SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Second centum >> Seventh decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
No specific introduction.
pAsuram
than kudikku Edhum thakkavA ninaiyAL
thadangadal nudangeyil ilangai
vankudi madanga vALamar tholaiththa
vArththai kEttu inbuRum mayangum
minkodi marungul surunga mEl nerungi
menmulai ponpayandhirundha
enkodi ivaLukku en ninaindhirundhAy?
idavendhai endhai pirAnE!
Word-by-Word meanings
than – her
kudikku – for the clan
thakkavA – apt path
Edhum – any
ninaiyAL – does not analyse and know!
thadam – vast
kadal – ocean
nudangu – curved
eyil – having fort
ilangai – present in lankA
van – strong demons’
kudi – clan
vAL amar – in the cruel battle
tholaiththa – destroyed
vArththai – news
kEttu – hear
inbuRum – become joyful; (again)
mayangum – will faint;
min – lightning
kodi – like a slender creeper
marungul – waist
surunga – to bend
mEl – above
nerungi – close to each other
pon payandhirundha – one who has golden coloured paleness
mel – soft
mulai – having bosoms
en kodi ivaLukku – in my daughter’s matter
en ninaindhirundhAy – what are you thinking?
(leaving paramapadham)
idavendhai – having arrived in thiruvidavendhai
endhai pirAnE – Oh lord of my clan!
sollu – You should mercifully speak a word.
Simple translation
My daughter parakAla nAyaki does not analyse and know the apt path for her clan; she becomes joyful as she heard the news of lankA which is surrounded with vast ocean and curved fort where the clan of strong demons was destroyed in a cruel battle; then she will faint. What are you thinking in the matter of my daughter who is having soft bosoms which have golden coloured paleness, close to each other, above her waist, which resembles lightning and a slender creeper, and which makes her waist bend? Oh lord of my clan! Having arrived in thiruvidavendhai, you should mercifully speak a word.
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
than kudikkEdhum – Just as it is said in “emperumAnAr dharSanam” (SrI rAmAnuja dharSanam), mother is saying “than kudi” (My daughter’s clan) instead of “nam kudi” (our clan). Instead of saying as per our understanding, perumAL himself would mercifully say “irAmAnusan udaiyAr” (servitors of SrI rAmAnuja). piLLAn would say “If a precious gem stone is placed in the middle and strung, the necklace will be fully valued as that gem [similarly, emperumAnAr’s presence in the middle of the guruparamparA adds glory to it]”.
than kudikku Edhum thakkavA ninaiyAL – This is how parakAla nAyaki is now as she is saying “Are you going to protect your dignity or not?” We thought that we could increase the dignity of our clan starting with her. But while we were thinking like that, she is pushing it down into the ocean.
than kudikku – As said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 67.22 “janakAnAm kulE kIrthim Aharishyathi mE suthA” (king janaka tells of his daughter “My daughter sIthA will bring celebrity to the clan of janakas”), it is after her birth in this clan that the clan attained new glories. One day, when embAr heard how beautifully parASara bhattar learnt/recited, he shed [happy] tears; with melted heart, he showed bhattar mercifully saying “janakAnAm kulE kIrthim Aharishyathi mE suthA”. As said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 30.30 “… thath thasya sadhruSam bhavEth” (it will be appropriate for SrI rAma, who is capable of annihilating enemies, to agitate lankA with his arrows and redeem me), we cannot worry for our result and should remain “It is achieved by his grace”. sIthAp pirAtti remained thinking “If we are reaching him, what is the purpose of these other means?” parakAla nAyaki remains thinking “Shall we not reach to be in front of him by any means, and then remain calm?”
Edhum thakkavA ninaiyAL – She is thinking to perform madal, or to kill herself by hanging from a tree.
ninaiyAL – The divine mother is following her daughter’s thoughts, since she cannot lose her.
thadam kadal … – She will become pleased thinking about the helping nature of emperumAn so that she need not try to hang herself etc. He helped sIthAp pirAtti after she tried to kill herself. Having the vast ocean as a moat, and the fort which will cause shivers in the enemies as they hear about it. Alternatively, having curved fort.
ilangai van kudi madanga – Not just the protection for the town, but the clan which is grown greatly due to the boons they (members of the clan) have received. To have such strong clan destroyed. Unlike rAkshasas who fought deceitful battle, SrI rAma fought an honest battle to destroy such strong clan – that is the incident from SrI rAmAyaNam. Hearing that,
inbuRum – She becomes pleased thinking “When he helped another woman (sIthAp pirAtti) who was in the same situation (as I am), was it not similar to helping me!”
mayangum – She becomes bewildered thinking “Instead of an unhelpful person not helping, he is helpful in nature, yet not helping me!” and faints. First she becomes pleased thinking about his closeness and then faints thinking about him not helping even after being so close.
min kodi … – Could she be abandoned if she faints? [No] The bosoms at the upper portion of her body push to further shrink the lightning and creeper like waist, just as one would sit atop something and cut the base.
men mulai – Though the bosoms are hard in nature, they are said to be soft here to indicate that they cannot tolerate the separation.
pon payandhu irundha – The paleness covered her body to make her beauty become dust.
en kodi – The mother is thinking “even if he is not helping seeing her beauty, he will at least help seeing her family heritage”.
ivaLukku en ninaindhu irundhAy – Could you not help her even after she has paleness, firm belief, sorrow, beauty and family heritage?
idavendhai endhai pirAnE – Your presence in thiruvidavendhai reveals that you have got more paleness than she [in separation from her]. You would have remained in SrIvaikuNtam had your divine form not become pale. What are you, who have arrived and are mercifully residing in thiruvidavendhai revealing your paleness, thinking in her matter?
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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