Pasuram 29 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/Thiru3.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. 29 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. In the second paasuram, She spells out the rites to be observed and the deeds to be abandoned. In the third Paasuram, She describes the fruits of the Vratham. 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.

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PAASURAM 29

Courtesy: http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/tamil/naalaayiram/aandaal/tiruppaavai.pdf
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Simple Word for Word meanings (http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/tpv/vstp29.html )

ciRRaNY ciRu kaalE van^th unnai cEviththu * un early morning hours(we)came (and)You(we)worshipped Your poRRaamarai atiyE pORRum poruL kELaay * golden lotus feet(we)praised(the)reason(for that) (please) hear peRRam mEyththu uNNum kulaththil piRan^thu * nI (by) cattle rearing (those who) eat (that) community born (in which) You (were) kuRREval eNGkaLaik koLLaamal pOkaathu * offerings(of)ours without taking don't go away (don't reject) iRRaip paRai koLvaan anRu kaaN kOvin^thaa * only for today your grace(we are) not (desiring) Look O Govinda eRRaikkum Ezh Ezh piRavikkum * un thannOtu forever seven (upon) seven births you together with uRROmE aavOm unakkE naam aatceyvOm * in peace (we) want to be, only to you we will slave maRRai nam kaamaNGkaL maaRRu other (of) our desires (please) remove . El Or empaavaay Come (Let us do) (the penance of) paavai nOmbu See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruppavai In Pasurams 6 to 15, Andal finishes waking up 10 different types of bhaktas and they all join her in the performance of the Paavai nombhu. In Pasuram 16, the arrival of the entire party at the palace of Nanda Maharaja is described. They ask the doorkeepers to let them in. Pasuram 17 describes their entering the inner bedchambers to wake up Nanda Maharaja, Mother Yashoda, Krishna and His
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younger brother Baladeva. Each of them is praised. In Pasurams 18 to 20, Andal and her friends try to wake up Nappinnai, the eternal consort of the Lord, since attempts to wake up Krishna (Kannan) proved futile. In Pasuram 21, they address Krishna directly since Nappinnai has by now agreed to join them. Andal and her friends plead that they have come to Him, on their own, unlike others, with no other expectations other than His grace and to sing His glories. In Pasuram 22, Andal and her friends are assembled at His bedside. They just want Him to glance at them with His beautiful lotus-like eyes, like the cool moon, or the sun, when they rise. In Pasuram 23, ANDAL describes how the Lord should majestically come out of His chamber and be seated on the perfectly suited and well-deserving throne; and then, May You kindly look try to understand the purpose of our coming here (to awaken You). In Pasuram 24, one of the most auspicious pasurams in the entire Thiruppavai, Andal waxes into eloquent poetry with the repeated use of PoTTRi, which is roughly equal to Jai ho in Hindi, or All glories to You. And with each PoTTRi she describes one of the divine lilas of the Lord, performed in various incarnations. In Pasuram 25, Andal sings about the glories of Krishnas birth in the womb of one (Devaki, who is not named) and His being raised as the son of another (Yashoda, who is also not named). In Pasuram 26, Andal and her friends are requesting Krishna (who is called Maale MaNivaNNaa) to join them (following the long tradition set by the ancestors) in the ritual bathing during the holy month of Margazhi. She wants this to be a great joyous celebration. In Pasuram 27, Andal and her friends are asking for the ultimate benefits of their having come to Krishna and observed their vratam. They address Krishna as Govinda. They want to receive all material prosperity (which is to be used to serve Him). In Pasuram 28, Andal and her friends again address Krishna as Govinda, and also as One beyond all wants (kurai ovonRum illadha) and refer to their own humble origins. O deliver us (nee thaarai), You are indeed the Supreme (iraivaa). Today's Pasuram is like the approaching climax of the whole Thiruppavai. This pasuram and the final 30th pasuram are incorporated into the daily prayers in all VaishNavite temples. I have heard these pasurams recited even by VaishNavites in North India, who know not a single word of Tamil. They read using the Hindi transliteration. This is the penultimate pasuram.
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In Pasuram 29, Krishna is again addressed, for the third time, as Govindhaa. Commentators point out that this exactly like saying Shree Govinda, Govinda, Govinda three times, as the priest asks us to do when we take sankalpam (resolve to do) and begin any prayer rituals. Now Andal spells out quite clearly what she and her friends would like to blessed with for having performed their nombhu, with devotion. She also wants Krishna, very lovingly, to listen to them very carefully (poruL keLLai). She starts out by calling attention to the fact that they have come to Krishna in the wee hours of day, very early in the morning (chiRRam chiru kaale), inspite of the cold wintery days (with dew covering their heads). They have come only to worship (poTRum) His lotus feet (un poTRaamarai aDiye). And why are they doing this? Andal and her friends now again remind Krishna of His exalted status, their own humble origins and that He has showered His grace with His appearance (birth) as one of them. They have been going through innumerable births before this blessing of serving Him in this birth has chanced upon them. They are simple folks who know nothing other than the grazing of cattle and making offerings to Him before partaking their own food. Now, having enjoyed this birth with Him, they wish nothing more than to be of service to Him, eternally, in birth after birth (in seven after seven births). They want to be eternally with Him and serve Him. So, now please bless us with this (iTrai paRai koLvaan). And, if we happen to develop any other desire, please change it too (maTrai nam kaamangal maTrelor). So say the damsels, O Goddess Pavai, may you bless us all. Once again, PaRai is mentioned. This is discussed at the end.

From http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/ahobilavalli/thiruppavai.pdf MEANING OF THE 29th PAASURAM (V. SADAGOPAN):

In this verse, the Gopis seek the supreme fortune of being in eternal service to the Lord.

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siRRam siRu kaalE vandhu unnai sEviththu un poRRaamarai adiyE pORRum poruL kELaay Oh Kanna, early in the morning, you would embark on your journey to accomplish all those deeds in your volition. During the day, it then becomes impossible to see you in solitude. Hence we have come here to pray at your lotus feet during the early hours of the morning without heeding the showering mist. It is the time when the sounds due to the churning of the curd by the cowherd ladies may be heard. It is the time when saints would wake up chanting the holy name Hari continuously. It is the time when the tamogunam and the rajogunam see their lows while the satvagunam, responsible for stimulating the contemplation of the Lord, stands head high. This is the most appropriate time to serve you and worship you with devotion. Thus we have come for the same. Devotees, singing and dancing have been thronging your doorsteps. You should have in fact come to meet us out of your own accord, just as how you went to Guha, the great sages of Dandakaranya, Shabari and Sugreeva. But we have come to you out of our own yearning. It is natural for the female genre to have a liking for gold and flowers. Your divine feet are like the finest gold that is of the purest form, brightest in hue and superlative in quality. They are like the flowers that are most delicate, fragrant and beautiful. We have extolled such great feet with as anRu ulagam aLandhaay adi pORRi chakatam udhaiththaay pugazh pORRi. We do so now also. When Kannan was not paying too much attention to their words and was engrossed in observing who all had come and was observing the expressions on each one of their faces, Andal says, poruL kELaay We have come seeking an object of desire. Pray lend your ears and listen to the same. peRRam mEyththu uNNum kulaththil piRandhu nee kuRREval engaLai(k) koLLaamal pOgaadhu We seek to be in your servitude for the rest of our time. So far, we have been running through the cycle of transmigration. We seek an end to this and wish to be in your eternal servitude. This fortune shall definitely be ours. Oh Lord! How were you before and how are you now? You are the Lord of Vaikuntham and the
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Lord of ubhayavibhuti. You are the consort of Sri, the goddess of all wealth. You are inherently virtuous with infinite auspicious attributes that are the object of praise of everyone. Your essential nature is of infinite bliss. You are the superlative of all orders. But you have chosen to incarnate in as low a lineage as that of ours, the cowherds. Our lineage is a poor one where the cowherds graze the cattle all day long only to win a few measures of grain. Why have you incarnated in such a lineage? Only to uplift and enlighten the impoverished ones like us. We do not eat our daily bread until the cattle are satiated. We unfailingly protect everything that we are supposed to. You are also therefore obligated to protect us, who consider you to be the food we partake, the water we imbibe and the (vetrilai) beetle leaves that we chew. Pray we therefore unto you to bestow on us the wealth of your unstinted service. Kannan then says, You already asked me for saala perumparaiyE, the percussion instrument with a well reverberating sound. Here it is, take it all. I have one per person. iRRai(p) paRai koLvaan anRu kaaN gOvindhaa Kannan, when we said paRai, did we mean this instrument? No. Never. Please take a look at our faces. You seem to be too naive. eRRaikkum Ezh Ezh piRavikkum un thannOdu uRROmE aavOm unakkE naam aatcheyvOm Not only in this birth, but even if we were to take many more births, then in all those births we would wish to be in your service alone. If you bless us with the bliss of beatitude, then we would be in your eternal service at your supreme abode of Srivaikuntham. The Vedas proclaim that a liberated soul can attire itself with many sharirams. Even if we happened to do so, then in every one of those bodies we would continue to serve you alone and none else. Kannan says, In that case are you not interested in any other material pleasures? matrai nam kaamangaL maatru Pray bless us to have no other desire other than you. Andal, in this pasuram is elucidating that, having surrendered unto the Lord, the soul should only ask for the fruit of performing unstinted
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service to the Lord always, similar to Lakshmana. This is the hidden purport of this pasuram. The following taken verbatim from http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/sundarasimham/ebooks/Thiru3.pdf Dear BhakthAs: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 29TH PAASURAM This is the Third of the PradhAna-BhUtha Thiruppavai PaasurankaLs (27, 28 and 29th), where the name of Govindhan is invoked for the third time. In Sankalpam, we invoke the name of Govindhan thrice: Sri Govindha Govindha GovindhA. This paasuram is like Sankalpam for Bhagavath DhAsyam. The name of GODHA is inside the name of Her lord: GOvinDHA. When we say Govindha, Govindha, Govindha three times, we invoke the name of GOdhA embedded in there. This 29th paasuram is the last of the ThiruppAvai paasurams, where ANDAL concludes Her Prabhandham in the role of a Gopi describing the feelings of fellow Gopis performing Paavai nOnbhu. In the 30th Paasuram (Vangakkadal Kadaintha), ANDAL speaks with Her own voice/ThAnAna Tanmayil Paadiyathu. Until now, the Gopis under the leadership of ANDAL were mentioning paRai and were seeking it from the Lord. In this paasuram, they elaborate on the meaning of that paRai. They state the true purposes of their performance of the nOnbhu as threefold: (1) Our objective (uddhEsyam) is to perform nithya kaimkaryam at Your holy feet (2)We cannot live away form You even for a second(3) Please banish any other thought or desire that might interfere with the fulfilment of the above two uddhEsyams (PBA Swamy). SuddhAnandha Bharathi sums up the purport of this Paasuram as: Let us always, even unto our 7th birth be with Thee, serving Thy will alone! Oh GovindhA! Change all other desires in us into this unique aspiration to be Thy humble servant. Upanishad BhAshyakArar describes the plea and goal of the Gopis this way: Itha: Param, SarvEshu Janmasu thvath SwAmikA yEva Bhavaama:, tavaiva Kaimkaryam karavAma:, asmAkam vishyAnthara spruhAm nivarthaya. This is the summary ofthe meaning of yeRRaikkum yEzhEzh piRavikkum
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unn-thannOdu uRROmEyAvOm, unakke naamAtccheyvOm, maRRai namm kAmangal mArrElO. In the previous paasuram, the angams of Prapatthi were alluded to. In this paasuram, the fruit (phalan) of the Prapatthi is described and the Phalan is placed at the sacred feet of the Lord (Phala SamarpaNam). THE LITERAL MEANING OF THE PAASURAM (DR. RAAGHAVAN) Oh Lord GovindhA! May You listen to us (the cowherd girls) (1) who approach You at the very small hours of the day-dawn, and (2) who bow down to You, the purpose and aim of our singing in praise of Your golden, lotus-like pair of feet. You, who took birth in the race of us, -- the cowherds, earning our livelihood by grazing and rearing the herd of cattle, cannot deny us the humble (divine) service (to be rendered unto You). Hearken, Oh Lord! it is not only that we desire to receive the drum (from You) today (lit. in this sojourn of birth), but we desire, in fact, that let us be ever --throughout the births, sevens of generations --the kith and kin of You, let us perform all kinds of Kaimkaryams to You alone; You make us rid of other desires! THE COMMENTARIES ON INDIVIDUAL PAADHA VAKYAMS (1) SIRRAM SIRU KAALE VANTHU: AruNodhaya Kaalam chosen by the Gopis out of great desire to assemble and arrive at the mansion of the Lord is referred to here. They want KrishNA to know that the intensity that drove them to undertake this nOnbhu inspite of the cold and time. The time at which the Jn~Anam about the Lord happens is the siRRam siRu Kaalam. AzhwAr says in this context: kaalai nann jn~Anat thuRai padinthAdi. The dawning of the Jn~Anam about EmperumAn through SadAchArya Upadesam is this SiRRam SiRu Kaalai. The time from Prapathti to the shaking of the mortal coils is the SiRRam SiRu Kaalam for the Prapannan. This is the time, when MunivarkaL and Yogis rise gently and start Hari nAma sankIrthanam. Gopis seem to say that it is difficult to see You (KrishNA) once the day has dawned. You would go on to the pastures to graze the cows and that is why we have come to see You at the siRRam siRu Kaalai at Your mansion. Andal reminds us of the KshaNa Karthavya upAyam of Praaptthi (that which is done in siRiya kaalam) with the invocation of the words, siRRam sIRu kaalE. (2) VANTHU UNNAI SEVITTHU: Gopis ask KrishNA to think about the way they came in that cold morning with dew drops on their heads. They
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remind Him that they have come driven by their fears about their aakinchanyam and ananya gathithvam and have come to worship Him and pray for Kaimkarya Sri. Unnai here reminds Him of His dayai towards aasrithAs for whom He has declared earlier that he will forsake everything dear to Him to protect them (saraNAgathAs). Sevitthu refers to the Veda Vaakyam: BhUyishtAm tE NAMA Ukthim vidhEma. We have come here with anjali bhaddha hasthams since we know about our mElayAr's saying: Ohr anjaliyum uNDaRukka maattAthu. You melt like sugar in water, when a Bhakthan stands before You with anjali mudhrA. That indeed is anjali Vaibhavam. Therefore we have come before You at the early dawn withfolded hands (sEvitthu). (3) UNN PORRAAMARAI ADIYE PORRUMPORUL KELAAI: AzhwAr showed us the way: KaRRinam mEyttha Yenthai KazhiLiNai paNimin neerE. Your Thiruvadis are Parama BhOgyam. PoRRum means the eulogy without expecting anything in return. PallANDu paaduvuthaRkku PallANDu paaduvathE Phalan (the fruit of singing pallANDu is the singing of pallANDu itself). With EmperumAn's anugraham, the one who sings pallANDu has the phalan of singing pallANDu (pORRi) many, many times. This is the poruL of our pORRuthal. (4)KURREVAL: KuRREval can be split into KuRu+yEval. This means sakyamAna-yEval or the Kaimkaryam commanded by the Lord. This is the ozhivil kaalamellAm udanAi manniseyyum Kaimkaryam. This is the vazhuvilA kaimkaryam with out any blemish. (5)YENKALAI (KURREVAL YENKALAI): Here the Gopis say that KrishNA should not reject their kaimkaryams (KurrEval yenkalai koLLAmaR pOhAthu). Gopis ask for five items: (1) You (The Lord) should accept our kaimkarayms (2) We have not come here seeking drums and Kodi, but we seek uninterrupted kaimkaryam to You (3) We should never ever be devoid of the relationship of Seshathvam (You as Swami and us as Your servants: uRROmEaavOm))(4) Because of this seshathvasambhandham, we are seeking Kaimkaryam (5)Please bless us so that our minds will stay away from anything and everything other than You and permit us to perform Sarva dEsa, Sarva Kaala, Sarva avasthA kaimkaryams. As parmaikAnthis, the Gopis do not expect any rewards other than Kaimkarya PrApthi. The Gopis remind Him that it is not a situation of dEhi mE dadhAmi tE (I will give You this and You will give me that). They seek kaimkaryam at Srimathou Hari Charanou without any bhEram pEsuthal. (6) MARRAI NAMM KAAMANKAL MAARRU: Here, Unn
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TannOdu uRRamOyAvOm depicts the meaning of PraNavam in AshtAkshara Moola Manthram; UnakkE aatccheyvOm refers to NaarAyaNa Sabdham in Moola Manthram; MaRRai Namm kaamankaL maaRRU refers to the Nama: sabdham. (7) MAARRU: Our Lord has the power to transform attachment of any kind and turn it towards Him. He is Sarva VasIkaranan. He will never abandon a Prapannan. He will correct them, when they stray and bring them back to His fold once again. THE INNER MEANING OF THIS PAASURAM (PERUKKARANAI SWAMY) Oh Lord! Please listen to the fruits of performing SaraNAgathi (KshaNa Kaala Saadhyam) at Your lotus feet and engaging in MangaLAsAsanam of those holy feet! You (who was born in our kulam to bless us) should accept our (pasu prAya Jeevans) kaimkaryams and grant us Moksham. We are not desirous of Isvaryam of the world and Kaivalyam. Oh Lord! You as sarvaj~nar (Omniscient) should comprehend this clearly. We will always be cognizant of our Seshathvam to You as Sarva Seshi. We will perform Sarva desa, Sarva Kaala, Sarva avasthA Kaimkaryams. We will deflect the joy of our Kaimkaryam to You alone (Phala SamarpaNam).

Meaning of Parai
Starting with the very first pasuram, we find Andal referring to "Parai" repeatedly, including Pasuram 27, which is supposed to represent the ultimate benefits of performing the vratam (Paavai nombhu) described by Andal. Again, Parai is mentioned here as well. "Parai" means a drum in Tamil and the word "Paraiyan" or "Paraiyar", which in English became 'pariah', means the lowest of the lowest of outcastes. Paraiyan or Paraiyar, actually means a "drummer". Andal is referring thus to the drums played by such drummers and it is ironic that although pariah is considered to represent contempt or derision, in Andal's pasurams "Parai" actually means the highest good.
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How did this association of "parai" with the highest good come to mean something so demeaning over the years? The "drummers" or pariyars were actually outcastes who were not allowed to live in the city, town, or village. However, they were sought after for their skill in playing the drums at all auspicious occasions such as weddings, temple functions, etc. They were also used by the kings of ancient times to make important announcements (the English equivalent is "heralds" those who announced). How is the announcement made? The "drummer" or pariyars (plural or paraiyan, also considered to be a more respectful way of saying paraiyan) would beat their drums and so everyone came out of their houses to hear what the "drummer" had to say or read loud. This is how messages were transmitted in the old days (today, important and emergency announcements are made in TV channels or radio). "Parai" of Andal's pasurams is the same -- it is an announcement --- that the highest good has now been achieved. Krishna, or Kanna, or Narayana, has blessed them with the highest good. It is to be loudly proclaimed. It is a matter of great joy. The first Pasuram ends with NaaraayaNane namakke parai tharuvaan. Today's pasuram 27 states "paaDi parai konDu yaam perum sammaanam". Perum sammanam means the highest of blessings, the highest of honors. Singing the glories, beating the drums, is all achieving the highest of honors. May be there is nothing to be ashamed of being a "paraiyan" or "pariayar". Let us rejoice and banish the demeaning implications of pariah and celebrate with Andal. I have provided some links below which discuss the origins of this word. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paraiyan http://www.devendrakulam.org/uploads/Who%20are%20the%20Paraiyars.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraiyar

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