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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> First Centum >> Third Decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
This pAsuram speaks about the servitude carried out by brahmA, the head of all he worlds, appropriate to krishNa’s age.
mANikkam katti vayiram idai katti
ANip ponnAl seydha vaNNach chiRuth thottil
pENi unakkup piraman vidu thandhAn
mANIk kuRaLanE thAlElO vaiyam aLandhAnE! thAlElO
Word-by-Word Meanings
mANikkam – rubies (on either side)
katti – stringing them
idai – in the centre
vayiram – diamonds
katti – stringing them
Ani ponnAl – with pure gold
seydha – made
vaNNam – beautiful
siRu thottil – small cradle
piraman – brahmA
pENi – joyously
unakku – to you
vidu thandhAn – sent
mANi – as a bachelor
kuRaLanE – oh, one who is vAmana [dwarf form]
thAlElO – may you sleep well
(thAlElO – thAl + El + O; thAl – tongue; El and O are metrical syllables. When women lay down their infants in cradle, move their tongues and make a sound to put them to sleep, it is called as thAlElO).
vaiyam – all the worlds
aLandhAnE – oh, one who measured as thrivikrama! thAlElO [in our translation, we shall use the words “May you go to sleep” to refer to thAlElO)
Simple Translation
brahmA, with joy, made and sent for you, a beautiful, small cradle, made of pure gold and embellished on either side with ruby stones and with diamond stones in the centre. Oh, one who incarnated as a dwarf, vAmana, as a bachelor! May you go to sleep. Oh, one who measured all the worlds as thrivikrama! May you go to sleep.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
mANikkam … – embellished on either side with rubies and with diamonds in the middle, with all he gems arranged in a proper manner, brahmA made the little cradle with the purest form of gold, making their colours to complement one anothe; it was beautiful, being apt for your age. thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that brahmA had embellished diamonds and rest of the nine gems in a proper manner, on a base of gold. brahmA allowed that cradle with happiness. It is said that he had allowed it to be sent. Why did brahmA himself not carry the cradle with him and personally give it to krishNa? Unless they are invited and given honours, it is rare for them to come. For those through whom he had sent the cradle, they could come when they carry the gift. This shows the eminence of their subordinates [through whom the cradle was sent] over entities such as brahmA who desire independence [not being dependent on emperumAn].
pENi … – with affection, brahmA allowed it [to be sent] for you. thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the term vidu thandhAn refers to brahmA removing his ownership over that cradle and letting it to be sent to krishNa.
mANi … – Oh, one who took the form of a dwarf in order to obtain through alms, your own possessions and went seeking alms as a bachelor for whom seeking had become such a habit that scars had formed on your divine form! May you go to sleep. Oh, one who grew up as thrivikrama, as an outlet for the happiness of having been given alms, and measured all the worlds! May you go to sleep. thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the terms mANi and kuRaLan refer to smallness in stature. The reason for using both instead of only one of them is to emphasise that emperumAn took such a small form that the dwarfs in the world could be termed as being tall. One can feel honourable only till the time that one goes seeking alms. Once the person goes to seek alms, honour disappears first [emperumAn did not mind seeking his possession through alms since he wanted to make his followers to be happy]. When thrivikrama measured the worlds, his divine foot had reached brahmA’s world too. It is due to remembering this act that brahmA sent the gift to krishNa, since that act removed his thought of being independent and reminded him that he is a servitor to emperumAn.
We shall next consider the 2nd pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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