not do that. Take me to his door-step and leave me there”.
thandhaiyum thAyum uRRArum niRkath thanivazhi pOyinAL ennum sollu
vandha pinnaip pazhi kApparidhu mAyavan vandhu urukkAttuginRAn
kondhaLamAKkip parakkazhiththuk kuRumbu seyvAn Or maganaip peRRa
nandhagOpAlan kadaiththalaikkE naLLirutkaN ennai uyththidumin
Word-by-Word Meanings
thandhaiyum – father
thAyum – and mothers
uRRArum – and other relatives too
niRka – even when they are all there
thani vazhi pOyinAL ennuum sollu – the word that “She went on her own way, in the street”
vandha pinnai – after the word spread around in the world
pazhi kAppu aridhu – it is not possible to stop that blame
(I too am unable to stop from going my way; this is because…)
mAyavan – kaNNapirAn, who has amazing activities
vandhu – coming in front of me
uru kAttuginRAn – he is pulling me towards him by manifesting his divine form
(Now, all that you have to do is…)
kondhaLam Akki parakkazhiththu kuRumbu seyvAn Or maganaip peRRa – one who sired a
son, who fought (with a girl), creating blame for her, and indulging in mischiefs
nandhagOpAlan – nandhagOpar’s
kadaiththalaikkE – entrance of his divine house
naLLirutkaN – at midnight
ennai uyththidumin – take me and leave me there
Simple Translation
After the word “Even as her father, mothers and other relatives were present, she went her own way, in the street” spread throughout the word, it is difficult to stop that blame. It is not possible for me not to go my way since kaNNapirAn, who has amazing activities, is manifesting his divine form to me and pulling me towards him. Now, all that you have to do is to take me, in the middle of the night, to the entrance of the divine house of nandhagOpar, who had sired a son who had fought with a girl, creating a blame for her and who is indulging in mistakes and leave me there.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
thandhaiyum thAyum uRRArum niRka ….. pazhi kApparidhu – Once a blame emerges, it is difficult to stop it. Since you are my father and mother who sired me, and my relatives, it is not possible for you to remain indifferent saying “Let the blame come”. Now, before the blame sets in, try to avoid it. If you people were to say “You have been patient for all these days. Couldn’t you remain patient for a few more days and prevent the blame from coming?” since I could tolerate all these days, I had been putting up with it. I had been patient, looking at you all. Now, I am not able to remain patient. Hence, before the blame comes my way, try to prevent it.
thani vazhi pOyinAL ennum sollu vandhapinnaip pazhi kApparidhu – There is no blame larger than the blame of renouncing the very people who were to unite me with my beloved and going my way. Once the blame “Renouncing father, mother and relatives, she went her way. Even there, instead of following the way of her beloved, she went her own way” starts spreading in the world, it will be impossible to erase it.
vandhapinnaip pazhi kApparidhu – Did not SrI rAma feel sad that he could not make up the loss which he had suffered, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 5-5 “na mE dhu:kkam priyA dhUrE na mE dhu:kkam hruthEthi vA l EthadhEvAnuSOchAmi vayO’syA hyathivarthathE” (I am not distressed that the who is sweet to me is in a far-away place; I am neither distressed that she had been abducted. I am distressed only because she is growing older)? She tells them to ensure that such a situation doesn’t befall them. perumAL [SrI rAma] did not remain tolerant thinking “Once we redeem pirAtti, we are going to be united with her”. Did he not feel despicable, thinking that he had lost the benefit of being together with her, for these ten months? The opinion is that they [her parents and relatives] have to ensure that they do not reach the stage of despise.
Assuming that they tell her “Knowing that this is a blame and thinking that this should be removed, could you not be patient, for our sake, waiting for the one who owns [you], to come?” she says ….
mAyavan urukkAttuginRAn – when his amazing divine form, auspicious qualities such as simplicity are coming in front of me and troubling me, could I remain patient, for the sake of my father and mother? The amazing entity, with his amazing divine form and auspicious qualities, through his appearance in my mind, manifests himself in front of me. SrI vishNu purANam 5-13-20…22 says “kAchichchAvasadha syAnthE sthithvA dhrustvA bahirgurum l thanmayathvEna gOvindham dhadhyau meelithalOchanA ll thachchiththa vimalAhlAdha kshINa puNyachayA thathA l thadhaprApthimahAdhu:kkha vileenASEsha pAthakA ll chinthayanthI jagadhsUthim parabrahma svarUpiNam l niruchvAsathayA mukthim gathAnyA gOpakanyakA ll” (hearing kaNNan playing on the flute, a herd-girl came out of the house, and seeing her father outside, stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes, meditating on krishNa. Due to the ecstasy which resulted from her heart engaging with him fully, all her puNya [virtues] got eliminated. Due to the sorrow of not having attained him directly, all her pApa [sins] got eliminated. (Due to the elimination of puNya and pApa which are reason for repeated births, having experienced both fully], her breath stopped totally and she attained mukthi [liberation from samsAram]). ANdAL asks, “Is my love towards kaNNan limited, as in the case of chinthayanthi [the person who was described in the SlOkam seen above] such that I would stop looking at my father and mother?” For this SlOkam, [parASara] bhattar would mercifully say “Among the people who united with kaNNan in thiruvAyppAdi, there is none who is new, like chinthayanthi” In other words, she could see her parents; that prevented her from running towards kaNNan. SrI vishNu purANam 5-13-19 says “yayau cha kAchith prEmAndhA thathpArSvam avilambitham” (a cow-herd girl, with her heart getting dark due to love [with darkness guiding her] went hastily to the proximity of kaNNan who was playing on the flute). Another herd-girl, as mentioned in this SlOkam, did not even have the capability to see her surroundings, due to her love for kaNNan. When compared with her, chinthayanthi is a new entrant. The SlOkam said that a girl, due to her love for kaNNan, became blind in her eyes. Who then guided her to kaNNan? Due to her love, her heart became darkened. She went, with that darkness as the guide. SrI vishNu purANam 5-18-22 says “gurUNAmagrathO vakthum kim pravIshi na na: kshamam l gurava: kim karishyanthi dhagdhAnAm virahAgnithA ll” (Are you saying that we cannot reveal this matter in the presence of elders? What can our elders do to us when we are being burnt by the fire of separation?). ANdAL is following the state of cowherd girl who went to kaNNan, renouncing her parents.
It is pertinent here to recall periyAzhwAr 3-6-1 pAsuram “thUvalamburi udaiya thirumAl thUya vAyil kuzhalOsai vazhiyE, kOvalar siRumiyar iLam kongai kudhugalippa udaluLavizhndhu engum kAvalum kadandhu…” The meaning for this is – With the fear that kaNNan would abduct them, the herd-people kept their girls in the middle and protected them with compound walls. However, the divine sound from kaNNan’s flute went past the compound walls, putting to sleep all the guards who were guarding them, and entered the ears of cowherd girls, as a messenger. The moment the bosoms of the cowherd girls realised that it was the sound from kaNNan’s flute, they woke the girls up and told them “The sound of flute has come in; come, let us go” The girls said “But, those who are guarding us will wake up”. The bosoms then said “Alright, in that case you people come after they have gone to sleep; we shall go ahead”. The term kudhugalippa (becoming rapturous or ecstatic) indicates that these limbs, which are achEthana (entities without knowledge) became similar to chEthana (entities with knowledge) and were urging to go ahead of them. iLam kongai – like children, who will not listen to their mothers. kAvalum kadandhu – when the water flow in a river increases, we have seen it going past small stones. In the same way, when the force [of water] increases, we have seen the river flowing over the hills too. In the same way, the reason for their not considering the protection as important is because of the excessive desire which they had. Similar to this, the divine beauty of emperumAn’s form made her [ANdAL] to be indifferent to her parents.
kondhaLamAkkip parakkazhiththu – fighting with and creating blame.
kuRumbu seyvAnOr maganaip peRRa – SrI nandhagOpar, in order to control those in his kingdom who were indulging in mischiefs, sired a son. Since he was born after SrI nandhagOpar had engaged with many rituals, he did not control his son [kaNNan] [since he was a precocious child]. Thus, kaNNan too, being uncontrollable, started carrying out mischiefs with cowherd girls.
nandhagOpAlan kadaiththalaikkE – it is heard that bhattar would mercifully say as to how nandhagOpar’s kadaiththalai (entrance to his house) would look like – the girls, who were harmed by kaNNan, being unable to walk, would be carried on cots [like stretchers], in a line, to the entrance of nandhagOpar’s house, with their complexion worn off. This will be similar to people, who have been bitten by poisonous creatures, being carried, in a line, to the house of the one who will cure them.
naLLirutkaN ennai uyththidumin – carry me to his front yard, in the middle of the night. If you carry me during daytime, feeling shy to come in the presence of his parents, kaNNan may not come out at all. To ensure that it doesn’t happen that way, carry me in the middle of night. Just as it has been said in periya thiruvandhAdhi 26 “iruLanna mAmEni” (emperumAn’s great divine form appears as if darkness had taken a form), he would come out during night which matches his complexion and will embrace me.
maganaip peRRa nandhagOpAlan – has he not observed many rituals to sire him? To ensure that he suffers from that wicked act [here, siring kaNNan has been indicated as the wicked act] carry me to his front yard. When you carry me like that, ensure that you do not get any blame; hence carry me in darkness. nandhagOpAlan, feeling ashamed to look in the eyes of his relatives, will refuse to come out if you carry me in daylight. Apart from not getting to see kaNNan, I would be unable to see nandhagOpAlan too, due to which I will end my life. Hence, to ensure that you do not get that blame, carry me and leave me at the entrance to his divine house, in the middle of the night.
Next, we will consider 4th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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