Thiruppalliyezucchi - 00

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Dear bhAgavatas,

 

Some time ago one of the bhAgavatas of a sister group has asked

for articles on thoNdaradippodi AzvAr's thiruppaLLiyezucchi,

based on acharyas vyAkhyAnams. adiyEn had told the bhAgavata at

that time that adiyEn would work on translating the vyakhyanams

to the best of adiyEn's ability and post them. Due to a number

of reasons, this attempt took a long time. adiyEn apologizes for

that. With this post, adiyEn will start the translations. Due

to adiyEn's poor ability, no doubt mistakes would happen and

the text would be unclear. adiyEn seeks all your pardons for

that beforehand and to correct adiyEn as and when you see them.

 

The vyAkhyanams for thiruppaLLiyezucchi have been written by

Nanjeeyar in his short and wonderful style and by the

vyAkhyana chakravarthi Periyavaccan Pillai in his beautiful

detailed fashion. Both show tremendous insights into Azhvar's

work and into the sampradhayam. adiyEn's attempt is to extract

as much as possible from their works and provide them in simple

Tamil and in English. This post starts with the avathArikai for

the work.

 

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

 

 

 

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Thiruppalliyezucchi Vyakhyana Saram

--

 

Collected from the vyakhyanams of Nanjeeyar and

Periyavaccan Pillai

 

Avatharikai

-----------

 

A simple Tamil version of this translation is

available at

http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/tpezhu/tpezhu00.pdf

 

 

As with all jIvAtmas, Thondaradippodi Azhvar too was

asleep for countless time ("anAdi mAyayA supto yadAjIva:

prabudyate"). Without realising his true nature, the

means and the goal, he was considering his body to be

his soul and was involved in matters of this world. The

Lord out of His unqualified grace awakened Azhvar and

showed him His divine beauty ("mAdharARkayaRkaNennum

valaiyuL pattazhundhuvEnaip pOdharEyenRu sollip pundhiyiR

pugundhu thanpAlAdharam peruga vaiththa azhagan"). With

that, He changed Azhvar's attraction to other things,

gave him the knowledge of his true nature and made him

become attached to Him. Then, through Azhvar's works, He

brought to light that He Himself is the means and the

goal ("aimpulan agaththadakkik kAmbaRath thalai

siraiththun kadaiththalai irundhu vAzhum sOmbarai

ugaththi"). Having done that, He went to sleep without

worry. Azhvar then sings this work (Thiruppalliyezhucchi)

to wake Him up and seeks to perform service to Him.

 

Having determined that He is the means and the goal makes

it clear that Azhvar should sing to wake Him up, praise

His divine beauty and provide flowers and other services

to Him. This is what Andal seeks in the pasuram "mArimalai

muzhainjil". Nammazhvar too showed the height of the goal

sought in "nedumArkkadimai", then showed the way to the

world in "koNda peNdiril" and then woke Him up and seeked

service in "kidandha nAL kidanthAy". Vishwamitra too woke

Him up as "kausalyA suprajA rAma pUrvA sandhyA pravartate

| uttiShTa narasArdUla kartavyam daivamAhnikam ||". So

too Azhvar wishes to see the glorious sight of His waking

up and sings this pasuram.

 

When Azhvar went to Him to seek this service, instead of

receiving him, enquiring about him and accepting flowers

from him, He lay sleeping.

 

What is the reason for this? Is it that He does not like

Azhvar? That's not true, because He takes great delight

in Azhvar. Did He have any problems such as indigestion?

That's not true because His body is divine and does not

suffer from such base qualities. Then, what is the

reason? Azhvar showed that attachment to this world was

no good in "AdhalAl piRavi vENdEn"; showed that he had

gained the true knowledge in "bOnagam seytha cEdan-

tharuavrEl punidham"; showed that he had understood the

nature of this world in "iccuvai thavira yAn vENdEn";

showed that he had won over his senses in "kAvaliR-

pulanai vaiththu"; showed that he had given up other

means in "kuLiththu mURanalaiyOmbum kuRikoLandhaNamai

thannaiyoLiththittEn"; showed that he had gained the

true knowledge of the means in "unnarUlennum Asai-

thannAl poyyanEn vandhu ninREn". Seeing this, He

became happy and considering His glory that changed

Azhvar this way ("AtmAnam vAsudEvAkhyam cintayan"),

and wondering how He could change everyone just like

He changed Azhvar, He began to take rest ("nAgamiSaith

thuyilvAn pOlulagellAm nangodunga yOgaNaivAn"). As

such, He did not notice that Azhvar had come to Him.

 

When Azhvar was trapped in the senses ("madhaRAr kayaR-

kaNennum valaiyutpattu"), He was awake; once Azhvar

became attached to Him ("adiyOrkkagalalAmE"), He began

to take rest without worry. Azhvar now had great

enthusiasm to perform service to Him ("empirARkAt-

seyyAdhE enseyvAn thOnRinEnE"). So, like Vishvamitra

("uttiShTa narashArdUla"), like Sita ("sa mayA bodhita:

shrImAn") and like Andal ("umbar kOmAnE uRangAdh-

ezhundhirAy"), he too wakes up the Lord ("arangathth-

ammA paLLiyezhundharuLAyE") and seeks the height of

service which is service to His devotees ("thoNdar-

adippodi ennum adiyanai aLiyanenRaruLi un adiyArkk-

AtpaduththAy").

 

What is the reason to wake the Lord thus? Azhvar does

this because he has understood the true nature of

service. Which is, when doing all kinds of service, at

all places, at all times and at all states ("aham sarvam

kariShyAmi jAkrata: svapatashca te", "ozivil kAlamellAm

udanAy manni"), one must do the service that He wishes

for ("thanakkEyAga enaik koLLumIdhE"). Since Azhvar

wishes to do the service that He will command to do

("kriyatAmiti mAm vada", "enakkEyAtsey", "mugappE kUvip

paNikoLvAy"), he describes the indications that dawn

has arrived and wakes Him up.

 

Azhvar sings: the Sun has dawned at the top of the

mountain; the devas and kings are standing in the

southern direction with all the things needed for

worship waiting to be seen by Your divine eyes as You

wakes up; You are the Lord and the protector of all

and have great attachment to those who seek You; give

me the fame that I woke You up; wake up and accept our

service.

 

Just like a parent would show his children and seek

alms from a king, so too Azhvar puts the devas who

worship Him forward and seeks service.

 

How is Thiruppalliyezhucchi different from ThirumAlai?

He awakened Azhvar who was asleep in ignorance for

countless time, in ThirumAlai; having thus woken,

Azhvar wakes Him up in Thiruppalliyezhucchi. In

ThirumAlai, Azhvar spoke about Him accepting his

vocal service as sweet ("punkavidhaiyElum empirARk-

iniyavARE"); in Thiruppalliyezhucchi, Azhvar talks

about His accepting his bodily service as sweet

("thodaiyoththa thuLabamum kUdaiyum polindhu thOnRiya

thOL thoNdaradippodiyennum adiyanai aLiyaneRaruLi").

In ThirumAlai, Azhvar obtained that service which is

sweet to Him ("empirARkiniyavARE"); in Thiruppalli-

yezhucchi, Azhvar prays for that service which is

sweet to His devotees ("adiyArkkAtpaduththAy"). In

ThirumAlai, Azhvar speaks of His attempt to get

Azhvaar; in Thiruppalliyezhucchi, Azhvar says that

He succeeded in that attempt. In ThirumAlai, Azhvar

asks for His grace ("eLiyathOraruLumenRE enthiRaththu");

in Thiruppalliyezhucchi, Azhvar asks Him to give His

grace to others ("avarkku nALOlakkamaruLa").

 

 

Nanjeeyar Periyavaccan Pillai Thiruvadigale Sharanam

Thondaradippodi Azhvar Thiruvadigale Sharanam

 

 

Thiruppalliyezucchi Vyakhyana Saram:

http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/tpezhu/index.html