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periyAzhwAr thirumozhi >> Fifth Centum >> Second Decad
avathArikai
In the previous pAsuram, AzhwAr had said that it was emperumAn’s beautiful, divine form which rescued him from worldly pursuits, as mentioned in thirumAlai 16 “mAdharAr kayaRkaN ennum valaiyuL pattu” (caught in the net of beautiful fish-like eyes of women). In this pAsuram, he says that it was emperumAn’s divine beauty which removed all his doubts, as mentioned in thirumAlai 15 “aiyappAdu aRUthth thOnRum azhagan” (emperumAn who enslaves all, by his beauty, removed the remaining doubts, by manifesting his divine, beautiful form). Alternatively, in an earlier pAsuram (5.2.3), AzhwAr had said “irAppagal Odhuviththu” (instructing night and day). When asked “Did he give insgructions through the face of SAsthrams or through the face of ISvaran or through the face of AchAryan” he says in this pAsuram that it was through emperumAn’s role as AchAryan.
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that AzhwAr says in this pAsuram that emperumAn, through his role as an AchAryan, instructed him about matters that he had not known.
EdhangaL Ayina ellAm iRangaliduviththu ennuLLE
pIdhaga Adaip pirAnAr pirama guruvAgi vandhu
pOdhil kamala vannenjam pugundhum en senniththidaril
pAdha ilachchinai vaiththAr paNdanRu pattinam kAppE
Word-by-Word Meanings
pIdhagam Adai pirAnAr – sarvESvaran [controller of all] who has a divine, yellow coloured dress
pirama guru Agi vandhu – coming as AchArya who instructed about brahmam [supreme entity]
pOdhu – for knowledge
il – repository
val – having the strength not to know the one who is inside
nenjam – called as mind
kamalam – in the lotus flower
pugundhum – entered
en – my
uL – inside the mind
EdhangaL Ayina – all the faults starting with mistaking physical form as AthmA
iRangaliduviththu – removed them
en – my
senniththidaril – head
pAdham – divine feet
ilachchinai – seal
vaiththAr – mercifully kept
paNdu anRu – my physical form and AthmA are not similar to the way in which they were earlier
pattinam – this AthmA
kAppu – is protected by sarvESvaran
Simple Translation
sarvESvaran, who has a divine, yellow-coloured dress, came as an AchArya, to instruct about brahmam [supreme entity]. He entered my mind, which is the repository of knowledge and which hides emperumAn [who is residing as antharyAmi, in-dwelling soul] and removed all the faults which were there, starting with mistaking the physical form for AthmA. He mercifully kept his divine feet on my head as a seal. My physical form and AthmA are not similar to the way in which they were earlier. The AthmA is now protected by ISvaran.
vyAkhyAnam
Edham – faults. All the faults – dhEhAthmAbhimAnam (considering the physical form as AthmA), svAthanthryam [considering self as independent, and not as totally dependent on emperumAn], anyaSEshathvam [being a servitor to an entity other than emperumAn], svarakshaNam [engaging in protecting oneself, instead leaving it to emperumAn to protect], svaprayOjanam [looking for benefits other than emperumAn], pUrvAgham[sins committed, prior to surrendering to emperumAn], uththarAgham [sins committed unknowingly, after surrendering to emperumAn], prArabhdham [sins brought in the current birth, to be exhausted by experiencing]. Also faults, which could be removed by carrying out prAyaSchiththam [expiatory action] and faults which could not be removed even by carrying prAyaSchiththam. It is well known that “gOgnEchaivasurAbEcha” (even in the case of killing a cow or consuming intoxicating drink, wise people have laid down actions for prAyaSchiththam). These could be in the form of ArdhrA [moving emotionally] or SushgamA (dry; void of any emotion).
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that all these faults were destroyed, along with any scent [such that they would never reappear], within my mind, which is now free from any of the faults…
iRangal iduviththu – making these to disappear from my mind
pIdhaga Adaip pirAnAr – sarvESvaran, who dons a yellow coloured dress, which is an identification for his being the sarvESvaran [controller of all] and an indication of his being the purushOththaman [best among all].
pirama guru Agi vandhu – as one, who instructs about the supreme entity. It is said “uthpAdhaka brahma pithrOr gariyAn brahmatha: pithA” (Between uthpAdhaka pithA (the father who sired) and brahma pithA (The father who gives knowledge) it is the brahma pithA who is more eminent). The word brahma here refers to knowledge. Instead of correcting jIvAthmAs with the eminence of being ISvaran, emperumAn corrects them as AchAryan.
pOdhil kamala vannenjam pugundhum – pOdhu – knowledge; il – repository. kamalam refers to heart, which is in the form of a lotus. vanmai [as in vannenjam] refers to the strength of hiding even the one, who sits inside as the antharyAmi [indwelling soul]. kamalam also refers to heart which is the entrance for knowledge. pugundhum – entering such a heart and correcting.
The pAsuram, up to now, should be rearranged as pIdhaga Adaip pirAnAr pirama guru Agi vandhu pOdhil kamala vannenjam pugundhu – EdhangaLAyina ellAm iRangal iduviththu to get sequential meaning. The term EdhangaL refers to faults which are removed, as mentioned in thirumanthram [first of the three esoteric manthrams, which are the most eminent in our sampradhAyam; also called as ashtAksharam, being made of eight syllables]. The faults and the manner in which they are removed are as mentioned here: through the syllable ma, dhEhAthmAbhimAnam [the fault of considering the physical form for AthmA] is removed; through the hidden fourth case [called as luptha chathurthi, the hidden fourth case], the fault of svasvAthanthryam [considering self as being totally independent] is removed; through the syllable u, the fault of anyaSEshathvam [being servitor to an entity other than emperumAn] is removed; through the syllable nama:, the fault of svayathnam [making self-efforts to attain emperumAn] is removed; through the last word nArAyaNa, the fault of svaprayOjanam [considering worldly pursuits as benefits] is removed. Thus, while there is no basis for being separated from emperumAn [since he resides constantly in the mind], the reason for saying “I am separated from ISvaran” is because of lack of knowledge [about emperumAn]. When this knowledge is absent, the person is considered to be as said in thaiththirIya upanishadh Anandhavalli 6 “asannEva” [The person is considered as not existing]; when this knowledge is present, he is considered to be, as said in thaiththirIya upanishad 6 “santhamEnam” [the person is considered to exist]. This change in the person is not carried out [by emperumAn] as ISvaran but as AchAryan. While each of the actions of the jIvAthmA is sufficient to destroy his existence, tolerating those, since the person goes towards the condition of “Existing” [in other words, the jIvAthmA is now made to be receptive to being changed and accept emperumAn], emperumAn instructs him today [about himself]. Just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 2.3.2 “oththAr mikkArai ilaiyAya mAmAyA” (You have none equal to or greater than you, and you are the most spectacular, every moment), even though emperumAn has to suffer [to correct the jIvAthmA], he corrects only by revealing what is unknown [until then] to the jIvAthmA. emperumAn, who does not have any expectation from anyone, incarnates in all the four species [of celestial, human, animal and botanical], gives sensory perceptions to the jIvAthmA, gives him a physical form to act as a repository for those sensory perceptions, resides inside the mother and father and acts as AchAryan and instructs the jIvAthmA. Considering all these benefits which emperumAn has showered, AzhwAr calls him as pIdha Adaip pirAnAr.
In the svApadhESam, it is mentioned that the strength for the mind came about because of vaimukhyam [turning the face away from emperumAn]. emperumAn, on his own, created Abhikumhyam [turning the face towards emperumAn] and entered the mind.
en senniththidaril – on my head, which is the highest limb in the physical form. It is at a such a level, that the two divine feet cannot get to it. Just as it has been mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 1.9.11 “neeLkazhal senni porumE” (The divine lotus feet of emperumAn, which are such long that they could reach up to his devotees, will be fixed always, on the heads of his followers), emperumAn keeps his divine feet only after a fight. Just as the divine disc rests on the divine shoulders, emperumAn’s divine feet rest on the head of his follower. ALavandhAr [one of our preceptors and AchAryan for the five AchAryans of rAmAnujar] has said in sthOthra Rathnam 31 “kadhA punaSSankha rathAnga…” (When will your divine lotus-like divine feet, which have the divine disc, divine conch, divine tree et al as identifications, decorate my head?)
paNdanRu – It is not like in the past, when sensory perceptions were in control, having taken possession of the mind. The festival for emperumAn has started with the planting of the divine stone for the divine disc [This is to affirm that emperumAn has made the jIvAthmA to reaslise that he is inside the mind to protect him]. It is pertinent to recall periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 1.7.6 “oru kAlil sangu oru kAlil chakkaram uLLadi poRiththu” (emperumAn has on one divine foot, the divine conch and on the other divine foot, the divine disc, engraved as lines on the divine soles). With those divine feet, having such divine weapons, he provides protection.
We shall next consider the 9th pAsuram of this thirumozhi.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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