SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – she tells kUdal to indicate positively such that one, who has annihilation of enemies as his nature, comes and unites with her.
mAda mALigai sUzh madhuraip padhi
nAdi nam theruvin naduvE vandhittu
Odai mAmadha yAnai udhaiththavan
kUdumAgil nI kUdidu kUdalE
Word-by-Word Meanings
Odai – having caparison, the decorative piece on its forehead
mAmadham – being in a highly exulted state
yAnai – elephant (called as kuvalayApeedam)
udhaiththavan – kaNNapirAn, who kicked it and destroyed it
mAdam mALigai sUzh madhurai padhi – the city of mathurA, which was surrounded by
mansions and palaces
nAdi – searching (our house)
nam theruvin naduvE vandhittu – coming to the centre of our street
kUdum Agil – if he were to unite (with us)
kUdalE – Oh, kUdal
nI kUdidu – you give positive indication
Simple Translation
kaNNapirAn kicked and destroyed the elephant, kuvalayApeedam, which was in a high state of exultation and which was caparisoned. If he were to come looking for our house and were to come to the middle of our street in the town of mathurA, which is surrounded by huge mansions and palaces, in order to unite with us, oh kUdal, you should give a positive indication.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
mAda mALigai sUzh madhuraip padhi – keeping the festival of bows as the reason, kamsan [the king of mathurA] had expanded his city by building many mansions and palaces around it. ANdAL imagines that kamsan did that so that kaNNan would search and look for her, in that place.
nAdi – searching for her. If he comes to her directly, there will be no interest in it. He should go to every street in the town and search “Where is her house?” such that the entire town will know that “She is dear to kaNNan”, search her out so that the town will celebrate it, manifesting the tiredness of having searched her out. SrI vishNu purANam 5-19-17 says “krishNarAmau mudhA yukthau mAlAkAragruham gathau l …… prasAdha paramau nAthau mama gEham upAgathau l dhanyO’ham archayishyAmIthyAha mAlyOpajIvana: ll” (balarAma and krishNa went to the house of mAlAkArar (one who strings and sells garlands), with lot of happiness. mAlAkArar, upon seeing them said “The two of them, with excess of affection, and as two lords, mercifully came to my house. Let me, thankful to them, worship them”) Did not kaNNan search out for mAlAkArar, after going to all corners of the town? Since it has been said “They came with lot of happiness” it is evident that they had searched with happiness, through the big streets of the town and since they could not find him, they came to the narrow lanes, found his house there and reached it. Since it has been said “With excess of affection”, though they had both the qualities of parathvam and saulabhyam (eminence and easy approachability), it is clear that more than parathvam it was saulabhyam which was the dominant quality, since they came looking for him. Since mAlAkArar says that they came “as two lords”, the quality of parathvam was also evident in their nature. How did he know that saulabhyam was more dominant than parathvam and that parathvam was also seen in their nature? This is clear from his statement “They mercifully came to my house”. If parathvam had been the more dominant of the two qualities, they would have sent word for him to come to their place. Since he says “thankful to them” it is clear that he considers himself to be fortunate as the treasure [krishNa and balarAma], which even eminent people, who search for it, are unable to find it, came looking for him, to his house. Since he says “Let me worship” appropriate to his nature [of being a servitor], he would enjoy the treasure which came looking for him, by means such as archanam, vandhanam (offering worship, salutation) etc. Through the word ithi [as in archayishyAmi ithi …], parASara maharishi [the sage who composed SrI vishNu purANam] indicates as to who had said this – mAlyOpajIvana: (mAlAkArar who sells garlands and earns a livelihood). Just as those, who are to enjoy their wives, sell them in order to sustain themselves, this mAlAkArar sells garlands which he has to enjoy. The implied meaning here is that the eminence of emperumAn’s quality made him to suffer like this. Those who string garlands, will have a desire to enjoy a portion of it. Is it not well known that in order to avoid that, even as they are stringing, they will look in some other direction? Since parASarar says “mAlAkArar said this” he establishes that kaNNan’s coming to see him made the mAlAkArar say these words. Since she [ANdAL] too is the daughter of a mAlAkArar, periyAzhwAr [who was stringing garlands to offer to emperumAn], she thinks that just as kaNNan had gone in search of mAlAkArar [through the streets of mathurA], he will come searching for her too. Did not emperumAn desire the garlands which she had donned!
nam theru – just as ANdAL had considered thiruvAyppAdi as her place, she considers that she has a divine mansion in mathurA too. SrI vishNU purANam 1-9-145 says “dhEvathvE dhEvadhEhEyam manushyathvE cha mAnushI l vishNOr dhEhAnurUpAm vai karOthyEshAthmanasthanum ll” (When [bhagavAn] incarnates as a celestial entity, this pirAtti [SrI mahALakshmi] takes the form of a celestial entity. When he comes in the form of a manushya [human] she comes as a manushyai. She makes her forms appropriate to vishNu’s forms). When she takes forms appropriate to his, there is nothing amazing when she desires to have a mansion in the places he comes to, with happiness.
naduvE vandhittu – she desires that when he comes searching for her, he should come to the street where she resides, without anyone knowing about it, and then he should enter her mansion, with everyone wondering about it.
Odai – this refers to the decorative caparison, which is placed on the face of an elephant.
mAmadha yAnai – it is indicated that kamsan had given the elephant certain materials which will make it to exult excessively.
mAmadha yAnai udhaiththavan – the elephant was arrogant due to its state of exultation. kaNNan kicked it such that its arrogance and brashness went out, along with its life.
kUdumAgil nI kUdidu kUdalE – emperumAn has as his nature, annihilation of his enemies. He has destroyed the elephant which was a hurdle between her and him. She tells kUdal “You should show positive indication and unite him with me”
Next, we will consider the 6th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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