thiruvAimozhi – Simple Explanation – 1.1 – uyarvaRa

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kOyil thiruvAymozhi

<< thaniyans

bhagavan-nammazhwar

sarvESvaran who is Sriya:pathi is greater than all, the abode of all auspicious qualities, has divine forms, is the leader of the two worlds SrIvaikuNtam and samsAram, is fully revealed by vEdham, is pervading everywhere, is controlling everyone, is the antharyAmi of all sentient beings  and insentient objects and rules over them. AzhwAr explains these aspects about emperumAn and becomes blissful thinking about emperumAn granting him divine knowledge and devotion in this decad.

This decad is the summary of thiruvAimozhi. First three pAsurams are the summary of this decad. First pAsuram is the summary of the first three pAsurams. First line is the summary of the first pAsuram. This is explained by elders.

First pAsuram. In this, the existence of unlimited auspicious qualities, unconditional mercy, controlling the nithyasUris and having eternal auspicious forms – all of which reveal the supremacy of emperumAn, are revealed. Having said so, nammAzhwAr directs his heart to always serve such emperumAn.

uyarvaRa uyarnalam udaiyavan yavan avan
mayarvaRa madhinalam aruLinan yavan avan
ayarvaRum amarargaL adhipathi yavan avan
thuyaraRu sudarodi thozhudhezhu en mananE

Oh my mind! Bow down with folded hands at the lotus feet of emperumAn and be uplifted. emperumAn is the famous one highlighted in authentic scriptures  as one who has inexplicable greatness which makes all other greatness non-existing. He is the one who blessed me true knowledge and devotion, out of his unconditional grace that dispelled my ignorance completely. He is the indisputable master of the nithyasUris who have no defects such as forgetful nature etc.

Second pAsuram. nammAzhwAr speaks about bhagavAn (who is explained as “yavan”) being distinct from all other entities.

mananaga malam aRa malar misai ezhudharum
mananuNarvu aLavilan poRiyuNarvu avaiyilan
inanuNar muzhunalam edhir nigazh kazhivinum
inanilan enan uyir migu narai ilanE

bhagavAn is immeasurable by even well-blossomed mind which is free of blemishes such as kAmam, krOdham etc., that can understand the AthmA. He is immeasurable by the external senses which are used to comprehend achith (matter). Thus he is distinct from both chith and achith. He is identified as being full knowledge and full bliss and has none who is equal to or higher than him, in the past, present or future. He is my sustaining soul. In all the 10 pAsurams, “avan thuyaraRu sudaradi thozhudhezhu” should be added in the end.

Third pAsuram. nammAzhwAr explains bhagavAn‘s connection with material realm to establish that he is not limited by any particular object or location.

ilanadhu udaiyanidhu ena ninaivu ariyavan
nilanidai visumbidai uruvinan aruvinan
pulanodu pulanalan ozhivilan parandha
an nalanudai oruvanai naNuginam nAmE

bhagavAn cannot be understood by limiting him to certain objects only saying “since he is far-away from such object he is not present in it” and “since he is nearby to this object he is present in it”. He owns all chith (which are not visible to external senses) and achith (which are visible to external senses) in both the lower and higher realms (earth and ether). He thus exists pervading everywhere having chith and achith as his attributes. We are blessed to take refuge of the most distinct bhagavAn who is filled with such auspicious qualities.

Fourth pAsuram. nammAzhwAr explains that the svarUpam basic nature) of all the entities is explained as being totally controlled by bhagavAn through sAmAnAdhikaraNyam.

Note: sAmAnAdhikaraNyam means more than one aspect/attribute having one common substratum. It also means two or more words focussed on explaining a single entity.

nAm avan ivan uvan avaL ivaL uvaL evaL
thAm avar ivar uvar adhu idhu udhu edhu
vIm avai ivai uvai avai nalam thIngu avai
Am avai Ay avai Ay ninRa avarE

bhagavAn is the one who has become (who is the antharyAmi of) all entities (male, female, insentient, temporary ones) which are identified by different words to indicate their proximity (nearby, faraway, in-between etc) which are good or bad and which existed in the past, exist now or will come into existence in the future. In short, all words point to bhagavAn only. Whatever words missed are also to be included here. This means all objects at all times are under the full control of bhagavAn.

Fifth pAsuram. Subsequently, emperumAn sustaining everything in the form of protection is explained through vaiyadhikaraNyam.

Note: vaiyadhikaraNyam means two or more aspects having different substrata. It also means two or more words which are focussed on explaining different entities.

avaravar thamadhamadhu aRivaRi vagai vagai
avaravar iRaiyavar enavadi adaivargaL
avaravar iRaiyavar kuRaivilar iRaiyavar
avaravar vidhi vazhi adaiya ninRanarE

Different adhikAris (qualified persons) based on their level of knowledge take shelter of different dhEvathAs according to their desire assuming them as their master who will fulfil their desires. It is appropriate for those dhEvathAs to be the ones who fulfil those desires. But, it is bhagavAn who is the master of everyone who stays as the antharAthmA (in-dwelling soul) of those dhEvathAs, ensuring that such persons who desire for certain goals get their goals fulfilled according to their karma.

Sixth pAsruam. nammAzhwAr explains that all actions/inaction are under bhagavAn‘s control through sAmAnAdhikaraNyam.

ninRanar irundhanar kidandhanar thirindhanar
ninRilar irundhilar kidandhilar thirindhilar
enRumoriyalvinar ena ninaivariyavar
enRumoriyalvodu ninRa em thidarE

emperumAn is the controller of all entities for their actions (such as standing, sitting, lying down, walking etc) and inaction (not standing, not sitting, not lying down, not walking etc). Such emperumAn is inconceivable and being distinct from all other entities. He is our lord who is firmly established by SAsthram which is the strongest and most authentic evidence.

Seventh pAsuram. This sAmAnAdhikaraNyam is explained as bound by the body-soul relationship between the material realm and bhagavAn.

thidavisumbu eri vaLi nIr nilam ivai misai
padarporuL muzhuvadhumAy avai avai thoRum
udanmisai uyir enak karandhengum parandhuLan
sudarmigu surudhiyuL ivai uNda suranE

bhagavAn is the supreme lord who becomes (creates) all of the material realm having first created the strong ether, fire, air, water and earth as the source and pervades all of them. He pervades everything similar to AthmA  pervading the body. Not only that, he is present inside and outside of everything. He is the main object of the most radiant vEdham. Such emperumAn consumes everything during praLayam and is glorified as “sura” (God).

Eighth pAsuram. nammAzhwAr says brahmA and rudhra who are responsible for vyashti srushti (creation of variegated forms) and vyashti samhAram (annihilation of variegated forms) respectively are under the full control of bhagavAn.

surar aRivaru nilai viN mudhal muzhuvadhum
varan mudhalAy avai muzhudhuNda paraparan
puram oru mUnReriththu amararkkum aRivu iyandhu
aran ayan ena ulagu azhiththu amaiththu uLanE

bhagavAn being the cause for mUla prakruthi etc, which cannot be comprehended by brahmA, rudhra et al, consumed (annihilated) all of the material realm being the supreme lord of such dhEvathAs, assumed the form of rudhra to destroy the 3 towns (thripura samhAram), annihilated everything, created the variegated forms (again), gave the knowledge to dhEvathAs et al. He does all of these being the antharyAmi of dhEvathAs such as brahmA, rudhra et al.

Ninth pAsuram. nammAzhwAr refutes mAdhyamika baudhdha philosophers (a type of sUnyavAdhi – voidness philoshopher) who is considered as the primary amongst vEdha bhAhyas (the ones who reject vEdham).

uLan enil uLan avan uruvam ivvuruvugaL
uLan alan enil avan aruvam ivvaruvugaL
uLan ena ilan ena ivai guNam udaimaiyil
uLan iru thagailmaiyodu ozhivilan parandhE

bhagavAn is the substratum for both existence (as per AzhwAr‘s vaidhika philosophy) or non-existence (as per avaidhika philosophy) – so, bhagavAn must be understood/accepted as existing  while making a statement about him. He is the one who pervades everywhere without ever ceasing to exist and has both with-form and form-less manifestation of this material realm as his two types of aspects which shows and hides him respectively.

Tenth pAsuram. nammAzhwAr explains the convenience of bhagavAn‘s omni-presence in this pAsuram.

parandha thaN paravai uL nIr thoRum parandhuLan
parandha aNdam idhu ena nila visumbu ozhivu aRak
karandha sil idam thoRum idam thigazh poruL thoRum
karandhu engum parandhuLan ivai uNda karanE

Just like staying conveniently (all by himself) in the huge universe, he stays in each drop of water in the naturally cool ocean in the most subtle matter. He is present even inside the most minute places and inside the self-effulgent jIvAthmAs who reside in those minute places in such a manner that the pervaded objects do not realise his presence. He, being the omnipresent being, consumed everything during samhAram (annihilation) and remained firm.

Eleventh pAsuram. Summarising the supremacy of bhagavAn that is explained previously, AzhwAr declares that the result of (learning/reciting/understanding) this decad is mOksham.

kara visumbu eri vaLi nIr nilam ivai misai
varanavil thiRalvali aLi poRai Ay ninRa
paran adi mEl kurukUrch chatakOpan sol
niraniRai Ayiraththu ivai paththum vIdE

These 10 pAsurams (which are mercifully spoken and which are most enriching/complete) are offered by nammAzhwAr (who is born in AzhwArthirunagari) at the lotus feet of emperumAn who is the supreme lord and is the abode of pancha bhUtham (AkAsa, vAyu, agni, jalam and bhUmi) and their respective quality (sound, strength, heat, coolness and forbearance) or has them as his attributes.

Source: http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org/index.php/2020/05/thiruvaimozhi-1-1-tamil-simple/

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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