SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fifth Centum >> First decad
avathArikai
In the svApadhESam, the following has been mentioned: When emperumAn asks AzhwAr as to what is the basis for his servitude, AzhwAr says “It is the strength of being a SrIvaishNavan, living in your abode”.
nanmai theemaigaL onRum aRiyEn nAraNA ennum iththanai allAl
punmaiyAl unnaip puLLuvam pEsip pugazhvAn anRu kaNdAy thirumAlE!
unnumARu unnai onRum aRiyEn OvAdhE namO nArANA enban
vanmaiyAvadhu un kOyilil vAzhum vaittaNavan ennum vanmai kaNdAy
Word-by-Word Meanings
thirumAlE – oh, Sriya:pathi! [the divine consort of SrI mahAlakshmi)
nAraNA ennum iththnai allAl – apart from saying nAraNA
nanmai theemaigaL – advantages and disadvantages
onRum aRiyEn – I do not know anything
unnai – your highness
punmaiyAl – with desire in other benefits
puLLuvam pEsi – saying deceptive words
pugazhvAn anRu kaNdAy – I do not praise, you would see
unnai – you
unnum ARu onRum – any manner to think of
aRiyEn – I do not know
OvAdhE – forever
namO nAraNA enban – I kept reciting “namO nAraNA”
(When AzhwAr said this, emperumAn told him “You said like this; this appears to be strong!”)
vanmai Avadhu – the strength (for me)
un kOyilil – in your sannidhi [proximity]
vAzhum – dwelling
vaittaNavan – of being a SrIvaishNavan
vanmai kaNdAy – see, this is the strength
Simple Translation
Oh, Sriya:pathi! Apart from reciting the divine name of nAraNA, I do not know of any advantage or disadvantage. Your highness would see that apart from your highness, I do not praise anyone, with desire in other benefits, saying deceptive words. I do not know of any manner to think of you. I kept saying namO nAraNA forever. When AzhwAr said this, emperumAn tells him “You say like this; this appears to be strong!” AzhwAr says “The strength for me is that I am a SrIvaishNavan, dwelling in your proximity”
vyAkhyAnam
nanmai … – I do not know whether my reciting the divine name of emperumAn ends up as an advantage or a disadvantage for emperumAn. If one looks at the samsAri [dweller in materialistic realm], it would appear to be full of fault while if one looks at emperumAn, it would appear to be full of auspicious qualities. If one looks at the samsAri, it would appear like an offender and if one looks at emperumAn, it would appear like one who tolerates offence.
nAraNA ennum iththanai allAl – Just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1.4.5 “nalgaththAn AgAdhO nAraNanaik kaNdakkAl” (When you see nArAyaNan, ask him whether he would not shower his mercy only on me, the sinner), it is the divine name which manifests the quality of tolerating offences [by remaining as antharyAmi of all, it is clear that he remains inside each entity despite their faults and offences; thus, he tolerates offences]. It is the place where he tolerates the offences of samsAris and does not give up on them.
punmaiyAl – due to lowliness [of desiring benefits other than emperumAn, the ultimate benefit].
unnai – you, who are the supreme entity.
puLLUvam pEsi – I do not say deceptive words, such as those mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 5.1.4 “en koLvan unnai vittu” (I, the deceptive person, would say words of praise, deceptively, such as ‘leaving aside you, which benefit will I have?’) punmai – desiring other benefits; nanmai – desiring mOksham. In the arumpadham [explanation for difficult-to-understand phrases] for this vyAkhyAnam, the following has been mentioned (the three quotations from nAlAyira dhivya prabandham have been taken from periyavAchchAn piLLai’s vyAkhyAnam : When asked whether those who are followers of emperumAn would recite the divine names of emperumAn to sustain themselves, AzhwAr says, as in thiruvAimozhi 3.7.5 “perumakkaL” (nithyasUris, who have the greatness of having qualities which are similar to those of emperumAn); such eminent persons would recite the divine names of emperumAn as mentioned in periya thirumozhi 7.4.4 ”pErALan pErOdhum periyOr” (eminent entities who recite the divine names of emperumAn); if prayOjanAnthaparars (those who desire benefits other than emperumAn) praise him, would it lead to any fault for emperumAn? He says that this is the case, as mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 3.1.8 “mAsUNA vAn kOlaththu amarar kOn” (if brahmA, who is showered with unblemished knowledge, and who is the lord of celestial entities praises you, it would lead to reduction in radiance of your divine feet).
thirumAlE – the qualified entity to praise him is only maithili (sIthAp pirAtti) as mentioned in periya thirumozhi 2.3.7 “… maithiliyum iravum nanpgalodu thudhi seyya ninRa” (you are present to be praised by sIthAp pirAtti through night and day…). She praises him due to overflowing affection for him. Just as praising you is saththA sidhdhi for her [reason for her existence), as mentioned in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 8.4 “thannAgath thirumangai” (emperumAn is residing in thirumalai, carrying the distinction of having pirAtti on his divine form), for me too, reciting your divine names is saththA sidhdhi (sustenance). Alternatively, this term [thirumAlE] would indicate sarvAdhikathvam [superior to everyone else], since he has SrI mahAlakshmi as his divine consort. thiruvAimozhi 1.10.7 says “vAnavar sindhaiyuL vaiththuch chollum selvan” (emperumAn has the wealth of being meditated upon by nithyasUris, as the one who sustains them etc, and as their supreme lord); thus, his divine names will gain radiance when qualified entities recite his name and will lose strength when recited by those who seek other benefits. When emperumAn tells AzhwAr “Leaving aside other benefits, recite the divine names as a means for attaining mOksham”, AzhwAr says …
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that AzhwAr asks emperumAn whether he [AzhwAr], who is completely devoted to pirAtti, should fear about offences.
unnumARu onRum aRiyEn – I do not know the manner of meditating upon you forever, as mentioned in SAsthrams [sacred texts]; vEdhams will say that emperumAn could be reached through bhakthiyOgam (the path of devotion). But, this becomes prApakAntharam [following other means, to attain emperumAn, instead of attaining him through himself]. AzhwArs will never engage in these means].
OvAdhE namO nAraNA enban – for aiSvarya kAmar [those who desire wealth], once they get their desires fulfilled, they will stop reciting the divine name of nArANan. For upAsakar [those who wish to attain emperumAn through the path of bhakthi, devotion], once they attain bhakthi, they will stop reciting the divine name. However, for prapannars [those who have surrendered to emperumAn], since this [reciting the divine names] is the benefit, this recitation will never stop.
OvAdhE – if this changes [viz. if I stop reciting the divine names], my existence will be disturbed. emperumAn tells him “When you do not recite, you say that your existence will be threatened; if you recite, you say that it will lead to fault on me; this is very skillful!” AzhwAr tells him further that there is no shortcoming for that skill.
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that AzhwAr tells emperumAn that since he does not desire other benefits, he will continuously meditate on thirumanthram, with its meanings. The strength for him comes out of residing within the boundaries of emperumAn. Dwelling in the abode desired by emperumAn is his refuge.
un kOyilil … – vanmai – strength. Since AzhwAr resides in the temple, he does not have any attachment with anything outside the temple. Since he does not desire any benefit other than emperumAn, this indicates the royal clan to which he belongs [the clan of those who have surrendered to emperumAn].
kOyilil vAzhum – as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 1.20 “bhavath vishaya vAsina:” [the sages tell SrI rAma when he enters dhaNdakAraNya forests that they live within the kingdom, ruled by him] and in thiruviruththam 33 “ivaRRin puRaththAL enReNNO” (Do you think that she lives outside the boundaries of your kingdom?) AzhwArs desire to stay within the abodes which emperumAn desires to reside. This is the one which they [entities such as AzhwAr] consider as their benefit.
We shall next consider the 4th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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