SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
Despite telling him, in the previous pAsuram, that “The lotus stalks are biting us like a poisonous scorpion”, since he did not relent, they tell him “While we are suffering like this, do not indulge in unjustifiable acts and harass us further by creating calumny for us, who are affectionate towards you”
nIrilE ninRu ayarkkinROm nIdhi allAdhana seydhAy
Uragam sAlavum sEyththAl Uzhi ellAm uNarvAnE
Arvam unakkE udaiyOm ammanai mAr kANil ottAr
pOravidAy engaL pattaip pUngurundhu Eri irAdhE
Word-by-Word Meanings
Uzhi ellAm – during the entire time of deluge
uNarvAnE – Oh, one who is fully aware (with the thought of protecting the worlds)!
nIrilE ninRu – standing in water
ayarkkinROm – we are suffering
nIdhi allAdhana – unjustifiable acts
seydhAy – you are doing
(if we are looking to escape from your mischievous activities)
Ur – our AyppAdi (SrI gOkulam) too
agam – houses there
sAlavum – to a great extent
sEyththu – are at a distance
Al – alas!
(even as you are making us suffer)
unakkE – only in matters concerning you
Arvam udaiyOm – we have affection
ammanaimAr – our mothers
kANil – if they see us (uniting with you)
ottAr – will not agree
engaL pattai – our saris
pOra vidAy – mercifully give such that we could reach for them
pU kuruththu – on the blossomed kurundham tree
Eri irAdhE – do not climb and carry out mischievous acts
Simple Translation
Oh, one who is aware, during the entire time of deluge (thinking about how to protect the worlds)! We are suffering, standing in water, while you are indulging in wrongful acts. (Even if we wish to escape from your mischievous activities) Alas! Our town and our houses are a long way off. We are affectionate towards mattes related only to you; however, if our mothers see us uniting with you, they will not agree. Mercifully give us the dresses such that we could reach out towards them. Do not carry out mischievous acts, climbing the kurundham tree.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nIrilE ninRu ayarkkinROm – we had reached here before the rooster called and before you got up around dawn. Since we have been in this cold water for a long time, our minds have become bewildered; look at our situation. Hearing this kaNNan said “You created difficulties for yourselves due to your ignorance. I too have been suffering on the tree for a long time, because of you. You are the ones who created difficulty for me too, like this”. Without giving them their dresses, he indulged in some lustful acts.
nIdhi allAdhana seydhAy – They ask “Could you indulge in such wrongful acts?” He responds “I have done what I had to. I am svathanthran [totally independent]. I am wont to doing these. Who could stop me, a svathanthran from doing what I wish? You can go to the town and appeal to the people about how you had suffered at my hands” They tell him ….
Ur agam sAlavum sEyththAl – “Our town is far away from here. Even if we somehow reach the town, our houses are still farther off. Thus, we cannot appeal to anyone”. kaNNan says “I am indulging in wrongful acts. The town is at a faraway distance such that you could not appeal to anyone. Beyond this, what have you people thought of, as a remedial measure?” They tell him “You have to give the remedy”
Uzhi ellAm uNarvAnE – When deluge was to submerge all the worlds, you had protected them by keeping them in your stomach. Oh, one who is aware all the time, thinking of ways to protect the worlds! Just as you remove the hurdles which happen due to others and the hurdles which a person brings on himself/herself, you should give the remedy for the troubles brought about by you. During the time of deluge, when all the entities, which you had created during the time of creation, had got destroyed, you had looked for ways to create them again. Only you have to find a way out for our troubles too. Just as it has been said in chAndhOgya upanishath 6-2-1 “sadhEva sOmyEdhamagra AsIth EkamEvAdhvithIyam” (Oh child! This world (which is now seen with names and forms), was a single entity during the time of deluge, (since it was without names and forms) and was without a second entity (since there was none like itself); it was sath, as brahmam itself) when all the entities took protection under you, just as it has been said in chAndhOgya upanishath 6-2-3 “thadhaikshatha bahusyAm prajAyEyEthi thaththEjo’Srutha” (that supreme entity took a sankalpam (vow) ‘Let me multiply manifold’; it created radiance), did you not find a way to create them all again?” Hearing this, kaNNan says “Since this world did not prevent me from doing good, I was able to do good to it; you people are preventing me from doing good to you”. They respond, saying ….
Arvam unakkE udaiyOm – “It is not only that we are not stopping you from doing good things to us; we have deep affection for you; you don’t seem to know it” kaNNan says “What you say is incomprehensible to me, just like compound words; is it apt to say that you have deep affection towards me while you are doing something which I do not desire? Is it enough to say that you have affection for me, through words? Should you not act in the same way?” They tell him…
ammanaimAr kANil ottAr – “We also like to unite with you, which manifests our affection for you; but our mothers will not allow that. We would like to get their approval and then unite with you”. kaNNan says “I too would like to play with you all in your houses, with you people donning your silk clothes and being happy in your minds. However, my heart is not agreeing to give you back your silk clothes. I will somehow make it to agree”. Hearing this, the cowherd girls tell him “It is enough if you give our dresses, even when your heart is not in agreement”. He says “In that case, here take these”, tying a few clothes to the seNdukOl [stick which he used for playing with his friends], and kept the stick on a branch which seemed near them but was actually a bit far away from them, turning his face towards flowers on the tree, as if he were admiring them. Looking at that, they tell him …
pOra vidAy engaL pattai pUngurundham ERiyirAdhE – mercifully lower the branch so that we could reach our clothes. They tell him not to torture them by keeping their clothes in such a way that they cannot reach for them, and pretending to admire the flowers.
Next, we will consider the 8th pAsuram of the this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org