Search:
Bhakti List Archives

n^ammAzhwAr pAsuram - tholaivilli maN^galam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Vijay Triplicane • January 14, 1998 


Hello,
	This posting came out to be little long. That is why i have provided
3 levels of translation. 1. A literal translation, 2. Translation of the
whole pAsuram with some details, 3. An elaborate phrase by phrase 
translation. I have also provided some background to the pAsuram so that it
makes more sense. Pardon me for this long post. Please read it at your
leisure ...

tholaivilli maN^galam 
---------------------- 
karaikoL paimpozhil thaNpa Naiththolai
  villi mangalam kondupukku,
uraiko Linmozhi yaaLai neerumak
  kaasai yinRi agaRRineer,
thiraikoL powvaththu sErndha thumthisai
  NYaalam thaavi yaLandhathum,
niraigaL mEyththathu mEpi thaRRi
  nedungaN Neermalga niRkumE.   6.5.3

Background:
-----------

	Tholaivilli mangalam, also called irattai thiruppathi (twin 
thiruppathi) is a part of 9 dhivya dhEsams collectively called nava 
thiruppathi. Sri nammAzhwAr has sung some excellent pAsurams on these 
dhivya dhEsams. I was just browsing through the nava thiruppathi pAsurams
("n^ava thiruppathi anubhavam" by Sri pakshirAja Iyengar) and my eyes 
stopped right at tholaivilli mangalam. The 11 pAsurams on this dhivya 
dhEsam are very absorbing. 

Let me write what little i understood from this pAsuram and share the 
unique experience with this group. (koodi irun^dhu kuLirn^dhElOr embAvAy)

	Sri nammAzhwAr takes the nAyikA bhAvam (parAN^kusa nAyaki). AzhwAr 
is so madly in love with the perumAL at TV mangalam (aravindha lOchanan, 
dhEvar pirAn) that her mother is very worried about her. So she takes her
daughter to TV mangalam expecting that she would get normal after the 
perumAL dharisanam. But the nAyaki gets even worse. The mother gets 
disappointed at this and asks the nAyaki's friend for a cure. These 
pAsurams are in the  nAyaki's friend's words to her mother. 

***********************************************************************
Literal translation by sri rAma bhArati:

You took this sweetly chirping girl to Tolaivillimangalam,
Filled with cool green bowers, then abandoned her heartlessly.
She now stands with tear-filled eyes and only mutters incoherently
About grazing cattle, measuring the earth and reclining on
waters.
***********************************************************************


Translation of the pAsuram:
---------------------------

The nAyaki's friend squarely blames her mother for the nAyaki's pitiable 
state and says, "You very well know your daughter's mad love towards the 
perumAL at tholaivilli mangalam. Just on seeing the green groves and the 
beautiful fields of TVMangalam, she would be reminded of the perumAL.
Atleast you could have just taken her to the outskirts of the city, but 
you took her right into the temple. Even If you had had little affection 
towards her you would not have abandoned her like this. You are responsible
for her pitiable condition now. 

Look at what she does. She keeps talking incoherently about the perumAL.
She says, "Oh Lord! out of your inherent grace you came down from the
paramapadham to the milky ocean so that you could be closer to your
devotees.  You descended to this earth as vAmana and graced all of your
devotees with your divine feet. Not satisfied with this you were born as 
a cowherd in the ignorant aayarpAdi community. Even those things happened 
in the past. I couldn't personally see you then. So with your unending 
grace you appear right in front of me now in this archA form. How can i 
ever thank you." 

She couldn't control her emotions and tears start rolling out of her 
beautiful long eyes. "

Detailed Translation:
---------------------

karai koL paimpozhil thaN paNai tholaivilli mangalam -
----------------------------------------------------- 
The green groves on both the banks of the river and the fields beautify 
the city of tholaivilli mangalam.

uraikoL inmozhiyALai - (the nAyaki) with a sweet voice
--------------------

koNdu pukku- you took her to this city
-----------
( You very well know that she is mad about the perumAL of TV mangalam. 
This city with green groves and beautiful fields would definitely remind 
her of the perumAL. You know this very well. Even then you took her to the 
city.)
 koNdu - To take her 
(Had you just taken her to the outskirts of the city and brought back she
 wouldn't have become this worse.)

pukku- to get inside 
(You took her into the city and went to the temple and had the dharisanam of
aravinda lOchanan and dhEvar pirAn.)

n^Ir umakku aasai inRi agaRRineer -
-----------------------------------
	You don't really care about her and you have driven her out of the
house yourself. 
(If you had really liked her you would not have taken her to the temple. 
She didn't even ask you to take her there. You are responsible for her 
pitiable condition now. )

thiraikoL powvaththu sErn^dhadhum -
---------------------------------
	She has lost control of herself now and talks with unbridled 
passion. She talks about how perumAL wanted to be near His devotees and 
came down to the milky ocean from the paramapadham.
(powvam - ocean, thirai - waves)

Here sri nammAzhwAr talks about the vyUha form of perumAL lying on the 
serpent bed in the milky ocean. He also states the perumAL's wish to be a 
step closer to the devotees as the reason for His vyUhA form. 

dhisai NYAlam thAvi aLan^dhadhum -
--------------------------------
	She then talks about how He came to this earth as vAmana avathAram 
and measured this entire universe with His foot (thereby gracing everybody 
in this earth).
 
Here AzhwAr describes the vibhava form (vAmana avathAram) of the Lord. In 
the vyUha form He was just closer to His adiyArs than in the param form. 
But in the vibhava form, He was physically present and He personally graced 
them with His divine feet. 

n^iraigaL mEyththadhumE -
-----------------------
	She then talks about how perumAL ignored the company of nithya 
sooris of paramapadham to be born in this lowly aayar community as 
gOvin^dhan, the cowherd. 

AzhwAr stresses the sowlabhyam of the vibhava form by talking about 
gOvin^dhan who looked after the grazing cows of aayarpAdi and enjoyed 
the company of ignorant aayar community.  

pidhaRRi n^edum kaN n^Ir malga n^iRkumE -
---------------------------------------
	SHe keeps talking uncontrollably about the sowlabhyam of perumAL. 
She wonders about His dhaya towards His devotees that makes Him come step 
by step closer to them - from paramapadham to vyUha to vibhava forms. Now 
on seeing Him right in front of her in His archA form she couldn't control 
her emotions. she says, "His grace has no bounds. Otherwise would He come 
step by step closer to me to finally appear right in front of me. Here He 
is. How can i thank Him for His unending grace. He was not satisfied in any 
of His previous forms and hence has decided to be with me in His archA form 
in this beautiful city of tholaivilli mangalam."

She stares at Him intensely and tears roll out of her beautiful long eyes. 


	This is spellbinding. The very concept of nAyaki's friend blaming her
mother for the nAyaki's emotional condition is inviting. With this backdrop 
sri nammAzhwAr convincingly portrays the sowlabhyam of the archA form 
comparing it with the other forms of the Lord. What else could a reader do
than to look at him with awe! 

"eRRaikkum EzhEzh piRavikkum AzhwAr pAsuram padiththu inbuRRu iruppElOr
 embAvAY! "

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam
adiyEn
-Vijay Triplicane
(Viji)