SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – in the last pAsuram of this decad, ANdAL’s friend feels more saddened than ANdAL. She thinks “She considers being born as the daughter of periyAzhwAr as the reason for attaining the ultimate benefit, and emperumAn’s words that he will not give up on those who are affectionate. In the fourth pAsuram of this decad, she had expressed a doubt ‘kumaranAr sollum poyyAnAl nAnum piRandhamai poyyanRE’ wondering whether those two reasons would give her the ultimate benefit. There seems to be no way to keep her alive. Through which means should we make her live?” Knowing her thoughts through her face, ANdAL tells her “There is no need for you to fear. There is a way for our life. Our respected elder, periyAzhwAr, will get us emperumAn through one way or the other. You will see that”.
nalla en thOzhi! nAgaNai misai nambarar
selvar periyar siRumAnidavar nAm seyvadhu en
villi pudhuvai vittuchiththar thangaL dhEvarai
valla parisu varivipparEl adhu kANdumE
Word0by-Word Meanings
en nalla thOzhi! – Oh, my dear friend!
nAga aNaimisai – one who is reclining on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn (AdhiSEshan)
nam parar – our perumAL
selvar – one who is opulent
periyar – superior to everyone else
nAm – we, on the other hand
siRiu mAnidavar – are lowly human entities
(We, who are like this)
en seyvadhu – what could we do?
villi pudhuvai vittu chiththar – periyAzhwAr, who is the controller of SrIvillipuththUr
thangaL dhEvarai – that emperumAn, who is obedient
valla parisu – in ways possible for him
varuvipparEl – if he were to invite
adhu kANdum – then, we will get to worship (him)
Simple Translation
Oh, my dear friend! namperumAL, who is reclining on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn, is opulent; he is superior to everyone. We, on the other hand, are lowly human entities. What could we do? If periyAzhwAr, who is the controller of SrIvillipuththUr, were to invite that perumAL, who is obedient to him, through ways possible for him, then, we could get to worship him.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nalla en thOzhi – aren’t you the one who is more distressed at seeing my loss, than I!
nAgaNai misai nam parar selvar … seyvadhu en – What could we, the lowliest human entities, do to him, who is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn, who is the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi and who is famous as the most supreme entity? nammAzhwAr had attempted to take refuge under emperumAn in his thiruvAimozhi 6-10-10 “adikkIzh amarndhu pugundhEnE” (I have surrendered, by being seated with exclusive focus on kainkaryam, beneath your divine feet); he sought the recommendation of periya pirAttiyAr by saying “agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl mangai uRai mArbA!” in the same pAsuram (Oh, one who has the divine chest from which periya pirAtti will not separate even for a moment) and thiruvananthAzhwAn in thiruvAimozhi 5-10-11 “nAgaNaimisai nambirAn charaNE SaraN namakku” (only the divine feet of our perumAL who is reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn are our refuge). However, ANdAL is bewildered due to pangs of separation from emperumAn since she had said that periya pirAttiyAr and thiruvananthAzhwAn have not recommended her case to emperumAn.
nAgaNai misai nam parar – since paramAthmA (emperumAn) is called as ananthaSayanan (one who is reclining on AdhiSEshan) in paryankavidhyai, there is nothing which is superior to reclining on AdhiSEshan.
nam parar – thaiththirIya upanishath nArAyaNavalli 11 says “nArayaNa param brahmam thathvam nArAyaNa: para: l nArAyaNa parO jyOthir AthmA nArAyaNa: para:” (nArAyaNan alone is the supreme brahmam; nArAyaNan is the supreme entity. nArAyaNan alone is the supreme effulgence; nArAyaNan alone is the supreme AthmA). Since vEdha vAkyams (lines from sacred texts) through using the word nArAyaNa in many ways do not refer to anyone else, he has the distinction of being eminent.
nam selvar – he is eminent as the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi. He is praised as the most eminent in thiruvAimozhi 2-8-1 “aNaivadhu aravaNaimEl pUmbAvai Agam puNarvadhu” (he reclines on the mattress of thiruvananthAzhwAn and he embraces SrI mahAlakshmi who resides on the lotus flower) and in purusha sUktham 2-5 “hrIScha thE lakshmIscha pathnyau” (SrI mahAlakshmi and bhUmip pirAtti are your divine consorts) through both the samaskrutha and dhrAvida vEdhAnthams.
periyar – He is distinguished, due to these reasons. The difference between him and us is similar to the difference between a mountain and an atom.
siRu mAnidavar – we cannot go even a little bit near him since we have not been born in the species of celestial entities; we cannot go close to him since we are not knowledgeable like the sages. We are not like thiruvananthAzhwAn who, despite being highly knowledgeable, remains as an achith (entity without knowledge), as his mattress. We are not like the cowherd girls, who despite not knowing the difference between the left hand and the right hand, remain embracing him. Aren’t we the lowly human entities?
nAm seyvadhu en – since he had earlier said a word “I will protect followers” could we compel him? Assuming that her friend is asking her “In that case, do we have to forego engagement with him?”, she says “There is no need for us to lose”. Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 41-4 “thvayi kinchith samApannE kim kAryam sIthayA mama l bharathEna mahAbAhO! lakshmaNEna yavIyasA ll SathrughnEna cha Sathrughna! svaSarIrENa vA puna: ll” (Oh, sugrIva, who has long hands! If something disgraceful had happened to you, what will be the benefit for me after I get sIthA? What will be the benefit through bharatha, lakshmaNa who is younger and Sathrughna? Oh, one who annihilates enemies! What is the benefit of my physical form?) she says through the second part of the pAsuram that for one who is like this, there is one matter which we have to point out.
villipudhuvai vittuchiththar thangaL dhEvarai … kANdumE – we are not taking refuge under him because he is common to both celestial entities and to monstrous entities. She says that we are taking refuge under him only because periyAzhwAr, who is our AchAryan, had kept him in his mind, like in a temple, due to which he is obedient to periyAzhwAr. paramAthmA (supreme entity) is under the control of AchAryan. A chEthanan should think that emperumAn will come to us only due to our connection with AchAryan. We should not think that while for both the AchAryan and us, the connection with emperumAn is common as that between the master and servant, what is the need for an AchAryan, in between? While the connection between emperumAn and us as the master and servant is permanent, the reason for our not attaining emperumAn till date is only because we did not have a connection with an AchAryan. Hence, the SAsthrArthtam (meaning from traditional texts) that we should take refuge under emperumAn only through AchAryan as the recommending entity is mentioned here. Apart from considering AchAryan as the recommending entity, there are some great entities, who are firmly established in AchAryanishtai [devoted fully to AchAryan], as mentioned in kaNNinuN chiRuththAmbu 2 “dhEvum maRRaRiyEn”(I do not know of anyone other than AchAryan as emperumAn),who will even discard emperumAn and consider AchAryan as the means. To emphasise that she is in that assembly, ANdAL says “thangaL dhEvarai”, severing her relationship with emperumAn and establishing relationship with periyAzhwAr. She desires emperumAn only because periyAzhwAr desires him. A narrative is mentioned here in the mUla vyAkyAnam of periyavAchchAN piLLai – A few persons asked a regal lady thripurAdhEviyAr, who was a disciple of SrI rAmAnujar “Why do you not worship other deities?” She replied, saying “Since emperumAnAr is not worshipping other deities, I too am not worshipping. If emperumAnAr were to worship Sivan, who is the presiding deity for the north-eastern corner where waste water is drained, we will also worship him”
valla parisu varuvipparEl – there are many ways by which periyAzhwAr would invite emperumAn. If he invites emperumAn through any of those ways, then we will attain him. He could invite him by offering a flower as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-7-1 ”seNbagappUchchuttavArAy” (you should come to don champaka flower); he could invite him by singing as in thiruppallANdu 1 “pallANdu pallANdu” (may you live long); he could invite him by reciting the required vEdhas to establish emperumAn’s supremacy; he could invite him by collecting all the materials required for giving thirumanjanam (divine bath) and recite as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-4-1 “nAraNA nIrAdavarAy” (Oh nArAyaNa! Please come for having a bath); if he gathers materials for combing his divine hair and invites him, he has to come; if he calls him as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-8-1 “andhiyampOdhidhuvAgum azhaganE! kAppidavArAy” (dusk is settling in. Oh, the beautiful entity! You should come for me to shield you from evil spirits), emperumAn cannot say he will not come; if periyAzhwAr calls him for taking a bath as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-4 or for decorating him with flowers as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-7 or for shielding him from inimical entities as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2-8, or through various other pAsurams for carrying out various other activities, would he not come? Since there are so many ways by which periyAzhwAr could invite emperumAn, ANdAL says vallaparisu.
adhu kANdumE – if periyAzhwAr could get him by any of these means, it is certain that we would attain him. Did not ALavandhAr too ask emperumAn to shower his mercy on him through his connection with his grandfather and paramAchAryar (supreme AchAryan) nAthamunigaL, as mentioned in his sthOthra rathnam 65 “akruthrima thvachcharaNAravindha prEma prakarshAvadhim Athmavantham l pithAmaham nAthamunim vilOkyaprasIdha madhvruththamachinthayithvA” (Without considering my conduct, you should grant me mercy by considering nAthamunigaL who is the outer limit for the supreme affection which comes naturally at your divine lotus-like divine feet and who is my grandfather).
ALavandhAr had earlier surrendered to emperumAn, as mentioned in sthOthra rathnam 22 “na dharmanishtOsmi na chAthmavEdhI na bhakthimAmsthvachcharaNAravindhE l akinchanO’nanya gathi: SaraNya! thvath pAdhamUlam SaraNamprapadhyE” (Oh emperumAn who is appropriate for surrendering to! I am not rooted in karmayOgam (path of deeds); I do not have AthmagyAnam (knowledge about the supreme entity, the path of knowledge); I do not have bhakthi yOgam (the path of devotion) at your divine feet. I, who do not have any means and who am without any other refuge, affirm with certainty that your divine lotus-like feet are the means). He thought “Since I have carried out the action of surrendering, even that could be without any strength”. In order to overcome that shortcoming, in the last SlOkam of sthOthra rathnam, he desired to seek benefit keeping nAthamunigaL in the forefront. In the same way, ANdAL is seeking benefit, keeping periyAzhwAr in the forefront.
Next, we will consider the pravESam of the next decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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