SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
thaniyan offered by periya nambi:
ApAdha chUdamanubhUya harim SayAnam
madhyE kavEra dhuhithur mudhithAntharAthmA
adhrashtruthAm nayanayOr vishayAntharANAm
yOniSchikAya manavai munivAhanam tham
word-by-word translation:
- ya: – that thiruppANAzhwAr
- kavEra dhuhithu: – kAveri river, (daughter of kavEra rishi)
- madhyE – in the middle of
- SayAnam – asleep
- harim – Sri ranganAtha
- ApAdhachUdam – from the auspicious feet up to the [crowned] head
- anubhUya – experiencing
- mudhithAntharAthmA – blissful
- nayanayO: vishayAntharANAm adhrashtruthAm – the inability of his eyes to see anything else [other than that perumAL]
- niSchikAya – affirmed
- tham – that (such)
- munivAhanam – thiruppANAzhwAr, who was saddled on lOkasAranga muni as his vehicle
- manavai – I am bound to meditate upon
Simple translation
In this thaniyan, SrI periya nambi describes how thiruppANAzhwAr enjoyed the most auspicious appearance of periya perumAL, from his foot to head, like periyAzhwAr . While doing so he mentions how thiruppANAzhwAr was carried into the sanctum of SrI ranganAtha by lOkasAranga muni, his personal priest. nambi says that while worshiping periya perumAL, the AzhwAr was filled with absolute bliss. He felt that the eyes could not see anything else other than the perumAL thereafter. As the chAndhogya upanishath 3-6 declares: “nASnanthi na pibanthi EthadhEvAmrutham dhrushtvA thrupyanthi” (they do not eat or drink this nectar, the paramAthmA; they rejoice looking at him, the supreme nectar). Even nAradha the celestial saint with veeNA in hand is not comparable to him.
piLLai lOkam jIyar’s vyAkhyAnam
avathArikai
(ApAdha chUda ityAdhi) In this (verse), he is asking us to mentally worship and rejoice the AzhwAr mounted on Sri lOkasAranga as he enjoyed experiencing periya perumAL as shown in thirumAlai 10 “garuda vAhananum niRka” (even as the lord mounted on garuda was there) and periya thirumozhi 5-6-6 “anjiraip putpAganai yAn kaNdadhu then arangaththE” (I saw the emperumAn sitting atop garuda who has beautiful wings, in beautiful SrIrangam). Mounting on garuda, lying on AdhiSEshan, and being the lord of SrI mahAlakshmi are the definitive identity of the supreme being who is the lord of all. This verse describes the way thiruppANAzhwAr enjoyed all the parts of the divine body of the supreme being in the appropriate order.
vyAkhyAnam
ApAdha chUda – periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.2.21 “thirup pAdha kEsaththai” (the divine form, (rUpam of emperumAn) from the divine feet to head) enjoying that in the amalanAdhipirAn;
harim SayAnam – lying as described in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38-23, 38-24 “sa mayA bodhithaS SrImAn sukhasuptha: paranthapa” (after that He who was sleeping comfortably (and so) beautifully, who (even while sleeping) troubles the enemies, was woken up by me who was troubled by kAkAsuran (said sIthAp pirAtti to hanuman as one of the identifying information to be conveyed to SrI rAma)); Is He not the one who finished the lives of all the asuras? “harathIthi hari:” means He conquers the heart of the devout and the lives of the enemies. He steals the eyes and thoughts of the devout. thirumAlai 23 “kidandhadhOr kidakkai kaNdum enganam maRandhu vAzhgEn” (how can I see you lying like this, forget it and yet live?). He whose thirst was quenched by looking at him. thiruvAimozhi 5-8-1 “yErAr kOlam thikazhak kidandhAy kaNdEn” (I saw you lying, displaying all your grand excellence of appearance). After all, He is the cloud coloured magician lying on AdhiSEshan; one who protects the devout and destructs the opponents.
kavEra dhuhithur madhyE– He is lying totally relaxed in the middle of kAveri (more auspicious than the gangA), the daughter of kavEra. Thus he enjoyed the vision of (kavEra dhuhithur madhyE sayAnam harim ApAdha chUdam) the lord who has the complexion of the ocean, with His head to the west and feet to the east, showing His back to the north, looking at lankA in the south. He enjoys my Lord resting on AdhiSEshan.
mudhithAntharAthmA – seeing Him he was filled with bliss; his heart was pleased. iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 32 “magizhndhadhu chindhai” (the mind was blissful) as stated herein. Not satisfied with that-
adhrashtruthAm nayanyOr vishayAntharANAm – he became one with eyes that won’t see (anything else). He himself says in amalanAdhipirAn 10 “aNiyarangan en amudhinaik kaNda kaNkaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE . In this matter, he is asthamitha anyabhAvar, that is, devoid of all other thoughts. As stated in chandhOgyOpanishath 3.6.1 “nAsnanthi na pibanthi EthadhEvAmrutham dhrushtvA thrupyanthi” (this nectar is paramAthmA whom none eat or drink but are happy seeing Him, the nectar); thirumAlai 17 “aranga mA kOyil koNda karumbinaik kaNdu koNdEn kaNNiNAi kaLikkumARE” (both of my eyes rejoice having seen the sugarcane like Lord who is housed in the huge temple of SrIrangam). So said dhaSaratha to kausalyA in SrI rAmAyaNam AyOdhyA kAndam 42-34 “rAmam mE anugathA dhrushti: adhyApi na nivarthathE na thvA pasyAmi kausalyE sAdhu mA pANina sprusa” (My eyes followed srI rAma; it has not yet returned to me; kausalyA! I do not see you; please touch me well). Like him, thiruppAnAzhwAr was also immersed in emperumAn’s beauty. This beauty caused ignorance in him. As the unseen became visible, the visible became unseen. Also, as AzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 7.10.10 “sindhai maRRonRin thiRaththadhallA” (mind is incapable of anything else); as hanumAn said to perumAL in Sri rAmAyaNam uththara kAndam 40-15 “snEho mE paramO rAjan thvayi nithyam prathishtitha: bhakthiScha niyathA vIra bhAvO nAnyathra gachchathi” (swAmi! I always have supreme and stable love and devotion for you . My mind doesn’t even go to Sri vaikuntanAtha), so, even the parathva of emperumAn has become a far off matter. He enjoyed by his eyes, the form that is thiruvAimozhi 7.2.3 “katkilee” (unperceivable) for others. In the seen (perceivable) matter (emperumAn) the unperceivable ones also are there. Thus he (the AchArya who composed this SlOka) talks about the AzhwAr who enjoyed from thiruviruththam 94 “maippadi mEni” and ignored seeing other things.
yo nischikAya manavai munivAhanam tham- Thus he defined that he prostrates by his heart (manavai) thiruppANAzhwAr who was mounted on the (lokasAranga) muni. Just as the swan mounted brahmA enjoys emperumAn through his several faces, AzhwAr too enjoyed through his (one, single) face, as in periya thirumozhi 4.2.6 “ayanalar kodu thozhudhEththa”; SrI hasthigiri mAhAthmyam “kirIta keyUraka rathna kuNdalam pralamba mukthAmani hemabhUshitham viSAla vakshsthalaSObhi kausthubham SriyA cha dhevyAthyushithOru vigraham prathapthachAmIkara chAruvAsasam sumEkalAnUpura SObithAngrikam SubandhunIjAtha mruNALa komaLam dadhAnamachchavi yagja sUthrakam bujOpadhAnam prasruthAnya hastham nikunjithOththAnitha pAdhayugmam sudhIrggamurvam samudhagravEsham bhujangOthalpam purusham dhadharsa (brahmA saw the emperumAn adorned with crown, shoulder bands, ear ornaments of precious stones, hanging garland of pearls, decorated by golden and ruby ornaments, possessing the glittering kausthuba maNi on his broad chest, with large divine thirumEni (body) where SrI mahAlakshmi permanently resides, adorned with vasthra resembling molten gold, with feet beautified by nUpura and feet band, wearing sacred thread bent like lotus stem, with one hand like pillow for head, another hand fully stretched, divine lotus feet angularly clamped together, broad shoulders, with AdhiSEshan as His bed). brahmA enjoyed emperumAn’s beauty from head to feet as he was abhimAni (possessed of rajO guNam)); but AzhwAr enjoyed him from feet to head as he was a devotee. brahmA also saw things other than the divine vision; but AzhwAr did not see other things. He said, “thiruk kamala pAdham vandhen kaNNinuLLana” (the auspicious lotus feet came and reposed in my eyes) and “kaNda kaNkaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE” (the eyes which saw him will not see anything else). Even nAradhar (who was immersed in the thoughts of perumAL) can’t be equated to AzhwAr as Azhwar disappeared in the auspicious body of perumAL. The experience periyAzhwAr had in incarnations, thiruppANar had the same in the archA of periya perumAL. What periyAzhwAr described in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.2.1 as “pAdhakamalam”, thiruppANAzhwAr described in amalanAdhipirAn 1 as “thirukkmala pAdham” . What he described in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.7.3 as “pIthagach chiRRAdaiyOdum” AzhwAr described in amalanAdhipirAn 2 as “araich chivandha Adaiyin mEl”. What he described in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.2.8 as “azhagiya undhi”, AzhwAr described in amalanAdhipirAn 3 as “ayanaippadaiththadhOr ezhil undhi”. What he described in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.2.9 as “pazhandhAmbAl Arththa udharam”, AzhwAr described in amalanAthipirAn 4 as “thiruvayiRRudhara bandham”. What he described as “kuru mA maNippUN kulAvith thigazhum thirumArvu”, AzhwAr described as “thiruvAra mArvu”. What was described by him as “aNdamum nAdumadangavizhungiya kaNdam”, AzhwAr described as “muRRumuNda kaNdam”. What he described as “neiththalai nEmiyum sangum nilAviya kaiththalam”, AzhwAr described as “kaiyinAr suri sanganal Azhiyar”. What he described as “sendhoNdai vAi”, AzhwAr described as “seyya vAy”. What he described as “kaNgaL irundhavA”, AzhwAr described as “ap periyavAya kaNgaL”. What he described as “uruvu kariya oLi maNivaNNan”, AzhwAr described as “ezhil neela mEni”. What he described as “kuzhalgaL irunthavA”, AzhwAr described as “thuLava viraiyAr kamazh nINmudi”. Isn’t periya perumAL the cowherd with butter guzzling mouth?
adiyEn sadagOpan rAmAnuja dAsan
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