MoondrAm thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram-9

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

   

Paasuram – 9

"kaNNum kamalam kamalamE kaithalamum

  maNNaLandha pAdhamum maRRavaiyE – enniR

  karumA mugil vaNNan kAr kadalneer vaNNan

  thirumAmaNi vaNNan dEsu" 

"கண்ணும் கமலங் கமலமே கைத்தலமும் 

 மண்ணளந்த பாதமும் மற்றவையே - எண்ணிற் 

 கருமா முகில்வண்ணன் கார்க்கடல்நீர் வண்ணன் 

 திருமாமணி வண்ணன் தேசு"

Sri Parthasarathi Ekantha sevai

karumA mugil vaNNan – one who has a divine form-dark and huge like the clouds;

kAr kadal neer vaNNan -   one who has the color similar to the dark ocean waters;

thirumAmaNi vaNNan – one who has the color of a beautiful costly gem;

dEsu – beauty;

eNNil – if we think of it;

kaNNum – also the divine eyes;

kamalam – is a lotus;

kai thalamum – the divine hands;

kamalamE – is also a lotus;

maRRum – further;

maN aLandha pAdhamum – the divine feet that measured the worlds;

avaiyE – also lotus;

Introduction

PEyAzhvar deeply desired to have the divine darshan of kaNNan.   "kaNNanaiyE kANga nam kaN".  When azhvar wishes so deeply will the Lord who is Asridhaparatantran (servant of devotees) keep quiet?

Commentary

(karumAmugil vaNNan) Like the dark clouds spread throughout the sky, the Lord's divine color is capable of removing the tiredness of all those who see him.   Azhvar couldn't stop with just saying 'mugilvaNNan' to emphasis the greatness of the supreme Lord azhvar says 'karu mA mugil vaNNan' Even then peyazhvar was not satisfied so next he tries to explain Lord's beauty with another example,

 

(kAr kadal neer vaNNan)   Oh! The Lord is like the dark colored ocean waters vast and not fully perceivable by the eyes.

Darkness and greatness- azhvar tried to convey equating to the clouds;

Vastness – azhvar tried by equating to the ocean;

 

(ThirumAmaNivaNNan) Unlike the clouds or the ocean, the beautiful blue colored gem has more glitter and is also expensive.   Moreover, the beauty of the gem can be enjoyed in entirety, cool to vision and at the same time anyone can possess it (one can even carry a gem in the knot at the tip of their saree) indicating the sowlabhyam (easy accessibility).

So now azhvar tries to get satisfied by equating the Lord to a precious gem beautiful, cool to vision, relishable, though expensive easily accessible

Thiru – indicates beauty; mA – indicates preciousness; maNi-blue gem

Otherwise, mA – indicates the blue color and maNi – gem; thiru – indicates both beauty and preciousness.

(dEsu eNNil) Thinking about the glory of such an enchanting Lord –

'yatho vAchO nivarthanthE apprApya manasA saha' [His greatness is beyond words or thoughts]

How can one think about that lord's divine qualities completely? Moreover how can azhvar who looses all his senses (kAlAzhum nenjazhiyum kansuzhalum) immediately on thinking about the supreme Lord complete the thought process and enjoy the qualities of the divinity completely.   But with great difficulty if we protect us from drowning in the ocean of beauty and try to enjoy then-

 

(KaNNum kamalam) Like a cool breeze in hot summer, for all of us suffering in this hot samsara, the cool vision of the lord, with beautiful lotus like reddish eyes gives ultimate pleasure.

(kamalamE Kaithalamum) Similarly even the divine hands that embrace us after the cool look, is a soft cool lotus.

(maN aLandha pAdhamum maRRavaiyE) the divine feet that measured the forests and rocky areas also is beautiful and soft like a lotus.

Azhvar pities that soft feet that had to measure this rough world. Since there is no other object that could match the parts of the lord as close as a lotus, all the parts are equated to lotus by azhvars

 

"kaNNum senthAmarai kaiyam avai adiyO avaiyE" [thiruviruththam-44]

"kaivaNNam thAmarai vAi kamalam pOlum kaNNiNaiyum aravindham adiyum agudhE" [thirunedunthAndakam 21]

"karumugil thAmarai kAdu pooththu" [kambar]

Interesting points from DivyArthdeepikai of kanchi swamy

In the previous paasuram azhvar aspired to have the divine darshan of kannan and the Lord gave a wonderful darshan which azhvar tries to elucidate in this paasuram.  First talking about the Lord’s colour azhvar tries to find an appropriate comparison and sequentially talks about the dark clouds that spread in the sky during a rainy season, the water in the dark ocean, the rich precious blue gems (sapphires) then proceeds to talk about the beauty of the divine eyes, divine hands and divine feet comparing all of them to be like a beautiful lotus.

But instead saying that all his parts are like a beautiful lotus azhvar says “kannum kamalam kamalamE kaithalamum mannaLandha pAdhamum mattravaiyE” why because azhvar is not just making comparative statements but enjoying the same.  One who is enjoying will rejoice each and every part slowly cherishing one by one. Azhvar’s state now is similar to that explained by kambar in Ramayana “tOl kandAr thOlE kandAr thodukazhar kamalamanna thAl kandAr thAlE kandAr thadakkai kandArumahdhE”.  Azhvar’s vision got fixed in each part and then after a long time proceeds to the next part.  First azhvar saw the divine eyes and said Oh! Only the lotus comes a little near to his divine eyes so let me compare the eyes with the lotus.  Then slowly azhvar’s vision moved to the divine hands again he searched for anything to come close to His hands and found nothing else other than the lotus itself.  Then azhvar’s vision moved to emperuman’s thiruvadi. But then one question arised in azhvar’s mind, “Can we equate the lotus that withers after sometime to this divine thiruvadi?”. Not being able to find anything more appropriate azhvar concluded “pAdhamum mattruavaiyE”

Desu-tEjas (in Sanskrit)-The glory of the lord is beyond thoughts or words.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharNam