SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
nAyanAr is mercifully elaborating upon what was said in the previous chUrNikai.
chUrNikai 98
iruL thuyakku mayakku maRappengiRa anudhaya samSaya viparyaya vismruthigaLaRRu malarmisai ezhugiRa gyAnaththaik kAdhal anbu vEtkai avAvennum sangak kAmAnurAga snEhAdhi avasthA nAmangaLOdE parama bhakthi dhaSaiyAkkugai.
Simple Explanation
Making AzhwAr free from ignorance, doubt, error and forgetfulness and bringing him up to the stage of parama bhakthi (ultimate devotion) which is known by many terms such as love, desire, attachment etc and which is the matured form of knowledge.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
mayarvaRa madhinala aruLugai – Being free from
- gyAna anudhayam (Lack of knowledge) which is indicated by the term iruL (darkness) as said in thiruvAimozhi 10.6.1 “iruL tharu mA gyAlaththu” (in this vast world which gives ignorance) and periya thirumozhi 11.4.8 “iruL thIrndhu ivvaiyam magizha” (to eliminate the ignorance and have the world become joyful)
- samSayam (doubt) which is indicated by the term thuyakku (doubt) as said in places such as thiruvAimozhi 1.9.6 “thuyakkan mayakkan” (one who creates doubts/errors in the minds (of those non-devotees)) which makes a person unable to determine what is observed as said in “sthANurvA purushOvA” (Is that a pillar or a man?)
- viparyayam (error) which is indicated by the term mayakku (error) which makes a person misunderstand a rope to be snake and a seashell to be silver, where the object itself is misunderstood.
- vismruthi (forgetfulness) which is indicated by the term maRappu (forgetfulness) as said in thiruvAimozhi 1.10.10 “maRappum gyAnamum” (forgetfulness and remembrance) and “maRappaRa ennuLLE manninAn” (entered my heart to stay there eternally to ensure that I never forget him) which is the lack of knowledge which is born from past experience and impressions based on past experience.
Being freed from all these four types of shrunk state [of knowledge].
As said in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.2 “mananagamalam aRa malar misaiyezhudharum” (well-blossomed mind which is free of blemishes such as kAmam, krOdham etc), by the purity of mind, radiantly shining in a blossomed manner, the knowledge which is rising towards bhagavAn who is the apt goal, as said in mudhal thiruvandhAdhi 67 “thAmaraiyAL kELvan oruvanaiyE nOkkum uNarvu” (knowledge will only know nArAyaNa, consort of SrI mahAlakshmi who dwells on the radiant lotus flower). That pure knowledge will grow in to bhakthi (devotion) as explained further.
This loving devotion is explained in many places as kAdhal (love), anbu (affection), vEtkai (eagerness to attain), avA (desire) as said in
- thiruviruththam 59 “uLap perum kAdhal” (huge desire formed in my heart),
- thiruvAsiriyam 2 “nEriya kAdhal” (the love/affection (in the form of bhakthi) which resulted from knowledge),
- iraNdAm thiruvandhAdhi 56 “kANak kazhi kAdhal” (the deep desire to worship emperumAn),
- thiruvAimozhi 5.5.10 “kazhiya mikkadhOr kAdhal” (great love which cannot be eliminated),
- thiruvAimozhi 5.3.4 “kAdhal kadal puraiya” (devotion which is abundant like ocean),
- thiruvAimozhi 7.3.6 “kAdhal kadalil migap peridhAl” (love which is much greater than ocean), thiruvAimozhi 7.3.8 “kAdhal uraikkil – nIL visumbum kazhiyap peridhAl” (If we have to speak – it is greater than paramapadham),
- thiruvAimozhi 6.8.2 “mey amar kAdhal” (great desire to enjoy in abundance with his divine form),
- thiruviruththam 2 “anbu sUttiya” (one who offered garland of love),
- thiruvAsiriyam 2 “anbil inbu” (in the the desire (to reach emperumAn) that produces bliss),
- periya thiruvandhAdhi 8 “anbE perugum miga” (Love is growing greatly),
- thiruvAimozhi 6.10.2 “ARA anbu” (endless love),
- thiruvAimozhi 2.1.10 “vEvArA vEtkai nOy” (fully dried up by being tortured by love-sickness),
- thiruvAimozhi 9.6.1 “perugumAl vEtkaiyum” (the affection has grown greatly),
- thiruvAimozhi 10.3.2 “Aviyin paramalla vEtkai” (my desire increased in the AthmA to become intolerable),
- thiruviruththam 64 “avA orukkA vinaiyodum” (our sins and our nature which are a hurdle to realise our desire),
- thiruviruththam 84 “kANbAn avAvuvan” (I desired to worship you),
- thiruvAsiriyam 2 “sUdudhaRku avA” (with desire to wear your lotus feet),
- thiruvAimozhi 10.10.10 “adhanil periya en avA” (My desire which is greater than all three thathvams viz chith, achith and ISvara)
In this manner, as explained in many places as kAdhal, anbu, vEtkai, avA which are explained as sangam (attachment) which is the seed for love and is the first step in engaging in worldly matters, kAmam (love) which is the next stage of sangam as said in SrI bhagavath gIthA 2.62 “sangAth sanjAyathE kAma:” (due to that attachment, lust (that, without engaging in which, one finds it unbearable) occurs abundantly) and which will not allow one remain peaceful unless the matter is enjoyed, anurAgam (emotion of separation from the desired matter) which is the next stage and the pain of separation from the matter, and finally snEham (desire) which will not prefer any breaks in the enjoyment, these will have different names for different stages and will lead up to paramabhakthi stage where one cannot live in separation of bhagavAn. Though the terms kAdhal, anbu, vEtkai, avA indicate sangam etc, in a sequential manner, and though they occur randomly without any proper order, since AzhwAr has all these aspects at all times, there is nothing wrong in using different words since they are spoken as per the particular emotion at each time.
Thus – it is explained with this – mayarvaRa madhinala aruLugai means
- eliminating the variations of agyAnam such as anudhaya, samSaya, viparyaya and vismruthi which are all shrunk states of gyAnam
- gyAnam which is radiantly shining and is focussed on matters is nurtured into sangam which is the first stage of snEham and further up to various states which are known as kAdhal etc
- finally making such gyAnam which matured into bhakthi, to become paramabhakthi which is ultimate stage of love [towards bhagavAn]
Thus – the following were explained
- the reason for the doubt raised in chUrNikai 92 is AzhwAr’s greatness,
- the reason for that greatness is bhagavAn’s unconditional grace,
- the power of such causeless mercy,
- the reason for blessing AzhwAr is for the benefit of the whole world,
- blessing means mayarvaRa madhinalam aruLugai, and
- how that blessing is well revealed.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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