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ThiruppallANdu - Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • April 9, 2002 


SrI:
SrImathE Ramanujaya namah:
Dearest Srivaishnavas,

We have so far enjoyed the background of how and why PallAndu was sung: In 
short, it is kind of similar to also to the servants of the King saying 
¡§Jaya vijayee bhava.. ¡§ (Victory to thee, King..). He needs to live long 
and be victorious ¡V that is the desire of his servants; and that is the way 
for them to keep surviving too.

Even the nithyasUris and mukthAs sing pallANdu for PerumAL at Paramapadham. 
Why is it required? It is the way of mangaLAsAsanam.
ThiruppallANdu is the essence of praNavam enshrined in it so esoterically 
and beautifully. It requires to be studied at the feet of one¡¦s AchArya or 
from a scholar (vidwAn) formally. However, let us enjoy the meanings of the 
same as far as we can; By paying our humblest prANamams to AzhwAr, Acharyas 
and Divya Dampathi with prayers showering  their  grace on us to understand 
the meanings as they want them to be understood (in spite of this seelamillA 
siRiyOn¡¦s attempt.). Now, we can dare enter.

paLLANdu paLLANdu pallAyiratthANdu
palakOdi nooRAyiram
mallANda thiNthOL maNivaNNA!- un
sEvadi sevvi thiruk kAppu.

A very famous pAsuram! Known to almost all Srivaishnavas!
Oh! ManivaNNa! One who has strong shoulders that killed the wrestlers 
(chaaNooran, mushtikan, keechakaa, Kamsaa, et al in Krishna Avtaar)! May 
Your Lotus Feet be protected for very many years! Many thousands of years! 
Many crores of (millions of), hundreds of thousand years!
Here One can make permutations and combinations of pallANDu, with hundreds, 
thousands and crores of years and it multiplies.. meaning: it shall always 
be protected for all time to come and even beyond! Also, pallANdu can mean 
may years in chathurmukha brahma lOkam, dEva lOkam, mAnushya lOkam, 
etc..says Thirukkudanthai Desikan (as mentioned in Sri UttamUr Swamy¡¦s 
commentary). pallANdu also mean "long live" as greeting. So, it can also be 
enjoyed as ¡§greetings to you- which will be on You for very many years to 
come.

AzhwAr being a Garuda incarnate holding the Lotus Feet in his palms (during 
Garuda vAhanam), is more concerned on the Lotus Feet. Hence, he says... Feet 
shall be protected. The Lord must have replied: Oh AzhwAr! I am now also on 
Garudan in front of you. Even during Gajendra mOksham, I rode on Garudan. 
What is your concern and worry?

AzhwAr says: No.. When you went to kill Kamsa, you went walking. That's why 
I address You as  mallANDa thiNthOL maNivaNNA! (you have strong shoulders 
that can kill wrestlers! May Your feet be protected!).
Also sevvi can mean as ¡§Chitthirai naaL (Chithai month- Uthsavam (festival) 
day for PerumAL on the day of ThiruvONam (which we will see in 3rd pAsuram) 
for Garuda vAhana PerumAL. So for that day when there is BrahmOthsavam, let 
that festive day be there for us for many years to come- can also be an 
enjoyable interpretation. (as is also connected with 3rd pAsuram)- Says Sri 
UttamUr Swamy. When read in conjunction with second PAsuram, adiyOmOdum 
ninnOdum, this Uthsavam festival and the enjoyment shall be there for very 
many years with us- (who are your eternal servants) enjoying Your Darshan 
performing kaimkaryam, and You- who show Yourself in archA avatar so 
graciously. ¡V May that Bhagyam (blessings) be on us for pallANdu.. (what a 
beautiful interpretation and anubhavam!)

Also, the palakOdi nooRayiram (the hundred thousands of crores) can also be 
enjoyed linking with mallANda.. meaning: One who conquers with his throng 
shoulders, the hundred thousands of enemies!
[First AzhwAr sings mangaLAsAsanam for PerumAL mentioning swarUpa, Roopa, 
GuNAs of PerumAL and now he sings about Him along with His vibhUthi.. ]

adiyOmOdum ninnOdum pirivinRi aayiram pallaaNdu
vadivaay ninvalamaarbinil vaazhginRa mangaiyum pallaaNdu
vadivaar sOthi valatthuRaiyum sudarAzhiyum pallaaNdu
padaipOrpukku muzhangum appaancha sanniyamum pallaaNdE.
For time immemorial (Ayiram palLANdu), AlarmEl mangai (Lakshmi) having an 
enjoyable residence in Your right Chest most beautifully; AND we- who are 
servants (of Yours eternally); AND You- Sarva Swamy ¡V shall live for ever 
and ever. (here one can see, the second line and first line are read as one 
sentenceļ ) . May the most graceful and resplendent, shining Divine ChakrA 
residing on Your Right (in Your Right Hand) be there for ever; AND the 
Divine Conch Shell which send fearsome shivers through the armies of enemies 
live for ever and ever!
Here one should enjoy the scene. AzhwAr first sees PerumAL. He is so amazed 
at the Divinity and the Beauty; He sings pallAndu first for His Lotus Feet. 
Then, he fully realizing the (eternal servitude) sEshathvam and dAsathvam of 
the jIvan, grabs the immediate opportunity to keep it stuck. So, I and You 
should remain like this forever. (That¡¦s why he is PeriyAzhwAr ¡V PeyAzhwAr 
missed it; NammAzhwAr missed it.) So, when he says ¡§adiyOmOdum ninnOdum 
piRivinRi Ayiram pallANdu¡¦ he means the eternal servitude and performance 
of eternal kaimkarya prApthi (ozhivil kaalamellAm udanaay manni..).

Thereafter, AzhwAr enjoys the darshan of the Divine PiraaTTi in His Chest. 
He is stupefied by the Charm of Thiru + maarbhu. Being unable to control, he 
takes a left side (Right for PerumAL) and there He enjoys the shining, 
sahasra kOti soorya prakAsa (equal to 1000 suns) Divine ChakrA, the 
jwAlAmAli.. and he goes back. There seeing the most beautiful pin azhaghu 
(back of the Lord), he is unable to stay there and withstand its beauty and 
hence, rushes to come to the Lord¡¦s left. There the blue hued Divine Hand 
the end of which is red lotus colored, soft fragrant palm in which the 
crystal clear, milky white Divine Conch Shell. That light blue hue, red 
lotus and milky white combination has attacked him then and there. He is not 
able to see the epitome of Beauty at all and fears that his own eyes will 
now cast evil glances. Oh no! he turns his eyes away and says ¡§andha 
paancha janyamum pallANdE! That Conch shell also shall live for ever! (one 
can see ¡§That¡¨ and not this. Because AzhwAr sees somewhere else and shows 
that in order to avoid the dhrushti. Similar to ThirupPANAzhwAr¡¦s ¡§ap 
periya vaaya kaNgaL ennai pEdhamai seydhanavE.. (Those large long, well laid 
out eyes have stupefied me)

Let us enjoy other Pasurams ¡V in next post.
PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
aDiyEn dAsan


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