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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Fifth decad
avathArikai
In the second pAsuram of this decad, AzhwAr had said “mazhai vandhu ezhunAL peydhu mAththadaippa” (rains poured for seven days continuously, cutting off any escape for the herd and herd-folk). He had mercifully described in that pAsuram as to how krishNa had held aloft the mountain such that no harm came in the way of herd or herd-folk. Despite holding it for seven days, finding that there was no pain in krishNa’s divine hand, AzhwAr is amazed and he joyously and mercifully sings mangaLASAsanam for krishNa, in this pAsuram.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that after krishNa had put the mountain down [at the end of seven days when indhra regretted his action and rains stopped], AzhwAr examined whether there was any agony for krishNa in his divine hands, having held the mountain continuously for seven days, just like thirumazhisai AzhwAr had asked in thiruchchandha viruththam 61 “nadandha kAlgaL nondhavO” (Since you walked for a long time [in SrI rAmAvathAram], are your divine feet hurting?) Since AzhwAr did not find any wound, being a mangaLASAsanaparar [one who carries out mangaLASAsanam], he mercifully composes this pAsuram, with affection.
kodiyERu sendhAmaraik kai viralgaL kOlamum azhindhila vAdiRRila
vadivERu thiru ugir nondhumila maNivaNNan malaiyum Or sambiradham
mudiyERiya mAmugil pal gaNangaL munneRRi naraiththana pOla engum
kudiyERi irundhu mazhai pozhiyum gOvarththanam ennum koRRak kudaiyE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kodi ERu – having the flagstaff as a line on his divine hand [there are many divine marks on the divine hands of emperumAn; this refers to one such divine mark; flagstaff is present in all the temples at the entrance of the respective temple]
sem thAmarai – like a reddish lotus flower
kai viralgaL – divine hands and divine fingers
[despite holding the mountain for seven days continuously]
kOlamum – natural beauty
azhindhila – has not got destroyed
vAdiRRila – did not droop either
vadivu ERu – having considerable beauty
thiru ugir – divine nails
nondhum ila – have not got damaged
maNi vaNNan – the entity lifted by kaNNan, who has the complexion of bluish gemstone,
malaiyum – gOvardhana mountain
(the manner in which he held it and stood]
Or sambiradham – it appeared like a legerdemain
(When asked as to which is that mountain)
mudi – on the peak of the mountain
ERiya – climbed
mA mugil – huge clouds
pal gaNangaL – many banks
mun neRRi – the front portions of their foreheads
naraiththana pOl – just as it had greyed
engum – in all places
kudi ERi irundhu – dwelling
mazhai pozhiyum – it is the victorious mountain, called as gOvardhana, where it was raining.
Simple Translation
The natural beauty of krishNa’s divine hands and the divine fingers on them, which appeared like reddish lotus flowers and which had flagstaff as a line, had not got destroyed. Neither did the beauty get faded. The divine finger nails, which had an abundance of beauty, had not got damaged. The manner in which krishNa, who has the complexion of a bluish gemstone, lifted the gOvardhana mountain, appeared like a sleight of hand. How did the gOvardhana mountain appear? Many banks of huge clouds had climbed the peak of the mountain, with their foreheads appearing like grey hair, present everywhere and raining.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
kodiyERu sendhAmaraik kai viralgaL – just as it has been said in SrI vishNu purANam 5.18.2 “dhwaja vajra abja krutha chinhEna pANiNA”(divine hands identified with symbols of flagstaff, diamond, lotus), krishNa’s divine hands are identified with symbols of flagstaff, diamond etc, to indicate his wealth. Here, AzhwAr has referred only to flagstaff, as a representative of all the rest. This verse refers to krishNa having the flagstaff as a line on his divine hands, which, along with the fingers, look like lotus in terms of the reddish colour, beauty and tenderness.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that as per sAmudhrika lakshaNa [identifications which are to be seen in a person’s form for distinction], dhwaja [flagstaff], ankuSa [stick used for controlling elephants], Sankha [divine conch], thAmarai [lotus flower] are indicated. Since AzhwAr had already seen these in krishNa’s divine form [in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.7.6 “oru kAlil sangu oru kAlil chakkaram” (divine identification mark of conch on one foot and divine identification mark of divine disc on the other foot)], after krishNa had kept the mountain down, AzhwAr goes to krishNa, confirms that these marks are present and that they have not changed in any manner. He feels happy, with that. Alternatively, since kodi refers to creeper too, here it is taken as representing SrI mahAlakshmi; krishNa’s divine hands are like lotus flower, the place of birth of SrI mahAlakshmi. ERudhal [variant of ERu seen in the verse] refers to appearance. Alternatively, this would refer to the divine hands on which the creeper had spread and appeared. After seeing the tenderness of the divine hands, the tenderness of lotus flower would appear to be much inferior and to be given up. Since the divine hands and divine fingers appear like these even outwardly, AzhwAr says that they have not lost their beauty. vAdiRRila – Since the withering of lotus flower, taken as simile, is not seen in the object (divine hands), AzhwAr says that they have not withered.
kOlamum azhindhila vAdiRRila – with krishNa holding the mountain continuously for seven days, the natural beauty [of his divine hands and fingers] had not got destroyed; they had not become weakened and had not withered since they had to bear the weight of the mountain for a long time.
vadivERu thiru ugir nondhumila – the divine nails, whose beauty was increasing with time, had not got damaged either.
maNivaNNan malaiyum Or sambiradham – the manner in which krishNa, who has a complexion like a bluish gemstone, lifted the mountain and the way in which he stood lifting it appeared like indhrajAlam – legerdemain. In other words, if he had really lifted and sustained the mountain, wouldn’t it lead to some change or the other in his divine hands? Since there was no change, it appeared that this was a sleight of hand. AzhwAr says further that because there was no change in his divine hand, he is calling it as a sleight of hand, and that krishNa lifting the mountain was indeed a fact.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that for those who keep asking for logic and proof for everything, this action [of lifting the mountain continuously for seven days] would appear like sambiradham – legerdemain. This [sleight of hand] happens when, for some people, only the faculty of sight functions, with the other faculties [of the five senses] and the inner mind, which controls all the senses, not in synchronisation. sambiradham – sleight of hand.
mudi … – different types of clouds, which were huge, had ascended the peak of that mountain.
munneRRi naraiththana pOla engum kudi ERi irundhu mazhai pozhiyum – the clouds will pour rain such that the entire world would have abundance of water; the clouds would appear as if their foreheads have greyed [with white hair]. Clouds would appear dark when they contain water. Once they release the water as rains, they will become white. Even when the clouds have emptied out the water and become white, the place where they come to stay is the mountain peak. Hence, the pAsuram says that the clouds would appear to be white in their forehead, while they dwell all over the mountain, surrounding it. Where does this happen? It is on the victorious mountain, called as gOvardhana. Hence, this is a real event and not indhrajAlam.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says at the end of his svApadhESam that there are people, referred to as AntharALikars, who are in between – they are neither mukthAthmAs [who have got liberated from samsAram and have reached SrI vaikuNtam] nor samsAris [those who inhabit samsAram, enjoying the pleasures seen in samsAram]. They could be called as mumukshus [those who desire SrI vaikuNtam], have firm faith in emperumAn and do not indulge in prohibited activities. They live in dhivyadhESams [noble lands]. Clouds, when they give off all the rain contained in them, become white in colour. This signifies that they do not have anything in their hands and look up to emperumAn only. gOvardhana mountain has allowed these clouds to rest on it. Clouds are like AntharALikars, without anything in their hands to attain emperumAn. Clouds take residence on the mountain, just like the AntharALikars take residence in dhivyadhEsams. Clouds manifest the magnanimous quality of gOvardhana since gOvardhana has allowed them to rest on it, having given up everything. This is the simile brought about in this pAsuram. It is the mountain, which receives rains under normal times, that also becomes the victorious umbrella when time becomes inimical.
We shall next consider the last pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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