thiruvAimozhi – 1.7.7 – yAn otti

srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImath varavaramunayE nama:

Full series >> First Centum >> Seventh decad

Previous pAsuram

Introduction for this pAsuram

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction

No specific introduction.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction

In the seventh pAsuram – AzhwAr says “though I did not accept him, he himself accepted me at his lotus feet; in such case, even if I want to leave, he would not let me leave”.

Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction

See nanjIyar‘s introduction.

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

Seventh pAsuram – When asked “You are bound by the three types of qualities [sathvam, rajas, thamas]; occasionally you are saying ‘I will not leave him’; can we trust your words?” AzhwAr replies “Even if I leave him, he will not leave me”.

pAsuram

யான் ஒட்டி என்னுள் இருத்துவன் என்றிலன்
தான் ஒட்டி வந்து என் தனி நெஞ்சை வஞ்சித்து
ஊன் ஒட்டி நின்று என் உயிரில் கலந்து இயல்
வான் ஒட்டுமோ இனி என்னை நெகிழ்க்கவே?

yAn otti ennuL iruththuvam enrilan
thAn otti vandhu en thani nenjai vanjiththu
Un otti ninRu en uyiril kalandhu iyal
vAn ottumO ini ennai negizhkkavE?

Listen

Word-by-Word meanings (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)

yAn – I
otti – with acceptance
ennuL iruththuvam – will keep inside
enRu ilan – did not think like that
thAn – He
otti vanthu – arrived with a vow
en – my
thani – independent
nenjai – heart
vanjiththu – attracted without my knowing it

(as a consequence)
Un – in the body
otti – being together
ninRu – entered and stayed
en uyiruL – in my AthmA
kalanthu – mixed
iyalvAn – (as if existing due to that) sustained himself
ini – now
ennai – me
negizhkka – to leave
ottumO – is it possible?

Simple transalation (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)

I did not think about keeping him inside my heart with acceptance, but he himself arrived with a vow and entered my independent heart attracting it without my knowing about that. He became mixed with me (the soul) and entered in my body and sustained himself. Now, is it possible for him to leave me?

vyAkyAnams (commentaries)

Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s vyAkyAnam

See vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s translation.

Highlights from nanjIyar‘s vyAkyAnam

See nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam.

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s vyAkyAnam

See nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam.

Highlights from nampiLLai‘s vyAkyAnam as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

• yAn … – Only if my acceptance [of him to stay inside me] was chosen by me, could I choose to let go of him. If emperumAn says “AzhwAr! I will stay with you” and AzhwAr would say “No!” he simply vowed to be with AzhwAr and entered his heart. AzhwAr says “I did not request him to be in my heart”.
• thAn otti vandhu – Just as it is said in srI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 18.34 “adhyamE maraNam vApi tharaNam sAgarasya vA” (Either I should cross the ocean or destroy the ocean), here too emperumAn arrived with the vow to be with me. [In arumpadham, a nice story is narrated to explain this aspect of emperumAn forcefully accepting AzhwAr. Once, there was a brAhmaNa who was very miserly. Another brAhmaNa was planning to go and ask him for food and the on-lookers warned him that he would not get anything. He said to them that somehow he will get some food. He went to the miserly brAhmaNa’s house and asked him for even a little bit of food. The miserly brAhmaNa refused to give even that. When this person persisted, the miserly brAhmaNa said “OK, I can give food, but unfortunately there is no plantain leaf to serve food on”. Hearing that, the guest brAhmaNa said, “Here! I have a leaf, now you serve me food”. The miserly brAhmaNa said “When coming to kill some one, would they not come with a knife?” and gave him food in the end. Like this, emperumAn vowed to have AzhwAr and pursued him voluntarily].
• en thani nenjai – independent heart that cannot be reformed.
• vanjiththu – showed his seela (simplicity) etc qualities and tamed my heart to be surrendered to him.

What did he do after that?

• Un otti ninRu en uyiril kalandhu – Some explained this as “mixing with my self which is together with the body”. nanjIyar mercifully explained this as “Just like a person would enjoy the impurities of his beloved, emperumAn accepted my body, and once I did not push him away, he mixed with my self/soul”.
• iyalvAn – one who has such benevolence as a natural quality; one who is prepared to pursue his devotees.
• ottumO ini ennai negizhkkavE – Such emperumAn who showered his grace on me unconditionally, even if I said ‘I want to leave’ would he let me go? After working so hard to give knowledge to me, and when the acquired knowledge started yielding result, if I said that I will leave, would he agree to that? [No].

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org

pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org/
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
srIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org