thiruppallANdu 10 – ennAL emperumAn

srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:

Introduction for this pAsuram

In the previous pAsuram, ananya prayOjanars (those are focussed on kainkaryam) arrived proclaiming the glories of their nature being totally dependant on bhagavAn instead of being focussed on worldly life. In this pAsuram, prayOjanAntharaparars (those with ulterior motives – specifically kaivalyArththi) who are being discussed here, did not have such nature previously and were fully reformed by bhagavAn‘s greatness [mercy]. So, they talk about such grace of bhagavAn. Even while entering, aiswaryArththi (those who are after material pleasures and wealth) too claimed bhagavAn‘s greatness in transforming them by saying “sAnthamum thanthu ennai veLLuyir Akkavalla“. They wondered how emperumAn fulfilled their desires and transformed them to be pure. kaivalyArththis (those who are focussed on self-enjoyment) too wonder about their attachment to insignificant result (of enjoying oneself) which is also eternal destruction for them and how emperumAn rescued them from that while they surrendered unto him.

pAsuram

எந்நாள் எம்பெருமான் உன் ததனக்கு அடியோமென்று எழுத்துப்பட்ட அந்நாளே
அடியோங்கள் அடிக் குடில் வீடு பெற்று உய்ந்தது காண்
செந்நாள் தோற்றித் திரு மதுரையுள் சிலை குனித்து
ஐந்தலைய பைந்நாகத் தலை பாய்ந்தவனே உன்னைப் பல்லாண்டு கூறுதுமே

ennAL emperumAn un thanakku adiyOmenRu ezhuththuppatta annALE
adiyOngaL adik kudil vIdu peRRu uynthathu kAN
sennAL thORRith thiru mathuraiyuL silai kuniththu
ainthalaiya pain nAgath thalaip pAynthavanE unnaip pallANdu kURuthumE

Listen

word-by-word meanings

emperumAn – Oh our master!
un thanakku – to you (who is the master of all)
adiyOm enRu – that “we are servitors”
ezhuththup patta – when we gave that in writing
ennAL – which day
annALE – that day
adiyOngaL – our (who are servitors)
kudil – sons, grand-sons, etc., who are in the house
adi – being surrendered to you
vIdu peRRu – being freed from kaivalya mOksham
uynthathu – got liberated/uplifted
sem nAL – on that beautiful day
thORRi – descended
thiru mathurai uL – in the beautiful mathurA (of north bhAratham)
silai kuniththu – broke the bow (in kamsa’s weapons court)
ain thalaiya – having five heads
pai – having well expanded hoods
nAgam – kALiya the serpent
thalai – on the head
pAynthavanE – sarvEsvaran (you) who mercifully landed on it
unnai – for you
pallANdu kURuthum – we will perform mangaLAsAsanam

Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai’s commentary

ennAL – Reason for saying “ennAL” (which day? – what a day?) instead of “annAL” (that day) is – they are overwhelmed by the time when they surrendered to the right master but asked for insignificant results (kaivalyam – self-enjoyment), yet emperumAn transformed them to become kainkaryaparars (servitors) who can perform magaLAsAsanam. bhagavAn‘s greatness is such that, even the day when he accepted us is to be celebrated. Like his appearance day is greatly celebrated [the day when we surrender unto him and are accepted by him, that day is our real birth day].

How did the one who came for insignificant benefits become transformed into looking for kainkaryam only?

emperumAn – When coming for insignificant fruits to the eternal master, the natural servitude became manifested.

Though he is the natural master, when some one desires for something (other than kainkaryam), should they not have some thing in them to receive that?

un thanakku adiyOm enRu ezhuththup patta – we are qualified to say “adiyOm” (we are your dependents). Even, if it is not coming from our hearts, you are capable of fulfilling our desires just for hearing the words from us. Alternatively, when we go to some one seeking some thing from them, we use the term “nama:” (I am for you, I surrender unto you) to glorify them. That word is clear representation of the natural/intrinsic quality of AthmA. That is our principal for you to benedict us. Just like it is difficult to find servitors in this world which is filled with ego, it is also rare to say nama: for those who are simply discussing useless things.
annAL – it should be read as “emperumAn un thanakku adiyOm enRu ezhuththup patta ennAL – annAL” (Oh master! the day when we accepted your lordship, that is the real day). By saying “annALE” (only that day), it is established that emperumAn‘s grace alone is the means and we have no other good qualities in us.

What did they get out of this?

adiyOngaL … – We became servitors. We became uplifted. Our kudil (house) too became adik kudil (residence of servitors). We got vIdu (liberation).
adiyOngaL – though we were filled with ahankAram (ego, pride) and surrendered unto your lotus feet seeking self-enjoyment, we became servitors and gave up our ahankAram.
adik kudil – kudil means gruham (residence). This indicates, those who are in the house like sons, grand-sons, etc., also became servitors. This is what is explained in thiruvAimozhi 8.10.10 “nalla pathaththAl manai vAzhvar” (will lead virtuous/devotional gruhastha (married) life). When emperumAn accepted only them, how did their children, grand-children become purified? When some one is protecting a pearl-spot in the ocean, they will also protect the nearby areas. Similarly, emperumAn protects all the related ones of those who surrender unto him and gives them true knowledge too. Even when they arrived, they declared “kudi kudi AL seyginROm“.
vIdu peRRu – Being liberated; i.e., freed from aiswaryam (worldly wealth) and kaivalyam (self-enjoyment liberation) which are caused by ahankAram (considering oneself as body) and mamakAram (considering bhagavAn‘s property as ones own). Removal of hurdles is also part of attaining the goal.
uynthathu kAN – dhAsyam (being servitor) and ujjIvanam (upliftment) are synonyms. Why are they saying to bhagavAn “See I have been uplifted” as if informing to unknown person? You are so magnanimous that you won’t even remember helping us – so hear from us the favour you have bestowed us.
sem nAL thORRith thirumathurai uL silai kuniththu – What are you going to do after being reformed? Our task is to perform mangaLAsAsanam (pray for your well-being) to you only.

What is the aspect to perform mangaLAsAsanam?

sem nAL – that auspicious day which is beautiful due to you appearing on that day.
thORRi – manifesting the form that is beyond our senses, so that even those who don’t have the desire can see you as explained in gIthA bhAsyam introduction “sakalamanujanayanavishayathAm gatha:“.
thirumathurai uL – that too not in ayOdhyA which is the safest place, but in mathurA where kamsa, the enemy lives.
silai kuniththu – leaving mathurA immediately after birth and being raised in vrindhAvanam, you returned to kamsa’s weapons court in mathurA, broke the bow and caused havoc. This is totally fearsome for your devotees to see you enter the palace of kamsa to stir his anger.
ainthalaiya pain nAgath thalaip pAynthavanE – They start speaking about the incident in AyarpAdi (gOkulam) where he was living peacefully.
ainthalaiya pain nAgath thalaip pAynthavanE! – He has give mouths to bite and has great hoods which are expanded out of anger. As said in srIvishNu purANam 5.7.1 “EkathA thu vinA rAmam krushNO brundhAvanam yayau |” (one day, krishNa went to vrindhAvanam in the absence of balarAma), when the elder-brother did not accompany him, he is so mischievous that he fell in the trap of a snake. When nanjIyar asked bhattar “Why are all AzhwArs caring for krishNa?”, bhattar replied “In rAmAvathAram, the four boys are very capable, with very good qualities, their father being sambarAnthaka (the killer of sambara), ministers are vasishta, etc., the town is ayOdhyA (great fort), the time is good time (thrEthA yugam) – so there is nothing to fear. But in krishNAvathAram, he was born in the prison in enemy’s fort, kamsa is a cruel person who will send different persons to destroy him, father is a cow-herd man, residence is colony of cow-herd men and women, the boys themselves (krishNa, etc) are mischievous and the time (dhvApara yugam) is close to kali yugam. That is why AzhwArs have nothing else to do other than caring for krishNa”.
unnaip pallANdu kURuthumE – For such emperumAn (yourself), we cannot sustain ourselves by anything other than performing mangaLAsAsanam to you.

adiyEn sArathy rAmAnuja dAsan

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