SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
emperumAn tells AzhwAr “After you developed a taste in kainkaryam (servitude) which is the ultimate goal, you had severed your engagement with worldly pursuits. You say that this is the means available with you. Since time immemorial, you have carried out sinful deeds, which would lead to experiencing hardships in narakam (hell). What have you thought of as the way for getting rid of those?” AzhwAr says in this pAsuram “’Just as you had said in bhagavath gIthA 18-66 ‘sarvadharmAn parithyajya mAmEkam SaraNam vraja l aham thvA sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi mA Sucha: ll’ (Giving up all righteous paths (which are considered as means), along with their impressions, attain me alone as the means; I will liberate you from all your sins; do not grieve), I have surrendered to your divine feet, with the purushakAram (recommendatory role) of nappinnaip pirAtti. I have submitted my protection to you. Other than this, is there any other means? Hence, you should remove my earlier karmas which are cause for attaining narakam and grant me unbroken enjoyment in your divine feet.”
kAtti nAnsey valvinaip payan thanAl manandhanai
nAtti vaiththu nallavalla seyya eNNinAr enak
kEttadhanRi ennadhAvi pinnai kELva ninnodum
pUtti vaiththa ennai ninnuL neekkal pUvai vaNNanE
Word-by-Word Meanings
pinnai kELva – Oh kaNNa, who is dear to nappinnaip pirAtti!
pUvai vaNNanE – Oh one who has the complexion of bilberry flower (purple black)!
ennadhu Avi – my AthmA
ninnodum – with you
pUtti vaiththa ennai – me, who has tied it (such that it cannot be separated)
nAn sey – carried out by me
valvinai – strong, sinful deeds
kAtti – showing (to me)
payanRanAl – with the result of those sinful deeds
manandhanai – my heart
nAtti vaiththu – making me to accept saying “This has to be experienced”
nalla alla – cruel deeds which are not at all good
seyya eNNinAr – (the messengers of yama, the lord of righteousness) are desirous of carrying out
enak kEttadhu – which has been heard of (in SAsthrams, the sacred texts)
anRi – removing them
ninnuL neekkal – you should not remove [me] from you
Simple Translation
Oh, one who is dear to nappinnaip irAtti! Oh, one who has a blacking purple complexion! I have bound my soul to your divine feet such that it cannot be separated. I have heard [in SAsthrams] that the messengers of yama, the lord of righteousness, are desirous of showing me the strong, sinful deeds which I had done, and the results of doing those deeds [punishments to be meted out to me], making me accept in my heart that these are to be experienced. You should remove these punitive measures and not remove me from you.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kAtti nAn sey valvinai – messengers of yama show my strong, sinful deeds [to me]; even if the deeds had been carried out through mind or mouth, they could be forgiven. The implied meaning is that messengers of yama showed me the deeds which I had done with my physical body, which are such strong that their results have to be experienced by going to hell. Before carrying out the punishment, they will ensure that I do not think “Oh, they are punishing me so horribly”
payanRanAl manandhanai nAtti vaiththu – making me understand in my mind properly, thinking “For the deeds done by me, experiencing the punishment is appropriate”
nallavalla seyya eNNinAr – the messengers of yama would have thought of carrying out cruel punitive measures. They will inform the person who has reached hell, about the deeds carried out by the person, create the fortitude in the mind of the person “It is only correct that I have to experience the punishment for the cruel deeds” and only then will they mete out the punitive measures.
enak kEttadhanRi – removing such thoughts, which I have heard of from SAsthram [sacred texts]. The implied meaning is – removing such punitive measures.
ennadhAvi pinnai kELva ninnodum pUtti vaiththa ennai – Oh kaNNa (krishNa), who has affable qualities such as vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance) since you are the dear consort of nappinnaip pirAtti! I am full of sinful deeds, without any means in me; you made such a person to offer my soul to you. The implied meaning is that his submitting his soul to emperumAn is also because of emperumAn only. AzhwAr recalls his earlier pAsuram (92) “kAli Aya – nin thanakku adaikkalam pugundha ennai” (Oh the one who tends to cows, to whom I have submitted myself). pUtti vaiththal refers to doing just as per what this AzhwAr himself had said in pAsuram 95 – “nI vidakkarudhi mey seyAdhu mikkorAsaiyAkkilum – ninnalAlor kaNNilEn” (even if you let go of me and make me engage with worldly pursuits again, I have none to protect me other than you).
ninnuL neekkal pUvai vaNNanE – Oh one who has a divine form which is having the tenderness and complexion of a bilberry flower! You should not remove me from you. You should mercifully allow me to enjoy your divine form which is tender like a blossoming flower.
The pAsuram has to be rearranged as pinnai kELva – ennadhAvi ninnodum pUtti vaiththa ennai – kAtti – nAn sey valvinaip payanRanAl manandhanai nAttivaiththu nalla valla seyya eNNinAr enak kEttadhanRi – pUvai vaNNanE – ninnuL neekkal in order to get the cogent meaning.
Next, we will take up the 100th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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