SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Eighth centum >> Second decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
As the mother said in the first pAsuram “veLLiyIr, thozhudha ivaL kaivaLai koLvadhu thakkadhE” (Is it apt for you to take away the bangles of this girl who worshipped you?), Saurip perumAL admitted his mistake saying “It is not apt for me to take away the bangles from her hand, after she worshipped me. I have done a mistake”. Subsequently the mother said in the sixth pAsuram “ivarkkivaL kadavadhen kaNduyil inRivar koLLa” (Being obedient and childish, what relationship does my daughter have with this emperumAn to do anything for him? What is the purpose of this emperumAn taking away her sleep today?) and in the seventh pAsuram “arangamE enbadhu ivaL thanakkAsaiyE” (She desires for SrIrangam only) and those were heard by Saurip perumAL.
[A question arises – some of these interactions were with her neighbours. How did he know about what was discussed?]
He remains as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 13.13 “sarvathaSSruthi mallOkE” (That pure AthmA can perform all activities of hands and feet, eyes, head and face and ears everywhere; it is pervading all entities in the world). As the mother said this, he angrily said “We thought of giving the bangle; but now, why would I do that? If it is possible for you to get it, why don’t you do it?” and further said “You said that your daughter desires SrIrangam only; you said I don’t have any relationship with her; in such a case, why is she coming to my town? Did we invite her? Should she not go to the place which is desirable for her?” The mother responded, saying “There is no doubt about it. She desires Srirangam only. Her thoughts are also on that only. She just observed what the people of the town were doing and repeated the same thing to accomplish her goal”. In this manner she was waiting to see how bhagavAn protects. Her desire is as said in “kArkkadal vaNNar mEl eNNam” (one who is having divine form which has the complexion of dark ocean). It is said in thirunedundhANdagam 24 “ilangolineerp perumpauvam maNdiyuNda peruvayiRRa karumugilE oppar vaNNam” (Like a dark cloud which consumed the ocean water which has light and sound, from the bottom, to leave out the sand only), periya perumAL is having the form which resembles a dark cloud which drank the water from the ocean. Hence it is clear that her thoughts are on SrIrangam only.
pAsuram
thoNdellAm ninnadiyE thozhudhu uyyumA
kaNdu thAn kaNapuram thozhap pOyinAL
vaNdulAm kOdhai en pEdhai maNi niRam
koNdu thAn kOyinmai seyvadhu thakkadhE?
Word-by-Word meanings
thoNdu ellAm – all the bhAgavathas
nin – your highness’
adiyE – dhivyadhESam (divine abode)
thozhudhu – performed anjali
uyyumA – and be uplifted
kaNdu – saw
thAn – she too
kaNNapuram – thirukkaNNapuram
thozha – to worship
pOyinAL – went;
vaNdu – beetles
ulAm – roaming
kOdhai – having hair
en – my
pEdhai – young daughter’s
maNi – like a precious gem
niRam – complexion
koNdudhAn – usurped
kOyinmai – injustice
seyvadhu – doing
thakkadhE – is it apt (for you)?
Simple translation
My daughter, parakAla nAyaki saw all the bhAagvathas (devotees) performing anjali towards your highness’ dhivyadhESam and she also went to worship thirukkaNNapuram; is it apt for you to do injustice to my childish daughter who is having hair where beetles are roaming around, by usurping her complexion which resembles that of a precious gem?
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
thoNdu ellAm – She is saying “Everyone”. thoNdar – bhagavAn’s devotees. They may be Arthar (those who are suffering), Athma prApthi kAmar (those who desire to enjoy the self eternally) and bhagavath prApthi kAmar (those who desire to serve bhagavAn eternally). There is no difference among them with respect to the relationship and the surrender. The difference is in the result they expect. Hence, she is saying “ellAm” (everyone). Will “thoNdellAm” indicate devotees? It is similar to “manchA: krOSanthi” (Bed is crying) [which implies the children on the bed are crying].
thozhudhu uyyumA kaNdu – Seeing that those who seek any of the four purushArthams (dharma, artha, kAma, mOksha) surrender unto your divine feet and get their desires fulfilled.
thozhudhu – anjali is a physical action as said in mahAbhAratham SAnthi parvam 344.45 “badhdhAnjaliputA hrushtA” (They are always performing anjali, joyfully).
kaNNapuram thozhap pOyinAL – For us too, though we can go to SrIrangam right here, she went saying that she wants to worship thirukkaNNapuram.
nin adiyE thozhudhu – She is not worshipping you but is worshipping your thirukkaNNapuram. Isn’t it said “yathOpAsanam thathA palam” (based on the intent of the worship, the result will be bestowed). Those who seek wealth, will surrender to the bhagavAn with opulence. Those who seek self enjoyment will surrender unto bhagavAn with purity. Those who seek bhagavath kainkaryam will surrender unto bhagavAn with qualities as said in thaiththirIya upanishath “sOSnuthE sarvAn kAmAn” (will enjoy all the qualities of bhagavAn). Since she is desirous of the dhivyadhESam, she worships it. Whosoever bhagavAn with a specific aspect is worshipped, will lead to bhagavAn with that particular aspect. Those gOpikAs who desired krishNa went and surrendered to kAmadhEva who is the son of krishNa. udaiyavar (rAmAnuja) served [dhEvap] perumAL (varadharAja bhagavAn) by bringing thirumanjanam (water for thiruvArAdhanam) for a long period and surrendered unto him and only then resided in kOyil (SrIrangam). Unlike those who are mentioned in “thoNdellAm“, she does not have different means and goal. Considering the entity, which is the means to be the same entity, as the goal, she sings the glories of dhivyadhESams as said in thirunendhANdagam “thAnugandha Ur ellAm than thAL pAdi” (singing the glories of divine feet of emperumAn who liked many abodes). Even when AzhwAr says “oruvarkkuriyEnO” (will I exist for anyone else?), it is only with respect to other sAdhanams (upAyams) [not for showing more affection towards dhivyadhESam than bhagavAn himself].
thAn pOyinAL – Only if she can remain without any transformation, could she go, like those who can worship without any transformation; will those who lost their complexion while going to worship, be able to go there?
pOyinAL – Did those, who are born in SrI mithilA (sIthAp pirAtti), kuNdinapura (rukmiNip pirAtti) ever go [leaving bhagavAn]? We only saw them coming to bhagavAn’s town.
pOyinAL – She is saying “You have not seen the one who walked as said in periya thirumozhi 3.7.5 ‘vEyana thOL visiRip pedai annamena nadandhu‘ (swaying her bamboo like shoulders like a female swan, she, who is having beautiful creeper like waist, is walking behind him)”
When such parakAla nAyaki goes to thirukkaNNapuram, isn’t it apt for him to bestow rUpa sAmyam (having similar form), just like his? The mother is asking “Just as someone is robbed in a headless state in a secluded place, should he take away her complexion also?”
vaNdu ulAm kOdhai en pEdhai – She is of the [young] age where if she ties her hair and decorates it with flowers, the beetles will fly into it, and hence she will go inside her home.
thoNdellAm – Just as all the devotees will take shelter of his divine feet [or divine abode], in his dhivyadhESam, all the beetles will take shelter of her hair. This is the beauty of her decoration.
en pEdhai – As said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 73.26 “mama suthA” (my daughter), the mother is saying that her daughter has a great heritage.
pEdhai – mugdhai – child.
maNi niRam koNdu thAn – Saurip perumAL asks “Your daughter is not a child; her interactions are beyond experts [in romance]. What is wrong in taking away her complexion?” The mother says – Should you not give your complexion as said in nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi 47 “nanmaNi vaNNan” (sarvESvaran (lord of all) who has the form of a blue coloured good gemstone); let that be aside; isn’t she a child who lacks knowledge about her true self? But should you also lack knowledge about your true self?
koNdu thAn – It is natural to desire for her decoration (complexion) when it is seen; it is not wrong; but if you take it, isn’t it apt for you to give her too?
kOyinmai seyvadhu thakkadhE – Should you do what is done by those who have no rAja nIthi (royal morality)? Isn’t it the duty of the king to rescue what was lost? If the king himself robs, is it royal morality? The mother is saying “Isn’t it apt to carry her to the apt abode and enjoy her?” But Saurip perumAL thinks “If we had taken her to the apt abode when she worshipped him in the beginning, should my devotees and I lose out?” [If he had granted what AzhwAr wanted in the beginning itself, he would not have composed these beautiful pAsurams which help the devotees and bhagavAn himself].
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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