SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Full series >> Third Centum >> First decad
Introduction for this pAsuram
Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction
Subsequently, since AzhwAr cannot sustain himself without praising emperumAn, he highlights emperumAn’s qualities and praises him.
Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction
In ninth pAsuram – AzhwAr explains emperumAn‘s vAthsalyam (motherly affection) towards his devotees, with an example.
Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction
Subsequently, your supremacy of protecting your devotees just with your will is inferior when compared to the great motherly affection you have towards your devotees.
Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction
In ninth pAsuram – AzhwAr mercifully explains emperumAn‘s motherly affection that easily wins over his supremacy [that was explained in previous pAsurams].
Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai
Ninth pAsuram. AzhwAr says “If we say that your supremacy cannot be explained, does it mean that your simplicity is within the boundary of words?”.
pAsuram
mazhungAdha vainnudhiya chakkara nal valaththaiyAy
thozhum kAdhal kaLirRaLippAn puLLUrndhu thOnRinaiyE
mazhungAdha gyAnamE padaiyAga – malarulagil
thozhumbAyArkku aLiththAl un sudarch chOdhi maRaiyAdhE
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Word-by-Word meanings (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
mazhungAdha – not blunt
vai – having sharpness
nudhiya – having mouth
chakkaram – divine disc (sudharSana chakra)
nal – beautiful
valaththaiyAy – one who is having it in his right [hand]
thozhum – due to rendering service
kAdhal – having attachment
kaLiRu – elephant
aLippAn – to protect
puL – periya thiruvadi (garudAzhwAr)
Urndhu – rode him with great urgency
thOnRinaiyE – you appeared in front of that elephant
(in such situation)
mazhungAdha – unfailing
gyAnamE – gyAnam (knowledge) in the form of sankalpam (divine will)
padaiyAga – as entourage
malar – blossomed/expanded
ulagil – in the world
thozhumbAyArkku – to those who worship (you)
aLiththAl – if you helped them
(one who urgently arrived at the banks of the pond to protect his devotee)
un – your
sudar – greatly radiant
sOdhi – lustre
maRaiyAdhE – will it not be reduced?
Simple translation (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
You appeared in front of the elephant (gajEndhrAzhwAn) that is having attachment due to rendering services, to protect it by riding the garudAzhwAr with great urgency, having the beautiful sudharSana chakra (disc) which has sharpness and does not become blunt and has a sharp mouth, in your right hand. In such case, for those who worship you in this blossomed/expanded world, if you helped them with unfailing gyAnam (knowledge) in the form of sankalpam (divine will) as your entourage, would that not reduce your greatly radiant lustre (of urgently arriving at the banks of the pond to protect his devotee)?
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
- mazhungAdha … – As it hits the bodies of the enemies, like a knife which gets sharpness/shining by being touched by knife-sharpener, the divine sudharSana chakra becomes sharper and more radiant. Instead of being blunt, the divine chakra with sharp edges, having such chakra in your right side as said in thiruppallANdu 2 “vadivAr sOdhi valaththuraiyum sudarAzhiyum pallANdu“.
- nal valaththaiyAy … thOnRinaiyE – emperumAn forgot that he had his divine chakra in his hand; had he remembered, he would have sent that and finished the job right from where he was. As soon as he heard the sorrowful cry of his devotee, he forgot himself. But, even if he realized his position, he could not remove the sorrows right from where he is; because the elephant is “thozhum kAdhal kaLiRu” (elephant that has great attachment due to rendering services) – gajEndra is such an elephant who had the desire to see emperumAn with his divine chakra in the hand.
- kAdhal kaLiRu – Like airAvatha is known as “chathurdhanthi” (elephant with 4 tusks), gajEndhra is called as “the loving elephant” – where love for emperumAn is his identity.
- aLippAn – To accept the flower held by the elephant before it loses its freshness at his lotus feet [this is explained as the cause of sorrow for gajEndhra – he wants to offer the lotus flower at emperumAn‘s lotus feet before it loses its freshness].
- puL Urndhu thOnRinaiyE – garudAzhwAr’s speed is usually faster than emperumAn‘s sankalpam (divine will); but this time, even such speed was not enough for emperumAn, so he tucked garudAzhwAr under his arm (carrying him all along) and jumped at the banks of the pond.
- thOnRinaiyE – it looks like not gajEndhra, but AzhwAr was himself suffering – AzhwAr is saying as if emperumAn appeared in front of him!
- mazhungAdha gyAnamE padaiyAga … – To explain that he forgot the presence of his own divine chakra. Is he thinking about his knowledge in the form of his divine will which is even closer to him than his chakra? Even if his knowledge is used in many activities, instead of losing its quality, it gains lustre – having such divine will as entourage.
- malarulagil thozhumbAyArkku aLiththAl un sudarch chOdhi maRaiyAdhE – thozhumbAyArkkum – those who are SEshabhUthas (servitors). Those who are his servitors in this samsAram (material realm) which has the lotus flower in his navel as the base. If you protect those devotees from wherever you are using your divine will, you will not be known for great lustre as in “one who urgently jumped without caring for his appearance, clothes etc., at the banks of the pond where the elephant was caught in trouble”.
- maRaiyAdhE – When this was recited, an AchArya named siRRAtkoNdAn screamed “maRaiyum, maRaiyum” [Yes, if he does not physically appear to protect the elephant, his lustre will be reduced].
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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