perumpuRakkadalai

perumpuRakkadalai

thiru-k-kaNNamangai

1. perum purakkaDalai aDalETTrinai
peNNai ANai eNNil munivarku aruL
tarum tavattai muttin tiraLkOvaiyai
pattarAviyai nittilattottinai |
arumbinai alarai aDiyEn manattu
ASaiyai amudam podi inSuvai
karumbinai kaniyai SenrunADi
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr says ‘i searched for Him everywhere but found Him in tirukkaNNamangai. i shall tell You how He is---

perumpurakkaDalai—puram means place. Here it means deep wide sea. It is the abode of plenty of creatures, gems, pearls etc. He is like such a sea, not measurable.

aDalETTrinai—He is swatantra, not under anybody’s control. He is the supreme Lord.

peNNAi—Though He is heroic (aDalEru) with those who challenge Him, He is soft, compassionate, tender and a dAsa to to His Baktas. (paratantra) like a woman

ANAi—He is like a dignified monarch who rules with authority over His subjects, but at the same time soft and loving at His wife in harem.

ANallan peNNallan allA aliyum allan’—nammAzhwAr. Here the phrase refers to His divya vigraha. When tirumangai AzhwAr says ‘ANAi pENNAi’ it refer to His guNa.

eNNil munivarkku aruL tarum tavattai—munivar means those who meditate. He shower His grace on them.

muttu tiraL kOvaiyai—He removes all mental fatigue on seeing Him like a heap of pearls brings pleasure to your eyes and mind.

pattarAviyai—He is the very life of Baktas. In other words without Him the Baktas feel they are as if dead. emberumAn is called pattarAvi in this diyva dESa as well as in tiruninravoor.

nittila tottinai—If one get a heap of pearls he can sleep peacefully without tension about his future.

arumbinai alarai—periyavAchchAn piLLai ‘He is both a yuva and a kumAra’.

arumbu—kumAra—adolescent

alar—youth

There is a rigvEda SlOka where the term ‘yuvA akkumArah’ occurs. Sree dESika in pAdukAsahasra as well as in paramapada sOpAna says ‘akumArah yuvA’—He is young past adolescent. nampiLLai and others have taken this version only. periyavAchchAn piLLai vyAKyAna is to be understood as akumArah—to mean He is in the final stage of adolescence and beginning of youth.

aDiyEn manattu Asaiyai—Even though i enjoy You again and again You are fresh and new every time.

amudam podi inSuvai karumbinai—He is as sweet as sugarcane irrigated by nectar.

kaniyai—He is sweet like a ripe fruit.

2. meinnala tavattai tivattaittarum
meiyyai poyyinai kaiyyilOr SanguDai
mainnirakkaDalai kaDal vaNNanai
mAlai Alilai paLLikoL mAyanai |
nennalai pahalai iTTrai nALinai
nALaiyAi varum tingaLai ANDinai
kannalai karumbiniDaittEralai
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr describes Him—He is the promoter of true Bakti yOga and prapatti yOga (which gives paramapada) He is not known by those who don’t have the two. He reveals His form holding SanKa , chakra etc. to those who have Bakti and prapatti. He is deep and dignified like sea. He is above all and supreme Lord. He is a mAya who does whatever is impossible and lies on a tiny banyan leaf as a small child after swallowing all the worlds during praLaya. He is enjoyable in the same manner both past, present and future.

He is the controller of kAla—like months, years etc. He is kannal and karumbuttEral.

3. engaLukku aruL Seihinra eeSanai
vASavAr kuzhalAL malaimangai tan
panganai pangil vaittuhandAn tannai
pAnmaiyaipanimAmadiyam tavazh |
mangulai SuDarai vaDamAmalai
uchchiyai nachchinAm vaNangappaDum
kangulai pahalai Senru nADi
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr describes tirukkaNNamangai perumAn—He does nirhEtuka kaTAkSha (anugraha without any cause) to those like me who have no other shelter to seek. He is very benevolent in giving a place in His body to rudra who thinks himself eeSwara and swatantra. He does so since Seela is His very nature. He is the niyAmaka of the sun and the moon who traverse the sky day and night. He is the one who resides in tiruvEngaDam. He is worshipped by us who is the nirvAhaka of day (when we earn to enjoy) and night (when we enjoy what is earned).

4. pEimulaittalai nanjuNDa piLLaiyai
teLLiyAr vaNangappaDum dEvanai
mAyanai madiLkOval iDaikazhi
maindanaiyanri andaNar SindaiyuL |
eeSanai ilangum SuDar SOdiyai
endaiyai enakku eippinilvaippinai
kASinai maNiyai Senru nADi
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

Even though He drank the poisoned milk of pootana He is great that He is worshipped by dEvEndra and riShis and others. He is a nityayuva (ever young) who met the mudalAzhwArs in tirukkOvaloor. He is the controller of the brAhmaNas in whose hearts He lives leading them in the right path. His form is ever effulgent even though He lives in the Sareeras of jeevas. He has taken me as His dAsa by showing such guNas and forms. He is like a treasure which can be used anytime i need. He is very much desirable like gems, gold, etc. This emberumAn i saw in tirukkaNNamangai.

5. ETTrinai imaiyattuL emmeeSanai
immaiyai marumaikku marundinai
ATTralai aNDattappurattu uittiDum
aiyanai kaiyil AzhionrEndiya |
kooTTrinai kurumAmaNikkunrinai
ninravoor ninra nittilattottinai
kATTrinai punalai Senru nADi
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr continues the description of emberumAn at tirukkaNNamangai. He is like a great proud bull because of His Ananda swaroopa. He enslaved me by His presence in tiruppiridi in the Himalayas. He is the giver of worldly pleasures like wife, son, etc, as well as paramapada to those who desire and to those whom He desires. He carries a chakrAyudha in order to punish the enemies of His Baktas (to them He appears like yama). He is very beautiful like a mountain of sapphire. He is like a heap of pearls residing in tiruninravoor. He is like a gentle breeze which touches You gently. He is the very life giver like water.

6. tuppanai turangampaDa Seeriya
tOnralai SuDarvAn kalan peidadOr
Seppinai tirumangai maNALanai
dEvanai tihazhum pavaLattoLi |
oppanai ulahEzhinai oozhiyai
AzhiyEndiyakaiyanai andaNar
karpinai kazhuneer malarum vayal
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

He is satyasankalpa—He has the capacity to accomplish whatever He wishes to. He killed kEsi the asura who came as a horse to kill Him. He is like a jewel box where all the ornaments are kept (sengamala kazhalil SiTTridazh pOl virali) SEr tihazh AzhihaLum kingiNiyum araiyil tangiya ponvaDamum tALa nan mAduLaiyin poovoDu pon maNiyum mOdiramum kiriyum mangala aimbaDaiyum tOLvaLaiyum kuzhaiyum maharamum vALihaLum chuTTiyum ottilaha—periyAzhwAr) . He is wearing such innumerable ornaments. He is the consort of Sree and is great because of her. He is like a brilliant coral. He is the niyAmaka of all the worlds. He carries weapons to kill the enemies of His Baktas. He is the subject matters of vEdas which the vaidikas chant and teach.

SuDar vAn kalan—periya pirATTi herself is a great ornament placed in His tirumArbu—‘tirumangai maNALanai’

7. tiruttanai tiSainAnmuhan tandaiyai
dEvadEvanai moovaril munniya
viruttanai viLangum SuDarSOdiyai
viNNai maNNinai kaNNudal kooDiya |
aruttanai ariyai parikeeriya
appanai appilArazhalAi ninra
karuttanai kaLivaNDaraiyum pozhil
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr says—‘Oh! Men! Listen to me. He is avApta samasta kAman i.e. whose desires are always fulfilled. In other words He is ever satisfied. He is the father of chaturmuKa brahma who was created by Him in order to further the creations. He is the Lord of nityasooris. He is the foremost of the trimoorti’s –brahma viShNu and rudra. He is having an extraordinary diyva mangaLa vigraha. He is the niyAmaka of all the worlds. He has given half of His body to rudra who has a third eye on his forehead. He is hari who has killed kEsi. He is the mAya who takes all the created worlds into His stomach as the bADavAgni takes all the water inside him.

8. venjinakkaLiTTrai viLangAi vizha
kanru veeSiya eeSanai pEimahaL
tunja nanjuSuvaittuNDa tOnralai
tOnral vALarakkan keDa tOnriya |
nanjinai amudattinai nAdanai
nachchuvAr uchchimEl nirkum nambiyai
kanjanai tunja vanjitta vanjanai
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

AzhwAr says he saw Him in tirukkaNNamangai. ‘He is like ‘venjinakkaLiru’—an angry wild mad elephant to His enemies. He does both nigraha (punishment) as well as anugraha (blessings). He killed kapittAsura by vatsAsura like a thorn is removed by a thorn. He drank the poisoned milk of the rAkShasi pootana who wanted to kill Him. He killed rAvaNa who offended Him but at the same time He gave kingdom to viBeeShaNa who surrendered to Him. He is like a flower on the heads of His Baktas.

tOnral—Young but powerful.

nachchuvAr uchchimEl—uchchi literally means head. But here it is ualakShaNa (indicator) of all organs. nammAzhwAr says ennuDai SoozhaluLAnE, ennaruhilAnE, ennokkalaiyAnE, ennenjinuLAnE, ennuDai tOLiNaiyAnE, ennuDai nAviluLAnE, en kaNNiluLAnE, en neTTriyuLAnE, en uchchiyuLAnE.

9. paNNinai paNNil ninradOr pAnmaiyai
pAluL neyyinai mAluruvAi ninra
viNNinai viLangum SuDarSOdiyai
vELviyai viLakkinoLi tannai |
maNNinai malaiyai alaineerinai
mAlai mAmadiyai maraiyOr tangaL
kaNNinai kaNhaL AraLavumninra
kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEnE ||

paNNinai—He is liked by all like music. ‘paSur vEtti SiSur vEtti vEtti gAnarasam PaNi’— animals, babies and snakes know the sweetness of music.

paNNil niradOr pAnmaiyai—He is the essence of music

pAluL neyyinai—He is all pervasive but hidden like ghee in milk. ‘karanda SiliDandOrum iDantihazh poruL tOrum karandengum paranduLan’.

mAluruvAi viNNinai—means nitya viBooti. It is said in puruSha sookta that tripAd viBooti is paramapada. The leela viBooti is very trivial.

viLangum SuDarSOdiyai—He is self effulgent; revealing Himself reveals other objects like light

vELviyai—He is yajnaswaroopi and worshipped by yajna. He has a sarva mangaLa vigraha which is divya and aprAkruta

maNNinai—The Boomi is called ‘sarvam sahA’ who patiently bears all the offences committed by the people. Similarly BagavAn endures all the offences committed by His dAsas .

malaiyai—These guNas never leave Him at any time.

alaineerinai—Like water flows from high ground to a low ground His love flows towards guha, vidura, mAlAkAra, gOpis and so on.

mAmadiyai—‘dadAmi buddhi yOgam tam mAm upayAnti tE’—Bagavat geeta. He gives one the thought to attain Himself.

maraiyOr tangaL kaNNinai—He is always present before His Baktas that they are unable to shift their eyes elsewhere.

10. kaNNamangaiyuL kaNDu koNDEn enru
kAdalAl kalikanri uraiSeida
vaNNavoN tamizh onbadODonrivai
vallarAi uraippAr madiyam tavazh |
viNNil viNNavarAi mahizhveiduvar
meimmai Sollil veNSangamonrEndiya
kaNNa nindanakkum kurippAhil
karkalAm kaviyin poruLtAnE ||

AzhwAr says He who is in paramapada is seen here in kaNNamangai. These beautiful pASuras if read and meditated, understood and assimilated, appreciated and experienced will take them to paramapada to enjoy the bliss for ever.

Not ending at that AzhwAr adds further ‘Oh! emberumAn! If You really want to know the meaning of these pASuras, come to me as a SiShya and i shall teach You. If You really have realized the sweetness and greatness of these pASuras You will not sit there proudly but would come to me with all humility, like a SiShya and receive the teachings from me’.

periyavAchchAn piLLai—‘Didn’t rAma go to sage vasiShTa? Didn’t kaNNan go to sAndeepini? Is our tirumangai AzhwAr any lesser teacher than them?.