veruvAthAL

veruvAthAL

thiruvarangam 2

Here AzhwAr has the BAva of parakAlanAyaki. This pASura is by the mother (tAyAr pAsuram). They reveal love towards azhahiya maNavALan.

veruvAdAL vAiveruvi vEngaDamE
vEngaDamE engirALAl
maruvALAl en kuDangAl vALneDungaN
tuyil marandAL vaNDArkoNDal |
uruvALan vAnavartam uyirALan
olitiraineer pouvamkoNDa
tiruvALan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
enganam nAn SindikkEnE ||

The mother talks about the condition of her daughter “parakAlanAyaki”. She is neither afraid nor shy to call out loudly “vEngaDava! vEngaDava!”. She does not stay on my lap; nor does she sleep any where. She constantly thinks about Him alone. Who is dark-like bee and a rain cloud. He is the very life of nityasooris and is the fond consort of periya pirATTi. I am perplexed as to what He has done to my daughter to reduce her to this condition.

“vEngaDava”- This pASura is about Sree ranganAtha. Here AzhwAr says prakAlanAyaki calls out “vEngaDava! vEngaDava” how is this explained? The interpretation is –Sree vEnkaTanAtha has come down as ranganAtha to Sree rangam. virajA river is flowing here as kAvEri; pravAsudEva is Sree ranganAtha. This is what the maharShis say—when He travels from paramapada it is rest in tirumala before coming to Sree rangam. “viNNavar kOn viraiyAr pozhil vEngaDavan” (tiruppANAzhwAr) shows the viNNavar kOn (paramapadanAtha) has come to tiruvEngaDam “mandipAi vADa vEngaDa mAmalai vAnavarhaL sandi Seyya ninrAn arangattu aravaNaiyAn” (tirupANAzhwAr)—suggests the same idea. In tiruvEngaDam He is in a standing posture suggesting that He is ‘ready to go somewhere”; where as in Sree rangam He is in lying posture “He has no idea to go anywhere”.

bouvam koNDa tiruvALan— emberumAn revealed His beautiful form and took periya pirATTi as His consort as she came out of tiruppArkaDal. Now He likes to take this prakAlanAyaki born in the samsAra kaDal as His consort by showing His form “koNDal vaNNan, vaNDAr vaNNan”. Ah! His very job is to capture all damsels!

Though parakAla nAyaki is under the care of her mother, she is said to be “caught by Him” since her condition is such. “enganam SindikkEn”— This, my daughter has been in samsAra since a long time; now she is caught in the net of Bagavat viShaya. How is this possible? Neither does He know nor does my daughter. Then how can I, standing outside, know?

kalaiyALA ahalalhul kanavaLaiyum
kaiyALA en SeihEn nAn
vilaiyALA aDiyEnai vENDudiyO
vENDAyO ennum meyya |
malaiyALan vAnavar tam talaiyALan
marAmaramEzheidu venra
SilaiyALan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
enganam nAn SindikkEnE ||

A girl becomes thin and weak when she loves a worldly person. So what to talk of parakAla nAyaki who falls in love with emberumAn? Her body becomes so thin that the saree slips down from her hips, the bangles become loose and slip from her hands. However her speech is loud and clear. She says “vilaiyAla aDiyEnai vENDudiyO vENDAyO?” — will You take me, or won’t You? “kESava puruDOttama kiLar SOdiyAi kuraLa enru pESuvar aDiyArhaL endammai virkavum peruvArhaLE”—periyAzhwAr suggest the same idea. This is the state of a SESha where in he or she gives herself totally to the swAmi.

This sentence is interpreted in another way too. I am not a slave to others. I am not like others who tend to earn their living by serving meanly to other human beings. I am a slave only to You. Will You take me or not?

The mother says I do not know how emberumAn who is meyyamalaiyALan and vAnavar talaiyALan and marAmaran eida SilaiyAlan has done to my daughter who even in her weak condition can express herself so clearly and vehemently.

mAnAya mennOkki vALneDungaN
neer malhum vaLaiyum SOrum
tEnAyanarunduzhAi alangalin
tirampESi urangAL kANmin |
kAnAyan kaDimanaiyil tayiruNDu
neiparuha nandan peTTra
AnAyan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
ammanaimeer arihilEnE ||

The mother continues—“Oh! My daughter has such beautiful doe like bright long eyes. Seeing her beauty emberumAn should have naturally fallen in love with her. But look at my daughter! She has fallen in love with Him shedding tears continuously like the tiny waterfalls of tirumala. Her bangles slipped down. I tell her “dear girl! Just lie down on the bed for sometime. You will stop crying”. But she refuses to do so and laments— “Ah! The honey laden tuzhasi mAla! Ah! The beautiful excellent garland that He wears! I admire the cool and fresh feeling and the fragrance is beyond my imagination!” Thus she prattle and does not sleep.

The women ask “Well! Who is He? Do You know Him! “Oh yes! He is the gOpAla kriShNa who stole butter and ghee in all the houses and stole my girls mind”.

tAivAyilSolkELAL tannAya
tODaNaiyAL taDamenkongaiyE
AraSAndaNiyAL emberumAn
tiruvarangam engE ennum |
pEimAyamulaiyuNDu ivvulahuNDu
peruvayiTTrin pESil nangAi
mAmAyan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
mangaimeer madikkilEnE ||

The mother continues about her daughter parakAla nAyaki to her friend—“she doesn’t listen to my words. She is not as before. You know very well she never used to transgress my words. She used to be very fond of her friends. Now she doesn’t play with them nor talk to them. Now she hates their very sight. Hence my idea of changing her mind through her friends has gone to wind. She doesn’t care for her look—she doesn’t smear sandal paste on her breasts. In fact shouldn’t she apply the sandal paste and be ready for samslESha when He comes? But out of sheer repugnance she doesn’t do so. She cries “Where is Sree rangam?” Where is He?” The friend asks the mother “Who is He?” She replies “Oh! He is the one who drank pootana’s milk and killed her. He is the one who ate all the worlds.”

mangaimeer—When the mother talks there was only one woman listening to her. So she addresses ‘nangai’. When she was talking many more woman came. Now she addresses mangaimeer (plural).

pooNmulaimEl SAndaNiyAl porukayalkaN
maiyezhudAL poovaipENAL
ENariyAL ettanaiyum emberumAn
tiruvarangan engE ennum |
nANmalarAL nAyahanAi nAmariya
AippADi vaLarndanambi
AnmahanAi en mahaLai SeidanahaL
ammanaimeer arihilEnE ||

The mother continues— “It is the habit of young girls to wear ornaments on their breasts and smear sandal paste. But this girl doesn’t do that since she feels these breasts which are not enjoyed by Him are not to be cared for. She doesn’t apply coryllium on her already dark eyes as she is always crying. She never cares for the pet bird (poovai) and looks at Him as if he is poison. In short she doesn’t have any thought for the earthly things. Her mind is always thinking of emberumAn and Sree rangam. The only words she utters is—Where is Sree rangam? Where is Sree rangam?

The woman asks her— “Who is He? Who is torturing this young girl?” She replies “It is Sriyah pati (malarAL nAyahan). It is He whom we know very well as that boy stealing butter and ghee in all the houses of AyarpADi. Now He thinks He is a ‘great man’ to do this to my young girl.

tAdADuvanamAlai tArAnO
enrenrEtaLarndAL kANmin
yAdAnum onruraikkil emberumAn
tiruvarangamennum poomEl |
mAdALan kuDamADi madusoodan
mannarkAi munnam Senra
toodALan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
enganam nAn SolluhEnE ||

The mother of parakAla nAyaki continues— “She is always very lively and talkative. Now she has completely changed. “avan mArvaNinda vanamAlai vanjiyAdE tarumAhil mArvil koNarndu puraTTeerE”— so said ANDAL. This girl doesn’t even speak so many words. She simply says “vanamAlai tArAnO” and repeats the same again and again with the vacant look. If I pacify her saying “my dear! This doesn’t suit Your age or status she doesn’t hear them. She closes her ears and shouts “tiruvarangam! periya kOyil!”. “Who is He?” asks the women. She (mother) replies He is the one who is the consort of periya pirATTi, who performed kuDa koottu on the streets of AyarpADi, who killed the asura madhu and who acted as a messenger for the pANDavas. I don’t know what He has done to my girl.

vArALumiLangongai vANNam vEru
Ayina vAreNNAL eNNil
pErALan pErallAl pESAL
ippeN peTTrEn en SeihEn nAn |
tArALan taN kuDandai naharALan
aivarkkAi amaril uitta
tErALan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
enganam nAn SeppuhEnE ||

The mother continues—‘My daughter is so absent minded and indifferent that she doesn’t care to know the change of colour of her breasts which should be bound by a band to keep them within bounds. She has stopped thinking of anything else except Him and talk anything else except His names. Oh! I have given birth to such a girl! What shall I do? I don’t know what magic He has done to her. He is the one who is wearing tuzhasi garland to reveal His rakShakatva; who lies in tirukkuDandai to reveal His soulaBya; who is pArtasArati to reveal His pAratantrya to do anything for His Baktas.

ippeNpeTTrEn—There is a tinge of pride in this phrase of the mother. When all the other mothers have daughter who are involved in worldly matters and samsAra my daughter is fortunately involved in the Bagavat viShaya.

uravAdum ilaLenrenru ozhiyAdu
palarESum alarAyiTTrAL
maravAdE eppozhudum mAyavanE
mAdavanE enginrALAl |
piravAda pErALan peNNALan
maNNALan viNNOr tangaL
aravALan en mahaLai SeidanahaL
ammanaimeer arihilEnE ||

Mother says — ‘She has alienated the parents and other relatives (teLivipA talangal neer Soozh tiruvarangattuL Ongum oLiyuLAr tAmE tandaiyum tAyumAvAr)—toNDaraDippoDi AzhwAr. She takes Him as sarvavidha bandhu (all kinds of relatives). This behaviour of hers has tarnished our family reputation.

The inner meaning is – She has renounced all the ABAsa bandhus (relatives in appearance) and has resorted to emberumAn who is the real bandhu. When people start criticizing her she is becoming more adamant in calling His names loudly ‘mAyava’ ‘mAdhava’ etc. The more they blame the more she desires Him. She does not do anything except telling ‘Oh! You have wonderful guNas and actions, You are the consort of periya pirATTi’. The fact is not only my daughter but all the girls are mad when they see Him or hear Him.

aravALan—He is praised by nityasooris.

pandODu kazhal maruvAL paingiLiyum
pAlooTTAL pAvaipENAL
vandAnO tiruvarangan vArAnO
enrenrE vaLaiyum SOrum |
SandOhan pouzhiyan aindazhalOmbu
taittiriyan sAmavEdi
andO vandu en mahaLai SeidanahaL
ammanaimeer arihilEnE ||

The mother of parakAla nAyaki continues— ‘all girls do play with balls and kazhal. They don’t leave them even while sleeping. But look my daughter does not even touch them. She does not give milk even to her pet parrot. The wooden dolls which she used to hug and sleep, now she don’t even touch them.

‘What does she do”’—asks the women.

‘Oh! She always thinks of Him and talks of Him alone. Sometimes she has the illusion of His form. Then she will go and hug the ‘form’. She will say ‘vandAnO tiruvarangan?’ But finding it only an illusion she will lament and cry ‘avan vArAnO’? Suddenly she becomes lean and her bangles slip out of her hands.

‘Who is He’? ‘He is the one who is known by chAndOgya upaniShad, kouSheetaka brAhmaNa, taittireeya upaniShad, sAma vEda. He is worshipped by the brAhmaNas by five agnis. He has come here and done something to my daughter. I don’t know what is it. Alas! I feel sad!

SEluhaLum vayalpuDaiSoozh tiruvarangattu
ammAnaiSindaiSeida
neelamalar kaN maDavAL niraivazhivai
tAimozhindavadanai nErAr |
kAlavEl parakAlan kalikanri
olimAlai kaTTruvallAr
mAlaiSEr veNkuDaikkeezh mannavarAi
ponnulahil vAzhvartAmE ||

These ten pASuras are sung by tirumangai AzhwAr as the mother of parakAla nAyaki who forgot all her childhood play, play mates and who was always crying out to Sree ranganAtha. By such behaviours she lost her dignity and caused blemish to the family. Those who read these pASuras with BAva will certainly enjoy the kingship on this earth and rule over paramapada as well.