MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram 4

April 14, 2007

Sri Parthasarathi thunaiSrimathe ramanujaya NamahaSrimad Vara Vara MunayE NamahaSri vAnAchala mahA munayE

Namaha Paasuram-4

"marundhum porulum

amudhamum thAne tirundhiya senkaNmAl AngE-porundhiya nindRulaga muNdumizhindhu nERERRu moovadiyAl andRulagam tAyOnadi"

tirundhiya – The

reason behind clearly understanding Him alone to be the paramapurushan;senkAn – The divine

lotus like beautiful eyes;mAl – The

sarvEshvaran;AngE – In that

very job of protecting and gracing the world;nindRu porundhiya

– one who settled permanently;vulagam – the

worlds;vuNdu – swallowed

thereby protecting them inside his stomach during pralaya;vumizhindhu – gave

them out during srushti;andRu – once upon

a time;neer ERRu –

accepted water (from mahabali);moo adiyAl vulagam

tAyOn – Measured the worlds with 3 feet;adi thane – the

divine feet alone;marundhum – like

medicine removes the disease of samsara;porulum – wealth

capable of buying anything;amudhamum – nectar

give enjoyment on its own;

Introduction

By this paasuram,

peyazhvar concludes that the divine feet of the sarvarakshakan (all-protector)

alone are both upaya (means) and upEya (goal).

Commentary

For better

understanding, we have to join the first line to the end of the paasuram, as

the divine feet talked about in the last line is elaborated as the prApya (that

to be attained) and prApaga (the means to reach the goal).

How does azhvar prove the lord's divine feet to be the prApyam and

prApagam?

(thirundhiya senkaN mAl)

"tasya yathA kapyAsam pundareekamEva

akshinee" (chand 1-7)[That paramapurusha has two eyes like a lotus blossomed due to

sunlight]

The eyes declare

that this is the supreme lord who has been celebrated by the Upanishads as

above;

"kariya vAgi pudaiparandhu milirindhu

sevvariyOdi neenda kangaL" [says thiruppanazhvar]

The lord's eyes

are red due to pride as he is ubhaya vibhoothi Nathan (master of the two worlds-leela

vibhUthi and nithya vibhUthi) but at the same time he is greatly attracted even

towards those who have a faint interest in Him.

Thus the prApyathvam (capability to be the goal) of the lord is

elaborated.

Instead of

considering 'tirundhiya' to be an adjective for the eyes if we add it with

'mAl' the following meanings sprout out.

i)

He becomes the prApaga and

prApya not giving any hardships to the jeevatmas;

ii)

Even if the jeevatmas refuse to follow

in his way he does not waste time trying to bring them to track instead He

changes Himself according to their wish;

(AngE nindRu

porundhiya) The lord has a steady and concentrated sankalpa (wish/desire) to

protect the worlds.

What did the lord do to protect us?

(vulagam vuNdu)

During the pralaya he swallowed the worlds and protected them inside his

stomach;

(vumizhindhu)

During srushti, he heaved them out;During pralaya, the jeevatmas were also inactive like all other

achetanas inside the stomach of the lord.

Feeling sorry about the sad state of jeevatmas the lord blessed them

with karana (indriyas-sense organs) and

kalebaram(body).

(neer ERRu)

Mahabali was under the wrong impression that he was the master of the worlds. To make him realize his mistake, the lord

filled with compassion posed Himself to be a brahmachari and went to the court

of mahabali begging for 3 feet of land. To give alms it is customary to pour

water in the hands of the receiver and thereby grant him the alms

(udakadArapoorvaka bhiksha). The lord

accepted the water.

(andRu moovadiyAl

tAyOn) "karE neepadhitE tOyE vAmanO

bhootha vAmana:" [once the water fell to the hands of vamana, he started

growing]

Thereby vamana

became thrivikrama and measured the 3 worlds.Will anyone think of begging for something that too when the

property actually belongs to self? But the lord out of compassion did it in

order to protect one and all. Thereby proving that He is the means and the

goal.

(tAyOn adi

thAne)The same divine feet of the one who did all the above is-

(marundhum porulum

amudhamum) is the medicine that cures the disease of samsara;Is the wealth that

fetches what we desire (moksha);Is the nectar that

can be enjoyed;

Otherwise,

1. Upayam removes our anishtam (undesirable) and gives ishtam

(desirable). Both these qualities are

there for The divine feet – "marundhum porulum""amudhamum" – upEyam

2. Medicine by itself can cure our disease and give us good

strength so anishta nivruththi and ishta prApthi is done by "marundhum""porulum amudhamum" then shows the 2 divine qualities of the

goal. Wealth cannot be enjoyed as it is

though it paves way for enjoyment whereas nectar can be enjoyed as it is. Similarly His divine feet paves way for

enjoyment and is also enjoyable as it is. Adding more flavour appillai show how the lord as thiruvikrama was

"marundhum porulum amudhamum"

"ennidhumAyam ennappan aRindhilan munnaiya vaNNamE koNdalavAi

endRa mannu namusiyai vAniR

suzhaRRiya minnu mudiyanE.." says

periazhar 1-8-8

marundhu – as he got rid of obstacles (enemies) like namusi;porul – since he came as a beggar and got the divine charitable

quality of mahabali to the world;amudham – By keeping his divine feet on mahabali's head he made

him enjoy divinity;

Thus by this paasuram it has been proved that the divine feet of

the lord alone is both the means and goal.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer

thiruvadigalE sharaNamAdiyen ramanuja dAsanVaradarajan

April 14, 2007

-

Sumithra Varadarajan

ramanuja ; vanamamalai

Cc: oppiliappan

Saturday, April 14, 2007 6:07 AM

MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram 4

Sri Parthasarathi thunaiSrimathe ramanujaya NamahaSrimad Vara Vara MunayE NamahaSri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

Paasuram-4

"marundhum porulum amudhamum thAne tirundhiya senkaNmAl AngE-porundhiya nindRulaga muNdumizhindhu nERERRu moovadiyAl andRulagam tAyOnadi"

tirundhiya – The reason behind clearly understanding Him alone to be the paramapurushan;senkAn – The divine lotus like beautiful eyes;mAl – The sarvEshvaran;AngE – In that very job of protecting and gracing the world;nindRu porundhiya – one who settled permanently;vulagam – the worlds;vuNdu – swallowed thereby protecting them inside his stomach during pralaya;vumizhindhu – gave them out during srushti;andRu – once upon a time;neer ERRu – accepted water (from mahabali);moo adiyAl vulagam tAyOn – Measured the worlds with 3 feet;adi thane – the divine feet alone;marundhum – like medicine removes the disease of samsara;porulum – wealth capable of buying anything;amudhamum – nectar give enjoyment on its own;

Introduction

By this paasuram, peyazhvar concludes that the divine feet of the sarvarakshakan (all-protector) alone are both upaya (means) and upEya (goal).

Commentary

For better understanding, we have to join the first line to the end of the paasuram, as the divine feet talked about in the last line is elaborated as the prApya (that to be attained) and prApaga (the means to reach the goal).

How does azhvar prove the lord's divine feet to be the prApyam and prApagam?

(thirundhiya senkaN mAl)

"tasya yathA kapyAsam pundareekamEva akshinee" (chand 1-7)[That paramapurusha has two eyes like a lotus blossomed due to sunlight]

The eyes declare that this is the supreme lord who has been celebrated by the Upanishads as above;

"kariya vAgi pudaiparandhu milirindhu sevvariyOdi neenda kangaL" [says thiruppanazhvar]

The lord's eyes are red due to pride as he is ubhaya vibhoothi Nathan (master of the two worlds-leela vibhUthi and nithya vibhUthi) but at the same time he is greatly attracted even towards those who have a faint interest in Him. Thus the prApyathvam (capability to be the goal) of the lord is elaborated.

Instead of considering 'tirundhiya' to be an adjective for the eyes if we add it with 'mAl' the following meanings sprout out.

i) He becomes the prApaga and prApya not giving any hardships to the jeevatmas;

ii) Even if the jeevatmas refuse to follow in his way he does not waste time trying to bring them to track instead He changes Himself according to their wish;

(AngE nindRu porundhiya) The lord has a steady and concentrated sankalpa (wish/desire) to protect the worlds.

What did the lord do to protect us?

(vulagam vuNdu) During the pralaya he swallowed the worlds and protected them inside his stomach;

(vumizhindhu) During srushti, he heaved them out;During pralaya, the jeevatmas were also inactive like all other achetanas inside the stomach of the lord. Feeling sorry about the sad state of jeevatmas the lord blessed them with karana (indriyas-sense organs) and kalebaram(body).

(neer ERRu) Mahabali was under the wrong impression that he was the master of the worlds. To make him realize his mistake, the lord filled with compassion posed Himself to be a brahmachari and went to the court of mahabali begging for 3 feet of land. To give alms it is customary to pour water in the hands of the receiver and thereby grant him the alms (udakadArapoorvaka bhiksha). The lord accepted the water.

(andRu moovadiyAl tAyOn) "karE neepadhitE tOyE vAmanO bhootha vAmana:" [once the water fell to the hands of vamana, he started growing]

Thereby vamana became thrivikrama and measured the 3 worlds.Will anyone think of begging for something that too when the property actually belongs to self? But the lord out of compassion did it in order to protect one and all. Thereby proving that He is the means and the goal.

(tAyOn adi thAne)The same divine feet of the one who did all the above is-

(marundhum porulum amudhamum) is the medicine that cures the disease of samsara;Is the wealth that fetches what we desire (moksha);Is the nectar that can be enjoyed;

Otherwise,

1. Upayam removes our anishtam (undesirable) and gives ishtam (desirable). Both these qualities are there for The divine feet – "marundhum porulum""amudhamum" – upEyam

2. Medicine by itself can cure our disease and give us good strength so anishta nivruththi and ishta prApthi is done by "marundhum""porulum amudhamum" then shows the 2 divine qualities of the goal. Wealth cannot be enjoyed as it is though it paves way for enjoyment whereas nectar can be enjoyed as it is. Similarly His divine feet paves way for enjoyment and is also enjoyable as it is. Adding more flavour appillai show how the lord as thiruvikrama was "marundhum porulum amudhamum"

"ennidhumAyam ennappan aRindhilan munnaiya vaNNamE koNdalavAi endRa mannu namusiyai vAniR suzhaRRiya minnu mudiyanE.." says periazhar 1-8-8

marundhu – as he got rid of obstacles (enemies) like namusi;porul – since he came as a beggar and got the divine charitable quality of mahabali to the world;amudham – By keeping his divine feet on mahabali's head he made him enjoy divinity;

Thus by this paasuram it has been proved that the divine feet of the lord alone is both the means and goal.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNamAdiyen ramanuja dAsanVaradarajan