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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Second Centum >> Sixth decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
sIr onRu thUdhAy dhuriyOdhanan pakkal
Ur onRu vENdip peRAdha urOdaththAl
pAr onRip pAradham kai seydhu pArththaRkuth
thEr onRai UrndhARku Or kOl koNdu vA dhEva pirAnukku Or kOl koNdu vA
Word-by-Word Meanings
sIr – the quality of being dependent on followers
onRu – as part of being together
thUdhAy – engaging with the activity of being a messenger
dhuriyOdhanan pakkal – approaching dhuryOdhana
Ur onRu – “Give, at the least, one village to the pANdavas”
vENdi – despite requesting, from a lowly level
peRAdha – not having obtained, as requested
urOdaththAl – with fury
pAr onRi – keeping his divine feet on earth
bAradham – in the mahAbhAratha war
pArththaRku – for arjuna
kai seydhu – being the support
onRu thErai – a unique chariot
UrndhARku – bring a stick for one who mercifully conducted. Bring a stick for the benefactor of celestial entities.
Simple Translation
krishNa has the quality of being dependent on his followers. Exhibiting this quality towards pANdavas, he went as a messenger to dhuryOdhana. Lowering his status, he requested dhuryOdhana to “Grant, at the least, one village for the pANdavas”. With the fury of his request having been denied, he remained as a support for arjuna, planting his feet well, on the earth. Bring a stick for that krishNa who mercifully conducted arjuna’s unique chariot and who is the benefactor for celestial entities.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
sIr onRu thUdhAy – Just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 2-2-3 “innAr thUdhan ena ninRAn” (He stood as the messenger of pANdavas), krishNa engaged with the activity of going as a messenger, in order to establish the fact that he is dependent on his followers.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that emperumAn’s auspicious quality of being dependent on his followers will hold true only if he acts in accordance with his incarnation in the human species. It is only if he is together with his divine quality could he share that with all. It is only to create such an eventuality that he went ahead as a messenger for the pANdavas. It is because krishNa went as a messenger that the pANdavas too had their little bit of qualities intact with them. Had he refused to go as their messenger, the pANdavas too could have spoken amongst themselves “Is he a proper royal person?” Alternatively, dhraupadhi had surrendered to him during the game of dice between the pANdavas and kauravas when she said as in mahAbhAratham sabhA parvam “dhvArakA nilayAchyutha”. If that divine name [achyutha, one who does not let go of his followers] has to hold steadfast brightly, he has to go as a messenger. Anotherinterpretation – just as it has been said in periya thirumozhi 2-2-3 “innAr thUdhan ena ninRAn” (He stood as the messenger of pANdavas), to align with his basic nature, he had to go as a messenger. His basic nature is one of pArathanthryam [being dependent] based on nirankuSa svAthanthryam [uncontrolled independence]. It is only through this that he would fulfil his role. When he sets out on a task, there is none who could stop him. This is his nature of ASritha pArathanthryam [being dependent on his followers]. While arjuna was a sAparAdha svathanthryan (independent entity, with faults) [his faults were that he considered adharmam as dharmam by telling krishNa that he would abstain from engaging in battle when his dharmam, as one belonging to the clan of warriors, was to engage in war; he showed qualities of friendship with people who were not appropriate to be friendly; he showed compassion towards people who were not to be shown compassion], despite this, by surrendering himself to krishNa, arjuna thought that he had auspicious qualities. krishNa was also similar. While he was the most eminent entity, being the repository of the word aham [I am the most independent], he converted himself to say mAm [I am your dependent; I shall carry out your tasks]. It is when he was said to be, as in sthOthra rathnam 20 “thvadhASrithAnAm…” (for your followers…) and pANdavadhUthan that he stood firmly on earth. Just as a person, who conducts a ritual with the permission of brAhmaNas and with water as the symbol for offering wealth, feels happy that he has completed the ritual, even though he has lost his wealth, emperumAn too, by offering his wealth [vEdhas etc] to his followers [such as brahmA et al], feels happy on being a pArathanthryan [based on his nirankuSa svAthanthryam].
dhuriyOdhanan pakkal Ur onRu vENdi – dhuryOdhana was adhArmika [not following the path of righteousness]. He wanted to live with his strength, oppressing his relatives [pANdavas]. krishNa went to that dhuryOdhana and told him “You could share the wealth which is there and live together”. When dhuryOdhana refused, krishNa told him “In that case, give them ten villages”. He declined this. When krishNa told him “Give them one village”, refusing to give even this, dhuryOdhana told krishNa, harshly “They [referring to pANdavas] have the path of righteousness. They have access to the lands of svargam [heaven] etc as a consequence of their righteous nature. We have only this much. There is nothing that we could offer from this”.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here – we all know the activities indulged in by dhuryOdhana when krishNa went to him as pANdavas’ messenger – reference here is to the false seat which dhuryOdhana had set for krishNa [to kill him], his pledge to arrest krishNa etc. When dhuryOdhana finally said that he would not offer anything to pANdavas and that the victorious people can rule the earth, krishNa was happy that the purpose for which he set out as a messenger had fructified [to fulfil the pledge of dhraupadhi].
peRAdha urOdaththAl – krishNa was furious that he did not get even one village for the pANdavas. He said “Isn’t vasundharA [bhUmip pirAtti, representative deity for earth] the one who celebrates the victorious? Let the victor rule over the earth” dhuryOdhana too agreed for the war.
pAr onRi – krishNa was much pleased in his divine mind with the turn of events [only if there is a war, could pANdavas win it and dhraupadhi could be made to plait her locks again]. He stood firmly, on earth, with his divine feet.
pArththaRkuth thEr onRai UrndhARku Or kOl koNdu vA – Since krishNa had given his word that he will not wield any weapon, he made arjuna to be the rathi [warrior] and he took control of the unique chariot as sArathi [one who conducts the chariot], killing the enemies through the wheels of the chariot itself. Bring a stick, for such krishNa.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that arjuna was that capable person, who had also dropped his bow and arrows, just as it has been mentioned in bhagavath gIthA 1-47 “visrujya sa Saram chApam” (casting aside the bow, along with the arrows, arjuna sat on the chariot).
dhEvapirAnukku Or kOl koNdu vA – He is also the controller of nithyasUris, an eminence which is the exact opposite of the simplicity just mentioned [as arjuna’s sArathi]. Thus, this speaks about his eminence even when he incarnated in the human species.
We shall next consider the 6th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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