SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
When asked “Is there any place where ISvara’s efforts fructified without any goodness in our side?” nAyanAr starts saying “kOsala gOkula …“.
chUrNikai 105
kOsala gOkula charAcharam seyyum guNamonRu inRiyE aRpudham ennak kaNdOm.
Simple Explanation
We have observed such miracle in the immovable and movable entities of SrI ayOdhyA and SrI gOkulam, which lacked any good qualities.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
That is – as said in varadharAja sthavam 69 “thvAmAmananthi gavaya: karNAmruthAbdhE gyAna kriyA bhajana labhyamalambhyam anyai: | EthEshu kEna varadhOththara kOsalasthA: pUrvam sadhUrvam abhajantha hi janthavasthvAm ||” (Oh varadha, who is an ocean of mercy! Poets have declared that you are attained by karma, gyAna and bhakthi yOgam and not attainable by any other means. Previously, did all the entities of uththara kOsalam along with grass, not attain you? While attaining [you], which means did they pursue among the ones highlighted previously?) and in thiruvAimozhi 7.5.1 “ayOththiyil vAzhum sarAsaram muRRavum naRpAlukku uyththanan nAnmuganAr peRRa nAttuLE” (All the entities, who are living in the good place, in SrI ayOdhyA, with the joy of enjoying the qualities [of SrI rAma], in the form of chara (mobile) and achara (immobile) created in the universe by brahmA, starting with the sprouted and spread out grass, very lowly ant etc, who were not having any means to be uplifted, were all placed in the apt land, which is a good place, by SrI rAma), the movable and immovable residents of SrI ayOdhyA etc places in kOsala dhESam (region) were transformed by his causeless mercy to have the good nature of being happy in union with him and being unhappy in separation from him, as said in
- SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 131-102 “rAmO rAmO rAma ithi prajAnAmabhavan kathA: l rAmabhUtham jagadhabhUth rAmE rAjyam praSAsathi ll” (The conversation among the citizens was only about rAma, repeatedly. When SrI rAma ruled, the entire world was full of SrI rAma only)
- SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 59.4 “apivrukshA: parimlAnA: sapushpAnkurakOrakA::” (Even the trees withered without giving sprouts and flowers).
- SrI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 59.5 is explained; “upathapthOdhakA nadhya: palvalAni sarAmsi cha | pariSushkapalASAni vanAdhyupavanAni cha ||” (Rivers, pools and lakes were with hot water. Groves and gardens were with their leaves, parched up)
- SrI rAmAyaNam yudhdha kANdam 127.19 “akAla palinO vrukshA:” (the trees blossomed in non-season).
Seeing the movable and immovable entities in SrI gOkulam becoming bound by desire towards bhagavAn – that is trees which do not have the ability to express knowledge, animals which have limited knowledge, the little cowherd girls who are in human species which have special knowledge, were all engaged in krishNa, greatly knowledgeable AzhwAr became amazed and said as in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.1 “nangaimeergaL! idhu Or aRpudham kELeer” (Oh, those who are living in the huge jambhUdhvIpam, without any shortcoming in anything! Listen, to this amazing incident).
This is seen in the following pAsurams:
- periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.10 “avanoruvan kuzhal Udhina pOdhu marangaL ninRu madhu thAraigaL pAyum malargaL vIzhum vaLar kombugaL thAzhum irangum kUmbum thirumAl ninRa ninRa pakkam nOkki avai seyyum guNamE” (When krishNa plays his flute, trees will spray streams of honey; flowers, which are on the branches, will lose their hold and fall down, on their own. Branches, which normally grow up, will bend down, and engage, losing their firmness. They will perform an anjali, with the branches touching each other. How amazing, is the action of these trees, as they keep looking at him, in whichever side he moves!)
- periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.9 “maruNdu mAn kaNangaL mEygai maRandhu mEyndha pullum kadai vAy vazhi sOra iraNdu pAdum thulungAp pudai peyarA ezhudhu chiththirangaL pOla ninRanavE” (When the music, played by him on his flute, reached their ears, herds of deer, losing their knowledge, forgot to graze, let the grass already plucked and grabbed from the ground, to slip through the corners of their mouths and stood like paintings drawn on a wall, moving neither forward nor backward, and not stepping on the sideways either)
- periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.8 “paRavaiyin kaNangaL kUdu thuRandhu vandhu sUzhndhu padu kAdu kidappak kaRavaiyin kaNangaL kAl parappittuk kavizhndhu iRangich chevi Atta killAvE” (flocks of birds came out of their respective nest, approached krishNa and fell down, like a forest had been felled and were in a trance; herds of cattle spread their forelegs, bent their heads down and stood, without flapping their ears)
- periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 3.6.1 “kOvalar siRumiyar iLam kongai kudhugalippa udal uL avizhndhu engum kAvalaum kadandhu kayiRu mAlai Agi vandhu kavizhndhu ninRanarE” (Through the path of that music, young girls from the clan of herd-folk, in large numbers, with their mature bosoms joyously going ahead, with their forms and hearts losing control, have crossed the protective barriers kept everywhere, and are coming, like garlands arranged properly on a rope, bowing their heads down)
We have seen both of these miracles. With this, it is said that – since bhagavAn’s unconditional acceptance is seen to have materialised, there is no shortcoming in saying that AzhwAr’s paramabhakthi is also the result of bhagavAn’s unconditional efforts.
In the next article, we will see the next chUrNikai.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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