SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Second Centum >> Sixth decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
thennilangai mannan siram thOL thuNi seydhu
minnilangu pUN vibIdaNa nambikku
ennilangu nAmaththaLavum arasu enRa
minnalangAraRku Or kOl koNdu vA vEngadavANaRku Or kOl koMdu vA
Word-by-Word Meanings
then – located in the southern direction
ilangai – for lankApuri
mannan – king, rAvaNa’s
siram thOL – heads and shoulders
thuNi seydhu – severed
min ilangu – shining well
pUN – having donned ornaments
nambi – one, who is complete due to devotion towards SrI rAma
vibIdaNanukku – for vibhIshaNAzhwAn
ilangu – “being resplendent
en nAmaththaLavum – until my name remains in this word
arasu – this kingdom will remain for you”
enRa – one, who mercifully said this
min ilangu – radiant like lightning
AraRku – bring a stick for one, who has a chain
vEngadam – in thiruvEnkata hills [thirumala]
vANaRku – bring a stick for the one, who resides
Simple Translation
SrI rAma severed the heads of rAvaNa, the king of lankA, which is located in the southern direction. He mercifully told vibhIshaNAzhwAn, who had donned shiny ornaments and who was complete with his devotion towards SrI rAma “Until my resplendent name remains in this world, this kingdom of yours will remain”. Bring a stick for that SrI rAma, who has a chain, which is radiant, like lightning. Bring a stick for one, who resides in the hills of thiruvEnkatam.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
then … – lankA was protected together by dhurgathrayam (three forts, viz. giri dhurgam, the fort of mountains, jala dhurgam, the fort of ocean, and vana dhurgam, the fort of forest), as a result of which it was indestructible. rAvaNa was the controller of such lankA. then – beautiful
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that SrI rAma, having said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 18.3 “mithra bhAvEna…” (even if a person comes in the guise of a friend, I will not desert him…), did not look at vibhIshaNa as rAvaNAnujan (younger brother of rAvaNa) but protected him by saying “na thyajEyam” (I will not sacrifice him). AzhwAr says that for such SrI rAma, what he had done for the sake of sIthAp pirAtti [as mentioned in the previous pAsuram] is not a great matter at all. It was before severing the heads and shoulders of rAvaNa [as mentioned in the previous pAsuram] that SrI rAma welcomed vibhIshaNa, who is described as one who is decorated with shiny ornaments [in this pAsuram]. The time spent by vibhIshaNa as the younger brother of rAvaNa, with all the decorative ornaments, was meaningless. When rAvaNa drove him away, saying that he is dhurvruththan [one with improper activities], vibhIshaNa came by the aerial route and became SrImAn [one with wealth], becoming complete [with servitude to SrI rAma]. It was only after coronating that vibhIshaNa and telling him that “The kingdom will be yours until my resplendent name remains” that rAvaNa’s heads and shoulders were severed.
siram thOL thuNi seydhu – severing the heads and shoulders, which, rAvaNa thought, could not be destroyed ever.
min … – to vibhIshaNAzhwAn who had splendorous ornaments. vibhIshaNAzhwAn had left lankA [and approached SrI rAma through the aerial route]. He is referred to, in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 16-17 as “antharikshagathaS SrImAn” (vibhIshaNa who has wealth, approaching through the aerial route). He gave up the penury which he had due to his connection with rAvaNa and gained the wealth, as a result of his connection with SrI rAma, due to which he became complete, and is hence called as vibIdaNa nambi.
ennilangu … – mercifully told by SrI rAma “Until my resplendent name remains in this world, your kingdom too will remain”
minnalangAraRku – one who has shiny decoration. If the text were minnilangAraRku, it would refer to one who has a chain which shines like lightning.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that this refers to one who has his divine crown shining like lightning. [If the text were minnilangu AraRku] Aram – mukthAhAram – pearl necklace. Alternatively, it is rAmaguNAbharaNam [the ornament of SrI rAma’s quality of granting refuge to vibhIshaNa] for vibhIshaNa and vibhIshanaguNAbharaNam [the ornament of vibhIshaNa seeking refuge under SrI rAma] for SrI rAma. When brahmA said, as in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 120-13 “bhavAn nArAyaNO dhEva:” [your highness is nArAyaNa, the supreme entity], SrI rAma considered that as en nAmam [my name, nArAyaNa]. When SrI rAma responded to that saying “AthmAnam mAnusham manyE rAmam dhaSaradhAthmajam” (I think of myself to be a human being, by the name rAma, the son of dhaSaratha), “My name is rAma; my father’s name is dhaSaratha. My identity is dhASarathi” – his ilangu nAmam [the shining name] is rAma or dhASarathi. This is similar to periya thirumozhi 2.2.4 “nandhan maindhanAga Agum nambi” ((krishNa) placing himself as the divine son of SrI nandhagOpar) [in SrI rAmAvathAram he desires to be called as the son of dhaSaratha and in krishNAvathAram, he desires to be called as the son of nandhagOpar]. Just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 6.8.5 “vibIdaNaRku….nallAn”, for SrI rAma, being distinguished for vibhIshaNa is only when he is dhASarathi [son of dhaSaratha]. It appears that nArAyaNa is a normal name. As an atonement for SrI rAma’s words addressed to him, brahmA bowed his head and said “nama:” [I am your servitor and accept your words].
vEngadavANaRku – just as it has been mentioned in thiruchchandha viruththam 81 “midaindha Ezh marangaLum adanga eydhu vEngadam adaindha mAl” (piercing the seven ebony trees which were standing close to each other, emperumAn attained thiruvEngadam), it is in thiruvEngadam that the qualities of vibhavam [incarnations] sparkle brightly. Bring a stick to the controller of thiruvEngadam.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that just as it has been said in thiruchchandha viruththam 81 “midaindha Ezh marangaLum adanga eydhu vEngadam adaindha mAl” [as seen above], it is in thiruvEngadam that emperumAn exhibits his quality of nirankuSa svAthanthryam [uncontrolled independence] when he showers his grace on the forest, monkeys, tribal people and everyone else. AzhwAr tells the crow to bring such emperumAn’s sceptre [stick].
We shall next consider the last pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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