SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
Full series >> Thirteenth decad
avathArikai (Introduction) – she tells them in this pAsuram to bring his divine thuLasi garland and don her with that.
pAl Alilaiyil thuyil koNda paraman valaippattirundhEnai
vElAl thunnam peydhARpOl vENdiRRellAm seyyAdhE
kOlAl nirai mEyththu AyanAyk kudandhaik kidandha kudamAdi
neelAr thaNNam thuzhAy koNdu neRimen kuzhal mEl sUttIrE
Word-by-Word Meanings
pAl Alilaiyil – on a tender banyan leaf, which was secreting milk [latex]
thuyil koNda – one who mercifully reclined
paraman – perumAn’s
valaiyilE – in the net
pattirundhEnai – me, who has been trapped
vElAl thunnam seydhARpOl – just like punching a hole with spear (in a cruel manner)
vENdiRRu ellAm pEsAdhE – avoiding speaking whatever comes to your mind
AyanAy – as a herd-boy
kOlAl – with a stick (which is typical of the clan of herd-people [to control cattle])
nirai mEyththu – as one who tended to herds of cows
kudandhai kidandha – one who reclined mercifully in the divine abode of thirukkudandhai
kudam Adi – kaNNapirAn, who danced with pots, his
neel Ar thaN am thuzhAy koNdu – with fresh, cool, beautiful, divine thuLasi
neRi men – having bristles and being soft
en kuzhal mEl – on my locks
sUttIrE – don it.
Simple Translation
I have been trapped in the net of emperumAn who is reclining mercifully on a tender banyan leaf, which is secreting milk. Instead of speaking whatever comes to your mind, about me, bring the fresh, cool and beautiful divine thuLasi, donned by kaNNapirAn, who tended to herds of cows with a stick, who reclined mercifully in thirukkudandhai and who danced with pots, and don it on my locks which are bristling.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
pAl Alilaiyil thuyil koNda – Just as it has been said in mahAbhAratham AraNya parvam 188-94 “katham nvayam SiSu SethE lOkE nASamupAgathE l SAkAyAm vatavrukshasya pallavE thu Suchismitha: ll” (How is this infant lying on a tender banyan leaf, with a smile, after all the worlds have got destroyed?) did he not mercifully recline on a tender banyan leaf which was oozing milk? Did not thirumangai AzhwAr too mercifully say in periya thirumozhi 2-10-1 “Alin mElOr iLandhaLiril kaNvaLarndha Isan” (the lord who mercifully reclined on a tender banyan leaf which was oozing milk)?
thuyil koNda – she says that he reclined mercifully on the tender banyan leaf, which created fear in the minds of those who beheld him, as if he were sleeping with yaSOdhAp pirAtti’s full protection, in the cradle.
paraman – in terms of aghatithaghatanA sAmarthyam (ability to bind entities which can never be tied together), even the suckling baby of yaSOdhA’s is no match for the vatadhaLaSAyi (one who is reclining on the tender banyan leaf).
valaippattu irundhEnai – isn’t she the divine daughter of periyAzhwAr who was expressing fear in places where there was no need for being afraid of and who carried out mangLASAsanam (wishing well) for emperumAn? Hence, since she was keeping her heart on the emperumAn who was reclining on the tender banyan leaf, without anyone coming there to pray for his good health, she was unable to take her heart away from him and was trapped in that place itself.
vElAl thunnam peydhAR pOl – this could be construed either as making a hole with the help of a spear or as making a hole on top of the spear. In the previous pAsuram, she had spoken about puNNil puLippu eydhARpOla. Since the torment was more severe here, she says vElAl thunnam peydhAR pOl. If tamarind water is poured on a wound, it will lead to a burning sensation, However, if a hole were made with a spear on an injury, it will aggravate the injury, creating severe distress. She says that while she is concerned that there is none to protect him when he is reclining on the banyan leaf, their [those in her proximity] speaking without any restraint is causing her severe distress.
kOlAl nirai mEyththu AyanAy – should you not remove my fear when I am concerned with his safety on the banyan leaf, by saying that kaNNapirAn, who is tending to cows with a stick in his hand, is a protector for himself? Should you not narrate how he became a protector for himself and remove my fear? Unlike SrI rAma, who held a bow in his hand and protected the sages in forest, does he [kaNNa pirAn] not have the simplicity of having a stick in his hand and protecting the cows with it!
kudandhaik kidandha kudamAdi – just as it has been mentioned in siRiya thirumadal “sIrAr kudam iraNdu Endhich chezhum theruvE ArAr enach cholli Adum” (Holding two distinguished pots in his divine hand, going through this huge street, crying out “Is there anyone who could escape from these pots?” dancing with the pots), he manifested his divine form such that everyone could enjoy it exclusively. Due to the tiredness resulting from his dancing with the pots, he reached kudandhai and reclined there mercifully.
neelAr thaNNam thuzhAy koNdu en neRi menkuzhal mEl sUttIrE – bring the fresh, beautiful divine thuLasi and don it on my locks. The freshness for this thuLasi is that it has been proffered by those who do not desire any benefit from emperumAn. In other words, those such as periyAzhwAr, who had proffered it to him – singing pallANdu with his mouth and proffering thuLasi with his hand. Did not thirumangai AzhwAr too mercifully say in periya thirumozhi 11-1-9 “mikka sIrththoNdar itta pUndhuLavin vAsam” (The fragrance of divine thuLasi proffered by SrIvaishNavas who do not desire any other benefit)? Followers of emperumAn are classified into three types – (1) thoNdar – those who show affection in return for a lowly benefit, as mentioned by periyAzhwAr in thiruppallANdu 3 “kUzhAtpattu ninRIr”, (2) sIrth thoNdar – the upAsaka who follows the path of devotion in order to attain mOksham and (3) mikka sIrth thoNdar – those who are like periyAzhwAr who do not desire anything from him but who are concerned with his well-being and carry out mangaLASAsanam for him. The thuLasi proffered by those who expect some other benefit from emperumAn would be singed by the fault in their thoughts, just as it has been mentioned in yajur 5-3 “dhEhi mE dhadhAmi thE” (Oh, deity! Grant me the benefit; I am offering you the havis (offering made in a ritual)).
neRimen kuzhal mEl – don it on my soft locks which are bristling. Alternatively, the term men could be construed as referring to a shortcoming and the meaning would change as – don it on my bristling locks which have not been taken care of.
Next, we will consider the 3rd pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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