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Re: Selected excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy's ThiruppAvai Monograph: Part XV-> Eighth day :Keezh vAnam veLLenru Yerumai siRu veedu dinam

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Sadagopan • December 23, 2000 


Sriamthyai Godhayai Nama:
SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

Dear BhakthAs:

In this paasuram , ANDAL awakens another
Utthama adhikAri (kOthUkalamudaya Paavai) 
and asks her to join the BhAgavatha GhOshti.

In Gokulam , the Cowherds had three kinds of
wealth : Cows, Sheep and Buffalo (JananyAcchAr). 
Here ANDAL adopts the language of the cowherdess 
and refers to the early morning scene , where Buffalos 
are let out for their first grazing (Panip pull mEytthal).

Literal Meaning of the Paasuram:(V.S):
**************************************
Oh beautiful girl full of uthsAham (kuthUhalam )
for the Lord ! Day break is approaching as seen
by the whitening of the Eastern sky from the earlier 
red hue linked with AruNOdhayam . Awaken ! The hungry
buffalos have been led to the pastures close to home 
( siRu Veedu mEyvAN) for their "breakfast " of dewy
grass .We have detained the other Gopis , who were 
ready to go to the place of vratham so that you can join 
with us all .We have assembled in front of your house to
awaken you and take you with us . Please get up. 
If we sing about our Lord's glory together , He will
give us the vrathOpakaranams (Drum and other saamagriyAs
to observe our vratham ).When we approach our Lord--who
destroyed the asuran Kesi by tearing his mouth apart,
and killed the wrestlers of KamsA's court--and prostrate
before Him in all humility, that Lord (KrishNa ), the Lord
of all gods(Devaathi Devan ) will be moved and have
DayA for us and will inquire about our yOga KshEmam with 
great interest (aavA yenRu=haa haa yenRu)/(V.S) .

The Inner Meaning of the whole paasuram
****************************************
Oh Joyous Maiden, who is very dear to the Lord!
Please come and join this ghOshti . We have come to
take you with us on our journey to AchAryan ,
who protects our Indhriyams from entering into 
destructive ways and who by  the power of Jn~Anam and
anushtAna sakthi destroys Naasthikan as well as 
Kudhrushtis (Those who have viparItha Jn~Anam
and intrepret Veda Manthrams wrongly).That AchAryan
is greater than even sarvEsvaran for us. We should
sing his praise through his taniyan and get our 
minds cleared by the anushtAnam of Prapatthi
and understand well the mode of behavior after 
prapatthi and practise it ; afterwards , placing
AchAryan in front , if we arrive at Bhagavath 
SannidhAnam and prostrate before The Lord of Lords ,
He will be elated and inquire carefully into  our
qualifications as aartha prapannan (One who is desirous of 
Moksham without dealy )or dhruptha Prapannan (One who
wishes MoKsham at the time of falling of this body)
and grant us the appropriate prapathti phalan .

The Inner Meanings of the different words of this paasuram 
***********************************************************
(1)The maiden in this paasuram is addressed as "KOTHUKALAM
UDAYA PAAVAAI"( One who is very much desired by KrishNa).
Why So? In Bhagavath Githai , Lord says" priyOhi jn~Ani
nOthyarthamaham sa cha mama priya:"(GitA 7.17). He says 
here that the Jn~Ani is ever dear to Him ;I am very dear to 
him and he too is very dear to Me. " Even I , the Omniscient
and Omnipotent , is unable to express how much dear the Jn~Anin
is to me , since there is no such limit (as this much)
for this love ( that I have for him /Jn~Anin)".This maiden
is one such Jn~Ani , who has the greatest preethi for 
the Lord and He for her. The Gopis feel that meeting 
KrishNa with this Gopi (Jn~Ani)in front (Puraskruthya)
will make it easy for them to obtain Lord's grace .

(2) Keezh vaanam veLLenRu: Vaanam means AkAsam or
Gaganam . KooratthAzhwAn has stated in Sundhara Baahu
Sthavam , " yamm tamm Vidhur daharam ashtaguNopajushtam
AkAsam oupanishadheeshu Sarsavatheeshu" based on 
the Brahma Soothram ( dahara UttharEbhya:). 
The Upanishadic statement is : " Dahram vipApmam paravEsma-
bhUtham yath PuNDareekam puramadhyasamstham,tathrapi
dahram gaganam visOkas tasmin yathanthas tadhupAsithavyam".
We have daharAkasam inside us.There are two interelated
aspects to DaharAkAsam (paravEsma bhUtham): (a) One is
the aadharam/base for Parama Purushan , Dahara puNDareekam,
which is referred to as Keezh Vaanam (b) on that Keezh
Vaanam sits the daharAkAsa sabdha-vaachyan , EmperumAn , 
who is recognized as mEl Vaanam .If the Keezh Vaanam 
(Dahara PuNdareekam ) does not have purity , then 
EmperumAn wont sit on it .It has to be spatika 
suddham ( " VeLLenRu Keezh Vaanam Irukka vENDum)
( View of Sri P.B.AnnangarAcchAr Swamy).

The connection between Dahara VidhyA upAsanai and 
other upAsanais covered in Upanishads ending up with 
"DevAthi dEvan" , Sriman NaarAyaNan is referred to here.

(3)Abhinava Desikan points out that the increasing
whiteness ( VeLLenRu) denotes a key transformation
for a Mumukshu ( One desires Moksham). Until the time
of AchArya sambhandham , it was a dark night for
the Mumukshu; after gaining AchArya anugraham through
Prapatthi , it is the onset of the bright dawn (Brahma
muhUrtham) for the Prapannan .Sri PerukkAraNai Swamy
as a great admirer of Abhinava Desikan's "SarvathO mukha
PaaNDithyam " takes off often from his "mentor's" 
Sri Sookthis. We will see this again and again.

(4)Yerumai SiRu veedu mEyvAn paranthana kaaNN: Abhinava
Desikan has a telling explanation regarding the inner meaning
of this paasura Vaakyams. The Buffalo (yerumai) has a slower
gait than the Cow. They take their own time to get to
their destination(Moksham). On the way , they soak in ponds
and canals , enjoy themselves and therefore are delayed 
further to reach their place of intent . Bhakthi nishtars 
are so deeply entranced in Bhagavath anubhavam that 
they are delayed in getting Moksham . In this matter , 
their lot is like that of the afore-described buffalos. 
PrapannAs ( Those who have pereformed Prapatthi) are 
like cows that move faster like an arrow leaving 
the bow and attain MOksham (SiRu Veedu) without delay 
and enjoys the nectar at Sri Vaikuntam .SiRu veedu has
also been intrepreted by other commentators as "siRRibham '
Compared to the the " anthamil pErinbham" (Sri Vaikuntam)
and also as Kaivalyam .  

(5)" Paadi" = with anusandhAnam (recital) of AchArya Taniyan

(6)" parai KoNDu "= praising AchAryan's mahimai 
all over the world like Madhura Kavi AzhwAr
or comprehending well Prapathti Vidhyai.

(7)" MikkuLLa PiLlaikaLum": Those Mumukshus , who
know well that they do not have the qualifications 
to pursue Bhakthi Yogam and hence choose Prapatthi
Maargam . 

(8)" pOvAn pOhinrAraip pOhAmal kaathu unnaik koovuvAn
vanthu ninROm ": Sri P.B.A Swamy quotes the mangaLa
SlOkam of NyAya parisuddhi to illustrate the unique
greatness Of Sri RaamAnujA as a ParamAchAryan: 
"tath Paadha kODirayOs sambhandhEna samitthyAmAna VibhavAn".
EmperumAnAr ( Udayavar) has this rare distinction of 
uplifting (utthIrNam) those who went before him with 
his Thirumudi Sambhandham and those who came after him 
with his Thiruvadi sambhandham.

(9) dEvAthi dEvan : ANDAL's usage of this naamam
to salute the Lord has been intrepreted to refer to
Kaanchi VaradarAjan ("ayarvarum amararkaL adhipathi"
salutation of Swamy NammAzhwAr) or to DEva Naatha
PerumAL of ThriuvahIndhrapuram.

(10) Mallarai Maattiya: The subjugation and destruction of
ahankAra-mamakArams are referred to here ( "ahankaaram-
mamakAram pOnRavarkaL iru malai pOl yethirnthu vantha 
mallarai saava tavirttha" is the paasuram passage to recall). 

(11) MaavAi piLanthAnai: literally , the Lord , who tore
apart the mouth of the asuran Kesi (" anru thuraka vaai keeNDa 
mudiyAi , nangaL naraka vaai keeNDAnum neeyE" are the words
of AzhwAr) . The inner meaning here is the salutation to 
the AchAryan , who mkaes the dumb speak . We are like 
Jn~ana heena pasus (mruga saamAnyams)and are dumb creatures. 
The Lord in the form of AchAryan intervenes and opens our
mouth to speak well and sing in praise of the Lord . Prakrutham
AchAryan is a living example of such a miracle . He did not
speak from birth and AchArya KatAksham transformed him
and placed him in an eminent position as an AchAryan 
to guide the others. 

(12) AarAynthu ARULAL : The use of "aruL" here means the arousal
of KrupA in the Lord on hearing our Aartha dhavani( screaming
in pain of samsAram for help).  

(13) senRu naam sEvitthAl: " AchAryAthiha dEvatham 
samadhikAmanyAm namanyAmahE" establishes the unmatched
glory of the AchAryan in Swamy Desikan's Sri Sookthi.
We have to approach (senRu) and offer our prostrations
(naamm sEvitthAl/sa GurumEvAbhigacchEth). We have to 
fall at this AchAryan's feet and get our doubts cleared
with humility ( "praNipAdhEna pariprachnEna SEVAYAA").

(14) AAVENRU AARAAYNTHU ARULUM (AchAryan):When we approach
this AchAryan in all humility , then he will welcome us 
with open arms and examine us for sishya lakshaNa poorthi
and bless us with great dayA. 

(15) In addition to the deep spiritual insight gleaned
from the passages of this paasuram , one can not but
fall at the sacred feet of ANDAL for Her immaculate
poetic skills in the description of the advancement of 
dawn .Those who have seen the red hue of dawn shifting 
slowly into different degrees of whiteness as the Sun
climbs up can relate well to Her choice words " Keezh
Vaanam VeLLenRu". ThoNDardippodi's ThirupaLLIyezhucchi
paasura Vaakhyams alos echo in our minds:
" SudaroLi paranthana Soozh disai yellAM
  thunniya thAtakai minnoLi surungi" .        

ANDAL , Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saraNam
RaamAnuja Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan


  
    



  




 


   
  
 




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