thiruvAimozhi nURRandhAdhi – 50 – piRandhulugam

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

Introduction

In this pAsuram, mAmunigaL is following AzhwAr’s pAsurams of requesting emperumAn “let me sustain myself and enjoy your activities in your incarnations” and is mercifully explaining it.

How is that done? AzhwAr did not have his desire fulfilled in three abodes. Due to that, he thought that as emperumAn has mercifully vowed not to directly interact with his devotees in archA sthalams (divine abodes) as per their desires, we did not get our desire fulfilled. Let us not force him to break his vow. Let us go and approach him in his avathArams where he interacts with his devotees knowing their desires. Thinking in this manner, AzhwAr started pursuing krishNAvathAram, but became anguished thinking that he is not in that period and hence lost that opportunity as well. He then thought “let me at least sustain myself by enjoying his activities and qualities in krishNAvathAram”. But seeing that even such experience is only leading to distress in separation, AzhwAr surrenders to krishNa requesting him “kindly let me sustain myself to enjoy your qualities and activities”. mAmunigaL mercifully explains this principle explained in “piRandhavARum” starting with “piRandhulugam“.

pAsuram

piRandhulagam kAththaLikkum pErarutkaNNA un
siRandha guNaththAl urugum seelaththiRam thavirndhu
sErndhanubavikkum nilaiseyyenRa sIrmARan
vAyndha padhaththE manamE vaigu

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word-by-word meanings

piRaNdhu – incarnating (in many species)
ulagam – worlds
kAththaLikkum – mercifully protecting
pEr aruL – having great mercy
kaNNA – oh krishNa!
un – “your
siRaNdha guNaththAl – by meditating upon your auspicious qualities
urugum seelath thiRam thavirndhu – giving up the melting of the heart
sErndhu anubavikkum nilai – to reach you and enjoy you
sey enRa – mercifully allow” praying this way
sIr mARan – SrI nammAzhwAr’s
vAyndha padhaththE – divine feet which match each other
manamE – Oh heart!
vaigu – you reside

Simple Translation

Oh heart! You reside at the matching divine feet of SrI nammAzhwAr, who prayed to the greatly merciful krishNa who incarnates in the worlds and protects all, saying “Oh krishNa! Mercifully allow me to reach you and enjoy you, giving up the melting of the heart, by meditating upon your auspicious qualities”.

Highlights from vyAkyAnam

piRandhulagam kAththaLikkum pEr aruL kaNNA – emperumAn incarnated as said in thiruvAimozhi 9.1.10 “maNNin bAram nIkkudhaRkE vadamadhuraip piRandhAn” (incarnated in northern mathurA to relieve the burden of earth) to have the devotees immerse as in “piRandhavARum” (the way he incarnated) [1st pAsuram], and as said in “kaLLa vEdaththaik koNdu pOyp puram pukkavARum” (The way in which you assumed the deceptive form [of budhdha] going to thripura and entered there) [4th pAsuram], periya thiruvandhAdhi 16 “sIrAl piRandhu siRappAl vaLarAdhu” (not being born into a wealthy family and not growing up in a grand manner), “adiyai mUnRai irandhavARum” (the way he begged for three steps of land) [9th pAsuram], to churn the ocean and bring out the nectar as said in “kUdi nIraik kadaindhavARum” (the way he gathered and churned the ocean) [10th pAsuram]. Oh greatly compassionate krishNa who incarnated, protected and cared for the earth to relieve its burden, to burn down the three towns, to retrieve the three worlds and to bring out the nectar from the ocean! Previously AzhwAr said in thiruvAimozhi 5.9.10 “nal aruL nam perumAn” (our greatly merciful lord), one who is such greatly merciful lord.
un siRandha guNaththAl urugum seelath thiRam thavirndhu – To be free from reaching a fluid state due to meditating upon your auspicious qualities.
sErndhu anubavikkum nilai sey – You should mercifully grant me firmness to reach you and enjoy you.

That is, as said in,

“piRandha ARum vaLarndha ARum periya bAradham kai seydhu aivarkkuth thiRangaL kAtti ittuch cheydhu pOna mAyangaLum niRandhanUdu pukkenadhAviyai ninRu ninRu urukki uNginRa” (The way krishNa was born, the way he grew up, the way he arranged the armies in mahAbhAratham for the five pANdavas and revealed the means for their victory, and the amazing ways of completing the purpose of his incarnation and returning to his own radiant abode have all entered inside the inner region of my heart and are melting my AthmA moment after moment to become fluid and consume me; oh one who is being present for me always, is having matching and infinite radiance! When will I reach you?) [1st pAsuram]
“ennai un seygai naivikkum” (your acts weaken me) [2nd pAsuram]
“paiyavE nilaiyum vandhu en nenjai urukkungaLE” (these acts are coming up to me and are melting my desirous heart) [3rd pAsuram]
“veLLa nIrch chadaiyAnum ninnidai vERalAmai viLanga ninRadhum uLLam uL kudaindhu en uyirai urukki uNNumE” (the way you remain inseparable from rudhra who is having abundant gangA water in his matted hair to be well known through SAsthram; these aspects engrossed in my intellectual thoughts in my heart and is melting my AthmA into a fluid state) [4th pAsuram]
“uNNa vAnavar kOnukku Ayar oruppaduththa adisil uNdadhum vaNNamAl varaiyai eduththu mazhai kAththadhum maNNai mun padaiththuNdumizhndhu kadandhidandhu maNandha mAyangaL eNNum thORum ennenju erivAy mezhugokkum ninRE” (You consumed the food which was prepared with intent by the cowherd people for indhra to eat; you lifted the huge gOvardhana hill which is colourful due to the presence of different minerals and protected [everyone] from rain; you initially created the universe, protected it by placing it in your stomach during deluge, spat it out, scaled it, rescued it and united with mother earth who was rescued from the deluge; every time I meditate upon these amazing qualities and activities, my heart is melting like wax in fire in a singular manner) [5th pAsuram]
As said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 19.25 “thishtantham” (standing), SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 99.25 “AsInAm” (seated) and SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 21.1 “prathiSishyE” (lay down), to relieve from the following sufferings:
- “ninRavARum irundhavARum kidandhavARum ninaippariyana onRalA uruvAy aruvAya nin mAyangaL ninRu ninRu ninaiginREn unnai enganam ninaigiRpan?” (Your ways of standing, sitting, and resting are difficult to think about; I am trying to fully think about the amazing activities of yours, who are not restricted to having a single form, which are tormenting the already weakened heart at every stage; how can I, who am a sinner, think about you in a focussed manner?) [6th pAsuram]
- “oNsudarOdiruLumAy ninRavARum uNmaiyOdinmaiyAy vandhu en kaN koLA vagai nI karandhennaich cheyginRana eN koL sindhaiyuL naiginREn” (Your ways of being present with the form which is shining in my heart and being non-existing due to not being seen physically in a shining manner, your coming, standing as a shining radiance with darkness; I am becoming weak as my heart thinks about your actions such as your hiding inside me to make my eyes not enjoy you) [7th pAsuram]
- “thiru uruvu kidandha ARum koppUzh sendhAmarai mEl thisaimugan karu uL vIRRirundhu padaiththitta karumangaLum poruvil un thani nAyagam avai kEtkundhORum en nenjam ninRu nekku aruvi sORum kaNNIr” (The way you are reclining with a beautiful divine form, and how four headed brahmA is seated in the lotus flower which is sprouting from your navel and how you are present inside such brahmA [having him as the womb] and created; every time I hear about such activities of yours, who is not having a matching opponent, and those activities which are highlighting your distinct supremacy, my heart remains focussed, loosens up and tears are falling like waterfall; what shall I do?) [8th pAsuram]
- “adiyai mUnRai irandha ARum angE ninRAzh kadalum maNNum viNNum
  mudiya IradiyAl mudiththuk koNda mukkiyamum
  nodiyumARavai kEtkum thORum en nenjam ninRanakkE karaindhugum” (The way emperumAn humbly requested three steps [of land] so that he [mahAbali] cannot refuse; his predominance of standing right in that yagyavAtam and fulfilling his desire by covering with two steps, the deep oceans, the earth which has seven islands and the sky going up to brahma lOkam; every time I hear anyone telling those aspects, my heart is melting and flowing away towards the qualities such as simplicity of yours, who are avAptha samastha kAma yet became a seeker for the sake of your devotee) [9th pAsuram]
- “kUdi nIraik kadaindha ARum amudham dhEvar uNNa asurarai vIdum vaNNangaLE seydhu pOna viththagamum Udu pukkenadhAviyai urukki uNdiduginRa” (You remained together with dhEvas and asuras, made arrangements such as churning shaft, rope and base to churn the fluid in the milky ocean and churned the ocean; the amazing aspects of your assuming the beautiful form of a damsel to let the dhEvas drink the amrutham which appeared there and driving away the asuras; these amazing aspects entered inside my heart and melted my AthmA to become fluid and consumed it [the AthmA])
AzhwAr is saying to emperumAn “When will I reach you and enjoy you by sustaining myself” as seen in
- “unnai enRu kol sErvadhuvE” (when will I reach you?) [1st pAsuram]
- “unnai enRu thalaip peyvanE?” (When will I reach you) [2nd pAsuram]
- “pAviyERku onRu nanguraiyAy” ( You should mercifully indicate the unique and distinguished means to save me who is a sinner) [6th pAsuram]
- “en seygEn adiyEnE” (What will this servitor do?) [8th pAsuram]
- ” kodiya val vinaiyEn unnai enRu kol kUduvadhE?” (When will I, who am having very strong unatonable sin in the form of love (to not become broken), reach you to steady myself and enjoy you?) [9th pAsuram]
- “nin thannai nAdum vaNNam sollAy nachchu nAgaNaiyAnE” (Oh one who is eternally together with thiruvananthAzhwAn who can destroy the hurdles for my experience with you! Mercifully tell me the way to enjoy you eternally) [10th pAsuram]
sErndhu anubavikkum nilai sey enRa sIr mARan – AzhwAr who has gyAnam etc and who prayed to emperumAn to mercifully make himself sustain and enjoy as said in “nAgaNai misai nampirAn saraNE saraN namakku enRu” (nammAzhwAr always has the desire in his mind that only the divine feet of our lord who is resting on thiruvananthAzhwAn) [11th pAsuram].
vAyndha padhaththE – On the aptly matching divine feet of such AzhwAr.
manamE vaigu – Oh heart! Rest there. Just as AzhwAr had the divine feet of emperumAn who is resting on AdhiSEsha as his means, you rest on AzhwAr’s divine feet considering them to be the apt means.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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