SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Full series >> Sixth Centum >> First decad
Introduction for this pAsuram
Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction
No specific introduction.
Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction
In the tenth pAsuram, parAnguSa nAyaki speaks towards some beetles with anguish due to emperumAn forgetting about her – “instead of thinking ‘she is requesting to us as she requested to everyone else’, consider my task as your responsibility and go to emperumAn who has destroyed the enemies and protected the devotees, and is remaining fully satisfied; and inform him that I too, who am one amongst those who are to be protected by him, am present to be protected”.
Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction
Subsequently, parAnguSa nAyaki sends some beetles towards emperumAn who is having the ability to eliminate the enemies which is an act in love towards his devotees.
Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction
See nampiLLai‘s introduction.
Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai
Tenth pAsuram. ALavandhAr mercifully explained – parAnguSa nAyaki tells some beetles “he will think that I am not even alive, and you tell him that I am alive too”. emperumAnAr mercifully explained – parAnguSa nAyaki tells the beetles “When I am not alive, he too will not be alive; for the one who thinks ‘I have protected all women’ and remains fully satisfied, tell him that I too am part of those who are to be protected and am waiting [to be protected]”.
pAsuram
vERu koNdu ummai yAn irandhEn veRi vaNdinangAL!
thERu nIrp pambai vadapAlaith thiruvaNvaNdUr
mARil pOr arakkan madhiL nIRezhach cheRRugandha
ERu sEvaganArkku ennaiyum uLaL enmingaLE
Listen
Word-by-Word meanings (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
veRi – as said in “brahamagandha: praviSathi” (attaining the fragrance of brahmam), that is, once AthmAs become muktha (by reaching paramapadham), they will be decorated with the garland from the divine feet of emperumAn, which decorate the nithyasUris, you [beetles] who are an embodiment of fragrance from the flowers which you enjoy,
vaNdinangAL – oh groups of beetles!
ummai – you
vERu koNdu – treating distinctly unlike all others
yAn – I who am sustaining based on your distinguished nature
irandhEn – I am submitting the same prayers which are submitted towards emperumAn, who is the apt goal, towards you who will unite me with him.
(like paramapadham which is on the banks of virajA river)
thERu – pristine
nIr – having water
pambai – for pampA river
vadapAlai – northern bank
thiruvaNvaNdUr – in thiruvaNvaNdUr
mARu – comparison
il – not having
pOr – having battle
arakkan – rAvaNa who is having rAkshasa (demoniac) birth which causes cruelty in battle
madhiL – the fort which is built for protection
nIR ezha – to become dust
seRRu – destroy
ugandha – being joyful due to that and feeling as “kruthakruthya” (one who has accomplished the tasks)
ERu – abundance, irrespective for favourable or unfavourable persons
sEvaganArkku – for the one who is having valour
uLaL – I who am other than the one whom he attained by destroying his enemies
ennaiyum – me
enmingaL – tell him.
Simple translation (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
Oh groups of beetles who are an embodiment of fragrance from the flowers which you enjoy as said in “brahamagandha: praviSathi” (attaining the fragrance of brahmam), that is, once AthmAs become muktha (by reaching paramapadham), they will be decorated with the garland from the divine feet of emperumAn which decorates the nithyasUris! I who am sustaining based on your distinguished nature, am treating you distinctly unlike all others and submitting the same prayers which are submitted towards emperumAn who is the apt goal, towards you who will unite me with him. SrI rAma is in thiruvaNvaNdUr which is on the northern bank of the pampA river which is having pristine water. He destroyed the fort of lankA, which was headed by rAvaNa who has no comparison in battle and is having rAkshasa (demoniac) birth which causes cruelty in battle, to become dust and became joyful due to that and feeling as “kruthakruthya” . You tell such SrI rAma, who is having abundance of valour, irrespective of favourable or unfavourable persons, “I who am other than the one whom he attained by destroying his enemies, am still waiting”. With this gataka’s (AchAryas’), the fame acquired by his attachment to bhagavAn is revealed. veRi implies radiance and splendour.
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
- vERu koNdu – While SrI rAma [through sugrIva] sent the monkey soldiers in all directions, he specially gave thiruvadi (hanuman) his divine ring; similarly I am treating you separately. As said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kAndam “viSEhshENa thu sugrIvO hanUmath artham ukthavAn” (sugrIva mahArajar specially informed the message to hanuman).
- ummai – You who cannot rest until you complete the task which you were requested to do.
- nAn – This is similar to how SrI rAma requested sugrIva to help him.
- yAn irandhEn – She is of the nature that he should have come and requested her. He remains obedient towards her. Why should she specifically request these beetles? This is because they are having [six] feet and are capable of accomplishing the task patiently; another reason – the beetles don’t have stage fear and can speak freely in an assembly; [another reason] beetles are compared as the ideal example for emperumAn as said in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.8.2 “thEn uNNum pOl vaNdE pOl pangigaL” (your hair which resemble the honey-drinking beetle [very dark coloured]).
- vERu koNdu ummai yAn irandhEn – Just as our AchAryas have more attachment towards dhvayam over the vyApaka manthrams [nArAyaNa manthram, vAsudhEva manthram and vishNu manthram]. These beetles too are shadpadham [six feet/parts – beetles have six feet and dhvaya mahA manthram has six parts].
- veRi vandu inangAL – You manifest the mood where you cannot resist helping us. Your body reveals the emotions which you went through in union. veRi – fragrance. Having fragrance. Your fragrance appears to be the food for you during your journey. You can travel along just smelling your own pleasant bodily fragrance. Since they are referred to as “inangAL” (groups), there is no separation for them. parAnguSa nAyaki who previously embraced emperumAn who is mentioned as “sarvagandha:” (the root of all fragrances) has even forgotten that fragrance of emperumAn and is amazed about the fragrance of these beetles.
- thERu nIrp pambai – As soon as you cross the border of this [my] town, you will see pristine entities. Where she is, everything is confused [due to suffering in separation]. SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 59.5 “upathapthOdhakA:nadhya:” (the rivers became very hot). Thinking in this manner, considering “for a person who is anguished, by immersing in water, the heat will be eliminated”, and went to the [sarayu] river “would this river help in cooling me down from the heat of separation of SrI rAma?”, only to find out that even the shore is hot. They then checked if the ponds are cool , but even those were hot. pallavAni sarAmsi cha – In separation from SrI rAma, everything including trees, vaSishta etc were suffering. This is how it feels like where parAnguSa nAyaki is.
- vadapAlait thiruvaNvaNdUr – In the northern side. AzhwAr is able to realise where the town is and where the river is. parAnguSa nAyaki is similar to sIthAp pirAtti who remained in the south side of the ocean [in lankA].
- mARil … – It is only due to lack of messenger; there is no specific hurdle [for emperumAn to come and rescue me].
- mARil pOr arakkan – The crook who was treated as an enemy by chakravarathi thirumagan (SrI rAma, the son of emperor dhaSaratha), who has incomparable valour. For emperumAn who turned rAvaNa, who had no equal opponent due to the strength of his boons and shoulders and the protective fort he had built around lankA, into dust, and subsequently became joyful.
- ERu sEvaganArkku – While there is a slight delay [in his arrival], we cannot blame him for his valour which was praised even by the enemies as said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 18.26 “rathacharyAsu sammatha:” (praised even by the enemies for his skill in driving the chariot etc).
- ennaiyum uLaL enmingaLE – Tell him that there are still some who are suffering. thirumAlai ANdAn explains as heard from ALavandhAr – emperumAn has not arrived thinking “those who are separated from me will not survive”. Inform him that I still exist. emperumAnAr mercifully heard that and said – This is fine; yet, in thamizh literature, there is a principle called “inRiyamaiyAmai” (total loving dependence on each other and survival of each other based on that); that is, [in a couple] one will survive only when the other is surviving; either both will survive or both will perish. Per this principle, as emperumAn exists, he is sure to know that parAnguSa nAyaki is also surviving; hence, inform emperumAn who destroyed the enemies [rAvaNa et al] and crowned the favourable ones [vibhIshaNa et al] and feeling accomplished thinking “there is nothing more to do”, that there is still someone remaining to be protected.
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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