Thiruvaimozi-1-5-8

[Guest guest]

undaai ulagEzum umizndhu maayaiyaalpukku

undaai veNNai siRu manisar uvalai aakaai nilai eydhi

maNdhaan sOrndhadhu undElum manisarkkaagumbeer

siRidhum

andaavaNNam maN karaiya neyyooN marundho maayonE

 

O Lord of wonders! You ate the whole universe at the time of dissolution and again gave it out on creation. You then entered into everything and also took a human form and ate butter. Did you eat butter in order to dissolve a little of the earth that was left in your stomach lest it would create indigestion?

 

Undaai ulagEzum- You ate al the seven worlds, meaning , The Lord withdrew into Himself the whole creation at the time of dissolution.

Umizndhu- again He gave it out as they were, before at the time of creation. The process of creation and dissolution are going on for ever.

 

The Upanishad says, `sadheva soumya idham agra aaseeth, ekameve adhvitheeyam,' the sath, the Lord synonymous with the Brahman of the Upanishads, alone existed in the beginning (before creation) one only without a second. This is the parathva of the Lord. Then thath, Brahman, willed to become many, `thath aikshatha bahu syaam prajaayEya.' The Lord created the world and became many. `Ajaayamaano bahuDhaa vijaayathe,' the unborn takes many births.

 

Maayaiyaal pukku- entered into all beings, anupraveSa. The Upanishad goes on saying that after the creation the Lord entered into everything and gave them name and form. `anena jeevena athmanaa anupraviSya naam roope vyaakaravaaNi' - This refers to the anthryamithva of the Lord, by which He becomes the inner self of all.

 

siRumanisar uvalai aakkkai nilai eydhi- taking the form of a human and coming down to earth. This refers to the vibhava form of the Lord. Out of immense mercy he comes down further and appears among us to protect the good and punish the wicked.

 

Not only He incarnates as a human but also behaves like one. In Ramavathara he underwent the experiences of a mere man, born as a prince but moved to the forest, lost his wife and acted as an ideal son to his father etc. As Krishna though He did superhuman deeds that indicated His divinity, he also acted like an ordinary mischievous kid stealing butter and got bound in the mortar. This is the maya of the Lord, which made azvar address Him as `maayonE,' the wonderful Lord.

 

Azvar wonders what made Him , whose stomach contained the whole universe to go and eat butter. It could not be hunger since He had everything inside His stomach. Is it perhaps as a medicine to dissolve some of the earth, maN karaiya ney ooN marundho, remaining inside, maNdhaan sOrndhadhu undElum, when He gave out the universe at the time of creation , azvar wonders. But the intake of the universe and bringing it out had happened long time ago! Moreover when his mother examined the mouth of Krishna she saw all the universe inside and the butter is also a part of it!

 

Krishna not only stole butter from the house of gopis but he ate the whole lot! Periazvar says, `veNNai vizungi veRum kalattha veRpil ittadhan Osai ketkum,' they heard the sound of empty vessel being thrown by Krishna after swallowing the butter. Why should he do so when he got enough butter in his own house ? The stealing butter and swallowing butter have a deeper significance.

 

Most of the people from whom he stole butter were happy about it and kept it only for him to come and steal it. They found that their prosperity increased by it. Those were the people who loved Krishna Only a few who did not understand his greatness complained. But Krishna, though Yasodha told him not to got the house where he was not liked, to quote Periazvar, 'nEsamilaadhaar agatthirundhu nee viLaiyaadaadhE,' had no distinction between those who like him and those who did not, as he said later in Gita, `samo aham sarva bhootheshu name dhveshyo asthi na priyaH,' "I am the same towards all there is no one whom I hate and no one whom I am partial to."

 

Now the butter signifies the heart of people. The Lord steals the heart unaware. Those who already love Him are happy about it but those who turn away from Him do not want to give their hearts to him. They have ahankara and mamakara without knowing that everything belonged to the Lord only through whose grace they have they did. But if He decides to steal their hearts He does it without their knowledge . In the Gita He says , `kshipram bhavathi dharmathmaa' one is transformed in no time if the Lord wills it.

 

One who thinks of the navaneethachourya, the theft of butter by the Lord, will be free from all deceitful thoughts and thinking of His rasaleela will free the heart from all lust and other desires.

 

The azvars as a class are very fond of referring to the Lord as the one who ate the butter and we find this reference in the compositions of almost all the azvars.