SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Ninth centum >> Fourth decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
parakAla nAyaki says – Did I desire for someone who lacks easy approachability and become pale? You inform my state to him in thiruppullANi where is even more easily approachable, where vAmanAvathAram looks like parathvam (supremacy)?
pAsuram
munnam kuRaLuruvAy mUvadi maN koNdaLandha
mannan saridhaikkE mAlAgip pon payandhEn
ponnam kazhikkAnal puLLinangAL! pullANi
annamAy nUl payandhARku Angu idhanaich cheppuminE
Word-by-Word meanings
ponnam kazhi – having beautiful water canals/ponds known as ponnangazhi
kAnal – present in the seashore lands
puLinangAL – oh birds!
munnam – previously
kuRaL uruvAy – one who mercifully incarnated as vAmana (towards mahAbali)
mUvadi maN – earth which can be measured with three steps
koNdu – one who begged and accepted
aLandha – one who measured (the three worlds)
mannan – emperumAn, who is king of kings, his
saridhaikkE – for his acts only
mAlAgi – (I) became infatuated
pon – complexion
payandhEn – I lost
idhanai – (my) this state
pullANi – in thie dhivyadhESam named thiruppullANi
annamAy – in the form of hamsa (swan)
nUl – vEdhams (to brahmA)
payandhArkku – emperumAn who gave, his
Angu – in that abode (where he has arrived for the sake of pirAtti, SrI mahAlakshmi)
seppuminE – inform
Simple translation
Oh, birds who are present in the seashore lands having beautiful water canals/ponds known as ponnangazhi! Previously, emperumAn who is the king of kings, mercifully incarnated as vAmana, begged and accepted the earth which can be measured with three steps, and measured; I became infatuated for such emperumAn’s acts only, lost my complexion; please go to the dhivyadhESam named thiruppullANi where he has arrived there for the sake of pirAtti, SrI mahAlakshmi and inform this state of mine to him who gave vEdhams to brahmA in the form of a swan.
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
munnam kuRaL uruvAy – While there is distance by time, there is no distance of by place, to miss the opportunity. My bad! Now is the right time for him to incarnate in that form. When there is a dry land, what is the point of raining in the ocean? There is no shortcoming for the ocean when the river does not enter, or the rain does not pour down. Due to the proximity in time [as she deeply reminisces the incident, it appears to her as if it happened recently], she says that she has missed it as if losing a food item after it hits the teeth.
kuRaL uruvAy – He made his divine/spiritual form to be visible for our eyes.
mUvadi maN koNdaLandha – The one who owns the nithya vibhUthi (paramapadham) which is beyond this world, is pleading for three steps of earth. Begging and measuring are extraneous. As mahAbali saw the beautiful vAmana form, he offered himself and his belongings to vAmana bhagavAn. As said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 18-34 “Anayainam hariSrEshta dhaththamasyAbhayam mayA l vibhIshaNO vA sugrIva! yadhi vA rAvaNa: svayam ll” (Oh sugrIva, the most distinguished among monkey warriors! Bring him here. Whether it is vibhIshaNa or rAvaNa, he has been granted refuge by me). In SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 17.14 “rAghavam SaraNamgatha:” (I am surrendered to SrI rAma), SrI rAma’s acceptance is also there. The conversation which happened in between this and vibhIshaNAzhwAn’s acceptance by SrI rAma, is to get the permission of sugrIva mahArAjar.
mUvadi maN koNdaLandha mannan – He begged from mahAbali, grew, measured and accepted. He begged to align with mahAbali’s pride/generousity [instead of fighting and overpowering him].
mannan – As said in mahAbhAratham ASva parvam 43-13 “rAjAdhi rAjas sarvEshAm vishNur brahmamayO mahAn l ISvaram tham vijAnIma: sa pithA sa prajApathi ll” (vishNu alone is the radiant entity who is the emperor of all the kings, who is eminent as brahmasvarUpi (with the nature of the supreme entity)).
mannan saridhaikkE mAlAgip pon payandhEn – I lost my complexion for his action which was meant for someone/something else. It does not feel for AzhwAr that bhagavAn enacted this leelA for indhran. even for others who are of subsequent times, was it not done for all devotees as said in iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 61 ‘unnaip piramANiththAr peRRa pERu‘ (the great benefit that all those who believed you, got) – He is thinking that bhagavAn performed this for the sake of all devotees. Acts such as transforming his form to be something different, begging, measuring are the reason for my body becoming pale.
ponnangazhik kAnal puLLinangAL – It appears that there is a water-stream named ponnangazhi, near her place. Due to living in the same place and the relationship from that, she expects the birds to help her. Further, they have the greatness of uniting those who are separated. Unlike bhagavAn who left me, you don’t need to go alone [you can go as a flock].
pullANi annamAy nUl payandhARku – Just as these birds are ready to go as her messenger, he has arrived in close proximity.
annamAy nUl payandhARku – parakAla nAyaki is talking about bhagavAn who separated, retrieving the vEdha chakshus (eyes of vEdham) for brahmA. That is – here also, he is capable of retrieving my lost complexion.
annamAy – The [bird] messenger need not fear – he also is in bird form – same species.
Angidhanaich cheppuminE – You inform him where he has arrived, that there is a woman waiting to get her complexion back. Is there any rule that he will only help one woman (sIthAp pirAtti)?
idhanai – It appears that she cannot express her state through words.
seppuminE – No need to bring him along with you after informing; sufficient to inform him.
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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