SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
During the time of moon rising, the nAyaki feels very distressed. She tells her mind “It is the nature of chandhiran (moon) to carry out simple tasks such as to make the lotus to close its petals and to make lily to blossom. Do not grieve regarding this’.
Let us go through the pAsuram and its meanings:
idam pOy virindhu ivvulagam aLandhAn ezhilAr thaNdhuzhAy
vadam pOdhil naiyum madanenjamE nangaL veLvaLaikkE
vidam pOl viridhal idhu viyappE viyan thAmaraiyin
thadam pOdhu odunga mellAmbal alarvikkum veN thingaLE
Word-by-Word Meanings
idam – at various places
pOy – going
virindhu – pervading
ivvulagu – this world
aLandhAn – one who measured
ezhil – by [his] beauty
Ar – being full
thaN – cool
thuzhAy – divine thuLasi
vadam – in the garland
pOdhil – in its beauty
(desiring it and since not attaining it)
naiyum – crumbling
madam – having stubbornness
nenjamE – Oh mind!
viyan – amazing
thAmaraiyin – lotus’
thadam – broad
pOdhu – flower
odunga – to contract
(one who does)
mel – small
Ambal – lily flower
alarvikkum – one who makes it to blossom
veN – white
thingaL – chandhiran (moon)
nangaL – our
veL – pale
vaLaikkE – on the bangles
vidam pOl – like poison
viridhal – spreading its rays
idhu – this [activity]
viyappE – is it of any surprise?
Simple Translation
Oh mind which is craving for the beautiful divine thuLasi garland of sarvESvaran who measured the world at all places with his divine foot! Is it any surprise that the whitish moon, which makes lotus to close its petals and lily to blossom, is spreading like poison on top of my pale bangles?
vyAkyAnam
idam pOy virindhu – just as flood will fill up all the low lying areas, [sarvESvaran’s] divine foot permeated wherever there was space. Beautiful, cool divine thuLasi is there on the divine form of the one who measured all the worlds; the divine garland is there as the sustenance for that divine thuLasi. Oh mind, which is stubbornly desirous of that garland since it is beautiful and cool on account of being in constant contact with is divine form! You are languishing because the divine thuLasi is not attained and you are not listening to me when I say that it is not easy to obtain that!
nangaL . . . – is it any surprise that the white rays of the chandhiran are spreading on my bangles made of conch, like poison?
veL vaLaikkE – it is natural for harming something when an entity is capable of harming it. Since chandhiran is whitish and my bangles too are, seeing a congruence in the colour, it could be harming.
viyan thAmarai . . . – when someone does not know the distinction between a great and a lowly entity, what will he not do? When chandhiran is capable of making the great and wondrous lotus flower to contract and the lowly lily flower to blossom, is it a surprise that it is spreading like poison on our bangles?
svApadhESam (distinguished meaning): AzhwAr is narrating about how in a situation when he could not get the beautiful divine thuLasi garland which sarvESvaran wore when he mercifully measured the worlds, even favourable objects [such as chandhiran] turn out to be harmful.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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