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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> First decad
avathArikai
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that AzhwAr meditates upon the divine activity carried out regarding nappinaip pirAtti.
thOyam parandha naduvu sUzhalil thollai vadivu koNda
mAyak kuzhavi adhanai nAduRil vammin suvadu uraikkEn
Ayar madamagaL pinnaikkAgi adal vidai Ezhinaiyum
vIyap porudhu viyarththu ninRAnai meymmaiyE kaNdAr uLar
Word-by-Word Meanings
parandha – spread out
thOyam – waters
naduvu – in the centre
sUzhalil – through sankalpam [vow]
thollai – ancient
vadivu – divine form
koNda – shrunk
mAyam – amazing
kuzhavi adhanai – that child
nAda – to search
uRil – if you are intent
vammin – do come
suvadu – an identification
uraikkEn – I will tell you
Ayar – SrI kumbhar, a herd-person
magaL – divine daughter
madam – having the quality of modesty
pinnaikkAgi – for the sake of nappinaip pirAtti
adal – coming to fight
vidai Ezhinaiyum – seven bulls
vIya – to kill
porudhu – fighting
viyarththu ninRAnai – due to that exertion, one who stood, with perspiration on his divine form
meymmaiyE – there are people who had truly seen
Simple Translation
Amidst spread-out waters, through his vow, emperumAn had shrunk his ancient form and lay as a child. If you are intent on seeing that amazing child, come, I will tell you an identification. SrI kumbhar, a herd-person, had wagered seven bulls, which were ready for a battle, for the marriage of his daughter, nappinaip pirAtti, who had the quality of modesty. For her sake, krishNa had killed the seven bulls and stood, with perspiration appearing on his divine form. There are people, who had truly seen him.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
thOyam parandha naduvu sUzhalil – during the time when water was present everywhere, and in the centre, earth was seen with a round form, with water on earth too. Though there is no mention about time in this verse, it has to be added here to get the correct context. Alternatively, it would refer to thOyam parandha naduvu – in the middle of spread-out water.
sUzhalil thollai vadivu – In order to protect those, who are to be protected, during the time of deluge, emperumAn shrunk his divine form, which was aprAkrutham viz. without any connection with elements seen in samsAram [materialistic realm]. Since the verse speaks about kuzhavi [child], we have to presume that he had shrunk his divine form.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the word thollai could also refer to eminence, apart from ‘ancient’. While ‘modern’ could also have eminence, it appears as lowly only. When mentioned as ancient, it will only show long time and not both long and not-long times.
mAyam … – that child was amazing since, with a small form, the child swallowed all the worlds and lay on a tender banyan leaf, manifesting emperumAn’s quality of aghatithaghatanA sAmarthyam (ability to bind together, entities which cannot be bound; in other words, ability to carry out any impossible activity], as mentioned by kUraththAzhwAn in athimAnushasthavam 14 “mugdhaSSiSu: vatadhalE SayithOthithanvA thanvA jaganthi bibrushE savikAsam Eva l aiSIm imAm thu thava Sakthim atharkithavyAm avyAjatha: prathayasE kim iha avathIrNa:” (You rest on the tender banyan leaf, as a small, innocent, seemingly helpless child. Yet, within that remarkably tiny physical frame, you effortlessly support the vast expansions of all the worlds and every being. Oh Lord, you so naturally and unconditionally reveal this inconceivable, divine power! If you already possess such majestic, unthinkable might, what was the need for you to descend into this world in a human form?) Since the verse calls him as kuzhavi [child] the pronoun “it” is used while referring to the child, instead of him.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that this term refers to the child who was seen here with the same divine, splendorous form, which he has in SrI vaikuNtam, as mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 3.5.5 “AdhianjOdhi uruvai angu vaiththu ingup piRandha” (emperumAn who is born with the divine, splendorous form, which he has in paramapadham). This also refers to krishNa. parandha thOya naduvu sUzhal – naduvu refers to jambhUdhvIpam [the world in which we live]; sUzhal refers to one among its nine divisions [our continent, bharatha kaNdam, the country of bhAratham]. In that, there is vada madhurai [mathurA]. Inside that, there is a prison. It was in this, that he appeared [as krishNa] with his divine weapons such as disc, similar to his form in SrI vaikuNtam. mAyam – he was amazing, in a deceptive manner. It was that amazing feature which made him to leave the prison; it was that amazing feature which made him to be born in thiruvAyppAdi and to grow there. Due to all these reasons, AzhwAr calls him as mAyak kuzhavi. thollai – eminent. While manifesting the tender banyan leaf [and reclining on it], he showed the eminence of people not being able to estimate the eminence of his smallness.
nAduRil – If you are firm in searching for him …
vammin suvadu uraikkEn – Come, I shall tell you an identification. The term suvadu indicates his activity which is indicative of his aghatithaghatanA sAmarthyam, viz. wringing the necks of all the seven bulls simultaneously.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here the following: He says that he will show the footprints and the signs. In thiruvAyppAdi, when the herd-girls were in a trance, hearing his flute on the banks of yamunA, to bring them to their present levels, krishNa suddenly hid himself, unseen by them. They started enquiring with each other regarding his whereabouts; they started showing his footprints and other signs. They stood on the dunes, awaiting his arrival. Even rishis [sages] too went searching for him when krishNa suddenly appeared amidst them, as said in bhAgavatham 10.32.2 “thAsAm AvirabhUth” [He appeared in their midst]. They also told each other about how much they knew about him. However, they did not enact his activities, which the herd-girls did [when they were unable to find him, in order to console each other, until he returned].
Ayar madamagaL pinnaikkAgi – To attain nappinaip pirAtti, the daughter of the herd-person, SrI kumbhar, having the AthmaguNam (quality of soul), madappam (modesty).
Adal vidai Ezhinaiyum – the seven bulls, in which monsters had pervaded, and which were standing as if they are ready to engage in a battle.
vIyap porudhu viyarththu ninRAnai – he fought with them such that they were killed. He stood, with perspiration on his divine form, as a result of that exertion.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that he was perspiring, in order to be truthful to his incarnation in the human species.
meymmaiyE kaNdAr uLar – There were people who had indeed truly seen him. Through this, the dharmi aikyam [having the same dharmi, emperumAn] between the one who carried out the activity of vatadhaLaSayanam [one who reclined on the tender banyan leaf] and krishNAvathAram has been manifested. This AzhwAr himself had said, earlier, in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.1.6 “vaiyam Ezhum kaNdAL piLLai vAyuLE” (inside the divine mouth of her son krishNa, [yaSOdhAp pirAtti] saw all the seven worlds) and in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.4.7 “Alinilai vaLarndha siRukkan avan ivan” (this child [krishNa] is the one who had reclined on the tender banyan leaf). Thus, this dharmi aikyam has been mentioned at several places already.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that it was only after krishNa united with nappinaip pirAtti that people saw him truly [Before marrying her, he was seen. After marrying her, he was truly seen]. Just as Sriya:pathithvam is an identity for him, nappinaip pirAtti too is an identity for him, as mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.5.1 “pinnai maNALanai” (the beloved of nappinaip pirAtti).
We shall next consider the 5th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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