tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 48, Slokam 19 Part 1, tiruvAimozhi 1.8, pASuram-s 1.8.1 - 1.8.2.

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SrImate ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH. tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 48, Slokam 19 Part 1, tiruvAimozhi 1.8 - pASurams 1.8.1, 1.8.2. Slokam 19 (gist of tiruvAimozhi 1.8): sUrINAm svaira sevye (1.8.1) svayam avatarati (1.8.2) kshudra divyaika netre (1.8.3)

gopAdyartham dhRtAdrau (1.8.4) Srita-tanu-rasike (1.8.5) vAmanI-bhAva-dRSye (1.8.6) | sat-citta-ananya-vRttau (1.8.7) vibhava-sama-tanau (1.8.8) svAyudhArUDha-haste (1.8.9) nIcocca grAhya-pAde (1.8.10) nirupadhimRjutAm (1.8) nIra varNe

jagAda || svAmi deSikan captures the message of this tiruvAimozhi – “ODum puL†through the words “nirupadhimRjutAm†–One who is sincere in his associations with His devotees (nirupadhi means ‘without any conceit’; Rju – one who is honest in his dealings, straightforward. Favorable.). Another term that has been used by svAmi deSikan to describe the gist of this tiruvAimozhi is

“Arjavamâ€, which is also the term that has been used almost unanimously by all pUrvAcArya-s. svAmi deSikan has used this word in dramiDopanishad sAram - “… suSIlam svArAdham sarasabhajanam svArjava guNam…†to indicate the gist of this tiruvAimozhi. Arjavam means “consistency of behavior between thought, word and deedâ€. When applied to bhagavAn, an example given is that when He moves with His devotee at the devotee’s level (sauSIlyam), He does this not only at the external level, but He also simultaneously does not even have the feeling that He is moving with a person at a very low level. SrI PBA gives the example of Lord rAma’s response to SUrpaNakhA when she asks Him who He is. rAma could have just given her a

brief reply without wasting time to explain to her who He is, but instead, He gives her a detailed and honest reply about who He is etc. vAlmIki uses the word ‘Rju buddhitayA’ – with honesty, truthfulness, to describe how rAma responds to her: “Rju buddhitayA sarvam AkhyAtum upacakrameâ€. The word Rju has been used by AlavandAr in stotra ratnam (18) as one of the guNa-s of bhagavAn. svAmi deSikan explains the term Rjuh in stotra ratna vyAkhyAnam as “ASriteshu mano-vAk-kAya vRttInAm eka

rUpatayA kautilya rahitah | etena viSvasanIyatvam vyajyate |†- bhagAavAn’s disposition in thought, word and deed are consistent with each other in His disposition towards His devotees. This shows that He can be completely relied on in whatgever He says. These are illustrated by bhagavAn’s life in His incarnations. svAmi deSikan gives references to SrImad rAmAyaNam: ‘apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNAm| na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah’ (AraNya. 10.19) – ‘I can bring Myself to live without you, my beloved SitA, and without laksmaNan as well; but I cannot live with a broken promise’; dyauh patet pRthivI SIryet himavAn SakalI bhavet | Sushyet toya nidhih

kRshNe! na me mogham vaco bhavet | - Oh draupadI! The Earth may fall from its orbit; The land may shatter; the himAlayA mountain may break into pieces; the seas may become dry without water; but My words will not be untrueâ€. A lot of discussion and research are presented by vyAkhyAna-kartA-s on the meaning of the word ‘Arjavam’ as used here, and SrI UV has given a very detailed discussion on this topic in his tiruvAimozhi vyAkhyAnam. A brief list of the different interpretations of the message of this tiruvAimozhi by different AcArya-s

is given below, without discussion: - ARAyirap paDi – ASrita vAtsalyamAgiRa mahA guNattai uLLa paDiyE pESiRRu it-tiruvAimozhi – Extreme affection towards the devotee truly as bhagavAn displays it, is revealed in this tiruvAimozhi. - SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan – ip–pattu guNa’ngaLAl avanuDaiya Arjava guNam (aiSvaryam) Sollap paTTadu – Through the ten guNa-s sung in the 10 pASuram-s of this tiruvAimozhi, bhagavAn’s Arjava guNam (aiSvaryam – Supreme Lordship) is sung in this tiruvAimozhi. - 36-Ayirap paDi – trividha cetanarODum

parimARum iDattil avargaL tan ninaivilE varum paDi paNNugai anRikkE, tannai avrgaLukku IDAga amaittup parimARum ennum av-vazhiyAlE ivanuDaiya Arjava guNam SollugiRAr. – BhagavAn’s Arjava guNam is revealed in this tiruvAimozhi, by His bringing Himself to the level of the devotee rather than trying to get the devotee to His level. - periyavAccAn piLLai – RjuvAnavan (Rju – one who is honest in his dealings, straightforward. Favorable.) - Ve’nkaTeSAcArya – emperumAniDattilE nirupAdhikamAna Arjavattai upapAdittu aruLinAr – BhagavAn’s disposition to the devotee is one of utmost sincere association with the devotee at the level of the devotee (utmost sauSIlyam – not only in deed, but in thought as well.) -

PBA – Arjavam – RjuvAi irukkum tanmai. Mano vAk kAyam (thought, word and deed) all in unison. - R. Rangachari - He is ever truthful, this –His gracious nature – undeviating. · pASuram 1.8.1: ODum puL ERic cUDum taN tuzhAi, nIDu ninRavai, ADum ammAnE. ammAn puL ERi ODum; taN tuzhAi SUDum; nIDu ninRa avai ADum - My Lord will climb on His GaruDan and hurry to different places; He will decorate Himself with the tender and fragrant tulasI garlands; He will move intimately with the nitya sUri-s as they wish. garuDan and tulasI are referred to in this pASuram as examples of nitya sUri-s with whom bgagavAn moves freely as they wish. If garuDan wants to perform kai’nkaryam by carrying bhagavAn, He immediately gets on garuDan and goes somewhere or the other. He creates some excuse to ride on garuDan, and fulfils his wish to perform kai’nkaryam as he wishes. Similarly, when tulasI wishes to decorate bhagavAn’s tirumEni, He immediately wears the tulaSi garlands on Himself. nIDu ninRa avai refers to the eternal nitya

sUri-s. BhagavAn ‘dances to the tunes’ of the nitya sUri-s, to make each one of them them happy as they wish (ADum ammAn). svAmi deSikan conveys the gist of this pASuram through the words ‘sUrINAm svaira sevye’ – He who makes Himself available for worship as desired by each nitya sUri without any constraint (svaira – following one’s own wish or fancy; unrestrained). SrI ve’nkaTeSAcArya explains this as ‘vainateyar mudalAna nitya sUrikaLAlE yatheshTa sevyanumAi – He makes Himself available for kai’nkaryam by nitya

sUri-s such as garuDan as they wish. · pASuram 1.8.2: ammAnAip pinnum em mANbum AnAn vem mA vAi kINDa SemmA kaNNanE. ammAnAi vem mA vAi kINDa SemmA kaNNan, pinnum em mANbum AnAn – This Lord of mine not only intermingles with nitya sUri-s without distinction, but also takes incarnations in leelA vibhUti in such forms as the beautiful broad lotus-colored red-eyed kaNNan, to destroy the likes of the evil keSi who came in the form of a horse, and at the

same time to move intimately and without distinction with the people of this world (another demonstration os His Arjavam). His aiSvaryam expressed in His many incarnations is sung here. svAmi deSikan conveys the gist of this pASuram through the words “svayam avatarati†– He takes incarnations Himself, in which He is not born like us who are born because of karma, but with His aiSvaryam completely undiminished, and through His own free will, for the protection of dharma and for the destruction of evil. In these incarnations, He moves

with the devotees of this world with Arjavam, at their level without distinction. SrI PBA comments that through incarnations such as the kRshNa incarnation where He destroyed the asura in the form of a horse by tearing open his mouth, bhagavAn reveals His Rjutvam in His incarnations. SrI tirukuDandai ANDavan notes that His beauty in His incarnations in more notable than in His nitya vibhUti – sa u SreyAn bhavati jAyamAnah. -dAsan kRshNamAcAryan (To be continued)

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