Thiruppavai - 13th verse-oh my dear friend! come and join us in this goshti!

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SrI:

SrimathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all

 

Today’s verse: 13th verse for our enjoyment…

 

puLLin vaay kINtaanaip pollaa arakkanai

kiLLik kaLain^thaanaik kIrththimai paatip pOyp

piLLaikaL ellaarum paavaikkaLam pukkaar

veLLi ezhun^thu viyaazham uRaNGkiRRu

puLLum cilampina kaaN pOtharik kaNNinaay

kuLLak kuLirak kutain^thu nIraataathE

paLLik kitaththiyO? paavaay! nI nannaaLaal

kaLLam thavirn^thu kalan^thu ElOr empaavaay. 13.

 

In this Paasuram, a Gopi known for the beauty of

her eyes is being awakened. The Upanishad BhAshyakArar

translates theâ€pOtharikkaNNinAiâ€address of ANDAL

as :â€Pushpa SoukumArya HAri NayanE! " . The beauty of

this Gopi's eyes is bewitching. That attacted KrishNan

in the first place to her. She is lying in her bed

reflecting sweetly on the heroic exploits Krishnan.

She is also going over nostalgically in her mind

about the sambhOgam she had with KrsihNan in that

very same bed, which still retains His fragrance

(dhivya Gandham of this Sarva Ghandhan).

 

Outiside her bed chamber, a shrill argument has

broken out as a result of one gopi addressing

Raaman asâ€manatthukkiniyAnâ€in the previous

Paasuram. The assembled group has broken into equal

groups.One half maintains that Raaman is superior

and the other insists that KrishNan is way ahead of

Raaman in KalyANa GuNams. A senior gopi steps in as

a mediator and points out that both Raaman and KrishNan

are one and the same Sriman NaarAyanan and peace is

restored. The united Gopis now invite the Gopi inside

enjoying KapaDa Nidhrai to join them.

 

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

 

(It is portrayed here that the Gopis, performing

Paavai nOnbhu awaken another girl, who has earlier had

a glimpse of Godly bliss, and who generally keeps aloof,

avoiding association with others). All our friends have

now reached the designated place for assembly (Paavaik-

KaLam pukkAr). They went there singing the praise of

our KrishNan, who tore open the mouth of BakAsuran

(the demonn, who in the form of a crane, came to

assault Him), and who, in His earlier avathAram as RaamA,

chopped off the ten heads of the treacherous demon

king (RaavaNA) and destroyed him. The Venus has now

arisen and the Jupiter has already set. Harken, many birds

(have gotten up) and are chirping. Oh Young and beautiful

girl with charming eyes resembling a flower and that

of a doe ! all of us should go to the river and plunge

deeply in the water that makes us shiver ; instead you are

wiling away the time lying on the bed,--is this proper ?

Oh dear girl ! it is truly a great day for us. Kindly

leave your restraint (and aloofness) and join us freely.

 

SapdEsArthams(Inner Meanings): Abhinava Desikan

 

This paasuram is about a sishyan, who is sitting

apart without going to his AchAryan's side during

KaalakshEpa vrutthi (the activity of learning).

 

The AchAryan is saluted asâ€puLLin Vaai keeNDAn

and pollA arakkanai kiLLik kaLainthanâ€since he

has controlled the ten IndriyAs and manas; he has

destroyed further the Bhaka Vrutthis (Crane like,

pretending naasthikAs and dhurvAdhis). This sishyan

is invited to sing the praise of the AchAryan like

the other sishyAs, who have already reached the side

of the AchAryan for absorbing the visEsha arthams of

Sri Sookthis from him.This KaalakshEpa kootam is

described asâ€Paavaik kalamâ€. The sishyAs are

enjoined to sit still like statues (padhumaikaL pOl)

in a state of rapture absorbing the special meanings

of Sri Sookthis that are being explained by the AchAryan.

This is the blessed day of SadAchArya sambhandham

(nannAL). You must join us and share with us fully

all your knowledge obtained through deep reflections

over the AchArya UpadEsams that you have been blessed

to receive.

 

PerukkAranai Swamy's svApadEsArthams

 

Oh Gopi with serious intent on spending your

time on sadh Vishayams! Some members of our

group have already reached the AchAryan's house to

attend to his KaalakshEpam intended for gaining

Moksha siddhi as adhikAris for performing prapatthi.

They have arrived at the AchArya Peetam singing

the AchAryan's glories during their journey there.

 

Jn~Anam (VeLLI= Venus)has arisen (udhayam); Ajn~Anam

(ViyAzhan=Jupiter)has disappeared (asthamanm).

The AchAryAs as GatakAs (one who unites the chEthanams

with BhagavAn through aathma samarpaNam) are actively

performing upadEsams on SaasthrArthams.It is strange

to see you sitting still (in samsAram) like a statue

instead of aspiring for Moksha Sukham of being with

the Dhivya Dampathis and Nithya, Muktha Jeevans in

Sri Vaikuntam.On this auspicious day to acquire

the covetable wealth of divine jn~Anam, please

discard your activities relating to AathmApahAram

and goals of just being satisfied with Kaivalyam and

enjoy the company of the Lord with the help of

the AchAryan in the spirit ofâ€avibhAgEna dhrushtathvAth " .

 

Additional thoughts of PerukkAraNai Swamy

 

(1) This gopi is firm about her assessment that

it is the Lord, who has to come to her because

of her most beautiful eyes. She does not think that

she should go to Him.

 

(2)â€PuLLin Vaaik keenDAnaiâ€is about KrishNa's

valor. After He cleaved the beak of Bakaasuran

and killed him, then, the young gOpAs plucked

the feathers of the bird-shaped asuran and hung

them(feathers) up like a thOraNam to remind all about

what would happen if some one commits unpardonable

apachAram to the Lord (YaadhavAbhudayam of Swamy Desikan).

 

(3)â€pollA arakkanâ€is Raavanan ; saadhu arakkan

is his saathvik brother, VibhishaNNan.His saathvik

tendency and gratefulness to Raamachandran for

accepting his Prapathti is described by Kamban as:

“panju yena sivakkum menkAl Deviyai pirittha paavi

Vanchahanukku-ILaya yennai, varuha yenRu aruL seythAnE " .

 

(4)â€pOtharikkaNNinAiâ€: Swamy gives 10 intrepretations

to this lovely address of the gOpis.

 

(5) KuLLakkuLira Kudainthu NeerAdAthEâ€: This deep

immersion in the pond of Bhagavath anubhavam is

KuLLak kuLira NeerAduvathu (yEsha Brahma pravishtOsmi).

KulasEkarar in Mukuntha Maalai referred to this

aanandha anubhavam as :â€Hari Sarasi vighAhya " .

Dipping for snAnam in the water upto the neck is

" Kudainthu neerAduvathu " ; performing snAnam with

BhagavAn (as in theerthavAri or avabrutham) is

“KuLirak kudainthu neerAduvathu " . Bathing in

sacred YamunA with BhagavAn and BhAgavathars is

" kuLLak kuLira kudainthu neerAdukai " .The SnAnam

performed without Bhagavan naama smaraNam and uccharaNam

is like crows and elephants taking bath in the river.

The snAnam perfromed with Bhagavath smaraNam and VaruNa

manthra Japam involving VaruNAntharyAmi, BhagavAn,

is the Utthama snAnam referrd to by ANDAL here.

 

(6)â€PaLLikkidatthiyO? " : The gOpi being awakened is

really not sleeping.She is chewing in her mind

over her blissful anubhavam of union earlier with

the Lord on that bed. She had KrishNa sparsam before.

The gopis say:â€You are like a Paavai (Bhommai)

and as such do not have the skills to understand that

the MaayAvi has left and that he is no longer at your

side. Please desist from the act of picking fallen

grains from the field instead of accessing the grains

stored in the granary (ViLaintha nell kidakka,

udhir nell pRukkuhiRAyO?) " .

 

(7) " kaLLam Tavirnthu " : It is not permitted to enjoy

sweet things by oneself(self-gratification); they have

to be shared with other bhakthAs of the Lord. This Paasura

vaakyam has led some commentators to connect this paasuram

to AchArya RaamAnujA, since he did not keep the UpadEsams

on rahasyArthams that he received from ThirukkOshtiyUr nampi

just to himself, but spread it through AchArya paramparai

for the ujjeevanam of limitless samsAris.â€KaLlam tavithavar

RaamAnujarâ€is the statement recognizing his oudhAryam.

 

(8) another thought about neerAttam: Thinking of the Lord

is NeerAttam; ArchAvathAra sEvai isâ€kudainthu neerAttam " ;

Thinking of Vibhava avathAram (RaamA and KrishNA) is

KuLira NeerAttam " ; the darsanam of Sri VaikuntanAthan

isâ€KuLLak KuLira NeerAttam " , the ultimate bliss.

 

[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