Thirupavai Pasuram 17

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/01/thirupavai-pasuram-16.html

This seventeenth pasuram is different from the rest as it ends differently. We will analyze the end towards the end of this commentary. Vedas have blessed the performer of the Ashwamedha Yagam with many fruits. The same fruits are conferred upon those who chant this pasuram regularly. Mostly this pasuram falls on or around Jan 1^st. The Ishti performed during this month is called as Agrahayanam Ishti. This Ishti is very important as it marks the entry of the Sun into Capricorn (Makara Sankaranthi). Thus this month is significant as the Sun starts on his north ward travels thus bringing summer rays to us. This month of Margazhi was traditionally the New Year as per the agama shastras. The 1^st month of the year is offered to Perumal out of respect and we begin our endeavors starting from the second month.

The gopi girls with Nachiar were allowed inside by the second guard. As they entered into a room, they saw Nanda Gopalan sleeping there. The girls sought his permission before proceeding further into the house in search of Krishna. They saw Nanda Gopalan sleeping on his bed with a sharp spear by his side. He was ready to spring upon any enemies who might come to harm Krishna.

Through this pasuram Nachiar instructs us to pay homage to Dwara Palakas, Azhwars and Acharyans before proceeding to Perumal Sannidhi. The girls proceeded to wake-up Nanda Gopalan because they knew that Krishna will grant them interview if they tell Him that they have the permission of Nanda Gopalan.

Sita Devi narrated about her wedding day to Anasuya the wife of Atri Maharishi. Sita Devi mentioned that their wedding was arranged by Emperor Dasarathar. From the Ramayana we know that Lord Rama won the hand of Sita Devi after breaking the ceremonial Bow. How is it that Sita Piratti is then describing their wedding as arranged by Emperor Dasarathar? It was because when King Janakar approached Lord Rama to offer the hand of Sita Devi in marriage, Lord Rama refused stating that He broke the bow as per the instructions of His Acharyan; in order to accept the hand of Sita Devi He required His father’s permission. King Janakar sent messengers to seek Emperor Dasarathar’s permission. As soon as the emperor received the message, he went to seek the permission of his Acharyan, Sage Vasishta. Thus the wedding of Lord Rama and Sita Devi was arranged by their parents.

The gopi girls addressed Nanda Gopalan as their leader and requested him to wake up and take a seat in order to listen to their requests. The gopis called Nanda Gopalan as the Emperor among philanthropists because he always donates the best quality clothes, water and food. He only gave items in good condition which he himself will use. Thus he is an expert in making donations. He never gave away poor quality items as doing so would make the receiver feel inferior like a beggar. If he donated clothes, the material was the exact same type that he preferred to wear. He gave clean potable water to those who were thirsty and served excellent nutritious and tasty food to anyone who came to him feeling hungry. Lord Krishna learnt about the art of making donation from Nanda Gopalan which is why Lord Krishna was able to donate sarees to Draupadi when she needed clothing. Lord Krishna fed pure drinking water to the calves but as they kept looking at Him drinking in His beauty, the Lord showed them how to drink water by sipping some water from their pail. Similarly during Govardhanodharanam, the Lord in the form of Govardhana Hill ate all the offerings thus making all life forms free of hunger. Everyone felt satiated except Indra who was the only person who suffered from hunger. Thus like Nanda Gopalan, Lord Krishna also donated clothing, water and food.

Nanda Gopalan immediately granted permission to the girls to enter the next level. As soon as the girls entered the next room, they saw Yashoda Devi. The gopi girls woke up Yashoda by eulogizing her. They asked her to grant them permission from her reclined position as they did not want to trouble her by making her sit up. They called her as Kozhundu (new shoot) because like the new shoot on creepers which starts to dry first when faced with problems, Yashoda’s face reflects the troubles of other gopis as she is always taking care of them out of compassion. They next called her as the kulavilakku because as the mother of Krishna, she has given them the brilliant lamp called Krishna to remove darkness.

Any donation could be performed only with the permission of one’s wife. Even a daughter should be given away in marriage only if the mother agrees to the match. Thus the gopi girls eulogized Yashoda because she was the reason Nanda Gopan was able to perform charitable acts. Yashoda too gave the girls permission to enter.

As the girls entered the next level where Krishna was sleeping they started to complain.

‘Why are you still sleeping? You promised that you won’t sleep when on Bhulokam! Are you just the Lord of the Devas because you always fulfill their request while neglecting even simple requests from us?’ the girls complained.

‘During Trivikrama Avataram, you tore the sky with your feet and placed your Thiruvadi on everyone’s head. You did this act to retrieve the property of the Devas. Do you only perform acts to help the Devas? Why won’t you even get up and grant us an interview?’

As Lord Krishna still refused to open His eyes, the girls sang about BalaRama. They started to wake the security guards followed by Nanda Gopan and Yashoda. In this order they should have awakened BalaRama prior to waking up Lord Krishna. The reason they woke up BalaRama after Krishna was because BalaRama is Krishna’s mattress as he is the Lord’s snake bed. If a person refuses to wake up it is usual practice to pull the mattress from under them to force them to wake up.

Thus the girls sang about BalaRama. The Lord granted vision on top of Adi Sesha to Sage Vishwamithra in Ramayana, to the gopi girls and then to Akrura.

Sage Vishwamithra was terrified to find only Lord Rama sleeping in the morning. As he searched for Lakshmana, he found Lord Rama sleeping on top of Adi Sesha. Thus the sage was overwhelmed with joy and sang Suprabatham thinking about Kausalya’s luck as she got a chance to see this vision every day in the morning.

Similarly when Akrurar took BalaRama and Krishna to Mathura, he stopped enroute to have a short bath in a lake. He asked the boys to wait on the chariot. As Akrurar dived under water he saw the Lord on top of a brilliant white Adisesha. As he surfaced he found Krishna and BalaRama on the chariot. Thus Akrurar was also blessed with this divine vision.

In the temple of Lord Anatha Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram, there is a painting depicting Krishna sleeping on top of BalaRama and Yashoda trying to make him get down from His brother. Thus the gopis saw Krishna sleeping on top of BalaRama.

The gopis sang that BalaRama feet should be decorated with golden ornaments because he brought luck to Devaki’s womb. The earlier six children of Devaki had been killed by Kamsa. Then BalaRama spent a short time in her womb before moving to the womb of Rohini. After this Krishna could exist safely in Devaki’s womb and He arrived at Gokulam safely without being harmed by Kamsa. Thus BalaRama brought luck to all of them.

All the Thirupavai Pasurams end with elor empavai as the girls request Lakshmi Devi to listen to their request and grant them their boons. This pasuram ends with urangel orempavai because if the last line is pronounced as urangu elo rempavai it means the gopi girls ask Krishna to keep sleeping. Whereas, with urangel orempavai, they ask Him to wake up.

Alternate Meaning:

This pasuram shows that our Acharyan gave us the basic necessities of clothing , water and food by teaching us the Asthaksharam. Acharyans are always happy (Nanda) because they are detached from materialistic influences. They are Gopalan because they protect the teachings of their Acharyan in order to pass on their Acharyan’s instructions to us. Go means vak in Sanskrit. The Acharyans are Gopalan because they protect the words of their Acharyans.

The manthram we learn from the Acharyans is like our mother and is represented by Yashoda. Like a mother, the manthrams give us a good life filled with sat sangam when we keep chanting the manthrams. Eventually the manthram will reveal its meaning to us if we keep chanting it. In Trivikrama avataram the Lord demonstrated Asthaksharam. This is why the manthram referred in this pasuram is the Asthaksharam since the Lord revealed Himself as the Supreme Being when He placed His divine feet on everyone’s head including the head of Lord Siva and other Devatha.

The true meaning of Asthaksharam is to do kaimkaryams to Bagawathas. This is indicated when the gopis sing about BalaRama.
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/01/thirupavai-pasuram-18.html