Thiruppavai - 28- Our relationship with You is from Time immemorial; Indestructible; Inseparable; Our ignorance doesn't negate that

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SrI:

SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all

 

Today’s verse: 28th verse for our enjoyment…

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.

 

Significance of the 28th Paasuram

                                 

Dear BhakthAs: In the previous Paasuram (KoodArai

Vellum Paasuram) , the Gopis decalred , " Unnai arutthithu

VanthOm " and requested the blessings of " Paal , sORu ,

AbharaNams , Aadai " et al. That to Lord KrishNa looked

like the Gopis were seeking from Him , the siRRinbhams ( worldly

pleasures) . He was amused  and Our Lord turned around

and asked them: " Oh Gopis! Your mind seems not to be steady .

Are you desiring the perishable pleasures or some thing

higher than that from me ? " . The Gopis recognized the situation

and responded: " Oh Lord , we might have given You the impression

that we are seeking sanmAnam that is commonly asked of You

in a lOka reethi. Our true and inner wish is to have You and

perform kaimkaryams to You always " .

 

Then the pleased Lord revealed to them His Isvaryam

(MahA VibhUthis) and the Gopis were overwhelmed and

sought His pardon (aparAdha KshAmanam)

for taking liberties with Him and forgetting His

SarvEsvarathvam .They say : " Oh Lord of the Universe !

You are Self-complete(Svatha: PoorNan ). We might have

appeared to have offended You due to our Overwhelming

sense of affection (PraNayam ) or attachment(abhimAnam).

For You . You are the most generous (parama OudhAryan). You

are the most compassionate ( parama DayALu). We are

simple folks , who do not know the difference between

our right hand and left hand ( idathu kai , valathu

kai aRiyAtha aai peNNkaL. We do not have the Jn~Anam ,Bhakthi ,

anushtAnam ,AachAram , Vidvath balam to seek You innately as

SiddhOpAyam in the saasthrA-ordained manner .We do NOT have

therefore the seven requisites (states of mind)

needed to approach You ( the SarrvEswaran ) as

a SaraNAgathan:

 

(1)Aakinchanyam ( kai muthal inmai)

(2)Naichyam ( awareness of our lowliness to approach You)

(3)awareness of Your Soulabhyam (ease of access by One & all

(4)awareness of Your Parathvam ( as the Supreme Lord)

(5)awareness of knowledge about Sambhandham( Seshathva Jn~Anam:

   our uRavu to You, which is timeless & indestructible)

(6)awareness of the need to seek Your pardon for our

   trespasses ( aparAtha KshAmanam ).

(7)awareness of the importance of seeking You as

   the only rakshakan to provide the strength

   to seek Your lotus feet as refuge ( " Unnadi sEr vaNNam

   aruLAi , KaLai kaNN maRRilEn ).

 

PerukkAranai Swamy points out that the word " Unn "

is used by the Gopis in an endearing manner THREE times

in this paasuram:

 

(1) UNRRANNAI piRavi perumtannai puNNiyam yAmm udayOm

(2) UNRANNODU uRavEl nammakku ozhikka ozhiyAthu

(3) anbinAl UNRRANNAI siRu pEr azhaithtanavum

 

The Gopis address the Lord as " KuRai OnRum illAtha

GovindhA ! and say " We are unsphisticated cowherdesses

(aRiyAtha PiLLaikaLom ) with the BhAgyam of having You born in

our kulam ( UnraNNai piRavi perumtanai puNNiyam yaamm udayOm).

Out of affection , we have called you by inappropriate names

( anbinAl unn tannai siRu per azhaitthanavum ). We addressed

You as NandhagOpan mahanE and other short names !Please do not

be angry at us ( seeRi aruLAthE)for that . Our relationship is

indestructible ( unthannOdu uRavu ozhikka ozhiyAthu).

You are sEshi and we are sEshans.Even if we do not

have seshathva Jn~Anam , the sEshathvam will

not disappear. Sarva Jeeva seshathvam is incorporated

in Your Pranavam . Therefore Oh SarvEswaran who has descended

from Sri Vaikuntam in the form of a human being to be

with us and bless us !Please grant us the nithya

Kaimkarya purushArtham ! " .

 

The Lord's identity as " PrApya-PrApaka Sangrahan " (essence as

means and goal) was revealed succinctly in the First verse

(NaarAyaNE namakkE paRai tharuvAn) and that quintessential

upadEsam is elaborated in detail in passurams 28 and 29

( KaRavaikaL pinnsenRu and SiRRam siRukAlE vanthunnai

sevitthu).Bhagavath daasyam through Sva-Svaami (servant-

Master) relationship is pointed out here as the way for

our liberation .

 

 

PBA Swamy's anubhavam

                     

In the first Paadham ( karavaikaL pinn senRu ghAnam

sErnthuNpOm ), the Gopis describe themselves as the ones,

who seek their livelihood by tending to cattle in the forests

and thus do NOT have sath-Kaarya Phalan.

 

In the second Paadham ( aRivonRumillA Aaikkulatthu),

they reveal their unfitness (apakarsha anusandhAnam)

to pursue Bhakthi, Jn~Ana Yogams.We are Tatthva-Hitha-

PurushArtha Jn~Ana Soonyars. " Jn~AnEna Heena : pasubhi:

samAna: "

 

In the Third Paadham ( piRavi peRumtanai puNNiyam

yaam udayOm),they refer to the extraordinary BhAgyam

of having KrishNA born as sajAthIyan in their Kulam.

In the fourth Paadham , the Gopis address Him as

" KuRaivonRumillatha GovindhA " .They celebrate here

the moola Sukrutham ( the fundamental , quintessential

bhAgyam ) of Isvara GuNa Poorthy ( PrApya-Prapaka

sangrahathvam and GuNa Thungathvam ). 

In the fifth Paadham ( UnRannOduravEl namakku inku

ozhikka ozhiyAthu), the Gopis celebrate the sambhandha

Jn~Anam

In the sixth paadham ( aRiyAtha piLLaikaLOm anbinAl),

the Gopis identify themselves as the little country

girls without awareness of lOka maryAdhai and without

Bhakthi or Jn~Anam .

In the Seventh Paadham ( UnraNNai siRu pEr azhaithtanavum

sseRi aruLAthE), the Gopis seek PoorvAparAdha KshAmanam

( forgivance for previous trespasses).

In the eighth paadham , the Gopis address te Lord as

" IRaivA " and request for Kaimakerya sampath (Nee ThArAi

parai).Here UpAya apEkshai is made .

The anubhavam of Abhinava Desikan

                                 

Until the 27th slOkam , the VaishNava dinasaris

up to the third stage (ijyA Kaalam ) were described.

In this paasuram , the activities of a Sri VaishNavan

for the fourth and the fifth stages of the day

( SvAdhyAyam and Yogam) are referred to.

During the SvAdhyAya Kaalam , one should approach

BhaagavathAs ( who are like affectionate , milk giving

Pasus) and study the Dhivya Sookthis with them.The PuNyam

( Punniyam YaamudayOm) refers to the state of

wakefulness (Jaagaram) or Yogam to have dhruva

smruthi about the Lord. " anbinAl siRu pEr

azhaitthanavum seeRi aruLAthE " refers to

AparAdha KshAmanam for deficencies in upachArams

during AarAdhanam . " Nee ThArAi paRai " refers to

the prayer to grant vigna-rahitha aarAdhanam

and performance of pancha kaala prakriyAs of

a Sri VaishNavan .

 

[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