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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Ninth decad
avathArikai
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
kALiyan poygai kalangap pAyndhittu avan
nIL mudi aindhilum ninRu nadam seydhu
meeLa avanukku aruL seydha viththagan
thOL vali vIramE pAdippaRa thUmaNivaNNanaip pAdippaRa
Word-by-Word Meanings
kALiyan – where the snake kALiyan was lying
poygai – river
kalanga – such that it was agitated
pAyndhittu – went and jumped
avan – his
neeL – rising to the sky
mudi aindhilum – on the five hoods
ninRu – keeping his feet alternatively
nadam seydhu – danced
meeLa – again (once he surrendered)
avanukku– for that kALiyan
aruL seydha – one who was compassionate in his divine mind
viththagan – one who is amazing, his
thOL vali – strength of his shoulders
vIramE – sing about his valour
thU – without any fault
maNi – like a bluish gemstone
vaNNanai – sing about the one who has a beautiful form
Simple Translation
krishNa went and jumped into the river where the poisonous snake, kALiyan, was lying, such that the river became agitated. On feeling the agitation in the river, kALiyan rose up, to the sky. Sing about the valour of the strength of the shoulders of one, who stood on that kALiyan’s five hoods alternatively and danced, and who later granted him freedom, with compassion in his divine mind, after that kALiyan surrendered to him. Sing about the one who has the complexion of a faultless, bluish gemstone.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
kALiyan poygai – it is enough to just say “kALiyan poygai” (the river in which the snake was lying) to speak about the cruelty of that snake. It is similar to saying ‘a snake pit’ . The cruelty of its poison was such that animals and trees, which were in its vicinity, fell down due to the extreme heat of that poison, and died. This is similar to saying, as in periya thirumozhi 10.7.12 “AyiravAy nachchazhal poygai” (with a snake which was spitting poison, which was like fire, through its one thousand mouths).
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that this pAsuram is together with 3.9.5 “nachchumizh nAgam”. krishNa had the capability to jump on to the hoods of kALiyan and when he surrendered, he gave him life, asking him to go the ocean and remain there.
kalangap pAyndhittu – running and jumping into that river such that it was agitated fully.
avan …– once the river got agitated, kALiyan, who was lying inside that river, became angry and rose up to the sky, spreading his hoods widely, in fury. krishNa got on top of those hoods and kept dancing, alternating his feet on those hoods.
meeLa avanukku aruL seydha viththagan – just as it has been in SrI vishNu purANam 5.7.4 “tham prabinnaSirOgrIvAm asyEpya: SruthaSONitham” (looking at that kALiyan whose heads and necks had been torn and who was bleeding), kALiyan, with his heads and necks torn and bleeding from the mouth, became weak. In order to survive, he surrendered to the divine feet of krishNa. Earlier, krishNa had intended to kill kALiyan; however, after kALiyan surrendered to him, he let go of his anger and mercifully showered his grace; he is one with amazing activity. Amazing activity is that while he intended to kill him, he showered his grace on the same entity, once he surrendered, and protected him.
thOL vali vIramE pAdippaRa – when kALiyan attempted to coil around krishNa when krishNa danced on his hoods, just as it has been mentioned in periya thiruvandhAdhi 18 “pAmbAl AppuNdu” (he was coiled around by the snake), instead of getting caught in that, he deftly removed the coiling, held the tail of the snake over his shoulders and danced on kALiyan. Sing about the strength of those shoulders and the valour which he manifested.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that just as snake vAsuki had coiled around mandhara parvatham [the mountain mandhara, which was anchored in the milky ocean and used as a staff for churning it], when krishNa was dancing on the hoods of kALiyan, it coiled around him. He released himself from that, took hold of its tail and held it high over his shoulder. It is this, which is referred to in this pAsuram, as thOL vali.
thUmaNivaNNanaip pAdippaRa – After driving away the snake, giving him life, he made the poisoned river as sweet water, like nectar, and enabled the cattle and the herd-people to drink water from it, like before. Due to this, his divine form was splendorous like a bluish gemstone. The girl, who sings this pAsuram, tells her competitor to sing about such krishNa.
We shall next consider the 8th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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