SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr requests emperumAn in this pAsuram “When I look at this physical form made of primordial matter, I do not know whether you wish, in your divine mind, to ruin this or to uplift me. You should ensure that my involvement with other [worldly] matters is removed such that my involvement with your divine feet is not changed”.
nachcharAvaNaik kidandha nAdha pAdha pOdhinil
vaiththa sindhai vAnguviththu nInguvikka nIyinam
meyththan vallai AdhalAl aRIndhanan nin mAyamE
uyththu nin mayakkinil mayakkal ennai mAyanE
Word-by-Word Meanings
nachchu – (towards enemies) spitting venom
arAvaNai – on the mattress known as thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
kidandha – one who is reclining
nAdha – Oh sarvESvaran (lord of all!)
pAdha – your divine feet
pOdhinil – in the lotus flower
vaiththa – kept
sindhai – my mind
vAnguviththu – redeeming it from them [your divine feet]
nInguvikka – to remove
nI – you, who are totally independent
inam – even now
meyththan vallai – truly, capable
AdhalAl – hence
aRindhanan – I know that you are totally independent
mAyanE – Oh, one who has amazing activities!
ennai – me, who has surrendered to you
nin mAyamE uyththu – making me to be together with your divine nature
nin mayakkinil – in the worldly pursuits such as Sabdham (sensory perceptions such as sound) etc, which are yours, and which make one to be bewildered
mayakkal – do not make be to be bewildered.
Simple Translation0
Oh, sarvESvaran who is reclining on the mattress, also called as AdhiSEshan, who spits fire on enemies! You are capable of removing my mind, even now. which I have kept on your divine feet which are like lotus flowers. Hence, I know that you are totally independent. Oh, one who has amazing activities! Do not make me, who has surrendered to you, to be bewildered by making me, who is together with your divine nature, to be involved with worldly pursuits such as Sabdham etc, which are also yours and which make one to be bewildered.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nachcharAvaNaik kidandha nAdha – Oh the lord of all who has reclined on thiruvananthAzhwAn, who spits poison such that those who are not favourable to emperumAn cannot get near him! AzhwAr implies that emperumAn is such an independent entity that he will get all services from those who are favourable to him, just as poygai AzhwAr had said in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 53 “senRAl kudaiyAm …” (when emperumAn goes by walk, AdhiSEshan will become an umbrella over his head; when emperumAn sits, he will become his throne…).
pAdha pOdhinil vaiththa sindhai – [my] mind which is firmly attached to your divine feet which are like just-then blossomed flowers. This indicates that emperumAn’s divine feet are ordained to be attained, and are like flower in terms of tenderness, fragrance, sweetness etc. and that AzhwAr’s mind is engaged with those divine feet.
vAnguviththu – taking the mind away from such divine feet. Just as it has been said by ALavandhAr in the 27th SlOkam of sthOthra rathnam “thavAmruthasyandhini pAdha pankajE nivESithAthmA katham anyadhichchthi? l sthithE’ravindhE makarandhanirbharE madhuvrathO nEkshurakam hi vIkshathE ll” (How will the mind, kept on your divine feet (through your mercy) which secrete honey copiously, like anything else? Will a beetle leave aside a reddish lotus flower which secretes honey and go to a wild flower?) removing the mind which has been firmly kept on your divine feet and making it to loathe them.
nInguvikka nI inam meyththan vallai – I have been away from you since time immemorial. You are truly capable of making my mind to be away from you further too.
AdhalAl aRindhanan – I know that you are completely independent, since you are capable of transforming one entity into another, without the need to take anyone’s permission for doing so. emperumAn asks him “What do you wish to do?” AzhwAr responds saying
nin mAyamE uyththu nin mayakkinil mayakkal – just as it has been mentioned in bhagavath gIthA 7-14 “dhaivI hyEshA guNamayI mama mAyA dhurathyayA l mAmEva yE prapadhyanthyE mAyAm EthAm tharanthi thE ll” (This mAyai [prakruthi, the primordial matter], which has been created by me, the lord and which has three guNas [of sathva, rajas and thamas, viz. noble, passion and ignorance respectively) is difficult to cross over. Those who surrender to me will be able to cross over this), I request you not to let me go away from you by making me to engage constantly with worldly pursuits such as Sabdham (sound) etc, which are part of this prakruthi (primordial matter) and which are under your control. The term mAyamE refers to the word mAyA which is seen in the above-mentioned bhagavath gIthA SlOkam, which in turn refers to prakruthi (primordial matter) which has amazing power. The term mayakku refers to worldly pursuits such as Sabdham (sound), sparSam (touch) etc which are capable of ruining the knowledge of badhdha chEthanas (souls still bonded to samsAram).
ennai – me, who has submitted AthmA as well as all the belongings of AthmA, and is looking up to you for being uplifted. emperumAn asks AzhwAr in his divine mind “Will I ruin the knowledge of people like you who cannot sustain themselves without me, by engaging you with worldly pursuits such as Sabdham etc? Don’t I do that only with svathanthras (those samsAris who think that they are totally independent) who live life as they wish?” AzhwAr responds saying
mAyanE – Oh one who has amazing activities! Just as SrI vishNu purANam 1-15-157 says “upamAnam aSEshANAm sAdhUnAm yassadhA’bhavath…” (that prahlAdhAzhwAn, who was taken as the analogy for all sAdhus (ascetics) all the time …) you are capable of making even prahlAdhAzhwAn who is considered as the analogy for eminent people, to oppose you. In the arumpadhavurai (explanation for difficult terms) in this commentary, it is stated that in the commentary for raghuvamSam 7th sargam 35th SlOkam, the brahmANda purANa vachanam quoted by mallinAthan is as follows: “virOchana virOdhE’pi prahlAdha: prAkthanam smaran l vishNOsthu kramamANasya pAdhAmbhOjam rurOdha ha ll” (Though prahlAdhAzhwAn had enmity towards (his son) virOchanan, recalling his old enmity with indhra, when thrivikraman started measuring the worlds (to seize them from mahAbali and hand over to indhra), he stopped the lotus-like divine feet of thrivikraman which measured the worlds). Similarly, you are capable of granting mOksham even to SiSupAlan who was constantly opposing you. Isn’t this your svAthanthryam (being totally independent)!
Next, we will take up the 86th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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