SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Eighth centum >> Second decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
No specific introduction.
pAsuram
neeNilA muRRaththu ninRu ivaL nOkkinAL
kANumO! kaNNapuram enRu kAttinAL
pANanAr thiNNam irukka ini ivaL
nANumO? nanRu nanRu naRaiyUrarkkE
Word-by-Word meanings
ivaL – this girl
nIL nilA muRRaththu – in the third floor
ninRu – being present
nOkkinAL – saw the world (then)
kaNNapuram – thirukkaNNapuram
kANumO – see
enRu – saying that
kAttinAL – she showed;
pANanAr – AchAryas who sing
thiNNam – being firm
irukka – while remaining
ini – while being continuously instructed
ivaL – this girl
nANumO – will she withdraw?
naRaiyUrarkkE – the lord of thirunaRaiyUr, his objective
nanRu nanRu – attained well
Simple translation
Remaining on the third floor, this girl (my daughter, parakAla nAyaki) saw the world and said “See thirukkaNNapuram” and showed that; will she withdraw while being continuously instructed by AchAryas, who sing, are remaining firm? The lord of thirunaRaiyUr, has attained his objective, well [i.e. made her remain for him fully].
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
nIL nilA … – It was said in the previous pAsuram – If she abandoned the vow as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 36-11 “na namEyam . .” (Even if I am broken into two pieces, I will not bend before anyone) and as said in bhArathwAja samhithai “anjali: paramAmudhrA kshipram dhEva prasAdhinI” (anjali, which makes emperumAn happy quickly, is an eminent identity), highlighting that there is no more argument, she performs an anjali, is that a fault? Saurip perumAL, who heard this, said “Can you put the blame on me? Can you not control your daughter? For women, among the noble qualities such as ‘nAN, madam, achcham, payirppu’ (shyness, humility, fear, modesty), isn’t shyness the primary quality? When your daughter does not have it, should you not control her?” The mother says “Due to the way she speaks and due to the fault in her togetherness [with thirunaRaiyUr nambi], is there any possibility to control her? Finally, thirunaRaiyUr nambi’s goal is accomplished as he made her blabber from the beginning”.
nIL nilA muRRaththu ninRivaL nOkkinAL – The mother placed her daughter parakAla nAyaki in the third-floor thinking “If we place her in a secluded place where people are not seen, she will withdraw from emperumAn”.
nIL nilA muRRam – The nilA muRRam (penthouse which gets plenty of moon light) which is so tall that the voices of people will not be heard. For a mumukshu (liberation seeker), in the place where there is connection with body etc (and bodily relatives), while he has restrictions and fear, when worldly pleasures are observed, there is scope for engaging in such pleasures. That is due to being bound in the body. To remedy that, it is said that such mumukshu will remain in a secluded place. Similarly, since she (mother) is fully situated the first half [of dhvaya mahA manthram or charama SlOkam], considering her daughter has acquired this great love towards emperumAn due to samsarga dhOsham (the fault of the union with bhagavAn), she placed her daughter in the third-floor.
ninRu ivaL nOkkinAL – As the daughter saw the nilA muRRam, she said this looked like the place where emperumAn came as said in periya thirumozhi 8.1.8 “koRRap puL onRERi manRUdE varuginRAn” (bhagavAn is remaining seated on the victorious, unique periya thiruvadi (garudAzhwAr) and coming to a common/public place), made me totally existing for him and enjoyed union with me; she then stood up and sustained herself from the state mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 7.2.4 “itta kAl itta kaiyaLAy irukkum” (My daughter’s leg and hand remain [unmoved] wherever they were placed). This is similar to how one remains disturbed on seeing worldly plesaures before acquiring true knowledge through instructions from an AchArya and how one remains fearless and sustains oneself after engaging in apt matters (related to bhagavAn) as said in thaiththirIya upanishath Anandhavalli 6 “atha sO’bhayagathO bhavathi” (one becomes fearless about samsAram).
ivaL nOkkinAL – Not just that, she became capable to see the world as well [That is, she was able to understand the bhAgavathas of this world to be the means and goal].
kANumO kaNNapuram enRu kAttinAL – As she glanced around, thirukkaNNapuram became target of her eyes; while many other places are there, should thirukkaNNapuram be seen by her? Since Saurip perumAL is her beloved lord and since she is focussed [on her goal], she saw thirukkaNNapuram. When many kings came to marry dhraupadhi during her svayamvaram (where a bride chooses her future husband), the challenge placed in front of them was to shoot the neck of the target [a fish]. While others said “I saw its feet; I saw its stomach and so on”, arjuna said “I saw its neck”. That is because he was focussed and eagerly wanted to marry her.
kANumO kaNNapuram enRu kAttinAL – As said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.2 “thoNdIr elleerum vArIr” (Oh those who are favourable towards bhagavAn and bhAgavathas! All of you, please come), she is telling everyone in her vicinity to see thirukkaNNApuram. She is telling even her mother who is stopping her saying “You should not have so much love”. She is not of the nature to enjoy any good thing alone.
kaNNapuram enRu kAttinAL – The mother showed bhagavAn as said in thiruvAimozhi 6.7.6 “pirAn irundhamai kAttinIr” (you showed the merciful presence of our benefactor); she is showing his abode. This is the greatness of a sachchishya (true disciple) over his sadhAchArya (true preceptor). AchAryan will show that your means and goal are the divine feet of ISvaran; the true disciple remains thinking “Aren’t you the one who established these two principles? Hence your divine feet are my means and goal”.
Alternative explanation.
kANumO kaNNapuram enRu kAttinAL – She started saying “See thirukkaNNapuram. Perform an anjali” but could not fisnish the statement and conveyed the message through sign language.
Another explanation. She is saying “kANumO“. Will you see?
Another explanation. She is upset thinking “Isn’t the purpose of our eyes to see thirukkaNNapuram? Is there anyone who avoids that?” A devotee named vadamadhuraip piRandhAn magan was once in front of kOyilAzhwAr (SrIranga vimAnam) and was performing some japam with his eyes closed; bhattar who came to worship bhagavAn at that time became upset and said “When the SrIranga vimAnam is in full view of the eyes, why is he closing his eyes? Should he not make use of the eyes properly?”. Within a month or two, he lost his eyesight.
This is how she speaks and acts.
pANanAr … – The mother is speaking about the love her daughter has acquired through the union with emperumAn.
pANanAr – When the hero separates, to eliminate the anger and unite with him again, a singer will be sent; the singer too will eliminate the anger in the hearts of both the hero and heroine and unite them, by speaking sweet words. Here, the singer is the AchArya (preceptor) who eliminates the anger which came about in the chEthana (AthmA) due to svAthanthrya (independence), instills the knowledge about servitude and unites him with bhagavAn. She is saying “pANanAr” since she has heard from her daughter who said in periya thirumozhi 7.4.4 “pErALan pErOdhum periyOr” (mahAthmAs who are praising bhagavAn). There is no specific restriction on who can teach whom. It is only required for a person to be fixated on bhagavAn [to be known as AchArya] as said in muNdaka upanishath 1.2.12 “samithpANiS SrOthriyam brahmanishtam” (Approach with samith (firewood) in hands, the one who is well learned in SAsthram and is fixated on bhagavAn).
thiNNam irukka – As they remain unshakeable.
ini ivaL nANumO – Even if the mother is giving unpalatable advice continuously, is there any scope for her to withdraw from bhagavAn?
ini ivaL nANumO – She will neither withdraw due to the love she acquired through the union nor due to the natural love. I who am telling her, “This is not apt for you”, will only end up withdrawing from my act of giving instructions, due to becoming ashamed. She won’t withdraw. Even if I am her AchArya (teacher), if she is not a sath prakruthi (good natured – i.e. obedient), she is not withdrawing [due to excessive love]. Both AchArya and Sishya should be apt to accomplish the goal.
nanRu nanRu naRaiyUrarkkE – Her goal is also not attained; Saurip perumAL’s goal is also not attained; but in the beginning it was thirunaRaiyUr nambi who made her pick up madal (a process to unite with the loved one) and made her disobedient; his goal was accomplished well.
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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