thivaLum

In this pASura AzhwAr has two avatAras—one of mother and the other of a nAyaki. There are two contradictory feelings—one of haste in enjoying Him and the other of ‘go-slow’. When AzhwAr thinks of his ‘swaroopa’ he will determine ‘to go slow’; when he thinks of BagavAn he will make haste.

AzhwAr’s extreme desire in worshipping tiruviDavendaipirAn is explicitly conveyed here.

tivaLum veN madipOl tirumuhattu arivai
SezhungaDal amudinir piranda
avaLum ninnAhattu iruppadum arindum
Ahilum ASai viDALAl |
kuvaLaiyangaNNi kolliyam pAvai
Sollu nin tAL nayandirunda
ivaLai un manattAl en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

This pASura is by the mother of ‘parakAla nAyaki’s mother. She is worried about the daughter’s condition. Certainly the ‘nAyaki’ has fallen in love with emberumAn of iDavendai and is in a lovelorn condition. She asks Him ‘Oh! emberumAn! What do You intend to do with her? Do You want to take her or reject her? Tell me one thing clearly’. ‘You have periya pirATTi in Your tirumArbu. i know she never leaves You even for a minute. i know Your affection and love towards her. But alas! My daughter loves You too. She believes that You love her (my daughter) more than pirATTi. i know Your sankalpa alone determines the course of events. So tell me Your intentions now’.

SAstrArtha of this pASura is—BagavAn alone is ‘satyasankalpa’. Whatever we may wish it is His sankalpa that decides the fruit of action. Hence leave the destiny to Him. Whatever He does—whether it is acceptable by You or not—is done with a far reaching vision.

kolliampAvai—There was a king ‘valvil Ori’ in kollimalai. There was a statue called ‘kolli pAvai’ in that mountain made by a divine sculptor. She would smile enigmatically bringing destruction to those who see her smile. The reference to this ‘kolli pAvai’ is found in many sangam tamizh literatures like silappadigAram, naTTriNai, ahanAnooru, puranAnooru, seevaga sintAmaNi, kurundohai to mention a few. The pAvai mentioned here to indicate her extraordinary beauty not to her enchanting fatal smile or mystic nature.

tuLambaDu muruval tOzhiyarkaruLAL
tuNai mulai SAndu koNDu aNiyAL
kuLambaDu kuvaLai kaNNiNai ezhudAL
kOla nan malar kuzharkkaNiyAL |
vaLambaDu munneer vaiyamun aLanda
mAlennum mAlina mozhiyAL
iLambaDi ivaLukku en ninaidirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

‘emberumAn! My daughter is deluded because of her excessive lover towards You. She talks incoherently. Always with a smiling face, she never smiles even at her friends; always caring for her appearance she never applies coryllium to her eyes, wears flowers on her hair or smear sandal paste on her breasts. She looks worried and perturbed. She keeps chanting Your names. i cannot bear to see my delicate lass in this condition. What do You want to do to save her. If at all You wish to.

AzhwAr says—after i had Bakti towards You i don’t feel like smiling at my samsAri friends; nor feel like listening to their prattles, nor feel like talking to them all about worldly matters. i don’t like to behave as they do caring for their Sareera and bandhus. If You see me You will understand my love to You; if You listen to me You will understand what i say; if You talk to me You will understand my disturbed mind. Do You want to neglect me or want to care for me?

SAndamum pooNum Sandanakkuzhambum
taDamulaiku aNiyilum tazhalAm
pOnda veN tingaL kadir SuDa meliyum
porukaDal pulambilum pulambum |
mAndaLir mEni vaNNamum ponnAm
vaLaihaLum irainillA endan
Endizhai ivaLukku en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

The mother continues—even if my daughter smears sandal paste and wears pearl necklace, she feels they burn her. When she goes out the cool moon rays increases her passion and burn like red coals; when she hears the sound of sea with lashing waves, instead of feeling happy she cries since it resembles You. She has become pale, lean (the bangles slip down) and weak. Oh! What is Your idea, i don’t know!.

Endizhai—One who wears ornaments. For a Bakta the ornaments are tears of Ananda, hairs standing on end etc.

oozhiyil peridAl nAzhihai ennum
oNSuDar tuyinradAl ennum
Azhiyum pulambum anrilum urangA
tenralum teeyinir koDidAm |
tOzhiyO ennum tuNaimulai arakkum
Sollumin en SeihEn ennum
Ezhai en ponnukku en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

Mother continues—my daughter feels one minute as one yuga; the nights prolongs; the seas roar; the sun is dead; the birds don’t sleep; the breeze is blowing hot air. i don’t see any use for my beautiful breasts if He does not come. i feel like pulling them out and throwing them away. Oh! i don’t know what to do?

The mother asks BagavAn—‘This is the state of my daughter. Please help her; do something or say something.

AzhwAr feels the separation from BagavAn is like yugas. He feels he is immersed in the pitch darkness of samsAra sAgara which roars like sea. Whatever is pleasure giving is pain-producing. Why should it happen to me? Perhaps it is the effect of love towards You!.

Odilum un pEranri maTTrOdAL
uruhum nin tiruvuru ninaindu
kAdanmai peridu kaiyara uDaiyaL
kayal neDungaN tuyil marandAL |
pEdaiyEn pEdai piLLaimai peridu
teLLiyaL vaLLinuN marungul
EdalarmunnA en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

She continues—my daughter’s condition is beyond my control. She keeps chanting Your names; seeing Your form everywhere. Her love for You increases day by day. She is not able to conduct her own daily affairs herself. She has not slept for many days. Oh! emberumAn! She is very young and immature, very tender and weak. What do you

Edalar munnA—before the enemies.

Who are the enemies of AzhwAr? AzhwAr’s path is prapatti (as he says ‘en ninaindirundAi'). Those who think other paths like jnAna, Bakti etc are upAyas (paths) to reach Him are his enemies AzhwAr tells Him—look here! i am surrendering myself to You. i am sure You are my only rakShaka. If You save me You would teach my ‘enemies’ a good lesson and justify the prapatti mArga. If, on the other hand, You don’t save me, You justify their mArga. What are You going to do now?

tan kuDikkEdum takkavA ninaiyAL
taDangaDal nuDangaiyil ilangai
van kuDi maDanga vALamar tolaitta
vArtai kETTinburum mayangum |
minkoDi marungul SurungamEl nerungi
men mulaipon payandirunda
en koDi ivaLukku en ninaindiundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

Mother continues her lamentations—my daughter does not think befitting the dignity of our kula. She feels sad when she thinks You have not done anything to save her whereas You had taken such an enormous effort to save seeta pirATTi. She feels weak and looks pale. What is Your idea—to save her or leave her?

What is the meaning of ‘tan koDikku Edum takkavA ninaiyAL’?

AzhwAr’s kula is prapanna kula. A prapanna is one who puts all his worries and burdens on the rakShaka and sleep well doing nothing to save or change. But he has unloaded his burden on somebody who can bear it but still feels anxious. Whether He will come or not. Hence he is not thinking befitting the kula.

uLam kanindirukkum unnaiyE pidaTTrum
unakkanri enakku anbonru ilaLAl
vaLangani pozhil Soozh mAlirum SOlai
mAyAnE enru vAi veruvum |
kaLangani muraval kArikai peridu
kavalaiyODu avalam SErndirunda
iLangani ivaLukku en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

My daughter is mentally anxious and physically weak. i am much worried about her condition and i lament even her helplessness. But she does not seem to love me when ever she keeps chanting You names (vaLam kani pozhil Soozh mAlirum SOlai mAyAnE!) and speaks nothing except You who doesn’t care a bit for her well! What is Your intention about her?

Alangezhu taDakkai Ayan vAyAmbarku
azhiyumAl ennuLLam ennum
pulangezhu poru neer puTkuzhi pADum
pOdumO neermalaikku ennum
kulangezhu kolli kOmaLavalli |
koDiyiDai neDu mazhai kaNNi
ilangezhil tOLikku en ninaindirundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

‘My daughter is mesmerized by Your playing on flute; she sings on You alone who reside in tirupuTkuzhi divya dESa; she nags me ‘When shall we go to tiruneermalai?’ she cries bitterly tears flowing like rain. Oh! i feel very sad for her. i don’t know what is Your intension regarding her. This beautiful girl who is like ‘kolli pAvai’ is pale and weak.

pon kulAm payalai poottanan mentOL
porukayal kaN tuyilamarandAL
anbinAl un mElAdaram peridu iv
aNangirukku uTTra nOyariyEn |
min kulAm marungul SurungamEl nerungi
veengiya vana mulaiyALukku
en kolAm kurippil en ninaidurundAi
iDavendai endai pirAnE ||

The mother continues about her daughter’s condition—her hands have become ‘paSalai’ (one colour of the moss on the surface of stagnant water—which is called golden here in AzhwAr’s pASura); she has forgotten sleep; her waist which is already slender is suffering from Your separation. She still loves You in spite of all these. i don’t know what is wrong with her—physical or psychological. Is it the extreme love towards You, or is it the desire for samsleSha?

What is Your idea about her? Do You keep quite thinking her parents or relatives would save her? If so, why do You come to stand in this divya dESa? Tell me Your idea.

annamum meenum Amaiyum arium
Aya emmAyanE aruLAi
ennum intoNDarku innaruL puriyum
iDavendai endai pirAnai |
mannumA mADa mangaiyar talaivan
mAnavEl kaliyan vAyolihaL
panniya panuval pADuvAr nALum
pazhavinai paTTru aruppArE ||

In nine pASuras AzhwAr spoke as a mother of a daughter who had fallen in love with iDavendai pirAn. She expressed her concern over her condition. The 10th pAsura AzhwAr talks as himself.

In all the pASuras AzhwAr asked the question ‘un manattAl en ninaindirundAi’? It looks as if he has completed the tirumozhi without getting any answer from Him. But it is not so. ‘aruLAi ennum in toNDarkku innaruL puriyum iDavendai endai pirAn’ shows that BagavAn –‘Oh! AzhwAr! Why do you worry? Will I ever abandon You? I shall shower my grace on You. Don’t be anxious. I have heard Your prayer and shall bless You.’ AzhwAr felt happy and ends this tirumozhi. He who has taken very low births as fish etc to help the Baktas will certainly help me—says AzhwAr.