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Kanninun Siruththambu - 03

From the Bhakti List Archives

vtca • August 9, 2002 


Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Kanninun Siruththambu Third Pasura Vyakhyana Saram
Excerpted from Sri Nanjeeyar and Nampillai's Vyakhyanam

A Tamil version of this vyakhyana saram can be found at
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/kst/kst03.pdf


thirithanthAkilum thEvapirAnudaik
kariyakOlath thiruvuruk kANban nAn
periyavaN kurukoor nambikkA
LuriyanAy adiyEn peRRa nanmaiyE


Meaning:
Were I to leave Nammazhvar and return, I would see and 
worship the Lord of the nithysUris whose form is dark
and delightful. This great gain was obtained by me due 
to the fact that I surrendered to Nammazhvar of the
great Kurukoor and became his.
 

Vyakhyana Saram:
Madhurakavi Azhvar is talking about the Lord in this pasuram 
as Nammazhvar is attached to Him. In the previous pasuram, 
he had said that he knows no other lord other than Nammazhvar;
however, as Nammazhvar has great attachment to Him, he also
sings about Him. Even though he has not chosen the path that
leads to Him directly, since He is in the path that was 
chosen by Madhurakavi Azhvar (to his acharya), he gets
attached to Him. It is not that he has to let go of Him as
He is in an unsuitable path to the higher goal. Since He is
present in the great path that leads to an acharya, 
Madhurakavi Azhvar will not let go of Him. Madhurakavi 
Azhvar is attached to anything to which his acharya attached.


thirithanthAkilum:
Thirikai here means to return. That is, returning along the 
path in which he reached his acharya Nammazhvar.
There is no returning after reaching Him ("na ca 
punarAvartate"). Keeping Him as the first step if one were
to go ahead then upon returning one would simply come back 
to Him. Such a great result has happened to Madhurakavi 
Azhvar because he has surrendered at the lotus feet of
Nammazhvar.

theVapirAnudai kariyakOlath thiruvuru:
Were he to lose his bearing and return, he would come to
the where the nithyasUris exist. And there he would see
the divine and beautiful dark form of the Lord of the
nithyasUris ("kOlamE thAmaraik kaNNathOr anjana nIlamE").

thEvapirAnudaik kariyakOlath thiruvurukkANban nAn:
That which he has chosen not to pursue is that beauty
and divinity that is seen only by the nithyasUris. Even
though he has not chosen that as his goal, it is the
goal of his goal (that is, Nammazhvar's goal is the Lord).
His beauty is beyond everything such that it is 
impossible to neither comprehend it in one's mind 
("jyotImshyAdityadvad rAjan kurUn pracchAdayan sriyA")
nor see it with one's eyes ("tharunau rUpasampannau").
Madhurakavi Azhvar sees such a beauty due to his acharya's
grace.

kANban:
Just as a person who was deeply into the bhakti yoga 
sees the things of this world when he gives up on his 
yoga, so too Madhurakavi Azhvar sees Him when he leaves 
his acharya and returns.

periyavaN kurukoor:
He gave the knowledge to see Him, to Nammazhvar alone. 
However, Nammazhvar gave that knowledge to everyone.
Having given such an acharya to this world, Kurukoor
has great fame and importance. It is also important
because many acharyas are present there. Nammazhvar
also refers to himself in Thiruvaymozhi as "periyavaN 
kurukUr sadakOpan".

nambi:
Nammazhvar also is a pUrna because he is the leader of 
such a city.

periyavaN kurkuor nambi:
Is Nammazhvar's completeness only such that one can just 
say Madhurakavi Azhvar gave up something and is attached 
to something? What Madhurakavi Azhvar gave up and what 
he attached himself to speaks volumes about the 
greatness of Nammazhvar's pUrnathvam.

ALuriyanAy:
Madhurakavi Azhvar says that he is a devotee that 
belongs to Nammazhvar in the sense that he is not
attached to one thing and his acharya is attached to 
something else; he is attached to the exact same thing 
that his acharya is.

adiyEn:
He has become Nammazhvar's devotee due to his acharya's 
simplicity and approachability.

adiyEn peRRa nanmaiyE:
Madhurakavi Azhvar sees as the height of service by
being attached to that which is pleasing to his acharya.

peRRa nanmaiyE:
He will not consider as bad that which is of great
importance to his acharya. Instead he will be attached 
to the same. Therefore, he says that he has gained a 
great thing.



Madhurakavi Azhvar, Nanjeeyar and Nampillai Thiruvadigale 
Saranam
Azhvar, Emperumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan
T.C.A. Venkatesan

Kanninun Siruththambu Vyakhyana Saram Series:
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/kst/index.html



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