SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Tenth decad
avathArikai
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
chiththira kUdaththu iruppa siRU kAkkai mulai thINda
aththiramE koNdu eRiya anaiththulagum thirindhu Odi
viththaganE! irAmAvO! nin abayam enRu azhaippa
aththiramE adhan kaNNai aRughthadhum Or daiyALam
Word-by-Word Meanings
chiththira kUdaththu – on the mountain of chithrakUtam
iruppa – even as [your highness] had been remaining
[jayanthan, the son of indhra, lord of celestial entities]
siRu – lowly among the species of birds
kAkkai – taking the form of a crow
mulai – region of [your highness’] divine bosom
thINda – as it harmed
[perumAL realised this]
Aththiram – brahmAsthram [a powerful weapon]
koNdu – involing on dharbham [a type of divine grass]
eRiya – as he let it off on the crow
(as the grass followed the crow, the crow, in order to escape from it]
anaiththu ulagum – in all the worlds
Odith thirindhu – running around
(not finding a refuge for it in any of the places, it returned to the same place from where it
started)
viththaganE! – oh, one who is such that everyone is amazed!
irAmA! – oh, one who is capable of making everyone happy!
nin abayam – I take refuge under you
O enRu azhaippa – even as it called out, manifesting its act of surrendering
aththiramE – that same weapon, which had set out earlier to sever its head
adhan kaNNai – one of the eyes of that crow
aRuththadhum – it was another identification that it removed
Simple Translation
When your highness [hanuman addressing sIthAp pirAtti] had been in the mountainous region of chithrakUtam, jayanthan, the son of indhran, taking the form of crow, a lowly species among birds, harmed your highness by pecking on the divine bosom. SrI rAma, realising the incident, invoked the powerful brahmAsthram on a dharbham [a type of divine grass] and let it off on the crow. In order to escape from that dharbham which was following it, the crow went all over the three worlds, seeking refuge. Finding none, it returned to the same place, taking refuge under perumAL, crying out “Oh, one who is such that everyone is amazed by you! Oh, one who makes everyone happy! I seek refuge under you”. The grass, on its own, removed one of the eyes of the crow. This is another identification [to prove that adiyEn is SrI rAma’s servitor].
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
chiththira kUdaththu iruppa – in the mountainous region of chithrakUtam, which is enjoyable due to the presence of orchards, rives, rocks etc. Just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.12 “thasya upavana shaNdEshu nAnA pushpa sugandhishu l vihruthya salila klinnA thavAnkE samupAviSam” (sIthAp pirAtti tells hanuman to inform perumAL “Playing in the orchards of that chithrakUta region which had many varieties of fragrant flowers, perspiring, feeling tired, I lay down on the lap of your highness”), both SrI rAma and your highness were enjoying privacy, lying down on each other’s lap alternately.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that jayanthan, the son of indhran, due to the prevalence of thAmasa guNam [ignorance, laziness etc], had his knowledge shrunk to such an extent that he hid his original form [of a celestial entity] and took on the guise of a lowly bird, crow. He harmed the region of divine bosoms of pirA4tti, repeatedly. It appears that perumAL, realising this, in order to remove his vanity [of being the son of indhran] as well as to make people in all the three worlds who are famous as well as not-so-famous, such as his parents, other celestial entities, the great, compassionate sages et al who will not come to his rescue, to know about him, started this. Once indhra refused refuge for him, his wife, SachidhEvi [mother of jayanthan] took a vow, saying “Even if his father takes him under his wings, I will not recognize one who has harmed SrI rAma” [though it was sIthAp pirAtti who was harmed, indhra’s wife refers to SrI rAma since perumAL was angered by his action]. Once his parents gave up on him, jayanthan, in the form of crow, intending to seek the help of other celestial entities, thought “Will the other celestial entities think that due to anger, the parents have given up on him? Once the anger dissipates, will they say that they will accept? Weren’t they people who we have ruled over?” But they too refused to provide him any sanctuary. Then he thought of the sages, who are compassionate and who are immersed in brahma bhAvanai [engrossed in thoughts on emperumAn]. They too gave up on him. In all the three worlds, people known and unknown to him, shut their doors on him, despite his seeking shelter in every door which was initially open, begging them to accept him. What caused all these?
siRu kAkkai mulai thINda – since jayanthan, the son of indhran, was full of thamOguNam [quality by which one becomes lowly], losing the power of distinguishing between eminence and lowliness, he hid his true nature of a celestial entity, took on the lowly form of a crow. Even as perumAL was mercifully resting on the lap of your highness, just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.22 “vAyasas sahasAgamya vidhadhAra sthanAntharE” (the crow, descending all of a sudden, pecked pirAtti between her bosoms and tore her flesh), without realising that she is the mother of all, it harmed your highness in the region of the bosoms.
aththiramE koNdu eRiya – perumAL realised as to what was happening. Becoming very angry, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.26 “ka:krIdathi sarOshENa panchavakthrENa bhOginA” (Who is playing with a furious five-hooded snake?), he took a blade of dharbham [type of grass used in religious activities, also called as kuSa, in samskrutham], invoked brahmAsthram on it and set it off, on the crow, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.30 “sadharbham samstharAth gruhya brAhmEna asthrENa yOjayath l sa dhIptha iva kAla agni jAjvalA abhimukhO dhvijam ll sa tham pradhIptham chikshEpa dharbham tham vAyasam prathi ll” (SrI Ama picked a dharbham from his seat; determining that it is enough for the crow, he invoked brahmAsthram on that blade of grass, which, resembling a fire destroying the world, flared up in front of the crow).
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the reason for all the trouble for the crow started because when perumAL invoked brahmAshthram on a blade of grass and let it on the crow, it did not stop for a moment and seek refuge immediately. It thought that it could escape and seek help from relatives and others.
anaiththu ulagum … – Since that dharbham was set off at a low speed, it followed the crow. Looking for a path to escape from that glowing blade of grass, the crow, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.33 “sa pithrAcha parikthyakthas suraiSchasamaharshibhi: l thrIn lOkAn samparikramya” (that monster-crow, being given up by his parents and celestial entities along with great sages, went around all the three worlds) first went to its father’s [indhra’s] house. Being abandoned by its father and mother, it went to the celestial entities, thinking that its relatives will accept it. Since they too abandoned it, it thought that the great sages, who are full of compassion, will give it refuge. Since they too refused to give it refuge, just like one enters an open gate many times attempting to enter somehow, it roamed all over the three worlds; none accepted it. Finally, it returned to SrI rAma, saying “thamEva SaraNam gatha:” (I take refuge only under you). Even if he is furious, since he is by nature compassionate, it praised the auspicious qualities of SrI rAma, saying “Oh, one who is capable of making everyone amazed! Oh, one who makes everyone happy!” Announcing its lack of any other refuge, it said “O! Grant me refuge”, explicitly pointing out to perumAL’s quality of being the refuge for all.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that even though jayanthan roamed around all the three worlds, he realised that while there are entities ready to take refuge, there was none who could offer refuge. Hence, after roaming around all the worlds, it returned to SrI rAma. viththaganE – Oh, one who is the causative factor for all and who is capable! O ninnabayam – It fell at the divine feet of SrI rAma, saying that apart from you, there is none who could offer refuge and sought protection from being harmed by the asthram [blade of grass with brahmAsthram invoked].
aththiramE … – Since it surrendered in this manner, just as it is mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 38.34 “sa tham nipathitham bhUmau SaraNya SaraNAgatham l vadhArhamapi kAkuthstha: krupayA paryapAlayath” (Even though that crow, which fell on the ground and surrendered to perumAL, who is apt to be surrendered to, is fit to be killed, he gave it its life due to his compassion), on account of the compassion of perumAL, the asthram [the weapon, dharbham] which had earlier followed the crow to sever its head, granted the crow its life and removed one of its eyes. This too is an identification.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the dharbham waited for him all along to seek refuge under perumAL and kept following him. Once he surrendered, without seeking permission from perumAL, it destroyed one of the eyes of the crow. The reason for this action was that the surrender was not a proper surrender but a kaNtaka prapaththi [thorny surrender, viz an improper surrender]. The crow thought “Let us surrender. If he accepts, we will have our life; if he rejects, we will create a fault in him that he did not offer refuge to one who surrendered”. There is a saying “lagur dhaNda: prapannasya” (Even if one has surrendered, he could be punished in a mild manner, if he has indulged in improper activity]. Alternatively, quoting nampiLLai, AchchAmpiLLai would say that one who knows the divine mind of emperumAn will carry out as per his thoughts [the dharbham knew the divine mind of SrI rAma and hence it executed that by removing the crow’s eye].
We shall next consider the 7th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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