Thiruvaimozi-1.5.6

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1.6.6

 

amudham amaragatkeendha nimir sudaraazi nedumaal

 

amudhilum aatRa iniyan nimir thiraineeL kadalaanE

 

The Lord, with the discus of growing brilliance, nimir Sudaraazi, who lies on the milky ocean which is full of high waves and wide, nimir thiraineer kadalaan, is sweeter than the nectar, amudhilum aatRa iniyan, which He helped the devas to obtain, amudham amaragatkeendha nedumaal.

 

The Lord has the chakrayudha which is nimir Sudaraazi, with growing brilliance. It shows His power to destroy all obstacles for His devotees. The milky ocean is wide and full of high waves, nimir thirai neer kadal, which increase because of the association with the Lord who sleeps there. He Himself is the infinitely delicious nectar, amudhilum aatRa iniyan, which frees one from the cycle of birth and death giving immortality. The devas were shortsighted because they entreated Him to help them to obtain the nectar from the milky ocean to make them live for ever while He is the insatiable nectar, aaraaamudhan securing whose grace secures everything including immortality. He gives Himself to those who have ananya bhakthi compared to which the nectar from the milky ocean was a paltry fruit. But still as it was explained in the previous verse He gives what is asked though He is the amudhu for uL kalandhaar. What Azvar means is that the devas having the Lord always there to help them whenever needed, to ask Him for anything other than Himself is like asking a millionaire for few coins.

 

1.6.7.

 

neeL kadal Sooz ilangaikkOn thOLgaL thalai thuNi Seidhaan

 

thaaLgaL thalaiyil vaNangi naaL kadalaikkaziminE

 

By touching the feet of the Lord, who cut off the heads and shoulders of the king of Lanka surrounded by the sea, with our head, let us go through the ocean of life consisting of the days.

 

neeL kadal Sooz ilangai , Lanka which was surrounded by the sea and ilangaiikOn is Ravana. The Lord has cut off, thuNi seidhan, the shoulders thoLgaL, and thalai, heads because he had ten heads and twenty shoulders.

naaL kadal is life which consists of or measured by days between birth and death which is compared to a sea because to cross it over is as difficult as crossing the sea as it abounds in hazards like the sea.

 

There is another version naaz kadal meaning the sea of sin to cross which we need the grace of the Lord. Hence Azvar advises us to spend our life bowing down at His feet, thaaLgaL thalaiyaal vaNangi, with our heads.

 

The reason why Azvar has referred to Ramavathara is as follows. Ramayana is considered as saranagathi sasthra. Rama gave refuge to all irrespective of their caste, creed or species to which they belonged to, ranging from a bird Jatayu, to a rakshasa, Vibheeshana.. He took the trouble of going to Lanka to kill Ravana whom he could have killed with a missile from where he was, if he willed. This is because of his sarnagatha rakshakathva, because of which he gave even Ravana a chance to repent and surrender. He even asked Ravana to go back and come the next day when he was defenseless on the battle field. The mentioning of Rama cutting off all the arms and heads of Ravana implies that Rama wanted to see whether at least one head and one pair of arms will bow to him asking forgiveness. But Ravana was adamant till the end and was killed as a consequence.

 

To the devotee who wishes for nothing but the union with he Lord and to enjoy the nectar of His presence even one day passing without that will be like a ocean to cross. That is the meaning of naatkadal.

 

The ten heads of Ravana denote the indhriyas and the mind that is swayed by them. By cutting off the ten heads means that the Lord frees the mind from the control of the indhriyas and unites it with Him.