periya thirumozhi – 3.8.1 – nandhA viLakkE

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

periya thirumozhi >> Third centum >> Eighth decad

Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)

No specific introduction.

pAsuram

nandhA viLakkE! aLaththaRku ariyAy!
nara nAraNanE! karumAmugil pOl
endhAy! emakkE aruLAy ena ninRu
imaiyOr paravum idam eththisaiyum
kandhAram am thEn isai pAda mAdE
kaLivaNdu mizhaRRa nizhal thudhaindhu
mandhAram ninRu maNamalgu nAngUr
maNimAdak kOyil vaNangu en mananE!

Word-by-Word meanings

nandhA viLakkE – Oh you who are having the true nature of being eternal and self-illuminating knowledge!
aLaththaRku ariyAy – Oh you who are incomprehensible!
nara nAraNanE – Oh you who incarnated as nara and nArAyaNa!
karu mA mugil pOl endhAy – Oh you, my lord, who are having divine form which matches a dark, great cloud!
emakkE – For us who are favourable and have no other refuge than you
aruLay ena – saying “you should mercifully give your grace”
imaiyOr – dhEvathAs
ninRu – coming and standing on earth
paravum idam – being the abode where they will sing sthOthrams (hymns in praIse)etc and surrender
am thEn – beautiful beetles
eththisaiyum – in all directions
kandhAram isai pAda – to sing rAgas like dhEva gAndhAri etc
kaLi vaNdu – beetles who have drunk honey
mAdE – in the surroundings
mizhaRRa – to hum
nizhal thudhaindhu – giving shade to those beetles
mandhAram ninRu maNam malgum – mandhAra trees blossoming in all seasons and spreading abundant fragrance
nAngUr – in thirunAngUr
maNi mAdak kOyil – thirumaNimAdak kOyil
en mananE – Oh my heart!
vaNangu – surrender

Simple translation

Oh you who are having the true nature of being eternal and having self-illuminating knowledge! Oh you who are incomprehensible! Oh you who incarnated as nara and nArAyaNa! Oh you, my lord, who are having divine form which matches a dark, great cloud! The dhEvathAs come and stand on earth, saying “For us ,who are favourable and have no other refuge than you, you should mercifully give your grace”, in the abode thirumaNimAdak kOyil in thirunAngUr,  where they will sing sthOthrams etc and surrender; in this abode, mandhAra trees blossom in all seasons and spread abundant fragrance, give shade to beetles for them to sing rAgas such as dhEva gAndhAri etc in all directions and to hum in the surroundings after drinking honey. Oh my heart! Surrender unto that abode.

Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)

nandhA viLakkE – Oh heart! You go and enjoy thirumaNimAdak kOyil where brahmA et al pray,saying “You should fulfil our desires” – says AzhwAr.

nandhA viLakkE – Perennial lamp. Lamp implies both light and the one (lamp) who emits the light. Implies – emperumAn is having svarUpam (true nature) which is eternal and self-illuminating.

aLaththaRku ariyAy – Oh you who are incomprehensible due to your vibhuthvam (omnipresence) and auspicious qualities, wealth etc! kUraththAzhwAn would say that AzhwAr is saying the equivalent of thaiththirIya upanishath “sathyam gyAnam anantham brahma” (brahmam which is eternal, knowledgeable and endless). Such emperumAn revealed himself through the incarnations of nara and nArAyaNa.

karu mA mugil pOl endhAy – The enjoyable form in those incarnations. Alternatively – oh you who showed your rejuvenating form which is more attractive than the previously said qualities, and made us exclusively exist for you!

emakkE aruLAy … – The abode where dhEvathAs would come and sing praises and surrender unto you saying “Instead of seeing your common relationship with us and asuras as said in jithanthE sthOthram 2 ‘dhEvAnAm dhAnavAnAm sAmAnyam athidhaivatham’ (emperumAn is equal towards celestial people and demoniac people), you should help us who are without refuge and shower your mercy instead of helping asuras”.

eththisaiyum … – andhEn – beautiful beetles which are known as thEn.  They drink the honey and hum the tune named kandhAram everywhere.

mAdE … – In that surrounding, the beetles which are enjoying joyfully due to the togetherness.

mizhaRRa – singing with sweet, childish words.

nizhal thudhaindhu – making shade for those beetles to let them enjoy; like those who would make shelters for singers. mandhAra – a type of kalpaka vruksha (tree). Remaining in all seasons and spreading fragrance. maNam malgum is also recited as maNam nalgum . Implies, it is giving fragrant materials, just as those who give gifts to singers. AzhwAr is telling his heart “Go and surrender unto such thirumaNimAdak kOyil in thirunAngUr”.

In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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