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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Fourth decad
avathArikai
In the first five pAsurams of this decad, the flaws of avaishNavas (those, who are not followers of vishNu] were mentioned. Starting from this pAsuram, over the next five pAsurams, the eminence of SrIvaishNavas is being mentioned.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that the previous pAsuram mentioned about the flaws of avaishNavas who were a burden on earth, since they had hearts with which they did not think of emperumAn. This pAsuram mentions about the eminence of SrIvaishNavas.
bUdham aindhodu vELvi aindhu pulangaL aindhu poRigaLAl
Edham onRum ilAdha vaN kaiyinArgaL vAzh thirukkOttiyUr
nAdhanai narasinganai navinRu EththuvArgaL uzhakkiya
pAdha dhULi padudhalAl ivvulagam bAkkiyam seydhadhE
Word-by-Word Meanings
bUdham aindhodu – with the SarIram [physical form] made up of five elements
vELvi aindhu – the five mahA yagyams
pulangaL aindhu – the five elements of perception
poRigaLAl – five organs of perception
Edham onRum ilAdha – without having any flaw
vaN kaiyinArgaL – those, who are magnanimous
vAzh – residing permanently
thirukkOttiyUr – for thirukkOttiyUr
nAdhanai – chokka nArAyaNan, who is the lord
narasinganai – having mercifully taken residence as theRkAzhwAr [name for lord narasimha, in
thirukkOttiyUr)
navinRu – reciting his names to the satisfaction of their tongues
EththuvArgaL – those, who praise
uzhakkiya – roaming around
pAdhadhULi – the grains on their footprints
padudhalAl – since they are formed
i ulagam– this world
bAkkiyam seydhadhu – has been fortunate
Simple Translation
thirukkOttiyUr is inhabited by people who do not have any flaws in them on account of their physical forms, which are composed of the five elements [ethereal layer, air, wind, fire and earth], the five daily rituals [pancha mahAyagyas, namely dhEva yagyam (rituals offered to celestial entities, including sandhyAvandhanam etc), pithru yagyam (rituals offered to forefathers such as pithru tharpaNam etc), manushya yagyam (honouring SrIvaishNavas), bhUtha yagyam (offering food to animals and birds) and brahma yagyam (Honouring bhagavAn through vEdha adhyayanam)], the five sensory perceptions [Sabdham [sound], rUpam [form], rasam [taste], gandham [smell] and sparSam [touch]], the five sensory organs [ears, eyes, tongue, nose and skin], and who are magnanimous. There are people, who live in that divine abode and who recite the divine names of chokka nArAyaNan and theRkAzhwAr, who have mercifully chosen that abode for their dwelling, to the full satisfaction of their mouths, praising him. Due to the formation of divine particles on their footprints as they roam about in that divine abode, this world has become fortunate.
vyAkhyAnam
bUdham aindhodu – this refers to the physical form which is composed of the five elements. periya thirumozhi 1.9.6 says “maNNAy nIr eri kAl manjulAvum AkAsumumAm puNNAr AkkaiyiRE” (physical form composed of earth, water, fire, air and sky where clouds roam, and resembling a wound).
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that entities are twenty-four in number. Of these, seven are prominent. Among these seven, five come at the first. This is accepted by all the philosophies.
vELvi aindhu – the five mahA yagyams [please refer to word-by-word meanings]
pulangaL aindhu – the five perceptions starting with Sabdham, rUpam etc. pulan refers to those which are manifested.
poRigaL – this refers to the five sensory organs, such as ears, eyes etc. These are called as poRi [trap] since they make the person to fall into the traps of Sabdham etc. thiruvAimozhi 2.8.4 says “pulan aindhumEyum poRi aindhu” (the five sense organs of ears, skin, eyes, nose and tongue trap the AthmA in the five perceptions of sound, touch, vision, smell and taste, respectively). Due to these …
Edham onRUm ilAdha – even being united with these [four sets of five entities each], being without any flaw. mAmunigaL explains the concepts of Edham [what is fault for each of these four sets], Edham ilAdha [being without the fault], Edham onRum ilAdha [being without even an iota of fault].
bUdham aindhum Edham onRum ilAdha – considering the physical form for self is Edham; considering that it is for ISvaran [emperumAn] is Edham ilAdha; considering that it is for bhAgavathas [followers of emperumAn] is Edham onRum ilAdha.
vELvi aindhum Edham onRum ilAdha – carrying out the rituals with the aim of reaching svarga etc is Edham; performing the same for reaching SrIvaikuNtam is Edham ilAdha; carrying out these for the enjoyment of emperumAn and his followers is Edham onRum ilAdha.
pulangaL aindhum Edham onRum ilAdha – considering that the five perceptions of Sabdha sparSa, rUpa, rasa, gandham are to be utilised for self is Edham; utilising these in matters related to emperumAn is Edham ilAdha; utilising these for bhAgavathas is Edham onRum ilAdha.
poRigaL aindhum Edham onRum ilAdha – engaging the sensory organs in worldly pursuits is Edham; engaging them in matters related to emperumAnis Edham ilAdha; engaging them in matters related to bhAgavathas is Edham onRum ilAdha.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that prakruthi [primordial matter] is a mix of sathva [noble qualities], rajas [qualities of passion, aggression etc] and thamas [qualities of laziness, postponement etc]. Of these, for sathvam, nivruththi (giving up forbidden activities) is the key quality. For thamas, pravruththi [doing forbidden activities] is the key quality. Earlier, giving up what has been prescribed and carrying out what has been proscribed was the norm. More than doing what is prescribed, not doing what is prescribed was considered as faulty. For doing what has been forbidden, it was considered as acceptable due to reasons of place and form [certain activities were accepted in certain places, and in certain forms]. Hence, these were looked upon with mercy. When that, which had been prescribed was not carried out, the anger [in emperumAn for going beyond his orders] was high. nammAzhwAr had mercifully said “nIsanEn niRaivonRum ilEn” (I am a very lowly person, not having anything good in me), saying that he has anAthmaguNa pUrthi (full of qualities which are not desired for the AthmA) and lack of AthmaguNa gandham (any flavour in Athma guNam) in him. When sathvam is prominent, the other two [rajas, thamas], will follow sathvam. During this time, one will carry out what has been prescribed and avoid doing what has been proscribed. In other words, when one lives for self and others, that person would engage with bhagavath and bhAgavatha matters, seeking atonement. When one does anything for self, it is Edham. When it is done for ISvaran, it is without fault. When it is done for bhAgavathas, it is Edham onRum ilA.
vaN kaiyinArgaL – vaNmai – magnanimity; in other words, as mentioned in the previous pAsuram “bUmi bArangaL uNNum sORRinai vAngi”, taking those food stuffs, without destroying them, and offering those to SrIvaishNavas. thirumangai AzhwAr carried out bhAgavatha kainkaryam [servitude to SrIvaishNavas] after taking from emperumAn too. ISvaran instructed him thirumanthram [first, of the three esoteric manthrams] as the means for it. thirumangai AzhwAr too blamed emperumAn in periya thirumadal 140 “thunnu sagadaththAl pukka perum sORRai” and in periya thirumadal 141 “thAn thuRRIya theRRanavum” (the huge quantum of food, carried in many carts; emperumAn consumed the entire food, without any shame, considering himself as gOvardhana hill, and not sharing it with the children or herd-people). AzhwAr’s divine daughter ANdAL too said, as in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7.9 “podhuvAga uNbadhanaip pukku nI uNdakkAl sidahiyArO unnOdu” (Oh, pAnchajanyam!, If you alone were to imbibe the nectar-like food from the divine mouth of emperumAn, which is common for all, will the others not argue with you?) More than that, periyAzhwAr had mercifully said in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.11 “sAdhu kOttiyuL koLLap paduvArE” (those, who are able to recite these pAsurams, will be recognised in the assembly of SrIvaishNavas) and ANdAL, in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7.10 “pAnchasanniyaththaip paRpanAbanOdum” (ANdAL created great relationship for the divine conch, SrI pAnchajanyam, with emperumAn), thus negating the presence with SrIvaishNavas. It is only to remove the loss of not having been present during the time of incarnation that they give during archai [when he takes the divine form in various divine abodes].
vAzh – those who enjoy emperumAn, seeing him with their eyes.
thirukkOttiyUr nAdhnai – more than addressing him as “SrI vaikuNta nAthan” [lord of SrI vaikuNtam] or “thiruppARkadal nAthan” [lord of milky ocean], it is eminent to address him as “thirukkOttiyUr nAthan” [the lor of thirukkOttiyUr]. The term nAdhanai refers to chokka nArAyaNan, the presiding deity in thirukkOttiyUr.
narasinganai navinREththuvArgaL – the residents of thirukkOttiyUr would like, as mentioned in nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi 13 “mArviraNdu kURAgak kIRiya kOL ariyai vERAga Eththi” (those, who worship narasimha mUrthi, who tore the chest of hiraNyan into two pieces, and who worship him as a distinguished entity). emperumAn initially tore the mouth of hiraNyan, which had forbidden prahlAdhAzhwAn from reciting the divine names of emperumAn, and only after that did he tear his chest.
uzhakkiya pAdha dhULi padudhalAl – those, who carry out servitude to emperumAn, derive an enjoyment as a result of that servitude. As an outlet of that joy, they keep roaming around the place, in thirukkOttiyUr. The particles which are formed on their footsteps as they keep roaming …
ivvulagam – this earth, which is inhabited by those who have hardened hearts, and who do not think of emperumAn ever, making earth to sustain them as a huge burden on it.
bAkkiyam seydhadhE – The fortune which earth had, was not on account of the emperumAn’s divine feet touching it when he measured the worlds [as thrivikrama, after taking earth in alms from mahAbali]. It was on account of the impression created by the footprints of SrIvaishNavas that earth became fortunate. emperumAn’s divine feet had converted a stone into a lady [reference is to ahalyA sApavimOchanam, when ahaylA, cursed by sage gauthama into a stone, was rid of that curse and regained her form], decorating her. If the feet of SrIvaishNavas, mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.1 as “kadal vaNNan bUdhangaL” (those who were reformed as bhAgavathas, followers of emperumAn, by emperumAn who has he complexion of an attractive ocean), then it will lead to, as said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.1 “pOyiRRu valluyirch chAbam” (the strong curses have been destroyed), elimination of curses, which come on one’s basic nature. More than the divine feet of one who is referred to in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 14 as “pErththa karam nAngudaiyAn” (one who has four divine shoulders with which he had blown to smithereens, all the eight directions, when he measured the worlds), the world feels that it has been fortunate when the feet of those who are referred as in the same mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 14 as “pErOdhip pEdhaigAL thIrththakararAmin thirindhu ” (those, who recite emperumAn’s divine names, without expecting anything in return, taking a sojourn all over the world, purifying all the lands).
We shall next consider the 7th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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