Thirumaalai

toNDaraDippoDi AzhwAr aruLi Seida 

 tirumAlai 

 taniyan:

maTTronrum vENDA manamE madiL arangar
kaTTrinam mEitta kazhaliNai keezh uTTra| 
tirumAlai pADum Seer toNDar aDippoDi em
perumAnai eppozhudum pESu || 

 -tiruvaranga perumAL arayar

‘tirumAlai ariyAdAr tirumAlai ariyAdAr’ – so gives an adage. tirumAlai means the name of the divya prabandha of toNDaraDippoDi AzhwAr. The second tirumAlai means Sreeman nArAyaNa.

AzhwAr has done two prabandhas – tirumAlai and tiruppaLLi ezhuchchi.

mAlai is a type of poetry which has one subject matter, which is Sree ranganAtha here. mAlai also means a garland. This is the word to signify its divinity. This is the garland offered at the feet of Lord Sree ranganAtha.

1. kAvalir pulanai vaittu kali tannai kaDakka pAindu
 nAvaliTTu uzhi taruhinrOm naman tamar talaihaL meedE |
 moovulahu uNDu umizhnda mudalva nin nAmam kaTTra
 AvalippuDaimai kaNDAi arangamA naharuLAnE || One ||

Oh! jagat kAraNa! You swallow all the worlds and spit out during dissolution and creation. i am chanting Your names always. The Pala of Your nAma japa is i have imprisoned the indriyAs for which i had been formerly a slave. i have thrown the bundle of pApAs far off – the pApAs that used to make me fear the yama BaTTAs earlier. Now that they have gone, i proudly step on the heads of them and cry victoriously.

rAvaNa lies on the battlefield killed by rAma. maNdOdari, rAvaNa’s wife laments over his head. She says ‘Oh! rAvaNa! You had earlier won over your indriyAs and got the kingship of three worlds. Now the indriyAs had they rule over you and you lie dead in the battlefield. It looks they have taken revenge on you’. AzhwAr was once a slave of his senses and the slave of a harlot too. BagavAn wanted to correct him and stole a golden bowl from the temple. The king arrested AzhwAr and about to punish him when BagavAn revealed the truth and released. AzhwAr was ashamed of his slavery to the senses. Here in this pASura he says ‘kAvalil pulanai vaittu’. The freedom makes him shout victoriously. Because of Sree rAma’s support sugreeva courageously went to vAli and challenge him to a fight. Similarly AzhwAr has BagavAn nAma as his support and challenges the yama BaTTAs.

 2. pachchai mA malai pOl mEni pavaLa vAi kamala chengaN
achchutA amarar ErE Ayartam kozhundE ennum |
ichchuvai tavira yAn pOi indira lOkam ALum
achchuvai perinum vENDEn arangamA naharuLAnE || Two ||

BagavAn tells AzhwAr ‘AzhwAr! You say you like chanting my names. i shall give paramapada as the Pala. Take it’. AzhwAr says ‘BagavAn! i am not interest in paramapada anuBava even if You give me’.

pachchai mA malai – BagavAn’s color is normally compared to sea, kAyAm poo, dark clouds or even a mountain. But here AzhwAr says it is a green mountain to suggest coolness, pleasing and compassionate etc.,

ichchuvai – BaktAs normally enjoy meditating on His guNAs. But AzhwAr says even meditation on His names is enough to give the highest Pala.

arangamA naharuLAnE – Oh! ranga! You are lying here with all Your glories as You are in paramapada. You are sarva sulaBa here but not there. Why should i go there when even the nitya sooris want to come here?

3. vEda nool pirAyam nooru maniSar tAm puhuvarElum
pAdiyum urangi pOhum ninra ippadinaiyANDu |
pEdai bAlakan adAhum piNi paSi mooppu tunbam
AdalAl piravi vENDEn aranga mA naharuLAnE || Three ||

The human birth is got only after puNya Pala of many janmAs. Even then a man doesn’t live the given span of hundred years as said in vEdAs. Even if he lives for hundred years analyze how you spend it. AzhwAr says beautifully – out of hundred years, fifty goes in sleep where there is total darkness. And the remaining fifty is spent in childhood when the child is totally dependent on mother. Then comes boyhood when the days are spent in play. Next comes ‘that stage’ (youth – AzhwAr is afraid even to mention youth since that is the most dangerous period) when the demands of all indriyAs are strong and necessarily need to be fulfilled. Lastly comes old age all of a sudden where duhKAs predominate preventing him from thinking BagavAn. Diseases affect him at all times. Thus in split second the whole life comes to an end. Before we realize the death arrives.

In the last pASura he said ‘i don’t want paramapada’; here he says ‘i don’t want birth’. BagavAn asks ‘AzhwAr! Very well! You say you don’t want paramapada! Then you take birth and enjoy nAma smaraNa’. AzhwAr says ‘No’. ‘Why?’ ‘Because there is no time’. ‘What! i have given you hundred years that is quite a long time isn’t it?’ ‘Yes. But do all people live for hundred years? Even if they do, they have no time to chant Your names’. ‘How?’ AzhwAr analysis this point. Then says ‘after analysis i feel i don’t want a human birth’. BagavAn says ‘I have got two viBootis – paramapada (nitya viBootis) and this earth (leela viBooti). If you reject both what am I to do?’ AzhwAr says ‘arangamA naharuLAnE’ - Oh! BagavAn! You are in Sree rangam. i want to spend my life here in this temple. i want to spend my childhood, boyhood, youth and old age here in Your presence.

4. moitta val vinaiyuL ninru moonru ezhuttu uDaiya pErAl
kattira bandum anrE parAngadi kaNDu koNDAn |
ittanai aDiyarAnArkku irangum nam aranganAya
pittanai peTTrum andO piraviyuL piNangumArE || Four ||

From this pASura upto fourteenth AzhwAr advises the samsAris taking pity on them. He is surprised, worried, vexed and disgusted at them. All these are expressed in his pASurAs.

Why should AzhwAr, who is engrossed in Bagavat anuBava think of anything else? It is said ‘a sweet is not eaten alone’ and Bagavat anuBava is not to be enjoyed alone. He cannot tolerate the duhKa of the samsAris and takes pity. Hence he advises them.

But the samsAris say ‘Oh! AzhwAr! We cannot chant His name. We don’t have that yogyata (fitness) to do that. Can a dog eat the prasAda of a sacrifice?’ AzhwAr says ‘Very well! Haven’t You heard of the story of kShatra bandhu? Is any one more wicked than him? Didn’t he get paramapada by chanting the name “gOvinda”?’

moitta valvinai – mahApApi. The pApAs are innumerable that they fight with each other saying ‘i need to go to him first! i want to go to him first!’ and come to him hastily. ‘neikuDattai paTTri Erum erumbuhaL pOl nirandu engum kaikoNDu nirkinra nOihAL’ says periyAzhwAr about diseases haunting men.

moonrezhuttu uDaiya perAl – AzhwAr doesn’t openly say ‘gOvinda’. He keeps it as a secret. If any samsAri is curious enough to know and ask him ‘what is that name?’ then i shall give it to him as upadESa.

kattira bandu – a bad BrAhmaNa is called Brahma bandu. Likewise a bad kShatriya is called kShatra bandu. There was a kShatra bandu who was exiled from the community because of his bad conduct. He was wandering in a forest killing animals. One day a sage lost his way and was afflicted by hunger and thirst. kShatra bandu said ‘Oh! Sage! You have lost your way. i shall show you the right path’. Then he showed him the way. The sage thanked him and wanted to quench his thirst. He went to a pond but due to weakness fell into the water. kShatra bandu rescued him, and gave him some fruits and roots to eat. Sage thanked him and asked who he was. kShatra bandu told his story and repented for all the evils that he had committed. The sage advised him and asked him to follow the path of non-violence. kShatra bandu said ‘i can’t do it’. The sage said ‘O.k. at least chant always gOvinda! gOvinda! Can’t you do it?’ He said Yes and did it. After his death he was born in a BrAhmaNa kula and had the memories of his past birth. He decided to follow the path of dharma and non-violence. He got paramapada.

pittan – one who has no vivEka - what to do and what not to do – is called pEyan. One who behaves as he pleases out of Bakti towards BagavAn is called pittan. Here AzhwAr calls BagavAn ‘pittan’ because He behaves as He pleases towards His BaktAs.

5. peNDirAl suhangaL uippAn periyadOr iDumbai pooNDu
uNDirA kiDakkum appOdum uDalukkE karaindu naindu |
taNDuzhAi mAlai mArban tamarhaLAi pADi ADi
toNDu pooNDu amudam uNNA tozhumbar chOr uhakkumArE || Five ||

To enjoy the samslESa of a woman is similar to embracing a fire or seeking shelter under the raised hood of a cobra. Alas! The very cause of duhKa is considered as suKa! What a delusion! What a stupidity! They drink poison to live!

periyadOr iDumbai pooNDu – to please your wife you have to beg, borrow or steal; get caught by the king; live in prison and so an. To marry a woman you have to suffer a lot; after marriage another stock of suffering is waiting for you; to please her you have to do whatever is adharma. It is easy to insert a ring around the neck over your head but difficult to take it out!

uNDirA – they eat only at night. As soon as they get up they go out to earn, by gambling, by stealing and bring the money that the woman demands and comes home late at night to eat and sleep.

uDalukkE karaindu naindu – do they think of Atma at least then? Where is the time! They go to sleep thinking of the next morning about where to go and what to do etc. karaindu naindu – with reference to AzhwAr it is for the sake of BagavAn.

taNDuzhAi mAlai – BagavAn says ‘Oh! Bakta i don’t want any animal sacrifice; i don’t want any of your tapas wherein you starve or torture yourself; i want you to just say ‘BagavAn i am yours’ that is all i want. i shall never abandon you’. BagavAn wears tuzhasi mAla and lies in Sree rangam revealing this to the BaktAs.

tamarhaLAi – just say ‘we belong to Your dAsa gOSTi (group)’ you will know what changes it brings in you – you will soon be singing and dancing as soon as you realize your own swaroopa. You will soon find the ‘rasa’ in it. But what a pity! You are ignorant of the existence of this ‘rasa’.

toNDu pooNDu amudam uNNA – there is amruta in the kainkarya. Oh! Stupid fellows! You run after women to find the rasa in their lips. Disgusting!

6. maranjuvar madiL eDuttu marumaikkE verumai pooNDu
puranjuvar oTTai mADam puraLum pOdu ariyamATTeer |
aranjuvar Ahi ninra aranganArkku ATchcheyyAdE
puranjuvar kOlam Seidu puL kavva kiDakkinreerE || Six ||

Some people asks AzhwAr - ‘AzhwAr! You advise us saying these pleasures are ‘alpa’ (mean) and astira (short lived). Still we don’t want to leave them. We know they are temporary. Since there are innumerable varieties of enjoyment if we lose one we seek the other. Thus the pleasure though small can give us continuous flow of enjoyment’. AzhwAr says ‘Oh! Men! What you say is true. There are infinite pleasure-giving objects in this world. But you, who is the enjoyer is astira. The objects continue to exist but you perish. Then who is to enjoy?

maram – when a friendly man advises one in order to prevent him from going astray and spending his life in vain, the later condemns him in abominable words – this called maram. viBeeSaNa told ‘hita’ (what is good) to rAvaNa that he should give back Seeta to rAma. rAvaNa replied ‘Oh! Fool! You are a thorn in our kula’ (tvAm tu dik kula pAmsanam)

maranjuvar madiL eDuttu– instead of building Atma guNAs as amAnitvam, adambitvam etc., as the fort to protect the Atma you build a fort made up of ‘maram’. Instead of taking BagavAn as the fort you take maram as the fort! If you had taken Atma guNAs as fort you would have obtained heavenly pleasures at least. Now you lose that too - ‘marumaikkE verumai pooNDu’.

puranjuvar –Sareera. This Sareera is given to you by Him to get Atma lABa (obtain Atma); but you use it to get pleasures from outside. Hence it is called puranjuvar, the outside wall.

oTTai mADam – since it has got nine apertures it is called so. A house having big holes in roofs and walls will collapse in no time. So also this ‘house’ is full of holes (eyes, nose, ears, mouth, anus and sex organ) – so it can fall ‘now’ or ‘ sometime after’ but fall it should.

puraLum pOdu ariyamATTeer – this Sareera is going to fall sometime. But when? No one knows – it may be this moment, next moment or years after. You think this Sareera is the enjoyer (BOkta) but how long will it enjoy? No one knows! When it falls you won’t have time to say BagavAn’s names. Therefore periyAzhwAr has said ‘appOdaikku ippOdE SonnEn’

aranjuvar – ‘dharma samstApanArtAya sambavAmi yugE yugE’ – in order to protect dharma i am coming here again and again. Thus says BagavAn in Bagavat geeta. So He is the aranjuvar – the wall of dharma.

puranjuvar kOlam Seidu – ‘asannEva sa Bavati asat BrahmEti vEda chEt’ – one who refutes Him refutes his own existence. Without making any effort to realise Him you keep offering food and clothing to the Sareera every moment. It is like ta alankAra (decoration) done to a corpse or to a widow.

puL kavva kiDakkinreerE – when you die you are eaten by animals and birds. Instead of ‘puL uNNa’ (eat) AzhwAr says ‘puL kavva’ (peck) – they don’t like to eat the flesh of a pApi; they just peck and say ‘this is not nice’ (even the birds do not touch this pApa Sareera).

7. pulai aramAhi ninra puttoDu SamaNam ellAm
kalaiyara kaTTra mAndar kANbarO kETparO tAm |
talai aruppuNDum SAhEn Sattiyam kANmin aiyyA
SilaiyinAl ilangai SeTTra dEvanE dEvanAvAn || Seven ||

One who has learnt vEdAs and understood the meaning properly will never think of other religions or hear their lectures. The names Boudha and Jaina include all other Non-Vedic religions. AzhwAr said ‘puL kavva kiDakkinreerE’. The samsAris replied ‘AzhwAr! Why condemn us? We don’t know anything. Moreover this is the nature of samsAra. We don’t know what god to worship, who the Supreme Lord is etc., what are we to do?’ AzhwAr answers them to choose the right religion. He condemns the other non-vEdic religions. ‘What i say is the absolute truth. i can swear on anything. i can prove it. Cut my head, i shall not die’. Thus AzhwAr vehemently proves his point.

Once Sree rAmAnuja was giving a lecture. koorattAzhwAn came late to the discourse. AchArya asked him the reason for it. AzhwAn said ‘on my way i saw some people reading a scripture of some other religion. i just stopped to hear what they were reading’. AchArya said ‘kalai ara kaTTra mAndar kANbarO kETparO’. Haven’t you read this AzhwAn? Go and take bath before you attend this lecture’. So the history goes.

8. veruppoDu SamaNar muNDar vidiyil SAkkiyarhaL ninpAl
poruppariyanahaL pESil pOvadE nOyadAhi |
kurippu enakku aDaiyumAhil kooDumEl talaiyai AngE
aruppadE karumam kaNDAi arangamA naharuLAnE || Eight ||

veruppoDu – without any reason whatsoever the nAsktika simply condemn BagavAn and talk ill of Him. If any Astika happens to hear them he should move away from the place or kill him. The very words are disease causing factors.
vidiyil – the unfortunate BouddhAs. Even to hear Bagavat viSaya one should have done lot of puNya earlier. To condemn Him one should have done a lot of pApa. Hence BouddhAs are pApis – says AzhwAr.

But what is the punishment inflicted on the nAstika if you move away from there? In that case if you happened to see him and catch him (in case he runs away) kill him immediately.

9. maTTrum Or deivam uNDE madiyilA mAniDangAL
uTTrapOdu anri neengaL oruvan enru uNara mATTeer |
aTTramEl onru ariyeer avanallAl deivam illai
kaTTrinam mEitta endai kazhaliNai paNimin neerE || Nine ||

Oh! Fools! ‘madiyilA mAniDangAL’ – this birth itself is a waste if you don’t understand paramAtma tatva which gives you mOkSha. You worship many dEvatAs like Siva and others. You may say they are also declared as the highest gods in vEdAs. But you should see what the vEdAs say in essence. Then you will know that nArAyaNa is the Supreme Lord. All the other dEvatAs may appear supreme but when they are threatened with danger their true nature is revealed. kriSNa came to fight with bANAsura who was the friend of Siva. Siva came to his help with all his gaNAs but he could not stand kriSNa’s power and ran away shamelessly from the battlefield leaving his friend alone. Then kriSNa killed bANAsura. So now you know who is the Supreme Lord (aTTramEl onru ariyeer).

avanallAl deivam illai – only kaNNan is the Supreme Lord. He has grazed the cattle with love showing His extent of soulaBya.

10. nATTinAn deivam engum nalladOr aruL tannAlE
kATTinAn tiru arangam uibavarkku uyyum vaNNam |
kETTeerE nambimeerhAL geruDa vAhananum nirka
chETTai tan maDiyahattu chelvam pArttirukkinreerE || Ten ||

The people ask AzhwAr ‘well! There are many dEvatAs in many temples. They are able to give Pala immediately. What is wrong in worshipping them who are capable of giving Pala?’ AzhwAr says ‘it is emberumAn who has appointed these kShudra dEvatAs like amman, durga, kALi etc., who give easily the Pala’. ‘yE hi ananya dEevatA Baktah yajantE SraddhayAnvitAh tEpi mAmEva kountEya yajantE avidhipoorvakam’. BagavAn says in geeta – the worship that people do to other dEvatAs come to me only. ‘AkASAt patitam tOyam yatA gachchati sAgaram sarva dEva namaskArah kESavam prati gachchati’. As all the rains go and reach the sea, also all the worship go to kESava only.

Still they are not capable of giving mOkSha. Only janArdhana can do it. Hence you not worship other dEvatAs if you want mOkSha Pala. All that they can give is only Pala according to satva, rajas and tamas guNAs.

If a person wants aiSwarya he should ask lakShmi. If he asks moodEvi who takes away aiSwarya, she gives only poverty, sleep, sluggishness, stupidity. Similarly if you want mOkSha but worship other dEvatAs how can they give Pala.

11. oru villAl Ongu munneer aDaittu ulahangaL uyya
SeruvilE arakkar kOnai cheTTra nam SEvakanAr |
maruviya periya kOyil madiL tiru arangam ennA
karuvilE tiruvilAdeer kAlattai kazhikkinreerE || Eleven ||

Sree rAma and Sree kriSNna reside here in Sree rangam.
oruvillAl Ongu munneer aDaittu – Sree rAma requested samudra rAja to allow Him to cross the ocean. For three days samudra rAja did neither reply nor appeared. rAma told lakShamaNa to bring His SArnga. Immediately the king of Sea came and surrendered at His feet.
Ongu munneer – the turbulent sea. It is not the natural turbulence of the sea but caused by the fear of rAma’s arrows. The mud of the bottom of the sea came up and flew into the air - is the Sree sookti. Sree rAma killed rAvaNa in order to make all the people live fearlessly. How is it possible? He was the prime cause of the trouble to world. To remove the cause is to remove the effect.
nam SEvakanAr maruviya kOyil – after killing rAvaNa He came to Sree rangam to lie there for the others to worship Him.
madiL tiru arangam – in Sree rAma avatAra He had to undergo lot of sufferings. tirumangai AzhwAr thought of protecting Him by building forts.

karuvilE tiruvilAdeer – ‘jAyamAnam hi puruSam yam paSyEt madusoodanah sAtvikah sa tu vijnEyah sa vai mOkShArta chintakah’ if the kaTAkSha of madusoodhana falls on the fetus in a womb, he becomes a sAtvika person interested in mOkSha.

12. namanum murkalanum pESa narakil ninrArhaL kETka
narakamE SuvargamAhum nAmangaL uDaiya nambi |
avanadu oor arangam ennAdu ayarttu veezhndu azhiya mAndar
kavalaiyuL paDuhinrAr enru adanukkE kavalhinrEnE || Twelve ||

i worry a lot. i would not have worried if i had not known the greatness of tirumantra; i would not have worried if the human birth is easily got; i would not have worried if it is an extremely difficult task for mOkSha. But look at this – the greatness of tirumantra is not easily told; these around me here have got human births which is extremely difficult to get; what they need to do is the most simple thing; what they need to say is just once ‘the place emberumAn resides is tiru arangam’. That is all! But Alas! They don’t say that; they fall into the pit of samsAra headlong. That is why i am worried. Aha! How nice it would be if they correct themselves a little bit!

Sree viSNu dharma 90th chapter talks of mudgala story. mudgala was a leader of sinners. Once he did gOdAna (gifting a cow) and said ‘kriSNAya’ (for kriSNa). After his death yama BaTTAs came to take him to yama. yama received him with great honor. mudgala was surprised and said ‘ your BaTTAs dragged me here but you honor me! i don’t understand’. yama replied ‘even i don’t understand your greatness; how can they? You chanted kriSNa’s name once in your lifetime’. Thus yama praised him. There were people who were undergoing the sufferings of naraka lOka who heard this dialogue. Suddenly they felt it is like swarga.

yama just said ‘you once chanted kriSNa. That was all the dialogue between them. Even at that naraka look like swarga. That is the greatness of kriSNa’s name. yama did not utter the name as in japa; mudgala did not ask him to do upadESa to him; yama did not say purposely for the sake of naraka dwellers so that they can have happiness; those who heard did not hear it as prAyaschitta (atonement for the pApa); they heard it when they were experiencing the fruit of their pApAs; they didn’t hear it out of love for that name; they just heard it accidentally. At that they felt the naraka as swarga.

If this is the greatness of just one tirunAma heard only once. Do you mean to say no one has heard any one of His names even once in their lifetime? The answer is they don’t hear it even if uttered because they are engrossed it the pleasure; when they are undergoing suffering they hear it.

narakamE swargam Ahum – can naraka that is the abode of pApis become swarga, the abode of puNya? When viBeeSaNa became the king of lanka the name became sAtvikapuri from tAmasapuri.

A person was about to die. His bandu chanted tirumantra and asked him if he can repeat it. The dying man said ‘if i can i will repeat it. If i can i will do it’ repeatedly and died. What a pity! When he was able to talk such long sentence, couldn’t he have repeated the tirumantra! That is the greatness of pApa.

adanukkE kavalhinrEnE – i don’t worry for myself. i don’t worry for my family. i don’t worry for any one else. i worry for those who are immersed in samsAra and don’t know how to get out of it by chanting His name.

13. eriyu neer veri koL vElai mAnilattu uyirhaL ellAm
veri koL poonduLaba mAlai viNNavar kOnai Etta |
arivilA maniSar ellAm arangam enru azhaipparAhil
poriyil vAzh narakam ellAm pullezhundu ozhiyum anrE || Thirteen ||

AzhwAr was talking about samsAris, their duhKAs, the way to eschew them. But all these were in vain. He wanted to stop advising. But wasn’t he born only to correct the pApis? So again he starts his preaching in a different note. He talks to himself now.

BagavAn gave all the jeevAs eleven indriyAs – five karmEndriyAs, five jnAnEndriyAs and one manas. He thought with the help of these people will do pooja, chanting His name and meditate Him. But they used them wrongly and got caught in the mire of samsAra.

Well! To understand tatvAs may be difficult. It can be done only by few. It is out of reach of common man. AzhwAr says ‘i know it is difficult for you to read SAstrAs and understand it more so to follow it. But you need not do all these; not even chant His thousand names; just say ‘His place is tiru arangam’. That is all needed to go to paramapada. If it is that easy there won’t be any living beings on this earth resulting in the deserted look of Boomi.
eriyu neer verikoL vElai – the people should like to live in the paramapada where lives “sarvagandhah” “sarvarasahah”; whereas the people like to live in this Boomi surrounded by oceans which smell of all the creatures in them.

aLaipparAhil – so he says - “for these wicked men it is easy to utter harsh words but difficult to say ‘Sree ranganAtha’.

14. vaNDinam muralum SOlai mayilinam Alum SOlai
koNDal meedu aNavum SOlai kuyilinam koovum SOlai |
aNDarkOn amarum SOlai aNi tiruvarangam ennA
miNDar pAindu uNNum SOTTrai vilakki nAikku iDumin neerE || Fourteen ||

AzhwAr was so far talking to the samsAris. As if to atone for it he starts to sing ‘vaNDinam muralum SOlai’. Then again he could not check himself from advising others. So he starts ‘miNDar pAindu uNNum …..’. Perhaps he has the vAsana of correcting others and making them BAgavatAs. As there is samsara vAsana in others so there is mOkSha vAsana (to correct others) in him. He toils to collect people for mangaLASAsana.

tiruvarangam ennA miNDar – Fools! Oh’ utter fools! They don’t even say ‘tiruvarangam’. When narakavAsa and garBa vasa are strangling you, you want to care for your body and eat, eat, eat!

Boomi bArangaL uNNum SOTTrinai vAngi pullai tiNiminE – said periyAzhwAr too. Snatch away the food from this ungrateful wretch (who turns a deaf ear to the advice) and give it to the grateful dog at least. It is said in the SAstra to take away the belongings of a samsAris to use it for good cause. tirumangai AzhwAr puts it in practice.

15. meyyarkE meyyanAhum vidiyilA ennai pOla
poyyarkE poyyanAhum puTkoDi uDaiya kOmAn |
uyya pOm uNarvinArhaTku oruvan enru uNarnda pinnai
ayya pADu aruttu tOnrum azhahanoor arangam anrE || Fifteen ||

AzhwAr saw that no one listened to his advice. He feels himself very fortunate that BagavAn has blessed him. ‘i am also one of those samsAris; but BagavAn has blessed me to preach these people. Oh! i am fortunate’ – so he feels very grateful.

advESa – One says ‘there is God’. The other need not agree but doesn’t say anything against it. This is the first step to paramapada. How? If one refutes God he may not think of Him at all. If he merely keeps quiet he may develop love gradually later on. He is called advESi. To him BagavAn reveal His swaroopa when he starts enquiring. The person slowly gets his doubts cleared. That BagavAn resides in tiruvarangam. AzhwAr has himself experience all these in his life. So he expresses his gratefulness in this pASura.

meyyarku – is interpreted as ‘advESi’ rather than ‘tatva jnAni’. Why? There is nothing great in BagavAn revealing His swaroopa to a tatva jnAni. But His greatness lies in His revealing Himself to an ‘advESi’.

vidiyilA ennai pOla – AzhwAr says once he was an advESi. He use to do kainkarya to ranganAtha and enjoyed it. Then he became a slave to a woman and became ‘dvESi’. BagavAn did not reveal His swaroopa. Now that he has again become a Bakta resolving never to go back to the state of dvESi, why should he say ‘vidiyilA ennai’? He feels he should have got it (Bakti) long back. Due to his ill luck he, for a short while, lost Him.

kOmAn – BagavAn reveals His swaroopa to the advESi because He is the sarvaswAmi. periyavAchchAn piLLai Sree sookti – ‘even a very rich man will search for one rupee which has fallen down from his purse’. No body will leave their own possession.

oruvan enru uNarnda pinnai – after this jnAna is got the feeling that body alone is the truth is lost. The truth lies as Atma within the body. There is a swAmi for both of them (Atma and body).

16. SoodanAi kaLvanAhi doortarODu iSainda kAlam
mAdarAr kayar kaN ennum valaiyuL paTTu azhunduvEnai |
pOdarE enru Solli pundiyil puhundu tan pAl
Adaram peruha vaitta azhahanoor arangam anrE || Sixteen ||

Every problem arises out of desire. A thing desired is to be possessed. To possess it one would resort to gambling and such things. Gambling is grabbing other’s money just as they are looking. If he wins he continues gambling till he loses everything that he had gained. Still the desire for that persists. Next he goes to stealing. When he masters that art he takes to the company of other thieves and become a wayside robber. Their company will make him seek the pleasure of harlots. There is no further danger awaiting him. AzhwAr says he has had all these experiences.

Thus he went very far from the reach of the ‘taDakkai mAyan’. Suddenly His charm and beauty called him ‘Oh! Fool! Look at me!’ Again and again it called him. It even entered his mind and beckoned him to come to Him. Finally he had to give in. How wonderful is the beauty and its magical attraction!

17. virumbi ninru Etta mATTEn vidiyilEn madiyonru illai
irumbu pOl valiya nenjam irai irai uruhum vaNNam |
Surumbu amar SOlai Soozhnda aranga mA kOyil koNDa
karumbinai kaNDu koNDu en kaNNiNai kaLikkumArE || Seventeen ||

i don’t deserve BagavAn’s anugraha and blessings. But He did all that to me. i am as happy as a starving man getting sweet pudding everyday.

My body, mind and speech never had any samBanda with BagavAn. i never concentrated and praised Him with hymns; never could do anjali standing straight; never had any meditation on His guNAs and roopAs. Not only that i never had any idea that BagavAn exists. Thus my mind was a useless instrument. i could not change my mind because it was hard like steel.

But when i see Sree ranganAtha reclining on anandAzhwAn at Sree rangam my mind melts. Aha! What a wonderful beauty He has!

18. ini tirai tivalai mOda eriyum taN paravai meedE
tani kiDandu arasu Seyyum tAmarai kaNNan emmAn |
kani irundanaiya SevvAi kaNNanai kaNDa kaNgaL
pani arumbu tirumAlO en SeihEn pAviyEnE || Eighteen ||

‘karumbinai kaNDu koNDu en kaNNinai kaLikkumArE’ – said AzhwAr in the last pASura. Now he says ‘pani arumbu tirumAlO en SeihEn pAviyEnE’. After he saw BagavAn the eyes shed tears of Ananda continuously veiling his vision. As said ‘there is a slip between the cup and lip’, he could not enjoy what he got. Oh! What shall i do! Where shall i go! To whom shall i tell my woes! – Cries AzhwAr.

tani kiDandu arasu Seyyum – does not mean He is lying alone like an orphan. It means He has left everyone like nitya sooris and muktas who used to do services to Him. He who ruled over the kingdom of heaven has now come here out of compassion and love for samsAris waiting for them to come to Him.

arasu Seyyum – killing enemies. Who are the enemies of samsAris? They are ‘i’ and ‘mine’. He destroys these two and gives them mOkSha.

tAmarai kaNNan – kaNNa with His beautiful lotus-like eyes enslaves all.

BaTTar used to say ‘yaSOda has brought Him up without punishing and letting Him do all the mischief. But rAma was brought up by vasiSTha maharSi. So He was very modest and humble. Both these are seen in periya perumAL’.

19. kuDa tiSai muDiyai vaittu kuNadiSai pAdam neeTTi
vaDa tiSai pinbukATTi ten tiSai ilangai nOkki |
kaDal nira kaDavuL endai aravaNai tuyilumA kaNDu
uDal enakku uruhumAlO en SeihEn ulahatteerE || Nineteen ||

Not only eyes shed tears but my body too gets transformed. Aha! It is melting! What am i to do! Oh! Men! Tell me a way out of this!

ranganAtha is lying – His head facing west to announce that He is uBaya viBooti nAtha; His tiruvaDi facing east to proclaim that any one that happens to worship them will be redeemed; His back facing north, where AzhwAr’s tamizh sooktis are not heard, for them to worship Him; His face facing south always looking at viBeeSaNa His great Bakta. Thus all the four directions get His blessings.
endai – Oh! My swAmi! Whichever direction i see You, You bless me. i want to see You till my eyes say ‘enough’. But Alas! i am not able to see You because tears flow without my control. i cannot stand because my body melts. Oh! Men! Can you help me! Oh! Somebody help me!

20. pAyum neer arangam tannuL pAmbaNai paLLi koNDa
mAyanAr tiru nan mArvum marahada uruvum tOLum |
tooya tAmarai kaNgaLum tuvaridazh pavaLa vAyum
Aya Seer muDiyum tESum aDiyarOrkku ahalalAmE || Twenty ||

AzhwAr was crying ‘pani arumbu tirumAlO en SeihEn pAviyEnE’ ‘uDalenakku uruhumAlO en SeihEn’. The sAmsAri tells AzhwAr ‘Oh! AzhwAr! Why do you keep crying? You come to us and you won’t cry ‘en SeihEn en SeihEn’. Let us be happy and make merry. We shall teach you how to enjoy life. Don’t cry’. AzhwAr replies ‘Oh! mahApApis! What are you enjoying? Look how He is lying down on ananta! Look at His beauty! Look at His soundarya! Look at His form! A! He is lying for our sake! i cannot keep quiet’. Those who read about BagavAn but not feel Him inside can move away after worshipping Him but i can’t do that says AzhwAr.

21. paNivinAl manamadu onri pavaLavAi aranganArkku
tuNivinAl vAzha mATTA tollai nenjE nee SollAi |
aNiyinAr Sempon Aya aruvarai anaiya kOil
maNiyanAr kiDandavATTrai manattinAl ninaikkalAmE || Twenty One ||

The people say ‘AzhwAr! You say ‘karumbinai kaNDu koNDu’ ‘aravaNai tuyilumA kaNDu’. Thus you see Him and lament ‘en SeihEn en SeihEn’. Don’t just look at Him. Come and join us. But you are unwilling. O.k. we shall tell you a way out. Go to that corner where there is no one to disturb you. Sit in meditation. You will feel better’.

AzhwAr doesn’t reply them, but tells his mind – Oh! My mind! i know you. For a very long time you had been very wicked. If only you were good you would have prospered by now. i don’t ask you to do anything extremely difficult. You should think of emberumAn and say there is nothing else i should do. That is all required. But you fail to do even this simple task. So unsteady you are that you cannot fix you on anything. How can you fix it on emberumAn?
paNivinAl manamadu onri – try to concentrate on Him. Decide to fix your mind on Him. Your trial alone brings the fruit.
tollai nenjE – for so many yugAs you were wondering in other objects.

22. pESiTTrE pESalallAl perumai onru uNaralAhAdu
ASaTTrAr tangaTku allAl ariyalAvAnum allan |
mASaTTrAr manattuLAnai vaNangi nAm iruppadallAl
pESattAn Avadu uNDO pEdai nenjE nee SollAi || Twenty Two ||

People say ‘AzhwAr! You say you can’t sit and meditate on Him. O.k. Stop crying and talk about Him at least. You will feel better’. AzhwAr replies ‘if you want to talk you have to think first. ‘manah poorvO vAguttarah’ is the adage. When i cannot think can i speak?’ People say ‘o.k. Then shut your mouth. Why do you keep on prattling?’ AzhwAr says ‘i am not born dumb. i don’t say i can’t speak. i say i can’t speak His greatness. i can repeat only what vEdAs and vEdic people have already said. i can’t speak out my experience or His greatness as i know. vEdAs say ‘yatO vAchO nivartantE’ the words return back along with mind when it reaches Him'.

23. gangaiyir punidamAya kAviri naDuvu pATTu
pongu neer parandu pAyum poompozhil arangan tannuL |
engaL mAl iraivan eeSan kiDandadOr kiDakkai kaNDum
enganam marandu vAzhhEn EzhaiyEn EzhaiyEnE || Twenty Three ||

After i worship ranganAtha who lies between the two kAvEri, my mind doesn’t go out and refuses to forget Him. The river kAvEri is holier than ganga because the latter has sambandha with Siva while kAvEri has sambandha with ranganAtha. The water gushes forth since it is happily awaiting Bagavat sambandha. Therefore Sree rangam always abounds in water, forests, trees, flowers and bees.

iraivan – He is the leader of all the worlds
eeSan – He is capable of leadership
kaNDu marandu enganam vAzhhEn – after witnessing His greatness, beauty and purity how can i forget? Perhaps i could have if i had not seen Him. If there is any medicine to forget give me that – asks AzhwAr.

24. veLLa neer parandu pAyum viri pozhil arangan tannuL
kaLvanAr kiDandavArum kamala nan muhamum kaNDum |
uLLamE valiyai pOlum oruvanenru uNara mATTAi
kaLLamE kAdal Seidu un kaLLattE kazhikkinrAyE || Twenty Four ||

emberumAn deserting the nitya sooris in paramapada has come to Sree rangam to lie down here in order to spread a net of love for the samsAris who run after food, shelter and clothing. Hence He is called ‘kaLvan’. People who come to a religious ceremony of a temple come there with various intentions – to talk to a harlot, to eat the free food, to pick the pockets and so on. But emberumAn is a greater thief than they are. He steals the minds of even of such people. He does it by revealing His beauty and charm finally making them His dAsAs who vow to die if they don’t see Him.

BagavAn thus makes all efforts to take back His own property (jeevas) with His lotus-like face that trills even a matricide. Oh! My mind! You are a stone for you don’t stir even after seeing Him in tiru arangam. The mind asks ‘why do you say this of me? What is my sin’? AzhwAr says ‘nee oruvan enru uNarmATTAi’. You think He is like any other god. You don’t see Him as unique’. ‘Why do you say so’? ‘Because you don’t seem to have any thought to obtain Him’.

‘All my love towards You that the people may call Bakti is only a ‘kaLLa kAdal’ which i am fully aware of. Oh! My vAsana makes me go behind worldly things make me turn away from You. i don’t really love which You deserve to have. Oh! Am i going to spend my life feigning this love?’

25. kuLittu moonru analai Onbum kuri koL andaNamai tannai
oLittiTTEn en kaN illai nin kaNum pattan allEn |
kaLippadu en koNDu nambee kaDal vaNNA kadaruhinrEn
aLittu enakku aruL Sei kaNDAi arangamA naharuLAnE || Twenty Five ||

The three agnis are – gArhyapatya, Ahavaneeya and dAkShinAgni. Only a BrAhmaNa born in that kula has the right to maintain them. It is difficult to maintain BrAhmaNatva. It is not enough to be born in that race; one should follow strictly the rules of austerities due to a BrAhmin. Otherwise he becomes an outcaste and begets pApa too. Therefore AzhwAr says ‘kuri koL’.

andaNamai tannai oLittiTTu – i have lost my BrAhmaNatva because of my behavior transgressing its boundary. Therefore AzhwAr says he has no right for karmayOga.

en kaN illai – i don’t have jnAna about Atma. Therefore i am not for jnAna yOga

nin kaNNum pattan allEn – i don’t have love to You too. Hence there is no Bakti yOga for me.

‘Thus’ AzhwAr says ‘i am devoid of karma, jnAna, Bakti yOgAs. Then with what can i get You! Even if i had a little bit of one i shall have the right to get You. Now i have to cry Alas! Alas! And do nothing else’.

BagavAn says ‘AzhwAr! You claim you don’t have anything to reach me. What is the use of crying ‘what can i do’? How can i help you’? AzhwAr replies ‘if You say You can protect those who have one these upAyAs, then why do You simply lie here? What is Your compassion for? Is it only an ornament? Or is it to be used for those having BrAhmaNatva, karmayOga, jnAnayOga or BaktiyOga? Is it not for the fellows like me?’

26. pOdellAm pOdu koNDu un ponnaDi punaiya mATTEn
teedilA mozhihaL koNDu un tiruguNam Seppa mATTEn |
kAdalAl nenjam anbu kalandilEn adu tannAlE
EdilEn arangarkku ellE en SeivAn tOnrinEnE || Twenty Six ||

BagavAn asks AzhwAr who was crying ‘kaDal vaNNA! kaDal vaNNA!’ ‘Why do you cry AzhwAr? You say you can’t do karmayOga, jnAnayOga and BaktiyOga. Well! Can’t you do archana, stOtra etc.?’ AzhwAr again says ‘Oh! Not at all! ranganAtha! i never have gathered variety of flowers i come across to offer them to Your tiruvaDi; i never utter even a few words of praise; nor have i had any loving thoughts about You. Thus with all my kAraNAs (mind, speech and deed) i am a poor person. Oh! My janma is a waste! Waste!! Waste!!!’

27. kuranguhaL malaiyai nookka kuLittu tAm puraNDiTTu ODi
taranga neer aDaikkaluTTra SalamilA aNilum pOlEn |
marangaL pOl valiya nenjam vanjanEn nenju tannAl
aranganArkku ATcheyyAdE aLiyattEn ayarkinrEnE || Twenty Seven ||

i didn’t do kainkarya that an ordinary samsAri can do. i don’t do even as little as an animal does. When Sree rAma wanted to cross the sea to go to Lanka, the mighty vAnarAs lifted huge boulders and dropped them in sea. A little squirrel also wanted to help. It dipped in the sea and rolled his wet body on sand and shook the sand particles stuck on his body into the sea. Oh! mahApApi as i am, i don’t even do such small kainkarya to Him. Not only i never do any physical kainkarya but also never have any BAvana too. Alas! My human birth is a waste. What else can i do but cry and cry?

28. umbarAl ariyalAhA oLiyuLAr AnaikkAhi
SempulAl uNDu vAzhum mudalai mEl Seeri vandAr |
nambaramAyadu uNDE nAiahaLOm Sirumai OrA
embirArkku ATcheyyAdE en SeivAn tOnrinEnE || Twenty Eight ||

The gajEndra cried loudly ‘nArAyaNa! maNi vaNNA!’ nArAyaNa came running post haste to kill that crocodile. Thus He is sulaBa. Why should i toil to protect myself? But there may arise a doubt whether the Supreme Lord will ever think of us even in His mind? But this doubt arises only in the minds of foolish ajnAnis. BagavAn never thinks some one is great and other mean. He is the same to all. Aha! i fail to worship and think of such an supremely compassionate Lord! What a fool i am.

SempulAl uNDu vAzhum – it is said ‘tiryakShu naiva hi vipakShatayOpacharah’ that is, in the case of animals there is no chance of thinking it as an enemy and killing it. But BagavAn thought the crocodile – a mere animal – as an enemy and killed it with His chakrAyudha. This shows His infinite compassion on His BaktAs.

29. oorilEn kANiyillai uravu maTTroruvar illai
pAril nin pAda moolam paTTrilEn parama moorti |
kAroLi vaNNanE en kaNNanE kadaruhinrEn
AruLar kaLaikaN ammA arangamA naharuLAnE || Twenty Nine ||

I don’t have anything like men or money to keep quiet and sleep well. i don’t have anything that can at least remotely connect me to You.
oorilEn – i am not born in any place where You reside. If i had i would have considered myself fortunate. i could see You and worship You. i don’t have that much of puNya.
kANiyilEn – i may not be born in a divya dESa. If i had a peace of land i would have had a chance to visit that place to supervise the farming operations. Then i would have a chance to visit the nearby temple. But i am not that much fortunate.
uravu illai – i don’t have any relatives living in divya dESa where i would have gone under the pretext of visiting them.
maTTroruvar illai – no friends who live there or who talk of You.

All these show i am totally unlucky. But ranganAtha i cry for Your help. You are only my rakShaka. You are my bandhu, my friend and everything i can call so. i don’t know anyone else except You. i seek You, i prostrate at Your feet. i plead mercy on me. Take me rangA! Think me as Your bandhu! Won’t You?

30. manattilOr tooimai illai vAyilOr inSol illai
SinattinAl SeTTram nOkki tee viLi viLivan vALA |
punattuzhAi mAlaiyAnE ponni Soozh tiru arangA
enakkini gadi en SollAi ennai ALuDaiya kOvE || Thirty ||

Starting from ‘kuLittu moonru analai Onbum’ for five pASuras AzhwAr was telling BagavAn how he has no good character and guNa. ‘AzhwAr! You say you don’t do anything good. Let it be so. It is enough for me if you don’t have anything bad. i shall consider Your case’. As ALavandAr says ‘na ninditam karma tadasti lOkE sahasraSO yanna mayAvyadAyi’ – all that is bad in this world – thousands of them – are done by me.
manattilOr tooimai illai – kAma (desire), krOdha (anger), loBa (avarice), mOha (delusion), mada (pride) and mAtsarya (jealousy) – of all these durguNAs even one less would have made me good person. But Alas! All of them i have in maximum quantities.

Well! Even if my mind is full of these above said qualities, at least i would like to be soft spoken man. But even that i lack. People would have called me ‘ a good fellow’ if i have spoken softly. Even by mistake i don’t speak well of them. If someone is well dressed, well mannered i am jealous about him and talk ill of him.

‘AzhwAr! Enough! All the virOdis of mOkSha Pala are fully present in You. Nothing can be done about it. How can i help you. You shall have to experience the fruits of Your karma’.

AzhwAr immediately says ‘punantuzhAi mAlaiyAnE’. Oh! ranganAtha! You lie here wearing tuzhasi mAla signifying Your relationship with the samsAris as not one to be snapped off. Your compassion protects those who need protection like me. Are You wearing this mAla only to tell me ‘enjoy Your karma Pala; i won’t do anything to You?’

31. tavattuLAr tammil allEn danam paDaittAril allEn
uvartta neer pOla enran uTTravarkku onrum allEn |
tuvartta SevvAyinArkE tuvakkara turiSanAnEn
avattamE piravi tandAi aranga mA naharuLAnE || Thirty One ||

tavam – there are two reasons to do tapas – one to obtained mOkSha and the other for swargaBoga. In both cases the tapas is done with some austerity. i have not done any of these – says AzhwAr.

danam paDaittaril allEn – the purpose of earning money is to feed BAgavatAs. i have not done that.

Since i don’t have money the relatives go far away from me. i am of no use to them like seawater.

The inner meaning of this pASura –
tavattuLAr – i expect Your nirhEtuka kaTAkSha (blessing without cause). Hence i am doing any effort to get You. i totally depend on You as means to reach You.
danam paDaittaril allEn – i don’t possess anything. i am totally deprived of any power to do anything.
tuvartta SevvAyinArkE tuvakkara turiSanAnEn – i don’t have relatives, friends and lovers. All of them i left to seek Your tiruvaDi. If i had them You would have delayed Your anugraha on me. All of them deserted me since i am like a seawater. Now i am completely ready to receive Your blessings and nirhEtuka kaTAkSha. But if You delay any further i feel dejected and think my janma is a waste.

32. Artu vaNDalambum SOlai aNi tiruvarangam tannuL
kArtiraL anaiya mEni kaNNanE unnai kANum |
mArkkam onru ariya mATTA maniSaril turiSanAya
moorkanEn vandu ninrEn moorkanEn moorkanEnE || Thirty Two ||

AzhwAr! You are far lower than a samsAri. Why do you come here?’ BagavAn who lives in Sree rangam asks AzhwAr. He replies ‘ranganAtha! You are like a cloud transformed into this form. You are very pleasing to look at. i am such an ignorant person that i really don’t know how to attain You. In fact i have no right to stand in front of You. Still i stand pleading You with tears in my eyes. Please show me a way to see You. i am a fool; but a stubborn fool. i don’t go away till You concede my request’.

33. meyyellAm pOha viTTu virikuzhalAril paTTu
poyyellAm podindu koNDa pOzhkkanEn vandu ninrEn |
ayyanE aranganE un aruL ennum ASai tannAl
poyyanEn vandu ninrEn poyyanEn poyyanEnE || Thirty Three ||

AzhwAr says how mean he is. He says he is a cheat in his thought, words and deeds – the actions of three kAraNAs. ‘i ought to have been true to any one of them at least. But No. i am a cheat unparalleled. i have totally dedicated myself to the worldly affairs. If at all You can shower grace on me, i can think of redemption. Since You are extremely compassionate i seek Your pardon and ask Your blessings. Shamelessly i stand before You in the hope of getting Your blessings somehow or other.

34. uLLattE uraiyum mAlai uLLuvAn uNarvu onru illA
kaLLattEn nAnum toNDAi toNDukkE kOlam pooNDu |
uLLuvAr uLLiTTrellAm uDanirundu aridi enrE
veLhipOi ennuLLE nAn vilavara SirittiTTEnE || Thirty Four ||

You are the inside the heart of everyone. You know what is inside of the mind of all. Not realizing this, i came disguising myself as a real Bakta with tuzhasi mAla round my neck, a flower basket in my hand, calling myself one who smears the dust of the BaktAs’ feet (toNDar aDippoDi). i am such a fool i never knew how to think of You. But people see my appearance and say ‘Oh! What a great BaktAs he is!’ But i suddenly realize that You will be looking into my mind (while others look outside) and know who i really am, what really my thoughts are. Suddenly i realized my true self is exposed shamelessly. i laugh and laugh till my bones break.

35. tAvi anru ulahamellAm talai viLAkoNDa endAi
SEviyEn unnai allAl chikkena SengaNmAlE |
AviyE amudE endan Aruyir anaiya endAi
pAviyEn unnai allAl pAviyEn pAviyEnE || Thirty Five ||

AzhwAr thought himself a great cheat and wanted to go out of sight of ranganAtha. But BagavAn said ‘AzhwAr! Stop! I am the one who took trivikrama avatAra which reveals my infinite vAtsalya (motherly feeling). I take note of whatever little good in you and never think of your wicked qualities. So don’t go away! AzhwAr comes to his senses again and says ‘ranganAtha! i am a mahApApi, mahApApi. But i don’t think of anyone else but You. Certainly i won’t’.

36. mazhaikku anru varai munEndum maindanE madura ArE
uzhaikkanrE pOla nOkkam uDaiyavar valaiyuL paTTu |
uzhaikkinrErku ennai nOkkAdu ozhivadE unnai anrE
azhaikkinrEn Adi moortee arangamA naharuLAnE || Thirty Six ||


AzhwAr is now extremely thirsty to enjoy Him. So he cries loudly and feels restless. ‘ranganAtha! When indra poured heavy rain You lifted gOvardhana and gave shelter to all the AyarpADi men and women as well as the cattle. What guNa did You find in them to protect them even before the rain came? Can’t You take me as one of those cattle or of those AyarpADi folks (varai munEndum maindanE)? Even if You are indifferent and refuse to protect me, You can’t really do so. You are madura Aru – a sweet river that cannot stay in one place but keeps flowing through all the terrain quenching the thirst of people everywhere. So You can’t miss me and i can’t miss You. Oh! ranganAtha! Answer me’. ‘AzhwAr! Why should i answer You?’ ‘Because You are Adimoorti who created out of compassion all the creatures letting them out of Your stomach. Your rakShakatva is very famous. You can’t but protect me!’

37. teLivilA kalangal neer Soozh tiru arangattu Ongum
oLiyuLAr tAmE anrE tandaiyum tAyum AvAr |
eLiyadOr aruLum anrE en tirattu embirAnAr
aLiyan nam paiyal ennAr ammavO koDiyavArE || Thirty Seven ||

While i keep crying and shouting He doesn’t seem to care. He doesn’t even say a word ‘don’t cry’. Does He think i have got someone as rakShaka other than Him? Does He think i expect any other gains from Him? It is enough for me if He thinks ‘AzhwAr is mine!’ While i keep shouting He coolly lies on anandAzhwAn! What an indifference! What callousness! What cruelty!’

kAvEri is always muddy because of excessive flow of water.
Ongum oLiyuLAr – He is more effulgent here in Sree rangam than in paramapada. ‘If He looks at me with compassionate eyes all my thirst will vanish. Can’t He have the same sympathy as He had for viBeeSaNa and others. Does He need a bow (rAma) or a stick (kriSNa) to do that. A mere look suffices’. AzhwAr doesn’t expect BagavAn to tell him ‘Oh! AzhwAr!’ he likes Him to call him fondly ‘Oh! My lad!’

38. mEmporuL pOhaviTTu meimmaiyai miha uNarndu
AmpariSu arindu koNDu aimpulan ahattu aDakki |
kAmbara talai Siraittu un kaDaittalai irundu vAzhum
SOmbarai uhatti pOlum Soozh punal arangattAnE || Thirty Eight ||

‘aLiyan nam paiyal ennAr ammavO koDiyavArE’ – said AzhwAr in the last pASura. BagavAn says on seeing AzhwAr’s plight - ‘there is no one in this vast world who wishes to have this puruSArtha which is the nature of Atma swaroopa (mOkSha); there is no one who looks up at me to have this mOkSha; there is no one who can’t bear the delay to attain it; and no one who laments, cries and shouts at me. How astonishing is this AzhwAr’s agony! How wonderful is his Bakti! Aha! At last i have got one supremely eligible person to reach me!’ At this thought BagavAn’s tirumuham becomes bright with happiness. AzhwAr saw this and said ‘Oh! ranganAtha! How pleased You are when You see me who puts all load on You’.

mEmporuL – this is interpreted in three ways –
(1) The superficial – when the Bagavat viSaya comes to him, the worldly desires that are the result of karma get lost.
(2) That which is attached to You – that which is difficult to separate i.e., dEha sambandha and avidya sambandha.
(3) That which elevates the ego - the association of worldly objects makes one feel he is the Supreme i.e., prakruti padArta sambandha.

All these are removed with vAsana.

After this one has to realize the Atma swaroopa i.e., Atma is self-effulgent, eternal, having consciousness, atomic in size, SESa to BagavAn. The Atma SESatva should extend up to BAgavatAs.

After this ‘AmpariSu arindu koNDu’– to know the kainkarya is the final puruSArtha.
aimpulan ahattu aDakki – to do kainkarya not for the pleasure of the Bakta but for the pleasure of BagavAn.
kAmbara talai Siraittu – totally unloading the load on his head i.e., not to try any other means like karma, jnAna and Bakti which involve ones own effort; to adopt prapatti as the means. The other mArgAs except prapatti involves ego. Hence they are to be eschewed.

AzhwAr wonders that BagavAn is very pleased to see such a dAsa comes to Him.

vAzhum SOmbar – he is lazy towards applying any other means except prapatti to reach Him. It is said ‘vAzhum’ in order to show this kind of laziness will lead to paramapada. Whereas the laziness in the ordinary sense of the word means totally devoid of Bagavat anuBava, involved completely in the worldly matters, lazy in following the injunctions of vEda and following the rules of varNa and ASrama dharma.

39. aDimaiyil kuDimai illA ayal SaduppEdimAril
kuDimaiyil kaDaimaippaTTa kukkaril pirapparEnum |
muDiyinil tuLabam vaittAi moi kazharku anbu Seyyum
aDiyarai uhatti pOlum aranga mA naharuLAnE || Thirty Nine || 

 Last pASura AzhwAr said the lakShaNa of a Bakta. Now he talks of his BaktAs greatness. Those who are born in high caste and chant vEdAs but devoid of Bakti are in no way greater than those who are born in the lowest caste but do Bakti. In other words, caste is not the only criterion for BagavAn’s love but Bakti is. One’s greatness lies in the desire to do kainkarya to Him. The smallness lies in the lack of such a desire. Thus caste is not the cause of greatness or smallness.

The purpose of the birth in a higher caste is to have the suitable conduct. The purpose of vEdAs lies in not merely chanting it but in understanding the import and following the injunctions. If not, it is a waste.

40. tiru maru mArba ninnai SindaiyuL tihazha vaittu
maruviya manattarAhil mAnilattu uyirhaLellAm |
veruvura konru SuTTiTTu eeTTiya vinaiyarElum
aruvinai payanadu uyyAr arangamA naharuLAnE || Forty ||

Not only the birth in the lowest caste but also the lowest conduct will not have any ill effects if only they have strong Bakti towards ranganAtha. ‘Oh! ranganAtha!’ if they chant Your names and guNAs, have parama Bakti in their hearts, nothing can give them pApa PalAs and naraka.

41. vAnuLA ariyalAhA vAnavA enbarAhil
tEnulAm tuLaba mAlai SenniyA enbarAhil |
oonamAyinahaL Seyyum oonakAraharhaLElum
pOnaham Seida SEdam taruvarEl punidam anrE || Forty One ||

Brahma and others live in the upper regions. They are extremely proud of their lOkAs and status. Hence they lack the simplicity and humility which are conducive to Bagavat anuBava. They fail to know His greatness or His soulaBya. Only the people on earth are fortunate for, they are able to do anusandAna on Him irrespective of their caste, conduct, learning etc. Not only that, the remains of their food, taken as prasAda will purify those who receive it. Such is their greatness.

42. pazhudilA ozhuhalATTru pala SaduppEdimArhaL
izhikulattavarhaLElum emmaDiyArhaL Ahil |
tozhumin neer koDumin koLmin enru ninnODum okka
vazhipaDa aruLinAi pOlum madiL tiru arangattAnE || Forty Two || 

 BagavAn says to those who are born in the BrAhmaNa kula who have excellent conduct and who are learned in four vEdAs – ‘Oh! chaturvEdis! Don’t think you are great. In whatever caste one is born, if he is my dAsa you should worship him as you do me; teach them and learn from them. They are not different from me’. In pAncharAtra also the same idea is expressed.

43. amaravOrangam Arum vEdam Or nAngum Odi
tamarhaLil talaivarAya SAdi andaNarhaLElum |
numarhaLai pazhipparAhil noDippadOr aLavil AngE
avarhaL tAm pulaiyar pOlum aranga mA naharuLAnE || Forty Three ||

The four vEdAs are rik, yajus, sAma and atarvana. The six angas are SikSha, vyAkarNa, chandas, nirutta, jyOtiSam and kalpa. The BrAhmaNAs who learn all these by heart, know their meanings, do Bagavat kainkarya too, if they condemn a chanDAlA having a Sree vaiSaNa guNa but lacking all the above qualifications, then that BrAhmaNa becomes chanDALA the very moment.

44. peNNulAm SaDaiyinAnum piramanum unnai kANbAn
eNNilA oozhi oozhi tavam SeidAr veLhi nirpa |
viNNuLAr viyappa vandu Anaikku anru aruLai eenda
kaNNarAi unnai ennO kaLaikaNA karudumArE || Forty Four ||

Brahma and Siva do very hard tapas for very long years. But they are not able to see You. gajEndra is just an animal who has not done any tapas. You come running post haste, Your peetAamBara slipping from Your waist, hair disheveled. Seeing this the nitya sooris are astonished. No body understands Your ways. You are really biased towards some. You are not equal to all (as vEdAs declare). You are partial in my case.
velhi nirpa – Siva and Brahma feel ashamed that they had resorted to all sorts of tapas, instead of simply call out Your name as gajEndra did. They think ‘Oh! We are not caught by a crocodile!’

45. vaLavezhum tavaLamADa madurai mA naharam tannuL
kavaLa mAl yAnai konra kaNNanai arangamAlai |
tuLava toNDAya tol Seer toNDaraDippoDi Sol
iLaiya pun kavitai Elum embirArku iniyavArE || Forty Five ||

BagavAn Sree kriSNan killed mad kuvaLayApeeDa who was fat with eating a lot. Similarly He has killed all my mOkSha virOdis. He is pleased with my childish pASurAs fraught with dOSAs because He has understood my feelings and BAvAs towards Him. The Pala of reading this is they will also be pleased like emberumAn.

tirumAlai muTTriTTru

toNDaraDippoDi AzhwAr tiruvaDihaLE SaraNam