Thiruppavai - Pasuram27

koodaarai vellum seer gOvindhaa undhannai(p)

paadi(p) paRai kondu yaam peRum sammaanam

naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanRaaga(ch)

choodagamE thOL vaLaiyE thOdE sevip poovE

paadagamE enRanaiya palagalanum yaam aNivOm

aadai uduppOm adhan pinnE paaR chORu

mooda ney peydhu muzhangai vazhi vaara(k)

koodi irundhu kuLirndhElOr embaavaay

கூடாரை வெல்லுஞ்சீர்க் கோவிந்தா! உன்தன்னை

பாடிப் பறைகொண்டு யாம்பெறும் சம்மானம்;

நாடு புகழும் பரிசினால் நன்றாக,

சூடகமே தோள்வளையே தோடே செவிப்பூவே

பாடகமே யென்றனைய பல்கலனும் யாம் அணிவோம்;

ஆடை உடுப்போம்; அதன்பின்னே பாற்சோறு(*)

மூடநெய் பெய்து முழங்கை வழிவார

கூடியிருந்து குளிர்ந்தேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்

 

-----Meaning-----

The Paavai Nonbhu is nearing completion. Andal thinks about SanmAnam (sambhAvanai) from the Lord for the Gopis, who observed this Vratham.

The exultation of the Gopis is expressed by them, when the Lord listens to their appeal and fulfills their desires). Oh Lord GovindhA! You have the benign supremacy of winning over Your opponents. We shall get the drum (paRai) from You, the sakthi to sing eulogies about You. Thus, we get the reward of great eclat and glory of all the worlds. We will adorn ourselves with many ornaments: bracelets, shoulder ornaments, ear-studs and rings, ornaments in the form of flowers (at the vertex of the ear), anklets et al. We will wear new clothes (as You give us Your divine company). (getting Your personal contact) we will be very joyous, eat food prepared using milk with sumptuous ghee -- (a) that envelops it, and (b) that is flowing so much as to spill over (through one's forearm) up to our elbows, when one eats a morsel of food (ksheerAnnam). (Through the contact with You) We shall ever be united and thus become cool in heart and stay joyous. Great (seer from siRandha) Govinda (gOvindhaa) who wins (vellum) against the enemies (koodaarai)! If you ask us what gift (sammaanam) we (yaam) want to obtain (peRum) for singing (paadi) about you (undhanai) and chanting your names in public (paRai kondu); We (yaam) will wear (aNivOm) jewels worthy (parisinaal) of being praised (pugazhum) by the whole country (naadu), bracelet (choodagam), shoulder (thOL) oranaments (vaLai), earrings (thOdu), ear 'maattal' (sevip poo), anklets (paadagam), and many (pala) other (anaiya) ornaments (kalan) like (enRu) those. We will dress up (uduppOm) with beautiful clothes (aadai). There (adhan) afterwards (pinnE) all of us together (koodi irundhu) will enjoy (kuLirndhElOr) the milk (paal) and rice (chORu) covered (mooda) and dripping (peydhu) in Ghee (ney) flowing (vazhivaara) down to our elbows (muzhangai). (This refers to kaNNamudhu or paayasam).

Purport

Oh Lord! The protector of cows! You overwhelm your enemies with your valour and virtues! The rewards we get by singing your praise and getting the drum (for spreading your word) are no less than those which the whole country commends us for. Now that our austerities have borne fruit, we shall bedeck ourselves with sparkling jewellery bangles, armlets, anklets and ear-rings. We shall dress ourselves in lovely robes. And then, with Nappinnai and yourself, we shall sit down for a gorgeous meal of rice cooked in milk and suffused with ghee. That will be our bliss!






More Insight

Sri Krishna,after hearing their list of articles needed for the vow said- "O girls! If there is a God equal to Me then you may find a conch equal to my Paanchajanya. You have asked for 'many conches' I can give the conch blown at the temple PULLARAYAN KOIL you mentioned in St.6, and the one I used to blow to bring back the cattle from grazing and my Paanchajanya. "As regards PARAI - I can give the kettle drum JAAMBAVAAN beat when I measured the whole universe; and the huge drum beaten to celebrate my victory at Lanka;and the big one I tie to my waist to attract all girls to my dance of the pots (Kudakkoottu). "PALLAANDU ISAIPPAAR - are your father Sri Vishnuchittar and Sri Nammaazhwaar. " KOLAVILAKKU - is Nappinnai; KODI - Garuda; and VITAANAM (canopy) is Ananta. Are you satisfied? Now you may go."

Gopis - "These are for the observance of our vow. But after the vow we have to receive certain honours. They are exclusively for us. You have to give them to all to us."

This is the prayer of ANDAL in this paasuram; the inner meaning being MUKTA BHOGA - the delivered soul's enjoyment in the Lord's company at Sri Vaikuntha.

Incidentally Andal leaves a message for posterity. The Lord can punish a soul for a wrong only if the soul is not prepared to take refuge unto Him i.e., only as long the soul is bent on protecting himself by himself.

The moment he accepts His protection, the Lord cannot punish him for his sins. This is the means to secure a victory over him. This is the inner meaning of the first line KOODAARAI VELLUM SEER. For ex: 1) Parasurama, instead of confronting Rama with a bow and losing, could have come with clasped hands, and won. This, perhaps he was not aware of. 2) Ravana was allowed by Rama to get back to his palace when he had lost everything and stood there unable to defend himself. He came back the next day fully furnished with chariot and weapons, and lost his life.Had he come without weapons he could have conquered Rama. Gopis won Him over by their humble submission to Him.

The ornaments referred to in this stanza are ornaments not only for the body but the soul also. The food (SORU) is the Lord; ghee and milk are His virtues (KALYANAGUNA). MUKTA BHOGA is the quintessence of this stanza.

Bhavam:

KoodAr: These, who are not with the Lord are of four kinds: (a) those with no Jn~Anam at all about EmperumAn (b) Those who chase after material things (c) Those who do not comprehend the soulabhyam (ease of access) guNam of the Lord and stay away from Him (d) those, who can not stand His vaibhavam and are resentful .

KoodArai vellum seer GovindhA: With His anantha kalyANa gunams (seer), the Lord wins them all over, one by one. He has different prescriptions as Viadhya Veera Raaghavan for each of the vimukhA patients though His The guNams like Souryam, Souseelyam, Soundharyam. Even IndrA, who sent a deluge of rain at Govardhanam ended up recognizing the Supermacy of the Lord & performed Govindha-PattAbhishEkam. Govindhan defeats the KoodAr and is defeated in turn by the Koodinavar through their Bhakthi/ prapatthi anushtAnams. He becomes YathOkthakAri to those devotees (Koodinavar). ANDAL points out that the Lord incarnates to bring back the erring Jeevans under His sway; they stayed away earlier from Him and suffered as a result of their separation from Him. He could not bear with their sufferings. They (vimukhAs) observe later (thru a sadAchAryan) upAya anushtAnam (prapatthi) and get rewarded with parisukaL (SammAnam) that are coveted by the people of world (yaam perum sammAnam nadu puhazhum parisinAl). AntharyAmyAradhanam is celebrated (Bhunjan chinthaya GOVINDHAM). Those who take SaathvIka aahAram with Govindha naamam get the benefits of satthva-JnAnam (Aaahara Suddhou sathtva Sudhdi:, sathva suddhou dhruvA Smruthi:)