SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had spoken about the loss which samsAris incurred due to impressions of their past deeds which had exceeded emperumAn’s simplicity. In this pAsuram he says “I am the lowest among the samsAris. You are manifesting your eminence as well as simplicity to me; you are also manifesting your simplicity to your followers and the quality of being difficult to attain for others; through all these, you have made me exist for you. How amazing is this!”
maNNuLAy kol viNNuLAy kol maNNuLE mayangi ninRu
eNNumeNNagap padAy kol enna mAyai nin thamar
kaNNuLAy kol sEyai kol ananthan mEl kidandha em
puNNiyA punandhuzhAy alangalam punidhanE
Word-by-Word Meanings
maNNuLAy kol – haven’t you (an aprAkruthan (not composed of anything related to primordial matter)) incarnated in leelA vibhUthi, in the same species as those in leelA vibhUthi?
viNNuLAy kol – (having incarnated like this) aren’t you the controller of nithyasUris who are in paramapadham?
maNNuLE – on the earth
mayangi ninRu – remaining in a bewildered state
eNNum – (samsAris) thinking
eN – thoughts
agappadAy kol – aren’t you outside?
nin thamar – for your followers
kaNNuLAy kol – aren’t you in their eyes?
sEyai kol – aren’t you too far away (from the enemies of your followers)?
ananthan mEl kidandha – reclining on top of thiruvanandhAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
em puNNiyA – oh one who is my means!
punandhuzhAy alangal – with the garland made of divine thuLasi
am – being beautiful
punidhanE – oh one who is sacred!
enna mAyai – how amazing is this!
Simple Translation
Haven’t you incarnated in the prAkrutha species of those who inhabit leelA vibhUthi, even though you are an aprAkruthan? Are you not the controller of nithyasUris who are in paramapadham (even after incarnating in leelA vibhUthi)? Aren’t you outside the thoughts of those who remain on the earth, who are in a bewildered state? Aren’t you in the eyes of your followers? Aren’t you too far away for those who are inimical to your followers? Oh one who is lying atop thiruvanandhAzhwAn, as my means! Oh one who is beautiful and who is the sacred entity with the garland made of divine thuLasi! How amazing is this!
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
maNNuLAy kol – being full in all aspects, just as it has been mentioned in chAndhOgya upanishath 3-14-2 “avAkyanAdhara:” (paramAthmA (supreme entity) is one who does not speak to anyone, due to his majestic nature and who is without any regard (towards any entity)) you incarnated in order to make samsAris to attain you, after transforming your divine aprAkrutha form to a prAkrutha form, visible to samsAris. By using the term ‘kol’ AzhwAr asks that while incarnating, since emperumAn manifests his eminence as simplicity, how are these two fitting within you? In other words, while he incarnated as SrI rAma, even as he was in a state of sadness after being separated from sIthAp pirAtti, how did he grant mOksham (paramapadham) to a bird, jatAyu? Hasn’t kUraththAzhwAn too mercifully stated this in athimAnushasthavam 17? “pruchchAmi kinchana yadhA kila rAghavathvE mAyAmrugasya vaSagOmanujathvamaugdhyAth l sIthA viyOgavivaSO na cha thadhgathijgya: prAdhAs thadhA paragathim hi katham kagAya ll ” ((Oh empirAn!) I want to ask you one question: you had incarnated as SrI rAma; with the lower intelligence of humans, you came under the influence of the illusory deer, got separated from sIthAp pirAtti and became unconscious. You did not know as to where she had gone. Even in that state, how did you grant mOksham (SrI vaikuNtam) to a bird?)
viNNuLAy kol – you have an eminence which cannot be estimated even by nithyasUris who have no connection with samsAram. Here, the word ‘kol’ is used with the meaning that while he is the controller of nithyasUris, he is affable with guhan, SabarI, sugrIva et al. How do these two qualities coexist?
maNNuLE mayangi ninRu eNNum eNNagappadAy kol – you are beyond the thoughts of samsAris who are unable to see clearly your qualities of eminence as well as simplicity due to their contact with their physical bodies on earth and who seek worldly pursuits.
enna mAyai has been explained at the end, as a verb.
nin thamar kaNNuLAy kol – for those who take refuge under your divine feet, without considering any other benefit, just as it has been said in bhagavath gIthA SlOkam 4-8 “parithrANAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya cha dhushkruthAm l
dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE ll” (I incarnate in every yugam [epoch] in order to protect the good people, to annihilate the bad ones and to establish righteous path) you make them see you, just as you are.
sEyai kol – for those who are inimical to your followers, you are at a very great distance, without knowing anything about you and to get destroyed fighting you. The reference seen in bhagavath gIthA 4-8, seen just now, explains this too. The word ‘kol‘ signifies that while emperumAn has a relationship which is the same for both his followers and those who are inimical to his followers, he is benevolent towards his followers while he is beyond the reach of their enemies. How do these coexist?
From the beginning of this pAsuram, the contrasting qualities which emperumAn manifests towards his followers and towards their enemies, along with the authentic texts cited as proof, make it clear that these cannot be brushed aside as false. Since the qualities are in contrast, they cannot be considered as true too. How amazing is this!
ananthan mEl kidandha em puNNiyA – let these remain as contradictory. By showing the beauty of your divine form as you reclined on thiruvanandhAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan), you have made it clear to me that you have the nature of mingling with your followers and that I am totally subservient to you!
puNNiyA – As per etymology, “pumsthvam nayathIthi puNya:” (that which makes the basic nature clear is puNyam). AzhwAr says that emperumAn is the means for clarifying his basic nature and AzhwAr’s basic nature.
punandhuzhAy alangal punidhanE – mahAbhAratham uththara parvam 42-35 says “yO’nyathA santhamAthmAnam anyathA prathipadhyathE l kim thEna na krutham pApam chOrENAthmApahAriNA ll” (What sin has not been committed by a person who considers AthmA, which is emperumAn’s possession, as his own?) Oh the great purifier, who, by manifesting your shoulders and the garland decorating the shoulders, removed my taste from other benefits and removed impurities such as considering AthmA (soul) as one’s own [while it is owned by emperumAn]! punidhan – one who purifies others.
enna mAyai – how amazing is this! The implied meaning is that the great deeds which emperumAn mercifully did for AzhwAr could not be measured.
We shall next take up the 46th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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