SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai
AzhwAr says that the parabhakthi state [sustain oneself if together with emperumAn or perish otherwise] that he has got is very rare for others to get. It is because I got this state of parabhakthi that emperumAn is very simple for me.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
uNara oruvarkku eLiyanE sevvE
iNarum thuzhAyalangal endhai uNarath
thanakku eLiyar evvaLavar avvaLavanAnAl
enakku eLiyan emperumAn ingu
Word by Word Meanings
iNarum – blossomed
thuzhAy alangal endhai – empirAn who has thuLasi garland
oruvarkku sevvE uNara eLiyanE – is he simple for anyone (of his own efforts) to know well? (no)
thanakku eLiyar – his devotees
evvaLavar – the extent to which they have affection
avvaLavan – he has affection to the same extent towards them
AnAl – hence
enakku – for me (who has huge affection for him)
emperumAn – my swAmy (lord)
ingu uNara eLiyan – is simple for me to understand in this world itself
vyAkyAnam
sevvE uNara oruvarkku eLiyanE – it is not possible for anyone to say that emperumAn is ‘this great’ by citing a simile or to say that he ’is like’ this by estimating him.
oruvarkku – even if the person is great in terms of knowledge, it is not possible for even such a person to know about emperumAn with his own efforts. Didn’t even upanishath say this as mentioned in kEnOpanishath 2-3 “yasyAmatham thasya matham matham yasys na vEdha sa: I avigyAtham vijAnathAm vigyAtham avijAnathAm II” (for whom brahmam (supreme being) is not known (as being this much), (it) is known to him; for whom it is considered as known, he does not know (it). For those who know (about its extent) it is unknown and for those who do not know (about its extent) it is known).
Which is that entity?
iNarum thuzhAy alangal endhai – The identity for the supreme being who cannot be estimated is the thuLasi garland which is on his shoulders. The thamizh poets of sanga kAlam (a period which is a few millennia ago) also sang in praise of such emperumAn in their paripAdal composition “nARu iNarththuzhAyOn nalgin alladhai ERudhal eLidhO vIRupeRuthuRakkam”.
iNarum – blossoming. Once the thuLasi garland is applied on emperumAn’s divine shoulders it will blossom more than it would on its own land. On the shoulders of dhEvas (celestial entities) a garland will remain without withering. Since emperumAn is the dhEva (lord) for all the dhEvas, the garland will blossom more than it would otherwise.
AzhwAr was asked “If he cannot be estimated, then he could be non-existent”. He responds . . .
uNarath thanakku eLiyavar evvaLavar avvaLavan – we only said that he cannot be known to be ‘to this extent’. We did not say that he cannot be known at all. He will manifest himself to his followers with an affection which is to the same extent with which his followers have affection towards him. The word uNara refers to the affection related to knowledge. Has it not been mercifully mentioned in SrI bhagavath gIthA 7-17 “thEshAm gyAni nithya yuktha: Ekabhakthir viSishyathE: I I priyO hi gyAninO’thyarthamaham sa cha mama priya: II” (One who is always with (me) and who shows affection only for me is superior (among those four types of devotees). Am I not dear to that knowledgeable one? (In the same way) that knowledgeable person is also dear to me) and in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 11-10 “thammaiyugappAraith thAm ugappar” (he will show affection towards those who show affection towards him)!
AnAl enakku eLiyan emperumAn ingu – Hence, that emperumAn, who is my swAmy (lord) is simple enough for me to be seen by the internal eye of my mind since I have parabhakthi due to which I can see him with my internal eye in this world itself.
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had lamented “inRE nAm kANAdhiruppadhuvum” since he had not attained the state of parabhakthi then, while in this pAsuram since he has got parabhakthi he says that emperumAn is simple enough for him to see him with his internal eye. Thus there is no contradiction between the two pAsurams.
We will move on to the 30th pAsuram next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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