SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Second decad
avathArikai
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
panniru thingaL vayiRRil koNda appAnginAl
enniLam kongai amudham Utti eduththi yAn
ponnadi nOvap pulariyE kAnil kanRin pin
enniLam singaththaip pOkkinEn ellE pAvamE
Word-by-Word Meanings
paththu iraNdu thingal – twelve months
vayiRRil koNda – keeping inside the stomach (without any distress to the child)
appAnginAl – through the affection of carrying very well
yAn – I, the mother
en – my
iLa – being soft
kongai amudham – milk from the bosom
Utti eduththu – nurturing
En – for me
iLa singaththai – one who is like a young lion
pon – being tender and beautiful
adi – divine feet
nOva – to hurt
pulari – during the time of dawn
kAnil – to the forest
kanRin pin – behind calves
pOkkinEn – I allowed to go
ellE pAvamE – how sad! What sin have I committed? (says she, in disgust)
Simple Translation
Due to the affection of carrying the child in my stomach for twelve months, such that no harm befell the child, I, the mother [of krishNa] offered milk from my soft bosom and nurtured him. I sent my son, who was like a young lion, behind calves, to the forest, such that his tender, beautiful, divine feet hurt. How sad! What sin have I committed? (says she, in disgust)
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
panniru thingaL – just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 18.8 “thadhaScha dhvAdhaSa mAsE” (after the passing of twelve months), SrI rAma was born after being in his mother’s womb for twelve months. In the same way, krishNa too was in the womb for twelve months. Pregnant women, with overflowing love, will move around without the foetus feeling any distress when the women sit or move or lie down. Since yaSOdhAp pirAtti too had carried krishNa in her womb for twelve months, without causing any distress to him, she mentions the distinguished manner in which she had carried her son, through the verse panniru thingaL vayiRRil koNda appAnginAl.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that while people carry foetus in their womb for ten months, impelled by karma [deeds], in the case of emperumAn, since he is impelled by his mercy, he stays in the womb for twelve months. yaSOdhAp pirAtti too thinks that she had carried him for twelve months in her womb. Neutral people too, after doubting, as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.1.7 “thAnE peRRAL kolO” (did she give birth to him?) have affirmed as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.2.6 “ivanaip peRRa vayiRU udaiyAL” (what penance did yaSOdhAp pirAtti, who has the divine stomach which gave birth to krishNa, carry out?) It is said that the one who gave birth [to krishNa] did not see [krishNa’s activities] and the one who did not give birth, saw everything. dhEvakip pirAtti too said, as in perumAL thirumozhi 7.3 “nandhan peRRanan nangaL kOn peRRilan” (nandhagOpar was fortunate to have had you as his son; vasudhEvar, my lord, did not have that fortune). appAnginAl – yaSOdhAp pirAtti had carried krishNa in her stomach, taking distinguished care of him during the twelve months. Since she had endured the pain herself, she adds two months [to the normal ten months]. This was done in order to make her “Bring up the child protectively, thinking of him as her son” as well as for the world to say in a renowned manner that he was her son. She says this as if she had given birth to him and that he was born to her [when vEdhams says that he does not have a birth, due to karma]. The reason for periyAzhwAr to mercifully say about yaSOdhAp pirAtti kept krishNa in her stomach in a distinguished way is because when he had said, as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.1.3 “immAyam valla piLLai nambi unnai en maganE enbar ninRAr” (Oh, one who is complete in your auspicious qualities as a child! Seeing your amazing activities, people, who are neutral, will say that you are my son only) that neutral persons would say that he is her son only, he expressed his bhakthi pAravaSyam [being under the control of devotion towards krishNa] through yaSOdhAp pirAtti’s pathos. Though kamsan was long dead and gone and the time was also a totally different yugam [epoch], periyAzhwAr would not reveal details of krishNa’s birth, due to fear of kamsan [as to what he would do to krishNa]. The ones who mentioned this to kamsan were dhurgai [who slipped out of kamsan’s hands when he was about to smash her head against a stone and told kamsan that the one who was born to kill him is now in SrI gOkulam] and SrI nAradha bhagavAn, who told kamsan not to spare the first seven children too when they are born and to kill them all. Even nammAzhwAr, who had said, as in thiruvAimozhi 5.10.1 “periya bhAradham kaiseydhu aivarkkuth thiRangaL kAttiyittuch cheydhupOna mAyangaLum” (the way in which krishNa had arranged the armies for the five pANdavas, revealing the means for their victory and the amazing ways by which he completed the purpose of his incarnation and returned to SrI vaikuNtam), merely said “piRandhavARum vaLarndhavARum” (the way in which krishNa was born and the ways in which he grew up), without explicitly mentioning details of his birth. While he had mentioned about the amazing manner in which he had made the five pANdavas to be victorious, the reason for nammAzhwAr too, not to reveal details of his amazing birth is that in the former case [with pANdavas, during mahAbhAratha war], krishNa was at an age when he was powerful while during the time of his birth, he was not powerful [this is in AzhwArs’ thinking, when they have overflowing affection and have the protective nature of a mother towards emperumAn]. They [AzhwArs] hide what is revealed by emperumAn too; hence they will not reveal any detail about his birth [at the time of his birth, krishNa had manifested the divine weapons and four shoulders to vasudhEvar and dhEvakip pirAtti]. Just as it has been mentioned in manusmruthi “sathyam bhrUyAth priyam bhrUyAth na bhrUyAth sathyam apriyam” (speak truth; speak what is good for one; do not speak even if it is a truth, if it hurts someone), AzhwArs will not speak if it would hurt emperumAn. Even if emperumAn carries out activities which are good for mankind as a whole, if he does not want it spoken about, AzhwArs would not speak about it. How then did people like dhurgai and nAradha bhagavAn speak about it? This is because, just as it has been mentioned in the same manu smruthi, “sathyam bhUtha hitham prOktham” (for the sake of the well-being of some people, truth should be spoken), they would reveal the truth for the sake of some followers of emperumAn. AzhwArs would look at prakruthi [primordial matter, which hides emperumAn from samsAris] and behave as if they have been under its control. This is similar to rishis [sages], who, while enjoying emperumAn who is their antharyAmi, will not speak about it.
enniLam kongai amudham Utti eduththiyAn – When she had taken care of her child inside her stomach for twelve months, without causing any distress to the child, she will not allow the child to get distressed when she brings up and nurtures the child. Thus, she explains the manner in which she had nurtured him appropriate to his age and carried him. Out of overflowing love, she nursed him and carried him. When he came to her to take in her milk, instead of dry bosom, she offered him soft bosom from which he could drink her milk. This is referred to in the word iLa koNgai. Since the pAsuram says kongai amudham, it refers to milk from the bosom [amudham refers to nectar]. Through the verse Utti edhuththiyAn, she says that after nursing him with her bosom milk, she carried him on her waist and did not let him down on the floor. Thus, she roamed around, attending to her chores, carrying krishNa on her waist.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that even though the milk from her bosom is full of strength, her bosom will be tender to enable him to suckle without feeling affected by it.
ponnadi nOvap pulariyE kAnil kanRin pin – just as is has been mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.7.9 ”thaN pOdhu koNda thavisin mIdhu” (krishNa would take tender steps on a mattress of soft flowers), krishNa had completely soft divine feet which were attractive. yaSOdhAp pirAtti feels sad that she had allowed him to go, early in the morning, behind calves which go hopping to grasslands in forest, with his divine feet hurting on account of the hard surface in the forest.
enniLam singaththaip pOkkinEn – I allowed my son, who, due to being nurtured by me with care, went with the pride of a young lion.
ellE pAvamE – In a dejected manner, she says “What cruel sin have I committed?”
We shall next consider the 9th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org