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Bhagavathi Geetha 01

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Ramanbil • December 20, 1999 


Dear Bhagavatas
Hope you have read the Introduction posted earlier. Here is Verse 01 of 
Tiruppavai.
Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy
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TIRUPPAVAI 01 
maargazhith thingaL madhi niRaindha nannaaLaal
neeraadap pOdhuveer pOdhuminO nErizhaiyeer
seer malgum aayppaadich chelvach chiRumeergaaL
koorvEl kodundhozhilan nandhagOpan kumaran
Eraarndha kaNNi yasOdhai iLam singam
kaar mEni cengaN kadhir madhiyam pOl mugaththaan
naaraayaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvaan
paarOr pugazhap padindhElOr empaavaay

This PAsuram refers to 'PARAM"-Transcendental abode of ' Narayana'

1.  mArgazhi thingaL  the month of mArgazhi (December-January) 
When one gets something one values as valuable, more than the thing itself, 
it is customary to hail the time one gets it. The Gopis hail the time of the 
NOnbu. This is the month presided over by KEsava --It is said "kEsavah KLEsa 
nAsanaha"- Kesava who dispels our distress. The period is neither too cold 
nor too warm; the ideal time for the kind of activity they were planning.
Kannan says in Bhagavad Gita "that among the months He is Margazhi.

44th Pattam Azhagiya Singhar's NirvAham in SobhOdhini:
This month is called "Dhanur" which refers to the bow wielded by the Lord, 
The very name of the month  will yield the results we pray for through this 
NOnbu observed during this month"
2. madhi niRaindha nann nALLAl: full moon Sukla paksha Pournami day; 
auspicious day; Only that day is auspicious when one comes to realize one's 
'sEshatvam' (Subordination) to the Lord, when wisdom blossoms like the full 
moon. Azhwar also said- "SaraNallAl sellAtha SenkaNmAl ennALum nannALE"
3. neerADa  : to bathe; also means immersing in the GuNAnubhavam of KrishNa. 
Since there are a number of similarities between BhagavAn and waterfront, 
NeerATTam here refers to Bhagavad Anubhavam. NammAzhwAr brings out these 
similarities thus:- "ThAmarai neer vAsa ThaDam" and Dayarathan petra 
maragatha maNi ThaDam" 
4. pOdhuveer : those who desire to thus get immersed may come. This 
represents the "UpAya Swaroopam"
5. pOdhumino: Come one, Come all those so interested. Like PeriyAzhwAr who 
says- "VAzhATpaTTU ninruLLeerEl vandhu maNNum maNamum koLveer"
6. nEr izhaiyeer: you who are adorned with jewels; the jewels here also refer 
to Tvarai of Bhagavad Bhakti; Ornaments adorning the physical body and the 
ornaments adorning Atma are different; here the word refers to AtmaguNas like 
Santhi etc as the ornaments. 
7. seer malgum : full of wealth, glory, plentitude
8. aaypaadi: TiruvaippADi. Andal transforms herself and her mates as 
GOpakannikas and, in fact, the entire Srivilliputtur, her birthplace  to 
TiruvaippADi where KrishNA staged His leelas as a BAla (BAlakrishNan)
9. Selva : The wealth that we enjoy in this world is evanescent. They are 
illusory and will vanish. Bhakti is the wealth that is permanent. Here 
"Selva" refers to the wealth of Gnana and Vairaghyam. What constitutes 
"Selvam" is indicated by expressions like " Antharikshah Gathah SreemAn", 
"LakshmaNo Lakshmi SampannO', "sa Thu nAgavara SreemAn" etc.
10. SirumeergaaL:  O! Young, beautiful and prosperous lasses matching the 
handsome lad, KrishNa (kumaran)

Andavan Nirvaham:
"By this, Andal addresses all BhAgavatha srEshTas whose ornaments are GnAna, 
Bhakti and VairAghya to join the nOnbu of Prapatti. Hence, "Nammai AandAL"- 
our Savior."
11. koor vEl kodum thozhilan:  wielding a sharp spear and being cruel to 
those who harm Krishna. Like PeriyAzhwAr, NandagOpa, apprehensive of 
potential danger to child KrishNa, he always guarded the cradle with a sharp 
spear in his hand. He would kill even an ant that dared to approach KrishNa. 
Hence, cruel- "KoDum Thozhilan"

44th Pattam Azhagiya Singhar's NirvAham in his SubOdhini: 
Anyone who stand between us and the Lord is our enemy. NandagOpan out of 
"Putra Vatsalayam" is paranoid about even us, innocent girls, and does not 
allow us anywhere near Baby KrishNa. Hence, he is "KoDum thozhilan"- cruel to 
us and therefore, our enemy. So, if we pray to KrishNa with the realization 
that he is NArAyaNa, the Supreme Lord, He will certainly take us to 
Paramapadam where there will be no enemies at all"
12. nandagOpan: Nandagopa, Krishna's father and chief of the cowherds. The 
implication is that NandagOpan is the one who ventured to protect the one who 
protects everyone! "Nanda" also means "joy". Though the enjoyment is mutual, 
NandagOpan's love for Kannan seems to be more than Kannan's love for 
NadagOpan because we see him as a "koDum Thozhilan"
The implication here is that NandagOpan is the one who ventured to protect 
the one who protects everyone! "Nanda" also means "Joy". Here the enjoyment 
is mutual. We do not know whether NandagOpan's love for KrishNa weighs more 
than KrishNa's love for NandagOpan or vice versa! 
13. kumaran : young lad. The Paramapada nAthan is "Nitya Yuva". It is this 
Nitya Yuva who is born as KrishNA 
14. Eraarndha kaNNi :  bewitching eyes of YasOdha
15. yasOdhai  : YasOdha, The name reminds one of "YasasA jwalantheem" She 
shines by her fame. What fame? Andal explains this in Verse 17: 
"kombanArkkellAm kozhundhE, Kula viLakkE"- YasOdha was famous for her support 
to the 5 lakhs Aayarkula lasses like a 'Pandal' that yields itself to support 
the creeper. The 'Kozhundu' or the tender outer leaf at the tip of the branch 
is the first to show off its distress when anything affects the plant.
16. iLam singam: lion cub; What 'Tapas" did she do to beget the leonine lad 
(Singa kutti). Though DEvaki gave birth to KaNNan, it was YasOdha who had the 
bhAghyam of rearing the child. Did not DEvaki wail through the PAsuram of 
Kulasekhara Azhwar " Thollai Inbathin irudhi  Deivanangai YasOdhai kanDALE".

44th Pattam Azhagiya Singhar's Nirvaham in his SubOdhini:
 "Andal avers that it is the same Nrisimha who barged out from the pillar in 
an earlier AvatAra, is now appearing as the leonine cub. Did not Rukmani 
address KrishNa in her billet doux as "kAlE Nrisimha"?"
17. kaar mEni :  The Lord's body is dark like rain bearing cloud;
18. Sen kaNN : red eyes; Why red eyes? Because of the depth of concern and 
compassion for the Gopis, He seems to keep His eyes wide awake all the time.
19. kadhir madhiyam sun and moon: One with "Sasee Soorya nEtram". Eyes
scorching the enemies like the hot Sun (HiraNyakasipu)and cool like the moon 
to those who are friendly (PrahlAdha). In the case of Gopis, He goes one step 
further in that He conducts Himself like a "JaDavasthu" and seems to long for 
their affection and carrying out their bidding (iTTa VazhakkAi). To them He 
shows the farthest limit of His "Soulabhyam". Why was He so partial towards 
them? This is because of the total dependence they showed Him(Ananya 
gathitvam, Anaya SaraNatvam etc. When they learned that KrishNa jumped into 
the pond of KALinga, the Gopis found no meaning in living thereafter and 
wanted to jump into the "maDu". Such was their "PrEmai"; Such was His 
"Soulabhyam"> We do not know which was the cause and which the effect!
20. pOl mugaththaan  with a face like; The moment they started comparing with 
Sun and moon, the thought came to her mind that they were also subject to 
faults like being attacked by Rahu and Ketu, and  more so in the case of moon 
with a permanent blot on its face and its losing its shape progressively, she 
hastened to clarify that only in the aspect of scorching and coolness the 
simile was implied. So, she modified her statement as "Like" the Sun and moon.
21. nArAyaNanE: Narayana himself; The elongation of "E" suggests the 
Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence of the Lord- In other words His 
"Paratvam"- the object to be attained - "ParamAtma Swaroopam."
22. namakkE: even to us,  The elongation "E" here shows how this "Paratvam" 
is pitted against the pitiable plight of the Jivas (Aakinchanyam, KarpaNyam, 
Ananya Seshatvam, Ananya SaraNatvam etc which are the characteristics of 
"Jeeva Swaroopam".  Also, the "VirOdhi Swaroopam" as the Jiva is its own 
enemy by its "Sambandham" with the "Sareeram". Also shows how, in spite of 
this, the Lord condescends to "save our souls" by virtue of His "Soulabhyam"
23. paRai tharuvAn:  The general meaning is that it is a percussion 
instrument like the drum; It may also mean Conch, light etc. This is only a 
pretext (VyAjam); In SwApadEsa, it is the desire to do eternal Kainkaryam. 
The real object is Moksham. Thus, this represents "Phala Swaroopam.
24. paarOr pugazha : (so that) the people of the world will celebrate25. 
padindhu : follow, get involved (in our nonbu) without any thought of other 
phalas
26.El-Or: "El" is exclamatory. It also means 'accept" "Or" means "Know this". 
Andal seems to ask the Gopis to understand and accept. In other words, she 
seems to say" Don't do this 'NOnbu' just because I ask you. You will yourself 
understand and accept, if you consider the "Phalan"
27. Em pAvAi: A reference to her mates like "My dear friends" a refrain with 
which she concludes the last line of all the verses.
ParakAla Jeeyar NirvAham: "As this is 'KAtyAyani Nonbu", it is addressed to 
MahAlakshmi. The word "Pavai" is a general term. It denotes PirAtti who is as 
worshippable as PerumAL. So, EmpAvAi should be taken to mean " Oh! PirAtti! 
As this is a vratam addressed to you, only you should see to its successful 
completion"

44th Pattam Azhagiya Singhar's NirvAham in his SubOdhini:
Though the upadEsam in this appears to be addressed to the womenfolk, we have 
to take it that it applies to all because of the statements-'PumnAma BhagavAn 
Harih' and 'Stree prAyam Itharah SarvE'. She advises that those who are 
capable of Bhakti yOga may resort to it; others who are incapable of this may 
resort to SaraNAgathi"
In this PAsuram- 

NARAYANANE refers to ParamAtma Swarupam; 
NAMAKKE refers to JeevAtma Swarupam; 
PODUVEER suggests UpAya Swarupam; 
PARAI suggests Phala Swarupam;
NAMAKKE again refers to VirOdhi Swarupam. 
Thus, the first verse briefly indicates the ARTHA PANCHAKAM.

Azhagiya Singhar's Nirvaham:
"TiruppAvai is the essence of Gita (Gitaiyin Saram) How? The one who was born 
to DEvaki and was brought up by YasOdha (oruthi maganAi pirandhu oruthi 
maganAi oLithu vaLara) is none other than Sriman Narayana who is the 
'Paramapurusha'. This paratvam made Himself easily accessible to NandagOpan. 
YasOdha and the GOpikais in His Vibhavam. Those who could not worship Him in 
Vibhavam can now worship Him in His Archa in the manner those did in His 
Vibhavam. Do surrender to Him. He will grant Moksha SamrAjyam that you desire"

Andavan's Nirvaham:
"In subsequent verses, Andal was going to indicate NandagOpan as AchArya and 
YasOdha as the Tirumantram, the Swaroopa gnAnam of Sriman Narayana is 
preserved by the AchArya and being brought to light by Tirumantram"
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To Continue : Tiruppavai Pasuram 02
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The first Verse briefly indicates  the "Artha Panchakam" conveyed by the 
stanza "PrApyasya BrahmaNo roopam etc"