Selected Excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri
U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy ' ThiruppAvai Monograph'
In this paasuram , ANDAL awakens another Utthama adhikAri (kOthUkalamudaya
Paavai) and asks her to join the BhAgavatha GhOshti.
In Gokulam , the Cowherds had three kinds of wealth : Cows, Sheep and Buffalo (JananyAcchAr). Here ANDAL adopts the language of the cowherdess and refers to the early morning scene , where Buffalos are let out for their first grazing (Panip pull mEytthal).
Literal Meaning of the Paasuram:(V.S):
Oh beautiful girl full of uthsAham (kuthUhalam ) for the Lord ! Day
break is approaching as seen by the whitening of the Eastern sky from the
earlier red hue linked with AruNOdhayam . Awaken ! The hungry buffalos
have been led to the pastures close to home ( siRu Veedu mEyvAN)
for their "breakfast " of dewy grass .We have detained the other Gopis
, who were ready to go to the place of vratham so that you can join
with us all .We have assembled in front of your house to awaken you and
take you with us . Please get up. If we sing about our Lord's glory
together , He will give us the vrathOpakaranams (Drum and other saamagriyAs
to observe our vratham ).When we approach our Lord--who destroyed the asuran
Kesi by tearing his mouth apart,
and killed the wrestlers of KamsA's court--and prostrate before Him
in all humility, that Lord (KrishNa ), the Lord of all gods(Devaathi Devan
) will be moved and have DayA for us and will inquire about our yOga KshEmam
with great interest (aavA yenRu=haa haa yenRu)/(V.S) .
The Inner Meaning of the whole paasuram
Oh Joyous Maiden, who is very dear to the Lord! Please come and
join this ghOshti . We have come to take you with us on our journey to
AchAryan , who protects our Indhriyams from entering into destructive ways
and who by the power of Jn~Anam and
anushtAna sakthi destroys Naasthikan as well as Kudhrushtis (Those
who have viparItha Jn~Anam and intrepret Veda Manthrams wrongly).That AchAryan
is greater than even sarvEsvaran for us. We should sing his praise through
his taniyan and get our minds cleared by the anushtAnam of Prapatthi and
understand well the mode of behavior after prapatthi and practise it ;
afterwards , placing AchAryan in front , if we arrive at Bhagavath SannidhAnam
and prostrate before The Lord of Lords ,
He will be elated and inquire carefully into our qualifications
as aartha prapannan (One who is desirous of Moksham without dealy )or dhruptha
Prapannan (One who wishes MoKsham at the time of falling of this body)
and grant us the appropriate prapathti phalan .
The Inner Meanings of the different words of this paasuram
(1)The maiden in this paasuram is addressed as "KOTHUKALAM UDAYA
PAAVAAI"( One who is very much desired by KrishNa). Why So? In Bhagavath
Githai , Lord says" priyOhi jn~Ani nOthyarthamaham sa cha mama priya:"(GitA
7.17). He says
here that the Jn~Ani is ever dear to Him ;I am very dear to him and
he too is very dear to Me. " Even I , the Omniscient
and Omnipotent , is unable to express how much dear the Jn~Anin is
to me , since there is no such limit (as this much)
for this love ( that I have for him /Jn~Anin)".This maiden is one such
Jn~Ani , who has the greatest preethi for the Lord and He for her. The
Gopis feel that meeting KrishNa with this Gopi (Jn~Ani)in front (Puraskruthya)
will make it easy for them to obtain Lord's grace .
(2) Keezh vaanam veLLenRu: Vaanam means AkAsam or Gaganam . KooratthAzhwAn
has stated in Sundhara Baahu
Sthavam , " yamm tamm Vidhur daharam ashtaguNopajushtam AkAsam oupanishadheeshu
Sarsavatheeshu" based on
the Brahma Soothram ( dahara UttharEbhya:). The Upanishadic statement
is : " Dahram vipApmam paravEsma-
bhUtham yath PuNDareekam puramadhyasamstham,tathrapi dahram gaganam
visOkas tasmin yathanthas tadhupAsithavyam".
We have daharAkasam inside us.There are two interelated aspects to
DaharAkAsam (paravEsma bhUtham): (a) One is
the aadharam/base for Parama Purushan , Dahara puNDareekam, which is
referred to as Keezh Vaanam (b) on that Keezh
Vaanam sits the daharAkAsa sabdha-vaachyan , EmperumAn , who is recognized
as mEl Vaanam .If the Keezh Vaanam
(Dahara PuNdareekam ) does not have purity , then EmperumAn wont sit
on it .It has to be spatika suddham ( " VeLLenRu Keezh Vaanam Irukka vENDum)
( View of Sri P.B.AnnangarAcchAr Swamy).
The connection between Dahara VidhyA upAsanai and other upAsanais covered in Upanishads ending up with "DevAthi dEvan" , Sriman NaarAyaNan is referred to here.
(3)Abhinava Desikan points out that the increasing whiteness
( VeLLenRu) denotes a key transformation for a Mumukshu ( One desires Moksham).
Until the time of AchArya sambhandham , it was a dark night for the Mumukshu;
after gaining AchArya anugraham through Prapatthi , it is the onset of
the bright dawn (Brahma muhUrtham) for the Prapannan .Sri PerukkAraNai
Swamy as a great admirer of Abhinava Desikan's "SarvathO mukha PaaNDithyam
" takes off often from his "mentor's"
Sri Sookthis. We will see this again and again.
(4)Yerumai SiRu veedu mEyvAn paranthana kaaNN: Abhinava Desikan has
a telling explanation regarding the inner meaning
of this paasura Vaakyams. The Buffalo (yerumai) has a slower gait than
the Cow. They take their own time to get to
their destination(Moksham). On the way , they soak in ponds and canals
, enjoy themselves and therefore are delayed
further to reach their place of intent . Bhakthi nishtars are so deeply
entranced in Bhagavath anubhavam that they are delayed in getting
Moksham . In this matter , their lot is like that of the afore-described
buffalos. PrapannAs ( Those who have pereformed Prapatthi) are like cows
that move faster like an arrow leaving the bow and attain MOksham (SiRu
Veedu) without delay
and enjoys the nectar at Sri Vaikuntam .SiRu veedu has also been intrepreted
by other commentators as "siRRibham ' Compared to the the " anthamil pErinbham"
(Sri Vaikuntam) and also as Kaivalyam .
(5)" Paadi" = with anusandhAnam (recital) of AchArya Taniyan
(6)" parai KoNDu "= praising AchAryan's mahimai all over the world like Madhura Kavi AzhwAr or comprehending well Prapathti Vidhyai.
(7)" MikkuLLa PiLlaikaLum": Those Mumukshus , who know well that they do not have the qualifications to pursue Bhakthi Yogam and hence choose Prapatthi Maargam .
(8)" pOvAn pOhinrAraip pOhAmal kaathu unnaik koovuvAn vanthu ninROm ":
Sri P.B.A Swamy quotes the mangaLa SlOkam of NyAya parisuddhi to illustrate the unique greatness Of Sri RaamAnujA as a ParamAchAryan: "tath Paadha kODirayOs sambhandhEna samitthyAmAna VibhavAn". EmperumAnAr ( Udayavar) has this rare distinction of uplifting (utthIrNam) those who went before him with his Thirumudi Sambhandham and those who came after him with his Thiruvadi sambhandham.
(9) dEvAthi dEvan : ANDAL's usage of this naamam to salute the Lord has been intrepreted to refer to Kaanchi VaradarAjan ("ayarvarum amararkaL adhipathi" salutation of Swamy NammAzhwAr) or to DEva Naatha PerumAL of ThriuvahIndhrapuram.
(10) Mallarai Maattiya: The subjugation and destruction of ahankAra-mamakArams
are referred to here ( "ahankaaram-
mamakAram pOnRavarkaL iru malai pOl yethirnthu vantha mallarai saava
tavirttha" is the paasuram passage to recall).
(11) MaavAi piLanthAnai: literally , the Lord , who tore apart the mouth
of the asuran Kesi (" anru thuraka vaai keeNDa
mudiyAi , nangaL naraka vaai keeNDAnum neeyE" are the words of AzhwAr)
. The inner meaning here is the salutation to
the AchAryan , who mkaes the dumb speak . We are like Jn~ana heena
pasus (mruga saamAnyams)and are dumb creatures.
The Lord in the form of AchAryan intervenes and opens our mouth to
speak well and sing in praise of the Lord . Prakrutham
AchAryan is a living example of such a miracle . He did not speak from
birth and AchArya KatAksham transformed him
and placed him in an eminent position as an AchAryan to guide the others.
(12) AarAynthu ARULAL : The use of "aruL" here means the arousal of
KrupA in the Lord on hearing our Aartha dhavani
( screaming in pain of samsAram for help).
(13) senRu naam sEvitthAl: " AchAryAthiha dEvatham samadhikAmanyAm namanyAmahE"
establishes the unmatched
glory of the AchAryan in Swamy Desikan's Sri Sookthi. We have to approach
(senRu) and offer our prostrations (naamm sEvitthAl/sa GurumEvAbhigacchEth).
We have to fall at this AchAryan's feet and get our doubts cleared
with humility ( "praNipAdhEna pariprachnEna SEVAYAA").
(14) AAVENRU AARAAYNTHU ARULUM (AchAryan):When we approach this AchAryan in all humility , then he will welcome us with open arms and examine us for sishya lakshaNa poorthi and bless us with great dayA.
(15) In addition to the deep spiritual insight gleaned from the passages
of this paasuram , one can not but fall at the sacred feet of ANDAL for
Her immaculate poetic skills in the description of the advancement of dawn
.Those who have seen the red hue of dawn shifting slowly into different
degrees of whiteness as the Sun climbs up can relate well to Her choice
words " Keezh
Vaanam VeLLenRu". ThoNDardippodi's ThirupaLLIyezhucchi paasura Vaakhyams
alos echo in our minds:
" SudaroLi paranthana Soozh disai yellAM
thunniya thAtakai minnoLi surungi" .
Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri
SatakOpan
Web page kaimkaryam by R.Venkat