SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
For those who prayed to him, is he carrying out tasks without transforming himself? AzhwAr says that he carries out their tasks, transforming himself. For those who have got rid of their fear of worldly life, isn’t talking about such activities of emperumAn their pastime? He is asking emperumAn to state such activities himself.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
munnulagam uNdumizhndhAykku avvulagam IradiyAl
pinnaLandhu kOdal peridhonRE ennE
thirumAlE sengaNediyAnE engaL
perumAnE nI idhanaip pEsu
Word by Word Meanings
mun – at an earlier point of time
ulagam – all the worlds
uNdu – swallowing them
umizhndhAykku – later spitting them out
avvulagam – those worlds
pin – at a later point of time
Ir adiyAl – with two divine feet
aLandhu kOdal – measuring [them]
peridhu onRE – is it a huge task? [No]
thirumAlE – Oh consort of mahAlakshmi!
sem kaN nediyAnE – Oh supreme being, having reddish divine eyes!
engaL perumAnE – our swAmy (lord)
nI idhanai pEsu – you have to tell (for me to know)
ennE – how amazing is this!
vyAkyanam
mun ulagam uNdu umizhndhAykku – AzhwAr says “for you who had carried out activities such as swallowing the worlds and spitting them out”, it is not a great act (measuring the worlds).
avvulagam IradiyAl pin aLandhu kOdal peridhonRE – this world was ready to be moulded as per your wish. This world had suffered just like cotton does when it undergoes twelve transformations from beginning to end such as (1) removing the seed (2) beating (3) curling (4) forming thread (5) making warp and weft (6) weaving (7) folding (8) selling (9) washing (10) drying (11) wearing (12) tearing. Did you think that it was a great act when you measured this world with your two divine feet after receiving it as alms when you asked for three steps of land? Did you not carry out that activity out of love for the world!
ennE – How amazing is this! AzhwAr says this with the same involvement as was exhibited by nammAzhwAr when he said as in thiruvAimozhi 1-3-1 “eththiRam” (how amazing!). emperumAn’s simplicity is causing distress to AzhwAr. Is there any congruence between your greatness and this lowly activity of asking for alms?
thirumAlE sengaN nediyAnE – did you carry out this activity realising who you are? Didn’t you, the consort of mahAlakshmi who is the presiding deity for all wealth in this world, ask for alms! Didn’t you, having reddish eyes due to the happiness of being her consort, ask for alms!
sengaN – Just as chAdhOgya upanishath says “kapyAsam puNdarIkamEvamakshiNI” (having eyes like lotus just blossomed by sun), you, who are having lotus like eyes, asked for alms.
nediyAnE – one who has immeasurable greatness! AzhwAr is asking him whether he asked for alms because of any fault in his greatness. He is asking whether he carried out such great activities because of his greatness.
engaL perumAnE nI idhanaip pEsu – don’t you, who carried out such tasks for indhra et al who desire other benefits, have to carry out such tasks for people like us too who do not desire any benefit other than you? Hence you have to say this.
nI idahnaip pEsu – are you only carrying out these activities? Could you also not speak about these? Even as AzhwAr is asking him these questions, emperumAn is quite happy listening to him. AzhwAr wants to spend his time, listening to emperumAn.
We will take up the 21st pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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