PAsuram 4.2.2 - pallavam tigazh

 

pallavam tigazh pUnkaDambu ERi akkALiyan paNavara‘ngil
ollai vandu uRap pAindu aru naDam ceyda umbar kOn uRai kOil
nalla vem tazhal mUnRu nAlvEdam ai-vELviyODu Ara’ngam
valla andaNar malgiya nAngUr vaNpuruDOttamamE.

A. SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan:

A serpent by name kALiyan was living in a maDu [deep pool] in yamunA river. There was a kadamba tree on the banks of yamunA. kALiyan’s burning breath had turned the tree bone dry. kaNNan climbed this tree. At the touch of His foot, the tree came to life; new leaves started sprouting and the tree started blossoming. kaNNan got on the tree, jumped into the pool and attacked the serpent to prevent it from escaping. He stepped on the serpent’s hood and danced several dances treating the hood as a dance arena. There are several kinds of dances, wild, soft etc. He performed all kinds of dances. This place is where that dEvAdirAjan lives.

karma anushTAnam [practice of religious acts] consists of performance of three sacrificial agni-s - fires, four vedam-s, five yAgam-s (panca mahAyag~nam), and six a’ngams of vedam. tiruvaNpuruDOttamam is where brahmaNa-s, who are not only well-versed in all these, but impart the knowledge to others also, live.

 

B. SrI PVP:

After talking about the severing of rAvaNan’s ten heads, AzhvAr is enjoying emperumAn’s dance atop one hundred and one heads (of kALiyan).

pallavam tigazh pUnkaDambu ERi –

puruDOttaman climbed on the kadamba tree that had young shoots and flowers.

akkALiyan paNa arangil ollai vandu uRap pAindu –

To prevent the serpent from escaping, He quickly jumped on kALiyan’s hood that served as His dance arangam.

arunaDam ceyda umbar kOn –

The Lord of the devA-s performed wonderful dances (on kALiyan’s hood)

uRai kOil –

the temple (tiruvANpuroDOttamam) is where He resides

nalla vemtazhal mUnRu, nAlvEdam, ai-vELviyODu, ARangam valla andaNar

malgiya nAngUr –

(the temple is in) nAngUr, where reside brahmaNa-s, who are experts in the performance of the three hot agni sacrifices, four vedam-s, five great yAgam- s, the six parts of the vedam-s etc and teach them to others also.

vemtazhal mUnRu -

gArhapatya, dakshiNAgni and AhavanIyam.

nAl vEdam

– yajur, sAma, Rg and atharva.

ai vELvi

– five yAgam-s - brahma yaj~na, deva yaj~na, pitR yaj~nA, mAnushya yaj~na, bhUta yaj~na.

ARu a’ngam

- SikshA, nirukta, vyAkaraNa, kalpa, cha’ndas, jyotisha]

vaNpuruDOttamamE –

it is indeed this divyadEsam called tiruvaNpuruDOttamam.

 

C. SrI UV:

AzhvAr is praising the tiruppati, at the same time, proving that He is "purushOttaman" as per gitA 15.18:

yasmAt ksharam atito’ham aksharAd api ca uttamaH |
ato’smi loke vede ca prathitaH purushottamaH ||

Meaning:

"Since I am totally beyond the perishable world of matter and kshetra, and am superior even to the imperishable soul, I am known as the "Purushottama" (The Best among men) in the world and in the veda-s."

The kadamba tree was dead from kALiyan’s venomous breath. When kaNNan looked at this and touched it, the touch by His tirumEni and His divine glance became the rejuvenating nectar to bring the dead tree back to life; the tree grew new leaves and blossomed.

He climbed the tree and jumped into the deep pool with a great, noisy splash. The ferocious kALiyan came close to Him to attack. Unaffected by this, kaNNan gesticulated and immediately got on top of the serpent’s head and danced; depending on the appropriate situations during the fight, His dances were wild at times and milder at other times. kALiyan’s wives realized that He is SrIman nArAyaNan and prayed to Him. puruDOttaman learned that kALiyan was living there in fear of garuDa. He provided therefore protection to kALiyan by assuring him that he does not need to fear any more since he now has the insignia of His tiruvaDi on his head. Thus emperumAn showed Himself as umbar kOmAn (Lord of the devA-s).

 

D. SrI PBA:

One time, kaNNapirAn was grazing the calves and directing them towards an un-trodden path. His friends stopped Him saying, "kRshNa! Do not go in that path. We are scared to go that way because, there is a venomous serpent named kALiyan living with his whole family in a deep pool in yamunA river. His virulent, blazing breath is making the pool water hot and un-drinkable. Those who approach the pool meet with their death." kaNNan decided to punish the serpent, climbed the kadamba tree, jumped on the deadly serpent’s head, danced on his hood and defeated him; when the serpent’s wives pleaded for their husband’s life, He forgave him and demanded him to leave the pool and go and live in the ocean.

That emperumAn has come to stay in vaNpuruDOttamam in order to punish the dangerous serpent that is our samsAram – the cycle of worldly existence.

cUDik koDutta SuDark koDi also talks about "pUtta nIL kaDambERi" (nAcciyAr tirumozhi 4.4).

 

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