MoondRam thiruvandhAdhi-Paasuram-32

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

Paasuram-32

“pArkadalum vENkatamum pAmbum panivisumbum

nooRkadalum nuNNoola thAmaraimEl-pArpat

tirundhAr manamum edamAgak koNdAn

kurundhosiththa gOpAla kan”

"பாற்கடலும் வேங்கடமும் பாம்பும் பனிவிசும்பும் 

நூற்கடலும் நுண்ணூல தாமரைமேல் -பார்பட் 

டிருந்தார் மனமும் இடமாகக்  கொண்டான்

குருந்தொசித்த கோபால கன்."

kurundhu – kurundha trees;

osiththa – one who split apart;

gOpAlakan – kannapiran, guardian of cows;

pArkadalum – ThirupArkadal (divine milky ocean);

vEnkatamum – Thirumala (the divine seven hills);

pAmbum – thiruananthAzhvan (the divine serpant);

pani visumbum – The divine abode, paramapada (untouched by heatness/difficulties of samsara) cool like snow;

nool kadalum – ocean of texts, sruthi and other sastras;

nuN noola thAmarai mEl pAl pattirundhAr manamum – In the heart of the yogis, who with the aid of the vedas control their senses and meditate in their minds

edam Aga koNdAn – reserves as place of residence;

Introduction

The divine abodes of the Lord where He descends for our benefit with absolute mercy on each one of us is limitless.

Commentary

(kurundhu osiththa gOpAlakan) During the krishnAvatara, in gokula grass and trees turned out to be asuras. The demons as instructed by kamsa took any form with the ulterior motive of killing krishna. But krishna as child's play killed the demons and did dushta nigraham (destruction of the evil) and shista paripalanam (protecting the virtues) saving the gokula vasees and cows. One such asura took the form of a kurundha tree that krishna effortlessly split apart and brought happiness to the gopalas.

First Azhvar talked about the greatness of krishna who was in this world only for a short span of time during the incarnation then in the rest of the paasuram azhvar proceeds to list out the places where the very same Lord resides even today.

(pArkadalum) ThirupArkadal celebrated as 'koopeedu kEtkum edam' (place where emperuman reclines for listening to devas worries)

(vENkatamum) ThiruvENkatam (the divine seven hills) amidst the forests inhabited by monkeys and hunters. The centre place where both monkeys and nithyasooris surrender to the Lord.

(pAmbum) AdhisEsha, the divine serpant waiting to grasp any type of service to the Almighty ('sendrAl kudaiyAm') at all times ('ozhivil kalamellAm vudanAi manni vazhivilA adimai')

(pani visumbum) Ever cool paramapadam, one place where none of the sAmsaric heat (tapatrayas) can reach.

(noor kadalum) ocean of pramanas, viz., sruthi, smrithi, Ithihasa and puranas

(nuNNoola thAmaraimEl pAl pattirundhAr manamum) The sacred texts, the sastras declare about the indweller (antaryami) inside the heart on a lotus like pedestal, hrudhayakamalam (“padmakOsapratheekAsam Hrudhayam chApyathOmukam”- Heart similar to a inverted Lotus) (Tai-NA) of the yogis who by their yoga practice control their senses and meditate on the lord inside them.

(edam Agak koNdAN) choose the above places to reside with pleasure.

Thus the supreme Lord exhibits His grace and simplicity by dwelling in various places in order to capture the attention of the souls that go astray in this world of misery.

Interesting points from DivyArthdeepikai of kanchi swamy

pani visumbu – that place that cools all the heat generated due to the samsara;

NuNoola thAmaraimEl – Lotus that which has fine strands (it is well known that lotus is a flower with fine strands), on top of which resides goddess Sri Mahalakshmi; manam - divine chest; mErpAl – on top; So it can be otherwise said that the Lord resides in the divine chest of Sri Mahalakshmi who resides on top of the lotus with fine strands.

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharNam