SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
perumAL thirumozhi >> 4th Decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the first pAsuram, AzhwAr said that he does not desire the enjoyments in this world. When asked “The pleasures in svargam (heaven, the land of celestial entities) last for a longer time than these (our earthly) pleasures and are more in quantum than these limited pleasures. What will you do if you get them?” AzhwAr responds in this pAsuram saying “If I were to get the pleasures in svargam as well as the pleasures here, I will not desire them”
AnAdha selvaththu arambaiyargaL thaRchUzha
vAnALum selvamum maNNarasum yAn vENdEn
thenar pUnjOlaith thiruvEngadachchunaiyil
mInAyp piRakkum vidhi udaiyEn AvEnE
Word-by-Word Meanings
AnAdha selvaththu – having indestructible wealth (of youth)
arambaiyargaL – celestial ladies such as rambA et al
than sUzha – as they surround a person
vAn Alum selvamum – the wealth of ruling over svargam (heaven)
maN arasum – ruling this earth too
yAn vENdEn – I will not desire
thEn Ar pU sOlai – in gardens having flowers dripping with honey
thiruvEngadam sunaiyil – in the reservoir present in thiruvEngadam
mIn Ay piRakkum – born, at the least, as a fish
vidhi udiyEn AvEnE – let me have the fortune
Simple Translation
I will not desire the wealth of ruling svargam which has indestructible (youthful) wealth of celestial ladies such as rambA et al who would surround a person; I will not desire ruling earth too. Instead, let me have the fortune of being born as a fish in the reservoir in thiruvEngadam, which has gardens having flowers dripping with honey.
vyAkyAnam
AnAdha selvaththu arambaiyargaL – the term AnAdha selvam refers to the indestructible wealth of youthfulness. Ladies such as rambA, mEnakA et al, who have such indestructible wealth of youth.
thaRchUzha – surrounding the person; even if the person desires to escape, they will fall head over heels over him and hold him back.
vAnALum selvamum maNNarasum yAn vENdEn – apart from enjoying the wealth in svargam, even if I am offered the wealth of kingdom which I had rejected in the first pAsuram, I will not accept these. AzhwAr is not rejecting these because of any shortcoming in the wealth, but because these do not have the connection with bhAgavathas (followers of emperumAn) which is the benefit that he desires.
When queried “What wealth did you desire?” he says
thEnar puNjOlatith thiruvEngadach chunaiyil – the term thEn refers both to the honey in flowers and to beetles. Hence, thEnar pUnjOlai could be construed as gardens with flowers having lot of honey or gardens with flowers with lot of beetles. thiruvEngadam is surrounded by such gardens.
mInAyp piRakkum vidhiyudaiyEn AvEnE – if as in the first pAsuram, had he been born as a crane, once it grows up a bit and gets to develop its wings, it is capable of trying to fly out of thiruvEngadam. Instead of going out of thiruvEngadam like that, if he were to be born as a fish, it has to live and perish in that same place. Hence, he desires to be born as a fish.
piRakkum vidhi udaiyEn AvEnE – it is not necessary to be born immediately as a fish; due to the result of the virtuous deeds done by him (puNyam), if he gets an affirmation that in the next birth, he would be born as a fish, that is sufficient, he says. The term vidhi refers to the fortune that would surely result from virtuous deeds.
In the next article, we will take up the 3rd pAsuram in this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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