Sri Srinivaasa Vaibhavam- AndAL anubhavam on ThiruvEnkatam- Nacchiyaar Thirumozhi- tenth decad- eighth verse

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest all,

Let us now continue on GodhA PiraaTTi’s Naacchiyaar

Thirumozhi verses... on ThiruvEnkatam… [Extracted from

the most wonderful translation of Smt Kalyani

Krishnamachari based on Sri Sadagopan Swamin’s

treatise and acharyas’ commentaries.]

 

Let us enjoy the final verse 10.8 [from Nachiar

Thirumozhi] today… This completes AndAL’s anubhavams

of ThiruvEnkatam.

 

mazhaiyE! mazhaiyE! maN puRam pUSi uLLAi ninRa

mezhugu URRinARpOl URRu nal vE nkaTattuL ninRa

azhagap pirAnAr tammai en ne njattu agappaDat

tazhuva ninRu ennai tagaittuk koNDu URRavum vallaiyE

10.8

 

Oh rainy clouds! In making vigraha-s etc., it is

common to first make a figure of wax, then coat it

outside with clay, and then melt the wax inside and

pour it out. The azhagar of tiruvE nkaTam has

similarly embraced me outside, and is melting me

inside out and destroying me. Won t you first unite me

with Him so that I can embrace Him closely just as I

am imagining in my mind, and then shower your rains

over both of us to your heart s content? [Meaning from

SrI SaDagOpan mama’s [of New Yorls] tamizh treatise:]

 

Wonderful anubhavams of SrI Periya Vacchaan Pillai

Swami:

 

The clouds have rained and made the flowers (kArkkODal

etc.) blossom, and the peacocks dance with joy, and

have tortured ANDAL in whichever way they can. Now

they have started showering on her as well, and thus

continue to disturb ANDAL s mind even further. SrI

tirumalai nambi is said to have become deeply

engrossed with the meanings of this pASuram and the

next one, and after chanting these pASurams, will be

filled with tears in his eyes ( kaNNum kaNNIrumAi oru

vArttaiyum SollAdE ), and will become silent and not

be able to proceed further for quite some time.

 

mazhaiyE mazhaiyE: the reason why godai is calling the

clouds two times is that, they are all so far away and

she wants to make sure they can hear her.

 

maN puRam pUSi uLLAi ninRa mezhugu URRInARpOl: People

who make vigrahams first make a wax figure, apply cold

clay on the outside , then melt the wax inside and

pour it out. When emperumAn embraced godai, it was

like applying cold clay on the outside. When her heart

melted and turned inside out, it was like heating up

the wax to expel it outside.

 

azhagap pirAnAr tammai: He is endowed with the

soundaryam that is so captivating everyone, and I am

totally out of my control.

 

en ne njattu agappaDat tazhuva ninRu: I should embrace

Him in the same form as He is in my heart, unlike the

current state where He eludes me as soon as I stretch

out my hands to embrace Him. When we are together thus

embraced and together just as bANAsuran's daughter

Ushai and kaNNan's grandson aniruddhan were chained

together in the same jail, then you pour your rain on

both of us to your heart s content; not now when I am

alone and depressed.

 

Additional enjoyment from SrI PB Annangarachar Swami:

The raining clouds with whom godai had already talked

to in viNNIla mElAppu had been the cause of several

things and events that have tortured her (like the

flowers, fruits, the dancing of the peacocks etc). In

addition to killing her through these, the clouds have

now started raining on her and directly hitting her.

Rain during the vislEsha kaLam (viraha tApa kAlam) is

not a welcome event for godai. Hence, she is

requesting them to rain during the samslEsha kAlam,

when the rain s varsham will be Anandakaram .

 

Divine commentary from SrI UttamUr

Vijayaraghavachariar Swami:

SrI UttamU Swaami gives a couple of alternate

interpretations for this pASuram. One involves taking

the phrase maN puRam pUSi uLLAi ninRu mezugu

URRiNARpOl URRu nal vE nkaTattuL together, and

interpreting the phrase maN puRam pUSi to refer to

tiruvE nkaTam Hills, and mezugu URRiNARpOl to refer to

the pouring waterfalls over the divine Hills. The

anubhavam here is that tiruvE kaTa malai looks like a

huge rock coating over some object, and bhagavAn is

pouring the waterfalls on these Hills like pouring the

molten candle over this shape.

 

The second interpretation is that ANDAL is praying to

the clouds that in addition to their pouring their

waters on her, they should embrace Him and bring him

over and shower Him also on her (azhagap piRAnAr

tammai URRavum). This way, He will be close to her

(ennait tagaittuk koNDu) just as she imagines in her

mind. There is a coating in her mind of the desire to

be close to Him, like the wax coating on the figure

referred to earlier.

 

If the clouds bring Him and pour Him on her mind (en

ne njattu agappaDat tazhuvik koNDu ennait

tagaittukkoNDu URRavum), the wax of desire will melt

away because her desire would have been fulfilled.

 

ANDAL feels: Currently, I am looking at objects like

you and my desires grow out of proportions out of

despair. If you rain Him on me in such a way that He

is with me the way I imagine in my heart, then I will

not have to look outside at objects like you any more

:

( naishA paSyati rAkshasyo nemAn pushpa phaladrumAn

ekasta hRdayA nUnam rAmamevAnupaSyati rAmAyaNam

sundara kANDam )

 

mazhiyE mazhaiyE: Can mean several rain clouds or

clouds that are far away or for calling the clouds

with love to request them for their help [[compare

agastya s words in Aditya hRdayam when calling rAma

with love: rAma rAma mahAbAho in yuddha kANDam ].

 

SRI MG Vasudevan Swami enjoys and shares his thoughts

on this wonderful verse subsequent to Smt Kalyani

Krishnamachari’s [above post]

 

Oh rain! Rain! why two times. Think of the nursery

rhymes. " Rain rain go away come again another day " .

Why two times here? - emphasis? Childish repetition?

Rhythmic beauty? Tongue twister to train these young

ones for tougher words? Whatever it be, added taste is

one single answer. Similarly here also. We also invite

people when they visit us and when they are at the

doorstep- " vaa vaa- come, come " - why? is not one vaa

enough? It is the expression of surprise and

expression of the affection in welcoming. Aathmaartha

welcome.

 

1.Oh rains! You " maN puram poosi uLLaai " . When the

raindrops come down from their high places of

atmosphere, they get coated with the dust in the

atmosphere while travelling down. The dust is nothing

but particles of earth. Hence you are coated with maN,

puram- puraththE- outside, poosi- covered uLLaai-

exist or is there. So it is correct. A scientific

truth and a valid point is stated in such simple

words.

 

2. Further " Oh rains! " you are coated with dust-

" puram maN poosi uLLaai " - you have mud in your back-

[mudhugil man ottuthal means a defeat, " pOril puRa

mudhugu kaatuthal pOl " - showing the back in the war

means getting defeated in the war]- this shows, Oh

rains! I have understood that you have failed in your

mission - in that ambassadorial mission- of informing

that

Lord of thruvEnkatam, the plight of this poor lady.

Due to indhra kObam? moved suddenly from thiruvenkatam

to thirumaal irum cholai and then to srivilliputhoor.

So you are unable to bring my Lord.

 

3. In your cloud form you have failed. But I know " Oh

rains! you are capable " . When he comes and embraces me

at that time you are capable to disturb our embracing

each other knowing fully well he may get angry or

bless you for enhancing that taste of embracing me.

 

Is it aanDaaL's self motivation to hope still there is

a chance of meeting him and embracing him?

 

4. Subsequent words are " uLLaai ninRu ooRRu - how it

is

" mezhuguooRRinaarpOl " . uLLaai -uLLe is deformed as

uLLaai- poetic license to change words slightly-

inside this cover of particles of earth, ninRu is or

standing, the ooRRu -the sweet spring water-ooRRu

neer- pure water coming out of a spring in the earth -

similar to the clear melted wax in liquid form kept in

a mud pot.

 

Oh rains! Like that ooRRu, you are also sweet in your

heart -ooRRu uLLaai- like that spring uLLaththin uLLE

nalla eNNam uLLavaa- and with the good intention of

helping me, but you have failed -ok- I accept your

failure. I know your capacity.

 

5. " mezhugu kooRRinaaRpol " - for kooRRu one meaning is

" yaman " another is " sol- word " . The yaman for Mezhugu

is fire. I am like the wax soft and longing for union

with the lord. When you announce your failure by

having

mud in your back, it is like fire for me.

6. But then also I know your capacity. The " nal

venkataththuL ninRa azhagap piraanaar thammai en

nenjaththagappadath ooRRavum vallaiyE " - that

venkataththuL ninRavan- that Lord of thiru vEnkatam-

that lord azhagar piraan - that Lord of thirumaal irum

chOlai- both are one and the same for me - you are

capable of bringing that person- vallaiyE- very

positive on the capacity of rains.

 

For doing what- thammai en nenjaththagappadath

thazhuvi ninRu- I will embrace him -avar thammai- in

such a way that he enters into my mind- en

nenjaththagappada- thazhuvi- embrace- ninRu- when I

stand embracing my lord you are capable of disturbing

our stand- ennai thathaiththuk koNdu ooRRavum

vallaiyE.

 

Another meaning also is possible- en nenjaththagappada

- means when I want to embrace he must cover my

breasts and then embrace so that I enjoy the taste of

his physical contact as well mentally also. At that

stage you are capable of disturbing our embracing by

entering in between us.

 

In other tamil literatures there are verses saying

that the thalaivan and thalaivi when they embrace each

other, there should not be any air gap even

in between (kaaRRu kooda nuzhaiyathapadi

thazhuvuthal). Then only it gives the taste of

embracing. I want such an embrace with the lord says

aaNdaaL. But then also she fears the embrace may be

disturbed by rains. The rain is capable of doing that

is the expression here.

 

7. " maN puram poosi uLLaai ninRu mezhuguooRRinaarpOl

ooRRu nal venkataththuL ninRa azhagap piraanaar " - That

beautiful person azhagap piraanaar who stands in that

thiruvEnkatam venkataththuL ninRa -appears in solid

from outside - maN puram poosi- outside he appears a

hard nut to crack. But inside he is such a parama

kaaruNikan- mezhuguooRRinaarpOl nal ooRRu uLLaai ninRu

- like wax his heart will also melt at his bhakthaas,

dhaasargaL- aNukkar. He is also like the hard earth

outside with a spring having good water inside- nal

ooRRu. Oh what a words- tears flow from eyes for such

a description when I draft these lines.

 

Enjoy the paasuram by reading it and contemplating on

it.

 

AndAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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