SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Fifth centum >> Eighth decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr said emperumAn should fulfil his desire just as he fulfilled gOvindhaswAmy’s desire; in this pAsuram AzhwAr says – when mArkaNdEyan surrendered unto you fearing for death, you eliminated his death and his fear; not only that, you blessed him to remain inseparable from your divine feet; similarly you should eliminate my fear for samsAram (material world), bestow me the benefit of being inseparable from you; that too you should not do it because I prayed to you which is similar to getting a ring made by yama; the result matching my svarUpam is – I have to accept as given by you; that is what is needed.
pAsuram
mannu nAnmaRai mAmuni peRRa
maindhanai madhiyAdha vengURRam
thannai anji nin saraN enach charaNAyth
thagavil kAlanai uga munindhozhiyAp
pinnai enRum nin thiruvadi piriyA vaNNam
eNNiya pEraruL enakkum
annadhu Agum enRu adiyiNai adaindhEn
aNipozhil thiruvarangaththammAnE!
Word-by-Word meanings
mannu – being eternal
nAl – four types of
maRai – one who recites vEdham
mA – best (without any other expectation)
muni – the sage who has dhyAna yOgam (meditation)
peRRa – begot
maindhanai – son named mArkaNdEyan
madhiyAdha – not considering (him to be son of a bhAgavatha and approached)
vem – very cruel
kURRan thannai – (seeing) yama
anji – became fearful
nin saraN ena – as he told that (for me) you are the only refuge
saraNAy – (for him) being the protector
thagavu il – merciless
kAlanai – yama
uga – to destroy (him)
munindhu – became angry
ozhiyA – not stopping with that
pinnai – further
enRum – forever
nin thiruvadi – your divine feet
piriyA vaNNam – to remain inseparable from
eNNiya – one who vowed
pEr aruL – (your) great mercy
enakkum – in my case also
annadhAgum – should happen the same way
enRu – thinking this
aNi – decorative
pozhil – surrounded by orchards
thiruvarangaththu – mercifully reclining in SrIrangam
ammAnE – Oh lord!
nin adiyiNai – your pair of divine feet
adaindhEn – I surrender unto
Simple translation
The best sage who recites the eternal four vEdhams and has dhyAna yOgam begot a son named mArkaNdEyan; seeing the very cruel yama approaching such mArkaNdEyan without considering him to be a son of a bhAgavatha, mArkaNdEyan became fearful and prayed to bhagavAn “You are my only refuge”. Being the protector, bhagavAn became angry to destroy yama and not stopping with that, bhagavAn vowed to make him remain inseparable from his divine feet and showed his great mercy. Oh lord, who is mercifully reclining in SrIrangam which is surrounded by decorative orchards! I, who am your servitor and have come helplessly, surrender unto your pair of divine feet, thinking that it should happen the same way for me.
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
mannu … – It is sufficient to say “muni peRRa“; why is he saying “mannu nAnmaRai mAmuni“? It is to say that even after having such high heritage, yama went to him. mArkaNdEya, having studied the four vEdhams which are eternal, remains in worshipping bhagavAn as explained in those vEdhams. There are those who worship bhagavAn through avaidhika (non-vEdham based) means such as reasoning and logic. Unlike that, realising that bhagavAn who is said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 15.15 “vEdhaiScha sarvair ahamEva vEdhya:” (I am only known from all vEdhams) is to be worshipped, one who engaged in such worship. mahaththai (mA) is to worship bhagavAn, being free from pursuing other goals, and considering “everything is bhagavAn” as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 7.19 “vAsudhEva: sarvam” (vAsudhEvan is both upAyam (means) and upEyam (goal)).
mannu – One who is fully engaged in four vEdhas. For, an upAsaka (bhakthi yOga follower) should continue till the end as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 4.28 “svAdhyAyagyAnayagyAS cha” (Some others engage in the sacrifice of studying vEdham and few others in the sacrifice of studying the meanings of vEdham); one who is progressing in yOgam as ordained in vEdhams and subsequently again engaging in adhyayanam (learning/recital) to check whether whatever he has seen during yOgam is appearing truly or otherwise due to karma, as said in “svAdhyAyAth yOgamAsItha yOgAth svAdhyAyamAmanEth | svAdhyAya yOga sampathyA paramAthmA prakASathE ||” (From svAdhyAyam (learning/recital), one progresses to yOgam (meditation) and to check the nature of what is visualised in yOgam, one returns to svAdhyAyam; with the help of svAdhyAyam and yOgam, one sees paramAmAthmA).
AchArya instructed Sishya as said in thaiththirIya upanishath bruguvalli “yathO vA imAni bhUthAni jAyanthE … thadhvijigyAsasva thadhbrahma” (From which, the universe is created, on which, the universe is sustained, in which the universe dissolves, that is to be known and that is brahma) and told him “You do penance until the object of meditation is seen as explained here”. The Sishya did that and said that food is brahmam as in thaiththirIya upanishath “annam brahmEthi vyajanAth” (Food is understood as brahmam). The AchArya said “That is not enough; do some more penance”; in this manner, the Sishya meditated up to Anandhamaya (bhagavAn who is filled with bliss); the AchArya finally said “That is brahmam”.
muni peRRa – mArkaNdEya was born when mrukaNdu was in a matured state of knowledge [it could also be said as mArkaNdEya was born with a matured state of knowledge].
madhiyAdha – When those who are related to bhagavAn themselves are to given up by yama as said in SrIvishNu purANam 3.7.4 “parihara” (yama says to his servitors – do not approach). it is obvious that one cannot approach those who are related to vaishNavas (bhagavAn’s devotees); still, yama approached mArkaNdEya [though he is the son of mrukaNdu maharishi]. chAndhOgya upanishath “nAsyA’vara purushA: kshIyanthE” (The descendants will not perish) – for a bhAgavatha, two types of descendants occur – one by knowledge and another by progeny; it is said that both types of descendants do not perish. kshayam (perishing) for AthmA, who is atomic [minute] and eternal, is contraction of knowledge. That will not happen. The explanation for this is “kulam dhArayathE” (Will sustain the clan) and those who follow this [vEdham, SAsthram], i.e., AzhwArs also said in thiruvAimozhi 2.7.1 “emar Ezh ezhu piRappum” (Many generations of my descendants).
vem kURRam – Instead of seeing his greatness, they [messengers of yama] only saw themselves and came with cruelty.
vem kURRam thannai anji nin saraNena – Being scared of death, he said “You only should be my refuge”.
nin saraN ena – SrIvishNu purANam 3.7.4 “mamAsthi chakra prathihatha vIrya balasya” – you who are having the weapon which is feared by yama et al, should be my refuge. vasathi manasiyasya sOvyayAthmA – even when the AthmA is facing away from bhagavAn, bhagavAn remains the eternal antharyAmi (in-dwelling super-soul). purusha varasya – considering him to be the upAyam. na thasya dhrushtipAthE thava gathi: – You don’t even roam around in his vicinity. [Yama tells his servitor not to be even present nearby those who consider bhagavAn to be his upAyam, since that bhagavAn remains as the eternally in-dwelling soul even in those who are facing away from him. SrIvishNu purANam 3.7.18 “vraja parihruthya yathAgnim Ajya sidhdham” – just as how one moves away from the fire when ghee is poured in it, being present with such intent near devotees, will be unbearably hot.
Alternatively – SrIvishNu purANam 3.7.4 “mamAsthi chakra prathihatha vIrya balasya” – looking at bhagavAn’s greatness, even I cannot go close to him. The reason for that is as explained in vishNu dharmam 78th adhyAyam, “avyAhathAni krishNasya chakrAdhInyAyudhAni tham | rakshanthi sakalApadhbhyO yEna vishNurupAsitha: ||” (That prapanna who worships krishNa is protected from all dangers by emperumAn‘s weapons such as thiruvAzhi (chakram)” etc) – even if emperumAn becomes their enemy, the weapons will try to protect such devotees) – yama et al were scared of the divine weapons of bhagavAn. periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.4.4 ‘kodumai seyyum kURRamum en kOlAdi kuRugap peRA thadavaraiththOL chakrapANI sArngaviRchEvaganE” (Even yama, who cruelly punishes everyone, will not come close to the places which are ruled under my sceptre. Oh one who has mountain like shoulders and divine chakra in your divine hand! Oh the valourous one who has the SArnga bow!) – if yama comes nearby, bhagavAn will severe his head with the divine chakra, and if yama stays at a distance, he will torment yama with his lengthy arrow. But is bhagavAn not the AthmA for yama also? Yes – but yama is not supposed to roam around in this place (where devotees live). It is said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.6 “nEmip pirAn thamar pOndhAr” (they are devotees of one who is having divine chakra in his hand).
saraNAy – Did he consider someone who is not the real refuge, as his refuge?
mannu … – Here, AzhwAr is highlighting mArkaNdEya’s greatness due to being born in a superior clan, and explaining that such person surrendered to bhagavAn; previously, the inferior nature of the persons taking refuge was shown as in “Ezhai Edhalan“, “vAthamA magan” and “nanju sOrvadhOr“; the connection between these is: one’s superior nature or inferior nature is irrelevant for SaraNAgathi. Remember the instruction mercifully given by nampiLLai to vElvetti nambiyAr [nampiLLai says “SrI rAma performing ritualistic bath and then SaraNAgathi to samudhra rAja and vibhIshaNAzhwAn not taking bath before performing SaraNAgathi show that one’s adherence to rituals is irrelevant for SaraNAgathi].
thagavil kAlanai – Being merciless even at a stage when one has to show mercy upon suffering persons. He will only see the person’s sins and his control.
uga munindhu – Whatever yama thought to do to mArkaNdEya was done by bhagavAn to yama. He destroyed yama thinking “Even in future, he should not torment those who are connected to vaishNavas”.
ozhiyA – Not stopping with that, thinking “Isn’t it sufficient to destroy yama who tormented mArkaNdEya and protect him?”
pinnai … – You gave the ultimate benefit [to mArkaNdEya] of being together with your divine feet without separating ever, after eliminating the connection with samsAra.
nin thiruvadip piriyA – Becoming free from samsAra is there for kEvala (those who seek kaivalya mOksham) too. Unlike that, emperumAn gave him the benefit of reaching his divine feet.
eNNiya … – Instead of speaking about the mercy, here AzhwAr is speaking about his magnanimity. Since bhagavAn is “sakala pala pradhan” (one who grants everything), even if a person surrenders unto him for worldly benefits, when the person does not push away bhagavAn, bhagavAn will not leave that opportunity [and bless him the highest benefit]. Even for the one who surrenders, it is important to meditate upon bhagavAn’s magnanimity as done in SaraNAgathi gadhyam chUrNikai 5 “apAra kAruNya …”.
enakkum – For me also, who is not having any greatness based on my birth. That is, AzhwAr is the one who says as in periya thirumozhi 1.9.9 “pAvamE seydhu pAviyAnEn” (being a sinner who is performing sins only) and periya thirumozhi 1.9.5 “eppAvam palavum ivaiyE seydhu” (Having performed these many types of sins).
annadhAgum enRu adiyiNai adaindhEn – I have surrendered unto you expecting the same benefit by your desire just as you bestowed such benefit to him even when he was not aiming for it, having the only reason which is “If I grant him this, he will not reject it” and gave him the benefit of remaining inseparable from you.
aNi pozhil … – Have you not arrived here and mercifully reclined to give the benefit which matches their true nature, even if they approached you for other benefits, as long as they don’t reject such benefit when granted?
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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