Tirumaalai aRivOm-22

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SrI:

 

Dear Srivaishnavas,

 

 

 

(21)

 

paNivinAl manama thonRip

 

pavaLavA yaranga nArkku,

 

thuNivinAl vAzha mATTA

 

thollainen chE!nee sollAy,

 

aNiyanAr sempo nAya

 

aruvarai yanaiya kOyil,

 

maNiyanAr kidantha vARRai

 

manaththinAl ninaikka lAmE?

 

 

 

Now samsAris advise Azhwar to just relax at a corner and meditate on Him,

instead of seeing Him with eyes. If looking at Him brings all such physical

changes, why he has to see Him. Is just thinking on Him not enough? Azhwar

replies that it is not possible for the mind to think on Him. If the mind

determined in one of the earlier births that He is the only refuge, that

thought itself would have been enough and further births might not have

happened at all.

 

 

 

(paNivinAl manama thonRip) : It is enough for one's cintana (thought) to

'try' to fix on the Lord. The Lord will take it as the reason to bless him.

If somebody wonders whether this simple 'try' is sufficient - then they may

look at the instance, wherein one person feels that he was disgraced by the

other's mere act of beating without really beating.

 

 

 

(pavaLavA yaranga nArkku) : Even with this simple determination of a

chetanan, the Lord's divine mouth seems to comfort the person who has been

suffering thus far.

 

 

 

(thuNivinAl vAzha mATTA) : From time immemorial, the self did not even try

to go towards the Lord. Only the beauty of the Lord has brought him humility

and courage.

 

What is required is 'vyavasAyam' (determination), which was lacking so far.

SrI Janakan was clear in this concept of purushArttham than his acharya

'vedavysa' and advised the same to others.

 

 

 

(thollainen chE!nee sollAy) : anAdikAlam (time immemorial) the mind

(chEtanan) did not even think of his upliftment. Oh my heart, at least try

to tell whether He can be mentally enjoyed.

 

 

 

(aNiyanAr sempo nAya aruvarai yanaiya kOyil) : Srirangam temple looks like

the red-golden mahAmEru mountain. This temple is like an ornament to

samsAram, it is firm and charming like the mEru mountain.

 

 

 

(maNiyanAr kidantha vARRai) : The Lord residing in this temple looks like a

big blue sapphire steeped into the mEru mountain. The temple itself is like

a golden jewel box carrying the Lord inside. SrI Parasara bhattar in His

60th slokam of Rangarajastavam says:

 

 

 

SrIranga antarmandiram deepra Sesham

 

SrIbhoomI tat ramyajAmatru garbham |

 

paSyema SrIdivya mANikyabhUshA

 

manjUshAyA: tulyam unmeelitAyA: ||

 

 

 

SrI bhattar took this tirumaalai pAsuram as the base for this slokam.

(Please see the 66th E-book at http://www.ahobilavalli.org/ebooks_s8.htm for

meaning)

 

 

 

(manaththinAl ninaikka lAmE) : Is it possible to think on His beautiful form

mentally?

 

 

 

sAram of the pAsuram : Even a simple wish to think on the Lord has not been

possible for so many births. How one can meditate on His

divyamangalavigraham (Divine form) now?