SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – looking at the peacocks which are dancing, she asks whether it is proper on their part to dance like this, in front of her.
nadamAdith thOgai virikkinRa mAmayilgAL! ummai
nadamAttam kANap pAviyEn nAnOr mudhalilEn
kudamAdu kUththan gOvindhan kOmiRai seydhu emmai
udaimAdu koNdAn ungaLukku ini onRu pOdhumE
Word-by-Word Meanings
nadam Adi – dancing
thOgai virikkinRa – spreading your plumage
mA mayilgAL – Oh, distinguished peacocks!
ummai – your
nadamAttam kANa – to see your dance
pAviyEn nAn – I, the sinner
Or mudhal ilEn – I do not have eyes [which are the means to see]
kudam Adu kUththan – one who dances with pots
gOvindhan – protector of cows
kOmiRai seydhu – carrying out harassment, being a svathanthran (totally independent)
emmai – me
udaimAdu koNdAn – stole all the wealth
ini – when things are like this
onRu – an act (of dancing in front of me and tormenting me)
ungaLukku – for you
pOdhumE – is it apt?
Simple Translation
Oh, distinguished peacocks, which are spreading y our plumage as you dance! I do not have my eyes as the means, to see your dance. gOvindhan [kaNNa pirAn], who is an expert in dancing with pots, being a svathanthran, stole all the wealth. When things are like this, is it proper on your part to dance in front of me and to torment me?
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nadamAdith thOgai virikkinRa mAmayilgAL – in the previous pAsuram, after hearing her say that she is falling at their feet, the peacocks knew that she was weak. Thinking “Now, there is no hurdle to our tormenting her”, more than dancing, showing their form, as mentioned in the previous pAsuram, the peacocks displayed their plumage and started dancing. Looking at that, ANdAL says “Due to the happiness resulting from your dance, as an outlet for that happiness, oh peacocks, who are spreading your plumage! There is a flood of features on your plumage which remind me of the divine form of emperumAn, with which you torment me”
ummai nadamAttam kANap pAviyEn nAnOr kaimmudhal ilEn – I am without an eye, which is the means, to see your beautiful dance. Only for those who have eyes, would your dance be pleasing. My eyes left along with emperumAn when he separated from me, just as it happened for dhaSaratha, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 42-43 “rAmam mE’nugathA dhrushtiradhyApi na nivarthathE l na thvA paSyAmi kausalyE sAdhu mA pANinA spruSa ll” (My eyes followed SrI rAma; they haven’t returned till date. Oh, kausalyA! I am not able to see you. Touch me well, with your hand). vyAkyAthA, periyavAchchAn piLLai, has explained the SlOkam here. rAmam mE – My eyes followed SrI rAma, who is an ocean of beauty. Would a material, which has been immersed in an ocean, return? Assuming that kausalyA is telling him “My eyes did not follow SrI rAma”, he says mE… how could your eyes, which cannot enter that ocean, follow him? That ocean took only my eyes, which entered it. adhyApi na nivarthathE – they haven’t returned till date. It is sad that I am unable to see SrI rAma. I thought that I would sustain myself by looking at you, since you have the eminence of giving birth to him. However, till date, my eyes have not returned from SrI rAma. na thvA paSyAmi kausalyE – Oh kausalyA! I am unable to see you. I had woken up seeing kaikEyi instead of Sri rAma. I desired to see you such that I could get rid of the sorrow of having woken up seeing kaikEyi. But, I have not attained that. sAdhu, mA pANinA spruSa – Touch me well, with your hand. Stroke me well, with your hand. If my sensual organ of touch too had not left me, like the eyes, I could at the least, get to feel your hand. Since organs of senses cannot be comprehended by other sense organs, only with each organ of sense could one know its presence or absence. Since I am unable to see you, I know that my eyes have left me. To know whether my organ of touch is present or not, would you not touch me? sAdhu spruSa – touch [me] well. Instead of thinking “He has driven away SrI rAma after having already discussed with kaikEyi. After knowing that SrI rAma has gone to the forest and will not return, he is putting on an act”, will you not touch me with the affection from your heart “This has come to him due to the fault of having wrong people around him. Alas! What will this poor person do? He has fallen into the trap set by kaikEyi”?
nAnOr mudhal ilEn – It appears that ANdAL will have her eyes only if she is with emperumAn! She tells them “There is no purpose in dancing displaying your plumage, for me to see. I could see that only if I had my eyes”. Just as it has been said in yajur vEdham 4-6-5.2 “chakshur dhEvanAmutha marthyAnAm” (it is the supreme being who is the eyes for nithyasUris and human entities), isn’t he my eyes?
kudamAdu kUththan – one who made everyone to enjoy the beauty of his limbs by dancing with pots. He changed his svarUpam (basic nature) which none in parama padham had seen and danced with pots at the intersection of four streets such that everyone could see and enjoy. Since I was together with him then, I had my eyes. Just as he had granted divine eyes to arjuna and manifested his viSvarUpam (universal form-his form encompasses the entire universe), he gave me too eyes such that I could enjoy his dancing with pots.
gOvindhan kOmiRai seydhu – one who is simplicity personified to even cows and cowherds, indulged in the act of harassing, typical of kings. gOvindhan – one who has attained cows; kO – king; miRai – torment; harassment.
emmai udaimAdu koNdAn – This could be construed as ”He took away my wealth of my complexion etc” or as “He took away my belongings such as shyness etc and my possessions such as my complexion, bangles etc” or as “He took away all my wealth”. The term udai refers to belongings; the term mAdu refers to wealth; the term udaimAdu as a single word would refer to the entire wealth.
ungatku ini onRu pOdhumE – tormenting others like him is not your nature. Is it apt on your part to dance in front of me, reminding me of him and tormenting me?
ini – if you had danced prior to my seeing his dancing with pots, it would have been beneficial since I too would have enjoyed it like all the people of the world. What is the benefit when you are dancing now, when I have lot my eyes? After seeing my distress, could you all, who have knowledge, dance in front of me and torment me further? Should there not be a distinction for you from him, who is one who does not comprehend the sadness of a girl? Could you torment me further, after I had been tormented by him earlier?
Next, we will consider the 8th pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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