SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
perumAL thirumozhi >> 5th Decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr says that he was like the citizens of a country where the people look up to the king for protection, even if he were a tyrant.
mIn nOkkum neeLvayal sUzh viththuvakkOttammA! en
pAl nOkkAyAgilum un paRRallAl paRRilEn
thAn nOkkAdhu eththuyaram seydhidinum thAr vEndhan
kOl nOkki vAzhum kudi pOnRu irundhEnE
Word-by-Word Meanings
mIn nOkkum – looked at by fishes (which are in the ocean) (thinking that this is our refuge, if the ocean were to dry up)
neeL vayal sUzh – surrounded by expansive fields
viththuvakkOttammA – my lord who has taken residence in thiruviththuvakkOdu
en pAl – towards me
nOkkAy Agilum – even if you do not shower your mercy
un paRRu allAl paRRu ilEn – other than taking refuge under your divine feet, I will not take refuge under anyone else
thAr vEndhan – a king who has donned garland (and remaining as the protector for his citizens)
thAn nOkkadhu – even if he (who has to, but) does not protect his citizens
eththuyaram seydhidinum – despite all the sorrows that he gives
kOl nOkki vAzhum – looking at his sceptre alone
kudi pOnRu irundhEn – I was like those citizens
Simple Translation
Oh my lord, who has taken residence in thiruviththuvakkOdu, which is surrounded by expansive fields, which are looked at by fishes (in the ocean, which will look at these fields as their refuge, should the ocean dry up)! I have no refuge other than your divine feet. I am in the same position as the citizens of a country who look up to their king for protection, even if the king were to given them sorrows.
vyAkyAnam
mIn nOkkum neeL vayal sUzh – even if the waterbodies in the world where fishes live, were to dry up, water in these fields [surrounding thiruviththuvakkOdu] will not dry up. The opinion is that these fishes will think that they can take refuge in these fields and survive. thiruviththuvakkOdu which is surrounded by such fields. The opinion here is that the land is so noble that fishes, which are in the ocean, will consider the fertile fields as their refuge.
viththuvakkOttammA – Oh the lord of both vibhUthis (nithya vibhUthi, the spiritual realm, and leelA vibhUthi, the materialistic realm) who has mercifully taken residence in thiruviththuvakkOdu! emperumAn manifests his auspicious quality of simplicity in this dhivyadhESam which, those in paramapadham, who would not experience it there, could come to experience it. emperumAn has all the auspicious qualities. We, the dwellers of samsAram, have only heard of his auspicious qualities of greatness through Sruthi (vEdham) etc, which speak about those qualities. We have not experienced those. In the same way, those who are in paramapadham, have only heard of his qualities of simplicity but have not experienced those there [simplicity and such qualities are shown towards lowly persons only; in paramapadham, there is no lowly entity]. The opinion here is that people in paramapadham come to this dhivyadhESam to see and experience such qualities of simplicity etc.
viththuvakkOttammA en pAL nOkkAyAgilum – Oh my lord, who has mercifully taken residence in thiruviththuvakkOdu! You are throwing the glance, which you show to protect all the entities in paramapadham, towards me alone when you are in thiruviththuvakkOdu. Even if you now do not look at me at all…
un paRRallAl paRRilEn – will I let go of your divine feet, when you have been making all efforts since time immemorial to nurture me, and take refuge under someone else who, I know, has the nature of oppressing me? Will I look at someone else as my protector, when I have been struggling in samsAram from time immemorial and have reached this pitiable state? Will I take refuge under someone who does not have the qualification to protect me, even a little bit!
thAn nOkkAdhu eththuyaram seydhidinum thAr vEndhan – a king has donned garland as a symbol of having taken a vow to protect his citizens. If such a king, apart from not protecting them, causes them heartburns too….
thAr vEndhan kOl nOkki vAzhum kudi pOnRu irundhEnE – even if the king, who has to rule in a righteous way, turns out to be a tyrant, his citizens will follow his orders. I was in a similar situation, says AzhwAr. A citizen cannot carry out the protecting act of preventing a strong man from harassing a weaker person. A citizen can wear a saffron dress (symbolic of renunciation) and protect himself with the help of his king. In the same way, I have no role in protecting myself. Only you, the owner, should protect me, the owned. There is nothing that I could carry out, to protect myself. There is nothing that you cannot do, to protect me.
We will consider the 4th pAsuram of this decad, next.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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