SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
In the previous pAsuram, it was mentioned that since emperumAn’s followers are attached to him, they gave up worldly pursuits. In this pAsuram, AzhwAr says that emperumAn, leaving aside the pleasures in SrIvaikuNtam, comes to samsAram and attaches himself to his followers. The pAsuram says that apart from his followers, emperumAn has no profit or loss. If the follower tells emperumAn that he has given up everything, as mentioned by SrI vibhIshaNa in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 19-5 “parithyakthA mayA lankA mithrANi cha dhanAni cha” (kingdom, friends and wealth have been given up by me), emperumAn tells him, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 10-19 “apyaham jIvitham jahyAm thvAm vA sIthE sa lakshmaNAm, na thu prathigyAm samSruthya brAhmaNEbhyO viSEshatha:” (Oh sIthA! I may give up my life, lakshmaNa as well as you, but will never give up my vow, especially that which had been made to brAhmaNas) and considers his follower as everything. It is this act of emperumAn which makes the follower also to learn from him. In SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 17-18 “sarvEshAm hi sa dharmAthmA varNAnAm kuruthE dhayAm chathurNAm vayas thAnAm thEna thE thamanuvrathA” (that Sri rAma, who is the dharmasvarUpi (epitome of all rightesouness) showers mercy on the people in the four varNams (classifications based on their profession and qualities) and in the four age-groups; hence, they are also very affectionate towards him). Once a sage by name saubari took fifty forms to marry fifty damsels. In the same way emperumAn also takes different forms to enjoy his follower. If through emperumAn’s mercy someone like saubari can take multiple forms, should one say anything about the number of forms that emperumAn himself would take, of his own freewill and desire! Even for carrying this out, it is emperumAn who had to struggle and not these people, says the AzhwAr. He says that there is no limitation to the number of divine places (dhivyadESams) where he has taken residence.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
payinRadhu arangam thirukkOtti pannAL
payinRadhuvum vEngadamE pannAL payinRadhu
aNi thigazhum sOlai aNi nIrmalaiyE
maNi thigazhum vaN thadakkai mAl
Word by Word Meaning
maNi thigazhum – shining like a blue gem
vaN thadakkai – being magnanimous, having rounded divine hands
mAl – emperumAn
payinRadhu – residing permanently
arangam thirukkOtti – at thiruvarangam and at thirukkOttiyUr
pal nAL – for a very long time
payinRadhuvum – also residing permanently
vEngadamE – at thirumalai
pal nAL payinRadhuvum – living permanently for a very long time
aNi thigazhum sOlai – having beautiful gardens
aNi – being a jewel-piece for the world
nIrmalai – at thirunIrmalai
vyAkyAnam
payinRadhu arangam thirukkOtti – unlike incarnations when emperumAn had to go back to his paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam) after fulfilling the purpose for which he had taken the incarnation, at thiruvarangam periya kOyil (the big temple at Srirangam) emperumAn resides permanently, with happiness.
thirukkOtti – it is the same at thirukkOshtiyUr too. When he is residing here, there is no need to exclude another place!
pannAL payinRadhuvum vEngadamE – residing for a long time at thirumalai. thirumalai was the divine place where he set his divine golden feet initially, with a view to residing at many divine places in archAvathAram (incarnations in divine deity form).
pannAL payinRadhu aNi thigazhum sOlai aNi nIrmalaiyE – in the same way he has been residing for a long time at thirunIrmalai, which is having beautiful gardens.
Who resides like this?
maNi thigazhum vaN thadakkai mAl – emperumAn with a form which removes ennui like a blue gemstone, being magnanimous with his rounded divine hands. Since he gave himself to the people of this world for enjoying him, and since he is beautiful, he is referred to as being magnanimous. nammAzhwAr, in his thiruvAimozhi 2-7-11 says “enakkE thannaiththandha kaRpagam” (he is like the celestial wish-fulfilling tree, but gave himself to me) and in thiruvAimozhi 2-7-5 “vittilangu senjOdhi” (emperumAn displays his eyes which are like reddish lotus, shining brightly).
mAl – it could be construed as ‘greatness’ in which case it would refer to his being greater than everyone and everything else. Alternatively, it could be construed as ‘being infatuated’ in which case it would refer to his being infatuated with his followers.
We shall take up the 47th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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