SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
emperumAn asks AzhwAr “Isn’t the paramabhakthi, which you are requesting us to bestow on you, attained by continuously meditating on us with sensory organs, which have been removed from worldly pursuits?” AzhwAr says “In that case, you have to think in your divine mind that I should overcome my sensory organs and meditate on you without a break”
irandhu uraippadhu uNdu vAzhi EmanIr niRaththamA
varam tharum thirukkuRippil vaiththadhAgil mannusIrp
parandha sindhai onRi ninRu ninna pAdha pangayam
nirandharam ninaippadhAga nI ninaikka vENdumE
Word-by-Word Meanings
Ema nIr – like a huge ocean
niRaththu – having a complexion
a(m)mA – oh one who is a relative to me!
irandhu – praying to you
uraippadhu uNdu – there is something which (I) have to appeal to you
vAzhi – may you live long!
varam tharum – bestowing benefits to this AthmA, as your svabhAvam (basic nature)
thirukkuRippil – in the divine mind
mannu sIr – firm benefit
vaiththadhAgil – if you determine (to give me)
parandha – going after worldly pursuits
sindhai – in my heart
onRi ninRu – staying firm (and not going after other pursuits)
ninna pAdha pangayam – your divine lotus-like feet
nirandharam – without any separation
ninaippadhAga – to think
nI ninaikka vENdum – you should think in your divine mind
Simple Translation
Oh, one who is having the complexion of a huge ocean and who is related to me! There is something which I have to tell you, as my prayer. If you determine in your divine mind to bestow benefits to this AthmA, then you should think in your divine mind that I should stop going after other pursuits and stay firm with your divine feet, without separating from them ever.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
irandhu uraipopadhu uNdu – SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 124-19 says “tham thu mE pradhAnam dhrashtum bharatham thvarathE mana: l mAm nivarthayithum yO’sau chithrakUtamupAgatha: ll SirasA yAchathasthasya vachanam na krutham mayA ll” (My mind desires to look at my brother bharathan who had come to chithrakUtam in order to take me back [to ayOdhyA]. I could not carry out what he had prayed to me for, with his head). Just as bharathan had done at chithrakUtam, I wish to get rid of all my pride, fall at your divine feet with my head and pray to you for a matter. emperumAn is the ordained lord; while he is requesting for meditation without any break, on him, which is in line with his basic nature, the reason for AzhwAr to feel shy is this – he is looking at the eminence of emperumAn and his [AzhwAr’s] poor conduct since time immemorial. If he thinks of his earlier poor conduct, he should feel shy to approach him. Even if he approaches, looking at the eminence of emperumAn, he should feel shy thinking “Will such an eminent person reject my request?”
vAzhi – we could consider this as AzhwAr praising emperumAn in order for emperumAn to glance at him mercifully or looking at the beauty of emperumAn which is what he has to meditate upon, without a break.
EmanIr niRaththamA – one who is having the complexion of the huge ocean, just as it had been said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 19-31 “khAnithas sagarENAyam apramEyO mahOdhadhi: l karthumarhathi rAmasya gyAthvA kAryam mahAmathi: ll” (This unfathomable huge ocean was severed by (SrI rAma’s ancestor) king sagara. The king of this ocean, who is a greatly wise person, knowing that this is SrI rAma’s wish, will fulfil it) and who is my natural relative! The term amA refers to relative. The word ammAn has got shortened as amA. Has it not been mentioned that emperumAn is naturally related to chEthanan in thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 1-15 “sa nO bandhur janithA sa vidhAthA dhAmAni vEdha bhuvanAni viSvA” (paramAthmA, who is the causative factor for the entire universe, is our relative. He alone bestows benefits; he alone grants us the enjoyments, the implements as well as the abode for enjoying those) and in SrI vishNu purANam 5-13-12 “nAham dhEvO na gandharvO na yakshO na cha dhAnava: l aham vO bAndhavO jAthO naithachchinthyamithO’nyathA ll” (I am not a dhEvan; not a gandharvan; not a yakshan; not a demon (these are all different types of celestial entities). I am born as your relative; my birth is not to be considered (by you people) in any other manner)?
Thus, until now AzhwAr has said that he could not remain without praying to emperumAn, that he has a divine form for which he could not remain without wishing him well and that he is a natural relative.
varam tharum kuRippil vaiththadhAgil mannu sIr – the verse should be rearranged as mannu sIr varam tharum kuRippil vaiththadhAgil to get cogent meaning. For those who seek benefits appropriate for the svarUpam (basic nature) of the AthmA, emperumAn will always grant through his divine mind. Until he does this… The implied meaning is – if emperumAn is thinking in his divine mind of granting that which is apt for my svarUpam. The term sIr refers to benefit. mannu sIr refers to the great kingdom of everlasting kainkaryam. Did not kulaSEkhara AzhwAr too say in his perumAL thirumozhi 10-7 “adi sUdum arasu” (the kingdom of kainkaryam where I don his divine feet on my head)?
Through the last two lines of the pAsuram, AzhwAr is requesting for uninterrupted meditation, which is the reason for getting this kingdom of kainkaryam.
parandha sindhai onRi ninRu – my mind which keeps going towards worldly pursuits such as Sabdham (sound), sparSam (touch) etc should, instead, stay focussed only on you
ninna pAdha pangayam – your divine feet which are attracting the mind since they have unbounded sweetness and since they are yours.
nirandharam ninaippadhAga nI ninaikka vENdumE – you should think in your divine mind that my mind should become capable of thinking only of you, without any break. My thoughts and deeds are without any purpose. The implied meaning is that only your thoughts will shower the benefit to me.
Next, we will take up the 102nd pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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