SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr said that it is impossible to speak about emperumAn making an estimate of him. He then looks at his heart and asks it to involve itself in efforts to see him directly.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vadivAr mudikOtti vAnavargaL nALum
kadiyAr malar thUvik kANum padiyAnai
semmaiyAl uLLurugich chevvanE nenjamE
meymmiayE kANa virumbu
Word by Word Meanings
nenjamE – Oh heart!
vAnavargaL – nithyasUris (permanent dwellers of SrIvaikuNtam)
vadivu Ar – being beautiful
mudi – crowns
kOtti – making them worship
kadi Ar malar – having fragrant flowers
nALum – every day
thUvi – offering
kANum padiyAnai – emperumAn who is seen (always) with divine form
semmaiyAl – in a proper way
uL urugi – with mind melting
sevvanE – in a direct way
meymmaiyE – as it is
kANa – to worship
virumbu – have desire
vyAkyanam
vadivAr mudi kOtti – nithyasUris lower their beautiful crowns, bow down and worship emperumAn. AzhwAr says that it should be like this only [everyone should worship emperumAn].
mudi kOtti – nithyasUris bow down their crowns. Just as nammAzhwAr mercifully mentioned in his thiruvAimozhi 8-4-5 “paNiyA amarar” nithyasUris, like rAvaNa who did not bow down to emperumAn, will not bow down to anyone other than emperumAn.
vAnavargaL – this term could refer to either nithyasUris or to celestial entities such as brahmA et al.
nALum – everyday. Just as we eat every day, nithyasUris will worship emperumAn every day. Has it not been mentioned in rig ashtakam 1-2-7 “sadhA paSyanthi sUraya: ” (nithyasUris constantly see emperumAn)!
kadiyAr malar thUvi – offering fragrant flowers at the divine feet of emperumAn, without expecting any benefit
kANum – as the benefit of offering such flowers, they will be able to see emperumAn. They will engage all their sensory perceptions with emperumAn.
padiyAnai – having divine form. The word padi would refer to either his divine form or his divine characteristics.
semmiayAl uL urugi – melting with the heart, realising in a proper way that emperumAn is the lord and we are servitors.
sevvanE nenjamE – Oh heart! In the way to attain him. This implies having emperumAn as the means for attaining him. Even if you engage in bhakthi (devotion) instead of trying to see him through your efforts, seeing him when he manifests himself on his own.
meymmaiyE kANa virumbu – instead of trying to see only one quality of his and withdrawing, make an effort to see him fully! Have desire in this instead of looking for other benefits. In other words, implying that he is the end goal (benefit). AzhwAr is already enjoying the dharSan of emperumAn. What is meant by asking his heart to desire to see him? Since it has seen emperumAn once, it should not think that it is enough; also, since he is seeing emperumAn in this world only and since he cannot wait patiently to attain paramapadham (SrIvaikuNtam) he is saying this way.
We will take up the 23rd pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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