Thiruppavai 30-Vangakkadal

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Pasuram 30-Vangakkadal kadaindha

Vangakkadal kadaindha mAdhavanai kesavanai

thingaL thirumugatthu sEyizaiyAr senrirainji

angapparaikonda Attrai aNipudhuvai

PaingamaltthaNtheriyal bhattarpirAn kOdhai sonna

sangatthamizmAlai muppadhum thappAme

ingipparisuraippar eerirandu malvaraitthOL

thingaL thirumugatthu selvatthirumAla

engum thiruvaruL pettru inburuvar empavai

This work describing the entreaty of the girls with faces like moon and eyes like lotuses. to the Lord Kesava, of lovely locks, the Madhava, Lord of Lakshmi,who helped in the churning of the beautiful milky ocean, in order to acqouire the necessary requirements for their pavai nonbu, is the composition of Godha of Srivlliputthur, the daughter of Vishnucchittha, (Periazvar) who wears the garland of lotuses and thulasi.Those who recite this 30 pasurams which are equal to sangatthamiz, will get happiness through the Lord's grace.

vangakkadal-This is not the Bay of bengal, as it may appear to the superficial reader but the word vanga means beautiful, and refers to the milky ocean. It is so called because it is associated with the Lord, and it gave out all the precious things and the amrtha in the end.

kadaindha Madhavan-Madhavan means the Lord (Dhava) of Lakshmi(ma) He is mentioned here as the one who churned the ocean not only because He was instrumental in doing so by helping the devas by carrying the manthara mountain and dropping it into the ocean and supported it as koorma, but because he helped at every step, by churning it with them and lastly through His mohini avathara.

yamunacharya says in his Sthothra ratna that the Lord took all the trouble to churn the ocean in order to obtain Lakshmi as He bridged the ocean later for her sake(to retrieve Sita )'yadharTham ambOdDHih amanTHi abanDHi cha.'

But if one starts thinking about the reason for His wish to get Lakshmi, for which the ocean was churned as Yamuna says, it appears that He wanted her to make His hrdhaya her abode so that it will be full of mercy. So He wanted her not for Himself but for the world which will be benifitted by her dhaya influenced by which alone the Lord shows His grace without minding our sins.This explanation looks appropriate especially when Andal calls Him as Madhavan, mAyah DHavan- lord of Lakshmi.He not only churned the milky ocean but also churned the ocean of milk and curd in Gokula by his exploits of stealing butter, curd etc.,and causing a great furore among the gopis, perhaps as a practice to churn the great ocean of army later the Mahabharatha war.

kEsavan-kEsa is hair and as Krishna has beautiful locks of hair he is called Kesava. It also means the slayer of the demon Kesi. Another meaning of Kesava is that ka is Brahma , isa means Siva and the particle va means the one who have them both in Him as Lord Naryana synonymous with the Brahman of the Upanishads whose manifestations are the trinity.Kesava is also the adhishtana devatha of the month of Margazi. This is the end pasuram of Thiruppavai which started as paraman adi pAdi and ends with kesavanai which resembles a pAdhadhikeSAntha sthothra.

paingamalatthaNtheriyal bhattarpiran-Periazvar. as Vishnucchittha, the father of Godha was known as, used to wear the garland of lotuses and thulasi leaves. The former symbolises the Sridevi and the latter is of the Lord Narayana.

Kodhai sonna sangatthamizmalai-Kodhai in Tamil means garland and godha in sanskrit means gAm dhdhAthi ithi- or goDHa which means gAm dhaDHathE-one who give good words. Periazvar was proficient in both the languages and with foresight, he must have chosen the name which became appropriate.

Her words are extolled as being equal to the ancient tamil works at the time of Tamil sangam and hence it is referred to as sangatthamiz mAlai. Sangam also means group, attachment and beauty.This work has to be enjoyed togeter in a group of devotees and without attachment to the worldly objects and also it is full of beauty.

ingipparisuraippAr- ingu is this world and the word parisu means the reward in the form of kainkarya.

eerirandumAlvaraitthOL- eerirandu, two and two ,that is four arms like mAlvarai, mountainous.

chengaNthirumugatthu- His eyes are like red lotuses ( not fully red but streaked with redness)

selvatthirumAl-He is rich with His auspicious qualities and association with Sri(thiru)

engum thirivaruL pettruinburuvar -blessed with His grace always and be happy. Those who learn this work will be happy in this world and the next till they unite with the Lord.