MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram-12

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

Paasuram-12

“aRivennum tALkoLuvi Impulanum tammil

  seRivennum thiNkadhavam semi-maRaiyennum

  nankOdhi nankuNarvAr kAnbarE nAdORum

  paingkOdha vaNNan padi”

"அறிவென்னுந்  தாள்கொளுவி ஐம்புலனுந்  தம்மில் 

  செறிவென்னுங்  திண்கதவஞ் செம்மி -மறையென்றும் 

  நன்கோதி நன்குணர்வார் காண்பரே நாடோறும் 

  பைங்கோத வண்ணன் படி"

Sri Vedanaryana perumal-Thottiyam thirunarayanapuram

maRai -  the Vedas;

endRum – Without any gap;

nangu Odhi – well learnt;

arivu ennum – (atma parmAtma) Jnanam;

tAl koLuvi – Put a lock;

Impulanum – the 5 sense organs;

tammil seRivu ennum – seal in an appropriate manner;

thiN kadhavam semmi - put a strong gate;

nangu vuNarvAr – those who deeply meditate;

paing kOdha vaNNan padi – the qualities of that divine lord, colored like the pleasant ocean.

nAl thORum – daily;

kAnbAr – they will visualize;

Introduction

pEyAzhar in the previous paasuram declared that the supreme lord cannot be understood by anyone with their own self efforts.  But then a question arised, “Doesn’t the sastras declare that the upAyAnthara nishtArs (those who hold on to means like karma, Jnana, bhakthi yogas) reach him by catching on to various means by their own self efforts?”

Yes those who control all their senses and become successful in their bhakthi yoga can visualize him.  But seeing the difficulty in succeeding in the same, azhvar considered it next to impossible and declared that it is not possible to reach the lord by self efforts.

Commentary

(marai endRum nankOdhi)  ‘svAdhyAyOdhyE tavya” [tai Aran.2-15] [First learn the Vedas] The Vedas that advise the good for one and all have to be well learnt.

(arivu ennum tAL koLuvi) once we learn the Vedas, one will know the truth about the athma and paramAthma. (Chit and Ishwara).  Control the mind locking it with the knowledge and stopping it from wandering astray. 

So if the knowledge is the lock, what is the gate?

(Impulanum tammil seRivu ennum thiN kadhavum semmi) Make the senses (body, mouth, eye, and nose, ears) to turn towards the right direction, towards the divine lord, the gate.

Even if we lock our minds with knowledge, there is a chance for the senses to get distracted so if we put the gate of divine bhagavat anubhavam the concentration is never diverted,

“tAni sarvAni samyamya yuktha Aseetha mat parA:” [Srimad bhagavat geetha 2-61] [control all the senses and by practicing yoga put your mind on me]

“svadhyAyAth yoga mAseetha” [Vi.pu. 6-6-2] [After vedAdhyayanam do yogAbhyAsam]

Swamy Appillai did a commentary as above slightly changing the order of words in the paasuram whereas Sri PVP maintains the same order and gives the commentary as follows:

(arivu ennum tAL koLuvi) Put the lock of knowledge obtained by listening (kELvi jnAnam) and stop the manas from wandering here and there.

(Impulanum tam el seRivu ennum thin kadhavam semmi) The external organs viz., body, mouth, eyes, nose and ears join along with the mind and mind inturn join with the athma and by practice of yoga all these are kept under perfect control.

(maRai endRum nan kOdhi) “yOgAt svAdhyAya mAmnEt”[vi.pu.6-6-2] [even after getting trained in yoga learning of Vedas is essential].  If we practice yoga to sustain the control, Veda adhyayanam is necessary, inorder to comprehend the unison of pramana (sastras) and pramEya (the lord talked about in the sastras)

(nan kuNarvAr) “svAdhyAya yOga sampathyA paramAtmA prakAsathE” [If one is filled with veda adhyayanam and yogam paramatma is realized]

(nangu vuNarvAr) Here ‘nangu vuNarvAr’ refers to those bhakthi yogis who have passed the following stages:

Upasanam – worship

druvA smruthi – uninterrupted meditation (thinking)

darsana samAnAkAra prathyakshA paththi – Attaining the state of direct darshan.

(paing kOdha vaNNan padi kAnbharE) If all the above pain of learning and practice are undergone, then  they will be able to see the divine form (roopa guna vibhoothi) of the supreme lord whose divine greenish color is capable of removing the viewers tiredness like that of the ocean.

(nAL thORum kAnbharE) “sadhA pashyanthi” [nithyasooris always have His divine darshan] Thereby they visualize the lord not only today but forever.

By explaining the difficulty in visualizing the lord through other upayas, azhvar finally reiterates the same point that it is almost impossible to have his darshan through our own self efforts.

Interesting points from DivyArthdeepikai of kanchi swamy

If noone can visuvalise the Lord then there is a chance of people to consider Him to be non existent like Akasathamarai (Lotus in the sky) or maladimagan (son of the childless). In this paasuram azhvar elucidates the way in which one can have darshan of that supreme Lord.

If one learns the Vedas clearly along with its meaning and then controls his sense organs and concentrates on visualizing the Lord then it is possible to have His darshan.  Since only those filled with knowledge can control their senses azhvar here equates knowledge to be the Lock.

 

Further Sri PBA swamy enlightens about the formation of the word paingkOdham quoting the sutra from nannool. 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharNam