SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Sri varavaramunayE nama:
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fourth Centum >> Ninth decad
avathArikai
AzhwAr says in this pAsuram that SrIrangam is the divine abode, where the one, who made dhraupadhi to plait her locks, made the pANdavas as kings and gave life to the son of uththarA, resides.
maiththunanmAr kAdhalaiyai mayir mudippiththu avargaLai mannarAkki
uththarai than siRuvanaiyum uyyakkoNda uyirALan uRaiyum kOyil
paththargaLum pagavargaLum pazhamozhivAy munivargaLum parandha nAdum
siththargaLum thozhudhu iRainjath thisai viLakkAy niRkinRa thiruvarangamE
Word-by-word meanings
paththargaLum – followers
pagavargaLum – renunciates too
pazha mozhi – vEdham, which has been existing for a long time
vAy – having in their words
munivargaLum – sages too
parandha – expansive
nAdum – those in the country
siththargaLum – nithyamukthas [nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs]
thozhudhu – cupping their hands in anjali gesture
iRainja – prostrating [worshipping]
thisai – for all directions
viLakku Ay ninRkinRa – remaining as the lamp
thiru arangam – the town of SrIrangam
maiththunanmAr – pANdavas, his brothers-in-law
kAdhaliyai – dhraupadhi, who is their beloved
mayir mudippiththu – to make her plait her locks
avargaLaiyE – themselves [pANdavas]
mannar Akki – making them rule
uththarai than – abhimanyu’s wife, uththararA’s
siRuvanai – parikshith, her son, who was like a burnt log
uyyakkoNda – one who touched with his divine foot and made him regain life
uyir ALan – one, who is the lord for all
uRaiyum – living forever
kOyil – divine abode
Simple Translation
SrIrangam is the divine abode where emperumAn’s followers, renunciates, sages, who have the ancient vEdhams in their words, those in the expansive country, nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs cup their hands in anjali, prostrate in worship, and which remains as the lamp for all directions. It is the divine abode, where, emperumAn, who made dhraupadhi, the beloved of pANdavas, to plait her locks, who made the pANdavas as kings and rule the land, and who gave life to the child of uththarA, when the child came out as a burnt log of wood, resides forever.
vyAkhyAnam
maiththunanmAr kAdhalaiyai mayir mudippiththu – making dhraupadhi, the beloved of pANdavas, his brothers-in-law, to plait her locks. Just as it has been mentioned in mahAbhAratham-sabha-udhyOga parvam 18-24 “sAham kESagrahamprApthA pariklishtA sabhA gathA” (holding my locks and dragging me to the assembly), dhuSSAsanana came and seized her by her locks. From that day, she had taken a vow that “Unless the person, who did that to me, and those, who were the cause for this act, are killed, I will not plait my locks”. Without any distinction in the time which they spent in the forest and in the town, she was roaming around with her locks let loose. Looking at that, the divine mind of krishNa thought “It is only on the day when she plaits her locks in line with her solemn pledge, could I get the name of being a protector of those who have surrendered to me”. His activities of going as a messenger, being the charioteer and instructing the most esoteric prapaththi [surrendering] were all done towards this end. The purpose of going as a messenger was to speak about false relationships, cause differences of opinion and to kill the evil ones. The purpose of being the charioteer was to kill all the armies, since he had taken a pledge that “I will not take to weapons” and held a stick [to conduct the horses drawing the chariot]. The purpose of instructing about prapaththi was to make the person [arjuna] who had put down his bow, gANdIva, with the thought, as mentioned in gIthArtha sangraham 2 “asthAnasnEha kAruNya dharmAdharma dhiyAkula” [arjuna looked at friendship in the wrong place, had compassion towards wrong people, became confused between righteous and wrongful acts], and who said, as in bhagavath gIthA 1.32 “na kAnkshE vijayam krishNa” (Oh, krishNa! I do not desire victory) to say, as in bhagavath gIthA 18.73 “karishyE vachanam thava” (I shall do as per your words). Thus, there is no shortcoming in saying that krishNa did all these, in order to make dhraupadhi to plait her locks. Along with saying, as in bhagavath gIthA 9.1 “idhanthu thE guhyathamam pravakshyAmi” (I am telling you that which is the most esoteric), krishNa also said, as in bhagavath gIthA 18.67 “idhanthE nAthapaskAya” (Do not reveal these meanings to those who do not carry out penance, who do not have devotion, who do not carry out servitude and to those who besmirch me). When nanjIyar asked his AchArya, parASara bhattar “Instead of saying the second part first, why did krishNa give the meanings initially and then ask arjuna not to reveal the meanings easily to others?” bhattar responded saying “Looking at the spread locks of dhraupadhi, not knowing what is to be done, just like people bringing the hidden carbuncles into the open, he had revealed the most esoteric meanings. Later, realising the eminence of the meanings, he became anxious, saying ‘I have dropped the carbuncle which I had, into the ocean’”
avargaLaiyE mannarAkki – since he had earlier referred to pANdavas as maiththunanmAr, he says avargaLaiyE here [themselves]. While they should have had been the kings, as mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 6.6.4 “nAdudai mannar” (pANdavas, the kings, who are the rulers of the kingdom), dhuryOdhana et al made them to lose their kingdom in the deceptive game of dice, seized their kingdom, banished them to the forest, and when they returned [after fourteen years], said “We will not give them land even to fix a stick”, hoping to rule everything themselves. krishNa made dhuryOdhana et al to bite the dust and made the pANdavas, who were apt for ruling, as the kings.
uththarai than siRuvanaiyum uyyakkoNda – earlier [in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi ], AzhwAr had said “marumagan than sandhadhi” [one who came in the lineage of his nephew]; here, he says “uththarai than siRuvan” [the son of uththarA]. There, he revealed connection with father; here, he speaks with reference to the mother. Since the father, abhimanyu, had died in the battle, he does not have the grief of “We have lost him”. It is only the mother [uththarA] who is grieving. If the child survives, the happiness is only hers; thus, this verse reflects that. uyyakkoNda – one who revived the child, who was like a burnt log of wood and made him to breathe, through his solemn pledge [krishNa had taken a solemn pledge “If it is true that I always speak only the truth and that I follow the rules ordained for a brahmachAri, let this child get up with life”] and through touching the child with his divine foot.
uyirALan – one, who is common to all the AthmAs [souls].
uRaiyum kOyil – it is the divine temple where he resides forever, unlike incarnation, where he leaves for his abode, once the purpose of the incarnation has been achieved.
paththargaLum – the devotees of emperumAn, as mentioned in perumAL thirumozhi 2.8 “mAlaiyuRRu ezhundhAdip pAdiththirindhu arangan emmAnukkE mAlai uRRidium thoNdar” (emperumAn’s followers, due to affection which they have for SrI ranganAthan, my lord, being unable to remain in one place, becoming delirious, roam around, singing and dancing).
pagavargaLum – the renunciates, as mentioned in thiruchchandha viruththam 52 “siRReyiRRu muRRal mUngil mUnRu thaNdar onRinar aRRa paththar” (ascetics, who hold a strong, bamboo trident staff having small nodes which look like teeth, and who are deeply involved with matters relating to bhagavAn, think that living in the temple forever is a life worth living).
pazhamozhivAy munivargaLum – the sages, who constantly have in their words, vEdham, which has been having the quality of being pazhamozhi [existing since time immemorial] since it is apaurashEyam [not written by any one person] and is nithyam [truthful].
parandha nAdum – those who are present in the expansive world, as mentioned in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4.9.11 “thennAdum vadanAdum” (it is the divine temple, where people from the southern parts and northern parts of the country come and worship).
siththargaLum – the nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs, who are in blissful state, without any anxiety, in paramapadham.
thozhudhu iRainja – to carry out activities of performing anjali [cupping the palms together, in salutation, which defines the word thozhudhu] and worshipping by prostrating on the ground [which defines the word iRainja].
thisai viLakkAy niRkinRa – shining in all the directions. The brightness is such that irrespective of where the person is, the person will turn towards the direction of SrIrangam and worship. It is pertinent to recall SrIranga mahAthmyam SlOkam “dhESa antharagathOvApi dhwIpa antharagathOpivA – SrIranga abhimukhO bhUthvA praNipathya nasIdhathi” (whether living in some other country or in some other continent, if one takes a few steps towards SrIrangam, there is no worry).
thiruvarangamE – this is the divine temple, where one, who is uyirALan [one who is the lord of all], resides.
We shall next consider the 7th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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