thiruvAimozhi nURRandhAdhi – 49 – mAnalaththAl mARan

SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Introduction

In this pAsuram, mAmunigaL is following AzhwAr’s pAsurams of going to thiruvallavAzh and being anguished in the enjoyable aspects in the garden surrounding the town itself and is mercifully explaining it.

How is that done? Even after AzhwAr entered thirukkudandhai with great anguish, his desire was not fulfilled. Hence he started from there and walked towards thiruvallavAzh with the strength given by the faith “his divine feet are the only means”, but could not reach there fully as he became weak and stayed in the garden surrounding the town, heard the loud chants of vEdham and the sounds of vaidhika rituals from the town, thought about the enjoyability in the honey, jasmine etc and became engaged in the anguish of not being able to enter and enjoy the same. AzhwAr reveals his emotions in the mood of a pirAtti who headed towards the abode of her nAyaka (consort) but being anguished having been unable to reach the destination, sharing her thoughts with her friends saying “When will I reach there, see him and sing his praises?” mAmunigaL mercifully explains this aspect which is explained in thiruvAimozhi 5.9 “mAnEy nOkku” starting with “mAnalaththAl“.

pAsuram

mAnalaththAl mARan thiruvallavAzh pugap pOyth
thAn iLaiththavvUr thannarugil mEnalangith
thunbamuRRuch chonna solavu kaRpAr thangaLukkup
pin piRakka vENdA piRa

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word-by-word meanings

mARan – AzhwAr
mAnalaththAl – with great love
thiruvallavAzh pugappOy – mercifully started towards thiruvallavAzh dhivyadhESam but being unable to reach there
avvUr than arugil – in the garden surrounding the town
thAn iLaiththu vIzhNdhu – fell down due to weakness
mEl nalangi – became bewildered further (due to the restraining words of her friends)
thunbam uRRu – being anguished
sonna – mercifully spoke
solavu – divine words
kaRpAr thangaLukku – for those who can learn
pin – after learning them
piRa – births which are outside the scope of emperumAn’s divine feet
piRakka vENdA – will not be born.

Simple Translation

With great love, AzhwAr mercifully started towards thiruvallavAzh dhivyadhESam but being unable to reach there, fell down due to weakness in the garden surrounding the town, became bewildered further, being anguished, mercifully spoke these divine words. For those who can learn them, after learning so, they will not be born in births which are outside the scope of emperumAn’s divine feet.

Highlights from vyAkyAnam

mAnalaththAl mARan – AzhwAr due to great love.
thiruvallavAzh pugap pOy – Being triggered by the love, started towards thiruvallavAzh with the intent to enter the town.
thAn iLaiththu vIzhNdhu avvUr than arugil – Fell at the outskirts, due to weakness. Unable to enter the town and enjoy, fell at the garden surrounding the town being unable to proceed due to weakness, the enjoyability in there and the joyful activities in the town.
mEl nalangi – Further, became bewildered by the restraining words of the friends.
thunbam uRRu – Due to lack of enjoying bhagavAn, acquiring great anguish.
sonna solavu – the divine words, he spoke.

That is, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 1.104 “padhma saugandhika vaham” (fragrance carrying lotuses), SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 1.72 “padhma kEsara samsrushta:” (fragrance carrying lotus pollens), AzhwAr explains how the fragrance in the flowers and other enjoyable aspects, are being undesirable in separation and are being hurdles for his movement, as in:

“vaigalum vinaiyEn meliya vAnAr vaN kamugum madhu malligai kamazhum thEnAr sOlaigaL sUzh” (When will I, the servitor [of emperumAn], who am sinful and am always weakened by emperumAn who is eternally residing in thiruvallavAzh which is surrounded by gardens which have the generous areca trees, fragrant jasmine [creeper] with flowing honey and are filled with beetles which extract honey and the fragrant buds, reach his divine feet?) [1st pAsuram]
“pon thigazh punnai magizh pudhu mAdhavi mIdhaNavith thenRal maNam kamazhum” (where the southerly breeze is embracing the flowers which are present on punnai, magizha and kurukkaththi trees which have pollen shining like gold) [2nd pAsuram]
“pachchilai nIL kamugum palavum thengum vAzhaigaLum” (tall areca trees with green leaves, jack fruit trees, coconut trees, plantain trees) [4th pAsuram]
“pAN kural vaNdinodu pasum thenRalum Agi engum sEN sinai Ongu marach chezhum kAnal” (having attractive seaside gardens which are having rising trees with tall branches and are having the rhythmic sound of beetles in the form of song and fresh southerly breeze filled everywhere) [6th pAsuram]
“Odha nedum thadaththuL uyar thAmarai sengazhunIr” (having ponds which are vast like ocean, with tall lotus and red lily flowers) [7th pAsuram]
“mAduRu pUndhadam” (having ponds with blossomed flowers in close proximity) [8th pAsuram]
“mazhalai vari vaNdugaL isai pAdum” (young beetles which are having stripes, have drunk honey and are singing music) [9th pAsuram]

Further, AzhwAr explains the vEdha and vaidhika celebrations, as in

“vinaiyEnai meliya” (to torment me, who is a sinner) [1st pAsuram], “pAdu nal vEdha oli paravaith thirai pOl muzhanga” (tumultuous sound of the noble sAma vEdham is heard like the sound of rising tides in the ocean) [3rd pAsuram]
“mAduyarndhOmap pugai kamazhum” (in the close vicinity, the smoke from the hOmam in the yAgam is spreading the fragrance) [3rd pAsuram]
“nalla andhaNar vELvip pugai mainnalam koNduyar viN maRaikkum” (vaidhikas who are exclusively devoted without any expectations and greatly attached [to emperumAn], are performing karmas (rituals) such as agnihOthram etc which are part of worshipping bhagavAn; the smoke from such rituals, taking the good colour of dark pigment rises up to the sky, covers it and makes it appear dark, providing shade and giving coolness) [5th pAsuram]

Further, the celebrations in the town as said in “thol aruL maNNum viNNum thozha ninRa thirunagaram” (sarvESvaran descended to and stood in prosperous thiruvallavAzh to have the residents of both samsAram and paramapadham worship and enjoy his natural benefactorship) [10th pAsuram]. bhagavAn being revealed by vEdham and is worshipped by vaidhika rituals, they remind about him and torment AzhwAr. The celebrations in the town torment AzhwAr since AzhwAr is not able to participate in those.

Further, as those who look out for priyam (joy) and hitham (well-being) stop parAnguSa nAyaki (AzhwAr in feminine form) as said in “enRu kol thOzhimIrgAL! emmai nIr nalindhen seydhIrO?” (Oh friends! What are the actions you are all performing to torture me!) [2nd pAsuram] and “nichchalum thOzhimIrgAL emmai nIr nalindhen seydhIrO” (Oh friends! What actions are you doing by always stopping me and torturing me?) [4th [pAsuram], due to her urge, even these words led to further weakness.

Though, she prays to reach the divine feet and praises with his divine names, she will become weaker, as said in:

“kOnArai adiyEn adi kUduvadhu enRu kolO?” (When will I reach the divine feet of the unconditional lord?) [1st pAsuram]
“ninRa pirAn adi nIR adiyOm koNdu sUduvadhE” (When will we hold on our head with reverence the dust of the divine feet of the benefactor who is standing in the town of thiruvallavAzh?) [2nd pAsuram]
“nIduRaiginRa pirAn kazhal kANdungol nichchalumE?” (will I be able to eternally enjoy the divine feet of the great benefactor who is eternally residing in such invigorating thiruvallavAzh?) [3rd pAsuram]
“nampirAnadhu nannalamE” (our benefactor’s abundant goodness) [4th pAsuram]
“en nalam koL sudarai enRu kol kaNgaL kANbadhuvE” (When will my eyes which are suffering more than I, enjoy to their full satisfaction, such emperumAn who enjoyed the qualities of my AthmA (self) and rUpam (form)?) [5th pAsuram]
“mAN kuRaL kOlap pirAn malarth thAmaraip pAdhangaLE – kAnbadhengyAnRukolO” (When will the day be that I, who am having sin, will see the enjoyable lotus like divine feet of the great benefactor who is practising celibacy, having dwarf-like and attractive form?) [6th pAsuram]
“nilam thAviya nIL kazhalE – nAdoRum vIdinRiyE thozhak kUdum kol?” (Will it be possible for me to worship emperumAn who measured the three worlds, everyday without even a momentary break?) [8th pAsuram]
“yAm kaNdu kai thozhak kUdum kolO?” (Will it be possible that his natural mercy will make us see him and worship him with our hands?) [9th pAsuram]
“nal aruL nam perumAn nArAyaNan nAmangaL – thol aruL nal vinaiyAl solak kUdum kol?” (He is nArAyaNan who is with all auspicious qualities and wealth, having mercy and letting us enjoy him. Will we be able to praise his names by his virtuous deeds out of his mercy?) [10th pAsuram]

Due to these reasons, AzhwAr became bewildered and spoke these words with anguish. Even at this stage, AzhwAr’s faith was unshakable as he said “adi mEl sEmam koL then kurugUrch chatakOpan” (nammAzhwAr, the leader of AzhwArthirunagari, having firm faith in the form of intelligence of such sarvESvaran’s divine feet being the bestower of tranquillity) [11th pAsuram].

thunbam uRRuch chonna solavu kaRpArgaLukku – For those who learnt this decad which was mercifully spoken by AzhwAr in separation.
pin piRakka vENdA [piRa] – After learning this, one need not take birth. This will end birth in this material world. piRa does not have any specific meaning; alternatively, it means that one will not take birth which is outside the scope of the divine feet of emperumAn. When it is recited as “pinbu kaRka vENdA piRa“, that would mean that one need not learn anything other than this decad.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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