SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
mannu maRaiyOr thirunaRaiyUr mAmalaipOl
ponniyalum mAdak kavAdam kadandhupukku 73
Word by word meaning
maRaiyOr mannum – place inhabited by vaidhikas (those who follow vEdhas)
thirunaRaiyUr – at thirunaRaiyUr
mA malaipOl pon iyalum mAdam kavAdam kadandhu pukku – managing to cross the divine door of the sannidhi (place inside a temple where emperumAn’s divine form resides), which is like a huge mountain and which is like gold
vyAkyAnam
irum pozhil sUzh – the town of thirunaRaiyUr which is surrounded by expansive, great gardens. Gardens which have palm trees so that those who are withering, due to separation from their beloved, can engage in madal.
maRaiyOr mannum thirunaRaiyUr – It is a town where people prove that the meaning of all vEdhas is to engage in madal. How can engaging in madal be the meaning of vEdhas? Has it not been said thunderously in vEdhas to engage in activities which are against one’s basic nature in order to attain the supreme being, such as pragyAm kurvItha (keep reminiscing), dhyEya: (meditate), sO’nvEshtavya: (investigate), dhyAyitha: (meditate intently), upAsithavya: (engage in devotion), nidhithyAsithavya: (meditate without a break)? Isn’t engaging in madal similar to these? Did not great sages who are great experts in vEdhas say “vyavasAdhruthE brahman nAsAthayathi thath param” (Oh brAhamaNa! It is not possible to attain supreme being without efforts by self)?
mAmalai pOl mAdam – temple which is tall like a huge mountain. SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 98-121 says “subhagaS chithrakUtO’sau girirAjOpamO giri: I yasmin vasathi kAkuthsa: kubEra iva nandhanE II” (this chithrakUta mountain is auspicious just like thirumAlirunjOlai. (This is because) kAkuthsa lives here just like kubEra lives in his garden). Thus, just like thirumAlirunjOlai is called as girirAja because the supreme being dwells there, this (thirunaRaiyUr) is also referred to as mAmalai (huge mountain). Even though thirunaRaiyUr is located on a small hillock, due to AzhwAr’s devotion towards emperumAn, the hillock appears as a huge mountain.
pon iyalum mAdam – it is a temple which is distinguished like gold, and has the quality of being desired by everyone.
kavAdam kadandhu pukku – entering after somehow managing to go past the door. kadandhu – going with difficulty. The implied meaning here is that since the beauty of the door would steal the eyes, just like a waylaying robber, it is very difficult to go past it.
In the next article, we will discuss the next part of this prabandham.
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