Thiruvaimozi-1-3-3and4

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3.amaivudai aRaneRi muzuvadhaum uyarvaRa uyarndha

amaivadai mudhal kedal idai odivu idai aRa nilam adhuvaam

amaivudai amararum yaavaiyum yaavarum thanaai

amaivudai naaraNan mayaiyai aRibavar yaare

 

Who can comprehend the maya of Narayana, who is the Brahman , the cause and the substratum of all , which includes the deities like Brahma the creator and Rudra the annihilator, who possess supreme power for performing their dharma and functions such as creation ,mudhal, annihilation at the end, kedal , as well as the interim annihilation, idai odivu ? Not they nor their creations , sentient and insentient can understand the maya of the Lord.

 

amaivudai= complete. This word, in the first two lines, is used to qualify the devas like Brahma and Rudra who have complete knowledge of their duties, aRaneRi muzuvadhum, and functions, mudhal kedal odivu idai. They are said to have the complete., amaivudai, power to do it effortlessly, aRa nilam adhu aam.

 

In the next two lines the word amaivudai qualifies the Lord. He is the substratum and the cause of the complete, amaivudai, creations including Brahma.Rudra and others. Amararum yaavaiyum yaavarum thaanaai. His maya is such that no one can understand it fully, amaivudai naaraNan maayaiyai aRibavar yaarE.

 

The Lord is the cause and the universe is His effect which includes Brahma and Rudra and other devas who are also His creations. Hence they do not know Him, their primal cause, as they are also under the realm of His maya through which he has created everything. The whole world is His manifestation as the Upanishat says, `sarvam khalu idham Brahma thajjjalaan,' meaning, all this is Brahman, as they originate from and annihilated and protected by Him.

 

The Lord Himself says in Gita, `ajopi san avyayaathmaa bhoothaanaam eeSvaropi san;prakrthim svaam aDhishTaya sambhavaami aathmamaayayaa.'(BG-4.3) "I take on my own prakrthi (maya) and manifest through my own maya, " In Purushasuktha we have `ajaayamaano bahuDhaa vijaayathe,' meaning `the one who is never born takes many manifestations.' This is the maya of the Lord which no one can comprehend.

 

4.yaarum Or nilaimaiyan ena aRivu ariya emperumaan

yaarum or nilaimaiyan ena aRivu eLiya emperumaan

pErum Oraayiram piRa palaudaiya emperumaan

pErum Or uruvamum uLadhillai iladhillai piNakkE

 

Our Lord, could not be ascertained as such by those who do not know His reality but He is easily known by His devotees. He has thousand names and several forms and there is no controversy about this.

 

Those who lack perception of His real nature could not ascertain His status as such, even if they were knowledgeable otherwise. Ravana with all his vedic learning could not see that Rama was the Supreme Purusha. But to His devotees he is easy to understand. It is because they know that He is the Supreme Being who takes thousand names and forms. Others see His manifestations as different because due to His maya they are deluded into identifying Him only with the particular form He appears in. As mentioned in the previous verse even Brahma, Rudra and the devas are no exception We see in Bhagavatham that even Brahma and Indra mistook Krishna to be a human and even Rudra was deluded by His mohini avathara. Such was His maya.

 

Even Dadhibaanda , though knew that Krishna was the Lord Supreme and capable of giving him moksha, did not know Him fully because he thought that Krishna cannot escape if he sat on the curd pot. This is what is described as His soulabhya. He renders Himself to the devotees to be treated as they like.

 

Dhadhibaanda was a milkman and Krishna came into his house and hid inside a curd-pot and told him not to reveal his presence to the pursuing gopis. Dadhibaanda agreed and sat on the pot where Krishna hid and the gopis came and looked into all the pots except the one Dhadhibaanda sat on, thinking that Krishna would not be in it as Dadhibaanda was sitting on it. After they have gone Krshna called out to Dadhibaanda asking him to get up so that he can come out. Then Dhadhibaanda replied that he will do so on condition that Krishna will give him moksha. Krishna had no alternative but to promise him that. (This story was told by Mukkur Swamin)

 

So azvar said in the previous verse `maayaiyai aribhavar yaarE.' But he shows His reality to those He chooses to do so, as the Upanishad declares, `yamaivesha vrNuthe thenalabhyathe.' He made Himself easy to understand to those whom He chooses.

 

Whom will He choose? Those who love Him for His own sake and not even with the expectation of getting moksha. He displayed His reality to a monkey, a huntress and to cowherd maidens.

 

The devotees know that he has thousand names and forms but He is beyond them. Those with no devotion identify Him with the particular form. And only those who are udhaaseena, indifferent, argue about whether he has many names and forms or not.