SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavara munayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction) – when people in her proximity asked her “Whatever you may do, if you go so daringly to his place in search of him, it would lead to a blemish on him. Could you create a blemish for him? Should you not remain with shyness, typical of a lady?”, she responds, saying “There is no purpose in remaining with shyness. Take me to AyppAdi (gOkulam)”
nANi ini Or karumamillai nAlayalArum aRindhu ozhindhAr
pANiyAdhu ennai marundhu seydhu paNdu paNdu Akka uRudhirAgil
mANi uruvAy ulagaLandha mAyanaik kANil thalai maRiyum
ANaiyAl nIr ennaik kAkka vENdil AyppAdikkE ennai uyththidumin
Word-by-Word Meanings
ini – hereafter
nANi – feeling shy
Or karumam illai – there is no benefit
nAl ayalArum – all the people in the town
aRIndhu ozhindhAr – have learnt (about me)
(thus, there is no purpose in being shy)
pANiyAdhu – without any delay
marundhu seydhu – carrying out required remedial measures
ennai – me
paNdu paNdu Akka uRudhir Agil – if you are thinking of making me regain my complexion which I had before my state of uniting with him, when I had not known about anything related to emperumAn, which itself was before my previous state of uniting with him
nIr – you
ennai – me
ANaiyAl – truly
kAkka vENdil – if you desire to protect me
ennai – me
AyppAdikkE – to thiruvAyppAdi
Uyththidumin – carry me
(in that place)
mANi uruvAy ulagu aLandha mAyanai kANil – if I get to worship perumAL who went (to mahAbali) in the form of vAmana [dwarf] and measured all the worlds [as thrivikraman)
thalai maRiyum – (this disease) will get relieved
Simple Translation
Everyone in the town has come to know of my state. There is no point in feeling shy any more. Without any further delay, carrying out suitable remedy, if you truly wish to make me regain my complexion which I had before I united with him, when I had not known anything about emperumAn, please take me to thiruvAyppAdi. There, if I get to worship emperumAn, who had gone to mahAbali in the form of a dwarf, but grew as thrivikraman, measuring all the worlds, this disease will get relieved.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nANiniyOr karumamillai – what benefit will I get if I protect my femineity with the quality of shyness, with this? The term nANam refers to one among the four feminine qualities of achcham [fear], madam [simplicity], nANam [shyness] and payirppu [abhorrence towards anything offensive], viz. feeling ashamed at carrying out an inappropriate activity. Isn’t withdrawing, arising out of shame, from carrying out inappropriate activities, only apt for those who desire to live for some more time and attain their beloved? Since she [ANdAL] is not interested in living any further, her quality of shyness left her completely. Feeling distressed due to separation, after reaching the stage of ‘I cannot live any more’, there is no purpose in feeling shy, like those who wish to live for a longer time. After reaching that stage, could I, who am not desirous of living, feel shyness? I can feel shy only if I exist. If my existence itself is disappearing, how could I protect my quality of shyness? The quality of nANam, is an attribute for me, who am a substrate for that quality. If the existence of substrate itself is in question, how can I protect the attribute of nANam?
ini – from this term, it is clear that she had tried her best to protect her quality of shyness. When some people asked her “What has happened to you now to say that there is no benefit in feeling shy?” she says ….
nAlayalArum aRindhu ozhindhAr – There is benefit for her if she feels shy, trying to hide her distress due to separation, from others. Only if there are a few people who did not know of her distressed state, could she protect it from others. When no one in the town knew of her condition, she had protected it from her mothers and friends. Since there were in proximity, they guessed her state and came to know of it. Still, she protected her distressed state from the people of the town, who were not close to her. Then, someone in the town came to know of it. From that person, it spread to the others, and in course of time, everyone in the town came to know of it. It then passed on to people in the surrounding towns too. Hence, what is the benefit now in hiding her shyness from anyone?
aRindhozhindhAr – She had been hiding her distressed state from others, just like thirukkOshtiyUr nambi was hiding bhagavadh vishayam [matter related to emperumAn] from unrelated people. Just as the matter which he had hidden, came to be revealed through emperumAnAr, her state of distress too, which she had hidden from others, came to be known to all the people in the town.
The vyAkyAnam now narrates about incidents in the life of thirukkOshtiyUr nambi [one among the five AchAryas of rAmAnujar]. thirukkOshtiyUr nambi would sit on the pial [raised platform near the entrance to the house, called in thamizh as thiNNai] of his thirumALigai [divine house], meditating on the rahasyathrayams [the three esoteric concepts in SrI vaishNavam, namely thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama SlOkam], without anyone knowing about it. Following periya nambi’s [rAmAnujar’s primary AchAryar] order, rAmAnujar went to seek meanings of these from thirukkOshtiyUr nambi. On reaching thirukkOshtiyUr, he asked the people in the town, as to where the divine house of thirukkOshtiyUr nambi was. When they pointed out the direction to his house, he started prostrating from that place, to reach his abode. It was only after this that the people of the town realised the eminence of thirukkOshtiyUr nambi, thinking “emperumAnAr is prostrating in the direction of nambi’s house!” There are two other narratives to understand that nambi would hide meanings. kUraththAzhwAn and mudhaliyANdAn (primary disciples of rAmAnujar) wanted to know some meanings, after carrying out servitude to thirukkOshtiyUr nambi, at his divine residence. Keeping his silence for those six months when they were carrying out servitude, is it not well known that nambi revealed the meanings which they wanted to learn! (1) rAmAnujar sent mudhaliyANdAn to nambi, to learn the meanings of charama SlOkam from him. After staying for six months and carrying out servitude, since nambi did not say anything, mudhaliyANdAn decided to return. At that time, nambi told him briefly, “Learn the meanings of charama SlOkam from rAmAnujar himself” (2) In the assembly of rAmAnujar, once a doubt was raised on whether the distinguished identification of an AthmA was one of SEshathvam [servitude] or gyAnAnandham (knowledge and bliss]. Thinking in his divine mind that the decision for this should be obtained from AchAryan, rAmAnujar sent kUraththAzhwAn to thirukkOshtiyUr nambi. Despite carrying out servitude to nambi for six months, since nambi did not say a word on this, kUraththAzhwAn took leave of nambi. At that time, nambi mercifully told him “Haven’t you seen nammAzhwAr’s words in thiruvAimozhi 8-8-2 ‘adiyEn uLLAn?’” AzhwAn, realising that he has got the answer for the doubt, felt happy at his fortune and returned to rAmAnujar to convey this. The explanation for the answer here, is: the thiruvAimozhi pAsuram says “adiyEn uLLAn udal uLLAn”. Since the term udal uLLAn has been removed [by nambi, in his response], udal, referring to the physical form, has been removed. The term adiyEn uLLAn refers only to the Athma svarUpam (basic nature of AthmA). If gyAnam were the distinguished identification for AthmA, AzhwAr, to make it explicit that AthmA is gyAnasvarUpi, would have mercifully used the term ennuLLAn. Instead of that, to make it clear that AthmA is only SEshabhUthan [servitor], since AzhwAr has used the term adiyEn referring to AthmA which is distinct from dhEham [physical form], nambi’s divine mind is that AzhwAr wanted to convey the meaning that it is SEshathvam which is the distinct identification for the AthmA rather than gyAnAnandham. This meaning has been emphasised in thirumanthram too. In thirumanthram, the third syllable makAram in the first term praNavam [the syllables a, u and ma] says that AthmA has gyAnAnandham as its identification, having gyAnam [knowledge] as its quality, and is distinct from achEthanam [entity without knowledge]. However, before ascertaining this, in the first two syllables, by hinting that AthmA is ananyArhaSEsham to emperumAn [unconditional servitude], has it not been clearly emphasised that only SEshathvam is the distinct identification for AthmA, rather than gyAnAnandham?
[vyAkyAnam now returns to the main pAsuram].
Mothers in her proximity told ANdAL “You might have withdrawn from protecting your svarUpam. But we will not do that, in your matter. Due to the affection which we have for you, would we not protect your svarUpam by telling you the benefits?” ANdAL tells them further “If you really wish to protect me, please attempt to show me the form of vAmana who made himself as a mendicant in order to get back the worlds, his possession”…..
pANiyAdhu ennai marundhu seydhu – without delay, carrying out all the remedies for me. pANiththal – delaying time. marundhu seydhal – carrying out remedy to cure disease (of love)
paNdu paNdAkka uRudhirAgil – if you wish to recreate the complexion which I had before I united with emperumAn, when I had not known about him. The first term paNdu refers to the state when I had united with him, prior to the present sate. The second paNdu refers to the state before that state, when I had not known about him. From the time since she united with him, since separation has been coming on and off, the state of union with him was the basis of her thinning. Thus, she says “If you had thought of bringing back the complexion which I had, before I had united with him for the first time…”
mANi uruvAy – with the form of vAmana, the bachelor. Since he had taken the incarnation to take alms, whether people offered him alms or closed the door on him saying that they will not offer alms, he went with a smile on his face, without any distinction, carrying all the insults on his form.
ulagaLandha mAyanaik kAnil – only if I see the amazing entity who measured the three worlds. Just as she had said in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 8-3 “gOvindhan guNam pAdi Avi kAththiruppEnE” (could I sustain myself by reciting the auspicious qualities of kaNNan, to my heart’s content?) she is not in a state to sustain herself by meditating on the auspicious qualities of emperumAn. She says that she could sustain herself only if she saw him.
thalai maRiyum – my disease which came about due to separation will be cured. Just as hitting a serpent which is chasing [would make it to runaway], my disease will submissively leave me.
ANaiyAl nIr ennaik kAkka vENdil – I am taking a vow on you! If you intend protecting me…. The term Al is a metric syllable. Alternatively, this could be construed to mean – if you protect me such that I become clear from my disease and obey your order.
AyppAdikkE ennai uyththidumin – take me to AyppAdi (SrI gOkulam) where kaNNan’s mother is supporting his mischiefs. Hasn’t yaSOdhA said, as in periya thirumozhi 10-7-11? “anganam thImai seyvargaLO nambI! Ayar madamakkaLai..” (Oh, one who is full of auspicious qualities! Is it apt to carry out wicked acts on the herd-girls who are obedient?) Did she not call him as nambI (one who is full of auspicious qualities) even after seeing his wicked deeds? Is it not this quality which she too spoke about in nAchchiyAr thirumozhi 3-9 “anjavurappAL yasOdhai ANAda vittirukkum” (she would not reprimand kaNNan on his evil deeds; she would let him carry out those mischiefs)? Leave me in front of that yaSOdhA who had said as in periya thirumozhi 10-4-8 “undham adigaL munivar unnai nAn en kaiyiR kOlAl nondhida mOdhavum killEn” (your father [nandhagOpar] would be angry; I will not hit you with the stick in my hand such that it would pain you). Isn’t she feeling sorry that kaNNan had not played wicked deeds, as said in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3-2-6 “padiRu pala seydhu ippAdi engum thiriyAmE – en piLLaiyaip pOkkinEn” (Why did I send kaNNan to go behind the cows instead of allowing him to go around this AyppAdi, engaging in many deceitful activities in the houses of herd-folk?) The meaning hinted here is that if she were left in front of yaSOdhA, she [yaSOdhA] would feel happy that kaNNan had harmed her.
Here, the vyAkyAthA [commentator, periyavAchchAn piLLai] has explained the nAchchiyAr thirumozhi pAsuram 3-9:
anja urappAL asOdhai – if girls who were target of his wicked deeds, thinking “He is not one who has appeared from nowhere; he has a mother; we will inform her of his wicked deeds” go to yaSOdhA to complain about kaNNan, she would not scold him such that he would be afraid. She would scold him such that he would indulge in wicked deeds a hundred times more. She will break into a smile, as if she were enjoying his wicked deeds and say “anganam thImaigaL seyvargaLO nambI” (Oh, one who is complete with auspicious qualities! Would you engage in such wicked deeds?) He too, taking the cue from her, would engage in wicked activities, in that place and at that time itself, as mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1-7-5 “iLavAychchiyar kaNNinuL vidavE seydhu vizhikkum pirAn” (one who is exchanging glances with youthful cowherd girls, which are known only to the girls and to him).
ANAda vittirukkum – she [yaSOdhA] would be blissful, allowing him [kaNNan] to do as he pleased. She would appear as if she had attained the purpose of her taking birth and had attained a great benefit by thinking “Losing out to my son, how are these girls coming to me and complaining!”
Next, we will consider 3rd pAsuram of this decad.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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