SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
How to praise through the mouth [as mentioned in the previous pAsuram]? Through reciting thirumanthram (ashtAksharam) which is the gist of all vEdhams (sacred texts), without diminishing its dignity as mentioned in upanishaths, and attaining [emperumAn]. This is OK for those who are able to attain him. AzhwAr says that for those who cannot attain him this way, it is enough if they can recite the divine names of thirumAl (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi) which would be gist of vEdhAnthams (upanishaths). When asked “vEdhAthams say that indhra (lord of celestial entities) et al are fit to be attained but you say that thirumAL is fit to be attained” AzhwAr responds saying “you people are talking ignorantly about the superficial meaning of vEdhAnthams, without understanding the inner meaning. Please know the inner meaning of those statements and understand that in those places where vEdhAntham says that indhra et al are fit to be attained, it says that it is only thirumAl, who has those entities as his body and is their inner residing soul who is fit to be attained”
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
Oththin poruL modivum iththanaiyE uththaman pEr
Eththum thiRam aRImin EzhigAL Oththadhnai
valleerEl nanRu adhanai mAttIrEl mAdhavan pEr
solluvadhE Oththin surukku
Word by Word Meaning
uththaman pEr – with the divine names of emperumAn, who is the most supreme among all entities
Eththum thiRam – the activity of praising
iththanaiyE – just this much
Oththin poruL mudivum – is the essence of meaning of vEdhams
Oththu adhanai valleerEl – if you are capable of knowing the meaning of vEdham
aRimin – do know
EzhaigAL – Oh people, impoverished by ignorance!
nanRu adhanai mAttirEl – if you do not have the capability to know that meaning
mAdhavan pEr solluvadhE – reciting the divine names of SrIman nArAyaNan is
Oththin surukku – the gist of vEdham
aRimin – know, at least, this.
vyAkyAnam
Oththin poruL mudivum iththanaiyE – AzhwAr says “what I am going to say now is the essence of all inner meanings of vEdham”. Hasn’t emperumAn himself declared in SrI bhagavath gIthA 15-15 “vEdhaiScha sarvai: ahamEva vEdhya:” (through all vEdhams, only I am known)!
poruL mudivum – Isn’t this the limit of the benefit that we would attain!
uththaman pEr Eththum thiRam – knowing the way of reciting the divine names of the supreme being who can take this confused jIvAthmA, who had thought of emperumAn when he was in good physical and mental state, from this world to SrIvaikuNtam. emperumAn is such a supreme being that he can protect in a way as mentioned in varAha charama SlOkam “sthithE manasi susvasthE SarIrE sathi yO nara: dhAthu sAmyE sthithE smarthA viSvarUpancha mAmajam” (whoever thinks of me, who has the universe as my body and who is without any birth, in a state of good health and balanced state of mind, with all the three dhAthus (the elements of kapam, piththam and vAtham which are related to breathing, digestion and bone joints) in balance) “thathastham mriyamANanthu kAshta pAshANa sannibham aham smarAmi madhbhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim” (in later years, when he is like a log of wood or stone, in his last stages of life, I think of him, my devotee, and take him to a glorious state). Thus emperumAn is capable of protecting even when the jIvAthmA is not in a position to think of him. Reciting the divine names of such an emperumAn alone is proper.
uththaman pEr Eththum thiRam – reciting the divine names of the entity who has everything else as his attributes. uththaman – one who provides all protections. mukundhamAlA 34 says “uththarthumarhasi harE purushOththamOsi ” (Oh hari! You, the supreme being, are fit to protect)! krishNa says in SrI bhagavath gIthA 15-19 “yO mAmEvamasammUdO jAnAthi purushOththamam sa sarvavidhbhajathi mAm sarvabhAvEna bhAratha” (one who knows me, the supreme being, without any bewilderment, knows all the ways by which he can attain me and is one who worships me in all aspects ). One should know that emperumAn has everything as his attribute.
pEr – the word which refers to the quality mentioned earlier. In other words, thirumanthram (ashtAksharam). This thirumanthram also contains all the words in it, just like him. hArIthasmruthi 3-45 says “sarvam ashtAksharAnthasththam” (everything present in the four vEdhams is present in the eight lettered thirumanthram). Aren’t there sayings such as “OmithIdham sarvam” (everything is praNavam), “akArO vai sarvA vAk” (for all words, the letter akAram ‘a’ is foremost)!
aRimin EzhaigAL – Oh fickle minded people who think that there is something else to be known! Please know this.
EzhaigAL – How sad it is that I have to tell you all that there is nothing else to be known other than emperumAn! How sad that when the apt entity emperumAn is there you are all involved with worldly matters! It implies that these are ignorant people who take in only the words and not the inner meanings.
Oththadhanai valleerEl – if you are capable of carrying out everything mentioned in the vEdhams without any shortcomings
aRimin – then know. Practising vEdhams with their ancillaries. If you care capable of understanding the inner meaning by listening about vEdhAntham, then know you ignorant people, that reciting the divine name of the supreme being is the essence of all vEdhams. Keep this in your mind.
nanRadhanai mAttIrEl – if you are not capable of carrying out what has been said, viz., carrying out in an orderly way samskArams (rituals) such as upanayanam (wearing yagyOpavIdham, the sacred thread), practising vEdhams with ancillaries, knowing the meanings of vEdhams, carrying out activities as mentioned in vEdhams without any shortcoming and finally seeing emperumAn.
mAdhavan pEr solluvadhE Oththin surukku – reciting the divine names of emperumAn, the consort of Sri mahAlakshmi, is the essence of all that has been said in vEdhams.
mAdhavan – is it not pirAtti (SrI mahAlakshmi) who identifies emperumAn himself! AzhwAr says “Consider that the sayings of one who attained knowledge through emperumAn’s mercy [AzhwAr himself] are the true meanings. Believe me who has seen emperumAn with his mercy” Since it has been mentioned that reciting emperumAn’s divine names is the essence, it should be considered that in the context of not carrying out what has been mentioned in vEdhams (nanRadhanai mAttirEl), everything has been thought of such as practising vEdham etc.
We shall move on to the 40th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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
1 thought on “iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi – 39 – Oththin poruL”