Thiruppavai - 28th verse- KaRaivagaL pinsenRy kaanam sErndhu uNbOm- kuRai onRum illaadha Govindhaaa!

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all,

 

Today’s verse is the 28th verse.

Let us continue to enjoy the wonderful commentary of His Holiness Srimath

Paravakkottai Andavan of Sri Poundarikapuram Swami ashramam, Srirangam –

translated into English by Sri CG Balaji Swami.

 

kaRavaikaL pin cenRu kaanam cErn^thu uNpOm *

aRivu onRum illaatha aaykkulaththu * un^thannaip

piRavi peRun^ thanaip puNNiyam yaam utaiyOm *

kuRai onRum illaatha kOvin^thaa * un^ thannOtu

uRavEl namakku iNGku ozhikka ozhiyaathu *

aRiyaatha piLLaikaLOm anpinaal * un^ thannai

ciRupEr azhaiththanavum cIRi aruLaathE *

iRaivaa! nI thaaraay paRai ElOr empaavaay. 28.

 

In the first verse Andal says -nArAyaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvaan

– The Lord is one who is to be attained by us. He is also the means

of this attainment. Andal elaborates on this in this verse and the

verse to follow. The path of sharanagathi has been told here on the

pretext of nombu observance.

 

Kannan says, “I have already accepted to give you all those

things that you have asked me for, starting from “soodagamE. But yet,

it seems you have something else to ask me of. What is it?â€

The Gopis reply, “Our earlier pleads were meant for our own.

You also consented to observe the nombu ritual with us. But now

our sole aim is to attain the bliss of your divine communion. “

Kannan asks, “That fruit is indeed deliverance. In order to

attain that, one should follow the paths of either bhakti or

sharanagathi. What path have you chosen? One should perform the

sacrificial oblations without fail, as per one’s status and should

refrain from seeking the fruits of the actions thereof. One should

realise the essential nature of the self and should behold the

supreme soul that is the in-dweller in all sentient and non-sentient

orders. Such a supreme soul needs to be incessantly meditated

upon and at His lotus feet should a soul surrender itself. Now, what

have you done?â€

 

The Gopis reply, “kaRavaigaL pinsenRu kaanam sErndhunbOm – The unwise is

often compared to a cow. We do not possess a good

mind like that of a cow. We only follow the cows and take them to

the forest to graze. We take our food there and come back with the

cattle in the evening.“

 

Kannan continues, “That aside, not being knowledgeable is

not a big issue. Have you at least sought imparts from a noble

teacher?â€

 

The Gopis say, “To us, the cattle are like the revered

preceptors Vasishta and Vishwamitra. We partake the milk that is

given by these cattle. Where else could we get a more relishing

fodder? Moreover, we do not live in the lands that are the habitat of

noble souls who would bestow their fellowmen with all good and

auspicious things. We live in the dense grasslands. Moreover we

hail from the ancestry of the naïve and the unintelligent cowherds.

Kannan says, “Set that aside. At least you should have grazed

your cattle in the forests of my liking like Ahobilam,

Naimisharanyam, Badarikashramam and Veeksharanyam in order

to aspire for moksham.

 

The Gopis say, “Oh we were not choosy about the forests that

we took our cattle to graze. We just followed the cattle and the day

as it went byâ€.

 

Kannan comes back, “Do you at least have any good merits

(punyam) on your side. How will I be able to give moksham to you,

with no good merits of any sort?

 

Gopis come back, “We do not know the purports of the

shastrams. But we know “unthannai piRavi peRunthannai puNNiyam yaam udaiyOm

†–

 

We have done such good deeds to have made you,

the supreme Lord to take birth in our lineage. Is it not our merit

that we are bestowed with the fortune of being able to say that

Kannan, the Lord, belongs to our Yadavakulam? Though we are not

deserving, yet, you are the unblemished and the unsullied –

 

kuRai onRum illaadha Govindhaaa! â€.

 

You are perfect and absolute. Whatever be

the want of the devotees, you bestow it on them plentifully. Have

you not taken your birth amongst us to relieve us from all our

torments and to grant us with the wealth of emancipation?â€

 

unthannOdu uRavEl namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu – The Gopis say, “You are

our close relative.

 

Our relation may neither be disowned by you nor may be renounced by us. It is

also not plausible for both of us to relinquish this relation. In the

masterservient relationship, the master is the one who ordains and the servient

does it to the delight of his master. We have many such bindings between us. Oh

Naaranane! I am not there without you

and you are not there without me. This is established beyond

doubt.

 

aRiyaadha piLLaigaLOm anbinaal unthannai siRupEr azhaitthanavum seeRiyaruLAdhE

– Having forgone your virtue of supremacy, you have come and taken birth

amidst us in the lineage of the Yadavas.

 

You have endeared yourself to us unassumingly. Apart from your

supremacy, you are the in-dweller, the supporter, the inner-controller,

the object of attainment and the means of attainment.

 

We had addressed you with the term “Narayanaâ€, that reflects all

these purports completely. Have you been made indignant?

Moreover your supremacy is unmatched and we have been

addressing you singularly as Yadava, Krishna and others. Has that

made you indignant? If that is so, with your abundant mercy,

kindly forgive us for all those transgressions. We might have

committed many transgressions out of our unbounded love for you.

If one’s hands and legs commit mistakes, then is it correct for him

to punish them? If the teeth bite the tongue, then do we tear the

tongue off? Is it not your responsibility to bear with all the

transgressions of your dim-witted sub-servients? We therefore

surrender ourselves unto you for forgiveness.â€

 

iRaivaaa! Nee thaaraay paRai – Oh Lord, pray bestow on us the object of our

desire. Though we adore and worship the Lord with utmost devotion,

at the end of it we should seek His forgiveness and express our

gratitude to Him for bearing with all those transgressions that we

might have committed in the name of Bhagavad-aradhanam. This

is the hidden purport of this verse

 

Andal ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan