Selected Excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri
U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy ' ThiruppAvai Monograph'
In the previous Paasuram (KoodArai Vellum Paasuram) , the Gopis decalred , "Unnai arutthithu VanthOm " and requested the blessings of " Paal , sORu , AbharaNams , Aadai " et al. That to Lord KrishNa looked like the Gopis were seeking from Him , the siRRinbhams ( worldly pleasures) . He was amused and Our Lord turned around and asked them: " Oh Gopis! Your mind seems not to be steady . Are you desiring the perishable pleasures or some thing higher than that from me ?" . The Gopis recognized the situation and responded: " Oh Lord , we might have given You the impression that we are seeking sanmAnam that is commonly asked of You in a lOka reethi. Our true and inner wish is to have You and perform kaimkaryams to You always ".
Then the pleased Lord revealed to them His Isvaryam (MahA VibhUthis)
and the Gopis were overwhelmed and sought His pardon (aparAdha KshAmanam)
for taking liberties with Him and forgetting His SarvEsvarathvam .They
say : " Oh Lord of the Universe ! You are Self-complete(Svatha: PoorNan
). We might have appeared to have offended You due to our Overwhelming
sense of affection (PraNayam ) or attachment(abhimAnam). For You . You
are the most generous (parama OudhAryan). You are the most compassionate
( parama DayALu). We are simple folks , who do not know the difference
between our right hand and left hand ( idathu kai , valathu kai aRiyAtha
aai peNNkaL. We do not have the Jn~Anam ,Bhakthi ,
anushtAnam ,AachAram , Vidvath balam to seek You innately as
SiddhOpAyam in the saasthrA-ordained manner .We do NOT have therefore
the seven requisites (states of mind) needed to approach You ( the SarrvEswaran
) as a SaraNAgathan:
(1)Aakinchanyam ( kai muthal inmai)
(2)Naichyam ( awareness of our lowliness to approach You)
(3)awareness of Your Soulabhyam (ease of access by One& all
(4)awareness of Your Parathvam ( as the Supreme Lord)
(5)awareness of knowledge about Sambhandham( Seshathva Jn~Anam:
our uRavu to You, which is timeless & indestructible)
(6)awareness of the need to seek Your pardon for our trespasses
( aparAtha KshAmanam ).
(7)awareness of the importance of seeking You as the only rakshakan
to provide the strength to seek Your lotus feet as refuge
(" Unnadi sEr vaNNam aruLAi , KaLai kaNN maRRilEn ).
PerukkAranai Swamy points out that the word "Unn " is used by the Gopis in an endearing manner THREE times in this paasuram:
(1) UNRRANNAI piRavi perumtannai puNNiyam yAmm udayOm
(2) UNRANNODU uRavEl nammakku ozhikka ozhiyAthu
(3) anbinAl UNRRANNAI siRu pEr azhaithtanavum
The Gopis address the Lord as "KuRai OnRum illAtha GovindhA !
and say " We are unsphisticated cowherdesses (aRiyAtha PiLLaikaLom
) with the BhAgyam of having You born in our kulam ( UnraNNai piRavi
perumtanai puNNiyam yaamm udayOm). Out of affection , we have called you
by inappropriate names ( anbinAl unn tannai siRu per azhaitthanavum ).
We addressed You as NandhagOpan mahanE and other short names !Please
do not be angry at us ( seeRi aruLAthE)for that . Our relationship is indestructible
( unthannOdu uRavu ozhikka ozhiyAthu). You are sEshi and we are sEshans.Even
if we do not
have seshathva Jn~Anam , the sEshathvam will not disappear. Sarva Jeeva
seshathvam is incorporated in Your Pranavam . Therefore Oh SarvEswaran
who has descended from Sri Vaikuntam in the form of a human being to be
with us and bless us !Please grant us the nithya Kaimkarya purushArtham
!".
The Lord's identity as "PrApya-PrApaka Sangrahan" (essence as means
and goal) was revealed succinctly in the First verse (NaarAyaNE namakkE
paRai tharuvAn) and that quintessential upadEsam is elaborated in detail
in passurams 28 and 29
( KaRavaikaL pinnsenRu and SiRRam siRukAlE vanthunnai sevitthu).Bhagavath
daasyam through Sva-Svaami (servant-
Master) relationship is pointed out here as the way for our liberation
.
PBA Swamy's anubhavam
************************
In the first Paadham ( karavaikaL pinn senRu ghAnam sErnthuNpOm ),
the Gopis describe themselves as the ones, who seek their livelihood by
tending to cattle in the forests and thus do NOT have sath-Kaarya Phalan.
In the second Paadham ( aRivonRumillA Aaikkulatthu), they reveal their unfitness (apakarsha anusandhAnam) to pursue Bhakthi, Jn~Ana Yogams.We are Tatthva-Hitha- PurushArtha Jn~Ana Soonyars."Jn~AnEna Heena : pasubhi: samAna:"
In the Third Paadham ( piRavi peRumtanai puNNiyam yaam udayOm),they refer to the extraordinary BhAgyam of having KrishNA born as sajAthIyan in their Kulam.
In the fourth Paadham , the Gopis address Him as "KuRaivonRumillatha
GovindhA ".They celebrate here the moola Sukrutham
( the fundamental , quintessential bhAgyam ) of Isvara GuNa Poorthy
( PrApya-Prapaka sangrahathvam and GuNa
Thungathvam ).
In the fifth Paadham ( UnRannOduravEl namakku inku ozhikka ozhiyAthu), the Gopis celebrate the sambhandha Jn~Anam
In the sixth paadham ( aRiyAtha piLLaikaLOm anbinAl), the Gopis identify themselves as the little country girls without awareness of lOka maryAdhai and without Bhakthi or Jn~Anam .
In the Seventh Paadham ( UnraNNai siRu pEr azhaithtanavum sseRi aruLAthE),
the Gopis seek PoorvAparAdha KshAmanam
( forgivance for previous trespasses).
In the eighth paadham , the Gopis address te Lord as "IRaivA" and request
for Kaimakerya sampath (Nee ThArAi
parai).Here UpAya apEkshai is made .
The anubhavam of Abhinava Desikan
***********************************
Until the 27th slOkam , the VaishNava dinasaris up to the third stage
(ijyA Kaalam ) were described. In this paasuram , the activities of a Sri
VaishNavan for the fourth and the fifth stages of the day ( SvAdhyAyam
and Yogam) are referred to.
During the SvAdhyAya Kaalam , one should approach BhaagavathAs ( who
are like affectionate , milk giving Pasus) and study the Dhivya Sookthis
with them.The PuNyam ( Punniyam YaamudayOm) refers to the state of wakefulness
(Jaagaram) or Yogam to have dhruva smruthi about the Lord. " anbinAl siRu
pEr azhaitthanavum seeRi aruLAthE" refers to AparAdha KshAmanam for deficencies
in upachArams during AarAdhanam . "Nee ThArAi paRai" refers to the prayer
to grant vigna-rahitha aarAdhanam
and performance of pancha kaala prakriyAs of a Sri VaishNavan .
Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri
SatakOpan
Web page kaimkaryam by R.Venkat