Thiruppavai - Pasuram4

aazhi mazhai(k) kaNNaa onRu nee kai karavEl

aazhi uL pukku mugandhu kodu aarthu ERi

oozhi mudhalvan uruvam pOl mey kaRuththu(p)

paazhiy am thOLudai(p) paRpanaaban kaiyil

aazhi pOl minni valamburi pOl ninRu adhirndhu

thaazhaadhE saarnga mudhaiththa sara mazhai pOl

vaazha ulaginil peydhidaay naangaLum

maargazhi neeraada magizhndhElOr embaavaay

ஆழி மழைக்கண்ணா! ஒன்று நீ கைகரவேல்

ஆழியுள் புக்கு முகந்துகொ டார்த்தேறி,

ஊழி முதல்வன் உருவம்போல் மெய்கறுத்து

பாழியந் தோளுடைப் பற்பநா பன்கையில்

ஆழிபோல் மின்னி, வலம்புரிபோல் நின்றதிர்ந்து,

தாழாதே சார்ங்கம் உதைத்த சரமழைபோல்

வாழ உலகினில் பெய்திடாய், நாங்களும்

மார்கழி நீராட மகிழ்ந்தேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்.

---- MEANING ----

Oh Lord (KaNNaa) of rain (mazhai) and oceans (aazhi), please do not discontinue (kai karavEl), any thing (OnRu). Diving (pukku) into (uL) the ocean (aazhi); fetching the water (mugandhu kodu), causing thunder (aarthu); going up to the sky (ERi); darkening (kaRuththu) your body (mey) like (pOl) the form (uruvam) (uruvam) of the prime Lord (mudhalvan) of the universe (oozhi); standing (ninRu) and roaring (adhirndhu) like (pOl) the shining (minni) conch (valamburi) and the chakram (aazhi) of Lord Padhmanabha (paRpanaaban) with broad (paazhi) and beautiful (am) shoulders (thOl); please do cause it rain (peydhidaay), like a torrential rain (sara mazhai) like (pOl) shooting (udhaiththa) with the divine bow (saarngam), without delay (thaazhaadhE); so that we (naangal) may live (vaazhndhida). Let us enjoy (magizhndhElor) the maargazhi nonbu (maargazhi neeraada).

Oh Lord VaruNA, you the presiding deity of ocean-like burst of rains! you please do not make your gift small. We request you (in the form of clouds) to pour plenty of rains in the world; first you should get into the womb of the deep seas and take excessive water make thunder and go higher up (in the sky); your body should become as dark as that of the primordial cause of world (Oozhi Mudalvan= Jagath Kaarana BhUthan); you should become resplendent with lightning, just as the dazzling discus (Aazhi=Chakram) held on the hand of Lord PadmanAbha with broad shoulders; you should make a thunderous roar like the conch (Paanchajanyam) held by Lord; you should bring forth rains in abundance without any cessation, --the rains just like the shower of arrows coming forth in succession from the bow (Saarangam) of the Lord; your rains should be for the good of the world, to flourish; and, through your rains, we will have plenty of water and also happily take the ceremonial bath during Maarghazhi month. Lord VishNu's important weapons -- discus, conch and bow are cited here, in a form of invocation as it were; and Lord PadmanAbha is indicated as the agathkAraNan-- the primordial cause).

Purport


O Lord Varuna (God of Rains), please do not hold back your gift of rains. For the sake of the prosperity of the world and for our sake so that we can gleefully bathe in the river during this scared month, plunge into the sea, gather as much water as there is, make thunder, and rise into the sky in the form of a cloud mass which would resemble, in its black color, the body of our primordial Lord (Vishnu). May you then pour down your bountiful showers! You will then become resplendent with lightning like the discus held by Lord Padmanabha. Your thunderous roar would reverberate like the couch called Panchajanya held by our Lord in his left hand. May you bring forth rains in abundance without a pause in the manner of the flow of arrows from the bow of Sri Rama called Sarngam!




More Insight


The Presiding Deity of Rain was keenly observing the happenings in this world. He saw his master Sriman Narayana serving all the gopis. So he thought that taking orders from the gopis and carrying out their commands was the best and easiest means of pleasing his master. So approaching Andal who was in the guise of a gopi he requests her to command him; and she does so in a detailed manner in this verse.

The inner significance is as follows: Just as the heir apparent to the throne is always feared and respected by all ministers and officers so are the Sri Vaishnavas by inferior gods. Hence When a Sri Vaishnava worships other deities like Indra, Rudra Varuna etc, he is doing something inappropriate as well as ridiculous. It will only cause his downfall and ruin his chance of getting salvation. So Beware!

So here the Rain God who has come to hear her command is told, "Go to the middle region of the sea, drink the entire water leaving not a drop, and then pour it out in its entirety without discriminating between the places where the good and bad live. The rain, which resembles the arrows shot by Sri Rama to shatter the demons to pieces, should instead bring forth happiness and prosperity to the entire land. "A Sri Vaishnava is one who always thinks of everything good for everyone in this world.

Aazhi Mazhaik KaNNA: Oh Venerable AchAryAs, who pour down the rain of Jn~Anam and whose eyes are flodded with the showers of aanandham (bliss) through Bhagavath anubhavam!
Nee onRu kai karavEl:
Please bless us with all the meanings of the three rahasyams without holding back any
Oozhi mudalvan uruvam pOl mey karutthu:
You (AchAryAs) who have the dark hue of the Lord due to your constant meditation of that dark-complexioned Lord and You who are filled with infinite dayA similar to that of the Lord and who are the embodiment of His compassion (Tanmayathvam)
PaRpanAbhan kaiyil Aazhi pOl minni: You who have the radiance arising from your dhivya Jn~Anam
Valampuri pOl ninRu athirnthu: You roaring like HayagrIva ghOsham (Jn~Anandha maya vijaya ghOsham)
Udaittha Sara Mazhai pOl: showering the Jn~Ana varsham (torrent of Jn~Anam) like the bhANa Varsham (the torrent of arrows leaving KodhanDa Raaman's Saarangam bow) Ulahinil Vaazha: For the people of the world to survive and live Mahinzthu
peythidAi: please rain (of Jn~Anam) with joy
naangaLum mahizhnthu Maarghazhi neerAda: so that we engage in the most exalted Maargha seersham act of Prapatthi/SaraNAgathi at Your sacred feet!