SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Tenth decad
avathArikai
svApadhESam says that AzhwAr tells emperumAn “I cannot think of you, in my final stages. You, having the retinue for protection, should mercifully protect me such that sorrows do not come my way”.
ellaiyil vAsal kuRugach chenRAl eRRi naman thamar paRRumbOdhu
nillumin ennum upAyam illai nEmiyum sangamum EndhinAnE!
sollalAm pOdhE un nAmam ellAm sollinEn ennaik kuRIkkoNdu enRum
allal padA vaNNam kAKka vENdum arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE!
Word-by-Word Meanings
arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE – oh, one who is mercifully reclining on thiruvananthAzhwAn in SrIrangam!
nEmiyum – divine disc
sangamum – SrI pAnchajanyam [divine conch]
EndhinAnE – oh, one who is holding in the divine hands!
ellaiyil – at the outer limit of my life, in the end stage
vAsal – the way to reach yamapuram [land of yama, hell]
kuRugach chenRAl – if attained
naman thamar – servitors of yama
eRRi – striking hard [on the neck]
paRRum pOdhu – when they grasp
nillumin ennum – to stop them, saying “Stand aside”
upAyam – even one means
illai – I do not have with me
(Hence)
sollalAm pOdhE – during the time, when it is apt to say
un – dhEvarIr’s [your highness’]
nAmam ellAm – all the divine names
sollinEn – I have recited
ennai – me
enRum – at all times
kuRikkoNdu – keeping in the divine mind
allal padA vaNNam – such that I do not get caught in the hands of servitors of yama and suffer
kAkka vENdum – you should mercifully protect me
Simple Translation
Oh, one who is mercifully reclining on the mattress of AdhiSEshan at SrIrangam! Oh, one who is holding the divine disc and SrI pAnchajanyam in your divine hands! During the last stage of my life, when the servitors of yama grasp me and beat me, when I am on the way to yamapuram, I do not have any means within me to tell them “Stand aside. Don’t come near me”. When it is still the apt time, I have recited your divine names. You should keep me in your divine mind at all times and protect me such that I do not get into the hands of servitors of yama and suffer.
vyAkhyAnam
ellaiyil – at the last stage of life [at the door-step of death]
vAsal kuRUgach chenRAl – vAsal – pathway. If one goes such that it could be said “yAmya mArga gathi ini Asannan” (the way to narakam is in proximity)
eRRi namar thamar paRRum pOdhu – Before the servitors of yama come and grasp; when they come to bewilder us. They do not catch us first and then beat us; they will beat first and only then, catch. Thus, during the time when the servitors of yama catch, to take us [to yamapuram, hell]
nillumin ennum upAyam illai – There is no means in my hand to stop them, saying “Wait”. Through this, AzhwAr manifests the dearth of any means with him.
nEmiyuum sangamum EndhinAnE – Oh, one who is constantly holding the divine weapons, which are the implements for annihilating the enemies [of followers]! This hints that apart from emperumAn, who is there [for AthmAs] to take refuge under, there is none who is a protector for me [reference to AzhwAr]. In the earlier pAsuram, AzhwAr had said “sangodu chakkaram EndhinAnE”; here, he says “nEmiyum sangamum EndhinAnE”. This is the means which is clearly visible to AzhwAr. AzhwArs always look at the divine weapons only, as mentioned in periya thiruvandhAdhi 87 “eppOdhum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn nam mEl vinai kadivAn” (In order to remove sins from us, at all times, the divine disc will not separate from the divine hands of emperumAn). Prolepsis of emperumAn asking him “Why do you say that you do not have any means? You keep reciting our divine names constantly. Is that not a means?” AzhwAr says, “Did I recite those divine names as a means?”
svApadhESam says here that AzhwAr tells emperumAn that for the divine weapons of SrI pAnchajanyam and divine disc, which he is holding constantly, he [AzhwAr] is the food [the divine weapons would look for people who have lot of sins and they would consume those sins, as per the divine mind of emperumAn. AzhwAr says here that he has accumulated lot of sins, which will be the food for emperumAn and his divine weapons].
sollalAm pOdhE un nAmam ellAm sollinEn – I have recited your divine names, when the sensory organs are still under my control, with that recitation itself being a benefit [not expecting any other benefit]. As one who carries out mangaLASAsanam, desiring your prosperity, do I have any qualification to carry out any action for my prosperity? [I have always considered myself as your protector and you, as the protected entity, carrying out mangaLASAsanam for you. Now, due to the fear of servitors of yama catching me] I am looking at you as the protector and appealing to you to protect me.
ennaik kuRikkoNdu enRum – You should keep me, who is of this nature, in your divine mind, all the time.
svApadhESam says here that AzhwAr tells emperumAn that emperumAn should keep him, who is incapable of sustaining himself without carrying mangaLASAsanam for emperumAn. Right from the starting of the final stage, until the very end, when AzhwAr is unable to perform mangaLASAsanam for emperumAn, emperumAn should protect him from the sorrows which will come AzhwAr’s way [for not carrying out mangaLASAsanam].
allal padA vaNNam kAkka vENdum – You should mercifully protect me such that I do not get distressed by the servitors of yama, who are the enemies of my purushArtham [ultimate benefit of carrying out mangaLASAsanam for you].
arangaththu aravaNaip paLLiyAnE – Is it not for this purpose that your highness has come in proximity and reclined?
We shall next consider the 4th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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