SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram “Haven’t you, who destroyed enemies such as yamaLArjunas, for the sake of your followers, in order to help those who came after that time, reclined in thirukkudandhai due to your great affection for your followers!”
marangeda nadandhadarththu maththayAnai maththagaththu
thurangedap pudaiththor kombosiththu ugandha uththamA
thurangam vAy piLandhu maNNaLandha pAdha vEdhiyar
varangoLak kudandhaiyuL kidandha mAlum allaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
maram – the twin marudha maram (a species of tree called as Indian laurel)
keda – to be destroyed
nadandhu – crawled
maththa – being in rut
yAnai – the elephant, kuvalayApeedam
adarththu – controlled
maththagaththu – (on its) forehead
uram – strength
keda – to be crushed
pudaiththu – hit
or – unique
kombu – tusks
osiththu – broke
ugandha – felt happy
uththamA – Oh purushOththama (best among souls)!
thurangam – [demon] kESi’s
vAy – face
piLandhu – tore
maNNaLandha pAdha – (as SrI vAmana, standing with mahAbali) one who has divine feet which measured the earth
vEdhiyar – experts in vEdham
varam koLa – to obtain boons (from you)
kudandhaiyuL – in thirukkudandhai
kidandha – one who has mercifully reclined
mAlum allaiyE – aren’t you the dear one!
Simple Translation
You crawled between the twin marudha trees such that they were destroyed. Oh the best among all souls! You controlled the elephant kuvalayApeedam, which was in rut, hit it on its forehead such that its strength was destroyed, broke its unique tusks and felt happy. You tore the face of the demon kESi. You have the divine feet with which you measured the earth. Aren’t you the one who is dear towards your followers, reclining in the divine abode of thirukkudandhai such that they could get boons from you!
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
maram keda nadandhu – just as it has been said by periyAzhwAr in his periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3-1-3 “poymmAya marudhAna asuraraip ponRuviththu” (you made two marudha trees in which two demons, who were deceitful and treacherous, had pervaded, to fall down by tearing into them), two celestial entities, naLakUbara and maNigrIva, due to a curse, were turned into trees, inside which two demons, ordered by kamsan, had pervaded, waiting to kill kaNNan (krishNa). You crawled between those two trees, releasing the two celestial entities from their curse and killing the two demons, by felling the trees. The word nadandhu refers to crawling and taking baby-steps. Didn’t thirumangai AzhwAr too mercifully say in periya thirumozhi 11-4-9 “iNaimarudhu iRRu vIzha nadai kaRRa theRRal” (the intelligent child learnt how to walk by making the pair of marudha trees to fall down, after being snapped)!
adarththu maththayAnai – kamsan had made his elephant kuvalayApeedam to be in rut; kaNNan controlled that elephant by destroying its pride of being in rut.
maththagaththuram kedap pudaiththor kombosiththu – the verse should be rearranged as “or kombosiththu, uram keda maththagaththup pudaiththu” to get a cogent meaning – breaking the unique tusks and hitting it on its forehead such that its strength was destroyed; kaNNan went among its four legs such that its pride of being in rut was destroyed. Thus, AzhwAr explains the way it was destroyed.
ugandha uththamA – Oh purushOththama, who felt ecstatic that your followers’ enemy was killed! Since for the word uththamA, the term ugandha has been used as a distinguishing feature, it is implied here that emperumAn, who is superior to everyone else through his nature, is superior to everyone else through his auspicious qualities too by way of being partial towards his followers. Isn’t it through the greatness of one’s qualities that an entity earns its greatness?
thurangam vAy piLandhu – tearing the mouth of the monster kESi, who came in the form of a horse, during dusk time, in order to destroy SrI gOkulam.
maNNaLandha pAdha – Oh one who has the divine feet which you placed on the heads of everyone, as SrI vAmana! Since krishNAvathAram and vAmanAvathAram resemble each other closely, as soon as AzhwAr mentioned the valorous activity of kaNNan through the destruction of kESi, he mentions the measurement of worlds too as an activity of kaNNan. Through the act of touching everyone, without making any distinction between the eminent and the lowly, as well as melting the hearts of enemies through their divine beauty, both krishNAvathAram and vAmanAvathAram resemble each other.
vEdhiyar varangoLak kudandhaiyuL kidandha mAlum allaiyE – Aren’t you the one who has deep affection towards those who know the inner meanings of vEdhams such that they could seek their desires from you and attain them! mAl – one who has deep love towards his followers. emperumAn destroyed the deceitful monsters who hid themselves inside the marudha trees through his child-like activity [of crawling]. He casually destroyed kuvalayApeedam and kESi who came revealing themselves as his enemies. At a time when mahAbali and the people of the world did not know the proper order [that he is the lord and they are his possession], he kept his divine feet on everyone’s head and made them realise that he is the lord, and purushOththaman (the best among all souls). AzhwAr says that thirukkudandhai is the divine abode where such emperumAn, in order to help those who came after his divine incarnations, through his love, mercifully reclined.
Next, we will take up the 59th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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