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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Third decad
avathArikai
In the previous pAsuram, yaSOdhAp pirAtti had enjoyed krishNa’s divine form and decoration, when he returned after grazing calves. She showed that to others too, in the previous pAsuram, by saying “kAlippinnE varuginRa kadal vaNNan vEdaththai vandhu kANIr”. This pAsuram narrates the manner in which she went towards krishNa, embraced him and tells him a few words, on account of her affection for him, looking at his face.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that yaSOdhAp pirAtti keeps her son, who has returned after grazing the calves, on her lap and enjoys.
kanni nanmAmadhiL sUzh tharu pUmbozhil kAvirith thennarangam
manniya sIr madhusUdhanA! kEsavA! pAviyEn vAzhvu ugandhu
unnai iLam kanRu mEykkach chiRu kAlE Utti oruppaduththEn
ennil manam valiyAL oru peNNillai en kuttanE! muththam thA
Word-by-Word Meanings
kanni – being indestructible
nal – being attractive
mA – being huge
madhiL – with fortified walls
sUzh tharu – being surrounded by
pU – being ever fragrant
pozhil – having gardens
kAviri – being together with river kAviri
then – being prominent in the southern direction
arangam – in SrIrangam
manniya – dwelling fittingly
sIr – being with auspicious qualities
madhu sUdhanA – as one who annihilated the monster madhu
kEsavA – oh, one who has beautiful locks!
pAviyEn – I, the sinner
vAzhvu – our custom of grazing calves, in line with our clan
ugandhu – desiring
unnai – you, who are not the right person for the weariness
siRu kAlE – at the time of dawn itself
Utti – feeding
iLa kanRu – young calves
mEykka – to graze
oruppaduththEn – allowed [you] to go behind them
ennil – more than me (who had done all these and yet sustained myself)
manam valiyAL – hard-hearted
oru peN – a lady
illai – there is none in this world
en kuttanE – oh, my son!
muththam thA – she embraces him, and with joy, asks him to give her a kiss.
Simple Translation
krishNa [emperumAn] is fittingly residing in SrIrangam, which is prominent in the southern direction, which is surrounded by huge, fortified walls which are indestructible and attractive, and which is having river kAviri, with gardens emitting fragrance forever. Oh, one who killed the demon, madhu, and who is having auspicious qualities! Oh, one who has beautiful locks! I, who am a sinner, desiring a life in-line with our clan which involves activities such as grazing calves, sent you, who are not the right person for this weariness. I gave you food at the time of dawn, and sent you behind calves for grazing. There is none in this world, who is more hard-hearted than I, who had done all these to you and yet sustained myself. She embraces krishNa and tells him, “Oh, my son! Give me a kiss”.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
kanni … – SrIrangam is surrounded by fortified walls which are indestructible, which are attractive to all and which are protective. It has divine gardens where fragrant flowers will blossom always, irrespective of the season; it has the great river kAviri which sustains those gardens. It is the prominent place in the southern direction. Oh, one who is permanently residing in such divine place, SrIrangam, such that everyone comes and worships your divine feet! Oh, one who is with the auspicious quality of having an eminent disposition, getting rid of the enemies of your followers, just as you had annihilated the monster, madhu, and who has beautiful locks such that your followers could enjoy them!
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says additionally, that the great temple in SrIrangam is not only prominent in the southern direction, but is so for all the directions. Also, he says that the term then could also refer to “being beautiful”.
pAviyEn vAzhvu ugandhu – I, not knowing your eminence, your greatness and your tenderness, am a sinner, desiring the life which entails indulging in activities which are in line with our clan.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that yaSOdhAp pirAtti says that she is a sinner, who had missed out on the immeasurable happiness of being with her child, just as it has been mentioned in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 16 “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyina” (AzhwAr laments that he has spent all the time, without any purpose, by not thinking of emperumAn even for a moment). She had desired the benefit of being aligned to her clan by superficially observing the duties which are of no value.
unnai – you, who are not appropriate for suffering these weary deeds.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that yaSOdhAp pirAtti keeps krishNa on her lap, looks at his divine face from such close quarters and says “unnai” (you)
iLam kanRu mEykka – to graze calves which do not know how to eat unless someone plucks the grass, squeezes them together and pushes them down their throats, just like it has to be done for you too.
siRukAlE Utti oruppaduththEn – I woke you up early in the morning, to graze the cattle, fed you food such that it would be sufficient for you to last till the evening when you would return with them.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that just as brAhmaNas get up early during the time of dawn in order to carry out their ordained activities, yaSOdhAp pirAtti had woken up krishNa at the time of dawn and given him food, ensuring that if he is able to eat that food, he would be capable of grazing the calves until he returns [in the evening]. The term Utti [to be fed] suggests that he did not eat on his own. Since vEdhas call him as anaSnan [one who does not eat], he does not eat on his own. The vyAkyAthA [thiruvAimozhip piLLai] raises the question: Has he not eaten? It has been mentioned, in as in periya thirumozhi 10.7.7 “vAri vaLaiththuNdu” ([krishNa] scooped up [all the food, proffered to gOvardhana hill] and ate) and in periya thirumozhi 4.2.3 “vAnavar kOnukku enRu amaiththa sORadhu ellAm uNdu” [he ate the food which was meant for the lord of celestial entities, indhra) that he has eaten food offered. It is due to this reason that during his archchA state [in the form of idol] instead of taking the food himself, the food has to be offered to him. It is to emphasise the fact that he will eat when the person, who is supposed to feed him feeds, that he had said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 9.26 “aSnAmi” (I eat). It is only to create those who would feed him that he manifested himself with his mouth full of butter, even when he had hidden himself and eaten butter. In divine abodes, it is to ensure that people do not become servitors to others [other deities] that he consumed food. periya thirumalai nambi [one of ALavandhAr’s disciples and one of rAmAnujar’s AchAryas], during his final days, said “adhikArigaL dhurlabhar enRirE enpOlvArai nAdAy” [quoting nammAzhwAr’s pAsuram in the first centum, periya thirumalai nambi tells his thiruvArAdhanap perumAL that all along, he was in good health and he had been able to proffer prasAdham [divine food] to emperumAn; but now, due to his failing health, he would not be able to do that anymore. Hence, he requests emperumAn to look for someone like himself [periya thirumalai nambi] for getting food, henceforth].
ennil manam valiyAL oru peNNillai – There is no lady in the entire world, who is more hard-hearted than I, who could sustain herself like me, after allowing you to go. Others would have felt extremely miserable and swooned [I am still healthy].
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that yaSOdhAp pirAtti poses the question as to whether kausalyAp pirAtti and sumithrAp pirAtti, who despite having overflowing affection for their children, let their children go to the forest and waited for their return, would equal her, in sending children in a hard-hearted way and sustain themselves.
en kuttanE muththam thA – Oh, one who is a little son for me! Give me a kiss, says yaSOdhAp pirAtti, embracing krishNa. muththam – refers to divine lips.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that in the earlier pAsuram, yaSOdhAp pirAtti had said that it was only she who had given birth to a good child. Now, remembering that, she calls krishNa as kuttanE affectionately. She prays to krishNa not to go behind calves henceforth and to make her happy.
We shall next consider the 3rd pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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