SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
In the previous decad, despite praying to the cuckoo “You should call out to emperumAn such that he comes” it did not do like that. Had it called, he would have come immediately. Since he did not come, she realised that it had not called out to him. She is not the type who would wait, saying “Let him come when he wishes to”. Since she could not sustain herself without his coming immediately, she became very distressed. He too did not come immediately, appropriate to her status. However, it could not be said that “He does not know her suffering”. He thought “Let her craving to attain me grow further; after that we will manifest ourselves to her”. Did he not mercifully do this to nammAzhwAr too? Despite showering nammAzhwAr with knowledge and devotion without any trace of ignorance, just as nammAzhwAr had mercifully said in thiruvAimozhi 1-1-1 “mayarvaRa madhinalam aruLinan” (he showered knowledge without any trace of ignorance and devotion), nammAzhwAr did not get the benefit at the beginning itself, which he received from emperumAn only at the end of thiruvAimozhi 10-10-1 “muniyE nAmuganE” (One who meditates upon ways of creation and who has four-headed brahmA as his body, creating various worlds). Even though nammAzhwAr had the distress at the beginning itself “We should attain him”, emperumAn gradually nurtured his Arthi (urge), taking it from parabhakthi (knowledge about emperumAn) through paragyAnam (ability to see emperumAn) to paramabhakthi (inability to sustain oneself without being with emperumAn constantly) finally. Only after he had taken nammAzhwAr to the stage of paramabhakthi did he give him refuge. Just as one gradually applies dye to a white sari [to impart a colour to it], only after attaining the state of paramabhakthi in this world, gradually, would a mumukshu (one who is desirous of mOksham) be able to properly enjoy the experience in parama padham after reaching it. If one were to ask “ANdAL is the incarnation of bhUmi dhEvi; unlike nammAzhwAr, right at the time of birth itself, she had paramabhakthi. What is the reason for emperumAn to delay manifesting himself to her?”, the reason is – even though paramabhakthi had been present right at the time of birth, wouldn’t the urge [to attain emperumAn] keep overflowing only with passage of time? When periya pirAttiyAr (SrI mahAlakshmi) incarnated as sIthAp pirAtti, even though she had the urge to unite with him soon after separation, did she not draw a boundary for waiting for emperumAn, saying that she would not be able to sustain herself beyond a month, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 36-67? “jIvitham dhArayishyAmi mAsam dhaSarathAjmaja! l Urdhvam mAsAn na jIvEyam sthyEnAham bravImi thE ll” (Oh, the great one! I will sustain my life for only one month; I take a vow in your name that I will not be alive for more than a month). Did not emperumAn too say mercifully “I will not be able to sustain myself [in separation from her] for more than a moment”, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 66-10? “chiram jIvathi vaidhEhi yadhi mAsam dharishyathi l na jIvEyam kshaNamapi vinA thAmasithEkshaNAm ll” (If sIthai could sustain herself for one month, she would be considered as having sustained herself for a very long time; without her, who has dark eyes, I will not sustain myself for more than a moment). Hence, though the desire was there [to immediately unite with emperumAn], the ordainment that the benefit could be granted when paramabhakthi matures over a period of time, would apply to ANdAL too. Thus, he delayed manifesting himself to her. She became much anguished, due to this delay. Seeing her condition, emperumAn thought “If I go immediately and show myself up to her, she would not be able to bear that; hence, we shall grant her the experience of marrying us in her dream, giving her sustenance for the present and then grant her the benefit, over a period of time”.
This thirumozhi (divine words of the 6th decad) narrates that experience which she had in her dream. There is a distinction for ANdAL over sIthAp pirAtti in this. While sIthAp pirAtti thought that she could sustain herself by seeing emperumAn in her dream, he did not grant her that experience. Did she herself not mention this in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 34-21? “svapnEpi yadhyaham vIram rAghavam saha lakshmaNam l paSyEyam yadhi jIvEyam svapnO’pi mama mathsarI ll” (Even if I could envision in my dream, the valorous SrI rAma along with lakshmaNa, I would be able to sustain myself; (however) even dream is inimical to me). She showed through the verse vIram (valorous) that perumAL is valorous enough to remove her distress even if she sees him in her dream. She had separated both from SrI rAma and lakshmaNa, when she separated from them; hence, she desired to see both of them together, even in her dream. Since mArIchan [rAvaNa’s uncle] had separated SrI rAma and lakshmaNa when he appeared in the form of a deer, she has a doubt whether they got back together. In order to rid herself of that doubt, she desires to see them together in her dream. In the SrI rAmAyaNa SlOkam seen above, since sIthAp pirAtti puts forward her opinion “Is it not enough that I am suffering because he [SrI rAma] is not showing his face such that I could sustain myself? Should this dream too be inimical to me such that I am unable to see them?” From this, it is clear that emperumAn did not grant her wish in her dream. How did she then sustain herself? Even though she could not see him in her dreams, through the words of thrijatA and others [who were good ladies among the demons] she sustained herself. Since ANdAL is not the type who could sustain herself based on some other person’s words, thinking in his divine mind that he should make her sustain herself and that he should subsequently enjoy her, emperumAn gave her experience in her dreams and sustained her. This thirumozhi mercifully mentions that.
Both in upanishaths, just as in kata upanishath 2-5-8, and in brahma sUthram sandhyAdhikaraNam, it has been said that emperumAn, keeping himself aware, creates a few materials for jIvAthmAs (entities with knowledge), based on their karmas (past deeds) to experience during their dreams “Esha supthEshu jAgarthi kAmam kAmam purushO nirmimANa:” (when these jIvAthmas sleep, the supreme entity creates certain materials (which could be enjoyed by them in their dreams) and is awake). The experience in dream which emperumAn gave ANdAL is unlike the experience which he gives to other jIvAthmAs, which are based on their karma. Since she desires that she should “enjoy emperumAn in full measure” emperumAn gives her that without any cause. Thus, she experiences every event without any deficiency, whether it is kaiththalam paRRudhal (holding his hands), thIvalam seydhal (going around the sacred agni (fire, in the receptacle for invoking agni, the lord of fire), ammi midhiththal (stepping on to a stone to get the toe-ring fixed) etc. She experiences all these events which are conducted during a marriage, fully, and shares her experiences with her friend, in this thirumozhi.
- pAsuram 1 – vAraNam Ayiram
- pAsuram 2 – nALai vadhuvai
- pAsuram 3 – indhiran uLLitta
- pAsuram 4 – nARRisaith thIrtham
- pAsuram 5 – kadhiroLi dhIpam
- pAsuram 6 – maththaLam kotta
- pAsuram 7 – vAy nallAr
- pAsuram 8 – immaikkum EzhEzh
- pAsuram 9 – varisilai vANmugaththu
- pAsuram 10 – kungumam appi
- pAsuram 11 – AyanukkAgath thAn
Next, we will consider the 1st pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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