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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Third decad
avathArikai
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says in his svApadhESam that yaSOdhAp pirAtti sees the way that she had decorated krishNa as well the way in which he had [subsequently, in the forest] decorated himself. She fees happy and shows that to others who too, who are also happy.
seelaik kudhambai oru kAdhu oru kAdhu senniRa mEl thOnRip pUk
kOlap paNaik kachchum kURai udaiyum kuLir muththin kOdAlamum
kAlip pinnE varuginRa kadal vaNNan vEdaththai vandhu kANIr
gyAlaththup puththiranaip peRRAr nangaimIr nAnE maRRu Arum illai
Word-by-Word Meanings
oru kAdhu – on one ear
seelaik kudhambai – a roll, made of cloth [to enlarge the hole in the ear]
oru kAdhu – on the other ear
senniRam mEl thOnRip pU – reddish glory lily [also called as malabar lily]
kURai udaiyum – cloth adorned, appropriate for his divine form
kOlam – being beautiful
paNai – being large
kachchum – a type of belt [made of cloth] to keep the cloth [worn on the waist] in place
kuLir – being cool
muththin – strung with pearls
kOdu – curved like the crescent [of moon]
Alamum – having a chain
kAlip pinnE – behind calves
varuginRa – one who comes
kadal – like an ocean
vaNNan – having divine complexion
vEdaththai – the way he has attired
vandhu kANIr – come and have a look
nangai mIr – oh women, who are without any shortcoming!
gyAlaththu – on this earth
puththiranai – son
peRRAr – among those who have given birth to
nAnE – only I (who could be called as “Sired a good son”]
maRRu Arum illai – there is no one else
Simple Translation
krishNa is wearing a roll of cloth on one ear and a red glory lily, on the other ear. He has a cloth on his waist, held in place by a beautiful, large belt. He has a curved chain, strung with cool pearls. Oh, women, who are without any shortcoming! Come and have a look at the attire of krishNa, who has the complexion of an ocean. Among those who have given birth to a son on this earth, only I could be called as having given birth to good son. There is none else.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
seelai …– krishNa had a cloth roll on one of his ears and a red glory lily flower, on the other ear; though yaSOdhAp pirAtti had applied cloth rolls in the holes of both ears [in order to enlarge them], he had removed cloth roll from one of the ears and placed the reddish lily flower in its place and came with that.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that looking at the way in which krishNa has decorated one ear with the reddish lily flower, yaSOdhAp pirAtti would feel both happy and sad. In other words, when he removed the cloth roll from one ear and inserted the reddish flower, it would have given him pain, due to which she would have felt sad. She would have felt happy, enjoying the beauty of the contrast in the decoration of his two ears.
kOlap paNaik kachchum kURai udaiyum – dress which had been adorned on him, appropriate to his divine form and a belt [again with cloth], which was attractive and large, adorned over it at the waist in order to keep the cloth under it, to be in place without slipping.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that even his dress and the belt, donned over it, would have slipped when krishNa had to run behind the calves. Hence, he would have had to wear those again, in a dishevelled condition. Alternatively, he would have returned with the dress draped in the same manner [in which yaSOdhAp pirAtti had donned for him in the morning when he had set out to go behind the calves], without any change in the appearance.
kuLir muththin kOdALamum – chain, strung with cool pearls [cool and pleasant to the eyes], and with a curve. The term Aram [chain] has got transformed here as Alam, in line with the rule ralayOrabhEdha [the sounds la and ra are interchangeable]. Alternatively, the text could be Aram itself.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the chain would have swayed from left side to right side when krishNa went behind the calves. Some people would call the ear rings too as kOdAlam. However, that meaning is not applicable here since krishNa has decorated both his ears with two different materials [cloth and flower].
kAlip innE varuginRa kadal vaNNan vEdaththai vandhu kANIr – While the term kAli would refer to cows, as a species, here it refers to calves. yaSOdhAp pirAtti calls women, who are nearby, to come and have a look at the attire of krishNa, who is allowing the calves to go first and comes behind them, and who has the complexion of ocean. Here, the term vEdam [attire] refers to krishNa decorating himself with the cloth roll in one ear and the reddish lily flower, in the other ear. The term kANIr refers to her inviting the women to see with their eyes, to realise the purpose of having been provided with eyes.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the term kAli would refer to calves here; alternatively, it could also refer to the herd of both cows and calves which krishNa would have allowed to mix, as his mischief [normally, cows would come separately and calves, separately to prevent calves from getting hurt when cows walk by their side].
gyAlaththu … – Oh, those who have the quality of knowing the distinction of having good children! Among the women in the world, who have given birth to children, it is only I, who could be termed as “having given birth to a good child”. This implies the meaning that there is none who has been celebrated as I have been, as mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.2.6 “enna nOnbu nORRAL kolo ivanaip peRRa vayiRu udaiyAL” (What penance did the one, who has the divine stomach which gave birth to him, who is distinguished in this world, carryout?) for having given birth to a good son.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, for the verse gyAlam … that in the fifty crore yOjana [around 500 crore miles] universe [from pAthALam to sathya lOkam], is there anyone who has begotten a son like yaSOdhAp pirAtti? Repeatedly, didn’t I alone beget him? [first, as priSNi and suthapA, they had begotten emperumAn as priSNigarbha; second time, as athithi and kaSyapa, they had begotten emperumAn has vAmana; now, as dhEvaki and vasudhEva (or, as yaSOdhAp pirAtti and nandhagOpa], they had begotten krishNa]. Oh, those who are complete in your quality of having begotten good sons! Is there anyone who is apt to be celebrated as “ivanaip peRRa vayiRu udaiyAL” other than me? This is unlike the SrI rAmAyaNa SlOkam AraNya kANdam 15.15 “thvayA puthrENa” [SrI rAma tells lakshmaNa “Oh, lakshmaNa! emperor dhaSaratha was fortunate to have had you as his son. Since you have carried out tasks for me which he would have carried out, had he been alive, I consider that my father has not died”] [There, SrI rAma celebrated lakshmaNa as his father; here, yaSOdhAp pirAtti celebrates krishNa as her son. The latter is more eminent than the former. Thus, yaSOdhAp pirAtti feels proud, for having given birth to krishNa].
We shall next consider the 2nd pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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