thiruchchandha viruththam – pAsuram 77 – ettum ettum ettumAy

SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:

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avathArikai (Introduction)

In the previous two pAsurams, AzhwAr had mercifully said that through bhakthi yOgam (path of devotion) which is achieved through karma yOgam (path of deeds) and gyAna yOgam (path of knowledge), one could attain emperumAn. This was done through the mode of vEdhAntham (the end portion of vEdhas, also called as upanishath). Starting from this pAsuram, over five pAsurams, AzhwAr mercifully states the difficulty in attaining emperumAn by practising devotion through the mode of ithihAsams (epics) and purANams [treatises on emperumAn which are old, but which give new meanings each time that they are read]. Among these five pAsurams, in this pAsuram, he says that those who carry out devotion by performing ashtAnga praNAmam to emperumAn, who is the causative entity for all the worlds, dwelling inside all the AthmAs as antharyAmi, and reciting thirumanthram (one of the three esoteric meanings, composed of eight syllables), will have parama padham (SrI vaikuNtam) under their control.

ettum ettum ettumAy Or Ezhum Ezhum EzhumAy
ettum mUnRum onRumAgi ninRa Adhi dhEvanai
ettinAya bEdhamOdu iRainji ninRu avan peyar
ettezhuththum OdhuvArgaL vallar vAnam ALavE

Word-by-Word Meaning

ettum ettum ettumAy – as three times eight viz. as twenty-four achEthana (without knowledge) entities
Or – important
Ezhum – as seven land masses
Ezhum – as seven anchoring mountains
EzhumAy – as seven oceans
ettu mUnRum onRumAgi – as twelve Adhithyas (sun)
ninRa – one who is remaining
Adhi dhEvanai – sarvESvaran (lord of all) who is the causative entity
ettinAya bEdhamOdu – with ashtAnga praNAmam (prostrating with eight limbs)
iRainji ninRu – worshipping him
avan peyar – among his divine names
ettezhuththum thiruvashtAksharam (a divine name which has eight syllables)
OdhuvArgaL – those who recite with their mouths
vAnam – the sky of parama padham
ALa vallarE – are capable of ruling over it

Simple Translation

sarvESvaran remains as the twenty-four achEthana entities, the seven land masses, the seven anchoring mountains and the seven oceans. He is also the twelve Adhithyas. Those who prostrate before him with their eight limbs, worship him and recite his divine name of thiruvashtAksharam, are capable of ruling over parama padham.

vyAkyAnam

ettum ettum ettumAy – emperumAn remains as the AthmA for twenty-four achEthana entities and gives them existence. These twenty-four entities are: (1) mUlaprakruthi (primordial matter), (2) mahAn (huge mass, a derivative of mUlaprakruthi), (3) ahankAram (ego), (4) mind, (5) to (9) five senses of knowledge, namely body, mouth, eyes, nose and ears, (10) to (14) five senses of deeds, namely speech, hands, legs, two excretory organs, (15) to (19) five thanmAthras (rudimentary or subtle elements) namely Sabdham (sound), sparSam (touch), rUpam (form) rasam (taste) and gandham (smell), and (20) to (24) five elements of AkASam (ethereal layer), vAyu (wind), agni (fire), nIr (water) and nilam (earth). The reason for equating these twenty-four elements with emperumAn by saying ettum ettum ettumAy is because they are the physical forms for paramAthmA, who is their AthmA. Through this verse, samashti srushti (aggregate creation) in which mUla prakruthi undergoes transformation, has been described. Further, the pAsuram describes vyashti srushti, in which the creation of individual entities derived from breaking down of aggregates takes place.

Or Ezhum Ezhum EzhumAy – the seven land masses, the seven anchoring mountains which hold these land masses and the seven oceans which are the boundaries for the land masses. Mentioning these includes all the other worlds within the universe, as well as all the entities which live in these lands, mountains and oceans.

ettum mUnRum onRumAgi ninRa – emperumAn remains as the antharAthmA (in-dwelling soul) for the twelve Adhithyas (suns). Mentioning twelve Adhithyas here is representative of all the celestial entities who have as their heads, eleven rudhras, eight vasus and the two asvinI dhEvas as their heads.  Just as it has been said in manu smruthi SlOkam 3-76 “agnau prAsthAhuthi: samyagAdhithyam upathishtathE l AdhithyAjjAyathE vrushtir vruthtErannam thatha: prajA: ll” (Ahuthi (offering) which has been put into fire by one who conducts the ritual, reaches Adhithya (sun); from that sun, rain forms; from that rain food and from that food, progeny are formed), considering the prominence of Adhithya, he has been mentioned explicitly, while including the other celestial entities through him.

Adhi dhEvanai – one who is the efficient or instrumental cause, the material cause and the accessory cause [when a potter makes a pot, the potter becomes the efficient or instrumental cause, clay becomes the material cause and the wheel and stick which are used in the making of pot, are the accessory cause] and who is attained by all, including celestial entities, human entities et al. During the time of deluge, he [emperumAn] remains as the causative entity having the subtle forms of chEthana (those with knowledge) and achEthana (those without knowledge) entities as his physical form; during the time of creation, he is the effective entity, having the gross forms of chEthana and achEthana entities as his physical form. Due to this, it is implied that he becomes the material cause for creation. Just as celestial entities are lord for human entities, emperumAn becomes the lord for celestial entities and is attained by all entities. This is shown through the term dhEvan.

ettinAya bEdhamOdu iRainji ninRu – attaining emperumAn through prostrating before him with the eight limbs. Prostrating with eight limbs is: (1) falling down in front of him, without ego, (2) and (3) making emperumAn as the focus for mind and intellect, (4) and (5) two legs, (6) and (7) two hands and (8) head, in the form of a tortoise, on earth, and worshipping him. Hasn’t this been brought out in sAthvatha samhithai 6-187 too? “manO bhudhyabhimAnEna saha nyasya dharAthalE l kUrmavachcha thura: pAdhAn Siras thathvai panchamam ll” (along with mind, intellect, ego, prostrating with hands, legs and head is termed as ashtAnga namaskAram)

avan peyar ettezhuththum OdhuvArgaL – those who recite the distinguished thiruvashtAkshara manthram (eight syllabled manthram) which is superior to the shatakshari (six syllabled) manthram of vishNu and the dhvAdhadaSAkshari (twelve syllabled) manthram of vAsudhEva, all of which have been hinted in the first two lines of the pAsuram, while speaking about emperumAn remaining as antharyAmi. Just as it has been mentioned in the first two lines, those who meditate on the meanings of this manthram, recite the manthram through their mouth and prostrate before emperumAn with their eight limbs, thus carrying out worship through all the three faculties of mind, speech and body, will control paramapadham. Just as thirumanthram is taken as referring to his being the causative factor, authentic texts too [as detailed below] say that the entity who is the causative factor for the worlds is nArAyaNan:
manu smruthi 1-10 “ApO nArA ithi prOkthA ApO vai narasUnava: | thA yadhasyAyanam pUrvam thEna nArAyaNa: smrutha: ll” (Water is referred to as nAram; did it not come out of bhagavAn who is naran? That water became his dwelling abode. Hence, he is called as nArAyaNan).
mahAbhAratham Anu parvam 186-7 “narAjjAthAni thathvAni nArANIthi thathO vidhu: l thAnyEva chAyanam thasya thEna nArAyaNa: smrutha: ll” (All existing entities came from nArAyaNan. Hence, people know them as nArA:. They became his dwelling abodes. Hence, he is meditated upon as nArAyaNan).

Next, we will take up the 78th pAsuram of this prabandham.

adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan

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