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periya thirumozhi >> Third centum >> Seventh decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
No specific introduction.
pAsuram
kaLvankol? yAn aRiyEn kariyAn oru kALai vandhu
vaLLi marungul endhan madamAninaip pOdha enRu
veLLi vaLaik kaip paRRap peRRa thAyarai vittaganRu
aLLalam pUngazhani aNiyAli puguvar kolO?
Word-by-Word meanings
kaLvankol – Is he a thief (or the owner)?
yAn aRiyEn – I don’t know
kariyAn oru kALai vandhu – a dark, young person came
vaLLi marungul – having slender waist
endhan mada mAninai – my daughter, who is very young
pOdha enRu – urged her saying “Come! Come!”
veLLi vaLaik kai paRRa – holding her hand which has silver bangles
(immediately, she)
peRRa thAyarai – me who is her mother
ittu aganRu – leaving alone
(both of them together)
aLLal – in mud
am pUngazhani – having fertile fields which are filled with beautiful flowers
aNi Ali – in thiruvAli which is an ornament for the earth
puguvarkolO – will they enter?
Simple translation
Is he a thief (or the owner)? I don’t know. A dark, young person came and urged my daughter, who is very young and having slender waist, holding her hand which has silver bangles, saying “Come! Come!”. Leaving me, who is her mother, alone, will they enter thiruvAli which is an ornament for the earth and is having fertile fields which are filled with beautiful flowers in mud?
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kaLvankol – As said in mahAbhAratham udhyAna parvam 42.35 “yO(a)nyathA santhamAthmAnam anyathA prathipadhyathE, kim thEna na krutham pApam chOrENa AthmApahAriNA” (what sin has not been committed by one who thinks that AthmA (soul), which is the property of emperumAn, is his own and steals such AthmA?), emperumAn taking her, who is his wealth, away appears similar to AthmA’s theft of self (claiming AthmA to be independent), due to AthmA’s impressions of claiming independence.
kol – Though the owner carried his own possession and since he carried under our watch, it is not apt to say “kaLvan” (Thief); still she says “kaLvan” due to her deep involvement in mamakAram (ownership).
yAn aRiyEn – If she, who is guarding there, does not know, one should ask the one who carried.
When told “Though you don’t know, can you not tell the features you know?” parakAla nAyaki’s mother says,
kariyAn … – piLLai amudhanAr explained this as “Just as a person would carry away the sword while the holder remains in tact, while the mother was embracing and resting along with parakAla nAyaki, he carried her away”; bhattar mercifully heard that and said “One need not try so hard; some thieves would have lights on and will carry the children even as the parents start screaming ‘Son! Daugter!’; this is done similar to that”.
oru – Just as one will be stunned if water enters the mouth, while speaking about his complexion, without being able to determine his identity, she can only say “someone”.
kALai – She is saying “Leaving like this is not his mistake; it is the fault of his age”; his youthful state impressed her so much that she starts speaking about its greatness though she has nothing do with it, while trying to blame him for carrying her daughter away. Even my daughter who went with him is thinking “This will cause accusation”, but is saying that it is the fault of his youthful state which makes us not withdraw seeing the disaster. sUrpaNakA, who went to complain about her disfigured face, was the one who said as in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 19.14 “tharuNau” (They are youthful). Subsequently she accused them due to her [natural] previous impressions. Otherwise, what use is it for her to speak about their youth while complaining about her suffering? She thinks of whatever happened in between as the bodily impacts during union.
vandhu – If this is his complexion and youthful state, just as all the snakes came and fell in the sarpa yAgam (the fire sacrifice performed by janamE jayan), all the women should go and fall for him, if he has arrived; would she not go? Whoever it may be, if one attains bhagavAn, it is not without his arrival.
vaLLi … – This is the viSvAmithran which brought him. It is her beauty which brought him. While he has to be narrated with many aspects, it is sufficient for her to be attributed with one feature. In thiruvAimozhi 6.6.1 “mAlukku …“, emperumAn was narrated with many attributes and finally parAnguSa nAyaki was identified as “kongalarElak kuzhali” (one with honey filled, fragrant hair). Here also it is similarly explained.
enRan mada mAninai – my daughter; young one; she is so young that she does not think about her tenderness, femininity and the difficult path.
enRan – As she he came and tried to carry her, she [the mother] is claiming ownership on her saying “my daughter”.
pOdha enRu – As said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 31.15 “uktham artham imam chara” (You do as I say), he is telling her. The dark youthful person came and said “Come! Come!” Just as an AthmA uses karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam etc to reach sarvESvaran, this is the sAdhanam (means) he performed to attain the AthmA.
veLLi vaLaikkai paRRa – She remained stunned being impressed by his speech; at that time, he held her hand; as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 116.16 “na pramANIkrutha: pANi: bAlyE bAlEna pIditha:” (When you were a boy, you held my hand; you did not think about that), you held my hand in such a way that I became as said in thiruvAimozhi 9.6.6 “angaNNan uNda en Ar uyirk kOdhu idhu” (my faulty soul considering his being lovingly desirous and consuming of it). The way he held her hand, she gave up her attachment towards her mother with whom she has a lengthy relationship. Cowherd girls would wear silver bangles by purchasing them in place of gold and other precious gems.
When asked “How deep will his holding of her hand impact?”, mother says
peRRa thAyarai – Am I her step-mother for her to abandon me instantaneously?
ittu – Even when one abandon others, one will atone for doing so; but here she abandoned as if abandoning insentient entities.
aganRu – Even if she leaves us, we can follow her and catch her; she is not even allowing me as she has gone too far.
aLLalam … – The dhivyadhESam thiruvAli is such that, once they cross the border of this town and enter thiruvAli, they will have to place every step on flower only. As said in SrIguNa rathna kOSam 42 “pAdhArunthudhamEvA pankaja raja:” (the buds of the lotus flower are bothering your highness’ divine feet), the flowers are harmful for her [She is so tender].
aNi Ali – thiruvAli which is an ornament for samsAram (material world).
puguvarkolO – Both are young [and hence ignorant] – one who prays to capture the mystic deer and the other who chases to catch it. Without realising, will they reach the gates of lankA or will they reach their destination in the day time? Both are deeply indulging in each other.
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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