Sri Vishnuchitta kulanandana kalpavalli (Part-30)

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE namaha

Sri Vanachala mahA munayE namaha

 

In the seventeenth paasuram, “ambaramE! tanneerE! sOrE! Aramcheyyum” andal talks about the essentialities of life. One needs water to drink, food to eat, and dress to wear (dhAraka pOshaka bhOgyangal) to live in this world. In the case of Srivaishnavas, Swamy nammazhvar says, “vunnum sOru, parugum neer, thinnum veRRilaiyum ellAm kannan”. The gopis are in the same state of mind and hence they are now standing in front of the thirumaligai of nandagopan and are requesting him to liberally grant them their dress (vastram-ambaram) water (tanner) and food (sOru) all being none other than krishna. They celebrate the generosity of nandagopan. But there is no instance in the puranas where nandagopan has granted all these to any one. Then how does andal say so? Our poorvacharyas answer, “ Since it is natural to find the qualities of a father in the son since krishna has granted food, dress and water to gopalas, gopikas and arjuna respectively the quality should have been inherited only from nandagopan. So they celebrate nandagopan as emperuman (swami, since he grants them the greatest treasure).

 

Srivaishnavas are servants not only to the lord but also to his devotees. That is shown by andal when she calls nandagopan as “emperuman nandagopala” and yesodha as “empermAtti yesOdhAi”. In this paasuram andal first wakes nandagopan who was lying close to the door. Then they woke yesodha who was lying in between nandan and krishna showing the quality of a mother who gives equal importance to the child and the husband and take care of their needs. So she is in the middle. Then they woke krishna but he lay without any reaction because they have forgotten to wake up his elder brother, balaraman so andal then wakes balaraman “semporkazhaladi selvA bala dEva umbiyum neeyum vurangEl” Here it is shown that even emperuman likes to be called with his relation with the bhagavatas. Emperuman always likes to stay in the midst of bhagavatas. That is why whenever two Srivaishnavas meet each other irrespective of age or any other restriction they prostrate each other. It is believed that emperuman stands in between them. Andal celebrates the divine feet of baladevan as “semporkazhaladi” since only after he descended to this world did this world get the bhAkyam of krishna jananam.

 

One beautiful verse in the vyakhyanam is “avan pirappAl pAranthantriyam kondAdi vunnai munnE ezhuppach solkirAn; nee svaroopaththAl pArathantriyam kondAdi avanai ezhuppa sollAdhE” [Oh! Baladeva krishna is asking us to wake you up first because you are his elder brother by birth. But you don’t please tell us to wake him up first since he is the paramatma and you the jeevatma by svaroopa]

 

(To be continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan