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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> First Centum >> Ninth Decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that AzhwAr wants krishNa to come with the disguise of vAmana.
veN kalap paththiram katti viLaiyAdi
kaN pala seydha karum thazhaik kAvin kIzh
paN pala pAdip pallANdu isaippap paNdu
maN pala koNdAn puRam pulguvAn vAmanan ennaip puRam pulguvAn
Word-by-Word Meanings
veN kalam – made of veN kalam [bronze, an alloy of copper and tin]
paththiram – leaf
katti – wearing it on the divine waist [appropriate for the clan of herd-folk]
viLaiyAdi – playing
pala kaN – many feathers of peacock
peydha – strung together
karu – being eminent
thazhai – as an umbrella
kAvin kIzh – under the shade of a garden
pala paN pAdi – singing many tunes
pallANdu isaippa – (the favourable ones) to carry out mangaLASAsanam (praising emperumAn)
paNdu – during the time when he went with the form of a dwarf, to mahAbali’s arena
maN pala – all the worlds such as earth etc
koNdAn – one, who measured with his divine feet, will embrace me
vAmanan – who was a dwarf, before measuring, will embrace me
Simple Translation
krishNa was wearing a cord on his divine waist, which had bronze leaf tied to it, typical of his clan of herd folk. Holding an eminent umbrella made with many feathers of peacocks strung together, like being under the shade in a garden, with followers singing in many tunes, carrying out mangaLASAsanam to him, krishNa, who earlier went to the ritual arena of mahAbali as a dwarf and measured all the worlds with his divine feet, will embrace my back. With the form of one before he measured the worlds, viz. vAmana, he will embrace me.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
veNkalam … – tying a cord with bronze leaf strung in it, on his divine waist and playing.
kaN pala … – under the shade of a huge umbrella strung with peacock feathers, like a garden. kaN – peacock feathers. peydhal – stringing. This speaks about stringing the peacock feathers together. karumai – eminence.
thazhai – umbrella. Referring that to a garden is to manifest the coolness brought about by the peacock feathers. Alternatively, if the text had been kaN pala peydhu (instead of kaN pala peydha), the words should be rearranged as karum thazhai – kaN pala peydhu – the meaning would be that many feathers were donned on the divine locks as a decorative feature. karum thazhai – bunch of peacock feathers. kaN – refers to the eye seen on the feather of a peacock. Donning peacock feathers on the locks is apt for his clan of being a cowherd.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that karum thazhai will also refer to the bunch of peacock feathers and to the eyes of his friendly [women] followers who would be looking at him constantly with their eyes. His divine form was such that even men would lose out their hearts and eyes to him, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 3-29 SlOkam “pumsAm dhrushti chiththa apahAriNim” (SrI rAma would steal the hearts and vision of men)
kAvin kIzh – decorating himself with peacock feathers like this and playing, in the shade of a garden.
paN … – just as it has been said in SrI vishNu dharmam mAngalyasthavam “sangais surANAm” (group of celestial entities) and in thiruvAimozhi 7-4-1 “thisai vAzhi ezha” (people in every direction praising emperumAn), all the favourable entities [emperumAn’s followers] were singing in many tunes, carrying out mangaLASAsanam (praising emperumAn and wishing him well).
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that they were carrying out mangaLASAsanam to the divine feet which went up to measure the worlds, just as it has been said in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 1 “sUttinEn solmAlai” (strung garlands of words for emperumAn).
paNdu … – during that time when emperumAn went to mahAbali and received water on his hand [as token of taking three steps of land with his divine feet]. One, who measured all the worlds with his divine feet, will embrace my back.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that while emperumAn went to mahAbali in the form of a dwarf, he measured all the fourteen worlds.
vAmanan … – one who was in the form of vAmanan (dwarf) before he measured the worlds, will embrace my back.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that while the reference [when measuring the worlds] is to thrivikrama, AzhwAr’s divine heart is focussed on his form of vAmana only.
We shall next consider the 6th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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