srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImath varavaramunayE nama:
pAsuram – 15
uNdO vaikAsi visAkaththukku oppu oru nAL
uNdO satakOparkku oppu oruvar – uNdO
thiruvAimozhikku oppu then kurugaikku uNdO
oru pAr thanil okkum Ur 15
Listen
Word by word meaning
vaikAsi visAkaththukku – For the visAka star day of vaikAsi month
uNdO – is there
oru nAL – any day that is
oppu – equal;
satakOparkku – for nammAzhvAr
uNdO – is there
oruvar – any one who is
oppu – equal;
thiruvAimozhikku – for thiruvAimozhi prabandham
uNdO – is there a prabandham
pAr thanil – in the earth that is
oppu – equal;
then kurugaikku – for AzhvAr thirunagari that is on the south
uNdO – is there
oru Ur – any place that is
okkum – equal;
No is the answer.
vyAkyAnam
He is involving in the abundant experience of talking to himself about the place, time, and the prabandhams divined by the AzhvAr whom he mentioned in previous pAsuram.
uNdo vaikAsi visAkaththukku oppu oru nAL – Is there any day that can equal this divine vaikAsi day that is born to do mangaLAsAsanam, for sarvEsvaran and all his abodes to grow well? The day of birth of emperumAn as said in ‘nee pirandha thiru nannAL [periyAzhvAr thirumozhi 23.8]’ (the auspicious good day You were born) – can even that equal the day of incarnation of this AzhvAr who is said as ‘krushNa thrushNA thathvam [srI rangarAja sthavam, pUrva sathakam – 6] (AzhvAr could be said to be in the form of love for krishNan)?
There, in krishNan’s birth, only some people here and there like akrUrar, mAlAkArar, kUni, chinthayanthI, or a few such only were reformed to be amicable. Here AzhvAr‘s birth is such that, as emperumAn said starting with ‘thAnaham dhvishatha: krUrAn’ to ‘kshipAmi’ [bhagavath gIthA 16-19] (~ I punish those who disrespect my devotees by pushing them into asura births), even those whom He would reject, it is the day of incarnation of AzhvAr who would create interest in such people toward emperumAn such that they too cannot bear the separation from Him – as AzhvAr said in ‘nin kaN vEtkai ezhuvippanE [thiruviruththam – 16]’ (~will motivate to be thirsty for You). { that is the greatness here compared to emperumAn‘s incarnation}.
uNdO satakOparkku oppu oruvar – Starting from his incarnation, he was a remover of bad/ignorant minds of such people; having true depth of knowledge – such is the glory of knowledge of AzhvAr; even if inquired in all the worlds do we hear anyone equaling him?
What with food, water, etc., what with ripe fruits, etc., what with ‘appAl mudhalAi ninRa aLappariya Aramudhu [thirunedunthANtakam – 14]’ {here it may mean food that is like nectar} – the samsAris are involved in sustaining, growing, and enjoying with these things; starting from such kind of people, can they ever be compared to this AzhvAr who is of the type ‘nAttArOdu iyal(vu) ozhindhu nAraNanai naNNi [thiruvAimozhi 10.6.2]’ (~ connections with the people of the (material) place got removed, and got nArAyaNan), and ‘ellAm kaNNan [thiruvAimozhi 6.6.1]’ (~ food, water, everything is krishNan for me), and such AzhvAr cannot be equaled by even the nithyasUris.
‘nainAr’ (as referred by the commentator) (azhagiya maNavALap perumAL nAyanAr) divined too – other than nithyasUris (that is, like rishis) “pala sAdhana dhEvathAntharangaLil ivargaL ninaivu pEchchilE thOnRumpadi irukkum [AchArya hrudhayam – 62]” (compared to maharishis whose speeches would indicate that the goal is to reach emperumAn, or that karma/gyAna/bhakthi are the means, or that it is acceptable to pray to the demi-gods, AzhvAr’s speech is that bhagavath kainkaryam is the goal, that emperumAn is the means, and that even forgetfully we should not pray to demi-gods; so they cannot be compared to AzhvAr).
Or, for nithyasUris, that place is like ‘theLi visumbu thirunAdu [thiruvAimozhi 9.7.5] (~ radiant, in knowledge) such that it is amicable for them to enjoy emperumAn all the time. Here, this place is like ‘viNNuLAr perumARkkadimai seyvAraiyum seRum aym pulan ivai [thiruvAimozhi 7.1.6]’ (~ the five senses would trouble even those who are subservient to emperumAn). Such ‘iruL tharumA gyAlam [upadhEsa raththina mAlai – 72] (this world that feeds ignorance), would not make it easy to enjoy emperumAn.
In such a birth, there is only AzhvAr who spends time only in enjoying emperumAn. Isn’t that why it is ‘sudhurlabha:’ (bhagavath gIthA) {Or oruvar uNdAgil aththanai kAN – upadhEsa raththina mAlai – 55}.
– As said in “mARuLadhO immaNNin misai [thiruvAimozhi 6.4.9]” (Is there anyone matching me in this world?), and
– “iniyAvar nigar agal vAnaththE [thiruvAimozhi 4.5.8]” (who would equal me even in that other big world (~when I have been given opportunity to sing thiruvAimozhi on emperumAn)).
So AzhvAr himself divined by his words that there is no equal in both this world and the other world, isn’t it?
When asked: So in this way, if we say satakOpan, he is meant as above everyone, this mahAthmA incarnated and is worshiped by the whole world, and if there is no equal to him or to his grand star day,
then is there anything equal to his words that is thiruvAimozhi and for the place of his incarnation?
Even that is also not there, says maNavALa mAmunigaL, as:
uNdO thiruvAimozhikku oppu then kurugaikku uNdO oru pAr thannil okkum Ur.
uNdO thiruvAimozhikku oppu – AzhvAr who is ‘thirumAlAl aruLap peRRa [thiruvAimozhi 8.8.11)’ (given unblemished knowledge (mayarvaRa mathi nalam (thiruvAimozhi 1.1.1)) by emperumAn), and ‘thirumAlavan kavi [thiruviruththam – 48]’ – his experience of emperumAn did not contain itself like said in ‘suzhi pattOdum [thiruvAimozhi 8.10.5] (like a flood with a vortex), like said in ‘avAvil anthAdhigaLAl ivai Ayiramum [thiruvAimozhi 10.10.11]’ (the thousand pAsurams in anthAdhi style, that came out of devotion) the thiruvAimozhi got caught in AzhvAr’s bhakthi and it incarnated.
Can the words that came out of dharma, strength, knowledge, happiness, etc., match the words of thiruvAimozhi that is out of devotion and is essence of nAlAyira dhivya prabandham?
Other words are like the sound of sea waves (no meaning/use). So, as said in ‘aruL koNdu Ayiram in thamizh pAdinAn [kaNNinuNchiruththAmbu – 8] (~ he sang one thousand sweet pAsurams in beautiful thamizh due to his mercy), this thiruvAimozhi that incarnated due to his kindness/mercy would not be having any equals.
then kurugaikku uNdO oru pAr thanil okkum Ur – Like how there is none equal to AzhvAr in this world or the other world, this place (of his incarnation) also does not have any place that equals it.
Tree in AzhvAr thirunagarI (kurugai) where nammAzhvAr stayed
Even if searched in eighteen worlds, is there any place that equals kurugai vaLampathi? Even if it is there (srIvaikuNtam), it is more like saying together ‘thirunAdu vAzhi then kurugai vAzhi [iyal sARRu]’ (long live srIvaikuNtam long live then kurugai). Shall have to say ‘thirunagarikku oppAriyuNdO’.
It is too divined as ‘ARRil thuRaiyil Uril uLLa vaishamyam vAchAmagOcharam [AchArya hrudhayam 80]’ (~ can’t be said in words the difference between this place and the others).
then kurugai – This place is a jewel for the (difficult?) samsAram, as said in ‘nallAr palar vAzhum kurugUr [thiruvAimozhi 8.2.11]’, and as ‘sayap pugazhAr palar vAzhum thadam kurugUr [thiruvAimozhi 3.1.11]’ – such is the grand kurugUr that is srI nagarI (AzhvAr thirunagarI) (wealthy city), isn’t it?
Also, it is meant as this place is in the southern direction.
Thus maNavALa mAmunigAL divined about this divine star day, about AzhvAr who incarnated, about thiruvAimozhi, and thirunagarI, after considering their unequaled greatness.
This visAka star day is of significance in ikshvAku dynasty as said by noble people, and this AzhvAr also got the same star day of incarnation and greatness as said in ‘rushImjushAmahE [parAnkusa ashtakam – 3] (we prostrate before satakOpa muni).
– – – –
English Translation: raghurAm srInivAsa dhAsan
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