Thiruppavai 19th Pasuram – Kuthu Vilakkeriya

srImathE rAmAnujAya namah:

srImad varavaramunayE namah:

Thiruppavai 19th Pasuram: kuththu viLakkeriya…thagavElOr empAvAi

kuthu viLakkeriya – as an oil lamp burns softly (with kind of lighting that does not affect one’s sleep);

kOttukkAl – made of ivory from elephant tusks;

kattilmEl – on a bed;

meththendRa panjachayanaththin mElERi - on a soft mattress (that exhibits five properties – is of white colour, exhibits a cozy chillness, is of a soft nature, is pleasantly fragrant and is broader in size);

kothu alar poon kuzhal nappinnai kongaimEl - a bunch of buds that bloom once they occupy the hair locks of nappinnai pirAtti;

vaiththuk kidandha malar mArbA - resting on the flower-coiffured nappinnai’s chest;

vAithiRavAi - speak up (bless us with your anugraham);

mai thadangkaNNInAi - O’ the collyrium-anointed, wide-eyed lady;

un maNaLanai – your spouse;

nee eththanai pOdhum thuyil ezha ottAi kAN – you are not allowing Him to rise for even a moment;

eththanai yElum pirivu ARRakillAyAl – you are unwilling to part with Him even once;

thathuvam andRu - against your swarUpam of a purushakArA;

thagavum andRu - against your swabhAvA of krupA;

yElOr empAvAi – tell us if it is fair or just.

Literal Meaning:

Speak, O Lord, sleeping in the comforting bosom of nappinnai pirAtti in a room with a lamp burning softly, on a soft mattress, over an ornate bed! O’ nappinnai, the collyrium-anointed wide-eyed lady, you do not let your spouse rise even for a moment! Your unwilligness to part with him, even once, is neither fair nor just.

Spiritual Meaning:

The waking up ritual of nappinnai pirAtti was already completed in yesterday’s “undhu madha kaLiRRan” pAsuram. There is no reference to emperumAn in that pAsuram. However, pirAtti, busy experiencing her own krishnAnubhavam, was not letting emperumAn leave her for even a moment. That is why AndAL calls upon pirAtti in this pAsuram again (maithadang kaNNinAi) to request her access to her husband (manALan). Thus, in today’s pAsuram, we notice AndAL referring to both emperumAn and nappinnai pirAtti. In tomorrow’s pAsuram, we will see AndAL calling upon emperumAn itself directly, without having to call upon pirAtti.

AndaL, thorough this pAsuram, highlights emperumAn’s kripA dheenam. emperumAn’s body is not composed of the five basic elements that human bodies are made up of. The composition of His body is beyond explanation in terms of nature and natural elements. In that case, why is AndAL referring to emperumAn’s chest as ‘malarmArbA’? Does it mean emperumAn’s chest can bloom (malarum mArbu)? Similarly, thirumangai azhwAr, in his thirunedunthAndakam pAsuram “oNmidhiyil punaluruvi orukaal niRpa” talks about how thiruvikramA’s feet, that grew in size, turned green after having touched the azhwar’s head. Isn’t emperumAn nityam (permanent) and nirvikAram (unchanging with time)? Then how can His chest bloom or how can His feet turn green? We have to understand that AndAL is not talking about changes to emperumAn’s swarUpa (form) or svabhAva (nature) here. Changes to these are usually a result of kArma. Since emperumAn is beyond the cycle of karmA, the changes to Him, that we noticed  above, are a result of His kripA dheenam. That is, emperumAn, out of His own will, decides to undergo the changes mentioned above. This is the very reason AndAL called Him “uththaman” in the third pAsuram. Didn’t he assume the form of an alms-seeking brahmin to serve His adiyArs? Thus, AndAL uses the example of emperumAn’s kripA dheenam to highlight Brahman’s inestimable supremacy over everything in this world.

A second point highlighted by AndAL in this pAsuram is pirAtti’s purushakArathvam. In our sampradAyam, we reach out to the Lord through pirAtti (as indicated by “srI:” in the beginning of  dvaya mantram). pirAtti, as the ruler of the universe, directs our mind, which is otherwise lost in the matters of the world, towards the Lord. In short, she is the one who makes us a purushA, as purusha lakshanam for us chetanAs is in thinking about the Lord all the time. At the same time, pirAtti is also the one who recommends our candidature for liberation to the Lord, thereby ensuring that emperumAn (despite Himself being purushOttaman), discharges his duties of blessing us with mokshAm. Thus, pirAtti acts as a liaison between us and emperumAn and plays a central role in our sampradAyam. Moreover, we do not need the help of another person’s purushakAra for us to reach out to pirAtti. Being loka mata and being endowed with infinite grace, she is always approachable for us chetanAs.

Thus, in this pAsuram, AndAL requests the mediation of pirAtti to let perumAn off her bosom so that He can bless us with liberation. She reaches out to pirAtti to request her to perform her role of a purushakArA.