Day 21 - eeTRa kalangkaL - ஏற்ற கலங்கள்

Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:
Azhwar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam

eeTRa kalangkaL ethirpongi miithaLippa

maaTRaathee paalsoriyum vaLLal perumpasukkaL

aaTRap pataiththaan makanee aRivuRaay!

uuTRa mutaiyaay! periyaay! ulakinil

thooTRa maayninRa sudaree! thuyilezhaay

maaTRaar unakku valihtolainthun vaasaRkaN

aaTRaathu vandhun adipaNiyu maapoolee

pooTRiyaam vanthoom pukazhndhelo rembaavaay.

ஏற்ற கலங்கள் எதிர்பொங்கி மீதளிப்ப

மாற்றாதே பால்சொரியும் வள்ளல் பெரும்பசுக்கள்

ஆற்றப் படைத்தான் மகனே அறிவுறாய்!

ஊற்ற முடையாய்! பெரியாய்! உலகினில்

தோற்ற மாய்நின்ற சுடரே! துயிலெழாய்

மாற்றார் உனக்கு வலிதொலைந்துன் வாசற்கண்

ஆற்றாது வந்துன் அடிபணியு மாபோலே

போற்றியாம் வந்தோம் புகழ்ந்தேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்.

Introduction:

In the last Paasuram, the Gopikas, having gathered in lakhs outside Shri Nandhagopan's Mansion, having got the permission to enter it from the gate keepers, and having woken up Nandhagopan, Yasodhai and Balaraman, have pleaded to get the Dharshan of Shri Krishna. They poured out their inabilities and requested and prayed to Nappinnai Piratti and Shri Krishna to given them the opportunity to be of service to them in their union.

Nappinnai Piratti was listening to the requests from the Aaichiyars to help them to provide them with Kainkarya Praapthi/கைங்கர்ய ப்ராப்த்தி, to help them to shed their egos Ahankaara mamakaara nivruthi/அஹங்கார மமகார நிவ்ருத்தி (ukkamum thattoLiyum/உக்கமும் தட்டொளியும்) and to also help them Unite with Shri Krishna. (Bhagavath Samslesham/பகவத் ஸம்ஸ்லேஷம்).

Having heard the cry of the Aacihimaars, Nappinnai Piratti, couldnt hold herself much longer and came out to open the gates to Shri Krishna's room.

Padhapadhaartham - பதபதார்த்தம் - Word by Word Meaning:

eeTRa kalangkal/ஏற்ற கலங்கள் - The vessels which are apt to hold (the milk that oozes out of the cows udder automatically)

ethir pongi/எதிர் பொங்கி - To come in front

miithu aLippa/மீது அளிப்ப - to fall upon

maaTRaathe/மாற்றாதே - With no gap/interval

paal soriyum/சொரியும் - To secrete milk

vaLLal/வள்ளல் - the healthy

perum pasukkaL/பெரும் பசுக்கள் - the huge cows

aaTRappatiththaan magane/ஆற்ற படைத்தான் மகனே - The son of the most skilled Nandhagopalan

aRivuRaay/அறிவுறாய் - Please wake up

uuTRam udaiyaay/ஊற்றம் உடையாய் - As described in the supreme text Vedhas, the one with confidence

periyaay/பெரியாய் - The supreme!

ulakinil/உலகினில் - in this world

thooTRam aay ninRa/தோற்றம் ஆய் நின்ற - To make yourselves Visible to all your Bhakthas

sudare/சுடரே - The glowing one!

thuyuil ezhaai/துயில் எழாய் - Please wake up!

maaTRaar/மாற்றார் - Your enemies

unakku vali tholaindhu/உனக்கு வலி தொலைந்து - Have got their pain relieved (by you)

un vaasal kaN/உன் வாசல் கண் - To come to your doorsteps

aaTRaathu vandhu/ஆற்றாது வந்து - They come to your doorsteps helpless

un atipaNiyum aa poole/உன் அடி பணியும் ஆ போலே - To fall at your feet

yaam/யாம் - we, the Gopikas

pugazhndhu/புகழ்ந்து - Praising you

pooTRi vandhoom/போற்றி வந்தோம் - We are here singing your praise!!

Meaning:

In this Paasuram, Nappinnai Piratti, rushes out to open the door and joins the Aaichiyars in their Vrath and together with them sings the praise of Shri Krishna and calls upon Him to wake up and bless them.

eeTRakalangkaL ethirpongi meethaLippa ... /எற்றகலங்கள் எதிர்பொங்கி மிதளிப்ப... - Here Nandhagopan's wealth and strength are praised. His prosperiety is such that His tall huge cows, are constantly milking because of the ache in the udder which is the result of too much milk in them. These cows starts to ooze the milk on their own, and there were not enough vessels that are apt to hold these milk and so the milk is flooding.

Sampradhaya Meaning: Just like the cow's ability to continuously ooze milk, Shri Krishna continuously pours His grace and blessings on all of us. And just like there arent enough "apt" vessels to hold the milk, there arent many "apt" aathmas to receive His blessings. It is not the mistake of the Cow to pour milk as much as like it is not a negative on Perumals qualities to pour His grace, but much so because of the inabilities of the people who are to receive them.

It is for this reason He has given us the Five Sense Organs and Five Senses (karnakaLebarangal/கர்ணகளேபரங்கள்), Sashtras/Vedhas and also to Swathanthrayam(freedom)/ஸ்வாதந்த்ரயம் to make decisions in line with them. But many of us fail to utilize them for the reasons for which they are given - the reason to attain Moksha and to Serve Him, but mis-utilize them by mistaking this Body as the Aathma!!

aaTRappadaiththaan/ஆற்றப்படைத்தான் -

The one who is bound to His Bhakthas!

To give Himself to the Bhakthas!!

The one who reduces Himself so that He is near the mortals (Sowsheelya Gunam/செளஶீல்ய குணம்)!!

The one who does what He says, who says what He thinks (mano vakku kaayam/மனோ வாக்கு காயம்)!!

The one who showers His grace without any preconditions (niruhethuka krupai/நிருஹேதுக க்ருபை)!!

The one who cannot bear the separation from His Bhakthas!!

The one who cannot bear the sorrow of His Bhakthas!!

The one who is loveable to all!!

The one who cannot be shaken from the determination to help His Bhakthas!!

thirukkaiyile pidiththa divyaayuthangalum Vaithu anjal enDra kaiyum kaviththa mudiyum mukamum muruvalum aasanapadhmathile azhuththina thiruvadigalumaai nirkiRa nilayee namakku thanjam - mumukshuupadi (142)

திருக்கையிலே பிடித்த திவ்யாயுதங்களும், வைத்து அஞ்சல் என்ற கையும் கவித்த முடியும் முகமும் முருவலும் ஆசனபத்மத்திலே அழுத்தின திருவடிகளுமாய் நிற்கிற நிலையே நமக்கு தஞ்சம் - முமுக்ஷுபடி (142)

The one who is equal to all!!

To take upon the needs and jobs of Bhakthas as if they are His own jobs!!

To consider even a small gesture from the Bhakthas as a huge consideration to Him!!

To have naturally all the Kalyana Gunas!!

maganee aRivuRaai/மகனே அறிவுறாய் - Hey Nandhagopalan's son!! While we forget to think of you because of our wealth and while we forget to feel your servant because of the wealth and knowledge we have, please do not consider these mistakes of ours, but do consider the qualities of yours and come and help us!! Please wake up!!

uutramudaiyaai/ஊற்றமுடையாய் - What all the Vedhas call as the Supreme God!! What Upanishads call as Supreme and call that straight without any ambiguity!! For what Bhakthas, who underatake Brahmacharyam, One who has countless Jyothis!!, One who is converged by all Vedhas as Supreme, With whom all the aathmas unite!! Hey Paramathma, Sriman Narayana!!

Our Poorvacharyas take the help of Shri Ramayana again to explain this quality which might be even simpler to understand. When Vibheeshanan came to Shri Rama for Sharanagathi, Sugreeva Maharaja wanted Vibheeshana Killed as he was the brother of Ravanan. Shri Rama replied to Him saying even if Vibheeshana has come in the disguies of Sharanagathi, just because he has come I should accept it. He goes to tell Sugreeva a story of the dove pair.

There was a dove (male and female) pair living happily. One day a hunter caught hold of the female dove and went away. When the male came back to the nest he couldnt find his mate and went out in search of the female. As he couldnt find and as it was dark he returned back to his nest, when there was a sudden thunder storm.

The hunter who was bit lost in the woods, thoguht he would spend the night in the woods and took shelter below a tree - the tree in which the birds lived. On seeing the tree the female recognized that she was right below her nest. She looked up and told the male that since the hunter has taken "refuge" in their nest he should be fed, and since there is no food to feed, she asked the male to fall into the fire, which the hunter has lit up to keep himself warm and be the hunters food, and the male did the same".

Telling this story, Shri Rama, established that He needs to accept Vibheeshana's sharanagathi.

ulaginil thoTRamai/உலகினில் தோற்றமாய் - The one who is such a Supreme God, makes Himself visible by taking birth in this world to protect His children and to make them understand the true nature of their Aathma.

Listening to this Shri Krishna says, "All right I will come out, but what do you want?!"!!

Like those enemies of yours, who having realized Your Supreme Nature, falling in your doorstep, we have come at your doorstep to fall at your feet!! (maaTRaaruankku valitholaindhun vaasaRkaN aaTRaadhu vandhu un adipaNIyumaapoolee/மாற்றாருனக்கு வலிதொலைந்துன் வாசற்கண் ஆற்றாது வந்துனடிபணியுமாபோலே)

Here our Poorvachaaryas again ask a question, "When all the aathmas are His Seshaboothans how come there are Enemies to Him?!" and again for our sake they answer this superbly!!

As we forget the purpose of our birth, which is to be of servitude to Sriman Narayana, and as we indulge in wordly pleasures, the Gopikas call themselves as a represenatives of the Rakshasas that Shri Krishna and Shri Rama and all the Avatars have killed. Our Poorvacharyas site the example in Shri Ramayana, again, which is of that of Kakasuran. When Kakasuran did the henious thing to Sita Devi by plucking her breasts, seeign this Shri Rama, let the Brahmashtra on Kakasuran. Having run helter skelter everywhere in all the 7 worlds, as kakasuran had no other go, finally came and fell on the Lotus Feet of Shri Rama asking for mercy. Shri Rama excused Kakasuran of his henious act and blessed him instead of punishing him.

Like Kakasuran, we are doing so many henious acts against Sriman Narayana, and having run around helter skelter, and finally after understanding that we have no other go, we are also here on your doorsteps just like your enemies.

Also another explanation for enemies is that Shri Krishna considers those who do henious things to His Bhakthas as His enemies.

Having come here seeking refuge in your Lotus feet, we are seeking you to help us rid of our Samsaara!!

yaamvandhoom/யாம் வந்தோம் - Just like Sita, who in spite of having the abilities to kill Ravana and free herself, restrained from using her powers and looked at the mercy of Shri Rama to come and kill Ravana with his numerous arrows and rescue her, we are here at the doorstep of yours looking at you to rescue us.

pooTRi/போற்றி - Even your enemies sing of your Praise when they see you. We are just ordinary aaichiyars. Is it not possible to conquer us?!!!

Thus Gopikas explained their inability to do anything in an attempt to attain the Lotus Feet of Shri Krishna - (Abhimaanasoonyam/அபிமானஶூந்யம்)

adinaayen raamanuja dasan