SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Full series >> Sixth Centum >> Second decad
Introduction for this pAsuram
Highlights from thirukkurukaippirAn piLLAn‘s introduction
No specific introduction.
Highlights from nanjIyar‘s introduction
See nampiLLai‘s introduction.
Highlights from vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s introduction
See nampiLLai‘s introduction.
Highlights from periyavAchchAn piLLai‘s introduction
See nampiLLai‘s introduction.
Highlights from nampiLLai‘s introduction as documented by vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai
First pAsuram. emperumAn delayed his arrival not because he can live without parAnguSa nAyaki; he arrived quickly, picked up the ball and anklet, stood there being grateful for finding a rare treasure and manifested all the love he has towards her on them. Seeing his emotions, parAnguSa nAyaki thinks “he is not doing this for us; he is doing all this thinking that these are the possessions of those he united and separated; why should I not talk to him?” and says “Come on! These are not owned by those who you think about; they belong to us who are discarded by you; you return these to us and go to them”. He says “OK! I shall do it”. He said “it appears that a cloud [ parAnguSa nAyaki‘s beautiful upper body] is held by a lightning [her slim waist]”, and parAnguSa nAyaki and friends said “minnidai madavArgaL” [reminding emperumAn about the other damsels]. Considering him to be going towards those damsels and saying these things in between to them which is temporary, they said “If you spent too much time for us who don’t like you, those many damsels who like you will torment you greatly. What is their nature? What amazing qualities they have in their physical body and soul!”.
pAsuram
minnidai madavArgaL nin aruL sUduvAr munbu nAn adhanjuvan
man udai ilangai araN kAyndha mAyavanE!
unnudaiya suNdAyam nAn aRivan ini adhu koNdu seyvadhen?
ennudaiya pandhum kazhalum thandhu pOgu nambI!
Listen
Word-by-Word meanings (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
(that which attracts you towards them)
min – slim like a lightning
idai – due to having waist, not having any shortcoming in beautiful form
madavArgaL – having humility etc which are qualities of the soul
(while having these, unlike me)
nin – your
aruL – mercy
sUduvAr – having acquired, them
munbu – in presence
nAn – I who know your actions towards them
adhu – about this act of yours which will make them shy away from you to weaken you
anjuvan – I fear;
man udai ilangai arN kAyndha – For us, is there any one other than you!
emperumAn asks “Haven’t you heard about my previous incarnation where I was an EkadhAra vrathan (married and committed to only one wife) and I had eliminated the hurdles [of the devotees].
mAyavanE – Oh such emperumAn who is having the mischievous form to deceive the young girls and captivate them!
(adhu – that)
unnudaiya – your
suNdAyam – selfish nature
nAn – I who know your thoughts, unlike others
aRivan – know;
(like lying to an ignorant girl)
ini – now
adhu – that
koNdu – with
seyvadhu – to do
en – is there anything?
nambI – Only I am missing [he is known to have 16100 wives as said in “padhinArAm Ayiravar dhEvimAr“, you should go there, so that they don’t hate me)
while going there,
ennudaiya – considered to be owned and possessed by me,
pandhum – ball
kazhalum – anklet
thandhu – give
pOgu – go.
Simple translation (based on vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar‘s 12000 padi)
Damsels have lightning like slim waist and hence do not have any shortcoming in beautiful form, and humility etc which are qualities of the soul, and have acquired your mercy. I who know your actions towards them, in their presence, fear about this act of yours which will make them shy away from you, to weaken you. emperumAn asks “Haven’t you heard about my previous incarnation where I was an EkadhAra vrathan (married and committed to only one wife) and I had eliminated the hurdles [of the devotees]?” Oh such emperumAn who is having the mischievous form to deceive the young girls and captivate them! Unlike others, I know your thoughts, know your selfish nature. Is there anything to do now with that? While only I am missing [in the group of persons protected by you], return the ball and anklet which are considered to be owned and possessed by me, and go. She thought “he will give up the possessions of those who claim ownership”; but emperumAn thought “her facing off is due to her overwhelming love, so whatever is related to her, is desirable for me”. Ball is made of red, black and white threads [prakruthi which is made of three qualities – rajO, thamO and sathva guNam], and anklet has five metal pearls in it [indicating the five senses]. He liked them desiring to take ownership of AzhwAr‘s body which is made of the three qualities and the five senses; she asked him to return the same indicating that if she does not attain him, she will remain with the previous body and senses [in this material realm].
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
- minnidai – Sample for all other qualities of their physical form.
- madavArgaL – This is a sample for the virtues of the soul such as nANam (shyness), madam (humility), achcham (fear) and payirppu (modesty). By the plural in madavAr – his non-commitment to a single woman is highlighted. They make you bewildered and confuse us with them. She is assuming their beauty by his anguish. Oh my bad! Who made you torment thinking about their waist?
- minnidai madavArgaL – How amazing that AzhwAr is praising the virtues of the physical form and the soul of those who are related to him as SubhASrayam (auspicious target)! Though she is having romantic anger externally, internally she is happy for him only. Even if one thinks parAnguSa nAyaki is having hatred in her heart, she can only speak the truth [about those damsels who are dear to emperumAn]; even while speaking out of hatred, sUrpaNakA could only say as in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 19.14 “tharuNau rUpa sampannau” (youthful, well grown).
- minnidai madavArgaL – They (parAnguSa nAyaki and friends) very well know, when emperumAn comes to them, he says “what a beautiful waist! what wonderful qualities you have!” and becomes engrossed in these aspects; so they think “even when he goes to these other damsels, he would tell them the same”. Otherwise, she has not seen the others [so, she is saying based on assumption].
When asked “are there those who are like this?”, she says
- nin aruL sUduvAr – Those who are target of your mercy. At this stage, it is apt for her to say “those who are qualified [greatly fortunate] to place their feet on your head”; but she would not say that; because that will give him further opportunity; that is, he will take her feet and place them on his head. She who is not even manifesting their relationship [due to anger], would not say that. Since it is a union out of attachment [of parAnguSa nAyaki towards emperumAn], their thoughts too arise out of emperumAn’s desire and since there is no explicit question from emperumAn, we have to assume that emperumAn raised a question.
[emperumAn asks] Alright! But they are not here [why are you speaking about them]!
- munbu – You treat us like them. She is telling “we are not different from them”. While she should have said “Whatever they have, I have them too”, why is she talking about others? emperumAn who is waiting to develop the conversation, will not stop with one statement then; he sustains himself by engaging them in conversation.
- munbu – [in front of them] whatever you do cannot be concealed. We know whatever you did there; similarly whatever you do here will also be known to them. See, for them, there is no external seeking out, like you are doing. Don’t think about them like yourself. Those who united with you and separated from you, will constantly have your image in front of them; they remain as said in periya thiruvandhAdhi 50 “pirindhonRu nOkkAdhu thammudaiya pinnE thirindhuzhalum sindhanaiyAr” (those who are constantly thinking about you and not looking at anything else after getting separated from you). Since they have nothing else to think about, you are their only focus.
emperumAn said “So what, when you say that you have no relationship with me, how does it bother you?”.
- nAn adhu anjuvan – We are not like you. If you spend a little extra time here and get delayed there, and if they face off from you even for a fraction of a moment, you will be anguished and suffer; I cannot bear that; only you can separate after uniting and can see others suffer; we cannot bear the suffering of others [emperumAn]. Though we say that we are not related to you, we cannot bear your suffering; when some one falls into a well and cries out for help, should we be related to them to feel sorry for them? She is saying that she cannot tolerate emperumAn’s suffering in facing off with the other damsels.
emperumAn said “I cannot survive without you even for a fraction of a moment; why are you portraying me as a liar and an outsider and speaking like this?”.
- man udai ilangai araN kAyndha mAyavanE – She asked “Why! Are you not a liar?”. He asked “With those who engaged with me, whom did I lie to?”; she asked “who did you ever remain truthful to?”; he replied “why are you saying like this? As said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 11.7 ‘uNNAdhu uRangAdhu oru kadalai UdaRuththu’ (Without eating and sleeping, cutting through the sea), I remained an Eka dhAra vratha (committed to one wife) and suffered; were they all false?”. She replied “Did you do it with full-heart? Did you not do it thinking ‘if I don’t even protect my wife, all other women cannot be captured by me as a group’? Was that not a trick to capture the helpless women?”.
- man udai ilangai araN kAyndha – Destroyed the town of the crook, where the town by nature instills valour in the citizens – destroying those who lived there; moreover, it is the town which was protected by rAvaNa like a lion’s den as said in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 1.39 “lankAm rAvaNa pAlithAm” (lankA which is protected by rAvaNa) – destroyed such town.
- man udai – having mannan (king).
- mAyavan – One who is having mischievous activities.
emperumAn said “Alright! You have atleast highlighted one of my truthful acts; will I not repeat the same here to have further goals fulfilled?”, she replied
- unnudaiya suNdAyam nAn aRivan – You only remain truthful towards those other damsels who are truthful to you; I know all your actions from the beginning; it is sIthAp pirAtti, the divine daughter of king janaka who remains “whatever you do is truthful”; I know your mischievous activities.
emperumAn said “How does it matter whether you know about my mischievous acts or not; my task [of talking to you] is accomplished”.
- ini adhu koNdu seyvadhu en – He said “My task is accomplished”; she replied “there is no benefit of such accomplishment” [he says “I have made you talk to me”; she says “there is nothing more happening beyond the talk”].
- ennudaiya pandhum kazhalum – He greatly cherished the ball and the anklet which were touched by her. She said “My bad! What are you doing to those ball and anklet, which should be done elsewhere? They do not belong to those who you think; they are mine”. He said “That is true”; that is what he desires too. As said in mahAbhAratham udhyOga parvam “yasyaithE thasya thadhdhanam” (to the one who owns a person, his property also belongs to the same owner), everything else will become emperumAn‘s possession subsequently. Now, in the pravESam (introduction of this decad), there was a passage about parAnguSa nAyaki wanting to finish herself; that is seen in this word “ennudaiya” (mine). In his presence, there is nothing more devastating than claiming ownership [of his properties]; it is said in SrI pAncharAthram “dhvayaksharasthu bhavEn mruthyu:” (the two syllable word, mama (mine) leads to death). For SrI bhagavath gIthA 1.1 “mAmakA pANdavaS chaiva” (my sons and pANdu’s sons), siRiyAththAn’s explanation – He differentiated between his own sons and pANdu’s sons. That led to total devastation. This principle is not just philosophical, but even applicable between lovers; while in union, one should not say “this is mine, this is yours”, which will lead to break in relationships.
- ennudaiya pandhum kazhalum – As said in “AthmathyEvathu gruhNIyAth” (one should meditate on paramAthmA considering him as self), during meditation upon brahmam, there is so much proximity that jIvAthmA and paramAthmA appear to be one. When one’s knowledge expands fully, there is no difference between saying “nAn” (I) or “adiyEn” (humble I – servitor).
- thandhu pOgu nambI – You are delaying here; they would start disliking you without understanding the reason; you better go before that.
- nambI – You are not familiar to me and you also remain a leader; so you better go there quickly. periya mudhaliyAr (ALavandhAr) explains “It has been so long since they had been together which makes her say like this [that she does not even remember him]”. She said “ennudaiya pandhum kazhalum” to make him drop them. And she said “thandhu pOgu” to indicate that she can survive only with those objects that are liked by him.
- nambI – As said in SrIvishNu purANam 5.31.17 “shOdaSasthrI sahasrANi” (krishNa is married to sixteen thousand one hundred women), wherever you go, there is no lack of enjoyment for you, but we won’t have you; now, we have to survive by keeping the objects which were touched by you; hence, you give them to us and leave. Like those who say “preserve my life and go”. Knowing well that he will not leave them and go, she says “give them and go” since she knows the inner heart of emperumAn.
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org