SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
When some people asked AzhwAr “did not rudhra protect those who attained him?”, AzhwAr mercifully responded saying ”isn’t it by speaking about the auspicious qualities of emperumAn and telling them that he worships emperumAn, that rudhra, who is distinguished in his knowledge protects those who attain him?”.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
Ala nizhaRkIzh aRaneRiyai nAlvarkku
mElai yugaththuraiththAn meyththavaththOn gyAlam
aLandhAnai AzhikkidandhAnai AlmEl
vaLarndhAnaith thAn vaNangumARu
Word for Word Meanings
mey thavaththOn – rudhra, who has true knowledge about the methods of penance
gyAlam aLandhAnai – one who measured the worlds
Azhi kidandhAnai – one who reclined in the milky ocean (kshIrAbdhi)
Al mEl vaLarndhAnai – emperumAn who lay on the tender banyan leaf
thAn vaNangum ARu – the path by which he worships
aRam neRiyai – the righteous path
mElai yugaththu – in earlier yuga (period of time)
Ala nizhal kIzh – in the shadow of a banyan tree
nAlvarkku – to four great sages
uraiththAn – discoursed (instructed)
vyAkyAnam
AlanizhaR kIzh aRaneRiyai nAlvarkku mElai yugaththuraiththAn – rudhra gave a discourse on the path of devotion (as a means of attaining emperumAn) to four great sages, agasthya, dhaksha, pulasthiya and kaSyapa, in the shadow of a banyan tree, in a previous yuga (a period of time) and thus protected them.
meyththavaththOn – rudhra, who had observed rare to practice penances, to the extent that one would say “this is the true penance; there is no penance beyond this”
If one were to ask as to by saying what, did rudhra protect the four great sages…
AzhikkidandhAnai – one who reclined in the thiruppARkadal (milky ocean) in order to take many incarnations [to protect his devotees]
gyAlam aLandhAnai – later taking the incarnation of thrivikrama and stroking all the people of the world with his divine feet, without distinguishing between a vaSishta (a great sage) and a chaNdALa (a person belonging to a very lowly birth)
Al mEl vaLarndhAnai – the amazing entity who lay on a tender banyan leaf, after swallowing and protecting all the chEthana (sentient) and achEthana (insentient) entities during the time of deluge.
thAn vaNangumARu – rudhra instructed the four great rishis, the way he was worshipping emperumAn, and thus protected them.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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