SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
thaniyan mercifully composed by kUraththAzhwAn
nenjukkiruL kadi dhIbam adangA nedum piRavi
nanjukku nalla amudham thamizha nannUl thuRaigaL
anjukkilakkiyam AraNa sAram parasamayap
panjuk kanalin poRi parakAlan panuvalgaLE
Word-by-word meanings
parakAlan – Mercifully spoken by AzhwAr who is death personified to enemies
panuvalgaL – pAsurams (verses)
nenjukku – present in the heart
iruL – ignorance
kadi – capable of eliminating
dhIbam – being a lamp
adangA – not being controlled by anything
nedu – going on for a long time
piRavi – birth
nanju – to cure the poison
nalla – best
amudham – being nectar
nal – distinguished
thamizha nal nUl thuRaigaL – the path of dhrAvida SAsthram (thamizh scripture)
anjukku – for the five identities (ezhuththu (letter), sol (word), poruL (meaning), yAppu (poetry) and aNi (decoration, figure of speech))
ilakkiyam – being the goal
AraNam – for vEdham
sAram – being the essence
para samayam – for other schools of thought
panjukku – cotton
analin poRi – will be the fiery sparks
Simple translation
pAsurams which are mercifully spoken by AzhwAr who is death personified to enemies; they are like a lamp which is capable of eliminating the ignorance present in the heart; they are like the best nectar to cure the poison of birth which is not controlled by anything and is going on for a long time; they are the goal for the five (poetic) identities of the distinguished path of dhrAvida SAsthram; they are the essence of vEdham; they are the fire for the other schools of thought which are like cotton.
Introduction to vyAkyAnam
In this thaniyan, the greatness of thirumangai AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandhams is spoken of.
Highlights from piLLai lOkam jIyar’s vyAkyAnam
- nenjukku iruL kadi dhIbam – nenjukku iruL means ignorance which is dirt in mind. thiruvAimozhi 1.1.2 “manan aga malam” (the dirt in mind). Since this is literature of knowledge, this will be as said in “gyAnach chudar viLakku” (radiant lamp of knowledge) which will eliminate that ignorance.
- adangA nedum piRavi nanjukku nalla amudham – For the poison of birth which goes on forever, being uncontrollable by anything, nalla amudham – the antidote to that poison, the nectar which cures that poison. thirumAl thirunAmam (divine name of SrIman nArAyaNa) remains the nectar which cures the poison of samsAram. thirumangai AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandham reveals the thirumanthram which eliminates samsAram (bondage).
- thamizha nal nUl thuRaigaL anjukku ilakkiyam – dhrAvida SAsthram (thamizh scripture, i.e. AzhwArs’ dhivyaprabandhams) is with distinguished five identities such as ezhuththu, sol, poruL, yAppu and alankAram (aNi). Alternative explanation – there is an ancient literature named nannUl in thamizh language which determines the five identities; for the five identities which are shown in that literature, ilakkiyam – they (thamizh scholars) speak about “ilakkaNa ilakkiyam” (grammar and literature); for such identities, AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandham will be the goal (example). By seeing AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandham, they will build the identity in those literature.
AzhwAr’s dhivyaprabandham is not just the goal for thamizh, it is AraNa sAram – essence of vEdham. This prabandham reveals the meaning of thirumanthram.
- AraNa sAram – AzhwAr started in periya thirumozhi 1.1.1 “nArAyaNA ennum nAmam” (the divine name, nArAyaNa), and spoke in periya thirumozhi 1.8.9 “pEsumin thirunAmam ettezhuththum” (Recite the divine name which is part of ashtAksharam), periya thirumozhi 8.10.3 “nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu – nAn uRRadhum un adiyArkku adimai” (after learning SrI ashtAksharam, I realised that I am a servitor of your devotees), periya thirumozhi 6.10.9 “imaiyOr thalaivarudaiya thirunAmam nangaL vinaigaL thavira uraimin namO nArAyaNAmE” (Recite the divine name, nArAyaNa, of the lord of nithyasUris, to be freed from our sins), periya thirumozhi 10.6.1 “nara nArAyaNanAy ulagaththu aRa nUl singAmai viriththavan” (Being nara rishi and nArAyaNa rishi, emperumAn stopped the vEdham which is for the well-being of the world, from shrinking and explained the same in detail), periya thirumozhi 8.10.9 “nAttinAy ennai – kAttinAy” (You placed me as your servitor and showed me the meanings), thirunedundhANdagam “mandhiraththai mandhiraththAl maRavAdhu” (To remain without forgetting bhagavAn with the help of thirumanthram), periya thirumozhi 7.4.4 “pErALan pErOdhum” (the great personalities who recite the name of the great bhagavAn) and in siRiya thirumadal “nArAyaNA Oh maNivaNNA” (Oh nArAyaNa! Oh maNivaNNa!) and fully analysed the meanings of thirumanthram only. Hence, it is said to be “AraNa sAram”. thirumanthram is said to be the essence of all of vEdham.
- para samayap panjuk kanalin poRi – For the followers of other philosophies which are considered as the bundle of cotton, AzhwAr’s pAsurams will be like the fire during deluge. AzhwAr eliminates the deceptive literature which are said in periya thirumozhi 9.7.9 “veLLiyAr piNdiyAr bOdhiyAr enRu ivar OdhuginRa kaLLa nUlgaLai” (the deceptive literature of pASupathas, jainas and baudhdhas), with his own prabandhams which are as said in periya thirumozhi 10.4.10 “semmaip panuval nUl” (the honestly spoken literature). He is known to have eliminated the mischief of other philosophies.
What is it that is spoken about so far?
- parakAlan panuvalgaLE – These are done by the pAsurams of thirumangai AzhwAr as said in periya thirumozhi 3.9.10 “maruvalar tham udal thuNiya vAL vIsum parakAlan panuvalgaL” (the divine words of parakAlan who uses his sword to severe the body of the enemies). Even he is not required, his pAsurams are sufficient to accomplish these tasks. This is how his hand and mouth are engaged in the task he set out to accomplish.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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