SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
AzhwAr tells his heart not to get bewildered that there are many entities in the world that one can hold on to. Once we understand our connection with emperumAn, the heart will understand him on its own and hold on to him. He says that for those who have faultless devotion towards him, it is impossible to wait patiently for him to come to them.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
theLidhAga uLLaththaich chenniReei gyAnath
theLidhAga nanguNarvAr sindhai eLidhAgath
thAy nAdu kanRE pOl thaNduzhAyAn adikkE
pOy nAdikkoLLum purindhu
Word by Word Meanings
theLidhAga – to ensure that bewilderment is removed
sem niReei – establishing firmly
gyAnaththu – through knowledge
eLidhAga – with ease
nangu uNarvAr – knowing well
sindhai – [their] minds
thAy nAdu – [among the (herd of) cattle] attaining its mother
kanRE pOl – like the calf
thaN thuzhAyAn adikkE – the divine feet of sarvESvaran (supreme entity) who adorns a cool thuLasi garland
purindhu – with liking
pOy – seeking
nAdik koLLum – will join together
vyAkyAnam
theLidhAga uLLaththaich chennireei – establishing the heart such that it attains clarity. Removing the bewilderment in worldly matters and establishing the heart in the one entity (emperumAn) that is of importance to it.
sem nireei – instead of controlling the sensory perceptions by trying to win over them, involving the sensory perceptions in matters related to emperumAn and win them over. In other words making the heart to have the ability to distinguish [between good and bad], to be free from sensual pursuits [desires for worldly matters] and to be humble.
gyAnaththeLidhAga nangu uNarvAr sindhai – the knowledge that is born in such a purified heart is bhakthi (devotion), says AzhwAr. With the aid of that bhakthi, people will be able to feel him clearly through the methods ordained in SAsthras (sacred texts) – through Sravanam (hearing about emperumAn) mananam (thinking about him) and nidhidhyAsanam (meditating continuously about him). The heart of such a person would be able to see him clearly as mentioned in muNdaka upanishath 2-2-9 “thasmin dhrushtE parAvarE” (if that supreme entity who is above everyone else is seen).
theLidhAga – to know clearly that “he is the Lord and I am his servitor”
gyAnaththu eLidhAga – once the heart realises this, it will be able to hold on to emperumAn just as it is holding on to all the worldly matters now.
thAy nAdu kanRE pOl – if a calf is let out towards a herd of cattle, it will avoid all other cows, identify where its mother is and go towards it. In the same way, the heart will also avoid all other entities who appear superficially to be the ones to be held on to and hold on only to emperumAn.
thaN thuzhAyAn – he is the one who is beautiful to look at with his thuLasi garland. Isn’t he the one who is like a mother to everyone!
adikkE – just as the calf forgets all other parts of the cow’s body and reaches for the udder [which sustains it], the heart will also forget all other divine limbs of emperumAn’s divine form and hold on only to his divine feet. It will hold on to the divine feet of the only entity who is fit to be attained.
purindhu – this means “with desire”. Alternatively it could also be construed as “not minding about the intervening hurdles”
thAy nAdu kanRE pOl is a simile in this context.
We shall take up the 31st pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa ramanuja dhAsan
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