Thiruppavai - 10th verse- Swargam is bhagavad anubhavam associated with mokshanubhavam

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SrI:

SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama

 

Dearest all

 

Today’s verse: 10th verse for our enjoyment…

 

nORRuc cuvarkkam pukukinRa ammanaay! *

maaRRamum thaaraarO vaacal thiRavaathaar *

naaRRath thuzhaaymuti naaraayaNan * nammaal

pORRap paRai tharum puNNiyanaal * paNtu orun^aaL

kURRaththin vaay vIzhn^tha kumpakarNanum *

thORRum unakkE perun^thuyil thaan than^thaanO *

aaRRa anan^thalutaiyaay! aruNGkalamE *

thERRamaay van^thu thiRa ElOr empaavaay. 10.

 

Prior to the coverage of today's Paasuram,

adiyEn would like to refer to a SampradhAyam

observed by PurvAchAryAs in their commentaries.

That is ANDAL's suprabhAtham for AzhwArs.

 

AzhwArs' ThirupaLLiyezhucchi by ANDAL

Now From the Sixth to the Fifteenth Pasurams,

ANDAL is said to have awakened Herâ€Fathersâ€,

the Ten AzhwArs excluding Madhura Kavi, who

is adakkam in Swamy NammAzhwAr. These ten ThiruppAvai

Paasurams ( 6-15 ) are considered the AzhwArkaL

ThirupaLLi Yezhuchci Paasurams.

 

The First Ahwar to be awakened according to this view

is Her Own AchAryan and Foster Father PeriyAzhwAr

inâ€PuLLum Silambina KaaNN PULLARAYAN KOILâ€paasuram.

" Keesu Keesu YenRuâ€Paasuram is linked to KulasEkharar and

" Keezh Vaanam VeLLenRuâ€is associated with Swamy NammAzhwAr,

" ThUmaNi Maadatthuâ€is connected to Thirumazhisai in

this samprahAyam. Srimath PeriyANDavan described

the connection between Thirumazhisai and the Utthama

Naayaki ofâ€ThumaNi maadatthuuâ€in one of his recent

Tele-UpanyAsam. The three Mudal AzhwArs' ThirupaLLiyezhucchis

are connected to the 10th, 11th and the 12th Paasurams.

With Her Jn~Ana Dhrushti, ANDAL is said to have awakened

the remaining Three AzhwArs, who incarnated after Her

(viz)., ThoNDaradippodi, ThiruppANar and Thirumangai

in her 13th, 14th and 15th paasurams.

 

The Identity of the Gopi being awakened here

Here a Gopi, who thinks of herself as one deeply immersed

in Bhagavath Bhakthi ( Who has always followed the divine

path and sought BhagavAn's Thiruvadi as the sole UpAyam )

is being awakened.She belongs to the category ofâ€krutha--

Kruthyaiâ€and is therefore an UtthamAdhikAri.Sri PBA Swamy

describes this Utthama adhikAri asâ€Saaraj~narâ€or Utthama-

sathpAthram.

 

Literal meaning of the Paasuram (Dr.V.K.N.S.Raghavan)

“Oh Dear girl, who is very much confident of practising

nonbhu (KanyA vratham)and entering heaven (Svargam)!

Is it your custom not to open the doors and not even

respond to our calls ? (Without getting any reply from

her, the Gopis assembled outside her door try to make

her listen to their talk as follows):

If we sing in praise of Lord NarAyaNA

(viz.,KrishNA, contextually) adorning the fragrant

TuLasi garland on His head, He will surely bless

us with the drum for our Vratham. (So, you also wake up

and come with us ). Is it that KumbhakarNan--who was,

in days of yore, made to leap to his death by Lord

RamachandrA, the embodiment of Dharamam--has ceded

his long spell of sleep to you after he was defeated

(by you in a sleeping contest)? O Girl overpowered by

heavy dose of (spellbound by) sleep! You are however

the precious jewel of our group.Hence, Kindly (get up)

and come to the door with clear mind and open it. "

 

The inner meanings of the Paasura Vaakyams : Two Key Words

(1) Svargam :Sri U.Ve. BhUvarAhAcchar Swamy focuses on

two key words used by ANDAL in this Paasuram:â€Svargam and

ArumkalamEâ€. Svargam here is not Indra " s heaven, but

union with God. The Gopi here has completed all her

rites of self-surrender to the Lord and hence is enjoying

His company. This situation is similar to that of

a Sri VaishNavA ; for him/her, nothing remains to be done

by way ofâ€upAyAâ€after acepting our Lord as the sole

refuge and protector (SaraNAgathi).The word Svargam

can also be split into SU+Vargam ( Nalla GhOshti

or the Sri Vaishnava Saadhu GhOshti)).That GhOshti

is Sushtu GhOshti according to Sri PBA Swamy. The members

of Sushtu GhOshti will not mingle with those, who chase

worldly matters and will run away from them.

 

Abhinava Desikan points out that Svargam is not

Indra Lokam but Bhagavath anubhavam associated

with Moksham.Being without the Lord is narakam and

being with Him is Svargam ( YasthvayA saha sa SVARGHO

nirayO yasthvayA vinA ).

 

ARUMKALME

Regardingâ€ArumkalamE " , Sri BhUvarAhAcchAr Swamy

gives two meanings:(1) a vessel and (2) an ornamaent.

A Sri VaishNavA is the vessel to contain His grace.

A Sri VaishNavA possesses superior ornamments in

the form of Aathma GuNams; or he himself is the best

ornament embellishing the sathsangams of Sri VaishNavAs.

Sri BhUvarahAcchAr Swamy seems to follow mostly

Periya VaacchAn PiLlai's and 6000 paDi commentaries.

 

Abhinava Desikan points out the reason for the usage of

the address of this Gopi asâ€arumkalamE " . The Gopis waiting

outside and appealing to the UtthamAdhikAri inside to

wake up are happy that latter woke up finally

heeding their appeals. Hence they praise her by

addressing her asâ€arumkalamEâ€or the one with

adhbhutha GuNams and adhbhutha Soundharyam.

 

Inner meanings of other words of this Paasuram

PerukkAranai Swamy observes that the 9th and 10th

Paasurams of ThiruppAvai suggest that those who perform

auspicious deeds will enjoy sukham here as well as in the other

world. This goPi is one, who gives aanandham to KrishNan.

She vowed to observe the Vratham and yet she isâ€sleeping "

now ( observing Mouna Vratham ). The other gOpis make fun of

her (this gOpi) by reminding her of her earlier resolutions.

The gOpis outside address the sleeping gOpi semi-seriously

asâ€ammanAiâ€( YajamAni or SWamini).The door still

did not open after requesting her ( MaRRamum thArArO Vaasal

ThiRavAthAr).

 

ThuLasi Maahthmyam

Salutation to Sriman NaarAyaNan and His glories are housed

in the passageâ€NaaRat thuzhAi mudi NaarAyaNanâ€Here the Lord

is invoked in the form of wearing the sacred ThuLasi

on His Siras to assure us that His Vratham is to give

the boon of Moksham for those, who perform SaraNAgathi

at His feet(nammAl pORRa Parai tharum PuNNiyan).

 

ThuLasi's glory is also indicated in this Paasuram

( nARRa ThuzhAi Mudi NaarAyanan).â€nARRa Thuzhaiâ€is

fragrant ThuLasi adorning His Siras (over the Kiritam).

It has been presented by Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr

earlier. Lord KrishNA says in this context

in MahA BhAratham:

 

“Among Pushpams, ThuLasi flower is the most sacredâ€.

 

Blue Lotus is lofty in status, when it is used

in Bhagavath AarAdhanam; Red Lotus flower

is loftier than blue lotus; the hundred petalled red

lotus is loftier than the ordinary red lotus with

fewer petals;PuNDarIkam ( 1000 petaled lotus ) is

more venerable than the 100 petaled variety of red lotus.

SvarNa Pushpam is loftier than the PuNDarIkam; even

loftier in hierarchy of venerable flowere is ThuLasi.

It tops the list.

 

ThuLasi was born during the time of the churning of

the milky ocean(amrutha Matanam) by the Lord.The Thulasi

flower, leaves, kattai/log ( Kaashtam) and root are

all important in Bhagavath AarAdhanam, Pithru SrArdham

and Yaagams/Yaj~nams. At Oppiliappan Koil, SravaNa

dheepam has at its center ThuLasi Kaashtai covered by

rags. This KshEthram is ThuLasi Vanam.At SrivilliputthUr,

ANDAL incarnated at the foot of a ThuLasi plant.

During the month of Marghazhi, any one performing

Pongal naivEdhyam for our Lord cooked in the fire made

from ThuLasi Kaashtai obtains indescribable auspiciousness;

so does one, who is cremated with Thulasi Kaashtai sambhandham.

He ascends to Vaikuntam.In Maasi Ratha Sapthami and EkAdasi,

naivEdhyam for PerumAl with food cooked over ThuLasi

Kaashtai gives the phalan of 1000 year long AarAdhanams.

Infinite inded are the glories of TuLasi and the TuLasi

Vana Sudari, SaakshAth KashamA (Godhai).

 

[Extracted from Sri Satakopan swami’s translation of exhaustive Tamil

commentary on Thiruppavai by Sri U Ve PerukaraNai Swami]

 

Andal Thiruvadigale saraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan