SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Introduction (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
Thinking about emperumAnAr’s advice which was part of the benefit for him, that is the divine feet, as said in previous pAsuram as ‘arangan seyya thAL iNaigaL pErvinRi inRu peruththum’, and being happy about it amudhanAr says ‘Oh! how virtuous he is!’.
Introduction (given by piLLailOkam jIyar)
As part of getting the most distinguished destiny, that is the divine feet, as said in previous pAsuram as ‘arangan seyya thAL iNaigaL pErvinRi inRu peruththum irAmAnusA’, I was deep in actions for enrichment in this material world, and was not getting proper knowledge, giving importance to body related matters due to very cruel bad karmas, and not being stable on anything, and wavering in everything;
unlike as said in ‘AndugaL nAL thingaLAy’ (for years, days, months), not after being with him for a long time, but just in one moment, emperumAnAr advised me clearly about truth, good means, and destiny up to and including its inner meanings, and made me unequaled in knowledge (due to hearing emperumAnAr’s advises), such emperumAnAr who is of ultimate help, and who pours all such matters like a rainy cloud – Oh! what a virtuous one he is! Thinking so, amudhanAr becomes very happy.
therivuRRa gyAnam seRiyap peRAdhu ventheevinaiyAl
uruvaRRa gyAnaththu uzhalginRa ennai oru pozhudhil
poruvaRRa kELviyan Akki ninRAn enna puNNiyanO
therivuRRa keerththi irAmAnusan ennum seer mugilE – 82
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Word by word meaning (given by maNavALa mAmunigaL)
seRiyap perAdhu – not having
gyAnam – knowledge of
therivuRRa – interest in distinguishing between truth and false
vem thee vinaiyAl – due to most cruel karma,
uzhalginRa ennai – I not being stable in anything, and being transient in everything with
gyAnaththu – knowledge
uruvaRRA – which is not having any specific form,
for such me,
ninRAn – (emperumAnAr) came and incarnated in this world, and
even without being together for a very long time,
oru pozhudhil – but in just one moment itself,
kELviyan Akki – (he) made me get such knowledge (as I heard from his advises),
poruvaRRa – which is not having an equal (no example like me);
as said in ‘dhikkuRRa keerththi’, he, without any distinction of noble or common people – for everyone to know,
therivuRRa – as having bright (famed)
keerththi – auspicious qualities,
as said in ‘guNam thigazh koNdal’, (having kind qualities like rainy clouds)
seer mugil ennum – most generous
irAmAnusan – emperumAnAr,
enna puNNiyanO – Oh! what a virtuous one he is!
When recited as ‘uruvaRRa gyAlaththu: uru -> beauty, that is goodness; aRRa -> opposite, that is, not having goodness. That is, world that does not have any goodness; in that case, for ‘therivuRRa gyAnam’,etc., not having interest in the knowledge of discerning good from bad, in the world which due to cruel karmas is without any goodness and which is to be avoided, as said in ‘eeNdu pal yOnigaL thORu uzhalvOm’, me who am going through birth and death through all sorts of creatures;
Or, by ‘therivuRRa gyAnam’, beautiful knowledge that is sharp for understanding as is about the true nature of everything; therivuRRa keerththi – glory due to brightness of knowledge spread all over the world;
seer mugil – beautiful cloud (generosity).
vyAkyAnam
therivuRRa gyAnam seRiyap perAdhu – therivu – ability to distinguish; that is, having the knowledge about AthmA and other matters; that is, distinguishing that, AthmA is to be pursued, and non-sentient (achith) is to be given up;
Twenty qualities of knowledge, as bhagavAn krishNan said in SrI bhagavath gIthA chapter 18:
uRRa gyAnam – having knowledge that is enthusiastic about this.
Sruthi also said ‘asthi brahmEthi chEdhvEdha [thaiththiriya upanishath]’ (when he knows that brahmam exists (he becomes learned));
[SrI bhagavath gIthA 13.8 to 13.12 is explained here]
amAnithvam – treat noble ones with respect
adhambithvam – not having hypocrisy when doing service to emperumAn
ahimsA – not causing harm to anyone by mind, speech, or body;
kSAnthi:- not getting agitated if others cause harm to us,
Arjavam – being honest in mind, speech, and body,
AchArya upAsanam – having sincerity in serving one’s AchAryan
Saucham – cleanliness; mind – not be greedy; speech – not lying; body – not eating the items to be avoided;
sthairyam – whoever argues to try to convince you to leave the truths of vEdhas, not getting confused, and staying in the path shown by vEdhas as advised by AchAryan;
Athma vinigraha: – controlling the mind, focusing on matter related to AthmA and focussing away from material/bodily matters;
indhriya arthEshu vairAgyam – steadfastness in avoiding material aspect sought by senses of body; (being a virAdhan)
manO ahankAra Evacha – losing affinity towards thinking body as AthmA
janma mruthyu jarA vyAdhi: dhu:ka dhOsha anu dharSanam – reflecting everyday about the sorrows of being born, death, old age, disease, etc.
asakthi: – not having interest to be involved in matters other than that of AthmA,
anabishvanga: puthra dhAra gruhAdhishu – not having attachment towards child, wife, house/land, etc.
nithyam cha sama chiththa’thvam ishtam anishta upapaththishu – – having neutral handling of good and bad happenings;
mayicha ananya yOgENa bhakthi: avyapachAriNee – keeping your pure devotion towards me only;
viviktha dhESa sEvithvam – be interested in being alone (and involve in devotion towards me),
harathi jana samsadhi – not interested to be among crowd (of worldly people) (as it affects devotion towards emperumAn)
adhyAthma gyAna nishtathvam – having thoughts only about the utmost greatness of AthmA (and not about body);
thathva gyAnArtha chinthanam – thinking through about sentient, non-sentient and being clear about them;
Ethath gyAnam ithi prOktham agyAnam athOnyathA – I only accept (the aforementioned) these as ‘gyAnam’ (knowledge). Everything else is ‘agyAnam’ (ignorance)
sAvidhyA yA vimukthayE – this is the way to know what is to be learned and not learned about based on what would allow or not allow mOksham (liberation) from this world.
that is, having complete knowledge of distinguishing between matters of truth and untruth;.
Or, therivuRRA gyAnam – is – knowledge to be bright to see the state and nature of truth; uRRa – having such knowledge well set;
seRiyap peRAdhu – not achieving (such knowledge)
vem thee vinayAl – starting from time eternal till now, I was being tied to this material world (nithya samsAri), due to doing fully well the prohibited deeds, etc;
by redundant (multiple) words of ‘vem’ (hot), ‘thee’ (fire), it shows the extreme cruelty of such karmas.
uruvaRRa gyAnaththu – having knowledge of no form; that is, the life/essence of knowledge is not present; since it says ‘agyAnam athOnya dhuktham’ (~other knowledge are of no use / brings sorrows), any knowledge that is interested in such (lowly) matters, are of no meaningful form;
uru -> Shape/form; and, so, since it is said ‘arthEnaiva viSEshOhi nirAkArathayA dhiyAm’ (we understand an item along with its qualities of form, etc, only when we gain knowledge (is the argument of emperumAnAr in support of viSishtAdhvaitham as opposed to adhvaitham which did not accept that the form is involved in gaining knowledge (so emperumAn is not having form is their argument)),
so for the knowledge, the shape / form is part of it,
and because of saying ‘santhamEnanthaO vidhu:’, that is since SrI:pathi is inside of such matters, all the knoweledge that is Not about matter together with SrI:pathi that is insider it, are formless knowledge (ignorance);
uzhalginRa ennai – even if not having interest in devotion, surrendering, etc., it is about not having any goal/principle, I am like a roaming cow, being unstable and being related to worldly matters;
when reciting as ‘uruvaRRA gyAlaththu’ – it shall mean: uru -> beauty, that is being of good; aRRu -> not having that; in this world which does not have anything that can be named good; as said in ‘eeNdu pal yOnigaL thORu uzhalvOm’, being born in many births and dying and being born again – and so roaming along in this world in such ways.
oru pozhudhil – (within a short moment (emperumAnAr made me knowledgeable); upanishath says the following:
samith pANi: SrOthriyam brahmanishtam, thasmai, savidhvan anupasannAya samyak praSAntha chiththAya SamAnvidhAya, EnAkSharam purusham vEdha sathyam prOvAchathAm thathvathO brahmavidhyAm (~ When a disciple goes to an AchAryan to learn, he need to go with joined/folded hands, eager to understand brahmam; that AchAryan shall teach such disciple having netrual mind towards good and bad, about utmost knowledge about brahmam), and,
‘thadh vidhdhi praNipAthEna pari praSNEna sEvayA, upadhEkshanthi thE gyAnam gyAninas thathva dharSina: [SrI bhagavath gIthA]’ (~submissively approach an AchArya, and render service to him with humility and ask him questions submissively; the AchArya will teach that knowledge as he has understood the real truth (that is bhagavAn)), and,
‘samvathsaram thathardhamvA mAsathrayam athApivA – pareekShya vividhOpAyai: krupayA nispruhaL vadhEth’ (serve AchAryan for at least a year, or at least six months, or at least three months; check whether disciple performs such services, and give him knowledge being neutral and out of your kindness), and
‘sadhbhudhdhi: sAdhu sEvee samuchitha charitha: thathva bOdhAbilAshee SuSrUshu: thyakthamAna: praNipadhanapara: praSnakAla pradheekSha: Santha: dhAntha: anasUyu: SaraNam upagatha: SAsthra viSvAsa sAlee – Sishya: prAptha: pareekShAm kruthavidhabhimatham thathvathO SikShaNeeya: [nyASa vimSathi]’
(disciple should be having a grasping mind, interested among devotees and serve them, have been having good conduct and habits for a long time, interested in knowing thathvam (real truth), interested in serving AchAryan, not having wrong thoughts like dhurabhimAnam, ahankAram, mamakAram, etc., always prostrating to AchAryan, waits for apt time to ask about doubts, control of external senses, control of mind, not having jealosy towards other disciples, surrendering to AchAryan, having full faith in the SAsthram taught by AchAryan; if such a disciple becomes available, then AchAryan has to test him well and the disciple should have gratitude for such test and acceptance by AchAryan – An AchAryan is to teach only such a disciple.
thus, even as SAsthram has said in these ways that one should test the state of a disciple in many ways and teach only then, even though he has divined his walk to thirukkOshtiyUr eighteen times for learning the important principles, he did not take into account such efforts, due to his generosity, and blessed me; in one moment itself –
poruvaRRa kELviyan Akki – as with the meaning of SAsthram of ‘sa Esha dhESa: kAla’, having the knowledge (of hearing advises), me having no equal;
poru -> upamAnam (equal/comparable).
As said in “thasmAn nyAsamEshAm thapasAm athirikthamAhu: [thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli – 50]” (Thus, this nyAsa (SaraNAgathi) is said as the top-most penance), and,
‘sathkarma nirathASSudhdhA: sAnkyayOgavidhasthadhA – nArhanthi SaraNa: thasyakalAm kOti thameemabhi’ (the pure ones who are interested in good karmas, and who do know sAnkyam, yOgam,etc., they understand that those ways do not equal even in a small way to SaraNAgathi), and,
‘thEnathEnabhyathE thath thath nyAsEnaiva mAhAmunE’ (it is through SaraNAgathy that we reach emperumAn (after realizing that other ways are futile));
That is, emperumAnAr advised prapaththi (surrender) and made (me) become a prapannan (surrendered one).
ninRAn – As said in ‘abhiShichyacha lankAyAm rAkShasEndhram vibheeshaNam – kruthakruthyasthadhA rAmO vijvara: pramumOdha ha (rAma’s fear (fever) whether vibheeshaNan like other brothers would not accept to be throned as the king (of lankA) was present till vibheeshaNan accepted it, and then rAma’s fever receded. How amazing!.), (emperumAnAr) is present in this world as the only ruler, only after the achievement of reforming me (which was thought to be impossible); (he could not rest/stand til that time) till reforming me, he was like ‘nAthisvaththamanA:’(rAman started breathing only after achieving it), you see.
therivuRRa keerththi irAmAnusan ennum seer mugilE – Similar to his ‘dhikkuRRa keerththi’ (fame in all directions), having the qualities that are bright and available regardless of whether they are special or ordinary people. As said by ‘guNam thigazh koNdal’ (generous like rainy cloud), being most generous everywhere;
therivuRRa keerththi – fame that is bright for everyone to see; seer mugil – graceful cloud; gracefulness for cloud is its pouring water in land or sea, without any distinction.
enna puNNiyanO – Oh! what a virtuous one he is! As said in ‘yath thvath priyam thadhiha puNyam’ (what makes emperumAn happy is good karma), thus it can be concluded, that, emperumAnAr, for the happiness in the face of emperumAn, reformed amudhanAr and made him subservient to emperumAn.
From AzhwAr thirunagari SrI u.vE. vidhwAn thirumalai nallAn chakravarththi rAmakrishNa iyengAr’s ‘amudha virundhu’ :
uruvaRRa gyAnaththu – Formlessness of knowledge is about not fully maturing to the level of understanding of emperumAn who is present inside of all the things known.
Due to karma, the existing knowledge would go after some material (unstable) thing; when that item changes, that lowly knowledge would look for something else; and that would go on and on. So such knowledge would not be stable about anything;
Akki ninRAn – only after making me proper, was he able to rest.
– – – – –
Translation: raghurAm SrInivAsa dasan
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