Sweet Thiruvaaimozhi-1.1

From the Bhakti List Archives

• November 25, 1997


					Sri:
Dearest sisters and brothers,
	Let us enjoy NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi (akkAra vadisal) to the fullest
extent possible by getting to know the meanings (from layman-angAni's
view). If any of You –at least one of you after reading these posts, close
your eyes, take a deep breathe visualising – AzhwAr's great bhakti,
philosophy and the richness of anubhavam for Sriman NarayaNa- immeasurable
qualities and beauty of the Lord- forgetting the World for a second- then,
it is His blessing on these posts. Many scholars and AchAryAls have written
and are still writing vyAkhyAnams for this great work. It is with my "no"
knowledge, I have attempted to write free translation- It is much beyond my
capacity and understanding to do any justice to this excellent pAsurams of
"our" AzhwAr. I place my humble effort at the feet of Sri RanganAyika
sametha RanganAtha and at the feet of NammAzhwAr with great humility and in
the service to the Sri VaishNava brethern. 

AnanthAzhwAn's thaniyan:
YEindha perungeerthi erAmAnusa munithan/
VAiyndha malarp pAtham vaNanghugiNREn- aAyndha perunj/
Cheeraar sadagOpan senthamizh vEdham tharikkum/
pEraatha uLLam peRa/

"I bow to the Lotus feet of Ramanuja muni, (who has got the equal GREAT
capacity to NammAzhwAr) to give me a mind that is strong enough to retain
the  "Senthamizh vEdham" thiruvAimozhi, which was written by NammazhwAr who
is blemishless, and is full of GREAT attributes(guNAs)" 

Let us immerse ourselves into the SWEETEST pAsurams, consumption of which
will never satisfy us fully and will only make us addicts (because it talks
about "AarAamudhan" – AarA amudhanai Aarap paruguvOm) .

1. Uyarvu aRa uyar nalam Â….mananE. " Oh my mind! you attain salvation by
prostrating at the bright shining Lotus Feet of the One,- the unparalleled
one, who has got everything that is GREAT in Him-  who has blessed me with
gnAnam and Bhakthi which destroys my  "agnAnam" (ignorance and wrong
knowldege) completely- who is the Chief of immortal dEvAs." 
   
2. manan agam malam aRaÂ….ilanE.. "My "uyir" (AntharyAmi) is He, who is-
incomprehensible  even by those yOgis, who are able to control their
desire(lust), anger arising in their minds,- immeasurable by the fullest
capacities of five sense organs, - has got such attributes and character, -
who has got no one equal to Him at all times (past, present and the
future)- who has got none greater than Him."

3. ilan adhu udaiyanÂ…nAmE- " I have already attained that emperumAn.- who
can not said that He has this in Him and He does not have that in Him-
(means He has Everything in Him; yet He is attached to nothing) such a
great attribute He has- He has entered into the forms of everything in the
Universe and in "viNNagam" (dEva, Brahma, Vikunta lOkam)- at the same time
,He is of no form – Like that, even though He has mixed Himself with
everything that can be perceived by sense organs, He still can NOT be
perceived by our senses; _ He has got all that is spread everywhere- the
emperumAn-  who has got such GREAT attributes- I have already attained
Him."

4.naam avan ivan uvanÂ… avarE.. " The emperumAn is and has become that guy,
this guy and the one who is in between that guy and this guy- that lady,
this lady and the one who is in between that and this lady- those and these
people and ones who are in between them- that and this object and those
objects which are in between them- the one which is a question in our
minds; good things; bad things; past, present and future things; things
which are never permanent and are going to be perished;- 

5. avaravar thamathamadhuÂ…ninRanarEÂ… " Those gnAnis, who, with their
knowledge and bhakti  understand their Gods as "The One, who has no second"
 and surrender at Those Gods' feet. Such Gods bless and give everything to
Their devotees and satify them – Not due to their poers; but due to the
Grace and mercy of Sriman NarayaNan who is present in those Gods as
antharyAmi in their Hearts. "

6. NinRanar irundhanar kidanndhanarÂ…thidarEÂ…" Those who are standing,
sitting, lying down; those who are NOT standing; NOT sitting and NOT lying
down- all of them are directed and guided by Him; Such as He can not be
thought of as one who is of same kind of form and nature at all times;  At
the same time He has got same kind of GREATNESS and ATTRIBUTES at all
times; such as He, due to our vairAgyam (determination), has become mine."

7. thida visumbhuÂ…unda suranEÂ…"The sturdy agAyam, fire, wind, water and the
earth,(Pancha bhoothangaL) with those, He has become one Himself with
everything that is in those pancha bhoothangaL; In each of those
everything, He has hidden Himself as its life – Like that He has entered
and spread everywhere and in everything like the light that spreads
everywhere; Such a GREAT Emperumaan at the end of cycle, (yugam), He takes
and unites everything back to Him."

8. surar aRivu nilaiÂ….uLanEÂ…" ParamporuL, the one who can NOT be even known
by devAs,(celestial ones); who is the cause of all that is created and is
the consumer of everything by eating and keeping them in His body at the
end of cosmic cycle; who takes the form of RudhrA and burns; who takes the
form of brahmaa and created the Universe and gives gnAnam to dEvAs; Like
that He enters into Rudran and Brahman as their antharAtmA."

9. uLan enil uLanÂ…parandhE.."He exists" means He exists (for theists); He
does not exist also implies He exists; - He has got such attributes and
nature which can be described as existent as well as non-existent;  He
takes the forms as well as NO Forms; With such sthoola sareeram and
sookshuma sareeram, He exists and is spread EVERYWHERE."

10.parandha thaN.. karanE.." Emperumaan exists and is in each atom of water
droplet of the Ocean which spreads everywhere as if the atom itself is and
spreads the entire cosmic universe; Like that, He fills entirely even in
the MINUTEST Microcosmic particles and their atoms; With such nature He
exists and at the END, He takes back everything back to Him and stays put
as THE ONLY SOLID ONE" 

(DEAREST SISTERS AND BROTHERS, CAN YOU SEE THAT THIS IS NOTHING BUT
VISISHTADVAITHAM. We can very well imagine why Our Sri Ramanuja and all
other acharyALs fell head over heels in live with this GREAT TRUTH given by
the GREATEST AZHWAR- Sri Ramanuja is idhath thaai (Foster mother); and
NammAzhwAr is mudhal thaai- first mother)

11. kara visumbhuÂ…veedE.."ParamporuL- the one who has become and is the
sound, burning capacity, strength, coolness and the endurance/patience- the
attributes of the pancha bhoothangaL (respectively aagaayam, fire, air,
water, earth); His Lotus feet are the topic of  pasurams of kurugoor
sadagopan- which are rich in meanings and in literary sense- the ten
pAsurams of these full 1000 pAsurams can give mOksham (to all of us, dear
ones!)

Vaasaka dOsha ; kshandhavyah:

Ram Ram

NammAzhwAr thiruvadigaLE saraNam

dAsan madhavakkaNNan