Azhvargal thiruppalliezhuchi in Andal's thiruppAvai-7

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

Srimathe rAmAnujaya Namaha

 

Sri vara vara munayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

“poigaiyAr bhoodhaththAr pEyAr pugazh mazhisai

 

iyan arul mAran sEralarkOn-tuiyapatta

 

nAdhan anbartAl thooli narpAnan nankaliyan

 

edhivar thOtrath thadaivAm engu”

 

 

 

Next paasuram, “kanaiththilam kattrerumai” awakens poigaiyAzhvar, the next

predecessor. Generally in sampradayam, sridevi is regarded as the younger

sister and moo devi is regarded as the elder sister. Here andal refers to

azhvar as “thangAi!” “chettai than madiyagaththu” says thirumaalai paasuram.

Here elder sister is referred to as chettai (jhesta is the term in Sanskrit).

Sri Mahalakshmi took avataram in a lotus flower. Vazhi thirunAmam of

poigaiyAzhvar says as follows: “vanasa malarkaruvadhanil vandhamaindhAn vAzhiyE”

(one who took avatara in a lotus flower) indicating the birth of poigaiyAzhvar

also in a lotus flower. Due to this similarity it is apt for poigaiyAr to be

called “thangAi!” Andal’s phrase “ninaiththillam sErAkkum” also suits this

azhvar since he is the azhvar who sang “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyinavendru anji

azhudhEn” (I am crying in fear of loosing all my precious time in a useless

manner). So with his tears this Azhvars wets his house and makes it messy.

Being born in a lotus flower, the house of azhvar (poigai) itself is always

marshy.

 

 

 

Kanaiththu: It is a general practice for anyone to clear his/her throat before

starting to talk something. There is no one who talked before poigaiazhvar.

Being the first among the mudal Azhvars, poigaiazhvar first cleared his throat,

which is indicated by andal in the term kanaiththu.

 

 

 

Elam kattrerumai: erumai means mahishee (consort). By lakshitha lakshanAkramam

(a grammar in sanskrit) this indicates “deva dEva divya mahishee” This azhvar is

equated to the divine consort Periya piratti to Periya perumal. “kandru” here

indicates that poigaiyAr has other Azhvars younger to him to follow him.

 

 

 

Kandrukkirangi: He gave his divine paasurams due to the grace (krupai) he had

on all of us.

 

 

 

Ninaiththu mulaivazhiyE nindru pAl sOra: On thinking about the divine qualities

of emperuman azhvar lost his control and paasurams came flooding out of his

mouth like milk flowing from a cow on seeing its calf.

 

 

 

Paniththalai veezhanin vAsar kadai pattri: Since this azhvar was born in a lake

(poigai) it is natural for anyone’s head visiting his place to be filled with

dew (snow) drops.

 

 

 

SinathtinAl….: This is the praise to emperumAn’s rAmAvathara. This azhvar has

sung a beautiful paasuram about Sri rAmA which has slipped even the divine

knowledgeable eyes of the maharishis. “poomEya mAdhavaththOn thAl panindha

vAlarakkan neNmudiyai pAdhamaththAl enninAn paNbhu” says azhvar. Andal says

“manadhukkiniyAnai” as a parallel term to azhvar’s words “nAmE arikirppOm

nannenjE!”

 

 

 

EniththAn ezhundhirAi: After singing “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyina” with great

sorrow (arthi) is it right for you to still keep sleeping? Enquires Sri godha

piratti. Here it is apt to bring to memory the sutra in mumukshupadi of Sri

pillai lokacharya that reads as follows: “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyinavendru

erandha nAlaikku koopidukiravanukku vuranga viragillai”(it is not suitable for

one who has cried for loosing all his precious time to still keep sleeping)

 

 

 

Anaiththil aththArum arindhu: This brings to our memory the words of

poigaiazhvar, “ariyumulagellAm yAnEyum allEn”

 

 

 

With this paasuram andal awakens all the Azhvars elder to her. Keeping the

count of Azhvars to be 12 in number, andal and madurakavigal are also included

in the ghosti of Azhvars. Thereby this paasuram can also be considered to

awaken madurakavigal and andal. Here narchelvan thangAi! Can be read as

narchelvan than kaiyE! (Hand to the good person). Here narchelvan is none other

than nammazhvar. Nammazhvar gave the divine paasurams of thiruvaimozhi, which

was recorded by madhurakavigal who acted as the hand of nammazhvar, and hence

here narchelvan thangAi can be considered to refer to madurakavigal also.

 

 

 

Again if we consider narchelvan to be EmperumAnAr then his sister is none other

than andal herself and hence here narchelvan thangAi! Can indicate towards andal

also (“kOdhattra jnAnaththiruppAvai pAdiya pAvai thangai”, “perumbhoodur

mAmunikku pinnAnAl vAzhiyE”). All these are only anubhavams to enjoy the divine

paasurams and hence questioning if andal can awaken herself becomes senseless.

 

 

 

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

 

 

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan