Thiruppavai - Pasuram19

kuththu viLakkeriya kOttu(k) kaal kattil mEl

meththenRa pancha sayanaththin mEl ERi(k)

koththalar poonguzhal nappinai kongai mEl

vaiththu(k) kidandha malar maarbaa vaay thiRavaay

mai(th) thadam kaNNinaay nee un maNaaLanai

eththanai pOdhum thuyilezha ottaay kaaN

eththanaiyElum pirivu aatragillaayaal

thaththuvam anRu thagavElOr embaavaay

குத்து விளக்கெரியக் கோட்டுக்கால் கட்டில்மேல்

மெத்தென்ற பஞ்ச சயனத்தின் மேலேறிக்

கொத்தலர் பூங்குழல் நப்பின்னை கொங்கைமேல்

வைத்துக் கிடந்த மலர்மார்பா! வாய்திறவாய்;

மைத்தடங் கண்ணினாய்! நீ உன் மணாளனை

எத்தனை போதும் துயிலெழ ஒட்டாய்காண்,

எத்தனை யேலும் பிரிவாற்ற கில்லாயால்,

தத்துவம் அன்று தகவேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்.

----- MEANING ----

Both (PerumAL and PirAtti are needed for successful prapatthi). Some times they compete with each other to rush to the side of the prapannan and in that haste create delay in opening the doors of their AasthAnam as in this case described by ANDAL.  (Now the young gOpis try to wake up the dhivya dampathis, Nappinnai PirAtti and Lord KrishNA).

As the cluster of lamps are glowing beside, Oh Lord KrishNA, You are lying on the very soft (silky) bed, on the ivory cot with Your broad chest resting on the bosom of Sri Nappinnai, who is adorned with blossomed bunches of flowers on Her tresses. (KrishNA! even if You are unable to get up) may You, at least open Your mouth.

Oh Young Lady with black and wide eyes (adorned with collyrium)! We think that You won't allow Your Lord to wake up, even if it is late (or at any time); that is because You can not bear His separation, even for a short while. However, Oh Young lady, neither it is just on Your part (to keep the Lord only for Yourself), nor does it befit Your unbounded Mercy!

Oh Lord whose chest (maarbaa) is adorned by flowers (malar)! You who are sleeping (kida) on a soft (meththenRa) cotton (panchu) mattress (sayanam), on (mEl) a bed (kattil) with legs (kaal) made of ivory (kOttu), keeping (vaiththu) your forehead near the chest (kongai) of your consort (nappinnai), who is wearing bunches (koththu) of flowers (alar) on her head (kuzhal), with 'kuththu vilakku' lamps lighted (eriya) all around; please open (thiRavaay) your mouth (vaay). Oh! you consort, your eyes (kaNNinaay) decorated (thadam) with 'mai', you (nee) do not seem to let us (ottaay) wake up (thuyil ezha) your (un) husband (maNaaLan), for such a (eththanai) long time (pOdhum). Look (kaaN)! You do not want (illaayaal) to be separated (pirivu aatra) even for little while (eththanaiyElum). This is not (anRu) good nature (thathuvam), nor is it fair (thagavEl).

Purport

Oh Lord! Resting as you are on a couch supported by elephant tusks, on a bed which is soft, cool, white, beautiful and fragrant, with bright-lit lamps all around, with your broad chest on the bosom of your consort, Nappinnai wearing bunches of fragrant flowers on her tresses, please open your mouth and speak to us!

You Nappinnai! With your eyes darkened with collirium! You never would let your Lord get up? You can't bear the separation from Him even for a minute, ah? This is hardly in tune with your nature and temperament (preventing Him from granting us His grace).






More Insight

A chola king who was constructing one of the ramparts of the temple at Sri Rangam found that the beautiful circular design was being spoilt by the house of a disciple of KURATTAAZHWAN called PILLAI PILLAI AZHWAN, and ordered it to be demolished. Sri PARASARA BHATTAR advised him against it explaining that it is not his rampart but the mangalasaasana (PALLAANDU) of the devotees which would ensure safety to the Lord; and also that demolishing the house of a SriVaishnava would be sure to bring down the wrath of God. But the king turned a deaf ear to this advice, and becoming furious caused trouble to Sri BHATTAR, as a result of which he had to leave for Tirukkoshtiyur. While he was suffering the grief of separation from Sri Rangam and the Lord, his disciple NANJEEYAR requested him to compose a song in praise of ANDAL to mitigate his feeling of sorrow. There appeared from his lips the 'taniyan' "NEELA TUNGA etc", which is the essence of the present paasuram (KUTTU VILAKKU).

NAPPINNAI is lying on the costly couch along with Krishna. The cot stands on four ivory bases, the ivory for which was obtained by Krishna by his valorous act of plucking the four tusks from the murderous mighty elephant Kuvalayapida. Being the wife of a great hero she cannot get sleep anywhere else except on such a cot. The references to the various kinds of pleasures in this stanza is a suggestion by Andal that all gopis should get them in Sri Krishna's company and only for that reason Nappinnai is keeping company with Him. "If you don't ensure this, you surely don't have mercy," Andal rebukes Nappinnai.

Bhavam:

Kutthu ViLakkeriya = AchArya Upadesam kOttuk Kaal Kattil = Four PurushArthams (Dharma, Artha, Kaama, Moksham) representing the four legs of the Kattil, metthenRa pancha = This prapancham (universe) made of Sayanam Isvara GuNams Pancha sayantthin mElERi = The five entities can also be dEva-thiryak (animal)-ManushyasthAvara (insentient) and aprANi roopa Jeevans and the Akshara Lord, who is above all Kshara entities, Kotthalar poo = the assemblies of joyous nithya sooris, Malar MaarbhA = the PurushOtthaman, who is the overlord of both nithya sooris and His PirAttis, pirivARRkillAyAl = according to “adiyOmOdum ninROdum pirivinRi” You who are always, with us in the company of Your Lord can not abandon us., TatthuvamanRu = it does not fit with Your Svaroopam as PurushakAra Svaroopai Tahavu = since You are the DayA Moorthi

Kutthu ViLakku: It has five mukhams. When we add oil in one Mukham, it spreads evenly to the other four mukhams and produces illumination evenly. These five faces also represent the five states of our Lord and artha panchakam. Kutthu ViLakku is thus the Jn~Ana Dheepam, which removes the darkness of SamsAram.

Malar MaarbhA: One with a the most generous heart, who grants the boons all the way upto Moksham. This is perhaps the reference to the “Akhila hEya Prathyaneeka” svaroopam of the Lord celebrated in SaraNAgathi Gadhyam. Vaai ThiRavAI: Sriman NaarAyaNA! I hold on to Your Thiruvadi. Please open Your mouth and say that You have accepted our SaraNAgathi as in AzhwAr's aruLiccheyal.