SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
periya thirumozhi >> Eighth centum >> Second decad
Highlights from avathArikai (Introduction)
When asked “The suffering she goes through as said in ‘Speaking incoherently, asking, speaking, melting’ is only when she sustains herself; how is that?” the mother responds “She is not sustaining herself”.
pAsuram
uNNum nAL illai uRakkamum thAn illai
peNmaiyum sAla niRaindhilaL pEdhai thAn
kaNNanUr kaNNapuram thozhum kArkkadal
vaNNar mEl eNNam ivatku idhu en kolO?
Word-by-Word meanings
uNNum nAL – (for her) days to eat
illai – not there;
uRakkamum thAn – sleep too
illai – not there;
peNmaiyum – (her) femininity
sAla – very
niRaindhilaL – not complete;
pEdhai thAn – (even now) she is a young girl;
kaNNan – where krishNa is mercifully present
kaNNapuram – known as thirukkaNNApuram
Ur – the dhivyadhESam
thozhum – she is worshipping;
ivatku – for her
kAr – dark
kadal – like an ocean
vaNNarmEl – on krishNa who has physical beauty
eNNam – has her thoughts;
idhu en kolO – How amazing is this!
Simple translation
My daughter has no time to eat; she does not sleep either; she has still not become a well matured woman; she is a young girl; she is worshipping the dhivyadhESam which is known as thirukkaNNapuram where krishNa is mercifully present; she has her thoughts on krishNa who has physical beauty like that of a dark ocean. How amazing is this!
Highlights from vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
uNNum nAL illai uRakkamum thAn illai – The mother is saying “It appears that her previous states can be considered as good sitautions, when we see her situation now”. Whatever was mentioned previously can occur only if she eats and sleeps properly.
uNNum nAL illai – She remained fasting. Instead of saying “UNillai” (no food), she has said “uNNum nAL illai” (no time for food). vAlmeeki rishi has written that when sIthAp pirAtti was living in separation and was fasting, dhEvEndhran came and offered her food which is filled with nectar without the knowledge of rAkshasas and rAkshasis (demoniac men and women), and she mercifully consumed it. The mother is saying that there is no such day for parakAla nAyaki.
uRakkamum thAn illai – A day is made of daytime and night-time; in that, if she has no engagement in eating which is an activity done in the daytime, does she at least have sleep which is an activity done in the night-time? The mother is saying “that is also not there”. Instead of saying “uRakkamillai” (no sleep), she is saying “uRakkamum thAn illai” (even, there is no sleep). This is because, sleep is required compulsorily, and she is saying that it is not there. When perumAL (SrI rAma) was mercifully present in the forest, he was about to go to sleep. At that time, he mercifully told iLaiya perumAL (lakshmaNa) “My dependent, maithili (sIthAp pirAtti) has come along with me; you should abandon your sleep, laziness, and fatigue acquired through the travel so far, and protect us without anything happening to us by your lethargy in protecting us”. At that time, he responded as in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 56.3 “jahau nidhrAncha thandhrim cha prasaktham cha pariSramam” (Being woken up by perumAL, iLaiya perumAL abandoned his sleep, laziness and fatigue from the travel). She is unlike lakshmaNa who had sleep and gave it up subsequently. She did not have the aspect of sleep at all.
peNmaiyum sAla niRaindhilaL pEdhai thAn – If one has experience in uniting with one’s husband, one can avoid eating and sleeping. But she has not yet reached that stage.
peNmai – sthrIthvam (femininity). She has not experienced femininity even a little bit.
Alternative explanation.
peNmaiyum sAla niRaindhilaL – She only knows about the taste of union with her husband; but has not experienced it fully.
When asked “She is complete in femininity as a pEriLam peN (well matured woman, in her thirty plus age); is she at least in the stage of mangai (teen age)?”. The mother responds
pEdhai thAn – She is very young (just 5 years old).
kaNNan Ur … – Would she not need dhAraka (sustenance), pOshaka (nourishment) for her age? How are they present?
kaNNapuram thozhum – This is her sustenance.
When asked “How is it that worshipping someone sustains that person?” the mother responds
kaNNan Ur – krishNa, who is said in thiruvAimozhi 6.7.1 “ellAm kaNNan” (Everything is krishNa), is the one who is present inside the dhivyadhESam; the residents of SvEthadhvIpam [a place in and around kshIrAbdhi] remain as said in mahAbhAratham SAnthi parvam 344.45 “badhdhAnjaliputA hrushtA” (They are always performing anjali joyfully). They remain in anjali posture always as said in thiruvAimozhi 2.1.7 “thORROm” (We have lost) and in jithanthA sthOthram 1 “jitham” (Victory to you). Only if he disappears, their anjali posture will be discarded. For such devotees, all their limbs remain intact by such anjali.
kArkkadal vaNNar mEl eNNam – She is desiring to embrace krishNa who is standing inside that dhivyadhESam like a stagnated ocean. Since she worshipped his abode, her eating stopped. Since she desired his divine form, her sleeping also stopped.
peNmaiyum sAla niRaindhilaL, pEdhai thAn, eNNam ivatku idhu – She has attained the state of those who are accomplished in yOgam (upAsanam/bhakthi yOgam). How amazing! – says the mother.
en kolO – The mother is saying – We have not seen this state in the sages who are accomplished in yOgam. We have not seen this in AzhwAr [nammAzhwAr] who visualised krishNa and enjoyed him. We have not seen this in sIthAp pirAtti who enjoyed with SrI rAma for twenty five years without separating even for a moment, by being together the whole sixty nAzhigai (24 minutes) of every day, and subsequently was able to remain in separation for ten months. This is parakAla nAyaki’s age [5 years]; these are her sustenance and nourishment. How amazing is this!
In the next article we will enjoy the next pAsuram.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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