nAnmugan thiruvandhAdhi-10

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

In spite of Azhvar explaining the parathvam of emperuman in such detail with

various references the samsAric jeevatmas were not in a position to accept and

cherish the divinity. They still remained in their own world of confusion.

Azhvar got vexed and hence he turned towards emperuman and said, “Oh my lord! It

is so difficult to find people who realize your supremacy. So there is no use

to proceed in advising these people. Let me tell you the same and you listen”

 

Paasuram-5

 

“thoguththa varaththanAi thOlAdhAn mArvam

vagirththa valaiyugirthOl mAle-vugaththil

orunAndru neeyuyarththi vulvAngi neeyE

arunAngum AnAi ari”

 

(thoguththa varaththanAi) the one who had got a collection of boons. He

collected all the boons that one can ask for in this world.

[Hiranyakasipu, asked brahma the following boons: I should not be killed by a

god or man, not in the day or night, not in the sky or on this earth, not inside

the house or outside, not with any type of weapon, not with those that have

wetness or dryness.]

 

(thOlAdhAn) Due to the great boons obtained, he considered himself to be

superior to the brahma himself who granted him the boons and hence became

unbeatable by anyone.

 

(mArvam vagirththa) tore his heart.

 

(valaiyugirthOl) the one who has curved shoulders and nails. This happened due

to the great anger with which emperuman tore open the heart of hiranya.

Considering the word ‘thOl’ to refer to the divine hands of emperuman, some say

that valaiyugirthOl refers to ‘the divine hands that have curved nails’.

 

(mAle) Even at this time of deep anger emperuman had a special soft corner for

prahladan and hence referred to as mAlE! NAmmazhvar says, “seetraththOdarul

peRRavan”. Can love and hatred be at the same instant in a person? But don’t we

find that ‘Even while an elephant fights with a lion it feed its cub’?

(mAlE) SarvEshvara! Is it not clear from this act that you are the lord of even

the brahma and others? Then why are these people confused?

(mAlE) Can a person who grants boons and then suffers due to the same be the

supreme? Or will the person who saves them from this difficulty be the supreme?

Can people not analyse even this fact?

 

But Oh! azhvar don’t we hear that srushti (creation) and samhAram(destruction)

are done by brahma and rudran? Asked some people. Azhvar keeps this question in

mind and responds as follows: ‘Oh! Lord don’t you stay as antharyami inside all

the devas and do the respective jobs’

 

(vul vAngi neeyE vugaththil oru nAndru neeyuyarththi) During the pralaya kalam

(time of complete destruction) you take the entire existing world into your

stomach and during the time of creation you release them outside.

“Athapagatham” ((attracted by the sun) like the water droplets that hide in the

sunrays being given out as rain during the rainy season.)

[it is not known from where this reference has been taken and the rest of the

line is also not known. Achchan pillai has just given this word as reference

and according to the ‘arumpadavurai’ the meaning is given as ‘like the sunrays

which spreads throughout, the antharyAmi spreads everywhere-nAngilum aruvAi

nindrAi’ but this doesn’t suit the context of commentary and hence the most

appropriate meaning has been shown by sudarsanar in his divya prabhanda sAram

that has been given above]

In the above said way the brahmarudras remain as the sunrays and you remain as

the sun and do the act of creation, sustenance and destruction.

 

(arunAngum AnAi ari) You have only become the devas (gods), manushyas (human

beings), triyak (fauna), stAvaram (flora) and also the jeevatma which do not

have a form. Here the ‘vum’ in ‘nAngum’ indicates that the lord remains as the

achit (non-living thing) also. This is similar to “KshEtrajyam chApi mAm

viddhi” [understand that I am the soul (and the body)]. It can be otherwise

said as “nAngum aru AnAi” here it shows that emperuman exists in all the four

forms as antharyami (“antharAthmAvAi prakAsiththu nindra” reads the vyakhyanam

of periyavAchAn pillai. In another way it can be considered ‘pravEsiththu

nindra’ also as stated by the Upanishads, “vishvAthmAnam parAyanam”

“antharbahischa tat sarvam vyApya nArAyana: sthitha:” “sarvabhoodhAntharAthmA

nArAyana:”)

 

(neeyE ari) In this world of ignorance there is no one to understand these facts

in spite of my insistent talk. You alone can understand. You have only taken

all these forms so you understand yourself (neeyE arunAngumAnai, neeyE ari)

 

Azhvar talks about the story of hiranya to establish the fact that those who

feel jealous while azhvar talks about emperuman’s supremacy will attain the same

fate as hiranya, states appillai in his commentary.

[“vuyarththi- can indicate avadhariththi also” That is in the previous paasuram

azhvar talked about the supremacy of emperuman. Immediately some objected

saying that ‘how can one who took a lot of births and suffered so much be the

supreme?’ For that azhvar answers in this paasuram that his avatharams were to

wipe out his bhakthas sufferings that can add only greatness to him and no where

prevent his supremacy. (vugaththil) in each yuga “sambhavAmi yugE yugE” says

bhagavan in his geetha. (oru nAndru) in each time “yadha yadha hi dharmasya

glAnir bhavathi bhAratha, apyuththAnama dharmasya” (nee yuyarthi) You take

birth in the above stated time by yourself. These avatharams credit his kalyana

gunas. “sa vu srEyAn bhavathi jAyamAna” (he attains more greatness due to his

avatharas) “palapirappAi olivaru muzhunalam” (vuyarththi arunAngumAnAi) and your

birth is not restricted. You take birth in any form. (vulvAngi) the purpose of

birth]

 

(To be continued)

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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