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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Third Centum >> Ninth decad
avathArikai
There is no specific avathArikai for this pAsuram.
kArAr kadalai adaiththittu ilangai pukku
OrAdhAn pon mudi onbadhOdu onRaiyum
nErA avan thambikkE neeL arasu Indha
ArAvamudhanaip pAdippaRa ayOdhdhiyar vEndhanaip pAdippaRa
Word-by-Word Meanings
kAr Ar – being very dark, due to its depth
kadalai – ocean
adaiththittu – blocking, with the aid of mountains
ilangai pukku – entered lankA
OrAdhAn – rAvaNan, who did not revere perumAL’s valour
ponmudi onbadhOdu onRaiyum – the ten beautiful heads, which had been decorated with golden crowns
nErA – severed them
avan thambikkE – to vibhIshaNa, his [rAvaNa’s] younger brother
neeL – to hold for a long time
arasu – kingdom
Indha – one, who gave
ArA – insatiable, despite enjoying for a very long time
amudhanai – sing about the one who is the most enjoyable, like nectar
ayOdhdhiyar vEndhanai – sing about the one, who is the king for those in ayOdhyA
Simple Translation
SrI rAma entered lankA, after blocking the ocean, which was dark in colour due to its depth. He severed the ten beautiful heads of rAvaNa, who had not respected his valour and gave the kingdom to rAvaNa’s younger brother, vibhIshaNa, such that he could rule over for a very long time. Sing about the one, who is the most enjoyable, like nectar, and who does not give satisfaction even after enjoying for a very long time. Sing about the one, who is the king for the people in ayOdhyA.
vyAkhyAnam (Commentary)
kArAr kadalai adaiththittu – Ocean looks dark owing to its depth. When stones are dropped in the ocean, they will sink to the ocean-bed. However, due to his aghatithaghatanA sAmarthyam [ability to bind together entities which cannot ever be bound], SrI rAma blocked the ocean, with the help of monkeys, by dropping mountains and boulders in the ocean.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says, in his svApadhESam, that SrI rAma quickly blocked the ocean, which was dark due to its depth, got to the other side of the ocean, mercifully entering the northern side of lankA, ready to carry out battle. When rAvaNa, thinking of himself as the king of demons, as mentioned in periya thirumozhi 4.4.6 “arakkar thangaL kOn pOlum” (that he is the king of all demons), with the itching in his shoulders to go for battle, believing “Am I not the king of all the demons!” went out to battle, SrI rAma severed his mother head, along with the other nine heads simultaneously.
ilangai pukku – just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 1-39 “lankAm rAvaNa pAlithAm” (regarding lankA, which is ruled by rAvaNa), the land of lankA was such that it is difficult to enter the place for anyone. Moreover, owing to the strength of one, who is ruling it from inside, it is almost impossible to enter the place. SrI rAma entered that lankA, along with his army of about seventy thousand monkeys.
OrAdhAn ponmudi onbadhOdu onRaiyum nErA – Despite seeing such a super-human effort on the part of SrI rAma [in entering such a fortified lankA], rAvaNa did not consider SrI rAma’s strength. He believed the strength of his boons and his shoulder. He did not respect the strength of SrI rAma, which was as mentioned in periya thirumozhi 4.4.6 “thAn pOlum enRu ezhundhAn dharaNiyALan” (chakravarthith thirumagan, who is the emperor of earth, arose, like a king, opposing), in a very superficial manner. rAvaNa had decorated his beautiful heads with golden crowns. He had a boon by which, if a head is severed, it will reappear. As SrI rAma severed each head, it reappeared. Just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 2.4.5 “kAlam idhu enRu ayan vALiyinAl kadhirnINmudi paththum aRuththamarum” (determining that this is the correct time, SrI rAma, who is to sit on the throne in ayOdhyA, severed the ten splendorous heads of rAvaNa, with brahmAsthram [a potent weapon]), SrI rAma determined that “This is the time to annihilate him”, severed all the ten heads at the same time, with brahmAsthram.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that OrAmai (inability to accept) is SrI rAma killing vAli, then building a bridge across the ocean and setting lankA to fire [through hanuman].
avan thambikkE neeL arasu Indha – when vibhIshaNAzhwAn came to surrender to SrI rAma, he introduced himself, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 19.42 “anujOr rAvaNasya aham” (I was born after rAvaNa), to indicate his low birth, and took refuge under the divine feet of SrI rAma. SrI rAma gave the kingdom [of lankA] to that vibhIshaNa and told him, as mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 2.6.9 “ennilangu nAmaththaLavum arasu” (This kingdom will be yours until my resplendent name remains), giving him the wealth of the kingdom of lankA.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that the term avan thambikkE refers to vibhIshaNa being the younger brother of rAvaNa. Earlier, sUrpaNakhA had said that vibhIshaNa does not possess the qualities of a demon [since he was honest, righteous etc]. Later, when SrI rAma asks vibhIshaNa about the strength of the army in lankA, he tells him, as in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 19.7 “rAkhasAnAm balAbalam” (tell me the strength and weakness of the demons) [here, he is not asking him about “Your strength and weakness” but that of the demons; in other words, he does not consider vibhIshaNa as a demon at all]. He has all along considered vibhIshaNa as his brother. However, after the death of rAvaNa, he told vibhIshaNa, as said in SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 112.26 “kriyathAmasya samskArO mamApyEshathA thava” (you should carry out the last rites for this rAvaNa since I have the same relationship with him as you have]. The reason for saying this is that he had already decided in his divine mind that he will hand over the kingdom to [rAvaNa’s] brother, vibhIshaNa, though vibhIshaNa had come to him only for carrying out service to him as his purushArtham [ultimate benefit]. Alternatively, it could be said that AzhwAr had mercifully thought that when the demons come under the control of SrI rAma [sine he had conquered lankA], SrI rAma wanted to have a connection, hence he made vibhIshaNa as the king, succeeding rAvaNa. Also, it is difficult to get rid of the qualities of a demon. Unlike lakshmaNa, who said that he will not leave SrI rAma and that he would carry out all the servitude to him, even when SrI rAma had told him to remain in ayOdhyA, vibhIshaNa followed the words of SrI rAma. Hence, AzhwAr addresses vibhIshaNa as the younger brother of SrI rAma.
Further, SrI rAma told vibhIshaNa that he could remain the king of lankA until his divine name remains. Earlier too [during the time of rAvaNa], the sounds of vEdhams and rituals such as agnihOthram were heard in every house of demons, with the divine name of vishNu being recited. However, compassion, truth, sacredness etc were unknown to the demons. Now, SrI rAma says that vibhIshaNa could remain as the king until SrI rAma’s divine name remains, signifying that his divine name is more splendorous that that of vishNu.
ArAvamudhanai – sing about the one, who, through this quality, creates more and more involvement with him to enjoy him like nectar, and who is such that even after enjoying him for a long time, the person is insatiable.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that after the annihilation of rAvaNa, a splendour was seen on the divine form of SrI rAma, since he had removed an inimical entity. AzhwAr, carrying out mangaLASAsanam for this, calls him as ArAvamudhu, the insatiable entity. Just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1.6.5 “viLgai viLLAmai virumbi uL kalandhArkku Or amudhE” (emperumAn is the distinct nectar who approach him with the intention of serving only him, unlike those who come to him with a prayer and leave after getting what they had asked for), he is a unique amudham. He is every moment, ArAvamudhan, as mentioned in the saying dhArAvAhika vigyAnam [like a stream of oil flows without any disturbance, from one knowledge to another]; emperumAn is enjoyable, without one getting satiated. After comparing with a metaphor, amudham, nectar, AzhwAr feels that it is nowhere near his nectar [his nectar is SrI rAma]. Hence, he mercifully calls his refuge as the nectar.
ayOdhdhiyar vEndhanai – after annihilating rAvaNa, SrI rAma returned to ayOdhyA and crowned himself as the king of ayOdhyA. Sing about one, who thus became the king of ayOdhyA.
pAdippaRa – the girl, who sings this pAsuram, tells her competitor to sing about him.
We shall next consider the last pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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