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thirup pAvai - part 19 - "koor vEl kodum"

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Sampath Rengarajan • December 25, 1998 


Dear bAgawathAs,			mArgazhi day 10, 5:30 AM

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

"koor vEl kodun thozhilan"

"koor"  means   that  which is sharp. vEl means a spear. In those 
days  the  popular  weapon for house keeping and safe keeping was 
"vEl". It is said that Sri Nandagopan and his men were keeping  a
constant vigil on Sri Krishna that Kamsa's emissaries  would  not 
harm Sri Krishna despite several failed attempts. 
        
        The vaibavam  took  place in aaypAdi. Lord Sri Krishna is 
the  "jagath  rakshagan".  ie.,  HE  protects the entire universe. 
Then  Why  would  he  need  some  one  to  protect HIM ? Isn't it 
Sri  ANDAL delivered these pAsurams after Sri Krishna avathAram ?
Doesn't she aware of the fact no one is really protecting HIM and
that all these are HIS own leela vaibavam ? The reason is similar  
to  periyAzwar singing pallANdu for the eternal  Lord.  ie.,  Why
periAzhwAr has  to  bless  the Lord to Live 1000 of years when he 
knows that the Lord is  eternal. The  simplest  understanding  is 
that Sri ANDAL took the bhAvam of gOpiyar and took us  all there,  
as if the whole avathAram is taking place now. When reading these verses 
there is a sense of security felt within, such that we are 
in the company of the Lord as an avathAram currently. This is one 
of the  reason  that  AchAryAs  interpret that these 30 verses of 
thirup pAvai itself is an avathAram in kali.

        Coming to the original line,  the  word "kodum thozhilan" 
means, one who is doing this duty of vigilance as HIS profession.
The word "thozil" means profession. thilan means one  who  is  a 
professional. Sri  NadagOpan  was  the  chief of the aayAr kulam 
and now after Sri Krishna vijayam, his profession or  occupation 
has changed entirely such that he has devoted his entire time in  
keeping a constant vigil on Lord  Sri Krishna  and believed that 
he is protecting  HIM.  The  word "nandagOpan kumaran"  here has 
been discussed earlier to  bring out the overall essence of this 
first pAsuram.

	The word kodum means "krora" or that which is torturing.
The spear that SrinandagOpan is  wielding is so sharp and  will  inflict  
wounds  that  are  torturing. Sri PeriyavAccahn pillai 
says  "nam  siRiya   AathAnaip  pola  anrusamya  prathAraytthup 
poruvathu". ie.,Sri nandagOpan looks as if the word "happiness" 
took a form in his thiru uruvam.  However when Lord Sri Krishna 
arrived his nature changed a little bit and he was unrelenting, 
ever  alert and and wielding a sharp spear in his arms all  the  
time.  He used to protect the Lord just as similar to our ilaya 
perumAL protecting the Lord Sri RamA for 14 years in vanavAsam.        

       The word "kumaran" means  "Son".  Why  is  that  Lord is 
addressed here as  nandagOpan  kumaran  while  during many other 
citations  in  "Sri  math  bAgawatham",  Lord  is  addressed as 
"vAsudeva nandan". Sri Krishna avathAram has many purposes.  Of 
which the references  to  Sri  Krishna  as  Sri  Nandagopan and 
Sri yasOdhAs son are meant for conveying the achArya thaththuvam 
and  mantra  upadEsam and  convey  the  saranAgathi thatthuvam.  
Vasudeva nandan is for referring to  HIS para thaththuvam. 

        The word "kumaran" also refers to the paruvam or the age
of the Lord. ie., bAlyam. The ripe age  for  accepting  a  bride 
(jivAtma). ie.,  it is the right "paruvam" or time for the  Lord 
to accept the Aycchiyars  (symbolising  jivAtmAs) here, in  holy 
matrimony  (symbolising  here  the  saranAgathi  wedlock). In  a  
Tamil  marriage  inviatation  When  addressing  some  person  as 
someone's  son,  it  is  referred  as  so and so's kumAran. When 
someone is older and is  addresed  as  someone  else's  son, (in 
presenting an accomplishment or anyother),  such  elderly person 
is addressed as "thiruk kumArar".  ie., kumaran becomes kumArar. 
Such differences between the two words kumaran and kumArar shows
the  different  age or paruvam for the two  addressed.  In  some 
xceptional cases, it is rarely used  to convey a respect to even  
a lad as  "kumArar", ie for example an erstwhile young prince of 
a kingdom is used to be called as kumArar. 

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam 
Sampath Rengarajan        


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