SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said that those who carry out devotion with thirumanthram will attain parama padham (SrI vaikuNtam). To a question “For meditation which is in the form of devotion, is not a divine form, which is the auspicious refuge, required?” he responds in this pAsuram. emperumAn has come down to recline in thiruppARkadal for the sake of followers in this world (here, the term world refers to entire leelA vibhUthi, the materialistic realm], created by him. Those who take refuge under the divine form of thiruppARkadal nAthan (lord of milky ocean), knowing the relationship between them and emperumAn through thirumanthram, and have constant affection towards emperumAn, will reach parama padham and surely attain the kingdom of servitude, says AzhwAr.
sOrvilAdha kAdhalAl thodakkaRA manaththarAy
nIrarAvaNaik kidandha ninmalan nalangazhal
ArvamOdu iRainji ninRavan peyar ettezhuththum
vAramAga OdhuvArgaL vallar vAnam ALavE
Word-by-Word Meanings
nIr – in thiruppARkadal
arAvu – thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
aNai – on the mattress
kidandha – one who is mercifully reclining
ninmalan – emperumAn, who is faultless, his
nalangazhal – divine feet which are beneficial
ArvamOdu – with devotion
iRainji ninRu – praying
sOrvu ilAdha – without any lowliness
kAdhalAl – with affection
thodakku aRA – without any disruption in thoughts
manaththarAy – with mind
avan – that swAmy’s
peyar – divine name of
ettezhuththum – the divine eight syllables
vAramAga – as refuge
OdhuvArgaL – those who recite
vAnamALa – to rule parama padham
vallarE – are capable of
Simple Translation
emperumAn, who is without any fault, is mercifully reclining atop AdhiSEshan in thiruppARkadal. Those who pray to his divine, beneficial feet, with affection which does not have any lowliness and recite the divine eight syllables of that swAmy without any disruption in the thoughts of their mind, are capable of ruling SrI vaikuNtam.
vyAkyAnam
sOrvilAdha kAdhalAl – during all times, having affection which is not diluted with other worldly pursuits such as Sabdham (sound) etc. In other words, due to excessive affection, these people will be ecstatic while being with emperumAn and will be despondent when separated from him.
thodakkaRA manaththarAy – having a mind which will continuously follow emperumAn. This refers to a state when stable meditation occurs, just as it has been said in chAndhOgya upanishath 7-26-2 “AhAra Sudhdhau sathva Sudhdhi: sathva Sudhdhau dhruvA smruthi: l
smruthi lambhE sarvagranthInAm vipramOksha: ll” (by taking pure [ordained] food, mind gets purified; once mind becomes pure, firm thought about AthmadhyAnam (meditating on emperumAn) occurs; once that happens, all the knots such as avidhyA (ignorance) etc get loosened).
nIrAravaNaik kidandha ninmalan nalangazhal – the sweet, divine feet of emperumAn, who is without fault and who is reclining on the mattress of AdhiSEshan in thiruppARkadal. This refers to the auspicious, divine form of emperumAn which is apt to be attained, which creates affection that is in the form of meditation and which is the most distinguished entity for meditation.
nIrarAvaNaik kidandha – one who is reclining on AdhiSEshan in thiruppARkadal; through this verse, the tenderness of his form which requires spreading out AdhiSEshan on water so that even water will not be an irritant to his divine form, his quality of being together with his followers who do not know anything other than himself, his divine qualities of saulabhyam (simplicity), sauSeelyam (an eminent person moving with lowly people), vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance) etc with which he has come to thiruppARkadal much before celestial entities, who desire other benefits could come to him, in order to shower his mercy on them, have been mentioned.
ninmalan nalangazhal – emperumAn is without any deficiency; the sweet, divine feet of such emperumAn are capable of destroying the sins of his followers. The implied meaning here is that the divine feet of emperumAn, who is capable of removing the sins of his followers which are hurdles in their carrying out devotion towards him and who is the exact opposite of all faulty and lowly qualities, will create a desire in his followers towards emperumAn.
ArvamOdu iRainji ninRu – being affectionate towards emperumAn and taking refuge under him. muNdaka upanishath 1-2-12 says “parIkshya lOkAn karmachithAn brAhmaNO nirvEdhamAyAth nAsthyakrutha: kruthEna” (that brAhmaNa person who is a brahma gyAni (knowledgeable about the supreme entity) and who sees the various worlds which are attained through karmas and who feels sad that paramAthmA, who is ever present, cannot be attained through karmas which are evanescent…). Just as it has been mentioned in this, instead of attaining him like devotees who think “This world is transient; emperumAn alone is permanent”, attaining him through the thought of love thinking “emperumAn is very sweet and dear”.
avan peyar ettezhuththum – the divine name of thiruppARkadal nAthan, with eight syllables. Is the divine name of nArAyaNan, which is associated with parama padha nAthan [emperumAn’s divine name in SrI vaikuNtam] also applicable to thiruppARkadal nAthan? harivamSam 113-62 says “Esha nArAyaNa SrImAn kshIrArNava nikEthana: l nAgaparyankam uthsrujya hyAgathO madhurAmpurIm ll” (this SrIman nArAyaNan himself, who has reclined in thiruppARkadal, has left the mattress of ananthAzhwAn and mercifully reached madhurA). Thus, as mentioned in this pramANam (authentic text), as said in thiruppAvai 1 “nArAyaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvAn” (nArAyaNan alone will give us servitude to serve him) and as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 120-13 SlOkam “apravIchchruNu mE rAma Sathyam sathya parAkrama l
bhavAn nArAyaNO dhEva: SrImAmSchakrAyudhO vibhu: ll” (Oh rAma, the true warrior! Listen to my words: You are the consort of divine mahAlakshmi, the one who holds divine disc, and the lord nArAyaNa who pervades everything and everywhere) for incarnations of paramapadha nAthan such as thiruppARkadal nAthan, SrI rAma, krishNa et al, the divine name nArAyaNa is applicable. The implied meaning is that his divine and most important name of nArAyaNan will follow in all the abodes where he incarnates.
vAramAgal OdhuvArgaL vallar vAnamALavE – just as it has been said in nAradhIyam “AsInA vA SayAnA vA thishtanthOyathra kuthra vA l namO nArAyaNAyEthi manthraika SaraNA vayam ll”
(We are those who hold on to the divine name of nArAyaNa as the means, whether we are sitting or sleeping or standing somewhere), those who have engaged deeply in meditating on thirumanthram, with its meaning, are capable of ruling over parama padham. The opinion here is that emperumAn would have made parama padham to be just like what these people desire it to be. We could also construe the meaning for the term vAnamALa vallar as those who attain the empire of servitude in which one wears the crown of the divine feet of emperumAn on one’s head.
Next, we will take up the 79th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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