nandhA viLakkE

Periya Thirumozhi

nandhA viLakkE

(thirunAngur thiruppathi 11: 1. thirumaNimAdak kOyil)

Starting from this pASura AzhwAr does mangaLASAsana to eleven tirupatis of tirunAngoor. This tirupati is called tiru maNi mADam.

nandA viLakkE aLattarkariyAi
nara nAraNanE karu mA muhil pOl
endAi emakkE aruLAi ena ninru
imaiyOr paravuvm iDam ettiSaikkum |
kandAram andEn iSai pADa mADE
kaLi vaNDu mizhaTTra nizhal tudaindu
mandAram ninru maNam malhum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

brahma and others came to this divya dESa—maNi mADakkOyil—to praise Him saying ‘Oh! nandA viLakkE! (ever present and self effulgent) aLaharkku ariyAi (immeasurable. i.e. not conditioned by the three factors—time, space and object. Since He has no beginning and no end and exists always, He is not conditioned by time; since He is all pervasive He is not conditioned by space; since He is one without a second He is not conditioned by objects). Oh! nara nAraNanE! (He took both nara and nArAyaNa avatAra to reveal the world the characteristics of a perfect SiShya and perfect guru) Oh! karumAmuhil pOl endAi! (who is very generous and unbiased like rain cloud)”. Thus they pray and ask for His blessings. He resides in the divya dESa called tirumaNi mADakkOyil where—the honey bees sing dEvagAndhAri raga, the kaLivaNDu sing with intoxication, the forest is full of pArijAta trees which give good shade and fragrance to the whole surrounding. AzhwAr asks his mind to meditate on Him who resides here.

mudalai tanimA muraN teera anru
mudu neer taDattu chengaN vEzham uyya
vidalai talai chenru adarkE udavi
vinai teertta ammAn iDam viN aNavum |
padalai kapOdattu oLi mADa neTTri
pavaLa kozhungAla paingAl puravam
madalai talai men peDai kooDum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

Our swAmi went to the banks of the pond where gajEndra was caught by a wicked crocodile and killed the latter by discharging His chakrAyudha and save the Bakta. He resides in tirumaNi mADakkOyil — where there are tall buildings on top of which there are kalaSas and birds. These birds enjoy the company of their mates and sit on the coral pillar of the mansions. AzhwAr asks his mind to think of Him always.

kolaippuN talaikkunram onru uyya anru
koDu mA mudalaikku iDar Seidu kongAr
ilai puNDareehattavaL inbam anbODu
aNaindiTTa ammAn iDam ALariyAl |
alaippuNDa yAnai maruppum ahilum
aNi muttum veN SAmaraiyODu ponni
malaippaNDam aNDattirai undu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

emberumAn saved the gajEndra—who had a wounded head and who was caught by a wicked crocodile—by killing the crocodile. He was embraced by periya pirATTi who was pleased with His act. He resides in tirumaNi mADakkOyil—where the river ponni brings along her current the tusks of elephants, the huge ahil trees, beautiful pearls, veN chAmara and many other objects of mountains when she flows down to the plains.

kolaippuN—The mahouts prick them with goads which causes wounds in their heads. A better explanation is the elephants fight with each other for the sake of the female and get hurt in the fight.

anbODu aNaindiTTa—In the previous pASura also AzhwAr refers to this gajEndra episode. But what he failed to mention there, he does it here. When Sree rAma fought single handed with Kara and dooShaNa and their rAkShasa armies and came out victorious seeta pirATTi embraced Him with love and affection—BartAram pariShaswajE. Similarly periya pirATTi embraces emberumAn after He killed the crocodile.

Though ponni river does not flow in tirumaNi mADam AzhwAr says so since it flows in the nearby place.

SiraiyAr uvaNa puL onru Eri anru
tiSai nAngum nAngum iriya Seruvil
karaiyAr neDuvEl arakkar maDiya
kaDal Soozh ilangai kaDandAn iDam tAn |
muraiyAl vaLarkinra mutteeyar nAl vEdar
aivELvi Arangar EzhiniSaiyOr
maraiyOr vaNanga puhazh eidum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

BagavAn rode on His vAhana i.e. garuDa and fought with rAkShasas in lankApuri with mAli and sumAli, some of the army ran away from the battle field and some were killed. He resides in tirumaNi mADakkOyil—where there are vaidikas who know four vEdas, learn and teach six vEdAngas, perform five mahA yajnas do three fire sacrifice everyday and sing with seven swaras the hymns on Him. Thus they cause the reputation of the city.

izhaiyADu kongai talai nanjam uNDiTTu
iLanganru koNDu viLangAi erindu
tazhai vADa van tAL kurundam oSittu
taDamtAmarai poihai pukkAn iDam tAn |
kuzhaiyADa valli kulamADa mADE
kuyil koova neeDu koDi mADam nalhu
mazhaiyADu SOlai mayilAlu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

The place where kaNNapirAn—killed pootana by sucking her life along with milk; killed kapittAsura with vatsAsura; broke the kurunda tree so that the leaves dried; entered the lotus pond to play rAsakreeDa with gOpis—lives in the divya dESa called tirumaNi mADam where trees sway along with the creepers near them in the breeze; the cuckoos coo and peacocks dance; where there are tall buildings having flags flying and clouds moving close to the balcony.

taDamtAmarai poihai pukkAn—is also interpreted as kaNNan entering the pond where the venomous kALiya lived.

paN nEr mozhi Aichiyar anja vanja
puhuvAi kazhudukku irangAdu avaL tan
uNNAmulai maTTravaL AviyODum
uDanE suvaittAn iDam Ongu paindAL |
kaNNAr karumbin kazhai tinru vaihi
kazhuneeril moozhhi Sezhuneer taDattu
maN EndiLa mEdihaL vaihu nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

kaNNan—who drank the life and milk of pootana whom the sweet soft spoken Aichchis feared—resides in this divya dESa tirumaNi mADakkOyil—where the young buffaloes eat plenty of tall fresh sugarcanes from the fields and sit for sometime; go to the nearby pond where sengazhuneer flowers stay inside the water with their horns muddy, liking the place too much that they don’t want to go out of it.

piLLai vizhupparaiyar and appAn were discussing this pASura. They could not explain the repetition of the word ‘vaihi’ in the third and fourth lines. BaTTar explained it this way—The word shows they are young and gentle buffaloes. If they were wild they would get up and walk fast.

taLai kaTTavizh tAmarai vaihu poihai
taDam pukku aDangA iDam kAlaravam
iLaikka tizhaittiTTu adan uchchi tan mEl
aDivaitta ammAn iDam mA madiyam |
tiLaikkum koDi mALihai Soozh teruvil
Sezhu muttu veNNerkena Senru munril
vaLaikkai nuLai pAvaiyar mArum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

emberumAn entered the lotus pond—where there are lotus buds and lotus flowers—where kALiya lived terrorizing all creatures—and danced on his hoods subduing his might and pride. The tiruvaDi which the Baktas and riShis find hard to get ever after lot of upAsana and tapas, is easily got by the venomous serpent without asking. koorattAzhwAn in his sundarabAhu stavam says he feels sorry that he is not born as kALiya.

He resides in tirumaNi mADam –where there are big, tall buildings on whose top flags fly obstructing the path of the moon. The gypsy women bring big pearls to sell them to the rich ladies in the mansions for a few measures of white rice.

tuLaiyAr karu men kuzhal Aichchiyar tam
tuhil vAriyum SiTTril Sidaittum muTTrA
iLaiyAr viLaiyATToDu kAdal veLLam
viLaivitta ammAn iDam vEl neDungaN |
muLai vALeyiTTru maDavAr payiTTru
mozhi kETTirundu mudirAda inSol
vaLaivAya kiLLai marai pADum nAngoor
maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

The place where kaNNapirAn—who stole the dresses of gOpis when they were taking bath; who ruined the sand-houses which they built on the banks of yamuna; who infatuated them by such mischief and increased their love at Him—resides in tirumaNi mADakkOyil—where young ladies having beautiful long eyes and white small teeth repeat the vEdas which the elders chant everyday that their pet parrots learn them and repeat.

tuLaiyAr karumen kuzhal—is interpreted in three ways—

1. Aichchis— who have soft and sweet speech like the flutes which have holes

2. Aichchis—who have dark and soft hair—take bath in the lakes

3. Aichchis— who have curly, dark and soft hair which have holes since they are like springs

9. viDaiyODu venru Aichchi men tOL nayanda

vihirdA viLangu SuDarAzhi ennum

paDaiyODu Sangonru uDaiyAi ena ninru

imaiyOr paravum iDam paindaDattu |

peDaiyODu SengAla annam tuhaippa

tohai puNDareehattu iDai Sengazhuneer

maDaiyODa ninru madu vimmum nAngoor

maNimADakkOyil vaNangu en mananE ||

brahma and others praise Him-‘Oh! emberumAn! You are a vilakShaNa puruSha. You defeated the seven powerful bulls and made them run away for the sake of marrying nappinnai pirATTi. You always bear the effulgent chakrAyudha and unique SanKa’. He resides in tirumaNi mADakkOyil—where there are ponds full of honey-laden lotuses. The swans play with their mates and stamp on the flowers. The honey flow from the crushed flowers like a river and join the canals where sengazhuneer flower are aplenty.

10. vaNDAr pozhil Soozhndu azhahAya nAngoor

maNimADa kOyil neDumAlukku enrum

toNDAya tol Seer vayal mangaiyar kOn

kaliyan oli Sei tamizh mAlai vallAr |

kaNDAr vaNanga kaLiyAnai meedE

kaDal Soozh ulahukku oru kAvalarAi

viNDOi neDu veN kuDai neezhalin keezh

viri neer ulahANDu virumbuvarE ||

These ten pASuras sung by tirumangai AzhwAr about the emberumAn residing in tirumaNi mADakkOyil in tirunAngoor will surely rule over this earth surrounded by sea and finally will reach paramapada and be ever happy doing kainkarya to Him.