SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
The friend, in order to placate the nAyaki [leading lady] had told her several lies, as in the previous pAsuram when she told her that it is not the rainy season. Just because she had told lies, will the real monsoon season become false? Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 28-31 “raNOthyathAnAm ivavAraNAnAm” (clouds which have thunder and lightning as their flags), the clouds have surrounded on all sides, like an army of elephants and are pouring rain. Seeing this, the nAyaki swooned, thinking that her nAyakan (leading man) has not returned yet, to her. Looking at this, the nAyaki’s friend too swooned. Looking at this state, the nAyaki’s mother says “Let her sorrow take leave of her”
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings.
kArigaiyAr niRai kAppavar Ar enRu kAr koNdu innE
mAri kaiyERi aRaiyidum kAlaththum vAzhiyarO
sArigaip puLLar andhaNNandhuzhAy iRai kUyaruLAr
chErikaiyERum pazhiyAy viLaindhadhu en chinmozhikkE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kArigaiyAr – of the women
niRai – modesty
kAppavar – one who protects
yAr – who?
enRu – saying so
kAr koNdu – becoming dark
innE – like this
mAri – rain
kaiyERi – gathering in groups
aRai idum kAlaththum – during the time when they announce victoriously like a war cry
sArigai – flying in circles
puLLar – SrIya:pathi (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi), who has garuda as his vehicle
am – beautiful
thaN – being cool
thuzhAy – divine thuLasi garland
iRai – even a little bit
kUy aruLAr – is not offering mercifully, after calling out
en – my
chinmozhikku – for her who talks in feeble (gibberish) words
chEri – those who reside in the neighbourhood
kai ERum – lifting their hands
pazhiyAy – as an accusation
viLaindhadhu – happened
vAzhiyarO – let this sorrow get eliminated
Simple Translation
The clouds, becoming darker, have gathered on all sides and ask uproariously “Which women could protect their modesty in our presence? Or, who is there to protect the modesty of these women?” Even during this time, sarvESvaran, who has garuda who can circle rapidly in the skies, has not called out to her and given her his cool, beautiful thuLasi garland. As a result, those who live in our neighbourhood raise their arms and accuse my daughter who talks very few words. Let her live long, after getting rid of this sorrowful state.
vyAkhyAnam
kArigaiyAr . . . – There are two interpretations for this term – one meaning is that the clouds ask “When we are roaming here, who is there to protect these women who are suffering in separation from their beloved?” The other meaning is that the clouds ask “When we are roaming, which lady can protect herself or another person?”
kAr koNdu – becoming dark or becoming angry
innE – like this
mAri kaiyERi – the rain which is lashing heavily. It could be said that the clouds had rain as their ornament.
aRaiyidum kAlaththum – similar to making a war-cry in battlefield. Just like sugrIva called out to vAli for battle, with SrI rAma as his support. The clouds here, unlike sugrIva who needed support, won on their own strength. There it was the warrior, vAli. Here, it is the women who are helpless. There, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam kishkindhA kANdam 32-17 “antharEnAnjalim badhvA lakshmaNasya prasAdhanAth” (the only option to save yourself is to perform anjali (join palms together) to lakshmaNa), sugrIva, being a sentient entity, did just that. However, here, the clouds, being insentient, wound not listen even when told.
vAzhiyarO – let her live long, after getting rid of her sorrows.
sArigaip puLLar – it is not possible for the nAyakan to say that he could not come before the rainy season. It could not be said that he had never come fast anytime before this. One needs to recap his speed when he came to help the elephant gajEndhran. It could not be said that he does not have any support to come fast, since he has garuda who comes fast in circles. He has the quality of offering himself to his followers when they are in distress, thus manifesting to them his quality [of being a protector]. While he was wondering “Should I leave today?” to save sIthA who was with him for fourteen years, he did not think for a moment when setting out to save the elephant, and had the support of garuda, too. He has all the qualities of being a supreme entity by having garuda who could take him fast to his followers in distress, by having the divine disc in his hands [again to protect his followers], by having periya pirAtti [SrI mahAlakshmi] who he refers to as “mine” and by having the divine thuLasi as his garland.
andhaNNandhuzhAy – the divine thuLasi which is capable of redeeming life. Similar to saying santhAnakaraNi – visalyakaraNi: the former term refers to his divine feet and the latter, to thuLasi.
iRai kUyaruLAr – If he tries to avoid her love, should he avoid being her lord too? He has forgotten that he is her nAyakan. However, should he not have come to protect her since he is the lord for all? He has forgotten that too! He should have come on his own, embraced me and made the divine thuLasi which is on his shoulder to touch my chest. But he did not do that. He could have at the least, called me and offered thuLasi as well as many other entities. He did not do that. Whether he comes to me or calls me out towards him, the benefit is his only.
chEri kaiyERum pazhiyAy viLaindhadhu – looking at my state, all those who are near me are saying “Oh how she is craving”. Everyone started pointing out to me, saying “Instead of waiting for him, she is attempting to seek the benefit on her own!”
chinmozhikkE – it is not the age for her to crave like this! Isn’t her age such that even if she were asked to say something, she is unable to utter anything!
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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