SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
She had asked him whether it was correct (muRaiyO?) in the previous pAsuram. The nAyakan came immediately and looked at her with comforting eyes.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
vaNNam sivandhuLa vAnAdamarum kuLir vizhiya
thaNmen kamalaththadam pOl polindhana thAm ivaiyO
kaNNan thirumAL thirumugam thannOdum kAdhal seydhERku
eNNam pugundhu adiyEnOdu ikkAlam irukkinRavE
Word-by-Word Meanings
vaNNam – due to colour
sivandhuLa – becoming red
vAn nAdu – nithyasUris who are in paramAkASam (SrIvaikuNtam)
amarum – to sustain
kuLir – refreshing
vizhiya – having glance
thaN – being cool
mel – being soft
kamalam – lotus flowers which have blossomed
thadam pOla – like a pond
polindhana – being splendorous
ivaidham – these divine eyes
thirumAL – being SrIya:pathi (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi)
kaNNan – purushOththaman (best among all chEthanas), who is obedient to his followers
thirumugam thannOdu – with the divine face
(in that matter)
kAdhal seydhERku – one who is desirous, my
eNNam – with that intention
pugundhu – entered [on their own]
adiyEnodu – with me, the servitor
ikkAlam – during the present time
irukkinRavE – are present
Simple Translation
The eyes [of sarvESvaran] are reddish in colour, are the sustaining force for nithyasUris who are in SrIvaikuNtam due to their refreshingly cool glance and are splendorous like cool, soft lotus flowers which have blossomed in a pond. These eyes entered my heart on their own, when I was with the intention of desiring the divine face of Sriya:pathi, the obedient kaNNan, and are present without leaving me.
vyAkyAnam
vaNNam sivandhuLa – the divine eyes of sarvESvaran are reddish as a natural corollary of not having seen AzhwAr. With this term vaNNam sivandhuLa, it is opined that these were like this even earlier. The distress of separation is similar to what SrI rAma had said in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 66-10 “najIvEyam kshaNamapi” (I cannot live even for a moment (without sIthAppirAtti)). The implication is that the reddishness in the eyes which happened due to not seeing AzhwAr, has now gone.
vAnAdu amarum kuLir vizhiya – those in thripAdhvibhUthi (SrIvaikuNtam which is three times bigger than leelAvibhUthi, the materialistic realm) sustain themselves through these divine eyes. The divine eyes are cool, so that they [nithyasUris] could sustain themselves. Sustenance for them is through eating, dressing and living, because of the divine eyes. They are dhArakam, pOshakam and bhOgyam (water as sustaining material, food as nourishment and betel leaves as enjoyment) for nithyasUris.
thaN . . . – the divine eyes appear like a pond whose surface is full of just blossomed lotus flowers which are cool and soft.
thAmivaiyO – just as it has been mentioned in chAndhOgya upanishath 1-6-7 “thasya yathA kapyAsam puNdarIkam Evam akshiNI”, we have heard through those who recite vEdhams that sarvESvaran’s divine eyes are like just blossomed lotus flowers. Would they be like these?
kaNNan thirumAL – should be rearranged as thirumAL kaNNan – Sriya:pathi, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, who is like an obedient attendant of his followers.
thirumugam thannOdum kAdhal seydhERku – for me who had desired that such nAyakan should come with his beautiful, divine face and glance at me with his cool divine eyes.
eNNam pugundhu – entering, as I had intended. Alternatively, considering my desire as his own.
adiyEnodu – AzhwAr says as in jithanthE SlOkam 1 “jitham” (success to you). The true nature of the word aham (I) appears to be adiyEn (your servitor). The term adiyEn has two meanings: AzhwAr says that he has lost out to the beauty of the divine eyes and has become a servant. adiyEn also refers to the natural servitude (of jIvAthmA). What is the pramANam (authentic source) for saying that servitude is the natural quality of jIvAthma? thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 5-1 says “OmithyAthmAnam yunjItha” (one should meditate on AthmA, by reciting the praNava manthram, Om) as well as in the vEdhic saying OnkArO bhagavAn vishNu – vishNu is identified by the manthram Om.
ikkAlam – I do not know if the reason for the benefit that I had attained [of his divine eyes entering me] had happened earlier.
irukkinRavE – just as it has been said in chAdhOgya upanishath 8-15 “na cha punarAvarthathE ” (those who reach SrIvaikuNtam do not return), it appears as if mOksham has been attained. It appeared that he would not separate again from her. It appeared that he had come right in front of her.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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The word by word meanings and the vyakyanams are really very nice, easy to understand. Thank you so much for your efforts. But I have a request. Can I get the same texts in Tamil language. I think we connect with the meanings more when we can read in our own language. Can you Pl make arrangements for that. Thank you once again.