SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
emperumAn says, subsequent to the previous pAsuram, “We have created many abodes in a general way, for followers to attain. Based on the particular abode and manner in which they have attained me, I can fulfil the desire which they seek. Is it my responsibility to specify the abode by which you could reach me?” AzhwAr responds in this pAsuram saying “While you have the nature of fulfilling the desires of people whether they attain you or do not attain you, is it not your responsibility alone to fulfil my desire too?”
kunRininRu vAnirundhu nILkadal kidandhu maN
onRu senRadhonRai uNdadhonRidandhu panRiyAy
nanRu senRa nALavaRRuL nalluyir padaiththavark(ku)
anRu dhEvamaiththaLiththa Adhi dhEvan allaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kunRil ninRu – standing atop thirumalai
vAn irundhu – sitting in paramapadham
nIL – lengthy
kadal – in thiruppARkadal
kidandhu – reclined
maN onRu – the nonpareil earth
senRu – measured
adhu onRai – that unique earth
uNdu – kept in the stomach
panRiyAy – as wild boar
adhu onRidandhu – dug out that unique earth
nanRu senRa nAL avaRRuL – in the varAha kalpam (a period of time) which went well
nal – having benefits
uyir – people
padaiththu – created
avarkku – for those people
anRu – when rajas and thamas (qualities of passion and ignorance, respectively) are dominant
dhEvu – the class of celestials (appropriate to be attained)
amaiththu – created
aLiththa – one who protected
Adhi – causative factor
dhEvan – the lord, without any specific reason
allaiyE – aren’t you?
Simple Translation
You [addressing emperumAn] are standing atop thirumalai hills; you are sitting in paramapadham. You reclined in thiruppARkadal. You measured the earth which is nonpareil. You kept that unique earth in your divine stomach. You dug out that earth, as a wild boar, during the time of varAha kalpam. You created people with benefits; when the qualities of rajas and thamas became dominant in them, you created celestial entities who would be appropriate for those people to attain, and thus you protected them. Aren’t you that causative factor, who did all the above, without a specific reason?
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kunRil ninRu – in his nANmugan thiruvandhAdhi 47th pAsuram, this AzhwAr had said of thiruvEngadam “kAnamum vAnaramum vEdum udai vEngadam” (thiruvEngadam which has forests, monkeys and hunter tribes). You are standing in that thirumalai in order to shower your mercy on lowly people. Did anyone ask you to stand there?
vAn irundhu – you have the immeasurable eminence of sitting in paramapadham such that nithyasUris, who do not have any connection with samsAram, could enjoy you all the time. Did you not come to thirumalai and stand there in order to grace lowly people who did not even ask you to come there?
nIL kadal kidandhu – unlike monkeys and the people of tribes of hunters, celestial entities such as brahmA, rudhra et al have ego and think “I am ISvaran” (I control everyone). When such celestial entities had not asked you to recline in thiruppARkadal, you had reclined there, just as it has been said by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 8-10-8 “thALum thOLum mudigaLum samanilAdha pala parappi” (spreading out his matchless divine feet, shoulders and crowns), such that they could come there and beseech you to help them in times of danger, in order to hear their voice, even when they had not asked for it.
maNNonRu senRu – indhran had lost three worlds (bhU, bhuva: and suva:, namely earth, intermediate and heaven) to mahAbali. mahAbali too had taken over only these three worlds from indhra. Yet, when none had prayed for it, you went ahead and measured all the worlds up to brahmalOkam (the abode of brahmA), keeping your divine feet on the heads of everyone. Even though emperumAn had measured all the worlds, AzhwAr says “maN onRu” (unique earth) since the importance here was only for earth. The word senRu here refers to measuring the worlds, by keeping his divine feet. Alternatively, we could consider this to refer to each and every incarnation which emperumAn undertook, going to various places on earth for this purpose.
adhu onRai uNdu – when the waters of deluge were about to swallow that earth, did you not keep it safely in your divine stomach and protect it, when no one prayed to you for doing it?
adhu onRu idandhu panRiyAy – digging out that unique earth which was to be swallowed by deluge, as a great boar.
nanRu senRa nALavaRRuL nalluyir padaiththu – created beneficial people during the good times. AzhwAr is celebrating the great time to see varAha thirukkOlam (the auspicious form of wild boar) when he says “nanRu senRa nAL“. Since human beings have the worthiness to follow what had been ordained in vEdhams, unlike animals and plants, AzhwAr is referring to them as nalluyir. SrI bhAgavatham 11-2-29 says “dhurlabhO mAnushO dhEhO dhEhinAm kshaNabhangura: l thathrApi dhurlabham manyE vaikuNta priyadharSanam ll” (It is very rare for a person to get the physical form of a human being which gets destroyed in a moment; more than that, I think that it is more difficult to see a person devoted to emperumAn), thus affirming that it is very difficult to get a human birth.
avarkku anRu dhEvamaiththu – when people have predominance of rajO and thamO guNam, and they do not engage with emperumAn, creating celestial entities such as brahmA, rudhran et al so that they can attain them.
aLiththa Adhi dhEvan allaiyE – even when none desired, according to the status in which they were remaining, are you not the causative factor who grants them benefits? Since you create the people who worship as well as the celestial entities who are worshipped by them, and since you are the natural lord, being the causative factor for all the worlds, are you not appropriate to be worshipped by everyone? Has it not been said in thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 11 “sahasraSIrsham dhEvam” (nArAyaNan, who has thousands of heads and who is denoted by the word dhEvan) as well as in “sAkshAth dhEva: purANO’sau” (this supreme entity, who is ancient, is the natural lord)? The implied meaning is that since I am (reference to AzhwAr) totally subservient only to you, it is your (reference to emperumAn) responsibility to tell me the abode which I should attain, as per my desire.
Next, we will take up the 49th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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