Thiruppavai - 2nd verse- Sing in praise of Lotus Feet of Paraman Sriman Narayanan;

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SrI:

SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama

 

Dearest all

 

Let us enjoy the 2nd verse.

 

In the first Paasuram, ANDAL described that Sriman NaarAyaNan ALONE is our

Saviour with the statement:â€NaarAyaNaE NamakkE PaRai TharuvAN " . Our Lord's

Thiruvadi was revealed by ANDAL asâ€PrApya PrApaka Sangrahamâ€,the essence of

the means and the ultimate goal (PurushArtham) for our Moksham.

 

vaiyaththu vaazhvIrkaaL! naamum nampaavaikkuc*

ceyyum kiricaikaL kELIrO * paaRkataluL

paiyath thuyinRa paraman ati paati*

neyyuNNOm paaluNNOm naatkaalE nIraati*

maiyittezhuthOm malarittu naam mutiyOm*

ceyyaathana ceyyOm thIkkuRaLai cenROthOm*

aiyamum piccaiyum aan^thanaiyum kai kaatti*

uyyumaaRu eNNi ukan^thu ElOr empaavaay 2

 

In the second Paasuram (Vaitthu VaazhveerkAL), ANDAL describes about what is

KARTHAVYAM(to be done) and what is THYAAJYAM (to be discarded). ANDAL mentioned

in the first paasuram, what the Lord will do for the ChEthanams and in the

second Paasuram, She lists what chEthanams should do to qualify for His grace.

 

The Meaning of the Second SlOkam by Sr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan

 

“Oh People who reside in this world! May You listen to our austerities, which

we are to follow during our Paavai Nonbhu.(We will observe this routine). We

will sing in praise of the holy feet of Paraman (the Supreme Purushan) that has

taken to sleep (YoganidhrA) merrily on the milky ocean. We will refrain from

consuming ghee and milk (till the end of our Nonbhu). At the early small hours

of the day (dawn), we will bathe (getting ourselves immersed)in the river; we

will refrain from applying kaajal (collyrium -anjanam) to our eyes; we will not

decorate our locks of hair (lit. bind our hairs) with flowers; (we will abide by

the holy text books (SaasthrAs); we will refrain from performing proscribed

duties; we will not speak painful untruth; we will give liberally alms to those

people, who seek for it and even to those, who do not seek for it (to

SanyAsis);we will always contemplate upon the fair method to achieve the aim of

purposeful

life(Bhagavath-BhAgavatha-AchArya Kaimkaryams); and we will (thus)live a

contented life. (This way, Oh dear girl, You may know our routine). { Refraining

from doing wrong acts, through the path of VairAgyA (dispassion) one should

adore the feet of KshIrAbdhisAyin (PaaRkkadaluL paiya-thyuinRa Paramandi paadi)

is what is prescribed/insisted upon in this second paasuram)}.

 

uyyum aaRu eNNi ugandhu- Think and rejoice the way to get saved; Utter Dwaya

mantra. Contemplate Dwaya and its inner meaning...

 

Observances to be practised during Marghazhi Nonbhu:

 

1)ANDL refers to KIRISAIGAL (Observances) in this paasuram.

Karthavya kirisaikaL to be performed are of three kinds:

Vaachikam, Kaayikam and Maanasam (by one's speech, limbs and mind).Singing

/naama Sankeerthanam (paadi) is Vachika kaaryam ;taking bath, giving alms are

kaayikam kaaryams; thinking about Him (yeNNi/reflecting on Him) is the maanasika

kaaryam.

 

2)â€eiyyamum Picchayum Andhanayum kai kaatti UyyumARu yeNNI Uhanthuâ€

Here the power of DhAnam (charities and giving away wealth and time in spirit of

Kaimkaryam) is described in the context of Marghazhi Vratham.

 

“eiyyamâ€refers to samarpanams to AchAryan. " Picchaiâ€refers to samarpaNams

to SanyAsis and charities to BrahmachAris. SanyAsi can also be an AchAryan in

many cases like Srimath Azhagiya Singar, Srimath ANDavans, Sri VaanamAmalai

Jeeyar,Sriman NaarAyaNa Jeeyar and many other YathivarAs.

 

It is also said that description of BhagavAn's glories to His bhaagavathAs is

â€eiyyam†and the sharing of BhagavathA's glories with the Lord

isâ€Picchai " .

 

" Aandhanayum Kai Kaatti UyyumARu YeNNIâ€: To share our wealth to the limit of

our capacity is what is intended here ( " SraddhayA dhEyamâ€andâ€asraddhayA

dEyamâ€of Taittiriya Upanishad is the context).â€Illai yennAthu eethalE nanRU "

is the Old Tamil proverb.â€arthina: prathamE tasya charamAn paryapUrayanâ€is

Swamy Desikan's description of King Yathu, when it came to giving dhAnams to the

limit to those who sought them.

 

" UyyumARu YeNNIâ€: Our reason for sustenance (Ujjevanam) is immersion in the

limitless, auspicious GuNams of our Lord in the spirit of Upanishadic

statement:â€RasO Vai Sahaâ€

 

" UyyimARu YeNNIâ€has also been split this way " Uyyum+aaRu+ yeNNIâ€and

commented upon. Uyyum means the way to Moksham.â€aaRu YeNNIâ€means

repeated reflections on those six doctrines that Lord VaradarAjA gave to AchArya

RaamAnujA through Thirukkacchi Nampi. We seek the life of ParamaikAnthi through

conductance of our lives with these six guidelines given by Lord VaradarAja of

Kaanchi to AchArya RaamAnujA.

 

Theâ€aaRU†referred to by ANDAL to Her fellow gopis are the six mangaLa

vasthus for women:

 

(1) Mettu in toes (Silver aabharanam for the toes)

(2) Valai (bangles) in hands

(3) Nose screw (4) ThirumAngalyam or sacred thread

on the neck (5) Tilakam on the forehead and (6)Pushpam

in their hair.

 

Acts to be discarded during the Marghazhi Nonbhu (vratham):

Vaachika, Kaayika, maanasika thyAjyams (acts to be abandoned/rejected) are :

 

(1) " TheekkuRalaic-chenROdhOmâ€(we will not speak painful untruth and engage in

purposeless talk) is vaachika ThyAjyam (to be abandoned by our speech).

 

(2) " SeyyAthana seyyOmâ€: We will not think on subjects that will lead us

astray.(PraathikUlya Varjanam of SaraNAgathi anushtAnam is referred not only

here but in all thyAjyams referred to above and below).

 

(3) NeyyuNNOm PaaluNNOmâ€: We will not consume ghee and milk, which are day to

day items in the lives of Gopis. (It is easy to reject exotic items in our lives

rather than some thing that is part ofâ€the pleasures of daily lifeâ€).

Bhagavan Naama Sankeerthanam takes the vratham observers's appetite away in the

spirit of ANDAL's father's (PeriyAzhvAr's Paasura Vaakhyams)statements :â€uNNA

nALL PasiyAvathu onRillai (NDP:438) andâ€nedumayAl ulahEzhum aLanthAi-- KooRai

sORivai VeNDuvathillai..â€(NDP: 436). Before, Ghee and Milk were Taarakam

(nourishment)for them ; now Bhagavan Naama SankIrthanam and Hari KathA

PaarayaNam is their nourishment (Taarakam).

 

The guidance here is :â€EkAdasyAm Jaagaranam tathA (One has to be wide awake in

following the prescriptions and the proscriptions of EkAdasi Vratham).Similar to

observing the rites and rejecting those that are not prescribed the Vratham is

undertaken and completed. Here, ANDAL connects such Karthavyam and ThyAjyam to

ThiruppAVai Vratham (Nonbhu).

 

As additional thyAjyams, ANDAL vows that She and Her fellow observants will not

beautify themselves with flower in their hair and collyrium in their eyes (Mai

ittu yezhuthOm, Malarittu naam mudiyOm).

 

“SeyyAthana SeyyOmâ€(Avoiding UpAya VirOdhis)

************************************************

ANDAL vows that during the Marghazhi Vratham, She and her friends will avoid

Saasthra-Viruddha Kaaryams (Those five acts prohibited for PrapannAs):

 

(1) Akruthya KaraNam (Para Himsai, Para sthOthram, Para ThAra parigruham, Para

dhravya apahAram, asathya Kathanam and abhakshya BhakshaNam / Mental-Physical

injury to others, praising human beings, coveting other's wives, stealing

other's property, telling untruth and eating items prohibited by ShAsthrAs).

 

(2) Kruthya akaraNam (Abandoning the prescribed duties (according to their

ability) ordained by ShAsthrAs.

 

(3) Bhagavath apachAram : DevathAnthara worship and equating the glory of Sriman

NaarAyaNA to other Gods, Thought that Raama-KrishNa avathArams as human births,

UpAdhAna NirUpaNam in ArchAvathaaram of our Lord, AthtmApahAram (thinking of

Jeevan as our property and dEhAthma Brahamam, Stealing of the property of the

Lord (temple wealth set aside for His worship), taking money from those, who

steal from BhagavAn's temples.

 

(4) BhAgavatha apachAram: Offending the hearts and minds of the dear devotees of

our Lord.

 

(5) asahyApachAram : intolerance to matters relating to BhagavAn and His

devotees; AchArya apachAram.

 

“Seyyum KirisaikaL kELIrOâ€:

 

ANDAL Appeals to the fellow-gOpis in the spirit of " Bhadram karNEbhi:

SruNuyAma:â€(Listen to the glories of the Lord as an integral part of the

Vratham)and asks them to observe the anushtAnams. These listening & observances

are of three kinds: (1) through Ears (2)â€Through Vaakâ€and

(3) Through Mind.

 

In the first paasuram, ANDAL advised us that we should perform SaraNAgathi at

our Lord's feet with the utterance of Dhvaya manthram.Here, She points out who

qualifies for such anushtAnam (observance) and Uttara kruthyams (the code of

life after Prapatthi/ SaraNAgathi through a SadAchAryan).

 

Who Should we reflect upon?

ANDAL points out that we should meditate upon the Lord Sriman NaarAyaNan, who is

sleeping joyously (with UllAsam) in the middle of

Milky Ocean (MadhyE Ksheera PayOdhi Sesha SayanE).

 

That Sriman NaarAyaNan isâ€PARAMAN "

The Greatest of the greatest One is our Lord, who performs Yoga Nidhrai on Adhi

Seshan in the midst of the Milky Ocean reflecting on ways to come to our rescue.

" Na Tath sama: Nabhyadhikascchaâ€(There is none Equal to Him or Superior to

Him).With Sri MahA lakshmi's sambhandham, He shines as Param JyOthi there and

becomes Parama Purushan and PurushOtthaman.

 

ANDAL addressed us as â€Vaitthu VaazhverkAL†or the BhAgyasaalis, who got the

difficult-to-obtain Nara Janmam (Human birth) to observe the Vratham of

SaraNAgathi and follow the life of PrapannA afterwards and qualify for Nithya

Kaimkaryam in the Transcendent world of Sri Vaikuntam.

 

[from Sri Satakopan Swami's translation of Sri U Ve PerukaraNai Swami's

exhaustive commentary]

Andal Thiruvadigale saraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan