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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Second Centum >> Eighth decad
avathArikai (Introduction)
In this last pAsuram of the decad, AzhwAr mentions the benefit which will accrue to one who learns it and brings it to completion.
pOdhamar selvak kozhundhu puNar thiruveLLaRaiyAnai
mAdharkku uyarndha asOdhai magan thannaik kAppitta mARRam
vEdhap payan koLLavalla vittu chiththan sonna mAlai
pAdhap payan koLLa valla paththaruLLAr vinai pOmE
Word-by-Word Meanings
mAdharkku – among all the women
uyarndha – one who is the most eminent
asOdhai – yaSOdhAp pirAtti
pOdhu – on a reddish lotus flower (pOdhu – flower)
amar – one who is fitting well
selvam – having the divine name SrI (deity for all the wealth)
kozhundhu – along with the primary consort, periya pirAttiyAr
puNar – one who is united for ever
thiruveLLaRaiyAnai – one who is standing in thiruveLLaRai
magan thannai – regarding krishNa, her son
kAppu itta mARRam – the pAsurams in which she had carried out rakshai [protection]
vEdham – vEdham’s
payan – true meaning
koLLa valla – one who is an expert in knowing
vittu chiththan – periyAzhwAr
sonna – mercifully composed
mAlai – this thirumozhi, which is a garland of words
pAdham – mentioned in the last line of every pAsuram
payan – benefit [viz. carrying out of kAppu mentioned in the fourth line of every pAsuram]
koLLa valla – capable of absorbing
paththar uLLAr – those who are with devotion
vinai – sins, which are hurdles for carrying out mangaLASAsanam
pOmE – will disappear, on their own
Simple Translation
krishNa, who is the son of yaSOdhAp pirAtti, is standing in thiruveLLaRai, being together always with periya pirAttiyAr, who is known by the divine name SrI and who is fitting well on a reddish lotus flower. yaSOdhAp pirAtti, who is the most eminent among all women, carried out kAppu, for that krishNa. periyAzhwAr, who is capable of absorbing the true meanings of vEdhams, mercifully composed pAsurams [based on such yaSOdhAp pirAtti’s words] with garland of words in this thirumozhi. For those devotees, who are capable of absorbing the benefit mentioned in the fourth line of each of these pAsurams, sins, which are a hurdle for carrying out mangaLASAsanam for emperumAn, would disappear on their own.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
pOdhamar selvak kozhundhu – periya pirAttiyAr has lotus flower as her place of birth. Since she is known as SrI, she is the deity of all the wealth; she is also, the primary consort of emperumAn. She is known by the name pangayach chelvi [name of the presiding deity in thiruveLLaRai].
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that periya pirAttiyAr has such wealth that she has lotus flower as her dwelling place. It would appear that the fragrance from the flower has taken a form as her tenderness. Just as emperumAn is the sarva gandha: sarva rasa: for her [he is the repository of all the fragrances and all the tastes], she is the same for him too. It is because emperumAn has her as his wealth that he has the wealth of being the most supreme of all entities. Such a tender entity [periya pirAttiyAr] took root in his divine chest. It was only after knowing the power of that chest that she let go of her place of birth. Hereafter, she would think of her place of birth only when sIthAp pirAtti would think of SrI mithilA [after she had come along with SrI rAma to ayOdhyA] [which means, that she will never think of her place of birth and would dwell only on the divine chest of emperumAn forever]. emperumAn at thiruveLLaRai is the supporting pole for this kozhundhu (kozhundhu refers to being the consort, thalaivi). It was to denote her prominence that the place is called thiruveLLaRai [thiru refers to pirAtti, she is mentioned first while referring to the place].
puNar thiruveLLaRaiyAnai – though born in lotus flower, periya pirAttiyAr resides permanently in the divine chest of emperumAn, just as it has been said in thiruvAimozhi 6.10.10 “agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu” (saying that she will not separate from emperumAn, even for a moment). emperumAn resides in thiruveLLaRai, united with such pirAtti. Just as it has been mentioned in iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 27 “kOl thEdi Odum kazhundhu adhu” (creeper going in search of a supporting pole), like a creeper which cannot sustain itself without leaning on a pole, pirAttiyAr, who was born in a lotus flower and who is the deity of wealth, cannot sustain herself without leaning on emperumAn in thiruveLLaRai. Just as the pole stands as the support, with the creeper which spreads on it being the primary entity, in thiruveLLaRai, pirAttiyAr is the primary entity and sendhAmarakikkaNNan [puNdarIkAkshan, the divine name of emperumAn in thiruveLLaRai] is not prominent in that place.
mAdharkku uyarndha asOdhai – Just as it has been mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.2.6 “enna nOnbu nORRALkolO ivanaip peRRa vayiRu udaiyAL” (what penance did the one, who gave birth to krishNa, carry out?) and in perumAL thirumozhi 7.5 “ellAm dheyva nangai yasOdhai peRRAL” (It was yaSOdhAp pirAtti, who is like a celestial lady, who was fortunate to witness all the divine activities of krishNa), it was yaSOdhAp pirAtti who had krishNa as her son and who enjoyed all his activities starting with his childish ones. Thus, she is the most eminent among all the women in the world.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the term mAdhu refers to the prominence gained in the youthful state of that age. The eminence for women is on account of being the beloved of their respective spouse and being under their control [and as a result, controlling the respective spouse]. For yaSOdhAp pirAtti, the eminence comes on account of her higher affection towards krishNa than towards SrI nandhagOpar. It is due to this that she came under nandhagOpar’s control. Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 12.68 “yadhA yadhA hi kausalyA” (kausalyAp pirAtti was all entities for emperor dhaSaratha, as a maid-servant, as a friend, as a wife et al), yaSOdhAp pirAtti was for nandhagOpar. Since krishNa is referred to as asOdhai magan [son of yaSOdhAp pirAtti], SrI nandhagOpar was similar to SrI vasudhEvar [a namesake parent]. Only if she reiterates that krishNa is her son would he be referred to as son of nandhagOpar.
magan thannaik kAppitta mARRam – the pAsurams in which she carried out rakshai [protection from evil eyes] for her son krishNa, manifesting all her affection towards him as her son; krishNa’s rUpa guNa chEshtitham [divine form, auspicious qualities and divine activities] were such that one has to keep carrying out rakshai for him all the time.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that yaSOdhAp pirAtti called krishNa many times in this thirumozhi and praised him, revealing her affection towards him. mARRam – words [pAsuram]
vEdhap payan … – periyAzhwAr knew that the true meaning of vEdham is only to carry out mangaLASAsanam for emperumAn. In this thirumozhi, which is like a garland of words, he has mercifully mentioned this.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that those who gain the benefit of vEdham will be like periyAzhwAr. Benefit [of vEdham] is mangaLASAsanam.
pAdhap payan … – followers of emperumAn have total devotion towards him and are capable of knowing the benefit which has been mentioned in the last line of every pAsuram in this thirumozhi. The sins of such followers, which are hurdles for their carrying out mangaLASAsanam [the benefit mentioned in the last line of each pAsuram] will disappear on their own.
We shall next consider the pravEsam of the next thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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