SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In pAsuram 106, AzhwAr had mercifully said “nin pugazhkkalAlor nEsamillai nenjamE” affirming that emperumAn’s quality of helping in times of danger was his refuge and in pAsuram 107, he had mercifully said “ninkazhaRkalAl nEsa pAsam eththiRaththum vaiththidEn”, affirming that emperumAn’s divine feet which remove his followers’ enemies are his refuge. Hearing this emperumAn thinks in his divine mind “You could enjoy me in parama padham using these”. AzhwAr responds in this pAsuram “Even if I get to enjoy all the opulence in this world along with the happiness of enjoying mOksham, I will not desire any benefit other than paramabhakthi, which is attaining you”. Just as nammAzhwAr had said in thiruvAsiriyam 2 “ulagam mUnRinodu nal vIdu peRinum nEriya kAdhal anbil inbin thERal amudhaveLLaththAnAm siRappu vittu – koLvadhu eNNumO theLLiyOr kuRippE” (Will those with knowledge consider enjoying all the wealth of the worlds along with mOksham, when compared with the act of submerging in the nectar-like ocean of affection for emperumAn and the desire to attain him?) this AzhwAr too says “I do not need mOksham too. It is enough if I have paramabhakthi towards you (sustaining in the presence of emperumAn and perishing otherwise)”
kEdil sIr varaththanAyk kedum varaththayanaran
nAdinOdu nattam AyiraththanAdu naNNinum
vIdadhAna bOgam eydhi vIRRirundha pOdhilum
kUdum Asai alladhonRu koLvanO kuRippilE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kEdil sIr varaththanAya ayan – brahmA who had got unlimited wealth through boon, his
kedum varaththu – getting the act of destruction as boon
aran – sivan’s too
nAdinOdu – along with their lands
nAttam Ayiraththan – indhran, who has a thousand eyes, his
nAdu – land
naNNinum – even if I attain
vIdu adhAna – in the form of such mOksham
bOgam – enjoyment
eydhi – attaining
vIRRirundha pOdhilum – even if it is there without any deficiency
kuRippil – through the heart
kUdum Asai alladhu – other than the desire of uniting with you
onRu koLvanO – will I desire?
Simple Translation
Even if I attain the lands of brahmA, who has unlimited wealth through boon, of sivan, who has the act of destruction as boon and of indhran, who has a thousand eyes, along with such mOksham and enjoy without any deficiency, will I desire, through my heart, anything other than the desire of uniting with you?
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kEdil sIr varaththanAyk kedum varaththu ayan aran – this should be rearranged as “kEdil sIr varaththanAya ayan kedum varaththanAya aran” to get cogent meaning. The term varaththanAya has got transformed as varaththanAy to fit with the metrics of thamizh poems. The meaning for this verse is – brahmA has obtained emperumAn’s grace to have indestructible wealth till the end of kalpa kAlam (the longevity of brahmA) and rudhran, who has obtained emperumAn’s grace to destroy all the entities which had been created by that brahmA. Here, the term varaththanAya would refer to one who has obtained boon from emperumAn. Alternatively, the term varaththan could be taken to refer to varadhan, one who bestows boons. Then the meaning will be: kEdil sIr – having indestructible wealth, varaththanAya ayan – brahmA, who is capable of bestowing this boon on his followers; kedum sIr – one who has obtained destroying everyone, as his wealth, varaththanAya aran – rudhran, who is capable of bestowing this as a boon to his followers.
nAdinOdu nattamAyiraththan nAdu naNNinum – even if I get the lands of brahmA and rudhran, along with the land of indhran who has thousand eyes. nattam – eye; nattamAyiraththan– indhran who has thousand eyes. The term nAdu refers to the wealth in the land. In other words, if I alone were to get the wealth of the three celestial entities of brahmA, rudhran and indhran; it is not possible for one person to attain all their wealth. The opinion is – even if all the wealth were to come to me.
vIdadhAna bOgam eydhi – more than all the wealth mentioned above, attaining the enjoyment of mOksham which is carrying out kainkaryam to emperumAn, which is the ultimate benefit and when compared to which, all the wealth mentioned above will appear like a drop of water [in an ocean]. Usage of the term vIdu adhAna bOgam indicates that it is the most eminent mOksham of carrying out kainkaryam to emperumAn, which is the ultimate benefit, and not the lowly mOksham such as kaivalya mOksham [where an AthmA enjoys itself instead of carrying out kainkaryam to emperumAn] or the mOksham attained by sAdhanabhkthas [those who carry out a means on their own to attain emperumAn] where, even after attaining emperumAn, they focus on enjoying emperumAn and becoming pleased [instead of making him happy by carrying out kainkaryam to him]
vIRRirundha pOdhilum – vIRRirukkai refers to being with splendour. In other words, being without any shortcoming in the aids for carrying out kainkaryam to emperumAn; or, being fulfilled with unmatched brahmAnandham (supreme happiness). Wouldn’t aids for kainkaryam for an entity in mOksham come through sankalpam (thought) alone? Alternatively, this could be construed as being with a splendour on having attained all the wealth of brahmA, rudhran and indhran, along with mOksham, compared to nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs.
kUdum Asai alladhu onRu koLvanO kuRippilE – will I desire through my heart anything other than the stage of paramabhakthi wherein I cannot sustain myself without you and with the thought of being with you all the time? It has been mentioned in SrI vishNu purANam 1-20-27 “dharmArthakAmai: kim thasya mukthisthasya karE sthithA l samastha jagathAm mUlE yasya bhakthi: sthirA thvayi ll” (To one who has unwavering devotion towards you, who are the causative factor for the worlds, what is the purpose of benefits such as dharmam (righteousness), artham (opulence) and kAmam (pleasures)? He has the ultimate benefit of mOksham (parama padham) itself with him) and in jithanthE SlOkam 1-11 “vigyAnam yadhidham prAptham yadhidham sthAnam Arjitham l janmAntharE’pi mE dhEva mAbhUth thasya parikshaya: ll” (Oh emperumAn! Let there be no shortcoming in any birth to the knowledge that adiyEn (this servitor) has attained (that you are the means and the ultimate benefit) and the state that adiyEn has reached (about the firmness of this knowledge)). In line with these pramANams, if there is no slackening of faith in the firmness of means [that it is only emperumAn] and that paramabhakthi alone is the ultimate benefit, there is no need to even reach mOksham; even if there is rebirth, it is not a hurdle. This is the belief of those who are deeply involved with emperumAn through their knowledge and devotion.
Next, we will take up the 109th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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