tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 74 - Slokam 26 Part 1, tiruvAimozhi 2.4, pASuram-s 2.4.1 and 2.4.2.

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SrImate Ra'nga RAmAnuja MahA DeSikAya namaH.

tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submision 74, Slokam 26 Part 1,

tiruvAimozhi 2.4, pASuram-s 2.4.1, 2.4.2.

 

 

 

Slokam 26 - tiruvAimozhi 2.4 - 'ADiyADi' tiruvAimozhi.

 

 

prahlAdArthe nRsimhaM (2.4.1) kshapita vipad ushA vallabham (2.4.2)

kshipta la'nkam (2.4.3)

kshvela pratyarthiketam (2.4.4) Srama hara tulasI mAlinam (2.4.5)

dhaiya hetum (2.4.6) |

trANe dattAvadhAnam (2.4.7) sva ripu hati kRtASvAsanam (2.4.8)

dIpta hetim (2.4.9)

satprekshA rakshitAram (2.4.10) vyasana nirasanam vyakta

kIrtim (2.4) jagAda ||

 

In this tiruvAimozhi, AzhvAr sings enperumAn's guNam of His never

forsaking His devotee under any circumstance. - vyasana nirasanam

vyakta kIrtim jagAda (Vyasanam - distress; nirasanam - removing;

vyakta kIrtim - demonstrated fame) - One whose fame in relieving the

distress of the devotees has been well demonstrated. The pASuram-s of

this tiruvAimozhi can be expected to refer to instances that will be in

support of this guNam and that should be familiar to most of us - e.g.,

the prahlAda caritram etc.

 

In the previous tiruvAimozhi AzhvAr expressed his deep desire to leave

this body and be united with the nitya sUri-s in eternal service to

Him. This did not happen right away. So AzhvAr becomes restless. The

devotees who see AzhvAr's state are now appealing on his behalf to

emperumAn. This tiruvAimozhi is set with AzhvAr in the role of

BhagavAn's nAyaki suffering from separation from Him, and the devotees

appealing to emperumAn are characterized as the nAyaki's mother

appealing to Him on behalf of their daughter.

 

In a previous tiruvAimozhi - a'nciRaiya maDa nArAi, AzhvAr sent

messengers to BhagavAn in the role of His nAyaki; in 'vAyum tirai'

tiruvAimozhi, the nAyaki's sorrow from separation from Him is even more

intense, and this sorrow is reflected in everything she saw around him.

In the current tiruvAimozhi, the nAyaki's sorrow from separation from

Him has become so intense that others around her are feeling that

sorrow, and are appealing to Him on behalf of the nAyaki. This

demonstrates that as the devotee gets more and more anubhavam -

experience - of closeness to Him, the more and more unbearable the

separation from Him becomes.

 

o pASuram 2.4.1:

 

ADi ADi agam karaindu iSai pADip pADi kaNNIr malgi e'ngum

nADi nADi narasi'ngA enRu vADi vADum iv-vAL nudalE.

 

iv-vAL nudal agam karaindu iSai pADip pADi ADi ADi kaNNIr malgi e'ngum

nADi nADi narasi'ngA enRu vADi vADum - This daughter of mine with the

bright forehead [indicative of her deep devotion to You] is unable to

bear the separation from You, and is totally faded and spent because

she has been spending all her time singing of You, is moving around

hither and tither restlessly, shedding tears all the time because of

her separation from You, and is calling out Your nama 'nArasimha!'

hoping that You will appear in front of her just as You did for

prahlAda, and not having been blessed with Your appearance after all

that, she is totally exhausted in body and mind, and is now unable to

even move any more.

 

SvAmi DeSikan presents the key guNam sung in this pASuram as

'prahlAdArthe nRsimham' - nADi nADi narasi'ngA enRu - He who appeared

as Lord nRsimha for the sake of prahlAda. The idea is that BhagavAn

will appear in any form desired by a true devotee, at any place

designated by the devotee, and at the instant in which the devotee

desires His appearance - that is His established fame - vyakta kIrti,

as shown by the incidence of prahlAda.

 

While the pASuram reveals BhagavAn's guNam of being known to help the

devotee who seeks Him with sincere devotion, it also shows the kind of

intensity with which the devotee should be seeking Him; agam karaindu,

kaNNir malgi, vADi vADum, etc., explicitly describe the depth of

intensity of the devotion; the words 'ADi Adi', 'pADip pADi' etc.,

convey the state of despair in which the devotee searches all over

aimlessly and calling out His name in all directions during the time

when the devotee has not yet reached Him. For such a devotee, BhagavAn

is always guaranteed to appear with certainty, as in the case of

prahlAda.

 

· pASuram 2.4.2:

 

vAL nudal im-madavaral ummaik kANum ASaiyil naiginRAL viRal

vANan Ayiram tOL tunittIr ummaik kANa, nIr irakkam ilIrE.

 

This young girl with the bright forehead is becoming weaker because of

her unfulfilled but steadfast desire to attain You; but You, one who

severed almost all the shoulders of BANAsuran with your divine discus,

are not blessing her with Your appearance.

 

SvAmi DeSikan captures the guNam sung in this pASuram through the words

- 'Kshapita vipad ushA vallabham' - vANan Ayiram tOL tuNittIr - He who

removed the distress of aniruddhan, who was dear to BANAsuran's

daughter by name ushA (vANAsuranuDaiya magaLAna ushaikku vallabhanAna

aniruddhAzhvAruDaiya Apattaip pOkkinavan - SrI PBA). The reference is

to the well-known incident where Lord KRshNa rescued His grandson

aniruddhan who had been imprisoned by BANAsuran who did not approve of

his daughter's relationship with aniruddhan.

 

One inner meaning revealed in SrI PBA's vyAkhyAnam for this pASuram is

that BhagavAn will remove all obstacles that a devotee may encounter in

attaining Him, just as He removed the 1000 shoulders of BANAsuran who

was an obstacle to aniruddhan in living a happy life with ushA,

BANAsuran's daughter. SrI sAkshAt svAmi explains the word 'nIr' in the

pASuram as 'One who is a sulabhan to those who are attached to Him

(anukUlargaLukku sulabharAga prasiddhamAna nIr).

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)