SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
emperumAn asks AzhwAr “Even if you do not give me up, what will you do if I give you up, after seeing your faults?” AzhwAr responds saying “Oh emperumAn! You are speaking forgetting your basic nature. If you were to analyse yourself, the epitome of protecting those who have attained you, not only have you been protecting me all this time, but you will continue to protect me until the entity called time exists. If one knows that it is the reason for good health, even the [bitter] leaves of neem would be eaten as a desirable vegetable. In the same way, you must also consider me in your divine mind”
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
mey theLindhAr enseyyAr vERAnAr nIRAga
kai theLindhu kAttik kaLappaduththu paitheLindha
pAmbin aNaiyAy aruLAy adiyERku
vEmbum kaRiyAgum EnRu
Word for Word Meanings
vERu AnAr – dhuryOdhana et al, who are different from the rest (being inimical)
nIRu Aga – to be annihilated to become ashes
theLindhu – deciding (that it is correct to kill them in the matter relating to followers)
kai kAtti – providing all assistance (to the pANdavas)
kaLam paduththu – killing those enemies (in the war)
(thus reducing the heavy load on earth)
theLindha pAmbin aNaiyAy – Oh Lord, who reached the sweet mattress of AdhiSEshan who has well spread hoods
adiyERku – for me, your servitor
aruLAy – show your grace
EnRu – if one desires to have it
vEmbum kaRiyAgum – even the leaves of neem tree are fit to be cooked and eaten
mey theLindhAr – those who know the truth ‘as it is’
en seyyAr – what will they not do? (they will accomplish whatever they think of)
vyAkyAnam
mey theLindhAr en seyyAr – What will those, who know the truth as it is and who know as to what will complement their qualities, not do? Oh emperumAn! Would protecting those without any fault bring you laurels or would protecting someone like me, with faults, bring you laurels? Once you analyse this, what protective action will you not do for me? Alternative meaning: If you analyse your nature of protecting those who attain you, what will you not do for me? Aren’t you one who desires to protect those with faults, just as you did for rAvaNa, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNa yudhdha kANdam 18-3 “yadhivA rAvaNa: svayam” (if it is rAvaNa himself) so that you would get the fame for protecting those with faults?
emperumAn further asks AzhwAr “Where did you see that I protect those who surrender to me?” AzhwAr says further that he had seen it in the case of protecting pANdavas . .
vERAnAr – dhuryOdhana et al who hate pANdavas, and whom emperumAn, who is the father for all the words, out of disgust, called as “enemies”
vERAnAr nIRAga – making dhuryOdhana et al to become a fistful of ashes
theLindhu kaikAtti – instead of feeling agitated thinking “Oh, I have to kill them”, deciding firmly that enemies of those who attain him are fit to be killed and helping the followers by conducting the army (in the warfront) etc.
kaikAtti – it can also be construed as “revealing their secrets”
kaLappaduththu – making them lose their lives in the battlefield.
pai theLindha pAmbin aNaiyAy – Oh one who reclined on his divine mattress in order to rest awhile after removing the hurdles of his followers! Oh one who reclined on the divine mattress of AdhiSEsha whose hoods became cool and comfortable on contacting with emperumAn!
aruLAy adiyERku – just as you protected those “apt five” (the five pANdavas), who are with good qualities and who had something in them, you should also protect me who has no good qualities and who has nothing in him. You will win more laurels in protecting me than in protecting them.
When emperumAn asks “But how can I desire you, who have faults?” . . . .
vEmbum kaRiyAgum EnRu – if one were to analyse its qualities such as being good for health etc, even the bitter leaves of neem tree [which are liked by no one] would be cooked and eaten.
mey theLindhAr en seyyAr – if one knows your true nature, what is amazing about what you will do in future just as there is nothing amazing in what you have done in the past! This is similar to what has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 18-36 “kimathra chithram dharmagya lOkanAtha sukhAvaha I yath thvamAryam prabhAshEthA: sathvavAn sathpathE sthitha: II” (Oh one who knows what is righteousness! Oh the lord of the world! Oh one who gives comforts! What is amazing about your saying such a good word when you are standing in the correct path!)
We will take up the 95th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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