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Selected excerpts from MahA VidvAn Sri U.Ve. PerukkAraNai Swamy's ThiruppAvai Monograph: Part XXXV-> Twenty Ninth day : " SIRRam SiRukAlE Vanthunnai sEvitthu" Dinam

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Sadagopan • January 13, 2001 


Srimathyai GodhAyai Nama:
SrimathE RaamAnujAya Nama:

Significance of the 29th Paasuram
**********************************
Dear BhakthAs: This is the Third of the PradhAna-
BhUtha Thiruppavai PaasurankaLs ( 27,28 and 29th) ,
where the name of Govindhan is invoked for the third
time . In Sankalpam , we invoke the name of Govindhan
thrice : Sri Govindha Govindha GovindhA . This paasuram
is like Sankalpam for Bhagavath DhAsyam .The name of 
"GODHA " is inside the name of Her lord:"GOvinDHA".
When we say Govindha, Govindha, Govindha three times ,
we invoke the name of GOdhA embedded in there .

This 29th paasuram is  the last of the ThiruppAvai paasurams , 
where ANDAL concludes Her Prabhandham in the role of 
a Gopi describing the feelings of fellow Gopis performing 
Paavai nOnbhu . In the 30th Paasuram (Vangakkadal Kadaintha ) , 
ANDAL speaks with Her own voice/ThAnAna Tanmayil Paadiyathu .

Until now , the Gopis under the leadership of ANDAL
were mentioning "paRai" and were seeking it from the Lord. 
In this paasuram , they elaborate on the meaning of that
paRai . They state the true purposes of their performance
of the nOnbhu as threefold : (1) Our objective (uddhEsyam) 
is to perform nithya kaimkaryam at Your holy feet (2)We can 
not live away form You  even for a second(3) Please banish 
any other thought or desire that might interfere with 
the fulfilment of the above two uddhEsyams (PBA Swamy). 

SuddhAnandha Bharathi sums up the purport of this Paasuram
as: " Let us always , even unto our 7th birth be with Thee ,
serving Thy will alone ! Oh GovindhA ! Change all other 
desires in us into this unique aspiration to be Thy 
humble servant " .

Upanishad BhAshyakArar describes the plea and goal of
the Gopis this way: " Itha: Param , SarvEshu Janmasu
thvath SwAmikA yEva Bhavaama:, tavaiva Kaimkaryam 
karavAma: , asmAkam vishyAnthara spruhAm nivarthaya".
This is the summary ofthe meaning of "yeRRaikkum 
yEzhEzh piRavikkum unn-thannOdu uRROmEyAvOm ,
unakke naamAtccheyvOm , maRRai namm kAmangal 
mArrElO". 

In the previous paasuram , the angams of Prapatthi
were alluded to. In this paasuram, the fruit (phalan)
of the Prapatthi is described and the Phalan 
is placed at the sacred feet of the Lord ( Phala
SamarpaNam).

The Literal Meaning of the Paasuram (Dr.Raaghavan )
***************************************************
Oh Lord GovindhA! May You listen to us (the cowherd
girls) (1) who approach You at the very small hours of 
the day-dawn , and (2) who bow down to You , the purpose 
and aim of our singing in praise of Your golden , lotus-like
pair of feet. You, who took birth in the race of us,--
the cowherds, earning our livelihood by grazing and rearing 
the herd of cattle , can not deny us the humble (divine) 
service (to be rendered unto You). Hearken , Oh Lord ! it is 
not only that we desire to receive the drum (from You) today
(lit. in this sojourn of birth) , but we desire , in fact , 
that let us be ever --throughout the births , sevens of
generations --the kith and kin of You , let us perform all
kinds of Kaimkaryams to You alone; You make us rid of
other desires !

The commentaries on Individual paadha vAkyams
**********************************************
(1)SIRRAM SIRU KAALE VANTHU : AruNodhaya Kaalam chosen by 
the Gopis out of great desire to assemble and arrive
at the mansion of the Lord is referred to here .They want
KrishNA to know that the intensity that drove them to 
undertake this nOnbhu inspite of the cold and time.

The time at which the Jn~Anam about the Lord happens
is the siRRam siRu Kaalam .AzhwAr says in this context :
"kaalai nann jn~Anat thuRai padinthAdi" . The dawning of
the Jn~Anam about EmperumAn through SadAchArya Upadesam
is this SiRRam SiRu Kaalai. The time from Prapathti to
the shaking of the mortal coils is the SiRRam SiRu 
Kaalam for the Prapannan. This is the time , when MunivarkaL 
and Yogis rise gently and start Hari nAma sankIrthanam.

Gopis seem to say that it is difficult to see You (KrishNA)
once the day has dawned. You would go on to the pastures to
graze the cows and that is why we have come to see You
at the siRRam siRu Kaalai at Your mansion .

Andal reminds us of the KshaNa Karthavya upAyam of 
Praaptthi ( that which is done in siRiya kaalam )
with the invocation of the words, "siRRam sIRu kaalE".

(2)VANTHU UNNAI SEVITTHU:Gopis ask KrishNA to think
about the way they came in that cold morning with
dew drops on their heads .They remind Him that they 
have come driven by their fears about their 
aakinchanyam and ananya gathithvam and have come to
worship Him and pray for Kaimkarya Sri."Unnai" here 
reminds Him of His dayai towards aasrithAs for
whom He has declared earlier that he will forsake 
everything dear to Him to protect them ( saraNAgathAs).
"Sevitthu" refers to the Veda Vaakyam: " BhUyishtAm tE 
NAMA Ukthim vidhEma".We have come here with anjali bhaddha 
hasthams since we know about our mElayAr's saying : 
" Ohr anjaliyum uNDaRukka maattAthu". You melt like sugar 
in water ,when a Bhakthan stands before You with anjali 
mudhrA . That indeed is anjali Vaibhavam. Therefore we have 
come before You at the early dawn withfolded hands(sEvitthu).

(3)UNN PORRAAMARAI ADIYE PORRUMPORUL KELAAI: AzhwAr
showed us the way: " KaRRinam mEyttha Yenthai KazhiLiNai 
paNimin neerE ". Your Thiruvadis are Parama BhOgyam .
"PoRRum " means the eulogy without expecting anything 
in return. " PallANDu paaduvuthaRkku PallANDu paaduvathE
Phalan "( the fruit of singing pallANDu is the singing of 
pallANDu itself). With EmperumAn's anugraham , the one who 
sings pallANDu has the phalan of singing pallANDu (pORRi )
many , many times .This is the poruL of our pORRuthal.

(4)KURREVAL:KuRREval can be split into KuRu+yEval. This means
sakyamAna-yEval or the Kaimkaryam commanded by the Lord .
This is the " ozhivil kaalamellAm udanAi manni" seyyum
Kaimkaryam. This is the "vazhuvilA " kaimkaryam with out 
any blemish.

(5)YENKALAI ( KURREVAL YENKALAI): Here the Gopis say
that KrishNA should not reject their kaimkaryams 
(KurrEval yenkalai koLLAmaR pOhAthu).Gopis ask 
for five items:(1)You (The Lord) should accept our
kaimkarayms(2) We have not come here seeking drums
and Kodi, but we seek uninterrupted kaimakryam
to You (3)We should never ever be devoid of  
the relationship of Seshathvam ( You as Swami and
us as Your servants: uRROmEaavOm) )(4)Because of this 
seshathva-sambhandham , we are seeking Kaimkaryam 
(5)Please bless us so that our minds will stay away from
anything and everything other than You and permit us 
to perform Sarva dEsa, Sarva Kaala , Sarva avasthA 
kaimkaryams .

As parmaikAnthis , the Gopis do not expect any rewards
other than Kaimkarya PrApthi. The Gopis remind Him that
it is not a situation of " dEhi mE dadhAmi tE" ( I will
give You this and You will give me that).They seek 
kaimkaryam at " Srimathou Hari Charanou" without
any bhEram pEsuthal. 

(6)MARRAI NAMM KAAMANKAL MAARRU: Here ,"Unn TannOdu 
uRRamOyAvOm " depicts the meaning of PraNavam in 
AshtAkshara Moola Manthram; "UnakkE aatccheyvOm "
refers to NaarAyaNa Sabdham in Moola Manthram;
" MaRRai Namm kaamankaL maaRRU" refers to the "Nama:"
sabdham .

(7) MAARRU: Our Lord has the power to transform 
attachment of any kind and turn it towards Him.
He is Sarva VasIkaranan. He will never abandon 
a Prapannan. He will corect them , when they stray 
and bring them back to His fold once again. 

The inner meaning of this Paasuram (PerukkAraNai Swamy)
*******************************************************
: "Oh Lord! Please listen to the fruits of performing 
SaraNAgathi ( KshaNa Kaala Saadhyam) at Your lotus feet 
and engaging in MangaLAsAsanam of those holy feet !
You (who was born in our kulam to bless us )should 
accept our ( pasu prAya Jeevans)kaimkaryams and 
grant us Moksham. We are not desirous of Isvaryam
of the world and Kaivalyam . Oh Lord ! You as 
sarvaj~nar ( Omniscient ) should comprehend this
clearly.We will always be cognizant of our Seshathvam
to You as Sarva Seshi.We will perform Sarva desa,
Sarva Kaala , Sarva avasthA Kaimkaryams. We will
deflect the joy of our Kaimkaryam to You alone
( Phala SamarpaNam).

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



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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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