SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In this pAsuram, AzhwAr is apologising to emperumAn for praising him, since he is not apt for praising the most distinguished entity, emperumAn. Just as it has been mentioned in rig vEdham – vishNu sUktham “thadh vishNO: paramam padham sadhA paSyanthi sUraya: l
dhivIva chakshurAthatham ll thadh viprAsO vipanyavO jAgruvAmsas samindhathE vishNOr yath paramam padham ll” (nithyasUris constantly keep looking at that superior abode of vishNu. That supreme abode is effulgent like sUriyan (sun) who reveals everything, who is in the sky, who is like the eyes of the world. In that paramapadham, greatly wise people, people who keep constantly worshipping, ever alert nithyasUris shine brightly), emperumAn is praised by nithyasUris, who have no connection with samsAram, and by sages and celestial entities, while he[AzhwAr] has been in samsAram since time immemorial and is not apt for praising him. However, you should mercifully think in your divine mind “Since he cannot sustain himself without praising me, he has praised me” and bear with me, conveying his apology for saying in the previous pAsuram that he had praised emperumAn (nAnum EththinEn)
thUyanAyum anRiyum surumbulavu thaN thuzhAy
mAya ninnai nAyinEn vaNangi vAzhththum IdhellAm
nIyu nin kuRippinil poRuththu nalgu vElai nIrp
pAyalOdu paththar siththam mEya vElai vaNNanE
Word-by-Word Meanings
surumbu – beetles
ulAvu – roaming around
thaN – cool
thuzhAy – having divine thuLasi
mAya – Oh, the amazing entity!
vElai nIr – water of the oceans
pAyalOdu – along with the mattress
paththar – devotees’
siththam mEya – as one who had entered their hearts
vElai vaNNanE – Oh one who has the complexion of ocean!
thUyanAyum – thinking of sacredness (due to the basic nature of knowledge)
anRiyum – not thinking of impurity (which results from ego and possessiveness which came to that basic nature)
nAyinEn – I, who am lowly, like a dog
ninnai – you (who are most sacred and most enjoyable)
vaNangi vAzhththum IdhellAm – all these by which I salute you and praise you
nIyum – you too (who are an ocean of patience)
nin kuRippinil – in your divine mind
poRuththu – forgiving me
nalgu – you should shower your mercy
Simple Translation
Oh, the amazing entity who has thuLasi, around which beetles are roaming! Oh, one who has the complexion of ocean, remaining on the ocean as a mattress, as well in the hearts of your devotees! I, a lowly dog, am thinking of sacredness (arising out of knowledge which is basic nature for me) and am not thinking of impurity which results from ego and possessiveness of that basic nature. You should forgive me in your divine mind and shower your mercy on me who saluted you and praised you, who are like an ocean of patience.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
thUyanAyum anRiyum – Just as it has been said in yAgyavalkya smruthi 3-34 “kshEthragyasyESvaragyAnAth viSudhdhi: paramA mathA” (It has been thought that distinguished sanctity happens to samsAri chEthana by knowing about emperumAn), when I think of your quality of purifying [others], I feel reassured that I am qualified to praise you; when I look at the beauty of your divine form which is attractive, I attain you, not thinking of my being immersed in samsAram since time immemorial. Alternatively, just as it has been mentioned in bhagavath gIthA 4-38 “na hi gyAnEna sadhruSam pavithram iha vidhyathE l thath svayam yOgasamsidhdha: kAlEnAthmani vindhathi ll” (In this world, there is no entity similar to knowledge for purifying. One who has attained karmayOgasidhdhi (the readily available path of deeds), over a period of time, attains that knowledge in his AthmA automatically), thinking of the purity that resulted from AthmasvarUpa gyAnam (knowledge which came from basic nature of AthmA), one can be firm that one is apt to praise [emperumAn] and one can attain emperumAn by not thinking of the impurity which resulted from ego and possessiveness to that AthmA. This verse could be added to vaNangi vAzhththum IdhellAm to get cogent meaning.
surumbulAvu thaN thuzhAy mAya – AzhwAr mentions the reason for not thinking of his lowliness and emperumAn’s eminence and being bewildered that he was qualified to praise emperumAn. Oh, one who has amazing activities and auspicious qualities, donning the cool, divine thuLasi garland around which beetles keep roaming to imbibe the honey flowing within that thuLasi! Isn’t your sweetness such that even beetles, which do not have discerning knowledge, come with desire! The indication here is that your beauty of being decorated with thuLasi and your divine and auspicious qualities and activities alone have made me fall head over heels.
ninnai – you, who are superior to everyone else, purifying others and apt to be enjoyed by nithyasUris.
nAyinEn – I, who am like a dog. The implication is that just as there is no boundary to your eminence, there is no boundary to my lowliness too.
nAyinEn – dog is one which will enter any space which is open, which will get hit and driven away from all those spaces and which, if one were to touch it even by mistake, will create impurity which can be removed only after having a bath. There is no limit to the number of physical forms that I have entered. There is no limit to the insults that I have suffered after taking those forms. My basic nature is such that even if you [addressing emperumAn] were to touch me after being pleased, it will create an impurity in you.
vaNangi vAzhththum IdhellAm – Am I asking for being apologised, after engaging with one fault? Haven’t I committed many faults? All my wrongful activities of bowing down with my head on your divine feet and praising you to my heart’s content.
nIyum – I cannot stay without bowing to you and praising you, because of my affection towards you. You, having patience as your basic nature, should tolerate those activities.
nin kuRippinil poRuththu nalgu – just as you had tolerated the faults of kAkAsuran and SiSupAlan in your divine mind, you should tolerate my faults too in your divine mind and shower your mercy on me thinking “this person [referring to AzhwAr] will not be steadfast in opposing us”.
AzhwAr now gives the reason for emperumAn tolerating him.
vElai nIrp pAyalOdu paththar siththam mEya vElai vaNNanE – Oh one who has the nature of removing all the distress from the hearts of your followers by standing tall with the mattress of thiruppARkadal (milky ocean) and having a form similar to that ocean, removing the ennui of those who behold you!
AzhwAr says “Since you remain with the thought of entering the hearts of your followers at an appropriate time, reclining on the milky ocean, and enter the hearts of those who have a little affection for you, removing their ennui, you should tolerate me and shower your mercy on me”.
Next, we will take up the 111th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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