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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Fourth decad
avathArikai
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
nAvakAriyam sollilAdhavar nAL thorum virundhOmbuvAr
dhEvakAriyam seydhu vEdham payinRu vAzh thirukkOttiyUr
mUvarkAriyamum thiruththu mudhalvanaich chindhiyAdha ap
pAvakArigaLaip padaiththavan enganam padaiththAn kolO
Word-by-Word Meanings
nA akAriyam – untruths, which should not be told by the tongue
sol ilAdhavar – SrIvaishNavas, who have never told (and who live there, permanently)
virundhu – similar to SrIvaishNavas, who have been invited for the first time, to have food
nAL thoRum – every day
OmbuvAr – those, who are being supported
dhEva kAriyam seydhu – carrying out worship for emperumAn
vEdham – the supreme entity, who has been explained by vEdhams
payinRu – meditating, closely
vAzh – those who enjoy, after seeing him, who live there permanently
thirukkOttiyUr – in thirukkOttiyUr
mUvar – for the three entities, brahmA, rudhra and indhra
kAriyamum – the three activities of removing hurdles brought about by loss of vEdhas, inflicting
fault on AchArya and loss of kingdom to monsters et al
thiruththum – one who carried out
mudhalvanai – one, who is the cause for all
sindhiyAdha – not thinking about
a – of that type
pAva kArigaLai – those who have sinned
padaiththavan – one, who created
enganam – for what purpose
padaiththAn kol O – did he create! (says AzhwAr, in sorrow)
Simple Translation
thirukkOttiyUr is inhabited by SrIvaishNavas, who do not ever speak any untruth. They will invite SrIvaishNavas for having food in their respective house, as if they were being invited for the first time, though this happens every day. They will carry out divine worship of emperumAn, meditating on him closely and will enjoy him, through their eyes. In such thirukkOttiyUr, why did emperumAn, who had removed the hurdles of brahmA, rudhra and indhra, through retrieving lost vEdhams, removing the fault of showing disrespect to AchArya and redeeming lost worlds, respectively, and who is the cause for the creation of all, create those who do not ever think of him!
vyAkhyAnam
[In the arumpadham (meanings for distinguished words), it has been mentioned that while in subsequent four divine verses, the vyAkhyAnam (commentary) of periyavAchchAn piLLai is available, starting from this pAsuram, in a few places, either for the full pAsuram or for a part of the pAsuram, his commentary is available. maNavALa mAmunigaL, has interwoven his divine vyAkhyAnam along with AchchAn piLLai’s vyAkhyAnam. This is firmly held in our sampradhAyam].
nAvakAriyam – untruth for the tongue is: (1) stopping with the first level of an entity for the meanings [normally, the meaning would refer to the word which is under consideration, then to the AthmA who is referred to by that word and finally to the antharyAmi, the indwelling soul, viz paramAthmA, who resides in that AthmA], (2) giving false interpretation, and (3) giving reasons which will harm others. While mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 95 says “nAvAyil uNdE” (tongue, which is the implement used for praising emperumAn, is available inside the mouth itself, without having to search for it, elsewhere), divine names other than those of followers of emperumAn should be given rest. (1) In kongu region [present day kOyambuththUr], thirukkurugaip pirAn piLLAn had mercifully gone once. Before consuming food, the SrIvaishNavas there had offered the food to emperumAn, reciting his divine names and were about to consume food. thirukkurugaip pirAn piLLan felt saddened that they had not recited the divine names of AchAryas and left the place, without consuming the food. (2) During his last days, ananthAzhwAn asked [disciples] as to what was the divine name which was the most enjoyable for bhattar [parASara bhattar]. When they replied “the divine name of azhagiya maNavALap perumAL”, he said that this appeared to be reciting the divine name of one’s husband. [instead of directly saying namperumAL or SrI rangarAjar (which are the divine names of emperumAn), saying the distinguished divine name of azhagiya maNavALap perumAL is similar to referring to the divine name, indirectly. However, isn’t this, the divine name which bhattar desired! Once ananthAzhwAn mentioned this, he mercifully ascended to SrI vaikuNtam. (3) During the time when udaiyavar [rAmAnujar] was mercifully amidst SrIvaishNavas, a SrIvaishNava came near vaduga nambi [who was assigned the task of preparing milk for udaiyavar] and recited “Om namO nArAyaNAya”. Hearing this, vaduga nambi left the place, saying that this is similar to nAvakAriya [the SrIvaishNava was reciting the divine name of emperumAn, without reciting the divine names of AchAryas in guruparamparai]. (4) During the last days of AzhwAr thiruvarangap perumAL araiyar [our preceptor ALavandhAr’s son and one of the AchAryas of rAmAnujar], udaiyavar mercifully went to see him and asked him “What is currently running in the divine mind of your highness?” araiyar replied, saying “While there are many divine names of emperumAn, adiyEn was thinking of the divine name of ‘thiruvarangam’, which, with five or six syllables, appears to be beautifully strung” [more than the divine name of emperumAn, the divine abode where he has mercifully taken residence is eminent, for AchAryars]. udaiyavar too would have liked this divine name since “it is liked by AzhwAr thiruvarangap perumAL araiyar”. emperumAn’s divine pledge is as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 18.33 “Ethath vratham mama” (my pledge is to protect those who have surrendered to me); the pledge of samsAris is as mentioned in thiruviruththam 95 “yAdhAnum paRRi nIngum viradhaththai” (holding on to some worldly pursuit or the other, moving away from emperumAn); for mumukshus [those who are desirous of getting liberated from samsAram and attaining mOksham], the pledge is as mentioned in “viradham koNdu Eththum”, praising emperumAn, only after praising the divine abode where emperumAn has taken residence; archAvathAram [emperumAn taking the divine form of idols in various divine abodes] exists only for mumukshus. It is pertinent to recall periya thirumozhi 4.9.5 “adiyOmukkE emperumAn alleerO nIr indhaLUreerE” (Oh one, who is mercifully residing in thiruvindhaLUr! Are you not the lord for us, who are without any refuge in carrying out kainkaryam, to engage us in that?) The same thirumangai AzhwAr, after sidelining those who did not think of emperumAn, mentioned in periya thirumozhi 2.6.2 “AreNNum nenjudaiyAr avar emmai ALvArE” (those who meditate upon emperumAn, who is reclining on the ground, in the noble abode of thirukkkadalmallai, will rule over us). nammAzhwAr too, after mercifully requesting for servitude, as in thiruvAimozhi 3.3.1 “ozhivil kAlam elllAm” (we should carry out servitude to the emperumAn, who is at thiruvEngadam, without any break), mercifully said the following, in subsequent decads: in 3.4, “pugazhum nal oruvan” he carried out servitude through his merciful composition; in 3.5, “moymAm pUmbozhil” he reviled those who were not inclined to carry out servitude; in the decad 3.6 “seyya thAmaraik kaNNA” he gave instructions about the easy-to-approach nature of emperumAn in archai for; in the decad 3.7 “payilum sudar oLi mUrthi”, he praised the SrIvaishNavas, who had already got reformed [and carried out servitude to emperumAn]. In the same manner, this AzhwAr too [periyAzhwAr], after experiencing and enjoying the emperumAn who has mercifully taken residence in thirukkOttiyUr, reviles those who are roaming around, serving other deities, instead of taking refuge under emperumAn in thirukkOttiyUr and carrying out servitude to him. He is also joyous with SrIvaishNavas, who desire to carry out servitude to emperumAn’s divine feet and consider enjoying him as their sustenance.
[Translator’s note: until this, it could be considered that this is like avathArikai for the first pAsuram of this decad. maNavALa mAmunigaL now starts the vyAkhyAnam for the pAsuram].
nA akAriyam – Just as it is mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 3.1.7 “vAzhththuvAr palarAga” (there are many, who praise you), the purpose of being created is to recite the divine names of emperumAn. nAvakAriyam – that which is improper to do for the tongue, which speaks untruths, is to speak about emperumAn [the reason for saying this is that with an impure tongue, if one were to speak about emperumAn, that fault will rub off on emperumAn, bringing him a fault. By speaking well about him with such a tongue, our sin will not disappear. However, when we speak well about emperumAn, when we feel sad for having spoken with our impure tongue about him, bringing him disrepute, his divine mind will feel happy [due our mind feeling sad], and due to that happiness, our sin will disappear]. thirumangai AzhwAr, in thirukuRUndhANdagam 12, says “Aviyai arangamAlai – echchil vAyAl – thUymaiyil thoNdanEn nAn sollinEn thollai nAmam – pAviyEn pizhaiththavARu” (I, who am an impure servitor, recited the divine name of one who is my life and who resides with affection, in thiruvarangam, with my impure tongue. After saying that, I was able to sustain my life). nammAzhwAr, in periya thiruvandhAdhi 20 said “thiruvAgam thINdittuchchenRu” (the heart, which has knowledge, should have felt shy to speak about emperumAn, even when he took the form of a dwarf and later, growing to humongous proportion, touched everyone in samsAram), emphasising that it is not enough if we look only at emperumAn, but that we should also look at ourselves and see if we are apt to praise him. Starting from thiruviruththam 1 “poynninRa gyAnamum” [having a knowledge, which is not truthful) and ending with thiruvAimozhi 8.10.1 “kodumA vinaiyEn” (I have great sins which prevented me from carrying out servitude to emperumAn and his followers), AzhwAr said that it was due to the effects of his past deeds that he could not serve emperumAn and his followers.
sollilAdhavar – it is not that the SrIvaishNavas [residing in thirukkOttiyUr] had faults in them and then, got rid of these faults by speaking about emperumAn. The sins never entered them.
virundhOmbuvAr – they will welcome the SrIvaishNavas, who live in thirukkOttiyUr permanently, as if they are mercifully coming to partake of food for the first time.
dhEvakriyam seydhu – they will carry out divine worship of emperumAn, to make these SrIvaishNavas to be joyous. It is pertinent to recall kaNNinuN chiruththAmbu 3 “thiri thandhAgilum” (even if I slip from the position of being a servitor for nammAzhwAr).
vEdham payinRu vAzh – the SrIvaishNavas, inhabiting that place, carry out servitude to emperumAn and his followers well, knowing about the exclusive abodes where this could be carried out. They see the divine form of emperumAn, with their eyes and enjoy him. It is pertinent here to recall iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 39 “Oththin poruL muzhudhum iththanaiyE uththaman pEr Eththum thiRam aRimin” (Know that praising the divine names, which are the essence of vEdhams, is the ultimate).
thirukkOttiyUr – it is thinking of all these that AzhwAr had mercifully said in thiruppallANdu 11 “alvazhakku onRum illA aNi kOttiyUr kOn abimAna thungan selavanaip pOlath thirumAlE nAnum unakkup pazhavadiyEn” (Oh, the divine consort of SrI mahAlakshmi! Just like selva nambi, who is without any vanity and who is the controller of thirukkOttiyUr, inhabited by those who are without any fault, carrying out mangaLASAsanam to emperumAn, I too am a servitor for a long time). The eminence of SrIvaishNavas in thirukkOttiyUr is that they should be considered similar to AzhwAr.
mUvar kAriyamum thiruththum – one, who removes the hurdles which came in the way of the three entities [of brahmA, rudhra and indhra]. sthOthra rathnam 13 says “vEdhapahAra guru pAthaka dhaithya pIdAdhi Apath vimOchana” (one who removed the danger emanating from loss of vEdhams, which were stolen from brahmA, the sin of plucking out one of the heads of brahmA and the hurdles created by monsters). brahmA lost vEdhams when the monsters madhu and kaitabha stole them from him. emperumAn retrieved these from the two monsters and returned them to brahmA. rudhra severed one of the heads of brahmA, who was his AchArya too. emperumAn removed that sin too. Indhra lost his kingdom once again, to mahAbali; emperumAn retrieved the worlds from him and returned them to indhra. mUvar kAriyam thiruththam refers to these three incidents.
mudhalvanai – the reason for carrying out these actions [as mentioned in the previous term] is due to emperumAn’s connection with jIvAthmAs.
sindhiyAdha appAvakArigaLai – Without looking at the lowliness of these three entities, who even went to the level of fighting with emperumAn, emperumAn had removed their sorrow. Those who do not meditate on these actions of emperumAn, losing out to his auspicious qualities …
padaiththavan enganam padaiththAN kolO – we do not know the purpose for which emperumAn had created such sinners. emperumAn is one who showers his mercy on all, just like clouds pour out their water, without considering whether it is land or ocean, as mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1 “munnIr gyALam padaiththa em mugil vaNNan” (one, who has the complexion of rain bearing clouds, who created the words surrounded by ocean with water from three sources). It is pertinent to recall here, periya thiruvandhAdhi 18 “sOmbAdhu ippal uruvaiyellAm padarviththa” (one, who created all these entities, without backing down from the repeated actions of creating, sustaining and destroying the worlds).
We shall next consider the 2nd pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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