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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Second Centum >> Sixth decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
In the final pAsuram of this decad, AzhwAr mentions the benefit which will accrue to one who recites the pAsurams and brings the decad to its end.
akkAkkAy! nambikkuk kOl koNdu vA enRu
mikkAL uraiththa sol villibuththUrppattan
okka uraiththa thamizh paththum vallavar
makkaLaip peRRu magizhvar ivvaiyaththE
Word-by-Word Meanings
nambikku – “For him who is an expert in mischiefs
kOl koNdu vA enRu – search and give a stick, apt for grazing calves”
mikkAL – yaSOdhAp pirAtti, who enjoyed the childish activities of krishNa, as a result of which she had more eminence than dhEvakip pirAtti, who did not enjoy
uraiththa – said
sol – words
villibuththUr – controller of SrI villibuththUr
battan – periyAzhwAr
okka – just as she had said
uraiththa – mercifully composed
thamizh – in dhrAvida [thamizh] language
paththum – (these) ten pAsurams
vallavar – those who are capable of learning
makkaLai – disciples and children, who are engaged with emperumAn
peRRu – attaining
ivvaiyaththu – on this earth
magizhvar – will get to enjoy
Simple Translation
yaSOdhAp pirAtti had higher level of eminence than dhEvakip pirAtti, having experienced the child-like activities of krishNa, which dhEvakip pirAtti could not. She had told crow to “Search and bring a stick, which is apt for this krishNa, who is an expert in mischiefs, such that he could graze calves with that stick”. periyAzhwAr, the controller of SrI villibuththUr, mercifully composed her words into ten pAsurams in dhrAvida language. Those who are capable of learning these pAsurams will get disciples and children, who engage with emperumAn, and will be happy on this earth.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
akkAKkAy nambikku kOl koNdu vA enEu – the words “Search and get a stick, apt for grazing calves” were spoken of as pAsurams when krishNa started crying [indicating that he wanted to go behind calves for grazing], in order to change his crying.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says the following: What is the difference between the crow which combed krishNa’s divine locks [in the previous thirumozhi] and this? The context for the previous one was prapaththi [emperumAn attaining the jIvAthmA] through his saulabhyam (easy to approach quality) while here the context is the eminence brought about by emperumAn’s nirankuSa svAthanthryam (uncontrolled independence). Instead of calling both as kAkkai [crow], the reason for calling it here as akkAkkAy is because it is the object of protection of akAra Sabdha vAchyan [emperumAn who is identified by the syllable ‘a’].
mikkAL uraiththa sol – while both dhEvakip pirAtti and yaSOdhAp pirAtti had observed similar penance to beget a son, dhEvakip pirAtti merely gave birth to krishNa, without enjoying his child-like activities. Unlike dhEvakip pirAtti, who didn’t get to enjoy his activities, as mentioned in perumAL thirumozhi 7.5 “thiruvilEn onRum peRRilEn” (I am without any fortune; I did not enjoy), yaSOdhAp pirAtti had the fortune of enjoying all the flavours of his child-like activities, as mentioned in the same pAsuram, perumAL thirumozhi 7.5 “ellAm dheyva nangai yasOdhai peRRAL” (yaSOdhAp pirAtti, who could be considered as a celestial person, enjoyed all those childish activities). The words mentioned by such fortunate lady, yaSOdhAp pirAtti …
This [syllable, ‘a’] is his prime name. Since the one which is protected is the object of protection, AzhwAr is calling it as akkAkkAy. Just as it has been said in thaiththirIya upanishadh Anandhavalli “vigyAnam yagyam thanuthE” [knowledge is carrying out ritual], the term vigyAnam [knowledge] will refer to the person who has that knowledge [since he is the repository of that knowledge]. Since that entity’s knowledge is desirous of attaining gyEyam [emperumAn, the object of knowledge], it results in his carrying out the ritual. In the same way, the term ‘protected’ will refer to the ‘protector’ since the protected attains the protector for his protection. The protector’s act of protection will expect the ‘protected’, for carrying out the activity of protection. Due to this, AzhwAr calls that [the person who is protected] as kAkkai.
Our preceptors have given distinguished and regular meanings for terms such as “pUvai, kiLi, kuyil, mayil, annam, palli, kAkkai” [myna, parrot, cuckoo, peacock, swan, lizard, crow respectively]. The esoteric meaning for the term “nambikku kOl koNdu vA” is that when those, who are equivalent to crows, do not look at emperumAn’s order [to remind the readers: emperumAn’s order is to get the stick, and the stick refers to his svAthanthryam, total independence], they draw a limit to his svAthanthryam which is the basis for his sankalpam [will]. Unless the jIvAthmA looks at emperumAn’s svAthanthryam, there is no scope for his [jIvAthmA’s] survival. AzhwAr tells those, who are like the crow [having two qualities which are to be rejected, rajas and thamas], to recall the travails of the crow which incurred the wrath of his sankalpam when it did not look at his svAthanthryam [reference here is to jayantha, indhra’s son who lost an eye since he harmed pirAtti]. AzhwAr tells them to understand that his sankalpam will never lose its sharpness; he tells them to know his prapaththi [desire to attain jIvAthmA], fall at his feet and carry out his instructions, just as arjuna had said in bhagavath gIthA 18.73 “karishyE vachanam thava” (I will carry out your order]. If we look at his svAthanthryam, he will feel happy, thinking “Due to him, we have become svAthanthryan”. Instead of getting arrogant because he feels that we are the reason for his svAthanthryam, AzhwAr tells us to rise up higher and higher [in our nature of servitude] with mangaLASAsanam and to join him in carrying it out.
akkAkkAy nambikku kOl koNdu vA enRu mikkAL uraiththa sol – yaSOdhAp pirAtti had said a few words, in order to change his crying, on account of her affection towards him, since he is her son. This has to be united with the svarUpAnurUpam (carrying out an activity in line with our basic nature), which is mangaLASAsanam.
villibuththUrp pattan okka uraiththa thamizh paththum vallavar – periyAzhwAr is the controller of SrI villibuththUr. With the pathos and connection which yaSOdhAp pirAtti had towards krishNa, periyAzhwAr composed these ten pAsurams, with her words, in dhrAvida language [thamizh]. Those who are capable of learning these pAsurams, with the same pathos of periyAzhwAr [of carrying out mangaLASAnam for emperumAn] …
makkaL …– [such people] will get disciples and children, who are complete with knowledge and affection towards emperumAn. Along with such disciples and children, these people will get to live happily on this earth.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that those who learn these ten pAsurams will beget disciples and children who will be steadfast in their prapaththi, which leads up to carrying out mangaLASAsanam for emperumAn. These people [such disciples and children] are the cause for their happiness.
We shall next consider the pravEsam of the next thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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