UnEru selvaththu (677-687)

UnEru selvaththu
Wanting to become something on the hills of Thiruvengadam
AzhwAr has great love for tiruvEngaDamuDaiyAn. In these pASurAs he likes to have sambandha with Him at tirumala.

oonEru Selvattu uDal piravi yAn vENDEn AnEru Ezh venrAn aDimai tiram allAl |
koonEru Sangam iDattAn tan vEngaDattu kOnEri vAzhum kuruhAi pirappEnE || One || 

SwAmi vEnkaTanAtha is in tirumala; He has defeated seven bulls for nappinnai pirATTi; Has Sanka in His hand. i want to do some kainkarya to Him. The life of human beings, however great it might be, if devoid of such kainkarya is a waste. i shall do the kainkarya like AdisESa, garuDa, lakShmaNa and others. kOnEri is the tamizh name for SwAmi puSkarani. kuruhu is a kind of bird, probably a crane.

AnAda Selvattu arambaiyarhaL tar choozha vAnALum Selvamum maNNaraSum yAn vENDEn | 
tEnAr poonjOlai tiru vEngaDa chunaiyil meenAi pirakkum vidiyuDaiyEn AvEnE || Two || 

 The last pASura AzhwAr desired to be born as a bird in tirumala. It may fly off to another place if the water gets dried. Hence he wants to born as a fish in the lake because a fish is born and dies in the lake itself. AzhwAr ‘this birth as a fish is much desired rather than the birth in the heaven as indra or as a monarch of earth. Why? Compared to the Bagavat Ananda the Ananda of indra or a chakravarti is negligently small, perishable and binding. The Ananda anuBava of BagavAn is on the contrary infinite, imperishable and devoid of samsAra duhKa.

pinniTTa SaDaiyAnum piramanum indiranum tunniTTu puhalariya vaihunda neeLvASal | 
min vaTTa chuDarAzhi vEngaDa kOn tAn umizhum pon vaTTil piDittu uDanE puhapperuvEn AvEnE || Three || 

 AzhwAr thinks ‘well! The fish cannot do any kainkarya. It simply lives in tirumala and dies there. Hence let me be born as a kainkarya para, a person holding the golden spittoon. When all the BrahmAdi dEvAs are not able to enter the garbagruha and are standing outside pushing each other, i can easily enter with a group of dAsa holding a bowl in my hand. In such a case i may desire a human birth.

oN pavaLa vElai ulavu taN pArkaDaluL kaN tuyilum mAyOn kazhaliNaihaL kANbadarkku | 
paN paharum vaNDinangaL paNpADum vEngaDattu cheNbahamAi nirkum tiru uDaiyEn AvEnE || Four || 

In the last pASura AzhwAr wanted to be a kainkarya para holding a spittoon. But he says since it is human nature to desire wealth, i may steal that bowl or run away with it. Even if some body steals it i may be chucked out of the temple and put in prison. Now in this pASura he wants the birth of a SeNbaga tree. BagavAn likes puSpa kainkarya especially SeNbaga flower. periyAzhwAr also said ‘SeNbaga poo chooTTavArAi’. In tirumala it is said dEvAs shower divine flowers over the tiruvengaDam. Hence it is called puSapamanTapa.

kamba mada yAnai kazhuttahattin mElirundu inbamarum Selvamum ivvaraSum yAn vENDEn | 
 emberumAn eeSan ezhil vEngaDa malai mEl tambahamAi nirkum tavam uDaiyEn AvEnE || Five ||

 If AzhwAr is born as Senbaga tree in tirumalai any lord or king may wish to have it in his nandavana. So he may order it to be uprooted and planted in his garden. Didn’t kaNNan uproot kalpaka tree from indra’s garden just because satyaBAma wanted it! If the queen likes to have this Senbaga tree the king may bring it his garden. Hence AzhwAr now likes a janma of a thorny bush. i don’t want this kingdom or kingship riding on an elephant and enjoying all the aiSwarya due to me.

minnanaiya nuNNiDaiyAr uruppaSiyum mEnakaiyum annavar tam pADaloDum ADalavai AdariyEn |
tennavena vaNDinangaL paNpADum vEngaDattuL annanaiya porkuvaDAm arundavattan AvEnE || Six || 

 i don’t have even an iota of desire to live in dEvalOka. The SAstra says - their lOkAs are very beautiful and full of happiness. There is always music and dance by extremely beautiful heavenly damsels. But AzhwAr says he prefers to be in tirumala as something. Last pASura he said he would be a thorny bush. But he thought they might cut it to clear the paths for the pilgrims or get burnt by a forest-fire. Now he prefers to be a rock in the mountain.

vAnALum mA madi pOl veNkuDai keezh mannavar tam kOnAhi veeTTrirundu koNDADum SelvariyEn |
tEnAr poonjOlai tiru vengaDa malai mEl kAnArAi pAyum karuttuDaiyEn AvEnE || Seven || 

 i don’t want the kingship that invites all sorts of royal emblems like white umbrella, riding on the elephant etc. i prefer to be a stream in the tirumala forest. First he wanted to be a rock. Somebody may like to build a temple for some lower dEvatAs; they may take the rock away to make the idol of those gods and goddesses. He doesn’t want to leave the precincts of tirumala. Hence he desires the birth of a stream.

piraiyEru SaDaiyAnum piramanum indiranum muraiyAya peru vELvi kurai muDippAn maraiyAnAn | 
veriyAr taN SOlai tiru vEngaDa malai mEl neriyAi kiDakkum nilai uDaiyEn AvEnE || Eight ||

 AzhwAr thought – ‘if i become the stream it may dry during summer. Then i won’t be having sambandha of tirumala’. Hence he wants to become the path through which the BaktAs travel to reach the temple on the hill. Then he will get the pAdadooLi (dust of the feet of BAgavatAs) on his head. kurai muDippAn – BagavAn not only removes their duhKAs but gives them suKa too – aniSTha nivrutti and suKa prApti.

SeDiyAya val vinaihaL teerkum tirumAlE neDiyAnE vEngaDavA nin kOyilin vASal | 
aDiyArum vAnavarum arambaiyarum kiDandu iyangum paDiyAi kiDandu un pavaLa vAi kANbEnE || Nine || 

 He desired to the path along which BaktAs walk. But there are many paths which lead to tirumala dEvastAna. All the BaktAs need not choose this path alone. Hence he desires to have the sambandha of both BagavAn and BAgavatAs. So he finally concludes he will be the step of the garbagruha. This step is even now called ‘kulaSEKara paDi’.

umbar ulahANDu oru kuDai keezh uruppaSi tan ambor kalai alhul peTTrAlum AdariyEn | 
SembavaLa vAyAn tiruvEngaDam ennum emberumAn pon malai mEl EdEnum AvEnE || Ten || 

 He desired the birth as ‘paDi’. Then he thought a millionaire might wish to do some kainkarya by having a gold covering over it. In that case his desire ‘paDiyAi kiDandu un pavaLa vAi kANbEnE’ is lost. Hence he leaves the choice to emberumAn Himself and says whatever He wishes me to be i shall be that – ‘emberumAn pon malai mEl EdEnum AvEnE’.

manniya taN SAral vaDa vEngaDattAn tan ponniyalum SEvaDihaL kANbAn purindu irainji | 
konnavilum koorvEl kulaSEKaran Sonna panniya nool tamizh vallAr pAngAya pattarhaLE || Eleven ||

 kulaSEKara AzhwAr desired sambandha with BagavAn and His place. He wanted any sort of birth in tirumala. Somehow all of them had some sort of defect in them. Finally he left the choice to BagavAn to give any birth but firmly decided it should be in tirumala only. Those who read and meditate on these pASurAs will become BaktAs of BagavAn and BAgavatAs.

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