Pasuram 16 of Andals Thiruppavai

http://www.scribd.com/doc/76214700/Andal-s-Thiruppavai-in-easy-to-readTamil-text-and-English The full text of all 30 Pasurams may be found here. Also, a scholarly discussion can be found at the link given below. http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/sundarasimham/ebooks/Thiru2.pdf A word-by-word translation is given at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/tpv/ See below the images of the English and Tamil texts of Pasuram No. 16 of Andals Thiruppavai. For those who wish to read the text in other languages, please go to http://www.prapatti.com Andal is considered to be Sridevis amsaavataaram. She was born at Srivilliputoor (close to Kanchipuram, also the city where Indira Gandhis son and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated), as the daughter of PeriyAzhwar. She is also the only female among the 12 SriVaishNavite Azhwars. She longed for union with Her Lord and insisted that she should be taken to Srirangam where she eventually merged with Lord Ranganatha. You can read more about Andal at the link given above (or click here). The immortal Thiruppavai, attributed to Her, is a divine composition, filled with deep esoteric meanings, on which many commentaries have been written over the centuries. In the first pasuram, ANDAL invites Her friends for the Vratham observance (Sakhi JanAn aahvayanthi). In the second paasuram, She spells out the rites to be observed and the deeds to be abandoned (Karma Phalam upadisanthi). In the third Paasuram, She describes the fruits of the Vratham (Vrathasya Phalam Vadanthi). The aacaaryas who have blessed us are considered to be like the milk giving cows with overflowing udders. In the fourth Paasuram, Andal is directing her prayers to Varuna (actually to KrishNa who had the complexion darker than the darkest rain bearing clouds), the god of the rains, and comparing the bounty bestowing by aacaryas to the bounteous rains showered by Varuna. In Pasuram 5 Andal tells us that He would completely burn off all of our accumulated sins much like a fire burns pieces of straw thrown into it. Then, in Pasurams 6 to 15, Andal is trying to wake up 10 different types of bhaktas.
Page 1 of 12

PAASURAM 16

Page 2 of 12

Courtesy: http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/tamil/naalaayiram/aandaal/tiruppaavai.pdf
Simple Word for Word meanings (http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/tpv/vstp16.html )

naayakanaay Our saviour

ninRa standing

nan^thakOpan utaiya NandagopOpan (our) OverLord

kOyil kaappaanE!* kotith thOnRum thOraNa (You the) temple guard (of that Lord). Garlands decorated arched ornament vaayil kaappaanE!* maNik kathavam thaaL thiRavaay * door (You the) guard (of that door) . Jewelled door latch (please) open . aayar ciRumiyarOmukku* aRai paRai Aayarpadi (to) the children of, (He will give) -(used for) announcing- the drum maayan maNivaNNan nennalE vaay nErn^thaan * The mystic blue sapphire Lord yesterday (his) word (he) has given (us). thUyOmaay van^thOm thuyilezhap paatuvaan * Fresh and clean (we) have come (to) wake Him singing vaayaal munnamunnam maaRRaathE ammaa! * nI
Page 3 of 12

without Discussing, First of all, without denying (us) Oh Lord You nEya nilaik kathavam nIkku (the) giant (like) heavy doors (please) remove open

El Or empaavaay Come (Let us do) (the penance of) paavai nOmbu

Todays Pasuram 16 describes the arrival of Andal and her friends at the palace doors of Maharaja Nanda, the foster father of Krishna. They ask the sentries to open the doors and let the ignorant folks (the children of Aayarpadi) in. He has already promised us His grace. We come here with a pure heart after cleansing ourselves and now want to wake Him up and want Him to join us. The guards after first resisting their pleas finally yield and ask them to open the doors themselves. From http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/ahobilavalli/thiruppavai.pdf
Page 4 of 12

MEANING OF THE 16th PAASURAM (V. SADAGOPAN) naayaganaay ninRa In the ten pasurams that we have seen so far, Andal and her friends went to the doorsteps of all their friends who were still asleep awakening them one by one. The ensemble then went to Nandagopans palace. They awakened the sentries who stood on guard outside the palace and at the doors of the palace. Archakars when coming out of the sanctum sanctorum after having finished the Lords worship, would pray to the weapons like the discus, conch and would also entreat the Dwarapalakas for the safety of the Lord. The Lord is the servient of His subservients and is most easily accessible. Nandagopa had shielded Kannan impregnably as if one would fortify a treasure of immeasurable value. The ensemble of Gopis asked the guards Oh palace guards of the noble Nandagopa, who is our master, pray let us in. Having passed through this entrance, they then bowed and entreated the guards of the main doorstep to let them through. The Gopikas approached Kannan as per protocol, just as how, when we enter the temple, we first pray at the dhwajastambham, then to the Dwarapalakas, to Vishwaksenar and then do we ascend the steps to the sanctum sanctorum of the divine mother and the Lord. If one attempts to reach the Lord without the espousal of the Lords intimate, then one may have to endure the situation that befell on Shurpanakha for having transgressed the protocol. Andal and her friends supplicated the sentinels at the doors of the palace just as how Vibheeshana along with his band, pleaded the devotees of Sri Rama that he and his men be allowed to see Sri Rama immediately. They extolled the guards as envoys capable of bringing their desires to fulfilment. Those that are bestowed with the grace of an Acharya are the ones who are capable of attaining the Lord.

Page 5 of 12

And so they referred to the sentinels as guards of Nandagopans temple and not as guards of Kannans temple. The Lord is the subservient of his subservients and is at the disposal of his servients. Since the Lord here has assumed the form of a child and since he is today obediently in the parental control of Nandagopa, Andal and her friends, pay their first respects to Nandagopa. They bow down to everyone submissively entreating them with reverence in order to alleviate possible hindrances of every kind. maNi(k) kadhavu signifies a beautiful door with artistic aesthetics enmeshed with choicest pearls. It would enthral its passers by with its charm holding them back with amazement. The passers by would stop a moment to praise the artistry and exquisiteness of the mansions furniture. Kannan too would bind one by their movements keeping them captivated at his visage and charms. The maids plead to the guards to open the padlock of such a door. The doorkeepers reply, Kannan is in danger from the vile designs of Kamsa. Who are you, who seek an audience with Him at this hour of the early morning? The Gopis reply He at whose contemplation, the fears of birth, old age, death would take to their heels, why then is there a need for fear in the presence of such a Lord? Moreover we are females who would do no harm. The sentry replies Shurpanakha was a female. Wasnt she? The maids reply, She was a demon. We are the womenfolk of AyarpAdi. The progenies of the noble Yadavas who are always thoughtful of the safety of Lord Krishna. The guard promptly came back saying But, after Putana, even the womenfolk of AayarpAdi are to be looked with suspicion. The maids came back saying But Putana wore a guise. Is it not? The guard then says, How are we to know that you have not disguised yourselves deceptively?. The maids pleaded, The womenfolk of AayarpAdi are not known to such unscrupulous thinking. The guards reply, Vatsasuran also came in a noble garb. Gopi replies,
Page 6 of 12

Kannan is the supreme Lord. We are subjects who have understood our essential nature of subserviency. This was well understood by the sentries as the Gopis used the term siRumiyarOm that reverberated the Pranavam and its purport The guard then asks them the purpose of their visit. The Gopis replied that they had come there seeking Kannans assistance in observing their nombu ritual and to get the fruits of its observances thereby. The guards promptly told them that they would submit this request to Kannan, once he wakes up and requested the Gopis to wait until then. maayan maNi vaNNan nennalE vaay nErndhaan The Gopis replied You need not submit this request to him today. He has already consented to this. He stands humbly amongst the womenfolk of AayarpAdi and has consented to all their pleadings. maNi vaNNan One is never able to take his eyes off the beautiful visage of Kannan. His smile looks like the repeated blossoming of a beautiful fragrant Lotus flower. Oh guards, awake that Lord of ours. When the guard still looked at them with suspicion, they continued, Kannan had told Draupadi, My words shall never fail, even if the sky comes down, the Earth breaks open, the misty mountains are reduced to pieces or the entire ocean dries up When His words proved true for Draupadi, why would it prove false to us? The guard replied, Draupadi had always contemplated upon Kannan. But you have come with a different intention. Is it not so? The Gopis replied together No. Asking for assistance and the fruits of our observances thereof is only a pretext. Our true intention is to behold him, to extol him with or songs and to pray at His lotus feet. We have come here as we expect to see him now. thuyil ezha(p) paaduvaan We have come here to sing him the song of dawn and to see his beauty when he wakes up and comes down to see us. Even when the evil Kakasuran pursued Sita, forgetting all her inflictions, she still admired the beauty of Sri Rama who reclined peacefully and lauds the beauty of the opening of his eyes when awakened. The great Vishwamitra too, craved to see the beauty of Sri
Page 7 of 12

Rama waking up to the morning bloom. We share the same desire too. To this the guards welcomed and went ahead to throw open the doors for them. vaayaal munnam munnam maatraadhE The Gopis humbly acknowledged the guards telling them When Vibheeshana sought refuge in Sri Rama, the likes of Sugriva strongly opposed the idea and plunged forward for an attack. But after having learnt the wishes of Sri Rama, they took Vibheeshana as one of their most intimate friend and ally, thus achieving glory for them. Oh Guards, may you also be the worthy recipients of such unsullied glories. The guards now in a fit of anxiety said, We get weary thinking of the fate of Jaya and Vijaya. Pray open the door yourselves. nEya nilai(k) kadhavam neekkEl We are unable to open the doors. Alike you, the doors too seem to be worried about the safety of their master. Pray open the door please. Lord Sriman Narayana, extolled as Nayakan, Nandan, Gopalan, who resides in the Vaikuntam, who reclines on the milky ocean, who plays around in AayarpAdi and who takes His manifold forms as Para, Vyuha and Vibhava incarnations, is realised through the esoterical purports portrayed by the esoterical triad of Ashtakshara, Dvaya and Charama shloka. Our preceptors are the caretakers of these esoterical aphorisms. These preceptors open the doors letting out the sins and iniquitous attributes that stand as impediments to us. They then make us go through the aisle of bliss to attain the bliss of beatitude. It is only natural for the caretakers to be suspicious of their surrounding keeping in mind the object in their care. Sri Rama Lakshmana Guhan is a notable example. The following taken verbatim from http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/sundarasimham/ebooks/Thiru2.pdf Dear BhakthAs: The ten girls symbolizing the pancha-Laksham gOpis of Gokulam are awakened now and proceed together to NandagOpan's palace to awaken the residents of that mansion. They start with the awakening of the
Page 8 of 12

guards at the flag-staff gate first. Here is the literal meaning of this paasuram according to Dr. V. K. N. S. Raghavan: Oh the guard at the entrance of the mansion of our overlord NandagOpan! Oh the guard at the flag-staff decorated with festoons! May you please release and open the lever bolt of the bejewelled doors with bells! (let us submit to you that) the Lord, Sri KrishNA --who is very charming with the color of bluesapphire gem (maNi vaNNan), and who is of mysterious deeds (Maayan)-- has assured us even yesterday that He would give the announcing drum (paRai) to us, the young maidens of the cow-herd clan (gOpis of Gokulam). We, who are pure in heart and soul, have come here to sing in praise of, and awaken, the Lord. Please, Oh Mother-like compassionate guard, for the first time (munnam munnam) without refusing, kindly open the giant-like heavy doors (and grant us entry). Upanishada BhAshyakAra Swamy sets the scene for this paasuram in the following way: SarvA gOpakanyA udhbhOdhya milithA:, sadhyO Nanda bhavana dhvAram aagathya, dhouvArikam yAchanthE. (after having woken up all the gOpa KannikaikaL, and with that assembly, they arrive at the front gate of NandagOpan's mansion and appeal to the gate keepers to open the door and to let them in). The awakening of the ten gOpis is Upalakshanam for awakening the gOpis of the five lakh (Pancha Laksham) households of Gokulam. THE INNER MEANINGS OF PAASURAM BY PERUKKARANAI SWAMY PramANam, PramEyam and PramAthA are of three kinds. Vedam, Smruthi, PurANam, IthihAsam, dhivya prabhnadhams, Brahma soothram are PramANams. Lord Sriman NaarAyaNan in Parama padham, vyUham, Vibhavam, Archai and antharyAmi are PramEyams. AchAryAs lie Naathamuni are PramAthAs. Similarly, Rahasya-Thrayams (The three manthrams) are PramANams; PerumAL is PramEyam; the AchAryan initiating us into these manthrams is PramAthA. In the context of this Paasuram, Koil KaappAnE denotes Moola manthram; kodit thOnRum --vaasal KaappAnE refers to Dhvayam; nennalE vaai nErnthAn stands in for Charama slOkam of the Lord. The Gopis describe themselves as the ones that have arrived with MukkaraNa suddhi (Vaak, Manas, Kaayam) at the Lord's door. MukkaraNa Suddhi here also

Page 9 of 12

refers to that they have come with paripoorNa visvAsam in the holy triad-Manthram, Devathai and AchAryan-- for liberation from the deep sleep of SamsAram and to gain MokshAnandham. There are two sections to the door defended by the guards: One door of Moola Manthram is made up of the two linked doors of (1) praNavam and Nama: and (2) NaarAyaNAya. The two doors of Dhvayam in this connection are: (1) Sriman NaarAyana --PrapadhyE and (2) srimathE--Nama: These are the poorva and utthara KaanDams. The charama slOkam is also constituted by its two doors of PoorvArtham (Sarva DharmAn--SaraNam vraja and aham thvA - - maa sucha:). These twin doors of each of the three manthrams/rahsyams reveal the Lord with affection (nEsamudan) to us. Thus manthram, EmperumAn and AchAryan are covered in this paasuram as PramANam, PramEyam and PramAthA respectively. INNER MEANINGS OF PADHA VAAKYAMS NaayakanAi ninRa Of the Lord, who is the Swamy for all NandagOpanuadya Of the Lord, who is the embodiment of Aanandham and who protects us (the cows/pasus) as a Cowherd Kovil KaappOnE Oh protector (of the gate) of the Lord's Sri Vaikuntam and who initiate us into the Moola manthram that reveals the Lord to us. Oh MahOpakAri who bless us with the gift of AshtAksharam and its meanings! Kodit thOnRum ThOraNa Vaasal KaappAnE!: Oh initiator of Dhvaya manthram that grants us Sri Vaikuntam with festoons, thOraNams and gates (vaasal). MaNik Kathavam ThALL thiRavAi: Please perform upadEsam for us about the meanings of these manthrams, which are like powerful doors. Aayar siRumiyOmukku Maayan MaNivaNNan nennalE: For us without discriminating Knowledge, the Lord who has performed many adhisayaseyalkaL (many avathArams) befitting His name as MaayAvi at the ocean side as Raamachandran and on the front of ArjunA's chariot as ParthasArathy has assured us that He will protect one and all, who seek His RakshaNam. aRai paRai vaai nErnthAn (He has) performed with joy this UpadEsam of Charama SlOkam such a long time ago! Thuyilezha paaduvAn: singing about His mahimai to get release from the deep sleep of SamsAram thUyOmAI vanthOm we have arrived here with thrikaraNa suddhi VaayAl munna munnam mARRAthEyammA: Oh Most merciful AchAryan! Please dont turn us back from our quest through rigorous tests to ascertain our qualifications as proper adhikAris to receive such upadesams. We are
Page 10 of 12

simple cowherd folks, who are standing in front of You with thrikaraNa suddhi. nee nEsa nilai Kathavam neekku: (Oh AchAryAs) please initiate us into the myriad and powerful meanings of the rahasyams, which are like the doors that describe the DayA Saagaran, our Lord! SRI UTTHAMUR SWAMY'S ANUBHAVAM: Abhinava Desikan has correlated the awakening of the ten Gopis to the different steps constituting the Saasthram-prescribed pancha Kaala Prakriyai of a Sri Vaishnavan. Swamy Desikan in his VaishNava Dinasari following that of the nithya grantham of AchArya RaamAnujA has blessed us with a Sri Sookthi, which describes step by step the five assigned ways of dividing the day of a Sri VaishNavan. adiyEn has written an article on these five divisions of time: Abhigamanam, UpAdhAnam, Ijyai, SvAdhyAyam and Yogam, which can be accessed in Vaidhika Anushtanams section. Abhinava Desikan maps this slOkam with the activities of a VaishNavan, who after UpAdhAna Kaalam performs his snAnam and gets ready to perform Ijyai (AarAdhanam). Abhinava Desikan has also commented that the awakening of the ten Gopis to the dialog with ten Indhriyams (Five karmEndhriyams and Five Jn~AnEndhriyams). He identifies this paasuram to that of the eleventh indhriyam: Manas; latter is the most important among Indhriyams since, it is the reason (Kaaranam) behind bondage as a SamsAri and release as a Mumukshu (Mana yEva manushyANAm kaaraNam Bhandha-mOkshayO:). IsAvAsyOpanishad states that the Manas is like a golden vessel, which is hidden with a shroud of ajn~Anam (Rajas and Tamas), which prevents it (manas) from enjoying the Lord. ChEthanan's (dharma BhUtha) Jn~Anam is prevented by this aj~nam from experiencing the SaakshAthkAram of the Lord. The Upanishad prays for the removal of the shroud of aj~nanam to reveal Mukhya Jn~Anam. Abhinava Desikan reminds us that our hrudhaya pundarIkam as the temple of the Lord (BrahmapurE dhaharam PundarIkam vEsma-ChAndhOgyam). Manas protects that temple. The Upanishad establishes five dhvArams in the heart and describes their connections to the five PrANans, Five Indhriyams and the associated devathais and recommends the UpAsanai of the dhvAra-paalakAs there for BrahmOpAsanam. This thought is associated with the identification of Manas with this Paasuram. We pray to the Lord resident at the heart lotus to intervene on our behalf and bless us as prescribed by the Upanishad.
Page 11 of 12

Maayan MaNivaNNan nennalE Vaai nErnthAn: The moment one seeks the AchAryan's feet and receives the UpadEsam from Him, Lord commits to protect us. nEsa nilaik Kathavam: nEsam means snEham and Bhakthi. nilai means the one that grows without interruption. neeku: please remove all that stands in the way of ever growing preethi roopApanna smruthi sandhathi (dhruva Smruthi /uninterrupted smaraNam of the Lord through banishment of all other vishayams that keep us tied to samsAram). ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF PADHA VAAKHYAMS kOil KaapAn and Vaasal KaappAn: Two kinds of gate keepers (DhvAra PaalakAs) are referred to here as SaamAnya and VisEshAdhikAris guarding the gates of the Lord's temple. Bhattar refers to the way in which one has to seek the permission of the two kinds of gate keepers (KshEthrAdhipathi and dhvAra adhyakshAdhipathi) to enter the temple to worship the Lord in Srirangaraaja Sthavam. These (seeking the permission of the dhvAra PaalakAs) are the commands of Saasthram. At Srirangam, Chanda-Prachandar guard the eastern temple gate; at the southern gate, Bhadra-Subhadrars preside. At the western gate, Jaya-VijayAs have guard duty. The Northern gate is protected by DhAthA-VidhAthAs. This called TadhIya puraskaaram before Bhagavath Sevai. The gate keepers permit entry by anukoolars and turn away the prathikoolars. Seeking permission from them is an important step to enter devAlayams.

Page 12 of 12