SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
The nAyakan comes and unites with the nAyaki after she sends him her errand. Subsequently the time to separate from her came. In order to make her sustain herself even in separation, he praises her so that she thinks “Oh, such a person will not delay in returning”. This comes under the classification of nalam pArAttudhal (similar to pAsuram 14). SrI rAma too praised sIthAppirAtti as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 26-20 “kulE mahathi sambhUthE” (Oh one who was born in a great clan!)
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vaNdugaLO vammin nIrppU nilappU maraththiloNpU
uNdu kaLiththu uzhalvIrkku onRu uraikkiyam EnamonRAy
maNdugaLAdi vaigundham annAL kuzhalvAy virai pOl
viNdugaL vArum malar uLavO num viyalidaththE
Word-by-Word Meanings
vaNdugaLO – Oh beetles!
nIrppU – among the flowers in water
nilappU – among the flowers on land
maraththil – on trees
oN – beautiful
pU – flowers
uNdu – drinking (honey)
kaLiththu – becoming happy
uzhalvIrkku – you, who are roaming
onRu – a word
uraikkiyam – I will say
vammin – please come
oru – unique
EnamAy – as a varAham (wild boar)
maN – earth’s
thugaL – dust
Adi – one who took it throughout his divine form
vaigundhamannAL – on this nAyaki who is like paramapadham (being very much enjoyable), her
kuzhal vAy – on her locks
virai pOl – being very fragrant
viNdu – spread well
kaL – honey
vArum – flowing copiously
malar – flower
num – your
viyal – amazing
idaththu – places
uLadhO – is it there?
Simple Translation
(This has been told by the nAyakan to the beetles)
Oh beetles! I am going to tell you all, who are drinking honey from flowers which are present on water, on land and on trees and are roaming happily. Please come and listen to me. Among the places where you keep roaming, have you seen the sweet fragrance on flowers, which you are seeing on the locks of this nAyaki who is as enjoyable as the paramapadham of sarvESvaran who incarnated as a unique wild boar and took on all the dust which is present on this earth?
vyAkyAnam
vandugaLO vammin – Oh beetles! Please come here.
nIrppU . . . – some people would say that three types of flowers are referred to here while some others would say that there are four types of flowers. In the term nilappU (flowers on land), people would say that two types of flowers are included – those on plants and those on creepers. Added to the flowers on water and flowers on trees, there are four types of flowes, according to these people. There is an old saying nalla malarppozhil nAlum nuzhaivIrgAL (may you enter all the four types of good orchards). I will say something to you, who are going around to wherever flowers are seen, being happy by drinking honey from them and having that as your main work. Please come.
Enam . . . – he incarnated as the unique, great boar, trampling the earth. When that earth attained him, due to his pride, he took its dust all over his divine form.
vaigundham annAL – this nAyaki is very much concordant with his permanent abode of vaigundham, unlike this vibhUthi (samsAram) where he comes occasionally to protect. She will not let any other enjoyment to come to her heart. She is saying just as ALavandhAr had mercifully said in his sthOthra rathnam SlOkam 5 “sarvam yadhEva niyamEna” (by whomsoever everything is controlled…)
kuzhal vAy virai pOl – just like the sweet fragrance on her locks.
vindugaL . . . – Have you seen among the flowers on the wonderful earth where you roam around fully, any fragrance like this, such that you will not bother about passage of time?
svApadhESam (distinguished meaning): SrIvaishNavas enjoy the auspicious qualities of sarvESvaran in his para, vyUha, vibhava etc forms (sarvESvaran in paramapadham, in thiruppARkadal, in incarnations etc). They are asked “Among all the qualities which you enjoy there, have you seen any quality similar to the one that AzhwAr has?” In other words, the greatness of bhAgavatha (follower of sarvESvaran) is higher than that of bhagavAn (sarvESvaran). vyAkyAthA quotes from thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli “ambasyapArE bhuvanasya madhyE nAkasya prushtE” wherein ambasya is taken as being equivalent to vyUham, bhuvanasya is taken as being equivalent to vibhavam and archchai, and nAkasya is taken as being equivalent to param. These are the three different types of flowers mentioned in the first line.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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