SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
In the 11th pAsuram, AzhwAr spoke about how emperumAn allowed him to unite with himself when AzhwAr left him thinking that he is unsuitable for emperumAn. In this pAsuram he requests emperumAn “If you do not wish to allow me to leave, you must allow me to get near you, see you with my eyes and experience you”.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vazhakkodu mARukolanRu adiyAr vENda
izhakkavum kANdum iRaiva izhappuNdE
emmAtkoNdAgilum yAn vENda en kaNgaL
thammARkAttu un mEnichchAy
Word by Word Meanings
iRaiva – Oh the supreme being!
odu – clinging (to samsAris)
vazhakku anRu – is not appropriate (for you)
mARu koL vazhakku anRu – expecting something in return (from them) is also not appropriate
adiyAr vENda – when followers beseeched
izhakkavum kANdum – we have seen (masters) losing (themselves and their possessions) while carrying out tasks (for their followers)
izhappu uNdE – could your followers lose?
Agilum – even if you have to obtain something from us
yAn vENda – as I pray
em AL koNdu – making me as a servitor
en kaNgaL thammAl – for these biological eyes of mine
un mEni chAy – the beauty of your divine form
kAttu – please manifest
vyAkyAnam
vazhakkodu mARukoLanRu – this should be split as odu vazhakkanRu and mARukoL vazhakkanRu to get the correct meanings. odu refers to connection with samsAris (dwellers of materialistic realm). odu vazhakkanRu – AzhwAr tells emperumAn that it is not appropriate for emperumAn to approach a samsAri and stand in front of him. mARukoL vazhakkanRu – unlike people (samsAris) who expect a return of compliment when one helps another, it is not appropriate for emperumAn to expect any return of favour when he gives a benefit to a samsAri. mARu – return of help (as an exchange).
emperumAn asks AzhwAr to explain what he intends saying . . . .
adiyAr vENda izhakkavum kANdum – in the world we see a leader with noble qualities losing himself and his possessions in order to fulfil the wishes of his followers when they approach him.
emperumAn counters saying that he will have such a compulsion only if AzhwAr is his (emperumAn’s) follower.
iRaiva – it does not matter whether I am a follower or not. The fact that you are the lord cannot be obliterated. When you are the lord, will it not follow as a natural corollary that I am the follower?
izhappuNdE – While it may happen in the world that followers (of others) may not have their wishes fulfilled, is there any such loss for your followers?
emperumAn asks AzhwAr “If you have to obtain whatever you desire without any loss, should you not have some connection with servitorship?” AzhwAr responds . . .
emmAtkoNdAgilum yAn vEnda – this could be rearranged to get Agilum yAm vENda em AtkoNdu – If I say “I too want such and such” you should consider my request [my prayer to you] itself as a kainkaryam (service) and fulfil my desire.
emperumAn further asks AzhwAr “What is the desire that you wish to have fulfilled ”, AzhwAr says …
en kaNgaL thammAr kAttu un mEnichchAy – you must manifest the beauty of your divine form such that I could see that with these eyes of mine. It is not enough if you say “I will show you in paramapadham”. What is the purpose in showing it in some other place with some other form of mine when I want to see you here, with these eyes? Will a person’s hunger be sated if another person eats food? Did not sIthAppirAtti too desire to attain emperumAn with the same physical form and in the same place, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 40-3 “yathA tham purushavyAgram gAthrai: SOkAbhikarSithai: I samspruSEyamsakAmAham thathA kuru dhayAm mayi II ” (you should shower your mercy on me such that I, having lot of affection, would be able to touch the greatest man [SrI rAma] with these limbs which have become wizened due to grief)? Just as ANdAL had desired to carry out service in this birth itself, as mentioned in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 13-9 “gOvindhaRkOr kuRREval immaippiRavi seyyAdhE inippOychcheyyum thavandhAnen?” AzhwAr too desires to see emperumAn with these eyes.
We will take up the 14th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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