SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Tenth decad
avathArikai
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that this pAsuram mentions about the hurdle which came when SrI rAma, was to be coronated after having worn thirukkAppu nAN [the protective, divine cord worn on his wrist, as a protection), when everything was proceeding well.
kalakkiya mAmanaththanaLAyk kaikEsi varam vENda
malakkiya mAmanaththananAy mannavanum maRAdhu ozhiya
kulakkumarA! kAdu uRaiyap pO enRu vidai koduppa
ilakkumaNan thannOdum angu Egiyadhu Or adiyALam
Word-by-Word Meanings
kaikEsi – kaikEyi
kalakkiya – churned by kUni [kaikEyi’s maid]
mA – eminent
manaththanaLAy – having a mind
varam vENda – when she wanted her two boons, through which SrI rAma had to go to the forest and bharatha should be coronated, immediately
mannavanum – emperor dhaSaratha chakravarthi too
malakkiya – being bewildered
mA – with a profound
manaththananAy – having a mind
maRAdhu ozhiya – even as he was in sorrow, not being able to deny [those two boons]
(beckoning SrI rAma through sumanthra [the emperor’s minister])
kulam kumarA – Oh, one who was born in this clan in order to make it splendorous!
kAdu uRaiyap pO enRu – saying “Go to live in the forest”
vidai koduppa – even as she ordained
ilakkumaNan thannOdu – along with iLaiya perumAL [lakshmaNa]
angu – to dhaNdakAraNya [forest dhaNdakam]
Egiyadhu – mercifully went, is an identification
Simple Translation
kaikEyi, whose eminent mind was churned by her maid, kUni, sought two boons from emperor dhaSaratha, through which SrI rAma had to go the forest and her son, bharatha, was to be coronated. The emperor too, who had a profound mind, feeling bewildered, granted those two boons, without denying her, and was in deep sorrow. kaikEyi had SrI rAma brought to her, by the minister sumanthra. She ordained SrI rAma to go to the forest. Along with iLaiya perumAL, SrI rAma [along with your highness, referring to sIthAp pirAtti] mercifully went to dhaNdaka forest. This is another identification.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
kalakkiya mA manaththanaLAy – having an eminent mind, churned by kubjA [kUni]. Earlier, kaikEyi was more affectionate towards SrI rAma, than even towards her own son, bharatha. She was carrying out activities which were liked by emperor. Due to these reasons, the pAsuram says that she had an eminent mind. It was this mind, which was churned well by kubjA, just as the ocean was churned by mandhara, the mountain. kubjA disliked everything which kaikEyi said initially, including her affection towards perumAL (SrI rAma) and his auspicious qualities, which she [kaikEyi] liked. By repeatedly responding to kaikEyi’s words, kubjA destroyed kaikEyi’s affection towards SrI rAma and made her to say “SrI rAma should not be coronated, my son should be”.
kaikEyi varam vENda – Thus, with a mind churned like this, kaikEyi now sought the two boons, which emperor dhaSaratha had granted her earlier. She desired that “SrI rAma should go to forest for fourteen years and my son bharatha should be coronated”
malakkiya …– Since dhaSaratha did not agree to these, she angrily told him “Will you, who had ruled for sixty thousand years without going against your solemn words, now go against your solemn words?” She threatened that she would commit suicide if he did not agree to do her bidding. Hearing these, the emperor became bewildered. The reason for saying mA manaththananAy [having a profound mind] is because for sixty thousand years, worshipping teachers such as vasishta et al, knowing the righteous and unrighteous, he had ruled the country such that none could speak anything faulty about him. It was such a mind that kaikEyi made bewildered though her words and activities, wondering as to “What will I do?” Just as kUni churned her mind, kaikEyi churned dhaSaratha’s mind, bewildering him. With such a bewildered mind, he did not say anything against her.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says additionally here that emperor dhaSaratha, unlike arjuna who had told krishNa, as mentioned in bhagavath gIthA 2.7 “yachchhreyachyAnniSchithaṁ brUhi” (Tell me decisively as to what is best for me, in your heart), seeking advice in a confused state, did not have anyone to whom he could ask for clarification. He considered that which was against righteousness as being right [asking SrI rAma to go to forest and coronating bharatha, instead] and in that bewildered state, he became sorrowful. He was unable to decide between the lowly righteous and highly righteous actions, and being unable to deny kaikEyi’s words, his mind became sorrowful.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says further here, the following: There are entities who learn from SAsthrams [sacred texts, explaining our sampradhAyam] and from the instructions of their AchAryas [preceptors], with the aim of benefitting others. Through their dharSana, sparSana, sambhAshaNa, sahavAsam etc [seeing, touching, conversing and moving with them, respectively], they bring clarity in the thoughts of even those who are permanent dwellers of samsAram [materialistic realm], and for whom it is difficult to get clarity in their minds. In the same way, there are entities, who will go by the path of their five senses, not listening to anyone, and who will not tolerate if others are happy. Through their dharSana, sparSana, smbhAshaNa etc, they will bewilder even those who will not easily get bewildered. Even if those, who had got bewildered, get clarity in their minds, feeling repentant, these people, who bewilder others, will not get any clarity in their minds, until they live with their present forms [he says this, keeping in mind, entities such as kUni, kaikEyi et al].
kulakkumarA kAdu uRaiyap pO enRu vidai koduppa – even as the emperor was in a deep state of sorrow, not denying her words, he wanted to ask the minister sumanthra, to get perumAL immediately. However, since he could not get the words out of his mouth, due to his sorrow, kaikEyi told sumanthra “Since he has been engaging in various activities throughout the night, he is tired and is asleep. You go forthwith and get perumAL here”. When sumanthra returned with SrI rAma, perumAL, looking at the condition of his father, asked her “What is the reason for this?” She told him “He had granted me two boons earlier. I had sought those two boons now. You have to go to the forest for fourteen years and bharatha should be coronated. Since he is one who always observes righteous path, he has granted permission, without denying. In order to tell you to go to the forest, he sent word for you. Seeing you, he is unable to speak and is like this”. SrI rAma told her “When he has to order me, should he hesitate and feel sorrowful like this? Will I not carry out his words?” kaikEyi then told him “In that case, on his behalf, I am saying this. You had taken birth in this clan to make it splendorous. If you wish to prove that your father always went by his words, taking his words as truthful, go to the forest”, imploring him to abide by dhaSaratha’s words.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that when the king [dhaSaratha] was in sorrow, unable to refuse kaikEyi’s boons, perumAL came there, asking for the king. kaikEyi told him “He had granted me boons earlier. Unable to tell you to live in the forest, at the time when the boon is to fructify for me, he is in sorrow”. SrI rAma told her “Do I need to hear this from him directly? Is it not enough for me if you tell me? However, could I wake him up and take leave of him?” kaikEyi told him “I will take care of his sorrow. If you wish to keep up the dignity of this clan, if you believe that you are our son, fulfil our words. He has granted permission and I am now telling you to go [to the forest]”, urging him to proceed.
ilakkumaNan thannOdum angu Egiyadhu Or adiyALam – just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 33.28 “prAgEva thu mahAbhAgas saumithrir mithranandhana: l pUrvajasyAnuyAthrArthE dhruma chIrair alankruthai: ll” (lakshmaNa, who is the son of sumithrAp pirAtti, who is illustrious and who is the rejoice of his friends, decorated himself with a dress of bark, in order to follow his elder brother), going together with lakshmaNa, who was ready even before him, to go the forest, is another identification [for your highness, sIthAp pirAtti, to believe that I am a servitor of SrI rAma].
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that SrI rAma went to the forest along with lakshmaNa, who is mentioned as in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 18.27 “lakshmaNO lakshmi vardhana:” (lakshmaNa is one for whom the quality of servitude keeps growing continuously), as in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 53.31 “nachAham” (lakshmaNa tells SrI rAma that neither sIthAp pirAtti nor he would be able to live, when separated from SrI rAma) and as in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 31.25 “aham sarvam karishyAmi” (lakshmaNa tells SrI rAma “I will carry out all servitude”) and who was ready to go the forest, ahead of SrI rAma. Or adaiyALam – This is an identification which is well known, throughout the world. Egudhal – to go.
We shall next consider the 4th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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