n^ammAzhwAr pAsuram - tholaivilli maN^galam

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Hello,

This posting came out to be little long. That is why i have provided

3 levels of translation. 1. A literal translation, 2. Translation of the

whole pAsuram with some details, 3. An elaborate phrase by phrase

translation. I have also provided some background to the pAsuram so that it

makes more sense. Pardon me for this long post. Please read it at your

leisure ...

 

tholaivilli maN^galam

----------------------

karaikoL paimpozhil thaNpa Naiththolai

villi mangalam kondupukku,

uraiko Linmozhi yaaLai neerumak

kaasai yinRi agaRRineer,

thiraikoL powvaththu sErndha thumthisai

NYaalam thaavi yaLandhathum,

niraigaL mEyththathu mEpi thaRRi

nedungaN Neermalga niRkumE. 6.5.3

 

Background:

-----------

 

Tholaivilli mangalam, also called irattai thiruppathi (twin

thiruppathi) is a part of 9 dhivya dhEsams collectively called nava

thiruppathi. Sri nammAzhwAr has sung some excellent pAsurams on these

dhivya dhEsams. I was just browsing through the nava thiruppathi pAsurams

("n^ava thiruppathi anubhavam" by Sri pakshirAja Iyengar) and my eyes

stopped right at tholaivilli mangalam. The 11 pAsurams on this dhivya

dhEsam are very absorbing.

 

Let me write what little i understood from this pAsuram and share the

unique experience with this group. (koodi irun^dhu kuLirn^dhElOr embAvAy)

 

Sri nammAzhwAr takes the nAyikA bhAvam (parAN^kusa nAyaki). AzhwAr

is so madly in love with the perumAL at TV mangalam (aravindha lOchanan,

dhEvar pirAn) that her mother is very worried about her. So she takes her

daughter to TV mangalam expecting that she would get normal after the

perumAL dharisanam. But the nAyaki gets even worse. The mother gets

disappointed at this and asks the nAyaki's friend for a cure. These

pAsurams are in the nAyaki's friend's words to her mother.

 

***********************************************************************

Literal translation by sri rAma bhArati:

 

You took this sweetly chirping girl to Tolaivillimangalam,

Filled with cool green bowers, then abandoned her heartlessly.

She now stands with tear-filled eyes and only mutters incoherently

About grazing cattle, measuring the earth and reclining on

waters.

***********************************************************************

 

 

Translation of the pAsuram:

---------------------------

 

The nAyaki's friend squarely blames her mother for the nAyaki's pitiable

state and says, "You very well know your daughter's mad love towards the

perumAL at tholaivilli mangalam. Just on seeing the green groves and the

beautiful fields of TVMangalam, she would be reminded of the perumAL.

Atleast you could have just taken her to the outskirts of the city, but

you took her right into the temple. Even If you had had little affection

towards her you would not have abandoned her like this. You are responsible

for her pitiable condition now.

 

Look at what she does. She keeps talking incoherently about the perumAL.

She says, "Oh Lord! out of your inherent grace you came down from the

paramapadham to the milky ocean so that you could be closer to your

devotees. You descended to this earth as vAmana and graced all of your

devotees with your divine feet. Not satisfied with this you were born as

a cowherd in the ignorant aayarpAdi community. Even those things happened

in the past. I couldn't personally see you then. So with your unending

grace you appear right in front of me now in this archA form. How can i

ever thank you."

 

She couldn't control her emotions and tears start rolling out of her

beautiful long eyes. "

 

Detailed Translation:

---------------------

 

karai koL paimpozhil thaN paNai tholaivilli mangalam -

--------------------

The green groves on both the banks of the river and the fields beautify

the city of tholaivilli mangalam.

 

uraikoL inmozhiyALai - (the nAyaki) with a sweet voice

--------------------

 

koNdu pukku- you took her to this city

-----------

( You very well know that she is mad about the perumAL of TV mangalam.

This city with green groves and beautiful fields would definitely remind

her of the perumAL. You know this very well. Even then you took her to the

city.)

koNdu - To take her

(Had you just taken her to the outskirts of the city and brought back she

wouldn't have become this worse.)

 

pukku- to get inside

(You took her into the city and went to the temple and had the dharisanam of

aravinda lOchanan and dhEvar pirAn.)

 

n^Ir umakku aasai inRi agaRRineer -

--

You don't really care about her and you have driven her out of the

house yourself.

(If you had really liked her you would not have taken her to the temple.

She didn't even ask you to take her there. You are responsible for her

pitiable condition now. )

 

thiraikoL powvaththu sErn^dhadhum -

 

She has lost control of herself now and talks with unbridled

passion. She talks about how perumAL wanted to be near His devotees and

came down to the milky ocean from the paramapadham.

(powvam - ocean, thirai - waves)

 

Here sri nammAzhwAr talks about the vyUha form of perumAL lying on the

serpent bed in the milky ocean. He also states the perumAL's wish to be a

step closer to the devotees as the reason for His vyUhA form.

 

dhisai NYAlam thAvi aLan^dhadhum -

--------------------------------

She then talks about how He came to this earth as vAmana avathAram

and measured this entire universe with His foot (thereby gracing everybody

in this earth).

 

Here AzhwAr describes the vibhava form (vAmana avathAram) of the Lord. In

the vyUha form He was just closer to His adiyArs than in the param form.

But in the vibhava form, He was physically present and He personally graced

them with His divine feet.

 

n^iraigaL mEyththadhumE -

-----------------------

She then talks about how perumAL ignored the company of nithya

sooris of paramapadham to be born in this lowly aayar community as

gOvin^dhan, the cowherd.

 

AzhwAr stresses the sowlabhyam of the vibhava form by talking about

gOvin^dhan who looked after the grazing cows of aayarpAdi and enjoyed

the company of ignorant aayar community.

 

pidhaRRi n^edum kaN n^Ir malga n^iRkumE -

------

SHe keeps talking uncontrollably about the sowlabhyam of perumAL.

She wonders about His dhaya towards His devotees that makes Him come step

by step closer to them - from paramapadham to vyUha to vibhava forms. Now

on seeing Him right in front of her in His archA form she couldn't control

her emotions. she says, "His grace has no bounds. Otherwise would He come

step by step closer to me to finally appear right in front of me. Here He

is. How can i thank Him for His unending grace. He was not satisfied in any

of His previous forms and hence has decided to be with me in His archA form

in this beautiful city of tholaivilli mangalam."

 

She stares at Him intensely and tears roll out of her beautiful long eyes.

 

 

This is spellbinding. The very concept of nAyaki's friend blaming her

mother for the nAyaki's emotional condition is inviting. With this backdrop

sri nammAzhwAr convincingly portrays the sowlabhyam of the archA form

comparing it with the other forms of the Lord. What else could a reader do

than to look at him with awe!

 

"eRRaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum AzhwAr pAsuram padiththu inbuRRu iruppElOr

embAvAY! "

 

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

adiyEn

-Vijay Triplicane

(Viji)