SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Essence of thiruvAimozhi 5.4
Introduction
In this pAsuram, mAmunigaL is following AzhwAr’s pAsurams of speaking as a nAyaki (heroine, pirAtti, consort of SrIman nArAyaNa) who is suffering in separation due to the lengthy night and is mercifully explaining it.
How is that done? In this manner, AzhwAr, as said in “confusing the true nature of self and emperumAn, we should attain emperumAn even by illegitimate means” becoming bewildered to have great urge in quickly attaining the result, having his clarity subdued by the darkness of ignorance which leads one to other upAyams which are based on self-effort, goes through struggle. This state of AzhwAr is explained by him through the words of a consort who is suffering in separation, and who sets out to perform madal. But by the divine will of providence, the sun set, and in midnight, as there is no scope for the senses to spread out, the suffering in separation became intense; there was no sign of dawn, and the desire for madal subdued and the desire to die increased. But even that was not possible; mAmunigaL mercifully explains these words in the mood of a pirAtti who is suffering in separation in the lengthy night which are explained in thiruvAimozhi 5.4 “UrEllAm thunji” starting with “Ura ninaindha“.
pAsuram
Ura ninaindha madal Uravum oNNAdhapadi
kUr iruL sEr kanguludan kUdi ninRu pErAmal
thIdhu seyya mARan thiruvuLLaththuch chenRa thuyar
Odhuvadhingu enganEyO
Listen
word-by-word meanings
Ura ninaindha – that which was set out to be performed
madal – madal
Uravum oNNAdhapadi – to be unable to
kUr iruL sEr kangul – very dark night
udan kUdi ninRu – along with its associates
pErAmal – without moving away
thIdhu seyya – causing harm
mARan – AzhwAr’s
thiruvuLLaththuch chenRa thuyar – sorrow which reached his divine heart
ingu Odhuvadhu – to explain here
enganE – how is it possible?
O – alas?
Simple Translation
Alas! How is it possible to explain here the sorrow which reached the divine heart of AzhwAr where the very dark night along with its associates caused harm, without moving away, to not allow him to perform the madal which he set out to perform?
Highlights from vyAkyAnam
- Ura ninaindha madal – The madal which he thought of performing as said in thiruvAimozhi 5.3.9 “kudhiriyAy madal UrdhumE” (be a shameless girl who cannot be controlled by anyone and will engage in madal).
- Ura oNNAdhapadi – Unable to engage in the madal since the sun set, all of those who speak pleasing words, those who give advice and those who throw accusations, went to sleep, and darkness surrounded.
- kUr iruL sEr kanguludan kUdi ninRu pErAmal thIdhu seyya – Further, the night with great darkness, along with its army of associates, caused harm, without moving away. That is, as said in sIthAp pirAtti’s actions in fear of rAvaNa’s illusory acts, as seen in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 28.18 “sIthAtha vENyudhgrathanam gruhIthvA” (thereafter, sIthA holding her braid of hair looking like a hanging rope) and SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 28.16 “vishasaya dhAthA nahimE’sthi kaSchich chasathrasya vA vESma ni rAkshasasya” (To me, none is there, who is a giver either of a poison or of a sharp weapon in the house of rAvaNa). The night, along with darkness, is causing great harm as said in:
- Ur ellAm thunji ulagellAm naLLiruLAy nIr ellAm thERi Or nIL iravAay nINdadhAl (The whole town is asleep; the whole world is filled with abundant darkness; the water bodies are all quiet, without any tides; there is just night with no difference between day and night, where the night is extended and stretched so that there appears no end to it) [1st pAsuram]
- mAvikAramAy Or val iravAy nINdadhAl (The lengthy night which is having a well developed state and is very dense, extended without an end) [2nd pAsuram]
- Oyum pozhidhilllai UzhiyAy nINdadhAl (the already extending night is not having the ending time and is appearing to be stretched like a kalpa) [3rd pAsuram]
- oNsudarOn vArAdhoLiththAn (The radiant sun which is attractive during the time of dawn is not coming and hid himself ) [4th pAsuram]
- munninRirA Uzhi kaN pudhaiya mUdiRRAl (the night which is like a kalpa, is standing in front of me to conceal my vision by covering my eye) [6th pAsuram]
- kangiruLin nuN thuLiyAych chEtpAla thUzhiyAych chelginRa kangul vAy (very lengthy passing night which is like a kalpa having abundant darkness and tiny misty droplets) [7th pAsuram]
- Or iravu Ezh UzhiyAy (One night comes to the forefront and stands, and makes me feel like seven kalpa) [8th pAsuram]
- vIngiruLinuN thuLiyAy (The current night which is having huge darkness and tiny mist droplets) [9th pAsuram]
- selginRa kangul vAy (the night which is continuing) [10th pAsuram]
Since, this is the current state,
- mARan thiruvuLLaththuch chenRa thuyar Odhuvadhu ingu enganEyO – mAmunigaL is saying this. mARan thiruvuLLaththuch chenRa thuyar means the sorrow which was felt in AzhwAr’s divine heart as revealed in:
- pAr ellAm uNda nam pAmbaNaiyAn vArAnAl Ar ellE valvinaiyEn Avi kAppAr iniyE (emperumAn who kept the whole earth which was in danger due to praLaya, in his stomach and protected it, who is having thiruvanthAzhwAn, his servitor as his bed and protecting him, who is the refuge for us, has not arrived and protected us; alas! now, when the protector has not helped, who is the protector for this AthmA, that is, I who am a sinner, having very strong sins? ) [1st pAsuram]
- Avi kAppAr iniyAr (who is the protector for my life?) [2nd pAsuram]
- nIyum pAngallai kAN nenjamE! – mAyum vagai aRiyEn val vinaiyEn peN piRandhE (Oh heart! you, the main cause for all actions, are not obedient; the already extending night is not having the ending time and is appearing to be stretched like a kalpa; SrI rAma, chakravarthi thirumangan who is having the cruel SrI SArnga [bow] which roasts the enemies of his devotees and who is born in the family heritage which gives great importance to helping others, has not helped me like he helped sIthA, the divine daughter of king SrI janaka; I who am having great sins, having been born as a woman, don’t know the ways to finish myself.) [3rd pAsuram]
- eN periya sindhai nOy thIrppArAr ennaiyE? (who will eliminate the great mental anguish of mine which is beyond the conception of thoughts?) [4th pAsuram]
- pEr ennai mAyAdhAl val vinaiyEn pin ninRE (standing behind me, the very strong sins are not allowing me to die and making me exist only for namesake; this being the case, who will protect me?) [5th pAsuram]
- inninRa nILAvi kAppAr Ar ivvidaththE (in this situation who is the protector for this eternal AthmA which is not weakened even after experiencing sorrows eternally?) [6th pAsuram]
- thIppAla val vinaiyEn dheyvangAL en seygEnO? (Oh dhEvathAs! What shall I, who am having very strong sins which are burning like fire, do?) [7th pAsuram]
- enadhAvi melivikkum (weakens my prANa) [8th pAsuram]
- nenjidar thIrppAr iniyAr? ninRuruguginREnE (now, who is the destroyer of the suffering in my mind?) [9th pAsuram]
- pAr ellAm uNda nam pAmbaNaiyAn vArAnAl Ar ellE valvinaiyEn Avi kAppAr iniyE (emperumAn who kept the whole earth which was in danger due to praLaya, in his stomach and protected it, who is having thiruvanthAzhwAn, his servitor as his bed and protecting him, who is the refuge for us, has not arrived and protected us; alas! now, when the protector has not helped, who is the protector for this AthmA, that is, I who am a sinner, having very strong sins? ) [1st pAsuram]
- Continued – Such sorrow can only be spoken by AzhwAr himself and no one else. His sorrow is beyond speech. Hence mAmunigaL becomes immersed in emotions thinking “how can we speak about that which cannot be spoken about?” enganEyO can also be considered as indicating a colloquial way of wondering how to speak.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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