Tiruppavai - guNanusandhanam - nAmA 4 (sengkaNan)

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srI:

srImathE rAmAnujAya namaha

 

Tiruppavai - Pasuram 1 : nAmA 4 : sengkaNan

 

maargazhith thingaL madhi niRaindha nannaaLaal*

neeraadap pOdhuveer pOdhuminO nErizhaiyeer*

seer malgum aayppaadic celvac ciRumeergaaL*

koorvER kodunthozhilan nandhagOpan kumaran*

Eraarndha kaNNi yasOdhai iLam singam*

kaar mEnic sengaN kadhir madhiyam pOl mugaththaan*

naaraayaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvaan*

paarOr pugazhap padindhElOr embaavaay.

 

In the first pasuram, AndAL glorifies the following nAmAs : 1.

nandhagOpan kumaran, 2. yasOdhai iLam singam, 3. kAr mEnian, 4.

sengkannan, 5. kadhir madi am pol mugathan, 6. nArAyanan

 

The fourth nAmA is "sengkaNan". This nAmA can be read as "sem kaNan",

one who has beautiful eyes (pundarIkashan) like lotus flower.

sengkaNan literally means "red eyes", which shows HE is patiently

waiting (without sleeping) for these jIvatmas to come to his abode,

shows his mArdhavam gunam, which means dislike of seperation from

devotees.

 

Sri Parasara Bhattar (as purohita) in his tirumanjana kattiyam

(recited even today during tirumanjanam of Nam Perumal in Sri rangam)

sings a dialogue between a jIvatmA and the Lord.

 

Lord says to jIvatma : tvam mE (You are my property)

jIvatmA replies : aham mE (I am of my own)

Lord asks : kutas tath (How do you say this)

jIvatmA replies : tadApi kutha (What is the basis of your claim)

Lord asserts : idam vEda moolam pramAnAth (This is mentioned in the vedas)

 

The dialogue continues. The Lord after saying tvam mE (You are my

property) atleast expects the jIvAtmA (as mad people repeats what

others say) to repeat tvam mE (You are my property). Instead, Lord

claiming this jIvAtmA to be his property, agrees to allow the jIvAtmA

to claim Lord as jIvAtmA's property, so that atleast a relation will

come into existence. Instead, this jIvAtmA claims that there is no

relation between us, you are yours and I am mine of my own. Due to

this seperation, Lord's eyes are reddish.

 

The gOpikas were seperated by their parents not to see Krishna, his

eyes were red. But, today, since there were no rains in gokulam, the

aaypadi residents, asked the gOpikas to perform this vratam, so that

Krishna himself will bless them with rain.

 

The next nAma 5 "kadhir mathi am pOl mugathAn", andAL praises his

quality of sthairyam (steadfast in his vratham) (to be continued)

 

namO nArAyanA

 

G. Sundarrajan