MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram-14

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

   

Paasuram-14

“mARpAl manamsuzhippa mangaiyarthOL kaivittu

  nooRpal manamvaikka noividham – nARpAla

  vEdhaththAn vEnkadaththAn viNNor mudithOyum

  pAdaththAn pAdham paNindhu”
"மாற்பால் மனஞ்சுழிப்ப மங்கையர்தோள் கைவிட்டு 
 நூற்பால் மனம்வைக்க நொய்விதாம் -நாற்பால 
 வேதத்தான் வேங்கடத்தான் விண்ணோர் முடிதோயும் 
 பாதத்தான் பாதம் பணிந்து "
 

 

nArpAla vEdhaththAn – One who is talked about by all the 4 vedas;

vEnkatadaththAn – One who stands in thirumala (Simplicity);

VinnOr mudithOyum pAdaththAn – The divine feet of that supreme lord to which the nityasooris bow their heads;

pAdam – divine feet;

paNindhu – worship/prostrate;

mAl pAl – towards that sarvEshvaran;

manam suzhippa – let out minds get engraved;

mangaiyar thOL kaivittu – leaving aside the wish to enjoy romantic pleasures;

nool pAl – sastras (like Vedas);

manam vaikka – place our minds in;

noividhu Am – will become easy;

Introduction

In “arivennum thAL koluvi” paasuram peyazhvar said, “Impulanum tammil seRivennum thiNkadhavam” by doing yoga one can fix his mind in the antaryami by controlling the senses and only those who do that can visualize the lord.  Then a question arised, “Then what about those who cannot control their senses or fix their mind on the antaryami through yoga?”

Now azhvar answers, “For those who are unable to meditate on the antaryami roopam, and win over their senses, now here He stands in thirumala as archavatara for everyone to have darshan with eyes and then control the senses.  Thereby azhvar declares that even incapable persons (asakthas) can now have the divine darshan of the lord easily due to his divine grace.

Commentary

(nArpAla vEdhaththAn) one who is celebrated as the supreme being by all the 4 vedas. 

So what?  If he is honored by the Vedas, how is it going to help a samsari who is encircled in the worldly pleasures ruled over by the sense organs?

(vEnkadaththAn) His greatness doesn’t just stop with the books.  He is so easily available to all those who are really interested, in thirumala.

If He is so easily available then is he inferior?  Since in this world anything got so easily is not so precious.  No…

(viNNor mudi thOyum pAdaththAn) Though He is easily available even to our vision, even the nityasooris fall to His divine feet and get protected.  So there is no need to doubt his greatness.

(pAdam paNindhu) Even those who cannot meditate on the antaryami (inside us) can fall to the divine feet of thiruvenkadamudaiyan.  Leaving all the other parts of the body, Azhvar says pAdam indicating that being servants of that supreme lord (Jeevatma svaroopam) it is right for us to stay under his feet.

(mArpAl manam suzhippa) If we place our mind, on that lord who is sulaban (easily available) and parAtparan (supreme).

Due to his ultimate grace, the supreme lord has descended down as archa moorthi very well aware that we are all incapable of meditating on the antaryami and reaching his divine feet.

(mangaiyar thOL kaivittu) Ignoring the kAmic pleasures that distract our attention and finally capable of landing us in naraka.

Here kAmic pleasures indirectly points to all other worldly pleasures and distractions.

(nooRpAl manam vaikka noividhAm) so once we worship the archavataram, slowly we loose interest for the worldly pleasures that kindles our interest to learn what is there in the sastras, that leads us to do the righteous things, the required means to attain the ultimate result.

Interesting points from DivyArthdeepikai of kanchi swamy

In this paasuram azhvar answers the query of those who felt that visualizing the Lord by controlling the senses and doing yoga to be complex and beyond their capability.  Here azhvar says only for our benefit the Lord has descended as archavatara in the thirumala hills giving darshan to all those interested.  So now why don’t you ignore all the sensual pleasures and concentrate your mind on that supreme Lord?

One more doubt may arise: “MarpAl manamsuzhippa mangaiyar thOl kaivittu” only if we overcome the attraction towards kAmic pleasures we will be able to get interest in bhagavat vishayam. Or otherwise only when we get involved in bhagavat vishayam our senses come under control.  This seems to be a never ending conflict (anyOnyAshrayadOsham).  Our elders answer this query tactically.  One person regularly visits temples just for the reason of enjoying the beauty of his beloved ones.  Slowly one day by chance (yAthruchikam) he happens to see the beauty of the Lord. This happens a few times and one day by some sukrutham (past good deed) his mind gets attracted to the divine beauty and reaches the state of “en amudhinai kaNda kangal mattrondrinai kAnAvE” (after seeing that nectarine beauty my eyes will not see anything else) and slowly his worldly attractions are pushed off. So there is no conflict in azhvar’s words and it is not that only after completely getting rid of worldly attractions one gets involved in bhagavat vishayam.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharNam