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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fifth Centum >> First decad
avathArikai
In the earlier pAsurams [5.1.4 and 5.1.5], AzhwAr had mentioned that emperumAn’s divine feet are his dhArakam, pOshakam and bhOgyam (that which sustains, which nourishes and which gives him enjoyment). When the physical form is still present, is it possible to be like that? AzhwAr says mercifully in this pAsuram that he does not engage with that.
kaNNA! nAnmuganaip padaiththAnE! kAraNA! kariyAy! adiyEn nAn
uNNAnAL pasi Avadhu onRu illai OvAdhE namO nAraNA enRu
eNNA nALum irukku esurch chAmavEdha nANmalar koNdu una pAdham
naNNA nAL avai thaththuRumAgil anRu enakku avai pattini nALE
Word-by-Word Meanings
kaNNA – as krishNa, who is the most easily accessible
nAl muganai – brahmA, who has four faces
padaiththAnE – as one, who created
kAraNA – as one who created prakruthi [primordial matter, before creating brahmA]
kariyAy – Oh, one who has the complexion of a dark cloud!
adiyEn nAn – I, who am your exclusive servitor
uNNA nAL – the day when I do not eat
pasi Avadhu onRu illai – I do not feel hungry
OvAdhE – forever
namO nAraNA enRu – saying “namO nArAyaNAya”
eNNA nALum – the days when I do not think of
irukku esur sAma Edham – reciting rig, yajur and sAma vEdhams
nAL – just then blossomed
malar koNdu – proffering flowers
una pAdham – your divine feet
naNNA nAL – the days when I do not attain you
(uNNA nAL – these are the days when I become hungry)
avai – those activities of reciting vEdhams and proffering flowers
thaththuRumAgil – if there is any disturbance
anRu – at that time
avai – those days
enakku – for me
pattini nAL – days of hunger
Simple Translation
Oh, one who is the most easily accessible krishNa! Oh, one who created brahmA! Oh, one who created primordial matter, prior to creating brahma! Oh, one who has the complexion of a dark cloud! For me, your servitor, the day that I do not eat is not the day that I become hungry. It is on those days when I do not recite namO nArAyaNAya forever or the days when I do not recite rig, yajur and sAma vEdhams, proffering just then blossomed flowers at your divine feet, when I become hungry. When there is any disturbance to those activities, those days are my days of hunger.
vyAkhyAnam
kaNNA – Oh, one who became the easiest to approach, such that people would say “After incarnating as krishNa, emperumAn stood to be easily approached”!
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that one who created brahmA in his divine navel is the one who also incarnated as the easiest-to-approach krishNa.
nAnmuganaip padaiththAnE – who is such an easy-to-approach entity? One, who created brahmA in his divine navel.
kAraNA – prior to creating brahmA, oh, one who created prAkrutha srushti [creating the primordial matter, as a precursor to creating all the other entities, through brahmA]!
kariyAy – apart from being the causative entity and being simple, even if you were the most-difficult-to approach entity, your beauty is such that you could not be disregarded. The verses should be rearranged as kAraNA – nAnmuganaip padaiththAnE – kaNNA – kariyAy to get the sequential meanings. emperumAn tells AzhwAr “The one which you described now is our svarUpam [basic nature]. What is your svarUpam?” AzhwAr says …
adiyEn nAn – I am your exclusive servitor. [emperumAn asks him] However, since you are with a physical form, what is the sustaining material for this?
uNNA nAL pasiyAvadhu onRu illai – [the days that I do not eat are not my days of hunger]. When, then, are you hungry?
OvAdhE – without stopping
In the svApadhESam, the following has been mentioned: When emperumAn asks AzhwAr as to what he desires, AzhwAr says that he wishes to recite continuously the divine name, which is the basis for removal of ahankAram [ego] and is the meaning for svarUpam [that one is an exclusive servitor of emperumAn], for sAdhanam [that emperumAn is the means to attain him] and purushArtham [reciting his divine name is the ultimate benefit]. This has to be recited with the thought that emperumAn is the purushArtham. Also, AzhwAr says that he wishes to recite the three vEdhams which are the explanation for the divine name, proffering just-then-blossomed flowers at the divine feet of emperumAn. The days when he is unable to carry out these activities, are days when he fasts.
namO nAraNA enRu eNNA nALum – Since he says “namO nAraNA” he rejects dhEhAthmAbhimAnam [considering the physical form as AthmA; the term nama: refers to the person affirming that he does not belong to himself] and meditates on the divine name [nArAyaNan].
irukku esur sAma vEdha nAN malar koNdu – it is not sufficient to merely recite namO nAraNA. He engages with perundhirup pAvAdai [during festival times, perum [lot of] food is proffered to emperumAn on a huge cloth, which is called as thiruppAvAdai. This festival is called as perum thirup pAvAdai]. thirumanthram [divine eight syllables] is concise; vEdhams are expansive. It is pertinent to recall iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 39 “mAdhavan pEr solluvadhE Oththin surukku” (reciting the divine names of emperumAn is the gist of vedham).
avai thaththuRumAgil – since AzhwAr says “avai thaththuRumAgil” [If there is a hurdle for achieving them, viz reciting namO nAraNA and reciting vEdhams, proffering flowers], it is clear that such an event should not happen. Since he had already said that he does not feel hungry on a day when he does not eat and also when he recites “OvAdhE nAraNA”, such an eventuality should not happen. If it happens that way [in other words, he is not able to recite namO nAraNA or when he is not able to proffer flowers, reciting the three vEdhams], then that is the day when AzhwAr goes hungry. The authentication for approaching emperumAn with flowers is vEdham. This is also mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1.4.9 “nAdAdha malar nAdi” (offering rare flowers at emperumAn’s divine feet). For samsAris, both the visible and invisible entities are in the materialistic realm only. Also, the means and ultimate benefit are in the materialistic realm only for them. For upAsakars [those who engage with bhakthi yOgam (the path of devotion to attain emperumAn)], the means is in their hands [practicing bhakthi yOgam]. The ultimate benefit is ISvaran [emperumAn]. For AzhwAr, the day when he goes hungry is the day when he does not get near emperumAn’s divine feet. The days he eats is when he gets near emperumAn’s divine feet.
pasi Avadhu – when he gets hungry. When he recites namO nAraNA, his hunger vanishes. The days when he does not recite forever, the divine name of emperumAn and when he does not recite vEdhams, proffering flowers at the divine feet of emperumAn, are the days when emperumAn does not accept him.
avai thaththuRumAgil anRu enakku avai pattini nALE – thaththuRugai – facing hurdle. Through this, AzhwAr affirms that they will not change. If they change or if they are made to change – in other words, instead of exclusively looking up to emperumAn as the ultimate benefit, looking at other benefits and desiring them [those days will become days of hunger].
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that the days when he does not recite emperumAn’s divine name and the three vEdhams, his svarUpam [that he is a servitor] gets destroyed.
We shall next consider the 7th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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