SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDigalE SaraNam

TirumaNikkUDa perumAL

 

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tirumaNIkkUDam

 

mUlavar: SrI varadarAjap perumAL (maNik kUDa nAyakan) Standing posture facing East tirukkOlam

tAyAr: tirumAmagaL nAcciyAr, bhUdevi (no separate sannidhi for tAyar)

tIrtham: candra pushkariNi

vimAnam: kanaka vimAnam

pratyaksham: periya tiruvaDi, candran

mangaLASAsanam: tirumangai AzhvAr – peria tirumozhi 4-5: 10 pAsurams

 

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TirumaNIkkUDam

Peria tirumozhi pAsurams

’kaDu mazhai kAtta endai!’

 

PAsuram 4.5.1 - tUmbuDai

 

tUmbuDaip panaikkai vEzham tuyar keDuttu aruLi mannu
kAmbuDaik kunRam Endi kaDu mazhai kAtta endai
pUmpunal ponni muRRum pugundu pon vaRaNDa engum
tEmpozhil kamazhum nAngUrt tirumaNi kUDattAnE.

 

 

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

emperumAn is one who relieved the sorrow of the elephant, who had a fat trunk that resembled a palm tree; He freed the elephant from the mouth of the crocodile. He uprooted the govardhana mountain with its firmly established bamboo trees and protected the cows, calves and shepherds from the rains. That emperumAn is showing Himself to me in the tirunANgUr tirumaNikkUDam, where the river kAvEri brings with her all the gold from the places she flows through and rain-water-enriched groves are spreading the fragrance all around.

 

B. SrI PVP:

tUmbuDaip panaikkai vEzham tuyar keDuttu aruLi –

He saved the elephant gajEndran, whose trunk was like the palm tree with a hole.

tiruvAimozhi 4.1.4 also refers to 'panaittAL mada kaLiRu'.

The term 'paNaikkai' is also used in some versions. Then, it means 'having a long trunk'. What this means is – with its long trunk, the elephant will never fail to catch anyone that got stuck in its trunk and throw that person around; thus, it is an elephant that has never seen failure.

mannu kAmbuDaik kunRam Endi kaDu mazhai kAtta endai –

He is my svAmi, who uplifted govardhana mountain with its firmly rooted bamboo plants, and used it as an umbrella to stop the stony rain and protected gokulam.

nAngUrt tirumaNi kUDattAnE –

He has come to stay in tirunAngUr tirumaNikkUDam

pUmpunal ponni muRRum pugundu pon vaRaNDa –

where the river kAvEri brings forth the gold from her flowing journey through the lands.

pUmpunal ponni –

kAvEri that has a lot of flowers. 'pUm' can also taken to mean 'beautiful'.

engum tEmpozhil kamazhum –

and there are fragrant groves every where.

muRRum pugundu –

kAvEri flows through not just one canal, but several; if the term is taken as 'muRRam', it can be taken to indicate that kAvEri flows through places beyond her boundary also.

 

C. SrI UV:

Even though moksham or salvation is the final goal, emperumAn still protects and relieves His materialistic devotees also from calamities and provides for them.

 

D. SrI PBA:

vaRaNDa –

throws around; tirumazhisaip pirAn uses the term in 'mazhaip pEr aruvi maNi varaNRi vandizhiya' (nAnmugan tiruvantAdi pAsuram 39).

 

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PAsuram 4.5.2 - kavvai vAL

 

kavvai vAL eyiRRu vaN pEi kadirmulai suvaittu ilangai
manniya (vavviya) iDumbai tIrak (kUrak) kaDunkaNai turanda endai
kovvaivAi magaLir kongaik kumkumam kazhuvip pOnda
deyvanIr kamazhum nAngUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE.

 

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

Ordered by kamsan, pUtanA, a demoness, comes to kill kaNNan; taking the form of yasodhai, she tries to entice Him to drink milk from her. Her teeth look sharp like swords; she has a heart that is like stone; and she is shining with the poison applied to her nipples. kaNNan killed her by drinking off her chest.

ilangai is filled with rAkshasa-s and resembles a snake-hill where snakes live permanently. irAmapirAn threw His deadly arrows at ilangai to get rid of its poverty. The wealth of a place is provided by sAdhu-s – learned ascetics and brahmins. The poverty comes from having evil ones as its residents. rAma aimed His arrows to kill this poverty in ilangai. He drove away the miseries caused by rAvaNa.

That kRshNa and rAma are now standing in tirumaNikkUDam.

AzvhAr then talks about the natural beauty of the place in the latter half of the pAsuram.

River kAvEri flows through this place. Ladies with lips red like kOvaip pazham (fruit of kOvai plant) take bath in the river; they are all wearing kumkumam on their chests. This kAvEri is bringing in all that kumkumam paste, thus transforming into a sacred river, providing divine fragrance to tirunAngUr tiruppati.

We should remember the term, “kAvEri virajA sEyam” (kAvEri resembles virajA river – satAdhyAyi and dasAdhyAyi) here.

This reminds us also of SrI pAdukA sahasram – kAncana paddhatiH – 12th Slokam –

vahati salila keLI srasta colAvarodha-stanakalaSa haridrApa'nka pi'ngAmavasthAm ||

(the golden shine of the pAdukA-s reflecting on the water resembles the turmeric paste that is applied on the chests of the royal, cozha ladies and that is dissolved in the river water, when they play in the river)

 

B. SrI PVP:

AzhvAr is pointing out that in addition to protecting gajendra AzhvAn, the shepherds and the cows, emperumAn removed the danger that confronted His own wife and is living in this divya dEsam for everyone to enjoy.

kavvai vAL eyiRRu vaN pEi kadirmulai suvaittu –

kaNNan drank from poisonous chest of the wild-hearted demoness, who was loud and had very sharp teeth.

ilangai vavviya iDumbai tIrak kaDunkaNai turanda endai –

My svAmi aimed His arrows at the poverty ridden (poor because of the scarcity of good souls) ilangai and completely destroyed it.

kovvaivAi magaLir kongaik kumkumam kazhuvip pOnda deyvanIr –

river kAvEri washes down the kumkumam that kOvai-lipped ladies wear on their chests and becomes divine

kamazhum nAngUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE –

He is stationed at tirunAngUr tirumaNikkUDam which has the divine fragrance from the kAvEri river.

River kAvEri is 'aprAkRtamAna tIrtham' (transcendental).

 

C. SrI UV:

This tirumaNikkUDam is the place chosen by emperumAn, who vanquishes evil women and men and provides happiness to sAtvic women and men.

The three characteristics of a demoness are listed – bad mouth, teeth sharp like swords and stone heart. She is coming in the form of yaSodhai; then, sweet words and brilliant smile must have been mentioned. But, it is not pUtanA's true form. He got rid of the evil woman and also destroyed the person who insulted a good woman,

 

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PAsuram 4.5.3 - mAttozhil

mAttozhil maDangac ceRRu marudu iRa naDandu vantAL
cEt tozhil sidaittup pinnai sevvit tOL puNarnda endai
nAttozhil maRai vallArgaL nayandu aRam payanda vaN kait
tIttozhil payilum nAngUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE.

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

emperumAn vanquished the asura, keSari, who came in the form of a horse. He crawled between two marudam (named 'arjuna tree') trees and toppled them down. My svAmi defeated the strong-legged seven bulls and won over nappinnai pirATTi. The place where He lives is tirumaNikkUDam, where brahamNa-s chant vedam in a splendid way, protect dharmam with great affection and conduct homam-s.

This pAsuram conains some beautiful terms;

vaN kai tIttozhil payilum –

a totally different meaning manifests itself – 'a good person went astray'. The actual meaning is – with their generous hands, they did yAgam and kept the three fires going. It is said, 'agnihotra phalA vedAH' [mahAbhAratam]; they have veda adhyayanam and in the same note, they do agni hotram-s also. This divya dESam has a lot of these vedic scholars living here.

 

B. SrI PVP:

This is the place where the lord who removed all obstacles and married nappinnai, lives.

mAttozhil maDangac ceRRu –

mA=horse; emperumAn killed the demon, who came like a horse

 

‘mAttozhil maDangac ceRRu ‘

marudu iRa naDandu –

He walked in between the two marudam trees and brought them down. Periya tirumozhi 11.4.9 'iNai marudiRRu vIzha naDai kaRRa' – talks about the same instance.

vantAL cEttozhil sidaittu –

cE=bulls; conquering the seven bulls,

pinnai sevvit tOL puNarnda endai –

my svAmi married nappinnai

nAttozhil maRai vallArgaL –

brahmins well-versed in vedams

nayandu aRam payanda vaN kait tIttozhil payilum nAngUr –

with great sincerity and liking, they perform the agnihotram-s in this place.

Those who are experts in vedam-s are by nature, very compassionate. Their actions will always result in the good of the world. With their benevolent hands that follow the righteous path, they attend to three agni-s – dakshiNAgni, AhavanIyam, tretAgni.

Just as these brahmins do the yAgams for the sake of the inhabitants of the world, emperumAn has as His duty, the destruction of His devotees' foes.

tirumaNik kUDattAnE –

emperumAn lives in this tirumaNikkUDam, tirunAngUr divya-dESam.

 

C. SrI PBA:

tIttozhil payilum –

this is a case of 'virodhApAsAlankAram'; tIttozhil is 'evil action' which is an act that is to be avoided. When we read it as - the brahamaNa-s well-versed in vedam do 'tIttozhil', it becomes a 'virodham' – a term giving opposite meaning. The virodham must be removed by interpreting the term to mean – the vedic scholars are doing agni-hotram. Thus, this is a classic example of 'virodhApAsAlankAram'.

 

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PAsuram 4.5.4 – tAngarum

tAngarum sinattu vantAL taDakkaimmA maruppu vAngi
pUngurundu osittu puL vAi piLandu erudu aDartta endai
mAnkani nugarnda mandi vandu vaNDu iriya vAzhait
tInkani nugarum nANgUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE.

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

emperumAn effortlessly plucked the tusks of the elephant, kuvalayApIDam, that was extremely maddened, had very strong legs and fat trunk. He uprooted the fully blossomed kurunda tree. He tore apart the mouth of bakAsuran who came in the form of a crane. He killed seven bulls. That emperumAn, my svAmi, is standing in tirumaNikkUDam.

In the second part of the pAsuram, AzhvAr enjoys the natural fertility of the place. Female monkeys eat the mangoes. In order to get a different taste, they try the bananas; when they do, the bees that are on the bananas scatter away in different directions. tirumaNikkUDam is such a beautiful place.

 

B. SrI PVP:

tAngarum sinattu vantAL taDakkaimmA maruppu vAngi –

He pulled apart the enornmous tusk off the mad, strong-legged and thick- trunked elephant, kuvalayApIDam.

pUngurundu osittu –

He broke the kurunda tree with its flowers.

puL vAi piLandu –

He tore open bakAsuran's mouth

erudu aDartta endai –

My svAmi defeated seven bulls Where is He now?

nANgUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE –

He is in tirunAngUr tirumaNikkUDam divyadESam.

mAnkani nugarnda mandi vandu vaNDu iriya vAzhai tInkani nugarum –

In this place, female monkeys who have eaten the mangoes are trying to eat the sweet bananas and driving away all the bees that have come there to drink the honey.

Just as emperumAn is enjoying His different pastimes in defeating the foes, the monkeys are also trying to get the different tastes in different fruits.

 

C. SrI UV:

Just as righteousness was in abundance in this place, animals also got to enjoy a variety of fruits.

 

D. SrI PBA:

pUngurundu osittu –

kaNNan destroyed the kurunda tree, that was hiding an asuran.

erudu aDartta –

Besides defeating the seven bulls for the sake of nappinnaip pirATTi, kaNNan also killed another asuran - arishTan, who, ordered by kamsan, came in the form of a bull, to kill kaNNan. arishTan was trying to cause fear among the AyppADi cows and aiming his horns to strike kaNNan's stomach. kaNNapirAn took those horns in His hands and made the bull immovable; He then kicked the bull's stomach, twisted its neck and killed the bull by beating it with one of its own horns.

 

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PAsuram 4.5.5 – karumagaL

karumagaL ilangai ATTi pilankoLvAi tiRandu, tan mEl
varum avaL seviyum mUkkum vALinAl taDinda endai
perumagaL pEdai mangai tannoDum pirivilAda
tirumagaL maruvum nAngUrt tirumaNik kUDattAnE.

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

When cakravartit tirumagan was doing vanavAsam, SUrpaNakA paid Him a visit in pancavaTi. That lowliest caNDALa woman opened her big, cave like mouth and charged towards sItA thinking that the latter was the obstruction for SurpaNakA's gaining rAma. Treating her as one charging on His own self, rAma had her ears and nose cut off with a sword.

He is giving darSanam in tirumaNikkUDam with periya pirATTi, who never leaves SriyaH pati and bhUmi pirATTi, who never cares to look at the sins committed by perumAL's followers.

 

B. SrI PVP:

karumagaL ilangai ATTi –

Being a very lowly human being, she was acting as if she was ruling over ilangai