SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
AzhwAr had, in the previous pAsuram “vaiththa sindhai vaiththa Akkai mARRi”, said that emperumAn would remove our hurdles up to the prArabdha karmas (deeds which have started yielding results); also, in line with his pAsuram 112 “meeLvilAdha bOgam nalgavENdum“, pAsuram 115 “nammai AtkoLvAn” and pAsuram 117 “vAnil ERRuvAn“, he had told his divine heart that emperumAn has taken as his deed, AzhwAr carrying out brahmAnubhava kainkaryams (servitude, with the rich experience of emperumAn). Even though he does not have any means with himself, should he not have the involvement in attaining him, who is the ultimate benefit? In this pAsuram, he makes an appeal to emperumAn regarding the involvement which his divine heart has towards attaining emperumAn.
sollinum thozhiRkaNum thodakkaRAdha anbinum
alli nanpagalinOdu Ana mAlai kAlaiyum
valli nANmalarkkizhaththi nAdha pAdha pOdhinaip
pulliyuLLam viLvilAdhu pUNdu mINdadhillaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
valli nAL malar kizhaththi nAdha – Oh, the lord of periya pirAttiyAr who is your consort, who has a well spread out, just blossomed lotus as her residence!
sollinum – in words
thozhil kaNum – in engagements with physical body
thodakku – continuity
aRAdha – without change
anbinum – in devotion
nal – being good
allinOdu Ana – being together with night
mAlai – at dusk
nal pagalinOdu (Ana) – being together with the pleasant morning
kAlaiyum – at dawn
pAdha pOdhinai – your divine feet which are like lotus
uLLam – mind
pulli – embracing
viLvilAdhu – without separating
pUNdu – engaging very well
mINdadhillaiyE – has not taken a step back (from that experience of divine feet)
Simple Translation
Oh, the lord of periya pirAttiyAr who is residing on a well spread-out lotus which has just blossomed, and who is your divine consort! My mind is embracing your divine feet which are like lotus, without separating ever, both during dusk when day is together with the pleasant night and at dawn when night is together with the pleasant morning, through words, physical body and continuous devotion, without any change. It is engaging very well, without taking a step back from the experience of your divine feet.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
sollinum thozhiRkaNum thodakkaRAdha anbinum – reciting prayers and the divine names [of emperumAn] through the faculty of speech, carrying out activities such as circumambulation, performing anjali (in salutation of emperumAn) which are done through the faculty of physical body and having devotion which is filled in the faculty of mind, thus through the three faculties of manOvAkkAyam (mind, speech and body) having engagement only with emperumAn. The term thodakkaRAdha mentions that this devotion is without any discontinuity. For others, bhagavath bhakthi (devotion towards emperumAn) will coexist with engagement with worldly matters. For AzhwAr, bhagavath anubhavam (experiencing emperumAn) will be the way of life.
allum nanpagalinOdu Ana mAlai kAlaiyum – the verse should be separated as “allOdu Ana mAlaiyum pagalinOdu Ana kAlaiyum” to get the correct meaning. The implied meaning is that (1) during night time, when it is pitch dark and one’s desire goes out towards engaging with women, (2) during day time, when one sets out to engage with work for earning livelihood, (3) along with the evening time of dusk when it is together with night and (4) the morning time of dawn when it is together with daytime, during all the time, only emperumAn was engaged with, just as he was engaged with through all the three faculties. The adjective nan (as in nanpagalinOdu), refers to good [or pleasant]; thus, AzhwAr mercifully says good morning and good night as well as to good dawn and good dusk, since all these times are spent only in bhagavath anubhavam.
valli nAL malark kizhaththi – since she has the well spread out, just then blossomed lotus flower as her residence, she excels that flower in fragrance, tenderness etc. Just as nammAzhwAr had said in thiruvAimozhi 6-10-10 “agalagillEn iRaiyum” (I will not separate [from emperumAn] even for a moment), since she does not separate from him at any point of time, oh the supreme entity who falls head over heels and enjoys her! The term valli (creeper) refers to periya pirAttiyAr who is slender like a creeper, having just blossomed lotus as her dwelling. Through this, it is indicated that it is only the togetherness of emperumAn and periya pirAttiyAr which is apt to be attained for his divine mind.
pAdhapOdhinaip pulli – holding on to your divine feet which are like lotus flower. Thus, until now, it has been indicated that AzhwAr was holding on to the divine feet of emperumAn, who is the divine consort of periya pirAttiyAr, through all three faculties, at all the times. pulgudhal – embracing.
uLLam vilvilAdhu pUNdu – with my mind engaging [with you] very much, without any discontinuity.
mINdadhillaiyE – starting to enjoy the togetherness of perumAL and pirAtti, and not feeling satiated, not coming out of that even to enjoy their auspicious qualities.
Next, we will take up the 119th pAsuram of this prabandham.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org