tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 27, Slokam 14 Part 3, tiruvAimozhi 1.4 contd.

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SrImate ran'ga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

 

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 27, Slokam 14 Part 3,

tiruvAimozhi 1.4 continued.

 

· pASuram 1.4.5:

 

nalgit tAn kAttu aLikkum pozhil Ezhum vinaiyERke

nalgattAn AgAdO? nAraNanaik kaNDakkAl

malgu nIr punal paDappai irai tEr vaN SiRu kurugE!

malgu nIr kaNNERku Or vAcakam koNDu aruLAyE.

 

pozhil Ezhum nalgik kAttu aLikkum tAn, vinaiyERku nalga AgAdu tAnO?

malgu nIr punal paDappai irai tEr vaN SiRu kurugE! nAraNanaik

kaNDakkAl malgu nIr kaNNERku Or vAcakam koNDu aruLAi – Is it possible

that emperumAn who is a friend to all the jIva-s in all the seven

worlds, and removes all their sufferings and bestows His blessings,

just feels that it is not appropriate to be friendly to a sinner like

me? Oh merciful little sArasa bird looking for food in the rich

waters in the gardens! If by chance you see my Lord nArAyaNan

anywhere, please bring some word of comfort from Him for me who am

filled with tearful eyes.

 

svAmi deSikan summarises the primary guNa of bhagavAn sung in this

pASuram through the words " jagad-upajanana sthApana ati-priyatvAt " –

He who delights Himself in creating and protecting all the beings of

the world - nalgit tAn Ezh pozhilum kAttu aLikkum. (nalgi – sa-

snehamAga – By displaying extreme attachment – ati-priyatvAt; tAn –

By His own free will; By His very nature – kAkkum iyalvinan. svAmi

deSikan's thoughts here are more elaborately reflected in the

pASuram " kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn " (pASuram 2.2.9 – please

refer to the write-up for this pASuram under the series tri-mUrti-s

in tiruvAimozhi). BhagavAn undertakes all the three functions -

creation, protection, and destruction only for the sake of the

benefit of the jIva-s, because of the attachment He has for the jIva-

s who are but His children. Of special note in the context of

bhagavAn's guNam of aparAdha-sahatvam at the daSakam level, is that

He puts up with the inadvertent violations of His command not only by

those who are inclined towards Him, but also the deliberate aparAdham-

s of those who are avowed nAstika-s or non-believers. Note that

azhvAr has chosen the word nArAyaNan in the pASuram – nAraNanaik

kaNDAl. All jIva-s without exception are covered by the word `nAra',

and He is their ayanam or final resort. Thus, He gives a new body to

all at the end of current life so that they have another chance to

seek Him with a new body with full vigor, and He takes their old body

away when their current body becomes too old to be of use to them in

trying to attain Him. And when the jIva is associated with a body in

this world, bhagavAn creates all the things needed for their

enjoyment and nourishment, and thus He protects the jIva-s. All this

is because of His extreme aparAdha sahatvam.

 

· pASuram 1.4.6:

 

aruLAda nIr aruLi avar Avi tuvarA mun

aruL Azhip puT-kaDavIr vIdi oru nAL enRu

aruL Azhi ammAnaik kaNDakkAl idu Solli

aruL Azhi vari vaNDE! yAmum en pizhaittOmE.

 

Azhi vari vaNDE! AruL Azhi ammAnaik kaNDakkAl aruLAda nIr avar Avi

tuvarA mun aruLi, aruL Azhi puL avar vIdi oru nAL kaDavIr enRu idu

Solli aruL; yAmum en pizhaittOm? - Oh bee who is merrily circling

around! If you happen to see that emperumAn with the divine cakra

that is merciful in protecting His devotees, please favor me by

inforing Him that before the life of His pirATTi whom He has ignored

by not blessing her through union with Him leaves her body, He should

pass by her street at least once in His vehicle in the form of the

merciful garuDan. (If He does not accede to this request even), I

wonder what sin I have committed to be treated this way.

 

svAmi deSikan summarizes the essence of this pASuram as " kAruNya

Aptatva yogAt " – H who is a relative and a friend to everyone out of

His sheer mercy " – aruL Azhi ammAn (kRpA samudra sudarSana dharanAna

svAmi – The Supreme Lord who bears the sudarSana cakram who is the

Ocean of Mercy). SrI UV explains svAmi deSikan's words - " kAruNya

Aptatva yogAt " , as " tattva sAkshAtkAramum, upadeSa sAmarthyamum,

prANigaLiDam karuNaiyum uLLavan " – He who possesses the knowledge of

the Absolute Truth, who can skillfully impart it to others, and who

has the utmost Mercy to do it. Notice AzhvAr using the words " aruL

Azhi " , " aruL puL " , etc. – everything about emperumAn is " aruL " –

Mercy.

 

SrI UV gives an alternate pATham also here – kAruNya abdhitva yogAt,

and notes that this will be consistent with AzhvAr's description –

aruL Azhi ammAn. No additional explanation is provided, and the

other commentators do not make a reference to this pATham. `abdhi'

means ocean, and this is also one meaning for the word `Azhi'. Thus,

this alternate pATham could mean " One who is associated with the

quality of being an Ocean of Mercy " .

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)