SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said that karmas which beget punishment from yama will not affect emperumAn’s followers. Even if these are removed, prArabdha karmam (karmas which have started yielding end results) and which are responsible for begetting many births are still there. Hence, many sorrows will arise due to that. When this query was raised, AzhwAr responds in this pAsuram saying that when emperumAn is there to remove those karmas along with the physical forms which are required to experience the results of those karmas and to take us towards parama padham, there is no deficiency in the benefits which we will attain. Past karmas, called as pUrvAgham are composed of three parts: (1) sanchitha karmas, which give countless physical forms [to experience and get rid of those karmas], (2) pApa karmas (sinful deeds) which are responsible for going to narakam (hell) and (3) prArabdha karmas which have started yielding the results and which could be got rid of, through experiencing the results, in about 8 to 10 births. Among these three, for an upAsakan, who attempts to attain mOksham through the means of bhakthi (devotion to emperumAn), all the karmas other than prArabdha karmas will get destroyed [through emperumAn’s divine mind]. To get rid of the prArabdha karmas, he has to keep taking births and experience the results. For a prapannan (one who surrenders to emperumAn), through the mercy of emperumAn, among the prArabdha karmas, whatever has to be experienced in this birth alone will remain; all the rest will get destroyed.
achchanOyodu allal piRappu Aya mUppu ivai
vaiththa sindhai vaiththa Akkai mARRi vAnil ERRuvAn
achchudhan anandhakIrththi Adhi andham illavan
nachchu nAgaNaik kidandha nAdhan vEdha gIdhanE
Word-by-Word Meanings
achcham – fear
nOy odu – disease, along with these
allal – mental agonies
mUppu – old age
pal piRappu – many births
Aya ivai – all these
vaiththa sindhai – mind, which experiences these
vaiththa Akkai – physical form which is the abode for all these
mARRi – avoiding
vAnil – to parama padham
ERRuvAn – one who has the basic nature of making the jIvAthmA to ascend to parama padham
achchudhan – one who will never let slip his followers from his hands
anandha kIrththi – (as a result of that) having boundless eminence
Adhi andham illavan – having no beginning or end (to the activities which he carries out for his
followers)
nachchu – spitting poison towards those who ae unfavourable
nAgaNai – on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
kidandha – one who is reclining
nAdhan – one who is the lord of all
vEdha gIdhan – it is only emperumAn who is praised like this by vEdhams
Simple Translation
Avoiding physical forms and, mind, which resides in these forms and which leads to fear, diseases, mental agonies, old age and countless births, emperumAn has the nature of making a jIvAthmA to ascend to parama padham. He will never let slip his followers from his hands, and has boundless fame as a result of this. There is no beginning or end for the activities which he carries out for the benefit of his followers. He reclines on the mattress of AdhiSEshan, who spits poison towards those who are unfavourable to emperumAn. It is only emperumAn, who is the lord of all, who is praised like this, by vEdhams.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
achcham nOyOdu allal pal piRappAya mUppivai – fear, disease which leads to grief for the physical form; along with these, mental agony, called as Adhi, old age, many births, all these. While fear is part of the mental agony which has been termed as Adhi, the reason for referring to it at the beginning exclusively is because both Adhi and vyAdhi (diseases) are common to everything. In other words, looking at the symptoms which are the indications of ensuing disease, the agony which one feels in the mind is fear. It is common to both agonies of Adhi and vyAdhi. vyAdhi is that which creates agonies in the physical form, such as head ache etc; Adhi is that which creates mental agonies such as kAmam (desire), kOpam (anger), lObham (greed), mOham (bewilderment), madham (pride), mAthsaryam (jealousy) etc. Combining the words “nOyOdallal” is due to the fact that among the three types of thApam (pain), in AdhyAthmikam (that which is caused by self) which affects both the body and mind, both are present. This is representative of the other two thApams which are caused by Adhibaudhikam (pain caused by other creations) and Adhi dhaivikam (pain, caused by dhEvathAs, such as thunder, lightning etc). These three constitute thApathrayam (three types of pain). Reference to mUppu (old age) is again representative of the other two stages of childhood and youth. Since it causes many births, AzhwAr calls prArabdha karmas as pal piRappu. The term Aya ivai refers to all the comforts and the sorrows which we experience with our physical forms.
vaiththa sindhai – the mind which thinks of all these
vaiththa Akkai – the physical form which is the abode for that mind
mARRi – getting rid of the physical and mental pains which we suffer, which are the results of prArabdha karmas, the sensory organs which experience these pains, the physical body which is the repository of all these.
vAnil ERRuvAn – one who has the nature of lifting us to parama padham, where there is no space even to think of these, just as it has been said in chAndhOgya upanishath 8-12-3 “nOpajanam smarannidham SarIram” (the mukthAthmA [who has been liberated from samsAram] does not even think of his [just left behind] physical form which is lying near his dear ones).
Who is the one having this as his nature?
achchudhan – one who does not let slip of those who have attained his divine feet.
anandhakIrththi – one who has unbounded fame as a result of protecting his followers like this.
Adhiyandham illavan – one who is without any beginning and end. In other words, this speaks about the benefits which emperumAn is intending to carry out for his followers, which are without a beginning and an end.
nachchu nAgaNaik kidandha nAdhan – one who manifests his quality of never separating from his followers through his act of reclining on AdhiSEshan. AdhiSEshan spits poison on the enemies of emperumAn and has the qualities of softness, coolness and fragrance, typical of snakes. One who reclines on such AdhiSEshan.
nAdhan – the indication is that the reason for his not letting slip his followers and taking incarnations to help his followers, even lowering himself, is because he is the lord of all.
vEdha gIdhanE – one who has been praised in nArAyaNa anuvAkam as achyuthan, who does not let go of his followers and as the lord of all jIvAthmAs, appropriate for their basic nature. Hasn’t this been mentioned resoundingly in thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 11 “pathim viSvasyAthmESvaram SASvatham Sivam achyutham nArAyaNam” (nArAyaNan alone is the lord of all the worlds, who is the lord for himself [i.e. he does not have a lord], who is always auspicious and who does not let go of his followers)?
This pAsuram is in the manner of AzhwAr mercifully telling his heart, .
Next, we will take up the 118th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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