Thiruppavai pasuram 13

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Pasuram 13.-puLLin vAi keendAnai

 

puLLin vAi keendAnai pollA arakkanai

kiLLikkalaindhAnai keerthimai pAdippoi

piLLaigal ellAtrum pAvaikkaLam pukkAr

veLLi ezundhu viyAzam urangittru

puLLum silan mbinakANpOdharikkaNNinAi

kuLLakkuLira kudaindhu neerAdAdhE

paLLikkidatthiyO pAvai nee nannALal

kaLLam thavirndhu kalandhElOrempAvAi.

 

You with lotus like eyes, all the girls have gone to the place of pavai nonbu singing about the glory of Him who killed Bakasura by plunging his hand into the beak and who plucked off the ten heads of Ravana.. The Jupiter has set and venus has risen. See, the birds are chirping. and instead of bathing in the cool waters of the river you are pretending to sleep.

 

puLLin vAi keendAnai pollAvarakkanai-kiLLikkaLaindhAnai- refers to Krishnavathara and Ramavathara respectively.Krishna killed the asura who came in the form of stork.He extended his hand into the mouth of the stork and tore the beaks and killed the asura. Rama killed the evilminded Ravana(pollAvarakkan) by cutting his head as easily as plucking it with nails. Some say that this may also refer to Narasimha as the Lord killed Hiranyakasipu with his nails and kiLLi may refer to this act. But arakkan means rakshasa while Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha were asuras, the half brothrs of suras,devas..Still, from the words of Kamban '' irakkam enru oru poruL illAdha nenjinar arakkara enru uLar silar aratthin neenginar," the arakar , rakshasa are those who have no pity and follow adharma, the word arakkan may even refer to Hiranyakasipu. Also if the word 'pollAvarakkan' is split as pollA +varakkan, it may refer to Hirayanyakasipu who got his powers through 'vara,' boon.

 

There is an alternative explanation also which takes the phrase 'puLLinvai-----kiLLikkalaindhanai as one long adjective qualifying Rama only. Here puLL means Jatayu and 'vAi keendAnai pollA arakkanai' refers to Ravana who killed Jatayu and kiLLikkalaindhan is Rama who killed him.

 

pOdharikkaN- means eyes like flower or pOdhu+ari, that is, like the bee in a flower, describing the pupil inside the flowerlike eyes.

 

kuLLa------nannAlal- In this auspicious day of Margazi, one should not sleep but should get up early and take bath in the river before worshipping the Lord. The words 'paLLikkidatthiyO' instead of using the term 'urangal ' implies that she is only pretending sleep and hence she is asked not to be deceitful 'kaLLam thavirndhu.'

 

'veLLi ezundhu viyAzam urangittru' means the setting of ignorance and the rise of knowledge.

 

kuLlakkuLira kudaindhu netrAttam is explained as follows:

NeerAttam = think of the Lord.

kudaindhu neerAttam= to worship Him in archavathara.

kuLira neerAttam= worship Him in His incarnations.

kuLlakkuLira neerAttam=to worship Him in Vaikunta.

 

This pasuram has reference to Thondaradippodi AzvAr as he was born on this day of Margazi. KaLLam thavirndhu kalandhu and kudaindhuneerAdAdhE paLLikkidatthiyo implies the days when he forgot the Lord and his reawakening.