SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
Next, dusk came and started tormenting her. Since the time after dusk is the happy time of night, and since the nAyakan had not come there to be with her, the nAyaki feels distressed. Her friend tells her “This is not dusk. Two bulls are raring to fight with each other”, making her feel bewildered about time and trying to console her.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
kArERRiruL segilERRin sudarukku uLaindhu velvAn
pOrERRu edhirndhadhu punthalai mAlai bhuvaniyellAm
nIrERRaLandha nediya pirAn aruLAvidumE
vARERRiLa mulaiyAy varundhEl un vaLaiththiRamE
Word-by-Word Meanings
iruL – darkness
kAr – black
ERu – bull
segil – reddish
ERRin – bull (refers to sUriyan (sUrya))
sudarukku – effulgence
uLaindhu – losing out
(hiding all along, now)
velvAn – to win (against that bull)
pOr – battle
ERRu – accepting that
pul – negligible
thalai – duration
mAlai – in the evening time (dusk)
edhirndhadhu – fought
bhuvaniyellAm – throughout the earth
nIr ERRu – accepting water (given as sign of giving alms, from mahAbali)
aLandha – one who seized
nediya – one who had unlimited friendliness
pirAn – sarvESvaran, the benefactor
aruLAvidumE – will he not shower his mercy?
vAr – with bodice
ERRu – being held
iLa mulaiyAy – Oh one who has youthful bosoms!
un vaLaiththiRam – regarding your bangles
varundhEl – do not grieve
Simple Translation
The bull of darkness had lost out to the bull of reddishly splendrous sUriyan. However, in order to win against that bull, it came during dusk, which lasts only briefly. Will sarvESvaran, who had accepted water, as a sign of receing alms from mahAbali, and measured all the worlds, not show his mercy on you at this time of dusk? Oh one has held her bosoms in a bodice! You need not grieve regarding your bangles.
vyAkyAnam
kArERRiruL – darkness looks like a black bull.
segilERRin sudarukku uLaindhu – surrendered to the rays of reddish bull, called as sUriyan, after losing to it. That dark bull told itself “Should we lose like this such that we would perish? We should also win once” and waged a fight with the reddish bull, donning the garland (or evening) [In thamizh language, both garland and evening are referred to by the same word, mAlai].
pun thalai mAlai – sandhyA (dusk) time which lasts only briefly; dusk which has minute buds of embers of darkness. Is it possible to ascribe buds to evening? Just as it has been mentioned in the saying nakanibhasunjathiyAnthamOvallaya: where darkness is compared to a creeper, it is acceptable to say that darkness has buds.
bhuvani . . . – shouldn’t one, who knows sarvESvaran’s qualities, remain patiently? Is he not one who kept his divine foot, which are like the flowers for nithyasUris, on everyone’s head, without any reason, treating indhra as the cause for doing that way? Will he, who is the benefactor for all, leave you behind? Would one, who comes and helps entities who are engulfed by thamas (ignorance) and complain to him [reference is to indhra et al], remain idly when thamas (darkness) spreads in the world (during dusk)? Would one, who comes seeking alms to reclaim land which others claim as their own [mahAbali] leave you, who are his wealth, and that too when he does not have to seek alms? Would one, who does not let go of anything on this earth which is full of forests and highlands, let you to suffer? Would one, who hastened when the earth was in trouble, remain patiently when a lady is in trouble?
vArERRu iLa mulaiyAy – would he, who keeps his divine feet on forests and highlands, not keep them on your bosoms?
aruLAvidumE – would one, who transforms himself to help those who have the quality of sathvam (goodness) occasionally, not help you who is full of Sudhdha sathvam (pure goodness)?
bhuvani . . . – he is the great benefactor who feels that he has not done anything even after keeping his divine feet on the heads of everyone, when he measured the earth consequent to accepting water as a sign of taking alms.
aruLAvidumE – even if his affection for you is lost, would even his mercy, which is a corollary of his true nature, not be showered on you?
vArERRu iLamulaiyAy – oh one who has bosoms which have to be held by a bodice! Would he allow you to bear your bosoms which are to be borne either by the bodice or by him?
iLa mulaiyAy – though you have not reached adulthood, your bosoms are such that they have to be sustained by bodice. Just as children cry out for food during times of hunger, your bosoms are heaving, crying out for worldly pleasures.
varundhEl un vaLaiththiRamE – you do not have to grieve for the bangles slipping out of your hands. If you wish, you could grieve for entities on his hands slipping out. Just as it has been said in thiruppallANdu 2 “appAnchasanniyamum pallANdu” (long live that conch, pAnchajanyam), praise his conch [our bangles are representative of the conch since they are made of conch].
In the previous pAsuram, how AzhwAr sustained himself through the knowledge of sarvESvaran’s auspicious qualities and through sarvESvaran entering his mind, was mentioned. In this pAsuram he says that even that is not required; mere knowledge that he is the protector and we are the entities to be protected is sufficient. varundhEl un vaLaiththiRamE – this is similar to the saying in bhagavath gIthA 18-66 SlOkam “mA Sucha:” (do not grieve). Through the words aham thvA, the true nature of both (sarvESvaran and AzhwAr) has been explained and only after that has mA Sucha: been said.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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