Kanninun Siruththambu - 1

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Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

 

Madhurakavi Azhvar aruli seytha

Kanninun Siruththambu

First Pasuram Vyakhyanam

 

Excerpted from Sri Nanjeeyar and Sri 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:

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:

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

divine body.

 

nuNthaambu:

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

as He was tied by it.

 

siRuththaambu:

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:

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

releasing everyone in this samsaric world ("samsAra

bandhasthiti mOkshahetu:"), 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 samsara ocean and not seeing a shore,

the path to salvation lies in nothing but prayer.

 

perumaayan:

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:

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:

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:

Since He stands at the beginning of the goal seeked and

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

as pUrnar ("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 pUrnar, he says that that itself is

sufficient.

 

enRakkaal:

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:

Will be sweet. The sweetness that Nammazhvar obtained from

Him, Madhurakavi Azhvar obtains just by saying one word

about his acharya.

 

amuthooRum:

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:

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.

 

 

Madhurakavi Azhvar Thiruvadigale Saranam

Nanjeeyar Nampillai Thiruvadigale Saranam

Azhvar Emperumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam

 

 

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

TCA Venkatesan

http://www.acharya.org