MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram-16

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

Paasuram -16

“vandhudaiththa veNthiraigaL sempavala veNmuththam

  andhi viLakkum aNi viLakkAm – endhai

  oruvalli thAmaraiyAL onDriyaseer mArvan

  thiruvallik kEniyAn sendru”

"வந்துதைத்த வெண்டிரைகள் செம்பவள வெண்முத்தம் 

  அந்திவிளக்கு மணிவிளக்காம் -எந்தை 

  ஒருவல்லித் தாமரையாள் ஒன்றியசீர் மார்பன் 

  திருவல்லிக் கேணியான் சென்று ."

Sri Vedavalli sametha mannatha perumal-Thiruvallikeni

oru alli thAmaraiyAL – periya piratti, who is seated on the lotus flower with matchless beautiful petals;

sendRu ondRiya seer mArban – one who has the beautiful divine chest in which the divine mother settled;

veN thiraigaL vandhu vudaiththa sem pavaLam veN muththam – the red corals and white pearls that were got to the shores by the white waves;

andhi viLakkum aNi viLakkAm – are the auspicious lighting for the evening time;

thiruvallikEniyAn – for the Lord who resides in thiruvallikEni;

endhai – who is my master;

Introduction

Why was azhvar blessed with the Lord’s nirheduka krupa (paragatha sveekaram – the Lord accepting azhvar without peyazhvar putting any special efforts)? The Lord actually descended from thirupparkadal (milky ocean) to Thiruvallikeni to find a suitable chEtana (soul); at the same time the divine eyesight of the divine mother fell on pEyAzhvar born in mAdamA mayilai thiruvallikeni and due to piratti’s purushakaram (recommendation) the Lord’s unconditional grace fell on Azhvar.

Commentary

(vandudaiththa veNthiraigaL sempavaLa veNmuththam) The white waves get with them sparkling red corals and white pearls.  The waves push some of them to the shore those sparkle like red and white lights in the moonlight.

(andhi viLakkum aNi viLakkAm thiruvallikEni) The sparkling gems, pearls and corals on the sea shore glitter and spread colorful light and decorate the whole area celebrated as thiruvallikeni.

Like some rare gems and corals got to shore by the waves, the Lord descended to thiruvallikeni, expecting to find some rare jeevatmas who will rest under emperuman’s lotus feet pushed by the waves of samsara.  In the second half of the paasuram peyazhvar joyfully declares how emperuman’s wish was satisfied.

(oru allith thAmaraiyAl sendru OndRiya seer mArban)   The divine mother who resides on a beautiful soft lotus, slowly appeared from ksheerAbhdhi during the time of amruthamathanam (churning of the milky ocean) and marched her way towards the supreme lord ignoring all the devas (“pasyathAm sarva dEvAnAm yayow vakshastalam HarE:”).  She seated herself on the divine chest of the Lord and decided strongly not to leave the divine chest thereafter (“agalagillEn eraiyum”).  That Lord who has that divine mother ever in his beautiful chest

One question that may arise here is “How can the first and best among the ladies leave her natural tendency of shyness (lajja) and seat herself in her husband’s chest in front of so many devas?

Answer: All devas are like their child and like a mother climbing the father’s bed infront of her children piratti climbed on to the lord’s chest or otherwise all jeevatmas are ladies and a lady doesn’t feel shy in a group of ladies.  Thereby we cannot say that the divine mother gave up her natural quality of shyness.

With the great wish to protect all the devas, emperuman wanted piratti to shower her vision on the devas (dayAvalOkithA dEvA:) Thereby alarmElmanga graced the Devas (“pradEhi subhAkE hAram yasya tushtAsi bhAmini).  The divine mother is capable of reading and acting according to the sankalpa of the supreme lord.

(Sendru OndRiya seer mArban thiruvallikEniyAn endhai) The emperuman whose divine chest the divine mother choose to seat Herself forever is none other than the Lord who has settled for ever in thiruvallikeni and He is none other than my master.

The Lord has settled so strongly in thiruvallikeni that peyazhvar calls him as thiruvallikEniyAn (resident of thiruvallikeni) and with no other specific name.

Due to the mother’s purushakara I was blessed with the Lord’s grace. That divine mother settled in his chest only to make Him accept me.  Here we all should not forget that pEyAzhvar is the only azhvar who started his prabhandam with thiru and ended with thiru.  So peyAzhvar was very strong in his belief that he was first blessed with piratti’s grace and only due to piratti’s purushakaram he got the divine darshan of emperuman.

 Interesting points from DivyArthdeepikai of kanchi swamy

In this paasuram azhvar’s words are as if the Lord who intended to come to azhvar’s heart on His way from thiruparkadal halted at thiruvallikeni.  The first two lines exalt the beauty of this divyadesam.  Being on the seashore, the waves bring to shore numerous corals and pearls.  The glittering gems look like the divine lamp litted during the evening sunset time (sayam sandhya).  Some lights are white and some orangish red (white pearls and red corals).  So thiruvallikeni always glitters like a lamp litted evening time.   That Lord who is thirumAmagal kozhunan (beloved of Sri Mahalakshmi) is my master.

The Sanskrit words ‘pravalam’ has become pavalam; ‘mukthA’ has become muththu and ‘sandhya’ has become andhi respectively.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharNam