SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introeduction)
In the previous pAsuram, the manner in which ocean was agitated and made to be subservient was mentioned. In this pAsuram, AzhwAr says that it is only in the divine abode of SrI rangam that Sri rAma, who subsequently reached the shore of lankA and destroyed rAvaNa, resides for ever and where brahmA, who created the universe with fourteen worlds, worshipped in order to obtain his position [as creator].
sarangaLaith thurandhu vil vaLaiththu ilangai mannavan
sirangal paththu aRuththu udhirththa selvar mannu ponnidam
parandhu pon nirandhu nundhi vandhalaikkum vArpunal
arangam enbar nAnmugaththayan paNindha kOyilE
Word-by-Word Meanings
vil – SrI SArngam (bow)
vaLaiththu – drew
sarangaLai – arrows
thurandhu – shot
langai – for lankA
mannavan – rAvaNa, the king, his
sirangaL paththu – ten heads
aRuththu – severed
udhirththa – felled
selvar – rAma, who has the wealth of valour
mannu – dwelling forever
pon – desirous
idam– divine abode
pon nirandhu nundhi – pushing gold, without ever defaulting
parandhu vandhu – coming, in a widespread manner (in all places)
alaikkum – with agitating
vAr punal – having flowing water
nAnmugaththu – chathur mukhan [four-faced]
ayan – brahmA
paNindha – worshipping
kOyilE – only this temple
arangam enbar– will be called as arangam.
Simple Translation
SrI rAma, drew his bow, SrI SArgnam and shot arrows at the ten heads of king of lankA, rAvaNa and made them to fall down. People will say that it is only this temple, called as thiruvarangam, where that SrI rAma desirously dwells for ever. It is the place where water flows copiously, in a widespread manner, pushing gold, without ever defaulting and where brahmA, with four faces, worships.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
sarangaLaith thurandhu vil vaLaiththu – drawing the bow SArngam and shooting arrows. thuraththal – shooting [arrows]. Being the lord of all, instead of killing rAvaNa through his sankalpam (thought or vow), he killed the enemy of his followers with his hands, feeling happy that “I have got a matching enemy”, treating it as his benefit.
ilangai mannavan – lankA was such solid that even women, if they had this place, could win over enemies. rAvaNan, the king of that lankA, was capable of winning against his enemies, even outside of lankA. Did not hanuman tell his companions, before flying into lankA, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 1-39? “yathA rAghava nirmuktha: Sara: Svasanavikrama: l gachchEth thadhvadh gamishyAmi lankAm rAvaNa pAlithAm ll” (Just like the arrow, shot by SrI rAma, moves like one’s breath (without anyone being aware of it), I will enter lankA which is protected by rAvaNa)
sirangaL paththaRuththu udhirththa selvar – even after severing his ten heads, due to the strength of (rAvaNa’s) boon, they reappeared repeatedly. SrI rAma, who was complete with the wealth of valour, kept severing them repeatedly, scattering them on the ground.
mannu ponnidam – the gold-like sweet place, where such great perumAL dwells forever; the place where followers search for the protector and where the protector seeks those to be protected, desirously. The implied meaning is that this is the place where emperumAn dwells in order to destroy the minds along with the sensory organs of followers, who came much after his incarnation as SrI rAma, and who do not desire any benefit other than emperumAn, such that their minds and sensory organs will not dwell on worldly pursuits. Has it not been said in sAthvatha samhithai 12-51 “dhaSEndhriyAnanam ghOram yO manOrajanIcharam l
vivEkaSarajAlEna Samam nayathi yOginAm ll” (emperumAn destroys the ten heads, which are like ten sensory organs, of the horrible minds of ascetics)? bhagavath gIthA 6-5 too says that the mind which engages with worldly pursuits is inimical to jIvan “udhdharEdh AthmanAthmAnam nAthmAnam avasAdhayEth l Athmaiva hyAthmanO bandhurAthmaiva ripur Athmana: ll” (with a mind (which does not engage with worldly pursuits) one should elevate the AthmA; with a mind (which engages with worldly pursuits), one should not lower the AthmA. (the earlier mentioned) mind is a close relative for AthmA; (the latter mentioned) mind alone is an enemy for AthmA).
parandhu pon nirandhu nundhi vandhalaikkum vAr punal – river kAvEri which, due to its affection for arangan (SrI ranganAthan), spreads out on both sides, pushing gems such as gold, rubies, pearls etc towards SrI rangam and flows with waves.
vAr punal – water which floods; here, it refers to kAvEri.
arangam enbar nAnmugaththayan paNindha kOyilE – brahmA is firmly engaged with two bhAvanas (pathos) – (1) karma bhAvanai (pathos of deeds) through activities such as creation; (2) brahma bhAvanai (pathos of devotion) through meditating on supreme entity. Such brahmA, in order to remove enemies who come after his position [of creating the worlds] and to enable him to attain mOksham as the benefit of meditating on emperumAn, such that he destroys the pride of being greater than anyone else on account of (a) having created the fourteen worlds (seven up to earth and seven above earth) (b) having four faces through which he recites the four vEdhams simultaneously (c) having got the name of ajan (1. not being born like the others and 2. Having been born from SrIman nArAyaNan who is referred to as akAravAchyan (one who is denoted by the syllable of akAram)), attains the temple which sages, who have seen purANams, call as SrI rangam. Hasn’t the greatness of SrI rangam been mentioned in purANams too, just as in “kshIrAbdhEr maNdalAdh bhAnOr yOginAm hrudhayAdhapi l rathim gathO harir yathra rangamithyabhidhIyathE ll” (That place where bhagavAn attains rathi (happiness) which is higher than thiruppARkadal, higher than the sUrya galaxy and higher than the hearts of ascetics, is called as rangam)? As per etymology, rathim gatha: ithi rangam – since this is the place where one feels happy it is called as rangam; thus, the greatness of SrI rangam has been mentioned in purANams too.
Next, we will take up the 52nd pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org