SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – In the previous pAsuram, they tried to tell him that the carp and scabbard fishes were biting and harassing them. Since that did not give the desired result, in this pAsuram, they tell him that the stalks of lotus flowers are stinging them like scorpion, so that he may take pity on them.
thadaththavizh thAmaraip poygaith thALgaL em kAlaik kadhuva
vidaththEL eRindhAlE pOla vEdhanai ARRavum pattOm
kudaththai eduththuERa vittuk kUththAda valla em kOvE
padiRRai ellAm thavirndhu engaL pattaip paNiththu aruLAyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
thadam – being expansive
avizh thAmarai – being with blossomed lotus flowers
poygai – in the pond
thALgaL – the stalks of lotus flowers
em kAlai – our legs
kadhuva – as they bite
vidam thEL eRindhAl pOla – like the stinging of a poisonous scorpion
ARRavum – to a great extent
vEdhanai pattOm – we are suffering
kudaththai – pots
eduththu – lifting
ERa vittu – throwing them up
kUththu Ada – to dance [with pots]
valla – having the expertise
em kOvE – Oh our lord!
padiRRai ellAm thavirndhu – leaving aside the mischievous acts (which you are indulging in)
engaL pattai – our silken clothes
paNiththu aruLAyE – mercifully give
Simple Translation
In the pond which is expansive and is having blossomed lotus flowers, the stalks of the flowers are biting our legs and harassing us, just like the stinging effect of a poisonous scorpion. We are suffering a great deal due to that. Oh, our lord, who has the expertise in throwing up pots and dancing well with them! Leave aside the mischievous acts and mercifully give us our silken clothes.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
They told him that the stalks of the lotus flowers are harassing them. He said “In that case, get on to the bank”
thadaththavizh thAmaraip poygai – by using an adjective for the lotus, they are creating a distinction with lotus outside the pond. kaNNan himself is like a lotus pond, just as it has been said in thiruvAimozhi 9-7-3 “chekkamalaththalar pOlum kaN kai kAl senganivAy akkamalaththilai pOlum thirumEni adigalukkE” (having eyes, hands, divine feet and divine lips which are like reddish blossomed lotus flower, and a contrasting divine dark form like a dense leaf, and who became my lord by showing such beautiful form) and in thiruvAimozhi 8-5-1 “kaNNA! kaN kai kAl thUya seyya malargaLAch chOdhich chevvAy mugizhadhA sAyal sAmath thadAgam pOl varuvAnE” (Oh krishNa! One who is having divine eyes, divine hand, divine feet, reddish divine lips which are shining due to gentle smile, as pure reddish flowers; oh, one who is coming with a blackish, divine form which is radiant as a bud, like an abundantly fragrant pond with huge lotus flowers!) The implied meaning here is that while they are being harassed by the lotus pond, when they are in water, if they decide to get on to the bank, the lotus pond [kaNNan] is troubling them there too. The word thadam refers to both bank and eminence. The pond which has blossomed lotus flowers with a bank or the pond which has the eminence of having blossomed lotus flowers.
vidaththEL eRindhAlE pOla – the stalks of the lotus flowers are stinging us like a poisonous scorpion. The implied meaning is that the lotus pond on the bank [kaNNan] is harassing like a scorpion, without poison.
vEdhanai ARRavum pattOm – we are suffering excessively. After they said this, kaNNan says “From the time that you people entered the pond, I have been sitting on the tree. There is no limit to the worms and insects which are crawling all over the tree. Is there any limit to the suffering that I experience here? Isn’t my suffering greater than yours?” Since they do not know that he too is suffering, they say that they have been suffering excessively, as if only they are suffering. Apart from missing out on the union with him, since they are in fear that they have lost their clothes and may lose their honour too, the time for which they have been suffering appears to be lengthy. Though he looked as if he were without any regard for them, stealing their clothes, since he would not be able to sustain himself without them, he is not indifferent to them. Hence the time for him too appears lengthy. Being desirous of his followers will not be a shortcoming to his nature of being indifferent. If an emperor were to lower himself in the presence of his royal consort, it will not cause any shortcoming to his stature.
vEdhanai ARRavum pattOm – the girls told him that due to lengthy separation from him as well as the harassment from carp, scabbard fishes and the lotus stalks, they have suffered a lot. In response, kaNNan said “Wasn’t it I who had suffered more than you all, sitting on the tree?” They told him “That suffering which you underwent was on your own account. Wasn’t it you who climbed up the kurundham tree, after taking our clothes? How could you blame us for your suffering?” kaNNan told them “Even if it was due to me, I did not like to disperse your gathering. Hence, I’m going to remain here itself, enduring the suffering”. The cow-herd girls told him “Is this the way to gather our assembly? You already know a way to get us all together. In the intersection of four streets, without any shame, you used to dance and through that you used to gather the cow-herd girls” through the next verse
kudaththai eduththERa vittuk kUththAda valla em kOvE – Since they said these words, to which he could not give any repartee, showing their total engagement with him, using their words as his prop, kaNNan started indulging in a few activities which could not be revealed to anyone. Looking at these, they tell him ….
padiRRai ellAm thavirndhu – they tell him to give up the mischievous acts which he was engaging in. He tells them “If you would not give up compelling me, you could remove my dress, wear that and go” and started removing his dress. They tell him, seeing that ….
engaL pattaip paNiththaruLAyE – if we go to our mothers, wearing your dress, will they not analyse as to how we got your dress? Hence, they tell him to give their dresses. A doubt would arise here: how would one dress of kaNNan’s be sufficient for five lakh girls of the cowherd clan? It is impossible to carry a huge bundle of his dresses, for giving them, too. The response to this is – just as he mercifully gave plenty of saris when dhraupadhi recited his name, he would have given them plenty of dresses by their reciting his name. Just as dhraupadhi recited “gOvindha, gOvindha” they too would have got his dresses by reciting that name.
Next, we will consider the 7th pAsuram of the this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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