Kanninun Siruththambu - 1

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Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Kanninun Siruththambu First Pasura Saram

Excerpted from Sri Nanjeeyar and Nampillai's Vyakhyanam

 

kaNNinuN siRuththaambinAl kattuNNap

paNNiya perumaayan ennappanil

naNNith thenkurukoor nambi enRakkAl

aNNikkum amuthooRum ennaavukkE

 

Meaning:

Leaving aside that Lord Father, who allowed Himself to be

tied by Yasoda with a small, thin and knotted cord, I seek

refuge with Nammazhvar who is the pUrnar at Azhvar

Thirunagari (Kurukoor), the recital of whose divine name

would generate sweetness like a nectar fount in my tongue.

 

Vyakhyana Saram:

In this pasuram, Sri Madhurakavi Azhvar speaks of the fact

that Swami Namamzhvar has become the one and all for him. He

is speaking about the same matter to which Nammazhvar was

deeply attached (Sri Krishna - "uralinOdu iNainthirunthEngiya

eLivu eththiRam"). He is talking about how Nammazhvar has

become a most delightful thing to him.

 

kaNNinuNsiRuththaambu (a small, knotted and thin rope):

The rope that Sri Yasodha used to tie Sri Krishna was small

and made up of many knots. As He would not untie this rope

with His delicate hands, Madhurakavi azhvar is concerned that

it would continue to hurt His divine body.

 

Azhvar has given up on bhagavad vishayam to the extent that

he gets focused on a simple thing such as a rope with which

Sri Krishna, to whom Nammazhvar is greatly attached, is tied.

 

kaNNiththaambu (knotted rope):

A rope that had many knots such that it would hurt His divine

body.

 

nuNthaambu (thin rope):

A rope that was so thin that it sunk deep into His body as

He was tied by it.

 

siRuththaambu (small rope):

He who swallowed everything cannot be tied by any amount of

rope ("sadaikarUparUpAya"), and yet He was tied by a small

rope ("kaNNiyAr kurunkayiRRAl katta").

 

kattuNNap paNNiya (made Himself tied):

He who is the one who is responsible for tying up and releasing

everyone in this samsaric world, is now tied up by a woman and

is unable to release Himself. He who releases everyone from the

knots of Karma is now tied by a simple rope with knots. Even

though it is through His grace that she was able to tie Him, He

still cannot release those knots Himself. He who has the power

to do anything has given up the power to untie a simple knot. He

who makes everyone pray to Him, is now standing in prayer. He is

doing that to show everyone that, for those are trapped in this

ocean of samsara and not seeing a shore, the path to salvation

lies in nothing but prayer.

 

perumaayan (one with great mystic power):

There is no measure to His maya. Azhvar is talking about His maya

that He who is all powerful got caught, got beat and is now tied

down powerless to release Himself.

 

siRuththaambinaal kattuNNappaNNiya perumaayan:

He whose divine form cannot be tied by any amount of rope even

once, allowed His body to be tied around twice by a small rope.

Azhvar says that one can even fathom His greatness, but one

cannot measure His simpleness.

 

ennappan (my Father):

Since Krishna avatar is of great interest to Nammazhvar,

Madhurakavi Azhvar speaks about it as well. And in order to

gain his acharya's approval He is relating himself to Him.

If he were to drop his relationship completely with Him, he

will not be able to relate to Nammazhvar and therefore he is

speaking of a relationship to Him.

 

ennappanil naNNi (leaving my Father):

Though he has spoken of a relationship to Him, he still seeks

Nammazhvar only.

In the same way an enlightened soul would give up on all things

and seek Him, he gives up on Him and seeks Nammazhvar. It is

difficult to give up even on material things which lead to

nothing but trouble, and go toward Him. It is rarer that one can

give up on Him and attach oneself to an acharya. Since reaching

an acharya is at the end of the goal seeked and He stands at the

beginning, azhvar says that attachment to Him alone is a lower

purpose.

 

naNNi:

Just like all things are to be considered inimical to reaching

Him, to azhvar who has reached Nammazhvar attachment to Him as

become inimical.

 

thenkurukoornambi (the pUrna of the southern Kurukoor):

Since He stands at the beginning of the goal seeked and his

acharya stands at the end, he speaks of his acharya as pUrna

("nambi").

If one were attached to Him alone, then he would have to come

up to Nammazhvar afterward. By being attached to Nammazhvar

who is a pUrna, he says that that itself is sufficient.

 

enRakkaal (saying thus):

In reaching Him, one has to focus with the mind, speech and

the body. In the matter of his acharya, Azhvar says that the

word alone is enough.

 

aNNikkum (sweeten):

Will be sweet. The sweetness that Nammazhvar obtained from Him,

Madhurakavi Azhvar obtains just by saying one word about his

acharya.

 

amuthooRum (the nectar will generate):

This nectar will keep building forever. Just as one does not

return after reaching Him ("na ca punarAvartate"), Azhvar says

that the sweetness from his acharya is also one that lasts

forever.

 

aNNikkumamuthooRum:

A sweet thing that is eaten will not have any taste after it

leaves the mouth. On the other hand, when relation to an

acharya is put into one's heart, the sweetness will keep

generating forever.

 

ennaavukke (to my tongue):

If one were to ask that this matter of acharya is not found

to be of great love by others, Azhvar says that for those who

don't even love the matter of the Lord, how can one expect

that they would love the height of such a love which is that

shown toward an acharya. Therefore, he says this matter is

of sweetness and love to his tongue.

 

 

I seek refuge at the lotus feet of Madhurakavi Azhvar

I seek refuge at the lotus feet of Nanjeeyar and Nampillai

I seek refuge at the lotus feet of Nammazhvar, Ramanuja

and Manavala Mamuni

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

T.C.A. Venkatesan