SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr is amazed with emperumAn, with the thought “We can accept to an extent that you had, without considering the tenderness of your divine form, prompted by your affection for SrI prahlAdhan, destroyed hiraNyan; however, for the sake of samsAris who do not desire you, without considering your eminence, you have mercifully taken residence in various temples, manifesting your divine form in standing, sitting and reclining postures; isn’t this simplicity amazing!”
nanRirundhu yOganIdhi naNNuvArgaL sindhaiyuL
senRirundhu thIvinaigaL thIrththa dhEva dhEvanE
kunRirundha mAda nIdu pAdagaththum Uragaththum
ninRirundhu vehkaNaik kidandhadhenna nIrmaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
nanRu – being proper
irundhu – sitting (on a seat appropriate for practising meditation)
yOga – the path of meditation
nIdhi – through the means
naNNuvArgaL – those who are desirous of attaining (you)
sindahiyuL – in the hearts
senRu – reaching
irundhu – mercifully residing (without detesting)
thIvinaigaL thIrththa – removing cruel sins
dhEva dhEvanE – Oh the controller of nithyasUris!
kunRu – like mountains
irundha – remaining
mAdam – having houses
nIdu – being long
pAdagaththum – in thiruppAdagam [a divine abode in kAnchIpuram]
Uragaththum – in Uragam (which is similar to that) [another divine abode in kAnchIpuram)
ninRirundhu – in sitting and standing postures
vehkaNai – in thiruvehkA [yet another divine abode in kAnchIpuram]
kidandhadhu – mercifully in reclining posture, all these
enna nIrmai – what a simplicity!
Simple Translation
Oh the controller of nithyasUris (permanent dwellers of SrI vaikuNtam)! You are residing in the hearts of those who are desirous of attaining you, through the path of meditation, by sitting on a seat which is appropriate for such meditation. What a simplicity is your dwelling in the posture of sitting and standing in the divine abodes of thiruppAdagam and Uragam, which have houses which are like mountains as well as in the posture of reclining in the divine abode of thiruvehkA!
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nanRirundhu – It has been said in bhagavadh gIthA 6-11 and 6-12 “Suchau dhESE prathishtApya sthiramAsanamAthmana: | nAthyuchchritham nAthinIcham chElAjinakuSOththaram ll thathraikAgram mana: kruthvA yadhachidhEndhriyakriya: | upaviSyASanE yugyAdh yOgamAthma viSudhdhayE ll” (One should observe the activity of meditation in a sacred place, sitting on a seat, which is stable, neither too high nor too low, made of dharbha grass, deer skin and cloth, spread one over the other, controlling the activities of one’s mind and sensory organs and focussed on meditation). Just as it has been described above, one should sit in a sacred place, on a seat which is composed of kuSa grass [a type of grass which is sacred and appropriate for carrying out activities as mentioned in vEdhams], skin of a deer and silk cloth, spread one over another, in this sequence. One should carry out meditation with a focussed mind, just as it has been said in brahmA sUthram 4-1-1 “AsIna: sambavAth” (in sitting posture (one should meditate); (only if one were sitting) mind will be focussed).
yOganIdhi naNNuvArgaL – those devotees who intend to attain you through the means of ashtAnga yOgam (the path of yOgam or meditation, which is composed of eight parts). The word nIdhi here refers to “means (path)”
sindhaiyuL senRirundhu thIvinaigaL thIrththa dhEva dhEvanE – Oh one who has the natural characteristic of getting into the hearts of your followers, without looking at your eminence of being as said in thiruvAimozhi 1-1-1 “ayarvaRUm amarargaL adhipathi” (lord of nithyasUris who do not have deficiency of forgetting (that you are the lord and they are your servitors)) or their lowliness of thinking of worldly pursuits since time immemorial, with a divine auspicious form which is appropriate for their meditation, removing their inner and outer hurdles which impede their enjoying you, as if you were sitting on a throne which always showers only victory and not leaving their hearts! Even though they are people who hold on to a means (path of meditation) other than you, you go into their hearts considering the fact that they do not consider anything other than you as their benefit. You remain there firmly, without detesting the fact that they had hearts which had been involved with worldly pursuits all along. The implied meaning here is that it is possible only for emperumAn to remove the hurdles of agyAnam (ignorance), karmam (the two deeds of virtues and sins), vAsanai (impression of worldly pursuits) ruchi (repeated taste in worldly pursuits) etc. Has it not been mentioned in vishNu sahasranAmam “yOgO yOga vidhAm nEthA” (emperumAn is the means for attaining him through the path of devotion and is the guide for those who follow this means)? He does not consider their lowliness of attaining him through other means instead of through himself. He goes to their hearts considering only their distinction that they do not consider anything other than himself as the benefit. AzhwAr says through the latter part of the pAsuram that while it is possible to understand the magnanimity of emperumAn in trying to make them attain him [even through other means], he is not able to understand his simplicity of trying to correct samsAris even when they have hatred towards him.
kunRirundha mAda nIdu pAdagaththum Uragaththum – in thiruppAdagam where houses are like mountains which are together, as well as in Uragam which is similar to it.
ninRirundhu – in the divine abode of thiru Uragam, you were standing, expectantly awaiting a follower who would look at you; even when none came, you went to the divine abode of thiruppAdagam, where you sat mercifully.
vehkaNaikkidandhadhu enna nirmaiyE – even when you were sitting mercifully in thiruppAdagam, seeing that none approached you, you went to thiruvehkA and remained in reclining posture, thinking “At some point of time when they develop the taste [in matters relating to emperumAn], they will develop an involvement in the beauty of our reclining posture which is better than the standing and sitting postures”. AzhwAr says that this simplicity of emperumAn’s is incomprehensible to our knowledge. We could understand your offering yourself to nithyasUris, who are incapable of separating from you, in order to enjoy you permanently. We could also understand your greatness of falling head over heels on your devotees who understand your distinction, correcting them and enabling them to enjoy you. However, how will we understand your simplicity of remaining in standing, sitting and reclining postures, expecting samsAris who do not have any desire for you, to turn towards you?
Next, we will take up the 64th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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