SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
Note: This thaniyan was composed by ponnadikkAl jIyar (vAnamAmalai/thOthAdhri mutt 1st jIyar) and is recited in pANdiya nAdu regularly.
avathArikai (Introduction) – this thaniyan, which begins with the verse kOlach churisangai speaks about (1) enquiring pAnchajanyAzhwAn [divine conch pAnchajanyam] who is a confidante of emperumAn, regarding the sweetness of emperumAn’s divine lips, (2) the eminence of the divine abode [emperumAn’s divine hand] where pAnchajanyAzhwAn resides and (3) the eminence of ANdAL who had captivated emperumAn through her sweetness such that emperumAn desired to don the garland which she had initially donned and removed. The thaniyan says that the divine feet of ANdAL, who has such eminence, are the refuge for us, who have no other refuge.
kOlach churisangai mAyan sevvAyin guNam vinavum
seelaththinaL then thirumalli nAdi sezhunguzhal mEl
mAlaiththodai thennarangarukku Iyum madhippudaiya
sOlaikkiLi avaL thUya naRpAdham thuNai namakkE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kOlam suri sangai – looking at SrI pAnchajanyam (divine conch) who has beauty and curliness
mAyan – kaNNapirAn’s (krishNa’s)
sevvAyin guNam – about the abundantly reddish, divine lips
vinavum seelaththinaL – one who has the quality of enquiring
then – located on the southern side
thirumalli nAdi – head of the malli country (present day SrIvillipuththUr and surrounding regions)
sezhum – having gracefulness
kuzhal mEl – (donned on her) divine locks of hair
mAlaith thodai – garland with a mix of flowers
then arangarukku – to azhagiya maNavALan (the uthsavar vigraham at SrI rangam)
Iyum madhippudaiya – one who has the eminence of proffering
sOlai kiLi avaL – that ANdAL who has the sweet words of a parrot which is inhabiting a garden, her
thUya nal pAdam – the divine feet which have sacredness and enjoyability
namakku – to us
thuNai – refuge
Simple Translation
ANdAL has the quality of enquiring the beautiful and curled SrI pAnchajanyAzhwAn regarding kaNNapirAn’s divine lips. She, who is the head of malli country which is located on the southern side, and who has donned a garland of mixed flowers on her graceful locks of hair, proffered that garland to azhagiya maNavALan. The sacred and enjoyable divine feet of that ANdAL, who has the sweet words of a parrot, living in a garden, are our refuge.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
kOlach churi sangai – Conch which has beauty and curliness, just as it has been referred to in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7-3 as “kOlap perum sangE” (Oh, the beautiful and huge conch!), in “suriyElum sangum” (curled conch) and in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7-3-1 as “suri sangu” (conch which is curled).
mAyan sevvAyin guNam vinavum seelaththinaL – since ANdAL herself has mercifully said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 9-9 “pUngoL thirumugaththu maduththu Udhiya sangu” (the divine conch which is kept on the divine lips which are beautiful) and in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7-5 “madhusUdhan vAyamudham pannALum uNginRAy” (you are constantly drinking the divine saliva of emperumAn who had destroyed the demon madhu), she is enquiring the divine conch about the sweetness of the divine lips of emperumAn, since he knows the nature of those lips. Haven’t the other AzhwArs too mercifully mentioned about emperumAn keeping the divine conch on his divine lips, just as it has been mentioned in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 37 “veNsangam Udhiya vAy” ((emperumAn) kept the white coloured conch on his divine lips and blew) and in periya thirumozhi 6-7-8 “sangam vAy vaiththAn” (one who kept the conch on his divine lips)! ANdAL is enquiring of the divine conch, who never leaves the divine mouth of emperumAn, to speak about the auspicious quality of that divine, reddish mouth. The mode of enquiring the divine quality of that divine reddish mouth is by way of raising the query: nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7-1 “karuppUram nARumO? kamalappU nARumO? thiruppavaLach chevvAydhAn thiththiththu irukkumO?” (Will that divine reddish mouth of emperumAn, which is like a coral, have the sweet fragrance of medicated camphor? Will it have the fragrance of a lotus flower? Will it taste sweet?) periyAzhwAr, ANdAL’s divine father, mercifully said in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1-5-9 “pAlodu ney thayir oNsAndhodu saNbagamum pangayam nalla karuppUramum nARivarak kOla naRum pavaLach chendhuvar vAy” (emperumAn’s beautiful, divine reddish mouth will have fragrance of milk, ghee, curd, eminent sandalwood, champaka flower, lotus flower and medicated camphor), alluding to the fragrance and sweetness of emperumAn’s divine mouth. The term “mAyan” refers to kaNNan who creates amazement to everyone through his beauty, simplicity etc. Was he not referred to by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 4-2-4 “Aya mAyan” (amazing entity born in the clan of cowherds) and in thiruvAImozhi 9-9-2 “Ayan mAyOn” (having amazing activities fitting with his nature of protecting others)? The term vinavugai refers to ANdAL asking desirously, just as she had said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 7-1 “viruppuRRuk kEtkiREn” (I am asking desirously).
seelaththinaL – having this quality of enquiring, as her nature. chAndhOgya upanishath 3-14-2 says of emperumAn “sarvagandhas sarvarasa:” (he is the repository of all the good fragrances and all the good tastes). The implied meaning here is that she has as her nature, the desire to enjoy emperumAn who has all the good tastes and good fragrances.
then thirumalli nAdi – she got this nature since she was born in the country of malli. Just as it becomes the nature of those who were born in the country of kOsalam to engage with SrI rAma, for those born in the country of malli, it becomes the nature to engage with krishNa. We can see this in both periyAzhwAr and ANdAL.
thirumalli nAdi – Since in both the thaniyans, it has been mentioned about ANdAL as malli nAdANda mada mayil and thirumalli nAdi, her eminence has to be proved keeping malli nAdu as the common factor.
then thirumalli nAdi – she belongs to the beautiful country of malli which is located in the southern direction. The word then refers both to the southern direction and to beauty. Aren’t SrIvillipuththUr and its adjoining region famously known as thirumalli nAdu? Now he [the composer of this thaniyan] shows that she is sweet for her consort, emperumAn.
sezhunguzhal mEl mAlaith thodai thennarangarukku Iyum madhippudaiya sOlaik kiLi – the term mAlaith thodai refers to the garland strung by periyAzhwAr, with a medley of flowers.
thennararangarukkIyum – just as [SrI parASara] bhattar had mercifully said in SrI rangarAjasthavam “hEmAmbhOjai: – rAmasIthOpanIthai“, periya perumAL will willingly don the golden lotus flowers which SrI rAma and sIthAp pirAtti had offered him [in SrI rAmAvathAram when periya perumAL was in ayOdhyA and SrI rAma was carrying out thiruvArAdhanam (divine worship) to him]. In the same way, the garland, strung by periyAzhwAr, was donned first by ANdAL and then offered to the perumAL in SrIvillipuththUr. When this is the case, why is he referring to periya perumAL [in SrI rangam]? The reason for this is that SrI rangam has been referred to in siRiya thirumadal as “ArAmam sUzhndha arangam” (having other divine abodes of emperumAn as its surrounding gardens) and in iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 70 as “thalaiyarangam” (this is the primary abode for emperumAn among all divine abodes). Moreover, it was azhagiya maNavALap perumAL who ANdAL married. vatapathraSAyi, the presiding perumAL in SrIvillipuththUr, is in reclining form, just as periya perumAL [in SrI rangam], emphasising that it is his bhOgasthAnam (the abode where he enjoys). Thus, though the forms of emperumAn in the two abodes are different, since the indwelling entity is the same, there is no defect in addressing him as thennarangarukkIyum. Since she is the divine daughter sired by periyAzhwAr, who is mAlAkArar (one who carried out divine service by stringing garlands), she proffered garland to [thiru]mAl (consort of SrI mahAlakshmi) who is referred to as arangamAlai in thirukkuRundhANdagam 12. Even now, we can see the garland given by ANdAL to thennarangar on the 6th day uthsavam of Anai vAhanam [perumAL is carried on an elephant vehicle] and enjoy it. Did she not desire to be with emperumAn atop an elephant, just as she had said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 6-10 “angavanOdum udan senRu angu AnaimEl” (I desire to be with him atop an elephant).
thennarangarukkIyum madhippudaiya – her eminence is such that she gave the garland, which she had donned and removed, to thiruvarangar who is praised as in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 11-3 “pongOdham sUzhndha bhuvaniyum viNNulagum angAdhum sOrAmE ALginRa emperumAn sengOLudaiya thiruvarangach chelvanAr” (SrI ranganAthan has taken residence in SrI rangam, which is in earth, surrounded by ocean which is agitating belligerently; he is ruling over, with a sceptre, both leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm) and nithya vibhUthi (spiritual realm) without any deficiency). [parASara] bhattar too had mercifully said in the thaniyan which he had composed for thiruppAvai
neeLAthunga sthanagirithatI suptham udhbOdhya krushNam
pArArthyam svam Sruthi SathaSiras sidhdhamadhyApayanthI l
svOchchishtAyAm sraji nigaLitham yAbalAthkruthya bhungthE
gOdhA thasyai nama idhamidham bhUya EvAsthu bhUya: ll
(krishNa is sleeping on the bosoms of nappinnaip pirAtti, which appear like mountain slope. ANdAL is waking up such krishNa, who has donned the garland which she had earlier donned and removed. She reveals to him about her pArathanthryam (total dependence) on him, with the help of hundreds of references from vEdhAntham and enjoys him, forcefully. Let this word nama: [not mine] be submitted to her repeatedly). emperumAn’s nature of “aNdarkOn aNiyarangan” (SrI ranganAthan who is the ruler of the entire universe) as mentioned in amalanAdhipirAn 10 is congruent with the nature of his followers, just as it has been said in thiruppallANdu 9 “sUdikkaLaindhana sUdum iththoNdargaLOm” (we will don whatever you had donned and removed). Since such SrI ranganAthan has unsatiated love towards ANdAL, and is deeply affectionate towards her, this is also apt for him.
madhippudaiya sOlaikkiLi – she is the parrot in the orchards of mallinAdu, having the distinction of being the daughter of periyAzhwAr. Isn’t she very much like sIthAp pirAtti who was referred to as “kiLi mozhiyAL” (speaking like a parrot), in thiruvAimozhi 4-8-5? Didn’t ANdAL too say “ellE iLangiLiyE” in thiruppAvai 15? Just as a parrot is nurtured with honey and milk, wasn’t she too nurtured by periyAzhwAr with the divine names of emperumAn, similar to the pAsuram sung by thirumangai AzhwAr in periya thirumozhi 6-10-6 “thEnum pAlum amudhumAya thirumAl thirunAmam” (the divine names of emperumAn are like honey and milk). Just as ANdAL had referred to periyAzhwAr in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi pAsuram 11-10 “meymmai peruvArththai vittuchiththar kEttiruppar” (periyAzhwAr would have listened to 18-66 charama SlOkam of bhagavath gIthai and conducted his life in accordance with it), only periyAzhwAr would have taught charama SlOkam to her. thirumangai AzhwAr, in thirunedundhANdagam 14 had said “thirumAlaip pAdakkEttu vaLarththadhanAl payan peRREn varuga enRu madakkiLiyai kai kUppi vaNanginALE” (she offered salutations, by joining her hands together, to her beautiful parrot after the parrot recited the divine names of emperumAn, feeling overjoyed at having nurtured the parrot this way). ANdAL was similar to that parrot, with those who nurtured her, willing to offer her salutations.
It is said that some sages, such as Sukha brahma rishi, go beyond the fame of their parents, just as it has been mentioned in sahasranAma avathArikai SlOkam “vyAsam vasishta napthAram SakthE: pauthram akalmasham l parASarAthmajam vandhE SukhathAtham thapOnidhim ll” (I bow down to sage vyAsa, who is the great grandson of sage vasishta, grandson of sage Sakthi, son of sage parASara and father of sage Sukha). In a similar way, this parrot [ANdAL] too had surpassed her parents.
sOlaik kiLi – this parrot was living in the hermitage of [periy]AzhwAr. Through this, it is evident that she grew up under the shadow of a great person.
avaL thUya naRpAdham – the divine feet of such a person, who had such eminence and had the nature of purifying others, through her sweetness. They are the divine feet of pirAtti who was at once the head of SEshabhUthars (followers of emperumAn) just as it had been mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3-10-2 “alliyampU malarkkOdhAy! adi paNindhEn” (Oh one who has donned the garland made of lily flowers! I bow down to your divine feet) and who was a beloved of emperumAn just as ANdAL herself mentioned in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 6-8 “semmaiyudaiya thirukkaiyAl thAL paRRi” (holding the feet with divine hands when applying the toe-ring during marriage). Hence, her divine feet are referred to as thUya (sacred). Since those divine feet have the benefits of beauty, tenderness and are the cause for attaining SrI vaikuNtam, they are referred to as nal (good), just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 4-8-7 as “pAdagam sEr melladi” and in the verse “pAdagak kAliNai thAmE paramapadham tharumE” (the divine feet themselves will grant SrI vaikuNtam)
thuNai namakkE – the divine feet of pirAtti, who is the purushakArabhUthai (one who plays recommendatory role for us with emperumAn), who protects us until such time that we are on this earth, who would guide us when we travel through the path of archis (light) (on our way to mOksham), who will support us during the time when we carry out service to emperumAn [in SrI vaikuNtam] and who will nurture our service there. Just as emperumAn’s divine feet are referred to by thirumangai AzhwAr in periya thirumozhi 7-4-6 as “paNdu EnamAy ulagai anRU idandha panbALA enRu ninRu thoNdAnEn thiruvadiyE thuNaiyallAl thuNaiyilEn” (Oh the one who dug out this earth on that day, in the form of a great boar! I became a servitor to your divine feet and do not have any refuge other than those divine feet) by being the means to attain him, by accepting our service and by being our protector, will not her [ANdAL’s] divine feet too grant us purushakAram, nurture our service and protect us? Has she not been referred to in thiruviruththam 40 as “gyAlap ponmAdhu” (bhUdhEvi, who is the primary deity for earth, and SrI dhEvi)? Just as “kOlaththiruvadigaL” (beautiful divine feet), ANdAL’s divine feet too are considered as apt for us.
We shall next consider the avathArikai (Introduction) mercifully composed by the vyAkyAthA (commentator) periyavAchchAn piLLai for nAchchiyAr thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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