SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said “adiyEn vIdupeRRup piRappaRUkkum vazhiyai aruLich cheyyavENum” (you should mercifully show me the means to attain paramapadham and to sever connection with my births). emperumAn told him “There are many abodes such as param (SrIvaikuNtam), vyUham (thiruppARkadal, the milky ocean), vibhavam (places of divine incarnations such as SrI rAma, krishNa et al) to attain me. You could reach any of these places and attain me”. AzhwAr responds to emperumAn in this pAsuram “It is not possible for me to attain you in these places. You should now mercifully tell me a place where I can know you and attain you”
kArodoththa mEni nangaL kaNNa! viNNinAdhanE
nIridath tharAvaNaik kidaththi enbar anRiyum
Oridaththai allai ellai illai enbar AdhalAl
sErvidaththai nAyinEn therindhu iRainju mAsolE
Word-by-Word Meanings
karodu oththa – matching monsoon clouds
mEni – having a divine form
nangaL kaNNa – Oh our krishNa!
viNNin nAdhanE – Oh the lord of nithyasUris!
nIr idaththu– in thiruppARkadal
arA aNai– on the mattress of thiruvanandhAzhwAr (AdhiSEshan)
kidaththi – you are reclining
enbar – vEdhams and those who follow vEdhams will say
anRiyum – apart from that
Oridaththaiallai – you are not in any one particular place (you are present everywhere)
ellaiyillai enbar – (for the abodes where you can be attained such as dhahara vidhyai etc) they will also say that there is no count
AdhalAl – since those places are not approachable
nAyinEn – I, who am very lowly
sErvidaththai – the place to attain
therindhu – to know
iRainjumA – the way to attain
sol – you should mercifully tell me
Simple Translation
Oh our krishNa who has a divine form matching dark clouds of monsoon! Oh the lord of nithyasUris! vEdhams and those who follow vEdhams will say that you recline on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn in thiruppARkadal. Apart from that, they will also say that you do not have a specific place and that there is no limit to the places where you could be attained. Since all these places, which have been mentioned so far, are not approachable [for me], you should mercifully tell me the place as well the way for a very lowly person like me, to attain you.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kArodoththa mEni nangal kaNNa – Oh krishNa, who has a divine form matching the colour of dark clouds, attracting the minds of those who behold, and who made it as the wealth of your followers! Through this, AzhwAr hints that he does not have the means to uplift himself by attaining kaNNan who had incarnated a long time back and who is not present in his time. emperumAn asks him “But you could attain the divine form which is in paramapadham which does not have such a deficiency, but is available at all times”. AzhwAr responds mercifully to that, saying …
viNNin nAdhanE – that divine form is apt to be enjoyed by nithyasUris. It is not possible for me, who is at a far distance, to attain.
When asked “Unlike krishNa who was present at a long time back or paravAsudhEvan (emperumAn at paramapadham) who is at a very long distance, is it not possible to attain the divine form at thiruppARkadal, which is present in leelA vibhUthi and uplift yourself?” he says ……
nIridaththu arAvaNaikkidaththi – even though the deficiency of being at a far away place or at a far away time is not seen in the emperumAn at thiruppARkadal, even that divine form is apt to be seen at some point of time or the other, by people in SvEthadhvIpam (a world similar to our earth). It is not possible for people like us to attain that place or to see that divine form.
enbar – we have only heard this from vEdhams and from the people who have the knowledge about vEdhams; we have not seen this ourselves. Just as it has been said in purusha sUktham uththarAnuvAkam ‘’ajAyamAnO bahudhA vijAyathE’’ (emperumAn does not have any birth at all; he keeps taking many births [he does not have birth due to any past deeds; but he takes births as per his vow]) as well as it has been said in SrI vishNu purANam 4-11-4 “yadhOr vamSam nara: SruthvA sarvapApai: pramuchyathE l yathrAvathIrNa: krishNAkya: param brahma narAkruthi ll” (after hearing from the yadhu kulam in which the supreme entity krishNa incarnated in human form, a person gets liberated from all his sins), we have only heard about these from SrI vishNu purANam and not in any other way. Even in the case of emperumAn in paramapadham, we have only heard through rig vEdham – vishNu sUktham, and have not seen it. “thadh vishNO: paramam padham sadhA paSyanthi sUraya: l dhivIva chakshurAthatham ll
thadhviprAsO 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). harivamSam 113-62 says “Esha nArAyaNa SrImAn kshIrArNava nikEthana: l nAgaparyankam uthsrujya hyAgathO madhurAmpurIm ll” (this SrIman nArAyaNan himself, who has reclined in thiruppARkadal, has left the mattress of ananthAzhwAn and mercifully reached madhurA). Thus, that emperumAn has mercifully taken residence in the abode of thiruppARkadal is known only to wise sages and not seen by ourselves.
nIridaththu – from ocean; from thiruppARkadal.
arAvaNai – the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn.
anRiyum – further
Oridaththai allai – you are not in one place. The underlying impression is that (as antharyAmi, the indwelling soul, with his divine form) he remains in all the places.
enbar – this is also affirmed by vEdhams and those knowledgeable people who follow vEdhams. kaushIdhakI upanishath 2-4 says “sahOvAcha prANOsmi pragyAthmA tham mAm Ayuramruthamithi upAsva” (that indhran said – I, who am with the physical form, also exist as the soul form. Worship me as Ayus (life) and as amrutham (that which is without death)). The same upanishath in 2-8 says “sa hO vAcha mAmEva vijAnIhi EthadhEvAham manushyAya hithathamam manyE yanmAm vijAnIyAth” (that indhran said – worship only me (viz. that supreme entity who is my antharyAmi – I consider worshipping me alone as the greatest benefit to the jIvan). In such instances, in the three types of upAsanas (worship) (worshipping emperumAn as the antharyAmi of achith (physical form, which does not have knowledge), chith (soul form, which has knowledge) and directly worshipping) which have been mentioned in authentic texts, has it not been affirmed that the divine form which is auspicious and apt to be meditated upon, is apt to be worshipped?
ellaiyillai enbar – they will also say that there is no limit to the abodes of worship such as dhahara vidhyai, SANdilya vidhyai, vaiSvAnara vidhyai, upakOsala vidhyai etc which have been ordained in the vEdhams for worshipping emperumAn. Just as it has been mentioned in bruhadhAraNyaka upanishath 5-7-22 “yamAthmA na vEdha …” (that supreme entity who the jIvAthmA does not know….), since we cannot know the antharyAmi (indwelling soul) form of emperumAn and since worshipping emperumAn through upAsanam (worshipping as laid out in vEdhams) is appropriate only for brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaiSya classes of people, AzhwAr says that he is not qualified to attain emperumAn through these paths.
AdhalAl – since parama padham is at too far a distance, since incarnations have been at too far back a time, since thiruppARkadal, though present in samsAram, is accessible only to entities from SvEthadhvIpam, since antharyAmi form is not known, and since the abodes of worship such as dhahara vidhyai, SANdilya vidhyai etc are apt only for the first three classes of people (brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaiSya), AzhwAr says that he cannot attain emperumAn through these means.
sErvidaththai nAyinEn therindhu iRainjumA solE – I am lowly like a dog and unqualified. You should mercifully tell me a place to attain you so that I will know “This place is appropriate to be attained”
We will next take up the 48th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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