pavai 12-20

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adiyen Krishna Kalale

 

>Sun, 11 Jan 1998 20:36:05 +0500 (GMT+0500)

>Bharat A <kbharat

>kkalale

>pavai 12-20

>

>

>

>

> 12.KANAITHU KATTERUMAI

>

> This gopi is the sister of a cowherd who,unlike the

> duty-conscious one in the previous verse,totally

> neglects the daily duty of milking the young she-

> buffalo so as to be close to Krishna and serving Him.

> He is called NAR SELVAN ; thereby indicating that for

> a Srivaishnava it is not the doing or neglect of

> Nitya Karma which helps attaining salvation,but it

> is God alone who is the Means for salvation.For example

> for a temple priest who is always engaged in Antaranga

> Kainkarya there may be neglect of his daily duties;

> this would however not be considered as sin .

>

> MANATTUKKU INIYAN- Sri Rama,unlike Krishna brings joy

> to the minds of his devotees as well as adversaries.

> This is said by Andal,the very personification ofthe

> Love for Sri Krishna,and hence is the richest tribute

> paid to Sri Rama.It might be recalled that she,in

> NACHIYAR TIRUMOZHI goes to the extent of blaming Yashoda

> for bringing up Krishna to be a very bad boy.(Vembeyaaga

> valarthaale).It is not such an extraordinary thing or a

> great wonder if Sri Rama is loved by His devotees and

> subjects;but when even Ravana is fascinated by His

> valour,it makes the derivation of His name apt

> (Ranjaneeyasya Vikramaih).

>

> SINATTINAAL - out of anger but without hatred.Rama had

> no hatred towards Ravana.Actually He wanted Ravana as

> a devotee;it was Ravana's own hatred which caused his

> downfall.It was only when he tried attack Hanuman that

> Rama became furious and showered arrows on Ravana

> (kopasya Vasameyivaan).So He is always ready to forgive

> sins against Himself but not against His devotees.

>

>

> 13. PULLIN VAAY KEENDAANAI

>

> A girl with bewitching eyes (PODARI KKANNINAAY) is

> woken up in this verse.She is of the view that Krishna

> will come to her fascinated by the beauty of her eyes.

> To add to this she is lying,brooding over Krishna's

> heroic exploits,in the bed formerly shared with Him

> and which still retains His fragrance.

>

> The statement in the previous verse that Sri Rama

> scored over Krishna in being "MANATHUKKU INIYAAN"

> created a sort of mutiny among the girls,some of

> whom disputed this by saying,"how can Rama be said to

> be the receptacle of all the virtues? Did He,like

> Krishna who acted as Pandavaduta,go as messenger for

> anyone?Didn't Krishna's charms allure even the sages?

> Even His mischievous pranks are meant for us only.

> Moreover Krishna is our husband and irrespective of

> how he treats us,it is not proper for us to praise

> another as being greater."

>

> Some mediators intervened and pointed out that both

> are the same Sriman Narayana,and so where is the

> cause for dispute.Thus reconciled the girls split

> into two halves each praising the glory of Krishna

> and Rama.This is the excellence of this verse.

>

>

> 14. UNGAL PUZHAKKADAI

>

> A gopi who is an expert orator and who is also chief

> among these girls is woken up.She had promised that

> she would get up before the rest and wake them up.

> She has conveniently forgotten all about it and is

> sleeping comfortably and peacefully.This is an unpardonable

> crime.But still her inclusion in the group is

> most essential as,with her silver tongue,she can

> easily subdue Krishna.Moreover it is essential that

> not a single girl loses His grace.If she were to sing

> of Krishna as He appears bearing the discus and conch

> He is sure to relent.

>

> Incidentally Andal tells us, " Use your tongue not

> merely for tasting delicious dishes,but for singing

> about the Lotus-eyed One.That was the main purpose

> for which it was gifted to you in the first place

> by God."

>

>

>

> 15.YELLE ILANKILIYE

>

> This pasuram which brings out the caharacteristics of

> a SriVaishnava is considered to be the very essence

> of Tiruppavai by our Acharyas.

>

> The girl who is woken up begins to sing.

> 1.YELLE ILANKILIYE -the implied sense is that the speech

> of the devotees is most welcome.

> 2.INNAM URANGUDIYO -It is wrong to indulge in other things

> if the company of Bhagavatas is available.

> 3.CHIL ENRU AZHAYENMIN - Not a single harsh word should

> be used with the Bhaktas.

> 4.NANGAIMIR PODARGINREN - Devotees should be addressed

> respectfully.

> 5.VALLAI UN KATTURAIGAL - Even the chastisement by a

> Bhakta (which will always be constructive) should be

> accepted gratefully.

> 6.VALLEERGAL NEENGALE NAANE THAN AAYIDUGA - owning others

> mistakes as one's own is the hallmark of a Sri Vaishnava.

> For ex. Bharata holds himself responsible for Rama's

> exile.

> 7.OLLAI NEE PODAAY - Separation from devotees even for a

> second is unbearable.

> 8.UNAKKENNA VERUDAYAI - The path laid down by one's

> ancestors is to be followed,not what is dictated by

> one's own mind.

> 9.ELLAARUM PONDAARO PONDU ENNIKKOL- seeing a congregation of

> devotees is the most desired fruit in this life.The enjoyment

> is not complete even if one devotee is missing.Their sight

> and touch are all contributory factors to one's enjoyment.

> 10.VALLAANAI..etc - Singing His virtues,valour,victory etc

> are vital to a Sri Vaishnava as a means of pleasing other

> Srivaishnavas; as such it results in the service of

> Bhagavatas.

>

> These ten commandments (golden rules) are to be cherished

> as they constitute the acid test for testing whether one

> is really a Sri Vaishnava.

>

> 16.NAAYAKAN

>

> Thus in ten pasurams Andal woke up girls of differing

> natures and thereby all the girls of Gokula were woken

> up and they all proceed to Sri Nandagopan's mansion and

> request the door keeper to let them in.

>

> Cowherd colonies in those days may have contained only

> huts and Nanda's mansion may be a big hut,without a

> doorkeeper.And all this may be Andal's fertile imagination.

> But what she is doing is to tell us how one should enter

> a temple in Archavatara,and worship the Lord.Sri PARASARA

> BHATTAR in his SRI RANGARAJA STAVA lays down the procedure

> for temple entry based on this stanza.The door keepers

> are really our Acharyas.In our daily pooja we open the

> door of our 'koyil azhwar' (the box where the home idol

> is kept) by reciting the Acharya Parampara and finally

> this verse without fail.

>

> TUYOMAAY VANDOM - we have come with purity. What is

> the purity meant here ? Not the usual physical or even

> mental purity.The physical purity of cowherds is

> well known,say the commentators.The purity referred to

> here is the fact that they have come to do service to

> the Lord WITHOUT ASKING ANYTHING IN RETURN.Kainkarya

> itself is the end (Swayam Purushaartha) and is not the

> means to an end.This point should be ever fixed in

> the heart of a Sri Vaishnava.

>

>

>

>

> 17.AMBARAME

>

> Having entered Nandagopala's palace with the permission

> of the guards,the Gopis (Andal) wake up Nandagopa,yashoda,

> Krishna and Balarama,panegyrising their greatness.

>

> Nanda has placed his bed near the entrance for fear that

> the gopis,like Usha in the case of Aniruddha,may steal

> Krishna;especially as Krishna is more handsome than His

> grandson! Andal glorifies Nanda as a munificent donor of

> clothes,water and food; but we do not come across any such

> reference elsewhere.The commentator says:"As Krishna was

> seen giving clothes to Draupadi to save her modesty;water

> to the chariot horses at Kurukshetra;and food to his

> boyhood companions in the forest - it could be presumed

> that his qualities were inherited from His father."

>

>

> But the gopis are not here for these items; they need only

> Krishna (VAASUDEVAH SARVAM).Yashoda gave birth to Krishna

> only to make Him their husband; and being a woman she

> knows their plight.So they next wake her up.

>

> Sri Krishna in his past incarnation as Trivikrama had

> obtained Indra's kingdom for him.But the gopis do not

> want Him to do any such thing for them.It is enough

> if He allows them to do service to Him.Krishna does

> not respond.

>

> Realising their mistake in not approaching Him through

> Balarama,they do so now and ask him to help them as he

> had once done in the case of the gopis separated from

> Krishna when He went to Mathura.

>

> 18.UNDU MADAKALITRAN

>

> This is a very important pasuram.Even after waking up

> all from Nanda to Balarama,when Krishna does not open

> His lips,they realise their folly in not waking up

> first NAPPINNAI,the chief queen and Purushakara (recom-

> mending authority) during His sojourn in this world

> as Krishna.They do it in this verse.

>

> Nappinnai is Sri NEELA DEVI,the other two being SRI

> DEVI (Rukmini) and BHOO DEVI (Satyabhama).Nappinnai's

> name is not found anywhere in the Puranas and in

> Sanskrit poems except in SRI YADAVABHYUDAYAM of Sri

> DESIKA,where she is referred to as Neela; and in the

> stotras of Sri KURATTAZHWAN.See also the "Taniyan"

> of Sri Andal -"NEELA TUNGA..." by Sri PARASARA BHATTAR.

>

> As we are sinners and the Lord is known for His "Swaa-

> tantrya" (acting according to His own will),it is

> necessary to approach Him through somebody who is very

> near and dear to Him and whose advice is infallible.

> Hence Nappinnai's intervention is is essential.

>

> She is addressed as Nanda's daughter-in-law,because she

> thinks that that is what gives her prestige and status

> in society.Sita,when asked by Hanuman said," I'm the

> daughter-in-law of Dasaratha first,and then only the

> daughter of Janaka." So to an Indian woman Andal's

> exhortation is: "After marriage a girl should always

> prefer herself to be referred to as the daughter-in-

> law of her father-in-law; which means that the welfare

> of her husband's family should weigh more with her

> than that of the family of her origin.This attitude

> would enhance her own prestige and bring immense joy

> to her own family."

>

> This pasuram was the special favourite of our Acharya

> Sri Ramanuja.He was in the habit reciting to himself

> Tiruppavai stanzas while he went for his Maadhukara

> Vritti (for collecting the alms the householders used

> to give) .Once just as he reached the door of his Guru's

> house he was meditating on this verse.While the last

> line " SEERAAR VALAI OLIPPA etc " was on his lips the

> door opened to the clinking of the bangles of the

> daughter of his guru.Sri Ramanuja thought that it was

> Nappinnai herself who opened the door and overwhelmed

> with jubilation promptly prostrated himself before her.

> The terrified girl ran to her father and narrated the

> incident.The guru TIRUKKOTTIYUR NAMBI exclaimed,

> "Jiya! were you reciting UNDU MADAKALIRU ? "

> What an understanding between the Teacher and the

> taught ! May that relationship save us all!.

>

>

>

>

> 19. KUTTU VILAKKU

>

> A chola king who was constructing one of the ramparts

> of the temple at Sri Rangam found that the beautiful

> circular design was being spoilt by the house of a disciple

> of KURATTAAZHWAN called PILLAI PILLAI AZHWAN,and ordered

> it to be demolished.Sri PARASARA BHATTAR adviced him against

> it explaining that it it is not his rampart but the

> mangalasaasana (PALLAANDU) of the devotees which would

> ensure safety to the Lord; and also that demolishing the

> house of a SriVaishnava would be sure to bring down the

> wrath of God.But the king turned a deaf ear to this advice,

> and becoming furious caused trouble to Sri BHATTAR,as a

> result of which he had to leave for Tirukkoshtiyur.While

> he was suffering the grief of separation from Sri Rangam

> and the Lord,his disciple NANJEEYAR requested him to

> compose a song in praise of ANDAL to mitigate his feeling

> of sorrow.There appeared from his lips the 'taniyan'

> "NEELA TUNGA etc",which is the essence of the present

> paasuram (KUTTU VILAKKU).

>

> NAPPINNAI is lying on the costly couch along with Krishna.

> The cot stands on four ivory bases,the ivory for which was

> obtained by Krishna by his valorous act of plucking the

> four tusks from the murderous mighty elephant Kuvalayapida.

> Being the wife of a great hero she cannot get sleep anywhere

> else except on such a cot.The references to the various

> kinds of pleasures in this stanza is a suggestion by Andal

> that all gopis should get them in Sri Krishna's company

> and only for that reason Nappinnai is keeping company

> with Him."If you don't ensure this,you surely don't have

> mercy," Andal rebukes Nappinnai.

>

> SECTION III

>

> 20.MUPPATTU MUVAR

>

> Despite the rebuke, NAPPINNAI was moved to pity by the

> wailing of the Gopis and getting up approached the door

> to open it.Krishna thought," Nappinnai thinks that my devotees

> are her own just as I consider hers to be mine.Hence

> she should not open the door and get a good name ,leaving

> me out.It is I who should open it." So He came from

> behind and lifting her up bodily threw her on the bed

> with Him.But the mutual touch was so pleasant to them

> that they promptly forgot all about themselves and the

> poor Gopis.

>

> The inner meaning of this high drama,as given by the

> commentator is that there is a Divine Couple who are

> vying with each other to look after the welfare of all

> of us (souls).Hence we have no cause for concern at all.

> All we have to do is to accept their protection.

>

> Andal says to Sri Krishna in this stanza: "You have on

> several occasions in the past dispelled fear from the

> minds of the Devas and rescued them from the Asuras.

> Now by delaying in granting our boon you are going to

> lose all that hard-earned reputation as a saviour.Note

> also that we are not asking you to become the target

> of the weapons of a Hiranya or a Ravana.We merely want

> to see you get up from your bed and grant us the boon

> of serving you.We are ANANYA PRAYOJANA ADHIKARIs.

>

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