SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
AzhwAr asks in this pAsuram as to whether the entire country shouldn’t worship the hills whose ignorant animals and the lowly knowledgeable hilly people carry out service to emperumAn and his followers.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vaippan maNiviLakkA mAmadhiyai mAlukkenRu
eppozhudhum kai nIttum yAnaiyai eppAdum
vEduvaLaikkak kuRavar villedukkum vEngadamE
nAdu vaLaiththu AdudhumEl nanRu
Word for Word Meanings
mA madhiyai – (this) distinguished chandhra (moon)
mAlukku – for thiruvEngadamudaiyAn
maNiviLakkA – as an auspicious lamp
vaippan enRu – vowing to keep it (before emperumAn)
(to catch that chandhra)
eppozhudhum – always
kai nIttum – holding its raised trunk, aloft
yAnai – one elephant
(to catch which)
eppAdum vEdu – the hunters from outer peripheries
vaLaikka – to surround
kuRavar – the hilly people of thiruvEngadam
vil edukkum – taking to their bows (to oppose such hunters)
vEngadamE – only thirumalai
nAdu – all the people in the world
vaLaiththu – to carry out pradhikshaNa (circum-ambulation)
Adudhum El – if they dance (to express their happiness)
nanRu – it is good
vyAkyAnam
vaippan maNiviLakkA mAmadhiyai mAlukku enRu eppOdhum kai nIttum yAnaiyai – this is the nature of animals in thiruvEngadam. An elephant which is living in thiruvEngadam happens to see the moon one night. Since it is as mentioned in this thiruvandhAdhi 43rd pAsuram “mangulthOy senni vadavEngadam” (vEngadam whose hills reach up to the skies), the elephant stretches out its trunk in order to keep the moon as nandhAviLakku (perpetual lamp which is lit inside sanctum sanctorum) for sarvESvaran (lord of all). Though it could not catch when it stretched its trunk once, since it is a service being rendered for emperumAn, out of deep desire, it keeps its truck aloft to somehow catch the moon. It appears that due to the distinction of the place [being a divine abode] even animals in the forest have a deep affection for emperumAn.
eppAdum vEdu vaLaikka – since they do not live in this divine abode, the hunters who come from other places (peripheral areas) who have rajas and thamas qualities only (passionate and ignorant respectively) and who have come here to catch the elephant, surround it on seeing it. The elephant, which is engaged in rendering service to emperumAn, being devoted to something else, does not see the hunters around.
What will happen to the elephant?
kuRavar villedukkum – the hilly people (tribals) who live in thiruvEngadam, in order to oppose the hunters and drive them out, take their bows.
eppAdum vEdu … kuRavar – since the hunters have been identified with the adjective eppAdum and the hilly people have not been identified with any such adjective, it is implied that the hilly people are from thiruvEngadam. Since the hunters are not residing in the divine abode, they carry out a cruel deed which is in line with their clan. While the hilly people are also from a cruel clan only, since they live in a divine abode, they have become sAthvika (those who have only good qualities). They exhibit their cruel nature towards the hunters, instead.
eppAdurm vEdu … kuRavar – there is no difference in the cruel nature of the hunters and hilly people, coming from their clans. Living [and not living] in the divine abode creates a huge difference in their qualities.
kuRavar villedukkum vEngadamE nAduvaLaiththu AdudhumEl nanRu – if ignorant as well as knowledgeable people can go and dance around the thiruvEngadamalai, which gives knowledge even to the ignorant people, it will do the country a lot of good.
vEdu vaLaikkak kuRavar villedukkum vEngadamE … nanRu – when there is protection for even animals in the divine abode, should one talk about it for people?
We will take up the 47th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org