Selected excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy's ThiruppAvai Monograph: Part XXXV- Twenty Ninth day : SIRRam SiRukAlE Vanthunnai sEvitthu Dinam

[Guest guest]

Srimathyai GodhAyai Nama:

SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

 

Significance of the 29th Paasuram

**********************************

Dear BhakthAs: This is the Third of the PradhAna-

BhUtha Thiruppavai PaasurankaLs ( 27,28 and 29th) ,

where the name of Govindhan is invoked for the third

time . In Sankalpam , we invoke the name of Govindhan

thrice : Sri Govindha Govindha GovindhA . This paasuram

is like Sankalpam for Bhagavath DhAsyam .The name of

" GODHA " is inside the name of Her lord: " GOvinDHA " .

When we say Govindha, Govindha, Govindha three times ,

we invoke the name of GOdhA embedded in there .

 

This 29th paasuram is the last of the ThiruppAvai paasurams ,

where ANDAL concludes Her Prabhandham in the role of

a Gopi describing the feelings of fellow Gopis performing

Paavai nOnbhu . In the 30th Paasuram (Vangakkadal Kadaintha ) ,

ANDAL speaks with Her own voice/ThAnAna Tanmayil Paadiyathu .

 

Until now , the Gopis under the leadership of ANDAL

were mentioning " paRai " and were seeking it from the Lord.

In this paasuram , they elaborate on the meaning of that

paRai . They state the true purposes of their performance

of the nOnbhu as threefold : (1) Our objective (uddhEsyam)

is to perform nithya kaimkaryam at Your holy feet (2)We can

not live away form You even for a second(3) Please banish

any other thought or desire that might interfere with

the fulfilment of the above two uddhEsyams (PBA Swamy).

 

SuddhAnandha Bharathi sums up the purport of this Paasuram

as: " Let us always , even unto our 7th birth be with Thee ,

serving Thy will alone ! Oh GovindhA ! Change all other

desires in us into this unique aspiration to be Thy

humble servant " .

 

Upanishad BhAshyakArar describes the plea and goal of

the Gopis this way: " Itha: Param , SarvEshu Janmasu

thvath SwAmikA yEva Bhavaama:, tavaiva Kaimkaryam

karavAma: , asmAkam vishyAnthara spruhAm nivarthaya " .

This is the summary ofthe meaning of " yeRRaikkum

yEzhEzh piRavikkum unn-thannOdu uRROmEyAvOm ,

unakke naamAtccheyvOm , maRRai namm kAmangal

mArrElO " .

 

In the previous paasuram , the angams of Prapatthi

were alluded to. In this paasuram, the fruit (phalan)

of the Prapatthi is described and the Phalan

is placed at the sacred feet of the Lord ( Phala

SamarpaNam).

 

The Literal Meaning of the Paasuram (Dr.Raaghavan )

***************************************************

Oh Lord GovindhA! May You listen to us (the cowherd

girls) (1) who approach You at the very small hours of

the day-dawn , and (2) who bow down to You , the purpose

and aim of our singing in praise of Your golden , lotus-like

pair of feet. You, who took birth in the race of us,--

the cowherds, earning our livelihood by grazing and rearing

the herd of cattle , can not deny us the humble (divine)

service (to be rendered unto You). Hearken , Oh Lord ! it is

not only that we desire to receive the drum (from You) today

(lit. in this sojourn of birth) , but we desire , in fact ,

that let us be ever --throughout the births , sevens of

generations --the kith and kin of You , let us perform all

kinds of Kaimkaryams to You alone; You make us rid of

other desires !

 

The commentaries on Individual paadha vAkyams

**********************************************

(1)SIRRAM SIRU KAALE VANTHU : AruNodhaya Kaalam chosen by

the Gopis out of great desire to assemble and arrive

at the mansion of the Lord is referred to here .They want

KrishNA to know that the intensity that drove them to

undertake this nOnbhu inspite of the cold and time.

 

The time at which the Jn~Anam about the Lord happens

is the siRRam siRu Kaalam .AzhwAr says in this context :

" kaalai nann jn~Anat thuRai padinthAdi " . The dawning of

the Jn~Anam about EmperumAn through SadAchArya Upadesam

is this SiRRam SiRu Kaalai. The time from Prapathti to

the shaking of the mortal coils is the SiRRam SiRu

Kaalam for the Prapannan. This is the time , when MunivarkaL

and Yogis rise gently and start Hari nAma sankIrthanam.

 

Gopis seem to say that it is difficult to see You (KrishNA)

once the day has dawned. You would go on to the pastures to

graze the cows and that is why we have come to see You

at the siRRam siRu Kaalai at Your mansion .

 

Andal reminds us of the KshaNa Karthavya upAyam of

Praaptthi ( that which is done in siRiya kaalam )

with the invocation of the words, " siRRam sIRu kaalE " .

 

(2)VANTHU UNNAI SEVITTHU:Gopis ask KrishNA to think

about the way they came in that cold morning with

dew drops on their heads .They remind Him that they

have come driven by their fears about their

aakinchanyam and ananya gathithvam and have come to

worship Him and pray for Kaimkarya Sri. " Unnai " here

reminds Him of His dayai towards aasrithAs for

whom He has declared earlier that he will forsake

everything dear to Him to protect them ( saraNAgathAs).

" Sevitthu " refers to the Veda Vaakyam: " BhUyishtAm tE

NAMA Ukthim vidhEma " .We have come here with anjali bhaddha

hasthams since we know about our mElayAr's saying :

" Ohr anjaliyum uNDaRukka maattAthu " . You melt like sugar

in water ,when a Bhakthan stands before You with anjali

mudhrA . That indeed is anjali Vaibhavam. Therefore we have

come before You at the early dawn withfolded hands(sEvitthu).

 

(3)UNN PORRAAMARAI ADIYE PORRUMPORUL KELAAI: AzhwAr

showed us the way: " KaRRinam mEyttha Yenthai KazhiLiNai

paNimin neerE " . Your Thiruvadis are Parama BhOgyam .

" PoRRum " means the eulogy without expecting anything

in return. " PallANDu paaduvuthaRkku PallANDu paaduvathE

Phalan " ( the fruit of singing pallANDu is the singing of

pallANDu itself). With EmperumAn's anugraham , the one who

sings pallANDu has the phalan of singing pallANDu (pORRi )

many , many times .This is the poruL of our pORRuthal.

 

(4)KURREVAL:KuRREval can be split into KuRu+yEval. This means

sakyamAna-yEval or the Kaimkaryam commanded by the Lord .

This is the " ozhivil kaalamellAm udanAi manni " seyyum

Kaimkaryam. This is the " vazhuvilA " kaimkaryam with out

any blemish.

 

(5)YENKALAI ( KURREVAL YENKALAI): Here the Gopis say

that KrishNA should not reject their kaimkaryams

(KurrEval yenkalai koLLAmaR pOhAthu).Gopis ask

for five items:(1)You (The Lord) should accept our

kaimkarayms(2) We have not come here seeking drums

and Kodi, but we seek uninterrupted kaimakryam

to You (3)We should never ever be devoid of

the relationship of Seshathvam ( You as Swami and

us as Your servants: uRROmEaavOm) )(4)Because of this

seshathva-sambhandham , we are seeking Kaimkaryam

(5)Please bless us so that our minds will stay away from

anything and everything other than You and permit us

to perform Sarva dEsa, Sarva Kaala , Sarva avasthA

kaimkaryams .

 

As parmaikAnthis , the Gopis do not expect any rewards

other than Kaimkarya PrApthi. The Gopis remind Him that

it is not a situation of " dEhi mE dadhAmi tE " ( I will

give You this and You will give me that).They seek

kaimkaryam at " Srimathou Hari Charanou " without

any bhEram pEsuthal.

 

(6)MARRAI NAMM KAAMANKAL MAARRU: Here , " Unn TannOdu

uRRamOyAvOm " depicts the meaning of PraNavam in

AshtAkshara Moola Manthram; " UnakkE aatccheyvOm "

refers to NaarAyaNa Sabdham in Moola Manthram;

" MaRRai Namm kaamankaL maaRRU " refers to the " Nama: "

sabdham .

 

(7) MAARRU: Our Lord has the power to transform

attachment of any kind and turn it towards Him.

He is Sarva VasIkaranan. He will never abandon

a Prapannan. He will corect them , when they stray

and bring them back to His fold once again.

 

The inner meaning of this Paasuram (PerukkAraNai Swamy)

*******************************************************

: " Oh Lord! Please listen to the fruits of performing

SaraNAgathi ( KshaNa Kaala Saadhyam) at Your lotus feet

and engaging in MangaLAsAsanam of those holy feet !

You (who was born in our kulam to bless us )should

accept our ( pasu prAya Jeevans)kaimkaryams and

grant us Moksham. We are not desirous of Isvaryam

of the world and Kaivalyam . Oh Lord ! You as

sarvaj~nar ( Omniscient ) should comprehend this

clearly.We will always be cognizant of our Seshathvam

to You as Sarva Seshi.We will perform Sarva desa,

Sarva Kaala , Sarva avasthA Kaimkaryams. We will

deflect the joy of our Kaimkaryam to You alone

( Phala SamarpaNam).

 

ANDAL , Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam

RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan