SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Tenth decad
avathArikai
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that AzhwAr tells emperumAn that he, who had incarnated as krishNa after leaving paramapadham, should protect him.
nAnEdhum un mAyam onRu aRiyEn naman thamar paRRi nalindhittu indha
UnE pugE enRu angu mOdhum pOdhu angEdhum nAn unnai ninaikka mAttEn
vAnEy vAnavar thangaL IsA! madhuraip piRandha mAmAyanE! en
AnAy! nI ennaik kAkka vENdum arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE!
Word-by-Word Meanings
nAn – this servitor
un – the omnipotent, your
mAyam – among the amazing activities
Edhum onRu – none
aRIyEn – do not know
naman thamar – servitors of yama
paRRi – grasping
nalindhittu – harming in all the manner, in which this physical form could be tortured
[subsequently]
indha UN – ‘inside this yAthanA SarIram [form capable of bearing torment]
pugu enRu – enter’ saying this
mOdhum pOdhu – at the time when they beat up
angu – in that stage
unnai – your highness
nAn – this servitor
onRum – in any manner
ninaikka mAttEn – will not remember
vAn – in paramapadham
Ey – living aptly
vAnavar thangaL – for nithyamukthas [nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs]
IsA – as their head
madhurai – in SrI mathurA
piRandha – one, who mercifully incarnated
mA mAyanE – oh, one, who has the most amazing activities!
en – for me
AnAy – as one who lent himself to be controlled, just as an elephant lends itself to be controlled by its keeper
arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE – oh, one who is mercifully reclining on the mattress of AdhiSEshan, in SrIrangam!
nI ennaik kAkka vENdum – you, who are the supreme protector, should mercifully protect me
Simple Translation
This servitor [AzhwAr, referring to himself] does not know any of your amazing activities, you being, the omnipotent. During the time when the servitors of yama grasp me, harming me in this physical form in all the manner and beat me, asking me to ‘enter this yAthanA SarIram (physical form, capable of bearing torment)’ I will not be able to think of your highness. Oh, one who incarnated from paramapadham, as the head of nithyasUris, who dwell in that place aptly, and reached SrI mathurA! Oh, one who lends yourself to be controlled by this servitor, just like an elephant lends itself to be controlled by its keeper! Oh, one who has mercifully reclined atop AdhiSEshan in SrIrangam! You, who are the supreme protector, should protect me.
vyAkhyAnam
nAn … – I, who do not know anything about what has happened and what is going to happen, do know any of your amazing activities, you being the omnipotent entity. The term mAyai [amazing activities] referred to here is similar to “pOmidaththu un thiRaththu eththanaiyum pugA vaNNam niRpadhOr mAyai vallai” (You are capable of deceptively hiding yourself such that when they pull me through the path, my mind cannot think even a little bit regarding you). In other words, the deceptive acts which he carries out towards the chEthanas [ones with the ability to think] who act in line with their karma [past deeds] are innumerable. Only he knows all these activities; the chEthanas will not know. AzhwAr mentions about this, through this verse.
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that not knowing anything about emperumAn also refers to his [emperumAn’s] sankalpams [solemn pledges].
naman thamar paRRi nalindhittu – servitors of yama are capable of multiplying karmas many times over and harm the chEthanas. Even as they come to grasp the physical form, all the sorrows will come in. They will torture this physical form in such a manner that it cannot even be mentioned.
indha UnE pugE enRu mOdhum pOdhu – subsequently they will show the yAthanA SarIram [ a physical form given to the jIvAthmA, to bear the punishment meted out by the servitors of yama, in narakam], and will tell the chEthana “Enter this physical form”. It is called as yAthanA SarIram in line with the saying “yAthanA thIvra vEdhanA” (the yAthanA SarIram is capable of giving severe pain). When the chEthana hesitates to enter the yAthanA SarIram, out of fear, and steps back, they will beat the chEthana, without looking at his eyes [his eyes will be pleading with them to spare him; hence, they will not look at the eyes of the chEthana].
angu unnai nAn onRum ninaikka mAttEn – I will not think of you, who are the protector from all dangers, in any manner, at that time. When the text is angEdhum nAn unnai ninaikka mAttEn, the meaning would be – I will not think even a little about you, in that place. When caught in the torture that they mete out, and when the mind gets bewildered, is it possible to think about you?
vAnEy vAnavar thangaL IsA – Oh, one who is the controller of nithyamukthas, who dwell aptly in paramapadham, accepting servitude from them, in line with their basic characteristics! Ey – fitting well.
madhuraip piRandha mAmAyanE – Oh, one who is an amazing entity, who, being superior to everyone else there [in paramapadham], came here, to SrI mathurA, to take the people here under your divine feet, and incarnated here! There, he will control the people and accept servitude from them; here, he will be the controlled entity [being controlled by yaSOdhAp pirAtti, SrI nandhagOpar, the herd-girls et al], accepting servitude from them. AzhwAr had mercifully mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.6.11 “AtkoLLath thOnRiya Ayar tham kO” (one, who is the head of herd-folk, who incarnated in in thiruvAyppAdi [SrI gOkulam] in order to make everyone as his servitor).
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned here that the happiness on the face of emperumAn was not showing up in paramapadham; hence, he came to SrI mathurA, expecting to take mumukshus [those, who are interested in attaining mOksham] and manifested splendorously his divine qualities which are immersed in amazing activities.
ennAnAy – just as a huge elephant, not considering its eminence coming from its natural strength, lends itself to be under the control of its keeper, who is with insignificant strength, oh, one who came under my control, when I carry out mangaLASAsanam for you!
nI ennaik kAkka vENdum – you, the protector of everyone, should protect me, who cannot sustain myself if I do not carry out mangaLASAsanam for you even for a moment, from not engaging with the bewilderment which arises out of the torture at the hands of the servitors of yama.
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned here that even though AzhwAr reverses the protector-protected relationship [AzhwAr normally takes over the role of protector, carrying out mangaLASAsanam to emperumAn, treating emperumAn as the protected], AzhwAr tells emperumAn that he should protect him.
arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE – Just as a person shifts his residence when the crops mature in the fields [to the proximity of the fields], haven’t you left paramapadham and mercifully reclined in kOyil [SrIrangam] only to protect those who have taken refuge under you?
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned here that emperumAn has come and reclined in kOyil only in order to uplift those who could not be uplifted during his incarnation as krishNa.
We shall next consider the 9th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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