SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said that for the affection which was born out of emperumAn’s divine beauty, that divine beauty itself became the target, through the verse “unna pAdham enna ninRa oNsudark kozhumalar manna vandhu pUNdu“. In this pAsuram, he says that just like when an elephant is lying down, someone getting atop it with his efforts, he had not held on to emperumAn’s divine form. Without any reason, since periya perumAL kept his divine form in AzhwAr’s mind, without separating it from him, AzhwAr mercifully says in this pAsuram “I received permanent kainkaryam with unique brahmAnandham (happiness of experiencing emperumAn), getting rid of all hurdles”. Just as nammAzhwAr had said in thiruvAimozhi 10-10-10 “en avAvaRach chUzhndhAyE” (you united with me such that all my desires got fulfilled), this AzhwAr too expresses his gratitude for the help granted mercifully by emperumAn, and brings the prabandham to its end. It is clear from this that svagatha svIkAram, which is holding on to emperumAn through one’s means, and is similar to getting on top of the elephant which is lying down, is full of pitfalls and that AzhwArs, who saw emperumAn when he manifested himself to them, are paragatha svIkAra nishtars (those who are firmly rooted in the principle of taking refuge under emperumAn when he decides to take them under his refuge)
iyakkaRAdha palpiRappil ennai mARRi inRu vandhu
uyakkoN mEgavaNNan naNNi ennilAya thannuLE
mayakkinAn than mannu sOdhi AdhalAl ennAvidhAn
iyakkelAm aRuththaRAdha inba vIdu pERRadhE
Word-by-Word Meanings
iyakku aRAdha – without change in continuity
pal piRappil – from the multitude of births
ennai – me (who is ignorant)
mARRi – in order to take
inRu vandhu – (without any reason) coming (when I do not remember) today
uyakkoL – one who uplifted me
mEgavaNNan – one who has his divine form like a cloud
naNNi – coming near (to the place where I was)
thannil Aya ennuLE – in my heart which is united with him
than – his
mannu – permanent
sOdhi – splendorous divine auspicious form
mayakkinAn – mingled (inseparably)
AdhalAl – hence
en AvidhAn– my AthmA
iyakku elAm – avidhyai (ignorance), karmam (past deeds) etc which follow one another
aRuththu – destroyed
aRAdha inba vIdu – mOksha vIdu (the abode of parama padham) which is without an end, and which is full of happiness
peRRadhu – attained
Simple Translation
In order to uplift me, who has been having multitude of births, without any change in that continuity, emperumAn, who has the divine form like a cloud, came to where I was and united his splendorous, auspicious divine form with me. As result, he destroyed my avidhyai, karmas, vAsanA, ruchi, dhEha sambandham etc completely, enabling my AthmA to attain the abode of parama padham, which is without an end and which is full of happiness.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
iyakkaRAdha pal piRappil ennai mARRi – Just as it has been said in thiruvAimozhi 2-6-8 “mARi mARip pala piRappum piRandhu” (I have been born in multitude of births, continuously), thinking of changing me who had been without knowledge [about emperumAn] since time immemorial, having been born in the four species of celestial, human, animal and plant, continuously in each of these species. Since it has been said that birth has been continuous, when karma is being experienced with one physical form, it leads to engaging in deeds which would lead to more physical forms, thus not leaving any gap between the physical forms. The word iyangal refers to abundance. The syllable ng has been transformed to kk and the word becomes iyakkal. Could mARRi [changing] be construed as mARRa ninaiththu [thinking of changing]? In thiruvAimozhi 1-4-10 “uyir mudhalA muRRumAy kadalAzhi nIr thORRi” (being the controller of all the entities such as AthmA etc, and incarnating in the ocean), the term Ay (as in muRRumAy) comes in the meaning of AvadhaRkAga. In the same manner, here, the term mARRi will have the meaning of mARRugaikkAga which means to think of changing.
inRu vandhu uyakkoL mEga vaNNan naNNi – kArmEgavaNNan (one with the complexion of dark coloured louds), who removed my involvement with other pursuits and gave me knowledge [about him] which grew into devotion [towards him], approached me where I was even when I had not expected it, without any reason. naNNudhal – to embrace. Since AzhwAr had spoken about thiruvarangam in his pAsurams 117 “nachchu nAgaNaikkidandha nAdhan” and 119 “ponni sUzh arangamEya pUvai vaNNa”, even in this pAsuram, we should consider that he is speaking only about the divine form of periya perumAL [SrI ranganAthan] when he says uyakkoL mEgavaNNan, considering that divine form of emperumAn alone as his means to get uplifted.
ennilAya thannuLE – inside him, when he is within me. The word “en (I)” will not stop merely with me, but will extend up to him [emperumAn] since he is my antharyAmi (indwelling soul). Thus, this will refer to “inside my heart”, which is his attribute, never separating from him. Isn’t AzhwAr mercifully saying here, what has been said in vEdhavAkyams (sentences in vEdhams) such as chAndhOgya upanishath 6-8-7 “thath thvamasi” ((Oh SvEthakEthu!) That brahmam (brahmAthmA [the AthmA of supreme entity] resides within you)), instructing through the words of an AchAryan (teacher), and kaushIdhakI upanishath vEdhavAkyam “aham brahmAsmi” (I am brahmam (brahmAthmA resides within me)) when the mukthAthmA goes to paramapadham and meditates on the supreme entity! The reason for mentioning the connection here that he is the SarIram (physical form) and emperumAn is the AthmA (the soul residing inside his SarIram) is to show that emperumAn considered the deed of AzhwAr, who is emperumAn’s SarIram, as his [emperumAn’s] deed and helped in carrying it out.
mayakkinAn than mannu sOdhi – he united his divine form, which is dear to me, which is splendorous and apt for his basic nature, with me, inseparably. The word mayakkam will also come in the meaning of uniting. In other words, he did it in such a way that I could never let go of him ever.
AdhalAl – since he came on his own and gave me all these benefits
en AvidhAn – my soul, which is fully under his control and which is dear to him, similar to his kausthubam (a divine chain)
iyakkelAm aRuththu – severing everything, which come continuously as cause-effect chain, starting with avidhyA (lack of knowledge), puNya pApa karmas (deeds which result in virtue or sin), vishaya vAsanai (involvement with worldly matters, continuing with past impressions), vishaya ruchi (continuous involvement with worldly pursuits) and dhEha sambandham (connection with a physical form which is the transformation of primordial matter). In the first line of this pAsuram, AzhwAr had mentioned iyakkaRAdha pal piRappil, severing the connection with physical form which is the reason for everything. Here, He adds the ignorant deeds which are effected by that connection with physical form, the impression and repeated involvement which happen as a result of being connected to that physical form, and says that emperumAn severs everything.
aRAdha inba vIdu peRRadhE – [the AthmA] attained mOksham which is in the form of kainkaryam [servitude to emperumAn] which is with unmatched brahmAnandham, which is without any break and which lasts until AthmA lasts [in other words, for ever].
This brings us to the end of this prabandham.
periya pirAttiyAr samEdha periya perumAL thiruvadigaLE SaraNam
thirumazhisaippirAn thiruvadigaLE SaraNam
periyavAchchAn piLLai thiruadigaLE SaraNam
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