paNdai

paNdai

thiruvarangam 4

paNDainAnmaraiyum vELviyum kELvi
padangaLum padangaLin poruLum
piNDamAi virinda pirangoLiyanalum
peruhiya punaloDu nilanum |
koNDal mArudamum kuraikaDalEzhum
EzhumAmalaihaLum viSumbum
aNDamum tAnAi ninra emberumAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

emberumAn Himself is the four vEdas (beginningless SAstras). He is revealed by them and He reveals them. He is the yAga—He is worshipped through the sacrifices. Even though there are many dEvas who take the offerings poured into the fire, He in fact is the recipient of all the sacrificial offerings as the antaryAmi of all the dEvas.

He is the grammar which is a science to be learned from a guru alone. He is the one who made this vEdAnga. He is the antrayAmi of all the created beings. piNDamAi virinda etc. piNDam is a ball of mud. This ball takes shape of many things like cups, pots etc which are called effects. Though the word ‘piNDa’ stands for curse, this brammANDa was in the form of ‘curse’ called avyakta (unmanifest) and later became effect (manifest) as mahat ahankAra etc. The pancha Bootas like AkASa etc. are ‘effects’. As the cups, pots etc. are nothing but ‘mud’ so also the brammANDa is nothing but emberumAn’s names and forms. They are His Sareera and He is the Sareeri. He is the one who lies in tiruvarangam.

indiran piraman eeSan enrivarhaL
eNNil palaguNangaLEyiyaTTra
tandaiyum tAyum makkaLum
mikka SuTTramum SuTTrininrahalA |
bandamum bandamaruppadOr marundum
pAnmaiyum palluyirkkellAm
andamum vAzhvum Aya emberumAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

emberumAn who lies in pArkaDal lies in tiruvarangam. He is praised by indra, brahma and rudra like— Oh! He is our father who does good to his children; Oh! He is like mother loving and affectionate to her children; Oh! He is the children doing service to their parents preventing their entry to naraka; Oh! He is our bandhu (sarvavidha bandhu) who come and go; Oh! He is our bandhu who stays with us forever; He is the medicine to cut the knot of samsAra. He is the satva guNa, which comes after the knot is cut off. He is the creator, the destroyer of all the things and beings in this world.

mannu mAnilanum malaihaLum kaDalum
vAnamum dAnavarulahum
tunnumA iruLai tulangoLi Surungi
tollai nAnmaraihaLum maraiya |
pinnum vAnavarkum munivarkum nalhi
pirangiruL niramkeDa orunAL
annamAi anrangarumarai payandAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

This emberumAn who lies here in arangamA nahar is the one who once took swan avatAra when the vast Boomi, mountains, oceans, heavenly regions and underworlds—everything were engulfed by thick darkness due to the loss of vEdas. He brought the vEdas back and brought light to the riShis and dEvas.

mAyirum kunramonru mattAha
mASuNamadanoDum aLavi
pAyirum pouvam pahaDuviNDalara
paDutirai viSumbiDai paDara |
SEyiruviSumbum tingaLum SuDarum
dEvarum tAmuDandiSaippa
Ayiram tOLAl alaikaDalkaDaindAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

BagavAn churned the pArkaDal with mandara mountain as the churning rod, the serpent vAsuki as the cord wound round it. He churned the wide deep ocean with thousands of arms. It was an astonishing act which caused amusement and wonder in the minds of all the dEvas, the luminaries and other people of other lOkas. The sound produced during churning resembled the trumpet of huge wild elephant; the waves lashed and rose to the sky and came down spreading the width of the ocean. This mAya resides in tiruvarangam.

enganEyuivar dAnavar ninaindAl
iraNiyanilangu pooNahalam
ponguvengurudi ponmalaipiLandu
pozhitarum aruviyottizhiya |
vengaN vALeyiTTOr veLLimA vilangal
viNNurakkanalvizhittezhundu
anganEyokka ariyuruvAnAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

hiraNyAsura was like a huge golden mountain form whose chest flowed the river-like blood when it was split open by narasimha. (The asura is compared to a golden mountain form inside which river flows) narasimha is like a huge silver mountain with blood shot angry eyes, terrible sword-like teeth, fire spitting eyes rose high up to the sky causing the death of asura. If only the asuras hear this story, they would never want to live fearing the same fate for them. (enganE uivar) He resides in tiruvarangam.

Ayiram kunram Senrutokkanaiya
aDal purai ezhil tihazh tiraLtOL
Ayiram tuNiya aDalmazhuppaTTri
maTTravanahal viSumbaNaiya |
Ayiram peyarAl amararSenrirainja
arituyil alaikaDal naDuvE
Ayiram SuDarvAi aravaNaittuyinrAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

emberumAn cut off the strong beautiful thousand arms of kArtaveeryArjuna whose arms resembled closely lying mountains. BagavAn cut them off with the axe as weapon and sent him to veera swarga (the heaven of war heroes). The indrAdi dEvas were pleased that their enemy was slain. They praised Him with thousand names who, after killing the asura, went to the pArkaDal to have yOga nidra. On seeing the feat of BagavAn and on hearing the hymns of dEvas anandAzhwAn felt he has thousand hoods.

yOga nidra — 'aindu paindalai Ada aravaNai mEvi pArkaDal yOga nittirai Sindai Seida endAi’ —nammAzhwAr.

Surikuzhal kanivAi tiruvinaipiritta
koDumaiyil kaDuviSaiyarakkan
erivizhittilangu maNimuDipoDiSeidu
ilangai pAzh paDuppadarkeNNi |
variSilaivaLaiya aDuSaranturandu
marikaDal neripaDa malaiyAl
arikulam paNikoNDu alaikaDal aDaittAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

Sree rAma decided to put an end to rAvaNa, the king of lanka who was very fast in doing wicked actions and who wore a gem studded brilliant crown. He discharged terrible arrows to ruin the beautiful city. rAvaNa and the rAkShasa kula and the city all got destroyed because of rAvaNa’s wicked act of abducting pirATTi separating her from Sree rAma. He could not tolerate the impedance of the sea god when he refused to subject himself for building the bridge to cross over to lanka. Sea god then prostrated at His feet and begged pardon. Then rAmachandra built a bridge with the help of vAnara sEna. He resides in tiruvarangam for all to worship Him easily.

oozhiyAi OmattuchchiyAi orukAl
uDaiya tErOruvanAi ulahil
SoozhimAl yAnaittuyar keDutta ilangai
malanga anraDuSaranturandu |
pAzhiyAl mikka pArttanukkaruLi
pahalavanoLikeDa pahalE
AzhiyAlanru angAzhiyai maraittAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

emberumAn is the nirvahaka of everything including kAla. He is the recipient of all the offerings of the yAgas. He is the antaryAmi of everything like sun etc. He is the rakShaka of gajEndra whom He saved from the clutches of a crocodile by mere arrow. He was instrumental in destroying arjuna’s foes in the BAratayuddha. He employed several ways of killing the enemies like veiling the sun in the day light creating an artificial night. He lies in tiruvarangam.

Soozhimal yAnai — gajEndra was a wild elephant roaming in the forest. The AzhwAr uses the word SoozhimAl out of love for gajEndra.

pEyinAr mulaiyooN piLLaiyAi orukAl
perunilam vizhangi adumizhnda
vAyanAi mAlAyAlilai vaLarndu
maNimuDivAnavar tamakku |
chEyanAi aDiyErkaNiyanAi vandu
en SindaiyuL venduyararukkum
AyanAyanru kunramonreDuttAn
arangamAnahar amarndAnE ||

He as a child drank the poisoned milk of pootana and killed her. He as the supreme creator and destroyer ate all the worlds and brought them out. He who after praLaya lies on a banyan leaf is far for the dEvas (even though they live in heavenly regions), but very near (living in my mind) to me, His dAsa. He who as a shepherd boy lifted the gOvardhana mountain, He is in tiruvarangam.

ponnum mAmaNiyum muttamum Sumandu
porutirai mAnadi puDaiSoozhndu
annamADulavum alaipunalSoozhndu
aranga mAnahar amarndAnE |
mannu mAmADa mangaiyar talaivan
mAnavEl kaliyan vAyolihaL
panniyapanuval pADuvAr nALum
pazhavinai paTTraruppArE ||

tirumangai AzhwAr, the chief of tirumangai city has sung these ten pASuras on tiruvarangam residing in Sree rangam . The city is beautiful by the river kAvEri ruknning on either sides whose waves bring gold, gems and pearls along with her current plenty of lotus ponds with swans swimming in them adds to the beauty of the divya dESa. Those who read and sing these pASuras will get rid off their sins indeed.