SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – Oh kUdal! You must agree so that the one, who measured everything as his possession, should accept me also, as his possession.
koNda kOlak kuRaL uruvAych chenRu
paNdu mAvali than peru vELviyil
aNdamum nilanum adi onRinAl
koNdavan varil kUdidu kUdalE
Word-by-Word Meanings
paNdu – in an earlier time
kOlam koNda kuRaL uruvAy – decorating (with sacred thread, deer skin, waist reed, finger reed and stick) in the form of vAmana (a brAhmaNa bachelor)
mAvali than peru vELviyil senRu – mercifully reaching the grand arena where mahAbali was conducting a ritual
aNdamum – upper worlds
nilanum – lower worlds
adi onRinAl – each with a step
koNdavan – one who measured
varil – if he were to come
kUdalE – Oh kUdal!
kUdidu – you should agree
Simple Translationi
Oh kUdal! In an earlier time, emperumAn had decorated himself in the form of vAmana and reached the grand arena where mahAbali was conducting a ritual. He had measured all the upper worlds and the lower worlds, each with one step. If that supreme entity were to come here, you should agree.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
koNda kOlak kuRaLuruvAy – the way he had decorated himself as a bachelor vAmana, with the three stringed sacred thread, deerskin [attached to that thread], reed on his waist, reed on his finger and the stick [palAsa dhaNdam carried by bachelors), he appeared to be more beautiful than parama padha nAthan, who has decorated himself with divine weapons and divine ornaments.
senRu – reaching that place, with those who were passing by that way, engaging with the beauty of his gait.
paNdu – AndAL is praising that time when “All the people in the world were fortunate to be touched by his divine feet”
mAvali than peru vELviyil – unlike her present situation where, despite engaging with kUdal, she was unable to have dharSan [seeing] of emperumAn, amidst the ritual, as a benefit of the ritual, everyone had the fortune to see him.
aNdamum nilanum adi onRinAl koNdavan – he measured all the upper worlds with one step and all the lower worlds, with another step, thus measuring the entire leelA vibhUthi (materialistic realm) since they were all his possessions, with two steps.
varil kUdidu kUdalE – since he is one who will not let go of his possession, there is no hurdle in his recognising me [as his possession]. The only deficiency is in your not agreeing [by coming up with even number of circles].
The vyAkyAthA (commentator], periyavAchchAn piLLai, has analysed extensively about emperumAn measuring the worlds, here – were they two steps or was there a third step, and if there had been a third step, what did that measure?
yajur ashtakam 2-4-5 says “thrINi padhA vichakramE” (thrivikraman, with three steps, occupied [the worlds]); periyAzhwAr in his periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4-7-10 says “mUnRadi nimirththu” (taking three steps). nanjIyar, one of our preceptors, asked his AchAryan (teacher), bhattar “When vEdham and AzhwArs have said that emperumAn had measured the worlds with three steps, how is it correct here when this pAsuram says that he measured with two steps?” bhattar responded to him saying yajur ashtakam 2-8-10 says “parO mAthrayA thanuvA vrudhAna l na thE mahithvamanvaSnuvathi l ubhE thE vidhma rajasIpruthivyA: l vishNO dhEvathvam paramasya vithsE ll” (Oh vishNu! You, being very eminent, had expanded yourself with a huge form. (At that time) There was none who could measure your greatness and who could enjoy you. We know the two steps which you had taken in the sky and on the earth [earth, here, refers to all the worlds below the sky]. Perhaps, you alone would know where you had kept the third step!). vEdha purushan (vEhdam itself) had said “All entities knew that you had measured the upper and lower worlds with two steps; only you knew as to what you had measured with the third step, none else would know it”. However, since all the authentic texts say that he measured the worlds with three steps, it is true that he had measured with the third step too. Only he knew as to what he had measured.
It is pertinent to recall this conversation [between bhattar and nanjIyar] here.
Next, we will consider the 10th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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