SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – she tells the cuckoo to call out to vaikunthan [one who has SrI vaikuNtam as his wealth] who has a flag in order to protect his followers and who is the means for attaining mOksham.
enburugi inavEl nedum kaNgaL imai porundhA pala nALum
thunbak kadal pukku vaigundhan enbadhOr thONi peRAdhu uzhalginREn
anbudaiyAraip pirivuRu nOy adhu nIyum aRidhi kuyilE!
pon purai mEnik karuLak kodiyudaip puNNiyanai varak kUvAy
Word-by-Word Meanings
kuyilE! – oh, cuckoo!
enbu urugi – apart from the bones melting
inam vEL nedum kaNgaL imai porundhA – the long expansive eyes, which are like spears, have remained closed (without sleep)
pala nALum – for a long time
thunbam kadal pukku – immersed in the ocean of sorrow due to separation
vaigundhan enbadhOr thONi peRAdhu – not having attained the boat called as SrI vaikuNtanAthan
uzhalginREn – I am reeling inside that ocean itself
anbu udaiyArai pirvuRum nOy adhu – the sorrow of separating from one’s beloved
nIyum aRidhi – don’t you also know?
pon purai mEni – having a golden, divine form
karuLak kodi udai – having garuda as his flag
puNNiyanai – kaNNapirAn, who is known as the epitome of righteousness
vara kUvAy – you should call out so that he comes
Simple Translation
Oh, cuckoo bird! Apart from my bones melting, my expansive, long eyes which are like spears, have not closed. I am reeling inside the ocean of separation, not having attained the boat called as SrI vaikuNtanAthan. Don’t you too know the sorrow which occurs when one is separated from the beloved? You call out loudly so that kaNNapirAn, who has a golden divine form, who has garuda as his flag and who is the epitome of righteousness, comes here.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
enburugi – the disease of love, which I have now, does not affect the skin superficially, but runs deep down to the bones and melts it.
ina vEl nedum kaNgaL imai porundhA – the long eyes, which are like spears, are also not closing, being without sleep. Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 36-44 “anidhras sathatham rAma: supthO’pi cha narOththama: l sIthEthi madhurAm vANIm vyAharan prathibudhyathE ll” (SrI rAma (who has got separated from sIthAp pirAtti) is always without sleep. Even if he, who is the best among men, sleeps for a moment, he wakes up, always reciting the beautiful word ‘sIthE’), I am experiencing the suffering which SrI rAma had suffered, due to separation from sIthAp pirAtti. Instead of the one, who is the target of these eyes [kaNNapirAn], suffering, these eyes and the owner of the eyes are suffering; how terrible is this! In the pramANam (authentic text) quoted above, sage vAlmIki says that SrI rAma was without sleep. The implied meaning here is: pampered children of affluent people will sleep not only in the night, but also during daytime. Since he was the son of emperor, SrI rAma should have been like this. However, he remained without sleep. Soon after sage vAlmIki says “SrI rAma is always without sleep”, he follows that saying “Even if he sleeps for a moment”. This is possible only if he had slept for some time and been awake for some time. However, since he has said that he does not sleep at all, how is this apt? Even as he is awake, though he does not have external senses working, he is in a state of stupor. Since vAlmIki refers this to “Even if he sleeps for a moment”, this is apt. The meaning to be considered here is that he was without external awareness. vAlmIki refers to such SrI rAma as the best among men. The underlying meaning here is that one, who is suffering without sleep due to separation from the beloved, is the best among all. Sage vAlmIki had also said in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 19-29 “na cha thEna vinA nidhrAm labhathE purushOththama: l mrushtam annam upAnItham aSnAthi nahi tham vinA ll” (SrI rAma, who is the best among men, will not sleep without lakshmaNa; he will not eat the nice food brought for him, without lakshmaNa). vAlmIki says that if he is separated from his beloved younger brother lakshmaNa, SrI rAma will not sleep, since he is the best among men. In the pramANam quoted earlier, vAlmIki had said that when SrI rAma wakes up, he does so, calling out her beautiful name “sIthE”. Since he is the target for sIthAp pirAtti’s spear-like eyes, when he wakes up, he calls out her name. ANdAL says that she is suffering, just the way SrI rAma had suffered.
inavEl kaNgaL imai porundhA – her eyes are as sharp as a set of spears which have been gathered together. Just as the person who becomes the target of such spears will have to fall down, the person who is the target of these eyes will have to fall down, losing out to them. While the spears can be an allegory for the sharpness of the eyes, they will not be, for the expansiveness of the eyes. ANdAL says that kaNNapirAn, who is the target of her sharp and expansive eyes, should have suffered due to lack of sleep, but in reality, she is suffering.
pala nALum thunbak kadal pukku – I was immersed in the ocean of sorrow, for a long time. When asked “Did you not get a boat to get out of this ocean?” she says
vaigundhan enbadhOr thONi peRAdhu uzhalginREn – I was looking everywhere, to see if I could get a boat anywhere. When I tried to go to the divine abodes where emperumAn has taken residence in archai (idol) form, so that I could enjoy him and reach the shore, since he was not indulging in activities such as embracing or speaking, I could not get out of the ocean of sorrow. Hence, I thought that I could reach out and embrace vibhavAvathAra forms [such as SrI rAma, krishNa et al] of emperumAn, using them as a boat and reaching the shore, but realised that they were far removed in time from me. Hence, I thought that I could use the parathva mUrthi [emperumAn in SrI vaikuNtam], who is the root of all other forms of emperumAn, as the boat and reach the shore. However, since my love is overflowing, that boat has become like a wooden boat, not attainable and not of use; I am suffering due to that.
anbudaiyAraip pirivuRu nOy adhu nIyum aRidhi – don’t you also know the suffering felt by those who have got separated? In the previous pAsuram, she had told the cuckoo “Oh cuckoo, who is living with your beloved!” How will this pAsuram, where she is telling the cuckoo that she knows the suffering in living from separation, synchronise with that? Since ANdAL is well aware of the verse in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam “samyOgA viprayOgAnthA” (the union of beloveds will end in separation), she expects that the cuckoo too will be aware of that and hence says this. Isn’t she the one who has experienced the ocean of sorrow, caused by her beloved? Considering that the cuckoo is asking “What do you want me to do?” she tells it further….
pon purai mEni – she is telling it about the golden hued divine form of emperumAn, the form which he had when they were together. She thinks that his divine form will be the same, even now. She hasn’t seen as to how he would be suffering in separation from her. This could also be construed as – She thinks ”If he too would have become pale due to separation from me and suffered, would he have waited till I fell at the feet of this bird, would he have not come earlier itself?” saying these words in disgust.
karuLak kodiyudai – one who has the flag with garuda on it. The opinion is that since he has a flag in order to protect those who are suffering, he will certainly come, if called for.
puNNiyan – does he not have compassion as the main quality of righteousness, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38-41 “AnruSamsyam parO dharmas thvaththa Eva mayA Srutha:” (I know from you that compassion is the most eminent quality of righteousness)? [These are words spoken by sIthAp pirAtti, to hanuman when he comes to see her in aSOka vanam]. pirAtti says “I have heard from you that compassion is the most eminent quality” She says “Just as when the boatman demands payment from the passenger when the boat is in the middle of the stream, with the passenger not in a position to deny the payment, when we were together, I had asked you [addressing SrI rAma through hanuman] ‘Which do you consider as the most eminent among righteous qualities?’ You had mercifully said ‘I cannot tolerate others’ suffering.’ I consider compassion alone as the most eminent quality”. These words are not like the command which you ae sending as a missive through hanuman. I have heard these through my ears when you had mercifully said these words. I had now understood that these are words which you have said with the thinking that others should follow them and these are not meant for you, from the way that you have made me suffer in separation from you”. Didn’t sIthAp pirAtti say these to hanuman, about perumAL [SrI rAma] in anguish, since perumAL had made her suffer due to separation? Through the word puNNiyan ANdAL is hinting at the meaning of that word.
kuyilE! puNNIyanai varak kUvAy – she tells the bird “He is one who cannot tolerate sufferings of others. He is not without compassion. Thus, through your instructions, you don’t have to correct him. If you go the place where he is residing, and in your sweet voice, prompt him about my status, he will come immediately”.
Next, we will consider the 5th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org