Verse 18    Word For Word  Translation  Commentary  Errors

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18. un^thu mathakaLiRRan

Simple Word for Word meanings
un^thu             matha                kaLiRRan       Otaatha                    thOL                 valiyan *
Showing off (your) excitement (like an) elephant (who) does not retreat (and has) shoulders (that are) powerful

nan^thakOpaalan marumakaLE                    nappinnaay *
NandagOpan's    daughter-in-law (Oh you !) .  Oh Nappinai

kan^tham        kamazhum  kuzhali            katai         thiRavaay *
(with) fragrant smelling  head of hair (the) door (please) open .

van^thu     eNGkum       kOzhi              azhaiththana kaaN *  maathavip
Are up and  everywhere   the hens (and are) calling      Look !  Kurukkathi flowers

pan^thal             mEl  palkaal       kuyili        naNGkaL             kUvina  kaaN *
bower   (sitting on) top several times  cuckoo birds  of many sorts (are) singing Look !

pan^thaar           virali       un    maiththunan        pEr               paatac *
(Holding) ball (in) fingers (He) your  husband   (we his) praises (want to) sing (if you)

cen^thaamaraik          kaiyaal         cIraar    vaLai     olippa *
(with your) red Lotus   hands    (with) beautiful bangles  jingling

van^thu          thiRavaay       makizhn^thu
(can) Come (and) open (the door) with joy.

El                                Or empaavaay
Come (Let us do) (the penance of) paavai nOmbu

Translation   By Dr. V.K.S.N. Raghavan

Oh daughter-in-law of King NandagOpA , who has the proud gait of elephants  and who is known for His valiant  shoulders with invincible strength ( that he would  never leave a battle field without victory).  Oh Nappinnai with enchanting fragrant black tresses !  Kindly unlock Your door. Hearken , the cocks have awakened now everywhere and are making lound noises. Hearken, even  the group of cuckoos , sitting on the bower of Maadhavi (Kurukkatthi) flowers , have cooed gently many times.  Oh Young Lady holding the sporting ball with Your fingers   as BhOgOpakaraNam ! As we wish to sing about Your Lord's  names , please come with joy and open the door with Your  red lotus-like soft hands , which create a plesant sound  (sunAdham)from the movement of Your bracelets adorning  Your forearms .(This is the famous Paasuram associated  with AchAryA RaamAnujA's swoon , when he identified  AthtuzhAi , the daughter of his AchAryAn , with Nappinnai , when she(Atthuzhai) opened the door of her house with  jangling bangles to offer Bikshai to RamanujA ).

Commentary   By Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchari Sadagopan

In this Paasuram , an esoteric doctrine of Sri Vaishnavism is included. According to this doctrine , the Lord and Sri Devi are inseparable and they serve together  as UpAyam (means) and UpEyam (Ultimate goal) .This fundamental doctrine is known as "Yeka Seshithvam" . With this in mind, ANDAL wakes up Goddess Nappinnai , the consort of the Lord now and appeals to Her.

Literal meaning of the Paasuram
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Oh daughter-in-law of King NandagOpA , who has the proud gait of elephants  and who is known for His valiant  shoulders with invincible strength ( that he would  never leave a battle field without victory).  Oh Nappinnai with enchanting fragrant black tresses !  Kindly unlock Your door. Hearken , the cocks have awakened now everywhere and are making lound noises. Hearken, even  the group of cuckoos , sitting on the bower of Maadhavi (Kurukkatthi) flowers , have cooed gently many times.  Oh Young Lady holding the sporting ball with Your fingers   as BhOgOpakaraNam ! As we wish to sing about Your Lord's  names , please come with joy and open the door with Your  red lotus-like soft hands , which create a plesant sound  (sunAdham)from the movement of Your bracelets adorning  Your forearms .(This is the famous Paasuram associated  with AchAryA RaamAnujA's swoon , when he identified  AthtuzhAi , the daughter of his AchAryAn , with Nappinnai , when she(Atthuzhai) opened the door of her house with  jangling bangles to offer Bikshai to RamanujA ).

Inner meanings according to Abhinava Desikan
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In our AarAdhanam , we awaken (invoke) AchAryan and Ananatha-Garuda-VishvaksEnar (nithyasooris)  first and then awaken PirAtti. Here through  the awakening of Nappinnai , all the three parties are awakened .

In KrishNavathAram , unitl the time of the Lord's  residence in Gokulam , Nappinai PirAtti was PradhAnam  (chief wife)and enjoyed the andharangam of the Lord. Nappinnai is the incarnation of NeeLA dEvi.Therefore ,  the Gopis approach Nappinnai seeking her intercession  (PurushakAram). Without PurushakAram of PirAtti, Saasthrams  say that one should not approach BhagavAn . Even PirAtti would  not intervene unless that the chEthanam has sath sahavAsam and SadAchArya sambhandham.Therefore as poorvAngam (preliminaries ), the Gopis related to the gate keepers, and NandhagOpan . Nappinai's close relative is NandhagOpan .  Therefore, the Gopis address Napinnai cleverly as " NandhagOpAlan MarumahaLE "here.

NandhagOpan's Isvaryam is indicated with " Unthu mathakaLiRRin OdAtha ThOlvaliyan" in this paasuram . Besides his wealth  of cattle , NandagOpAlan is known for the herd of elephants  befitting his role as the king of GopAs. His Bhuja bala parakramam is also indicated by the reference to  the elephants in rut , which NandhagOpan is able to subjugate .

Inner Meanings by PerukkAraNai Swamy
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Here the PrAdhAnyam of PurushakAra BhUthai,Nappinnai is saluted .

"vanthengum KOZHI azhaitthana KaaNN ": The reference to kOzhi (Cock) is a reference to one of the Vaishnava LakshaNams. VaishNavAs are said to be like "(1)Kokku(Crane) , (2)kOzhi ,(3) Uppu (salt) and(4) Oomai (dumb) . In the case of kOzhi, it wakes up in the morning and wakes others up by crowing three times. The reasons for crowing thrice  are given as:

(1) to remind us about thrikAla sandhyAvandhanam
(2)To remind us about the japam of three rahasyams: Thirumanthiram ,  Dhvayam and charama slOkam
(3) to remind us thatWe need  the three lakshaNams:BrAmanathvam ,VaishNavathvam and  Prapannathvam.

kOzhi also stirs up the dirt and picks the essentials and discards the rest(kuppai kiLaruthal).It is hence  a Saara-grAhi.

Inner Meanings of Individual passages
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Unthu madha KaLLiRRIn    One who has got Ubhaya VibhUthi  and therefore does not pay heed to others

OdAtha thOL valiyan      One with unobstructed sankalpam

NandhagOpAlan marumahaLE           Oh MahA Lakshmi ,who embraces that Lord of Ubhaya VibhUthi and unobstructed sankalpam !

ghandham kamazhum Kuzhali kadai       Please banish the obstacles that  stand in the way of attaining Kesavan (Your Lord of fragrant tresses).Please remove our sins  and say "asthu tE dayaiva sarvam sampathsyathe"

kOzhi vanthu yengum azhaitthana kANN                 SaaragrAhis like us (like kOzhi) are going everywhere you are and performing our prapatthi.  Please take note of this.

Maadhavi pandhal mEl pal kaal kuyil Koovina KaaNN       Valmiki , Sukhar and other sages
 are sitting on the VedAntha SaakhAs and are singing Your Lord's glories

panthAr virali unn maitthunar pEr paaDa          For converting us , who are like instruments of play (LeelOpakaranam) for Him into bhOgOpakaraNam for Him

senthAmarai olippa       please  create sunAdhams (auspicious dhvani) from the ornaments that You  are wearing

Vanthu thiRavAi          and remove the anger of Your Lord  at us!

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyana , NaarAyana !

Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr ThiruvadigaLE Saranam ,
Sarvam KrushNArpanam asthu
RaamAnuja Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan