SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
Some people asked AzhwAr “We see in this world that some people take refuge under Sivan since he grants mOksham. In SaivAgamam (principles governing temple worship for followers of Siva) and in thAmasa purANams [treatises which praise thAmasic deities], he is called as the supreme entity. When such is the case, how is it correct to say in the previous pAsuram that he is incapable of granting mOksham?” AzhwAr responds saying “vEdhas have the greatness of not having been written by any person and of having permanence. It does not have the deficiencies such as ignorance, confusion, bewilderment etc seen in Agamams which have been written by people. Since these vEdhas have classified Sivan as a jIvAthmA, just as people lie about having seen an apparition in banyan tree, this [saying that Sivan grants mOksham] is also a lie. Deceitful words as written in saivAgamam are also lies only”
pOdhin mangai bUdhalak kizhaththi dhEvi anRiyum
pOdhu thangu nAnmugan magan avan magan solil
mAdhu thangu kURanERu adhu Urdhi enRu vEdhanUl
OdhuginRadhu uNmai alladhu illai maRRu uraikkilE
Word-by-Word Meanings
pOdhu – the flower lotus
il – having it as the place of birth
mangai – periya pirAttiyAr, who is youthful forever
bUdhalam kizhaththi – bhUmip pirAtti who is the representative deity for worlds such as earth
dhEvi – are consorts (for sarvESvaran, the lord of all)
anRiyum – further
pOdhu – in the divine navel, which is like a lotus flower
thangu – residing permanently
nAnmugan – brahmA, who has four faces
magan – (his) son
solil – if spoken of (based on statements from vEdhas)
mAdhu thangu kURan – one who has given half of his body to pArvathi
ERadhu Urdhi – Sivan, who has bull as his vehicle
avan magan – is the son of that brahmA
enRu – like this
vEdha nUl – SAsthram (sacred text) such as vEdham
OdhuginRadhE – only that meaning which is conveyed
uNmai – is the truth
maRRu – contrary to it
uraikkil – (using Agama rules) if one tries to say
alladhu – that, which is contrary to vEdham
illai – is a lie
Simple Translation
SrI dhEvi, who was born in a lotus flower and who is young always, and bhUmi dhEvi, who is regarded as the deity for all the worlds, are consorts of sarvESvaran. Further, brahmA, who resides in the divine navel which looks like a lotus flower, is sarvESvaran’s son. If one were to speak, based on the meanings conveyed in vEdhas, Sivan, who has bull as his vehicle and who has given half of his body to his consort, pArvathi, is the son of that brahmA. This is the truth, as conveyed by SAsthram such as vEdhas. If one tries to say anything contrary to this, it is a lie.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
pOdhil mangai bUdhalak kizhaththi dhEvi – periya pirAtti (SrI dhEvi) who was born in a lotus flower and SrI bhUmip pirAtti are the consorts of paramAthmA (supreme soul, emperumAn. This is widely known throughout, just as it has been mentioned in SlOkam 2-5 of purusha sUktham which is the essence of all vEdhams “hrIScha thE lakshmIScha pathnyau” (Oh supreme entity! SrI dhEvi and bhUmi dhEvi are your consorts). Has it not been mentioned in the 4th SlOkam of SrI sUktham “padhmE sthithAm padhma varNAm thvAmi iha upahvayE Sriyam” (I beseech you, SrI dhEvi, residing on a lotus flower and having the complexion of a lotus) that periya pirAttiyAr resides on a lotus flower?
anRiyum – that he is the consort of periya pirAtti who has all the opulence, is alone sufficient to state that he is superior to everyone else and that he is apt to be attained by everyone. Is there any greater eminence than this, truly?
anRiyum – apart from this, other features of emperumAn’s greatness and lowliness of other celestial entities have been shown in vEdhams.
pOdhu thangu nAnmugan magan – brahmA, who is also referred to as kamalAsanan (one who has lotus as his seat) since he was born in the lotus-like navel of the supreme entity, is his son. vEdhavAkyams (phrases from vEdhams) such as mahAbhAratham Santhi parvam 47-56 “ajasya nAbhAvadhyEkamarpitham yasminnidham viSvam bhuvanamadhiSritham” (in the divine navel of parama purushan who is without a birth, a flower blossomed; all these worlds sustain through that flower) and yajur vEdham nrusimhathApinI “sa prajApathirEka: pushkaraparNE samabhavath” (That brahmA, who is eminent, manifested from the petals of lotus flower) also say this.
avan magan solil mAdhu thangu kURan ERadhUrdhi – even though there are vEdhavAkyams such as “Eka Eva rudhrO na dhvIthiyAya thasthau” (Only Siva was present; there was no second entity) and thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 16 “sarvO hyEsha rudhra:” (all these [entities] are only rudhra) and even though he is praised as the supreme entity in SaivAgamam etc, when looking at several vEdhavAkyams such as in sAmavEdham “brahmaNa: puthrAya jyEshtAya” (for rudhran who is the eldest son of brahmA), it is clear that he is the son of brahmA. Since he has been mentioned as “mAdhu thangu kURan” (ardhanAri or half-man, half-woman), unlike sanaka et al who were created by brahmA through his mind, rudhra was born through the union with a woman and he is together with a woman. Since he is the first to be born through union with a woman, it is clear that he is a jIvan (soul like all the others). SrI vishNu purANam 1-7-12 says “bhrukutIkutilAthdhasya lalAtAth krOdhadhIpithAth l samuthpannas thadhA rudhrO madhyAhnArkasamaprabha: ll ardhanArInaravapu: prasaNdO’thiSarIravAn ll” (From the curved forehead of brahmA which was aglow with the fire of anger, rudhra came out with the splendour of sun at noon, having a form composed of half man and half woman, with huge anger and a fat form) while describing the creation of brahmA, confirming that rudhra was created as an ardhanArI (half-woman).
The reason for stating ERadhUrdhi is to convey rudhran’s pride in having bull as his vehicle as opposed to garuda [emperumAn’s vehicle} who is described by vEdha as vEdhamayan (he is full of vEdha).
enRu vEdha nUl OdhuginRadhu uNmai – the sayings of vEdham, which is authentic SAsthram, that SrIdhEvi and bhUdhEvi are emperumAn’s consorts, that brahmA is his son and that rudhran is brahmA’s son are all true.
alladhu illai maRRu uraikkilE – if an interpretation is given by Agamams or thAmasa purANams, which is contrary to what has been said in vEdham, it can only be a lie. Hasn’t it been said in mahAbhAratham Anu parvam 43-35? “yaththathpadhmamabhUth pUrvam thathra brahmA vyajAyatha l brAhmaNaSchApi sambhUtha: Siva ithyavadhAryathAm ll SivAth skandhas sambhabhUva Ethath Srushti chathushtayam ll” (From the lotus (emanating from the divine navel of bhagavAn) which was formed earlier, brahmA was born; it is to be known that Sivan was born from brahmA; from Sivan, skandhan was born; These are the (initially formed) four creations)
Next, we will take up the 73rd pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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