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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Fourth decad
avathArikai
In the last pAsuram of this decad, AzhwAr mentions the benefit which will accrue to one who recites the pAsurams and brings the decad to its end.
viNNin mIdhu amarargaL virumbith thozha miRaiththu AyarpAdiyil vIdhiyUdE
kaNNan kAlippinnE ezhuanhdaruLak kaNdu iLa Ayk kannimAr kAmuRRa
vaNNam vaNdu amar pozhil pudhuvaiyar kOn vittu chiththan sonna mAlai paththum
paNNinbam varap pAdum paththar uLLAr paramAna vaigundham naNNuvarE
Word-by-Word Meanings
viNNin mIdhu – in upper worlds such as svargam [heaven] etc
amargaL – celestial entities
virumbi – with desire
thozha – to worship
miRaiththu – disregarding them
Ayar pAdiyil – in the village of herd-folk
vIdhiyUde – in the middle of the streets
kAli pinnE – behind cattle
kaNNan – kaNNapirAn [krishNa]
ezhundhu aruLa – as he came mercifully
kaNdu – seeing that
iLa – youthful
Ay kanniyar – herd-girls
kAmuRRa vaNNam – the manner in which they desired
vaNdu – beetles
amar – settled
pozhil – having gardens
pudhuvaiyar – for those in SrI villibuththUr
kOn – controller
vittu chiththan – periyAzhwAr
sonna – mercifully composed
mAlai – garland of worlds
paththum – these ten pAsurams
inbam vara – to feel the appreciation
paN – with music
pAdum – singing
paththar uLLAr – those who are devotees
paramAna – more eminent than the most distinguished
vaigundham – SrI vaikuNtam
naNNuvar – will attain
Simple Translation
While the celestial entities, inhabiting upper worlds such as svargam etc, were worshipping emperumAn with joy, disregarding them, krishNa mercifully came through the streets in the village of thiruvAyppAdi, behind cattle. Looking at him, the young herd-girls desired him. periyAzhwAr, the controller of those who live in SrI villibuththUr, which has gardens where beetle have settled, mercifully composed their affection as garlands of words, into these ten pAsurams . Those, who are devotees of emperumAn, who are able to appreciate these and sing them, will attain SrI vaikuNtam, which is more eminent than the most distinguished abodes.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
viNNin mIdhu amarargaL virumbithth thozha – in upper worlds such as svargam etc, celestial entities were worshipping emperumAn, with affection. Since they had prayed to him to reduce the burden on earth and made him to incarnate, right from the time of his incarnation, the celestial entities were seeing his amazing activities and were amazed. Hence, when emperumAn, who is the lord of both vibhUthis [leelA vibhUthi, the materialistic realm, and nithya vibhUthi, spiritual realm), incarnated in the clan of herd-people, engaged in protection of cattle, appropriate for that clan and roamed around, decorating himself apt for the clan, they worshipped him with desire. Alternatively, the term viNNin mIdhu could also refer to SrI vaikuNtam, which is above all the other worlds, referred to, as in thaiththirIya upanishadh nArAyaNavalli “nAkasya prushtE” (seated above the sky). nithyasUris, the permanent dwellers of SrI vaikuNtam, constantly worship his supreme nature of eminence. When they see his supreme nature of simplicity, as krishNa, on earth, with the greatest affection, they worship him.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that celestial entities, who are in the upper worlds, desirously worship, due to the benefits gained by them while those, who are above them [in SrI vaikuNtam], worship, since the act of worshipping itself is their benefit.
miRaiththu – disregarding. In other words, not looking at those who are worshipping him from the upper worlds, and looking at the cattle and herd-folks in thiruvAyppAdi, with affection.
AyarpAdiyil vIdhiyUdE kaNNan kAlippinE ezhundharuLak kaNdu – seeing krishNa mercifully coming in the streets of thiruvAyppAdi, behind cattle, with the decorations mentioned earlier and with a divine form, which would make those decorations to be superfluous.
iLa Ayk kannimAr kAmuRRa vaNNam – starting with the first pAsuram of this decad “sAlagavAsal paRRi nuzhaivanar niRpanarAgi” and ending with the ninth pAsuram “veLvaLai kazhanRu mey meliginRadhu”, the young herd-girls looked desirously at krishNa, leading to changes in their forms. The manner in which these incidents happened …
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that periyAzhwAr utilised the manners in which young herd-girls desired krishNa, leading to changes in their forms, as a pretext and combined these with the mangaLASAsanam that he was carrying out. Will these combine with mangaLASAsanam? Since they [the herd-girls] lost out to krishNa as a village, losing out their hearts to him, and he remained as the victor, without losing out his heart to them, since they, in essence, said “thE jitham” (victory to you), this will mingle with the manner of mangaLASAsanam. He is one who does not enjoy, as mentioned in vEdham as “anaSnan” (one who does not eat). Just as krishNa had said in mahAbhAratham “yathi mE brahmacharyam syAth” (If I had observed the tenets of brahmacharyam [being celebate]) and as mentioned in SrI bhAshyam “thathgatha dhOshairasamsprushta:” (faults of the entities with whom emperumAn comes into contact, do not rub on him), all these activities [of indulging with herd-girls etc] remain as leelA rasam (flavour of indulging in playful activities) for krishNa. His enjoyment as leelArasam is acceptable to AzhwAr. chinthayanthi and SiSupAlan too were entities who played their part in his leelArasam [chinthayanthi did not reach out to krishNa fully. She stopped in her tracks. Hence, it was only leelArasam for emperumAn and not bhOgarasam [flavour of enjoyment, which he gets with nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs [liberated souls].
vaNdu amar pozhil … – SrI villibuththUr has divine gardens in which beetles, desiring to imbibe honey, have settled down permanently, not interested in anything else. Being the controller of the people who live in such a place, periyAzhwAr has always kept sarvESvaran in his divine mind, as mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.4.10 “aravaththu amaLiyinOdum” (with the mattress of AdhiSEshan), as a result of which he is called as vishNu chiththar. He has mercifully composed these ten pAsurams.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that AzhwAr is called as vishNu chiththan since (1) he has vataperum kOyil udaiyAn (the divine name of emperumAn who has taken residence in SrI villibuththUr), who is vishNu, in his divine mind; (2) he is an entity who is dear to the divine mind of emperumAn and (3) he holds on dearly to emperumAn’s pervasive nature, in his divine mind [the term vishNu refers to one, who has pervaded the entire universe].
paNNinbam varap pAdum paththar uLLAr – those who have a deep devotion towards emperumAn, singing these pAsurams with tunes, which bring joy to those who sing, more than the joy which they bring to the listeners of these pAsurams.
paramAna vaigundham naNNuvarE – Just as it has been mentioned in chAndhOgya upanishad “viSvatha:prushtEshu sarvatha: prushtEshu” (paramapadham is above all the worlds which have been created by emperumAn on his own and through brahmA, later on), it is more eminent than the most distinguished. Just as it has been mentioned in thiruppallANdu 12 “pallANdum paramAthmanaich chUzhndhirundhu Eththuvar pallANdE” (they will keep carrying out mangaLASAsanam to emperumAn, surrounding him, forever), those people will attain such SrI vaikuNtam and carry out mangaLASAsanam to emperumAn, until the entity ‘time’ exists [viz. forever].
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that such people will attain paramapadham which is described as an abode from which one does not return.
We shall next consider the pravEsam of the next thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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