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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Eighth decad
avathArikai
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram that SrIrangam is the divine abode, where one, who went leaving the kingdom and reaching the forest, annihilated demons who were like thorns, resides.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai, in his svApadhESam, says that it was not only what emperumAn had done [in the previous pAsuram], but that he had also nurtured the words of his father.
kUn thozhuththai sidhaguraippak kodiyavaL vAy sol kEttu
InReduththa thAyaraiyaum irAchchiyamum Angozhiyak
kAn thoduththa neRipOgik kaNdagaraik kaLaindhAn Ur
thEn thoduththa malarch chOlaith thiruvarangam enbadhuvE
Word-by-Word Meanings
thEn thoduththa – always full of honey
malar – having flowers
sOlai – SrIrangam, which is surrounded by gardens
kUn – kUni, one, with hunchback
thozhuththai – the servitor [of kaikEyi]
sidhagu – cruel words, which were inimical to the celebration of divine coronation
uraippa – as she said
(considering her words, one who asked perumAL to go to the forest)
kodiyavaL – kaikEyi, the cruel person
vAy – coming out of her mouth
kadiya sol kEttu – hearing the searing words
InReduththa thAyaraiyum – SrI kausalyA, who sired him
irAchchiyamum – and the kingdom
Angu ozhiya – giving them up
kAn thoduththa – dense forests
neRi – through the path
pOgi – one, who mercifully went to SrI dhaNdakAraNya
kaNdagarai – demons, who were like thorns, inhabiting the forests
kaLaindhAn – one, who annihilated
Ur – the abode, where he resides
Simple Translation
SrIrangam is surrounded by gardens which have flowers, brimming with honey. It is the divine abode where perumAL, who had to mercifully go through the dense forests, leaving the mother, who sired him and his kingdom, resides. perumAL had to go the forest, based on the words of cruel kaikEyi, who considered the words of her servitor, kUni, which were inimical to the celebration of the coronation event of perumAL. He annihilated the demons, who were inhabiting the forests and who were like thorns.
vyAkhyAnam
kUn thozhuththai sidhagu uraippa – kUni, the servitor of kaikEyi, spoke words which were inimical in nature to the celebration of the divine coronation of perumAL. Perchance, she climbed up the balcony and saw the decorations all around the capital of ayOdhyA, on the eve of perumAL’s divine coronation, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 7.1 “gyAthidhAsiyathO jAthA kaikEyyAsthu sahOshithA l prasAdhAm chandhrasankASam ArurOha yAdhruchchayA ll” (mantharA, a housemaid who had been with kaikEyi from the time of kaikEyi’s birth, accidentally ascended the balcony of kaikEyi’s white palace, which resembled the full moon). She saw huge crowds everywhere, as mentioned in the saying “brindham brindham ayOdhyAyAm” [ayOdhyA was full of people in large gathering, everywhere]. Unable to tolerate that as well as the auspicious music which was being played everywhere, she came down and told kaikEyi invectively “The son of your sister-in-law is looking for coronating himself; hereafter, your son will carry out servitude to him. How could you remain quiet, even after seeing all these? Immediately tell the king to stop the coronation of that person [SrI rAma] and to coronate your son. He has already granted you two boons; utilise them now for coronating your son and to send rAma to the forest. A king, who follows the path of truth and righteousness, cannot go against his words”, giving cruel words of advice to kaikEyi, which were a hurdle to the divine coronation of SrI rAma, as the king of ayOdhyA.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that just has kUni had distortions in her physical form, she had distortions in her perverse mind too. With such distortions, she said cruel words. sidhagu – when kaikEyi gave kUni presents on hearing about the people in the town celebrating SrIrAma’s coronation, kUni threw aside her gifts and good qualities, and spoke cruel words which destroyed kaikEyi’s [initial] sweet words. kUni had not seen the divine face of SrI rAma, when she spoke those cruel words. However, even after seeing the divine face, which creates happiness in the beholder, as mentioned in the etymology for rAma “ramayathIthi rAma:” (SrI rAma is one, who creates happiness in the minds of others), kaikEyi spoke cruel words. kaikEyi is crueler than kUni and is her servitor too.
kodiyavaL vAyk kadiya sol kEttu – becoming bewildered with the words of kubjA [mantharA, kUni], kaikEyi told dhaSaratha “You should fulfil the two boons which you had given me earlier; in other words, you should coronate my son [bharatha] and send rAma to the forest for fourteen years”. Hearing her words, the king appeared unwilling to accede to her request. kaikEyi cried out “The king, who, for sixty thousand years had followed the path of truth and righteousness, is now going against that path. Oh, you dhEvathAs [deities]! Know you all, about these”. Not knowing as to what he should do, dhaSaratha allowed her to do as she pleased. Immediately, she beckoned sumanthra [the minister] and asked him to get perumAL soon. When SrI rAma arrived at her palace, he saw the bewildered condition of the emperor and asked her the reason for that. She told him “He called you to send you to the forest. After seeing you, since he is unable to state that, he has fallen silent like this. If you wish to fulfil the righteous path of dhaSaratha and carry out that which is good for him, you have to leave for the forest soon. I am telling you on his behalf”. Hearing these searing words from the mouth of the cruel kaikEyi …
InReduththa thAyaraiyum irAchchiyamum Angu ozhiya – kausalyAp pirAtti, the mother who gave birth to SrI rAma, upon hearing all these, told him, “I cannot separate from you, my only son. Take me too, to the forest”, and followed him. All the plants and animals, which were in the kingdom, and which had been attracted by the auspicious qualities of SrI rAma, were unable to tolerate the separation. SrI rAma, gave up on his mother and the kingdom.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says here that when SrI rAma told kaikEyi that he will comfort dhaSaratha before going to forest, kaikEyi told him “I will take care of him; before changing the mind, you proceed to the forest”. SrI rAma had to hear such words. SrI rAma, without listening to the words of his mother, who spoke with affection, without looking at the mobile and immobile entities [birds and animals, as well as plants] which were withering due to the separation from him, had to leave for the forest for protecting the world. The purpose for doing that was to weed out the thorn-like demons. When the mind is focussed on destroying enemies, qualities and faults would get interchanged, as mentioned in the verse “dhOshAguNA guNA dhOshA:” [auspicious qualities will become faults and faults will become auspicious qualities]
kAn thoduththa neRi pOgi – just as it has been mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam bAla kANdam 1.1.30 “thE vanEna vanam gathvA” (they went from one forest to another], SrI rAma, followed by sIthAp pirAtti and lakshmaNa, went from one forest to another, continuously, reaching SrI dhaNdakAraNya. This has also been mentioned in perumAL thirumozhi 9.2 “neyvAya vEl nedum kaN nErizhaiyum iLangOvum pinbu pOga” (with pirAtti, who has wide eyes which are like a well-oiled spear and who had appropriate ornaments, and iLaiya perumAL, following).
kaNdagaraik kaLaindhAn – he annihilated the demons, who were inhabiting the forests in janasthAnam [a location in SrI dhaNdakAraNya forests] and who ate up the limbs of sages, as mentioned in SrI rAmAyaNam AraNya kANdam 6.16 “Ehi paSya sarIrANi” [the sages told SrI rAma ‘Look at our physical forms’], who were troubling the sages continuously, harming them like thorns.
Ur – this is the divine abode, where such perumAL resides, to remove the enemies of his followers and to protect the followers.
thEn … – gardens which have flowers always full of honey. Alternatively, the term thEn would refer to beetles; thus the gardens have flowers settled upon constantly by beetles. Just as it has been mentioned in periya thirumozhi 1.9.8 “kOl thEn pAyndhu ozhugum” (surrounded by gardens, where honey is flooding, flowing from poles), gardens have flowers, having honey kept in poles. It is the divine abode of SrIrangam, which has gardens like these.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai says at the end that for periya perumAL, who is praised by chANdhOgya upanishadh as “sarvarasa: sarvagandha:” [repository of all the tastes and all the fragrances], nithyasUris [permanent dwellers of SrI vaikuNtam], who are with divine minds, blossoming like good tastes and good fragrances, and mumukshus [those who have got liberated from samsAram and reside in SrI vaikuNtam], who are like champaka [a fragrant] flower, will carry out servitude, in the form of plant species.
We shall next consider the 5th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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