Thiruppavai - Pasuram24

anRu iv ulagam aLandhaay adi pOtri

senRangu(th) then ilangai setraay thiRal pOtri

ponRa(ch) chakatam udhaiththaay pugazh pOtri

kanRu kuNil aaveRindhaay kazhal pOtri

kunRu kudaiyaay eduththaay guNam pOtri

venRu pagai kedukkum nin kaiyil vEl pOtri

enRenRum un sEvagamE Eththi(p) paRai koLvaan

inRu yaam vandhOm irangElOr embaavaay

அன்று இவ்வுலகம் அளந்தாய்! அடிபோற்றி,

சென்றங்குத் தென்னிலங்கை செற்றாய்! திறல்போற்றி,

பொன்றச் சகடம் உதைத்தாய்! புகழ்போற்றி,

கன்று குணிலா எறிந்தாய்! கழல்போற்றி,

குன்று குடையா எடுத்தாய்! குணம்போற்றி,

வென்று பகைகெடுக்கும் நின்கையில் வேல்போற்றி,

என்றென்று உன்சேவகமே ஏத்திப் பறைகொள்வான்

இன்றுயாம் வந்தோம், இரங்கேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்.

---- MEANING ----

Slowly and gradually, the young gopis could find Lord KrishNA (1) sleeping (2) getting up and (3) walking towards them. They perform mangaLAsAsanam for His ThiruvadigaL: “Earlier--on that day You measured this Universe (with this pair of feet); (now we hail) protection and glory to such a pair of Your feet. You went there to LankA in the Southern region and killed RaavaNA, the aparAdhi; (we proclaim) protection and glory to Your enormous vanquishing power. You gave a kick to sakatAsurA destroyed Him with Your Thiruvadi; You threw the calf (vathsAsuran) like a fierce rock-like stick against KappittAsuran, who had taken the form of a wood-apple tree, and kileed both. (we hail) glory and safety to Your victorious anklet and feet. You have lifted aloft the GovardhanA mountain just as an umbrella; (we sing) hail and safety to Your pristine merits and grace. You hold in Your hand, a powerful spear that completely subjugates and eradicates Your enemies; (we sing) ‘hail and glory to that spear in Your hand’.

We have come to Your side today now to offer our prayers and to seek the drum (paRai) from You, So Please be compassionate to us, who seek eternal Kaimkaryam to You”.

We worship (pOtri) your feet (adi) with which you scaled (aLandhaay) this (iv) world (ulagam) once (anRu). (vaamanaavathaaram). We worship (pOtri) your valour (thiRal) with which you conquered (setraay) southern (then) Lanka (ilangai) after going (senRu) there (angu). (raamaavathaaram). We worship (pOtri) your fame (pugazh) that you obtained by kicking (udhaiththaay) and destroying (ponRu) the wheel (chakatam) shaped asura. We worship (pOtri) your feet (kazhal) with which you threw (eRindhaay) the calf (kanRu) shaped asura 'vatsaasuran', at the ebony tree (aa) shaped asura 'kapithaasuran', like a sling (kuNil). We worship (pOtri) your good nature (guNam) for having lifted (eduththay) the hillock (kunRu) like an umbrella (kudai), to protect people against the great rain. (krishNaavathaaram). We worship (pOtri) the spear (vEl) on your (nin) hand (kai), with which you win (venRu) and destroy (kedukkum) the enemies (pagai). Today (inRu) we (yaam) have come (vandhOm) just for your (un) service (sEvakamE) and praise (Eththu) in all these ways (enRenRum), so that we may be emancipatated (paRai kOlvaan). Please show us your mercy (irangEl).

Purport

Time was when you measured the three worlds with your two feet! Glory to you, Oh Lord! You strode into Lanka in the south and destroyed the evil Raakshasa, Raavana! Glory to your valour, Oh Lord!

As child Krishna, you kicked the cart with your tender feet and destroyed the demon Sakataasura (in disguise)! Glory to you, Oh Lord! Did you not use the demon Vatsaasura who came in the guise of a calf, as a missile, to destroy demon Kapiththaasura as well, who had taken the form of a wood-apple tree? Glory to you, the matchless Lord!

Who can forget your great deed of lifting the Govardhana hill and holding it as an umbrella for saving the cowherds from the deluge caused by the irate Indira? Hail to you, Oh Lord! For your compassion! Glory to the spear in your Hands which works the destruction of your foes! We are at your service at all times. Bless our Nonbu! Shower your grace on us!





More Insight

In days of yore Arjuna ordered Sri Krishna, on the holy battlefield of Kurukshetra, to park his chariot in between the array of the two armies and the charioteer did so. So also now the Gopis earnestly solicited Him to walk out and embellish the royal throne by occupying it. He did it. When He stirred out all the Gopis with Nappinnai followed Him with prayers for His safety (Mangalaasaa-sanam)and when He sat on the throne held His feet with their very tender hands and pressed them to their heart and eyes with veneration. They beheld quickly the change in hue (i.e., the feet became very red owing to the strain of walking and being pressed by their soft hands gently).

This reminded them of Sri Krishna's former heroic feat of measuring the whole universe with His very delicate feet. They thought they were also as cruel-hearted as Indra and the devas who never thought about His tender-ness (Saukumaarya).

That Andal is the very worthy daughter of Periyaazhwar is proved in this verse. She says: "O Lord! You measured this universe for the sake of Indra, who was intent on getting back his kingdom; while Bali was after fame. No one gave a thought to your tenderness; so we have come to pray that you must be free from all evils.

Ravana was worse; he had neither the generosity nor the aesthetic sense of Bali. Just like entering a cave and waking up and fighting a wild beast you walked to Lanka and fought with him. Hence we are afraid for you.

That was when you were 37 years of age. What about the asura who entered the cart which was there to protect you, at the time when you were an infant and unable to distinguish between friend and foe? So we fear all the more for that.

Then two asuras assuming the guise of a calf and fruit tried to put an end to your life. They were hidden enemies. We fear that all the more.

These were evil acts by your foes; but what about Indra for whom you strained every nerve? He suddenly became an adversary, for the flimsy reason that you consumed his food, and rained stony rain for seven days. You lifted up the mountain and saved the entire Gokulam.

UN SEVAKAME - only your (Krishna's) heroic feat. But it may be remarked that in this paasuram Andal has sung the glory of Vamana, Rama and Krishna. However there is no contradiction here because they were all His own previous births. Similarly her father Sri Vishnuchitta sings of them all - "Varuga varuga inge Vamana nambi.kariya kuzhal. Kaakutta nambi etc." As Sri Nanjeeyar delectably puts it, "Both father and daughter had the habit of building dams after all the water had flown through to the sea."

Bhavam

We have arrived today to sing pallANDu for Your valorous deeds in Vibhavam and to seek eternal kaimkaryam to You in Parama Padham (YenRenRum unn sEvakamE yEtthi parai koLLa inRu yaamm vanthOm). Please have dayA for us (irangu).

We hail the spear like, sharp-edged sankalpam of Yours, which banishes obstructions to gaining Moksha Siddhi (venRu pahai kedukkum ninn kaiyill vEL pORRi). We hail Your lofty guNams as Sri VaikuntanAthan as the SarvEsvaran seated under the white umbrella (yEka ChakrAdhipathi with svEtha Chathram); {kunRu kudayAi yedutthAi guNam pORRi} in Parama Padham. We hail your heroic deeds that destroy like a powerful daNdam thrown at our PuNya Paapams (KuNilA kanRu yeRinthAi, Kazhal pORRi). “Sakatam ponRa uthaitthAi puhazh pORRi”: we hail Your glories that destroy the manOrathams of Jeevans, which are the causes behind the naraga-Svarga anubhavams! “angu senRu tenn Ilankai seRRAi thiRal poRRi”: Hail to Your sakthi which is manifested through Your presence in the universe as antharyAmi, VibhavAtharan and AchAryan and for conferring the power of vivEkam to ward off the moksha virOdhis! “anRu ivvulaham aLanthAi adip pORRi”: Hail to Thee, who created all these Universes and their beings and for making Your Thiruvadi as UpAyam for our Prapatthi! We are eulogizing Your powers of creation, power to control our sanchala manas, power of Your guNams that save us from enjoying the fruits of Paapa-puNyams, power to banish mOksha VirOdhis. We beseech You through our prayers to give us the VrathOpakaranams and to listen to our request for eternal kaimkaryam at Your feet; have mercy on us.