SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
nAyanAr subsequently explains that it is the greatness of AzhwAr which makes even the gyAnis doubt his nature.
chUrNikai 93
idhukku mUlam – yAn nI enRu maRudhalaiththu vAnaththu maNmisai mARum nigaruminRi nilaiyidam theriyAdhE dheyvaththinam oru vagaikku oppAga inaththalaivan andhAmaththanbu seyyach chErndhamaikku adaiyALam uLavAga ugandhu ugandhu thimir koNdAloththu nAttiyalvozhindhu SataraiyOtti madhAvaliptharkku ankuSamittu nadAviya kURRamAyth thIyana marungu vArAmal kaliyugam nIngik kithayugam paRRip pattezhupOdhu aRiyAdhu irundha prabhAvam.
Simple Explanation
The reasons for this are
- he is arguing with bhagavAn on who is greater, whether it is AzhwAr himself or bhagavAn
- he is highlighting that there is none equal to him in paramapadham and samsAram
- he is highlighting that the group of nithyasUris collectively are a match to him
- even bhagavAn himself is showing love towards him which is greater than paramapadham
- many symbols are visible for bhagavAn’s acceptance of AzhwAr
- being blissful and speechless, thinking about him
- abandoning any connection with worldly people
- driving out those who don’t accept vEdham
- controlling those who are mad
- being death for samsAram
- ensuring that the bad things did not come close
- making krutha yugam enter kali yugam
- not knowing difference between day and night, and thinking constantly about bhagavAn
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
idhukku mUlam – That is – the reason for those very wise persons who have seen him being unable to determine “He is so and so person” and doubt in this manner is,
yAn nI enRu maRudhalaiththu – Starting with “puviyum iru visumbum” in periya thiruvandhAdhi 75, AzhwAr said “Both nithya vibhUthi and leelA vibhUthi are in your sankalpam (divine will); you who are of such nature have entered through my ear and remain continuously in my heart; in such a case, who will know if you who have the worlds are greater or I who have you, am greater? You who have unmatched ability can analyse and know this”. AzhwAr is having such greatness to argue with ubhaya vibhUthi nAthan (the lord of both worlds).
vAnaththu maNmisai mARum nigaruminRi – as said in thiruvAimozhi 4.5.8 “yAvar nigar agal vAnaththE” (who can match me in the spiritual realm?) and thiruvAimozhi 6.4.9 “mARuLadhO immaNNin misaiyE” (Is there anyone on earth matching me?), to match his wealth of ubhaya vibhUthi and his tenderness, and to make him who is avAptha samastha kAman (one who has all desires fulfilled) and who does not react to anything, dance/sway wildly by the joy of hearing AzhwAr’s pAsurams, due to having strong tongue of singing thiruvAimozhi, being matchless in both material and spiritual realms.
nilaiyidam theriyAdhE – since AzhwAr is having union and separation [with emperumAn] repeatedly, he is not having the nature of nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs who only experience the joy of union; since AzhwAr is sustaining himself with bhagavAn’s qualities only, he is not having the nature of worldly people who sustain themselves with food and beverages; due to his not belonging inside ubhaya vibhUthi (both SrIvaikuNtam and samsAram), his residence is not known as said in thiruviruththam 75 “vaigundhamO vaiyamO num nilaiyidamE” (Is your place of dwelling SrIvaikuNtam or earth?).
dheyvaththinam oru vagaikku oppAga – as said in thiruviruththam 23 “dheyvaththu inamOranaiyIrgaLAy” (Oh girls who are in a way similar to nithyasUris who live in the enjoyable paramapadham), not just one or two nithyasUris, but even if all the nithyasUris gather together, they will collectively be a match AzhwAr’s one particular aspect.
inaththalaivan andhAmaththanbu seyya – as said in periya thiruvandhAdhi 25 “vAnOr inaththalaivan” (Lord of the residents of paramapadham), sarvESvaran who is the leader of countless nithyasUris, placed all his love which he has towards [residents of] paramapadham, towards AzhwAr as said in thiruvAimozhi 2.5.1 “am dhAmathu anbu seydhu” (bhagavAn who is the natural master and has attachment towards paramapadham, became well-placed in my heart).
sErndhamaikku adaiyALam uLavAga – as said in thiruvAimozhi 8.9.6 “thiruvaruLgaLum sErndhamaikku adaiyALam thirundha uLa” (the greatly magnanimous acts she received from him are seen through the insuppressible signs on her form), the signs of his union with her, which shows her receiving his acceptance more and more, are well visible.
ugandhu ugandhu thimir koNdAloththu – as said in thiruvAimozhi 6.5.4 “ugandhugandhu uLmagizhndhu kuzhaiyum” (becoming more joyful due to meditating upon such aspects, with great joy in her heart, she has weakened) and in thiruvAimozhi 6.5.2 “thimir koNdAl oththu niRkum” (she remained silent as if being proud), AzhwAr became broken due to the external and internal joy which came about more and more on meditating upon his saundharyam (beauty), Seelam (simplicity) etc and became stunned as those who have had full vision of bhagavAn who controls everyone as said in chAndhOgya upanishath “sthabdhOsyutha tham AdhESamaprkshya:” (Have you heard about parambrahmam and understood him? Why are you remaining quiet like a prideful person?)
nAttiyalvozhindhu – as said in thiruvAimozhi 10.6.2 “nAttArOdu iyalvu ozhindhu” (eliminating co-existence with the worldly people who are filled with ahankAram) becoming detached from worldly people who are bound by ahankAram and mamakAram as said in perumAL thirumozhi 3.4 “uNdiyE udaiyE ugandhOdi” (people of this world who are running after food and clothes) and thiruvAimozhi 2.9.9 “yAnE en thanadhE” (I and mine).
SataraiyOtti – Since he is SatakOpa (one who drove out Sata with his anger), as said in manu smruthi 12.106 “vEdha SAsthra virOdhinA” (not contrary to vEdha SAsthram), bAhyas (those who reject vEdhams) and kudhrushtis (those who accept vEdhams and misinterpret the same), instead of remaining neutral and explaining the principles as per logic which is in line with vEdham, due to arguing with dry logic as occurs in their intelligence, try to establish their own principles; such persons are driven out by him with his words which are essence of vEdhAntham, so that they can’t stand in his presence.
madhAvaliptharkku ankuSamittu – Since he is parAnkuSa, he puts a hook in the form of his instructions and controls those who are like an intoxicated elephant due to the three reasons for pride such as family heritage , knowledge and wealth as said in “vidhyamadhO dhanamadha: thruthIyObhijanOmadha: EthE madhAvalipthAnAm” (The pride due to knowledge, wealth and family heritage causes madness in prideful people), and makes them bow down, being free from such madness.
nadAviya kURRamAy – AzhwAr being the death for the samsAra (bondage) of those who are caught in his glance as said in thiruviruththam 6 “paRavaiyin pAgan madhana sengOl nadAviya kURRam” (This world is conducted by the order of manmatha, who is related to sarvESvara, who in turn is sweet towards garuda whose speed can annihilate the demonic entities), by creating bhakthi in everyone as said in thiruviruththam 96 “nin kaN vEtkai ezhuvippan” (I will create desire in the minds of samsAris, towards you) towards sarvESvaran who rides garuda who is vEdhamaya (embodiment of vEdham), indicating bhagavAn being revealed by vEdham.
Having all of the aforementioned greatness, further
thIyana marungu vArAmal – as said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.6 “konRuyir uNNum visAdhi pagai pasi thIyana ellAm” (the cruel nature such as the disease which destroys the body and consumes the vital air, enmity, hunger etc), the defects such as disease, enmity, hunger which can take away the prANa (vital air) after destroying the body, and sins which are the cause for all sorrows in samsAra, to not come close as said in periya thiruvandhAdhi 56 “”van thuyarai – marungu – kaNdilamAl” (Not seeing the great sorrows anywhere near me).
kaliyugam nIngik kithayugam paRRi – as said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.3 “thiriyum kaliyugam nIngi” (kali yugam, which changes the qualities of chEthanas upside down, passed), as said in mahAbhAratham “bhavishyath atharOththaram” (In the future times, the nature of things is going to be upside down), as the kaliyugam which makes the nature of things change upside down as said in SrIvishNu purANam 6.1.50 “kalau jagathpathim vishNum sarva srashtAram ISvaram | nArchayishyanthi maithrEya pAshaNdOpahathA janA: ||” (Oh maithrEya! In the kaliyugam, SrIman nArAyaNan who is the lord of the world, who is omnipresent and is the controller of all, will not be worshipped by people who are spoilt by sins), and which is a hurdle for taste towards bhagavAn, goes away, and as said in thiruvAimozhi 5.2.3 “periya kidha yugam paRRi” (krutha yugam arrived without even the yuga sandhi, appearing to be a single yugam), to completely have vaishNava dharmam ruling, being continuous krutha yugam, without changing to other yugams.
pattezhupOdhu aRiyAdhu irundha prabhAvam – as said in thiruvAimozhi 2.4.9 “patta pOdhu ezhu pOdhu aRiyAL virai mattu alar thaN thuzhAy ennum” (parAnkuSa nAyaki does not know sunset or sunrise (due to lack of sleep, and not having woken up from sound sleep with clear mind). She joyfully says “fresh thuLasi with well spread fragrance and honey”), due to constant enjoyment of meditating upon matters relating to bhagavAn, AzhwAr is having greatness of not knowing the difference between day and night, which is usually differentiated by worldly people as said in SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 105.24 “nandhanthyudhitha AdhithyE nandhanthyasthamithE ravau” (People are delighted when the sun has risen and also when the day ends), when the sun rises, they feel delighted that the time has come to earn wealth and when he sets, they feel delighted that the time has come to enjoy with their beloved person, and in SrIvishNu purANam 1.17.62 “prAtha: mUthra purishAbhyAm madhyAhnE kshuth pibhAsayA | sAyam kAmEna pAthyanthE janthavO niSinidhrayA ||” (People are tormented in the morning by urine, stool etc, in the noon time by hunger and thirst, in the evening by lust and in the night by sleep); in this manner, in this world itself, AzhwAr is having the greatness of the residents of paramapadham which is not controlled by time.
“idhukku mUlam” and “ippadi irundha prabhAvam” – should be combined with every phrase which has been explained here. With this nAyanAr has mercifully explained the reason for the previously explained doubt [on AzhwAr’s nature], to be known by all.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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