SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – AndAL says “There is no deficiency in me for eagerness and affection. There is no deficiency in him for protection and easy approachability. Oh kUdal! Your disagreement appears to be the hurdle”
Aval anbudaiyAr tham manaththanRi
mEvalan, viraiyAr sUzh thuvarApadhik
kAvalan, kanRu mEyththu viLaiyAdum
kOvalan varil kUdidu kUdalE
Word-by-Word Meanings
Aval anbu udaiyAr tham – those who have eagerness and affection
manaththanRi mEvalan – one who will not fit with any place other than their hearts
virai sUzh thuvarApadhi kAvalan – one who is the protector of the fragrant dhvArakA
kanRu mEyththu viLaiyAdum kOvalan – kaNNapariAn who is the protector of cattle, who plays with calves and grazes the cattle
varil – if he were to come
kUdalE– Oh, kUdal!
kUdidu – you should agree
Simple Translation
kaNNan does not fit well with any place other than the hearts of those who have eagerness and affection towards him. He is the protector of dhvArakA which is fragrant. He is the protector of cattle and calves, who enjoys playing with them. If that kaNNan were to come here, you have to agree.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
Aval udaiyAr – who are the people having eagerness? sIthAp pirAtti had said “He is complete with all the auspicious qualities. Hence, he will certainly accept us. It is only proper for us to wait till he comes” Though one may have complete faith in [emperumAn as] the means, due to excessive affection that one should attain him, one can engage with rituals such as observing fast, taking refuge under kAman [nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 1st decad], building toy-houses [nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 2nd decad], taking bath in cold water before break of dawn [nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 3rd decad], drawing circles [this decad] etc, which are against one’s svarUpam [basic nature of being totally dependent on emperumAn]. Those who engage with such rituals are called as Aval udaiyAr.
anbudaiyAr – these are people who engage with singing “mallANda thiNdOL maNivaNNA” [Oh one with the complexion of gemstone! Your firm shoulders are strong, having defeated wrestlers) caring for the well-being of emperumAn, due to misplaced sense of fear; or singing as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5-2-9 “uRagal uRagal”, praying to nithyasUris, who never sleep, to protect emperumAn, without sleeping. Thus, these are people who have overflowing affection towards emperumAn.
tham manaththanRi mElavan – emperumAn will not fit with anyone other than those who are in the clan of AzhwArs, who come under the categories of Aval udaiyAr and anbu udaiyAr. Since she too comes in that clan, ANdAL points out that there is no shortcoming in her with regard to eagerness and affection. Now, she says that there is no shortcoming in him [emperumAn] too, with regard to his qualities of protection and easy approachability.
virai sUzh thuvarApadhik kAvalan – one who married sixteen thousand noble ladies and protected them too, in dhwArakA. Has it not been mentioned in SrI vishNu purANam 31-17 & 18 “thA: kanyA narakENAsan sarvathO yAs samAhruthA: l EkasminnEva gOvindha: kAlE thAsAm mahAmunE ll jagrAha vidhivath pANIn pruthag gEhEshu dharmatha: l shOdhaSasthrI sahasrANi SathamEkam thathO’dhikam ll” (Oh sage! krishNa, at the same time, married all the sixteen thousand one hundred women, who were imprisoned by the monster naraka, individually, at their respective house (by taking as many forms)). Even if they are noble ladies, with high degree of fragrance, if he could unite with them who do not have the eagerness and overflowing affection which I [ANdAL] have, should I even mention about his desire to unite with me?
virai sUzh thuvarApadhi – apart from the original fragrance of that place, didn’t kaNNan bring the fragrant pArijAtham (night-flowering jasmine) tree from heaven? Has it not been said in periya thirumozhi 6-8-7 “mattERu kaRpagaththai mAdharkkAy vaN thuvarai nattAn” (He [kaNNan] planted the kaRpaka (wish-fulfilling) tree, which was full of honey, in the beautiful dhvArakA))? The term thuvarApadhi could be construed as the protector [padhi] of thuvarai, [shortened] name for dhvArakA. The term kAvalan [which follows this verse] could be construed as one who creates and destroys the worlds, without any effort, and protects them too.
kAvalan kanRu mEyththu viLaiyAdum kOvalan – SrI vishNu purANam 5-6-35 says “kAlEna gachchathA thau thu sapthavarsha mahAvrajE l sarvasya jagatha: pAlau vathsapAlau babhUvathu ll” (With passing of time in AyppAdi, balarAma and krishNa, who were seven years of age, despite being the protectors of entire worlds, became protectors of cows). As said in this, instead of protecting those who are capable of protecting themselves, kaNNan was very happy protecting calves which did not have the capability to protect themselves. Just as nammAzhwAr had said in thiruvAimozhi 10-3-10 “thivaththilum pasu nirai mEyppu uvaththi”, he was happier, protecting cows and calves, than protecting nithyasUris. Other AzhwArs too, such as thirumangai AzhwAr, as in thirunedundhANdagam 16 “kanRu mEyththu inidhugandha kALAy” (One who was happy grazing calves) said that he was joyous, grazing calves.
kOvalan – instead of having to put up with the heavy task of ruling dhvArakA, he preferred coming to thiruvAyppAdi in order to play with calves.
varil kUdidu kUdalE – thus, there is no deficiency in me, for eagerness and overflowing affection; there is no deficiency in him for protection and easy approachability. Hence, oh kUdal! You agree and unite us.
Next, we will consider the 9th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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