SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram “You are known only through vEdhams. In order to shower your mercy on your followers, you, who are reclining in kshIrAbdhi (milky ocean), which is equivalent to your form in paramapadham, come down to this earth with a form desired by your followers. Is it possible for anyone to estimate your simplicity?”
angamARu vEdhanAngumAgi ninRu avaRRuLE
thanguginRa thanmaiyAy thadam kadal paNaththalaich
chengaN nAgaNaikkidandha selvamalgu sIrinAy
sangavaNNam anna mEni sArngapANi allaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
angam ARum – for the six auxiliaries [of vEdham] such as SIkshA etc
vEdham nAngum – and for the four vEdhams which are the main
Agi ninRu – being the controller
avaRRuLE – among the four vEdhams
thanguginRa– being the meanings
thanmaiyAy – Oh one who has the qualities
thadam– expansive
kadal – in the milky ocean
paNa – on the hoods
thalai – on top
sem – reddish
kaN – having divine eyes
nAgaNai – on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
kidandha – as one who is reclining
malgu – growing abundantly
selvam – having opulence
sIrinAy – having divine auspicious qualities
(During krutha yugam) [first among the four epochs]
Sanga – sankham (conch)
vaNNam anna – similar to its colour
mEni – having a divine form
(during thrEthA yugam) [second among the four epochs]
sArngapANi – as SrI rAma, who holds the divine bow, SArngam
allaiyE – did you not incarnate?
Simple Translation
Oh one who is the controller of the four vEdhams and their six auxiliaries and who remains as the meanings of those vEdhams! Oh one who has abundantly growing opulence and auspicious qualities, and who is reclining in the milky ocean, on the mattress of AdhiSEshan who has reddish, divine eyes on his hoods! You have a complexion like the white coloured divine conch (during krutha yugam). Did you not incarnate as SrI rAma (in thrEthA yugam) holding the divine bow, SrI Sarngam?
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
angamARu vEdha nAngum Agi ninRu – SikshA, vyAkaraNam, chandhas, niruktham, jyOthisham and kalpam are the six auxiliaries for the four vEdhams rig, yajur, sAma and atharvaNa. emperumAn remains as the one who revealed these to the world.
avaRRuLE thanguginRa thanmaiyAy – Oh one who fits well with the great meanings of words given in the four vEdhams along with their six auxiliaries, making them to belong only to you! The verse Agi ninRAvaRRuLE could be considered as a single word, in which case the meaning would change to – remaining within the vEdhams which are authentic texts which do not have the deficiencies seen in other texts. What are the qualities of greatness enunciated in vEdhams?
- Auspicious qualities enunciated by upanishaths
thaiththirIya upanishath Anandhavalli 1-2 “sathyam gyANam anantham brahma l yO vEdha nihitham guhAyAm l sO’SnuthE sarvAn kAmAn saha l brahmaNA vipaSchithEthi ll” (brahmam (supreme entity) (being without transformation) is full of truthfulness and knowledge, and (being unbounded) is without an end. One who knows that such brahmam is inside the cave of one’s heart, enjoys all the auspicious qualities with that omniscient brahmam)
muNdakOpanishath 1-1-10 “yas sarvagyas sarvavith yasya gyAnamayam thapa:” (that paramAthmA (supreme entity) who knows the svarUpam (basic nature) and svabhAvam (basic characteristics) of all entities and whose sankalpam (vow; thought) is full of knowledge …..)
- Qualities of being the lord of both leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm) and nithya vibhUthi (spriritualistic realm)
thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 11 “yachcha kinchith jagathyasmin dhruSyathE SrUyathEpivA l anthar bahiScha thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNa: sthitha: ll” (nArAyaNan pervades both on the inside and outside all the entities which are seen and heard in this world)
- Qualities of togetherness with the divine form
bruhadhAraNyaka upanishath “thasya haithasya purushasya rUpam yathA mAhArajanam vAsa:” (that divine form of supreme entity is like a golden dress)
- Qualities of incarnations
chAndhOgya upanishath 1-6 & 7 “ya EshO’ntharAdhithyE hiraNmaya: purushO dhruSyathE hiraNyaSmaSrur
hiraNya kESa ApraNakhAth sarva Eva suvarNa:l thasya yathA kapyAsam puNdarIkam EvamakshiNI ll” (This supreme entity who is seen amidst sUrya (solar galaxy) with a beautiful, golden hued form, has a beautiful, golden moustache and golden hair; he has two divine eyes which are like lotus, blossomed by sun)
- Qualities of togetherness with nithya vibhUthi
rig vEdham – vishNu sUktham “thadh vishNO: paramam padham sadhA paSyanthi sUraya: l dhivIva chakshurAthatham ll thadh viprAsO vipanyavO jAgruvAmsas samindhathE vishNOr yath paramam padham ll” (nithyasUris constantly keep looking at that superior abode of vishNu. That supreme abode is effulgent like sUriyan (sun) who reveals everything, who is in the sky, who is like the eyes of the world. In that paramapadham, greatly wise people, people who keep constantly worshipping, ever alert nithyasUris shine brightly)
thadam kadal paNaththalaich chengaNAgaNaikkidandha selva malgu sIrinAy – oh one who revealed these qualities by resting in thiruppARkadal (milky ocean) instead of being merely a hearsay by being known through only in the vEdhams! The meaning here is that emperumAn is revealing his unlimited opulence and auspicious qualities by lying on the mattress of AdhiSEshan who has reddish eyes which are on top of his hoods. These hoods have expanded due to the touch of emperumAn and his eyes are reddish due to that intoxication. emperumAn is revealing those unlimited opulence and auspicious qualities to his followers, lying in the milky ocean.
sangavaNNam anna mEni sArngapANi allaiyE– reclining in thiruppARkadal cannot be enjoyed by ordinary people, since it is almost like his supreme form in paramapadham. To ensure that even those people can enjoy him, emperumAn incarnated during krutha yugam (first among the four epochs of krutha, thrEthA, dhwApara and kali) with whitish complexion, as desired by people in that yugam. Subsequently, during thrEthA yugam, as desired by the people during that time, in order to annihilate cruel people such as rAvaNa et al, did he not incarnate in the kshathriya clan (clan of warriors) as SrI rAma, holding the divine bow, SrI SArngam? He transformed his natural dark, complexion to a whitish complexion during krutha yugam for the sake of his followers. During thrEthA yugam, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 120-11 “abravIth thridhaSaSrEshtAn rAmO dharmabruthAm vara: l AthmAnam mAnusham manyE rAmam dhaSarathAjmajam ll” (SrI rAma, who is more eminent than dharmavAn (those who follow righteous ways) told the great people among celestial entities “I consider myself as a human being and as rAma, the son of dhaSaratha”). Who would be able to estimate this simplicity of yours when you have shed your parathvam (being a supreme entity) and taken up the quality of being a human being?
We will next consider the 16th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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