irunthaN mAnilam

Periya Thirumozhi

irunthaN mAnilam (thiru-vayindhirapuram)

irundaN manilam EnamadAi vaLai maruppinil ahattoDukki
karundaN mA kaDal kaN tuyinravan iDam kamala nan malar tEral |
arundi inniSai muranru ezhum aLikulam poduLiambozhilooDE
Serundi nAN malar Senru aNaindu uzhitaru tiru vayindirapuramE || One ||

emberumAn who as varAha lifted the Boomi pirATTi from the aNDa Bitti with His curved tusk—resides in tiruvayindirapuram. The divya dESa is beautiful with ponds and forests, where lotuses and serundi flowers are seen. The swarm of bees seek the lotus flowers, drink honey and go to serundi flowers sing and dance and hover around.

In all the pASuras the first two lines talks of BagavAn and the rest speak of the greatness of the place.

Normally, in AzhwAr’s pASuras bees refer to BAgavatas. ‘uLani kanindirukkum aDiyavar tangaL uLLattuL ooriya tEnai’—here honey is BagavAn who resides in the hearts of BAgavatas.

‘en nenjennum pon vANDu unadaDippOdil oN seerAm teLi tEnuNDu emarndiDavENDi’—My heart is a bee which seeks Your tiruvaDi (flowers) to drink honey. The tiruvaDi is of a guru and the bee is the heart of the SiShya.

Sometimes the bee is a Sree vaiShNava who has karma and jnAna as two wings to drink the honey of (the essence) vEda (flower)

inniSai muranru ezhum--Like tiruppANAzhwAr or nAdamunihaL who sing Bagavat guNa or pASuras.

pozhil—Refers normally to the place where Bagavat anuBava or BAgavata anuBava can be had.

serundi—The tree is He under whose shade BAgavatas stay ‘vAsudEvan taruchAyA’—He is the shade to be sought by the samsAris burnt by the heat of samsAra.

The swarm of bees drink the honey (SaragrAhi-one who takes the essence leaving out the non-essential) and sing Bagavat guNa or Bagavata guNa.

This divya dESa is ‘tiru aheendrapuram’ which takes the tamizh pronunciation ‘tiruvayindirapuram’. It is said AdiSESha worshipped Him here.

minnum Azhiyangaiyavan SeyyavaL urai taru tiru mArban
pannu nAn marai pal poruLAhiya paran iDam varaichchAral |
pinnu mAdavi pandalil peDai vara piNiyavizh kamalattu
tenna enru vaNDu inniSai mural taru tiru vayindirapuramE || Two ||

emberumAn—who has chakrAyudha in His right hand and periya pirATTi in tirumArbu and who is all that is objectified in vEda—resides in tiruvayindirapuram. The city has plenty of lotus lakes and forests that the male bees who sit on the lotus flowers woo their mates who sit on the mAdavi creeper to come to them by singing a tune ‘tenna tenna’.

vaiyam Ezhum uNDu Alilai vaihiya mAyavan aDiyavarku
meyyanAhiya deivanAyakan iDam meidahu varaichchAral |
moikoL mAdavi SeNbaham mayangiya mullaiyangkoDiyADa
Seyya tAmarai SezhumpaNai tihazh taru tiru vayindirapuramE || Three ||

He is called mAyavan since He, astonishingly small, lies on a tiny banyan leaf during praLaya after swallowing all the worlds. He is true to His Baktas that they can feel Him in their hearts but false to the non believers who don’t see Him anywhere. He is called deivanAyahan in tiruvayindirapuram which has plenty of lotus lakes and forests, where grow kurukkatti plants, SeNbaga trees entwined by mullai creepers.

mAru koNDu uDanru edirnda vallavuNan tan mArvaham iru piLavA
kooru koNDu avan kula maharku innaruL koDuttavan iDam miDaindu|
SAru koNDa men karumbu iLam kazhai tahai viSumbura maNi neezhal
Seru koNDa taN pazhanamadezhil tihazh tiru vayindirapuramE || Four ||

emberumAn took narasimha avatAra and split open the chest or hiraNya—who came charging with his teeth gnawing at Him—and saved His son prahlAda from the asura’s clutches. He resides in tiruvayindirapuram where there are plenty of sugar cane fields where the crops grow sky high. They touch the ceiling of the sky, cannot grow any taller and therefore bulge sideways. Since they bulge they crush their neighboring sugar cane crops resulting in the flow of sugarcane juice into the water making the place muddy.

Angu mAvali vELviyil irandu Senru ahaliDam aLandu Ayar
poongoDikku inaviDai porudavan iDam pon malar tihazh vEngai |
kOngu SeNbaha kombinil kudikoDu kurakkarinam iraittu ODi
tEn kalanda taN palangani nuhar taru tiru vayindirapuramE || Five ||

For the sake of indra vAmana begged three feet of land from mahAbali in his yAgaShAla. When He got it, He measured with the huge feet of trivikrama. For the sake of nappinnai pirATTi He defeated the seven powerful huge bulls. For the sake of Baktas and BAgavatas He resides in tiruvayindirapuram. There are kOngu, vEngai and SeNbaga trees where monkeys live. They jump, play, shout and eat the honey laden sweet jackfruits. (The monkeys represent the human beings—samsAris—who enjoy the worldly matters, shouting and running after pleasures. They sometimes eat the jackfruits (Bagavat anuBava) because of their association with the place.

koonulAviya maDandai tan koDum Solin tirattu iLangoDiyODum
kAnulAviya karumuhil tirunirattavan iDam kavinArum |
vAnulAviya madi tavazh mAlvarai mAmadiL puDai Soozha
tEnulAviya Sezhum pozhil tazhuviya tiru vayindirapuramE || Six ||

mantara—the hunch back woman instigated kaikEyi to ask the boon at daSaratha. Sree rAma went to the forest along with His brother and wife in order to fulfill His father’s words. He who is dark like rain cloud, resides in tiruvayindirapuram where there a tall trees, thick forests strong forts—all of which reach sky high touching the moon. The description speaks of the greatness of the city.

minni nuNNiDai maDakoDi kAraNam vilangalin miSai ilangai
mannan neeN muDi poDi Seida maindanadu iDam maNi varai neezhal|
anna mA malar aravindattu amaLiyil peDaiyoDum inidu amara
SennellAr kavari kulai veeSu taN tiru vayindirapuramE || Seven ||

Sree rAma killed rAvaNa by beheading the ten heads and crushed the crowns. He, who had done this for the sake of pirATTi, resides in tiruvayindirapuram—where the swans sit on the huge lotus flowers with their mates and are being fanned by the red paddy stalks.

The swans normally refer to Baktas and jnAnis who like the mythical bird (which take milk alone leaving the water mixed with it) take the essence of all SAstras leaving aside the non essentials or it may mean the hamsAvatAra of BagavAn.

Swans do not like muddy water i.e. the jnAnis do not like the samsAra, but like to live (like swan) in paramapada or with jnAnins (clear water).

aravindattamaLiyil—The tiruvaDi of BagavAn.

kavari veeSu—Fanning etc. the kainkarya done by a siShya to His AchArya.

virai kamazhnda men karunguzhal kAraNam villiruttu aDal mazaikku
nirai kalangiDa varai kuDai eDuttavan nilaviya iDam taDamAr
varai vaLam tihazh mada kari maruppoDu malai vaLarahil undi
tirai koNarndaNai Sezhu nadi vayal puhu tiru vayindirapuramE || Eight ||

In Sree rAmAvatAra He broke the bow for the sake of seeta pirATTi; in kriShNAvatAra He lifted the gOvardhana mountain for the sake of cattle to save them from the heavy rain caused by indra. He resides in tiruvayindirapuram, a divya dESa where the river pushes the tusks of elephants and ahil trees along with her water current and enter the fertile fields to irrigate the crops scattering them everywhere.

vEl koL kaittalatta araSar vem pOrinil viSayanukkAi maNittEr
kOl koL kaittalattu endai pemmAn iDam kulavu taN varaichchAral |
kAl koL kaN koDi kaiyezha kamuhum iLam pALaihaL kamazh SAral
SElhaL pAitaru Sezhunadi vayal puhu tiru vayindirapuramE || Nine ||

Sree kriShNa played the role of a charioteer in the BArata yuddha for vijaya (arjuna) with a whip in His hand. He made arjuna fight against the foes with spears in their hands and caused their death. He resides in tiruvayindirapuram—where there are forests full of betel leaf creepers which have fresh leaves in every node and areca nut trees which have tender shoots spreading their aroma everywhere. There are plenty of rivers—which have different kinds of fish jumping and playing—irrigating the fertile lands.

moovarAhiya oruvanai moovulahu uNDu umizhndu aLandAnai
dEvar dAnavar Senru Senru irainja taN tiruvayindirapurattu |
mEvu SOdiyai vEl valavan kalikanri virittu uraitta
pAvu taNDamizh pattivai pADiDa pAvangaL payilAvE || Ten ||

tirumangai AzhwAr has sung ten pASuras on emberumAn—who takes three forms brahma, viShNu and rudra in order to do three functions—creation, sustenance and destruction; He swallowed the three worlds in order to protect the jeevas and spat them out in order to enable them do good karmas and get mOkSha; He measured three worlds in order to give His sambandha to all irrespective of their love or hate towards Him—who resides in tiruvayindirapuram. Those who sing and meditate on these pASuras will get rid of their sins indeed.