ThiruppAvai pASuram 26 - mAlE maNivaNNA!

ThiruppAvai pASuram 26:

மாலே! மணிவண்ணா! மார்கழி நீராடுவான்

மேலையார் செய்வனகள் வேண்டுவன கேட்டியேல்

ஞாலத்தை எல்லாம் நடுங்க முரல்வன

பால அன்ன வண்ணத்து உன்  பாஞ்சசன்னியமே

போல்வன சங்கங்கள் போய்ப்பாடு உடையனவே,

சாலப் பெரும்பறையே, பல்லாண்டு இசைப்பாரே,

கோல விளக்கே, கொடியே விதானமே,

ஆலின் இலையாய்! அருள் ஏல் ஓர் எம்பாவாய்!

 

In the meaning and explanation below, let us attempt a consistent interpretation of what various things that are sought from the Lord stand for.

Meaning:

Oh Lord Who has maximum concern for us! Attractive One like sapphire! Who reclined on the banyan leaf!

If You are interested in listening to us, our superiors had actions and needs for bath in mArhazhi (mAri kazhi – the season following the monsoon rains called SarathkAlam in Sanskrit with trees having dropped their leaves and the full moon in all its fullness with light).

We need conches like Your pAnchajanyam which is milk white frightening the entire world which have far reaching sound.

We need a big trumpet.

We need singers announcing the permanence of our relationship with You.

A beautiful lamp.

A flagstaff (dhvajam).

An overhead spread.

Please bless us (with these – presumably).

ஏல் ஓர் எம்பாவாய்! – Oh, unique lady! (All the verses of ThiruppAvai are as if a group of Gopikas were addressing one of them)

 

Note:

Even for bathing or immersing in God’s qualities the list has no relevance as such and obviously requires a figurative interpretation in the context of Tamil tradition calling the latter (immersing in God’s qualities) as Sunai neer Adudhal.

 

Explanation:

mAl is equivalent to Brahman in Sanskrit meaning the Supreme in the sense of  maximum in all respects, but in Tamil tradition the word includes the quality of maximum concern of the Supreme for Its creations too, which is not found in the Sanskrit tradition when we call the Supreme just Brahman. Some insisting too much on calling this vyAmOham which indicates some uncalled-for attachment does not sound nice.

 

vaNNam in Tamil is quality. Manivannan means the Lord Who is attractive like the sapphire.

 

mArgazhi is as interpreted above in the meaning. In the first pASuram, the term madhi is also used. Madhi in Tamil stands for both mind and moon thus madhi niRaindha nannAL indicating a good period with clear and complete thinking.

 

mElaiyAr are those who are superior to us i.e., the fellow bhagavatas.

 

பாலன்ன வண்ணத்துன் பாஞ்சசன்னியமே

போல்வன சங்கங்கள் போய்ப்பாடுடையனவே – Figuratively this stands for driving away the impediments (as milk whiteness stands for faultlessness) without us asking for the same, enabling the enjoyment, and sharing the qualities widely.

 

சாலப் பெரும்பறையே – A big trumpet, which stands for His exalted sankalpa.

பறை also stands for சொல் which means His word assuring His protection for us.

 

பல்லாண்டு இசைப்பார் – Those who sing the permanence of the benefits of Perumal’s qualities to the soul. This indicates the importance of association with fellow Bhagavatas for enjoying His qualities together and learning from each other.

 

Conversely இசைப்பு (iSaippu) means to join, and இசைப்பார் means the one who joins (plural standing for respect), which means the permanence of these qualities is enjoined by none other than The Lord Himself. As Nammazhwar says in ThiruvAimozhi, தனக்கும் தந் தன்மை அறிவு அரியான், the Lord’s stature is so great that even He Himself does not know it! So, the Lord listens to His qualities being sung by others enabled by Him, as if He really does not know Himself fully.

 

கோல விளக்கு -A beautiful lamp, standing symbolic for our comprehension of His qualities.

 

கொடி- Jayadhvajam, which stands for victory over our ahankara and mamakAra.

 

விதானம் – Overhead spread indicating warding off blemishes falling in the process of knowing Him i.e., impediments in knowing Him or expectations other than realizing our subservience to Him.

 

ஆலின் இலையாய் – One Who reclined on the banyan leaf during deluge. It is believed that the Lord was on a banyan leaf during deluge protecting all the creation in an infinitesimal state. While this may defy logic and project as if there is something outside the Lord like the banyan leaf, and the cosmic water, there is a particularly good symbolism behind this. This indicates the  Lord’s capacity to protect us from the worst disasters.

 

Since the Lord is mAl and maNivaNNan, He makes all the above ready for us even without us seeking the same. This is the assurance Andal is giving us from this pASuram. This is what mElaiyAr or those who realized their subservience to Him knew. Since there is no independence to the soul, what they practiced or செய்வனகள் is what He enabled them to practice. This also might have been செய்வனகண் or towards doing.

 

Conclusion:

The message of the verse is that one needs God’s blessings in all ways to get immersed in His qualities, and to share the experience selflessly with others, in the interest of mental peace at large