Thiruvaimozi-Pasurams 1-1-1 to 1-1-9

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Thiruvaimozi

of Nammazvar

 

BhakthAmrtham viSvajanAnumOdhanam

sarvArThadham SriSatagopavAngmayam

sahasraSAkhOpanishadsamAgamam

namAmyaham dhrAvidavEdhasAgaram.(Nadha munigaL)

 

Thiruvaimozi of Satagopa (nammAzvAr) is the ocean of Tamil scripture, veda itself in Tamil.I bow down to this which is like nectar to devotees,delight of all people in the world,and comprises of all the truths and the essence of the upanishads.

 

Thiruvaimozi is the work of NammAzvar also known as Satagopan because he was not born in the natural way but manifested himself and hence not influenced by the SatavAyu which destroys the memory of previous births before the embodied soul is expelled from the womb of the mother.He manifested in the month of viSakha and the star of viSAkha in Thirukkurugur.He never ate or drunk anything since his manifestation and nor talked and while young he sat in meditation under a tamarind tree in front of the temple in Thirukkurugur.

ThiruvaimoZi is supposed to be equal to the vedas and expounds the meaning of dhvaya manthra and arThapanchaka.It contains more than thousand pasurams, divided into ten parts of ten sections each,and

rich in meaning.We will enjoy the nectar of Thiruvaimozi in these pages.

 

PartI

 

Section I- The nature of the Supreme Being

 

I.I

uyarvaRa vuyarnala mudaiyavan yavanavan

mayarvaRamadhinalam aruLinan yavanavan

ayarvarum amarargaL adhipath yavanavan

thuyarRu Sudradi thozudhezen manane

 

Oh mind, rise up bowing to the glorious feet, which destroys all grief, of Him who has no one higher than Him in nature and qualities, who gives the knowledge that removes delusion and who is the Lord of the immortal devas.

 

UyarvaRa-none higher to him.

 

In Bhagavatgita Arjuna says on seeing the visvaroopa, cosmic form of the Lord, 'na thvathsamO asthi abhyadhikaH kuthaH anyaH, there is no one equal to you and hence who can be higher? Upanishad declares the supremacy of the Lord by 'yathO vAchO nivarthanthE aprApya mansA saha,'(Taitt-Anandhavalli)the speech returns without reaching Him along with the mind, meaning that He is beyond description and beyond conception. His unparalleled excellence is svabhAvika, natural and not acquired.

 

uyarnalam udaiyavan- He has infinitely auspicious qualites. Abode of infinite bliss and power or glory.This denotes His anantha kalyANa guNathvam as well as hEyaprthyaneekathvam, absence of blemishes of any sort.

 

Yavan-He who is described as such, avan- He, is the one who has given aruLinan, wisdom and devotion madhinalam, which is devoid of ignorance and delusion, mayarvaRa. The word mayarvu means jnAna anudhaya, absence of jnana which gives way to anyaTHA jnAna or vipareetha jnana, misconception. Azvar was endowed with jnana and bhakthi from birth and he says 'aruLinan,' because it was due to His grace which was ahaithukam, without any reason except His mercy. Ramanuja says in Sribhashya mangala sloka "let me have wisdom born out of devotion," 'SEmushee bhakthiroopA.'

 

AyarvaRu amarargaL adhipathi- The eternal souls, nithyasooris who never had loss of memory about their real nature. He is the overlord of them all.

 

thuyaraRu- One who removes all sorrow.

 

Sudaradi-even though only the feet are mentioned the implication is about His dhivyamangalvigraha, the divine auspicious form.

 

thozudhu ezu -rise above the transmigration by knowing His real nature and worshipping Him.

 

mananE-the mind is addressed thus because the mind is the only cause of bondage.'mana Eva manushyANAm kAraNam bandhamokshayOh.'

 

 

The meaning of PraNava has been made out in the first syllables of the three lines of the first pasuram, namely, U,M and A. The order is changed according to the belief that the vedamantra should not be said as it is, in contexts other than veda.

 

UyarvaRa uyarnalam means the Lord has Sri who is the highest and best.Therefore He is mayarvaRa madhinalam aruLinan, because His mercy is only due to the influence of the divine mother. He is also ayarvaru amarargaL adhipathi because He is Sriyahpathi.Hence one should surrender to His feet, which is capable of removing sorrow, thuyaraRu Sudaradi thozudhezen mananE.

 

The first line speaks about His soulabhyAdhi, (that is easy accessibility etc.) attributes, kalyana gunas which made Him take His abode in the milky ocean in order to protect the world.

 

The second line denotes Him as the antharyAmi, the inner self of all, who gives the real knowledge.

 

The third line describes His parathva, supremacy as residing in Vaikunta , as the master of the eternal souls.

 

Sinilarly the three lines also refer to Thirumala,Srirangam and Kanchi.

UyarvaRa uyarnalam denotes the highest of the Divyadesas , Thirumala where the Lord descended from Vaikunta.Udaiyavan is Venkatesa, also known as ThiruvEngatamudaiyan.There He is Anadhamaya and the vimAna is AnandhavimAna.

 

PraNava , the source of all vedas is the one which gives wisdom and i Srirangam the vimAna is praNavAkAra.Through PraNava bhakthi is attained.Therefore mayarvaRa madhinalam aruLinan means Arangan, RanganAtha of Srirangam. The Lord has further descended from Thirumala in order to guide us through knowlegde and devotion.

 

The word AmarargaL adhipathi means Devaraja of Kanchi.

 

The last line thuyaraRu Sudaradi refers to all His luminous archavatharas which when worshipped removes all grief due to samsara.

 

Thus pasuram is considered as the synopsis of the SAreerakSAsrhra, that is, Brahmasuthra. The first line describes the nature of Brahman which is the topic of the first adhyaya of Brahmasuthra. It shows the samAbhyadhikarahithathva, the unequalled and unexcelled nature (uyarvaRa uyarnalam udaiyavan) of Brahman.The second line denotes the contents of the second adhyaya, namely, the refutation of all that is against the knowledge of Brahman (mayarvaRa madhinalam) and the third line describes the means of attainment of Brahman, that is, through bhakthi marga, which is outlined in the third adhyaya of Brahmasuthra and the last line is about the attainment, mukthi, the subject matter of the fourth adhyaya.

 

pasuram1.2

 

mananaga malamaRa malarmisai yezutharum

mananuNarvaLavilan poRiyuNar vavaiyilan

inan uNar muzunalam edhir nigaz kazivinum

inan ilan enanuyir migunaraiyilanE

 

He can be understood only turning inward when the ignorance is dispelled through spiritual discipline such as yama and niyama, that is, controlling indriyas and the mind.Then the flame of jnana rises upward and pervades and He is seen as being beyond the comprehension of the mind and the senses. The infinite knowledge and bliss is experienced and He is perceived as one's own Self who has no comparison in the past,present and future, with no one equal to or excelling Him.

 

Manan agam - with mind turned inward, malamaRa- free of impurities , the mind becoming pure through spiritual discipline.malar-blossoming, misai - upward, ezutharum- burning high.

manan uNarvu aLavilan-He cannot be comprehended by the mind, being beyond mind and intellect.

pori unarvu avai ilan- cannot be experienced by the sense organs.

uNar muzunalam-infinite knowledge and bliss.

edhir-future,nigaz -present, kazivu-past.

inan ilan, migu narai ilan- no one equal to Him or higher.

ennuyir- He is my inner Self.

In this pasuram ,the following characterestics of Brahman,that is, Narayana, namely, hEyaprathyaneekathvam, absence of blemishas, ananthakalYANa guNa thAnathvam, possessing infinitely auspicious qualities, chidachitvilakshaNathvam,difference from sentient and insentient beings, sAdharmya vaidharmya dhrshtAntha rahithathvam, nothing being similar or different, Saririthvam, being the inner Self of all , are all brought out. The main idea of the verse is the sarira-sariri bhava, the body-soul relationship between the jiva and the Lord

 

Pasuram1.3

 

ilanadhu vudaiyan idhena ninaivariyavan

nilanidai viSumbidai uruvinan aruvinanan

pulanodu pulanalan ozivilan parandha, an-

nalanudai yoruvanai naNuginam nAmE

 

He cannot be limited by saying "He has this only and not that." because He is beyond the mind and intellect.He encompasses all the universe and the regions above and He is with and without form.He is not the object of the senses though present everywhere. We have the good fortune of resorting to Him with all the qualities enumerated in the foregoing verses.

 

ilan adhu, udaiyavan idhu-He has that, He has not this.

ena ninaivu ariyavan- He could not be thought of as such.

nilanidai- all the earth including under-world.

visumbidai- all the heavenly regions.

uruvinan aruvinan - His imminence as the sariri of all beings, and His transcendence as existing everywhere and hence no form , because having form would limit Him.

pulanodu pulanalan- not the object of the

senses

Ozivilan parandha- all pervading.

annalanudai oruvanai - Him who has all these qualities.

naNuginam nAmE-we have come near.

 

ilan adhu denotes that He has no worldly attributes and udaiyavan idhu means that He has all this, the universe of sentient and insentient beings as His Sesha, property (sarvaSeshithvam).Since he has everything it is not possible to say what He has and what he has not.

nilanidai----parandha- He is the Lord of the whole Universe.His Isvarathvam is denoted.

The second and third lines together shows that Brahman is not having any contact with the beings though He is found in everything.Kamban says about the Lord, 'thoyndhum poruL anaitthum thOyAdhu ninra sudarE, You are the light that is in contact with everything yet You are not connected with them in the real sense of the term. The Self is described in Gita as 'yaTHA sarvagatham soukshmyAth AkASO nopalipyathE sarvathrAvasTHitho dhEhE thaTHAthmA nOpalipyathE, just as the space existing everywhere and hence on contact with everything is not touched by anything, so too the Self though existing everywhere on the body is not touched by anything. The Supreme Self being the inner Self of all like wise is not in contact with anything.

 

In the first Pasuram the Brahman is denoted as proved by the vedas. In the second, the nature of the Supreme Self paramAthmasvrupa is described. In this, the connection between the Lord and the world is elucidated, bringing out the sarirasariribhava, and that the two are in inseparable relation, aprthaksiddhi. Thus the first three pasurams consist of the essence of Thiruvaimozi and the rest of the ten verses in the section are the elucidation of the first three.

 

Pasuram-1.4

 

nAm avan ivan uvan avaL ivaL uvaL evaL

nAm avar ivar uvar adhu idhu udhu edhu

veemavai ivai uvai avai nalantheengavai

AmavaiyAya vaiyAy ninra avarE

 

nAm refers to first and second person and the rest denotes third person.

avan ivan uvan includes all men and avaL,ivaL,uvaL denotes women among human beings and avar,ivar,uvar refers to divine beings. adhu idhu etc means inanimate things such as trees and hills the same in plural is referred as ivai avai etc.

 

veemavai means all these which are transcient.

nalantheengavai are that which is good and that which is bad.

Amavai Ayavai refers to the future and the past.

 

All these are nothing but Brahman is meant by Ay ninra avarE.

 

This pasuram implies the import of the upanishad 'sarvam khalu brahma thajjalAn ithi SAntha upaseetha.'(Chan.3.14.1) the meaning of the upanishadhic declaration is this: All this is Brahman. He, thath(Brahman) creates, ja and la annihilates and an protects all (thajjalAn). This truth should be meditated upon with a calm mind.The word tajjalAn is split as thath+ja+la+an.

 

This pasuram indicates that all beings are Brahman only in reality. He is the inner self of all, which form His body, the sarira-sariri bhava.The implication of the mahavakya , Thathvamasi, is also stressed by this pasuram of which the subsequent ones elaborate.

 

 

pasuram1.5

 

avaravar thama thamadhaRivaRi vagai vagai

avaravariRaiyavarenavadiyadaivargaL

avaravRiraiyavarkuraivilar iRaiyavar

avaravar vidhivazi adaiyaninranarE

 

avaravar thamdhamadharivaRri- Everyone, avaravar , comprehend according to their individual intellectual capacity, thamdhamadhu arivaRi, through different methods, vagai vagai, like japa , yaga etc.

 

avr avar iRaiyavar ena adi adaivargal- each one resort to their own deity and reach union with that.

 

avaravar iRaiyavar kuRaivilar iRaiyavar-The Lord Narayana grants them their prayers in that ,that form in which they worship Him. He is described as kuRaivilar, since He is the indweller of all and thus all pervading.

 

Krishna says in Gita, 'yO yO yAm yAm thanum bhakthah SraddhayArchithum icchathi; thasya thasya achalAm SraddhAm thAmEva vidhaDHAmyaham,' that He gives steadfast faith to those who wish to worship God in which ever form. It is because God is one. 'yEpyanya dhEvathA bhakthAh yajanthE SraddhayAnvithAh; thE pi mAmEva kounthEya yajanthi avidhipoorvakam, in whichever form people worship with full faith they worship only Me in a way not ordained. '

 

Then why do people have different mode of worship and different forms to worship? It is so according to their propensities acquired due to their karma.avaravavidhivazi adaiya ninranarE

 

While in the previous pasuram all beings are shown to be His sesha, that is they belong to Him and exist for Him, in this pasuram the Lord is depicted as the protector.

 

Pasuram1-6

 

Ninranar irundhanar kidandhanar thirindhanar

Ninrilar irundhilar kidandhilar thirindhilar

enrumOr iyalvinar ena ninaivariyavar

enrumOr iyalvodu ninra vemdhidarE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ninranar- who is standing, irundhanar- sitting, kidandhanar-lying down, thirindhanar –moving about.

Ninrilar etc denote inactivity meaning not standing etc.

enrumOr ----ariyavar- The Lord cannot be associated with any one particular activity since all activities are by His will. To do and not to do both requires the will of the Lord.

enrumOr iyalvodu ninra- He is always the same and cannot be defined as such , transcending word thought and deed. Ninra implies that He is ever existent and eternal, being the one and only reality, all pervading.

Em dhidarE- He is our master, firmly established through the Vedas. The implied meaning of these lines ninranar etc. is that all beings, in what ever state they are, denote only Brahman as Ramanuja has said in sribhashya that all words have their connotation in Brahman only.

 

Pasuram7

 

dhidaviSumberivaLi neer nilam ivai misai

padarporuL muzuvadhumAi avai avai thoRum

udalmiSai uyirena karandhengum parandhuLan

Sudarmigu SuruthiyuL ivai unda suranE

 

 

Dhida means gross. viSumbu is AkASa, eri is fire, vaLi means wind, neer nilam denote water and earth respectively, thus naming the four gross elements which are the cause of the gross universe.

Ivai misai padar means having these as the material cause and poruL is the gross universe of all beings.

Muzuvadhum Ai- pervading all beings in the universe and avai avai thorum means pervading even their cause, that is the gross elements.

 

The process of creation as described in the Upanishads is as follows:

Brahman or `sath' that was one only without a second, willed to become many and created the space, Akasa, from which came vayu, wind and from the wind came fire, tejas and from fire water originated and lastly from water prthvee the earth came about.

 

In accordance with the theory of visishtadvaita the world , the individual soul and Isvara, the Lord, are real. The other two being the sarira of the Lord. Hence Azvar says dhidavisumbu, implying it is solid and real. The reason for enumerating the elements by name is to refute the theory of naiyayaikas or the school of logicians that the world was created only out of the paramanus, primary atoms of the four gross elements excluding Akasa.

 

This pasura emphasizes the sarira-sariri bhava one of the key concepts of visidshtadvaita by the sentence udal misai uyir ena, as the soul inside the body. Karandhengum parandhuLan means that He pervades all beings inside and outside unmanifest. This implies the transcendence and imminence of the Lord. He is unmanifest in the world as the inner self.

 

But He is manifest in the Vedas like the flame of a lamp, says azvar. Sudarmigu suruthiyuL means He could be perceived in the Vedas which shows him like a luminous lamp.

 

Finally azvar says that the one who has created and sustains the universe as its inner self is the same one who absorbs them all into Himself in the end. Ivai unda surane mens that He is the same divine being who devoured them all. Lord Narayana is the Brahman who creates, sustains and annihilate as per the sruthivakya 'yahtO vA imani bhoothAni jAyanthe yEna jAthAni jeevanthi yasmin abhisamvisanthi thath vijinjsasva thath brahma.' It means "know that to be Brahman from whom all this originate, by whom they are sustained and into whom they all enter in the end.

 

Pasuram -8

 

Surar arivaru nilai viNmudhal muzuvadhum

Varan mudhal Ay avai muzudhundaparaparan

Puramoru moonreritthu amararkkum ariviyandhu

Aran ayan ena ulagazittha maitthuLanE

 

Narayana synonymous with Brahman of the Upanishads, is the Supreme Lord of all,parAparan, being the first cause of the universe varan mudhal Ay, which is incomprehensible even to the devas, surar arivaru nilai. Not only He is the cause thus the creator but also He is the annihilator. Avai muzudhunda parAparan, one who devours all. Thus He is the creator and the giver of knowledge to devas like Brahma, ayan ena amararkkum arivu iyandhu and He is also the annihilator, Rudra who burnt the three cities, aran ena puramoru moonreritthu.

 

Here it should be remembered that the words Brahma and Rudra denote the trinities and not the Supreme Being. Srimadbhagavatha and Vishnu purana describe the creation of the Universe and Brahma sprung from the lotus in the navel of Narayana and Rudra was born from Brahma. Narayana assuming the rajo guNa becomes the creator and when He assumes thamo guna he is Rudra, the annihilator and He becomes Vishnu when He is all satthva.

 

 

 

 

Pasuram -9

 

uLanenil uLan avan uruvam ivvuruvugaL

uLanalan enil avan aruvam ivvaruvugaL

uLan ena ilan ena ivai guNam udainmaiyil

uLaniru thagAimaiyodu ozivilan parandhE

 

uLan avan enil uLan- If it is claimed that He exists, He does.

 

Avan uruvam ivvuruvugal- In which case all the forms are His.

 

uLan alan enil- If it is contended that He is not, then He becomes all that is unmanifest, avan aruvam ivvaruvugaL

 

uLan ena----udaimaiyil- He has both manifest and unmanifest as His modes.

 

Hence He is ozindhilan parandhuLan, all-encompassing, and all-pervading.

 

The existence and non-existence, both are His modes. In visishtadvaita everything is real and the sentient and the insentient exist in the manifest state after the creation of the Universe and in the unmanifest state before creation destruction does not mean non-existence but only that the thing exists in another state. When a pot is destroyed it does not cease to exist but continues to exist as potsherds. What has been destroyed is only the form and not the substance. It never ceased to exist even before its creation but existed in the form of mud. Even those who deny God cannot deny Him altogether but only deny Him as such.

 

BhAva is being and abhAva is non-being, both are only he modes of Brahman. Abhava can either be prAgabhAva, prior nonexistence or pradhvamsAbhAva , posterior non-existence or destruction , both of which has been denied in Brahman who is eternal and all those with form and those which are formless are nothing but Brahman. Neither mutual nonexistence , anyonya abhAva, as when we say that the pot is not the cloth is appropriate with Brahman because there is nothing else except Him everywhere. Lastly the fourth kind of abhava, namely athyanthaabhAva, absolute non-existence, like that of skyflower, could be said of Brahman because it is the sole reality.

 

That is why Azvar says that He is both form and the formless. When He is not it is because He is not cognized by the normal means of knowledge. Moreover to say a thing does not exist is possible only when assuming that thing o be capable of existence as it is absurd to say that the horn of a hare does not exist. When one says God is not he first assumes a thing called God and then denies it because a thing that never existed cannot be denied.

 

Both existence and non-existence acquire their meaning because of Brahman because He pervades all and exists as form and formless both of which are His attributes.