22. aNGkaN maaNYaalaththu

aNG       kaN   maa NYaalaththu       aracar *       apimaana
Beautiful this  big world      (it's) kings  (their) presitige

paNGkamaay          van^thu  nin  paLLik    kattiR kIzhE *
relinquishing (who) came to  your sleeping  bed    under

caNGkam iruppaar pOl                 van^thu thalaip        peythOm *
(and) gathered ; like that (we) have come    near you (and) approached .

kiNGkiNi       vaayc ceytha      thaamaraip pUp    pOlE *
sweet sounding mouth make (open) lotus      flower like

ceNG      kaN  ciRuc  ciRithE emmEl  vizhiyaavO *
beautiful eyes little bit     on us (please) look

thiNGkaLum aathiththiyanum ezhun^thaaR  pOl *
the moon   the sun         waking up  ; like that

aNG   kaN  iraNtum koNtu       eNGkaL mEl     nOkkuthiyEl *
those eyes two     bring (and) on us [us on]  if you look

eNGkaL mEl          caapam         izhin^thu 
on us [us on] (our) death (will be) relieved .

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

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

(The Young girls pray to the Lord in the strain of defeated kings surrendering to the emperor , who is  the Supreme Soverign) Oh Lord ! We have come to You  just as the kings of the vast beautiful Earth , who stay contented in large groups at the foot of Your cot ( throne) after renouncing their haughtiness and  self-esteem. Oh Lord! Will You not look at us, with Your gentle and  exquisite eyes , resembling  the half-blossomed lotus similar to a small kinkiNi  ( jewel-like little bells)opening little by little
(gradually)? If You direct Your glance at us, with  Your pair of beautiful eyes that resemble the rising  Sun and the Moon , we will be freed from the curse of sins (past , present and future).

Commentary   By Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchari Sadagopan

Today is sacred Sri Vaikunta EkAdasi day(6th Jan 2001) . Our Lord at Srirangam would have bleesed all those traveling with Him through the Sri Vaikunta Vaasal.

In the previous paasuram , the Gopis described to Lord KrishnA their "abhimAna Soonyathai"( their state with freedom from ahankAra-mamakArams ). In this paasuram ,  the Gopis declare their "ananhArya sEshathvam " ( exclusive  servitude to the Lord and Lord alone ) according to JananyAchArya  Swamy .

With Nappinnai's niyamanam , the Gopis approach the foot of KrishNA's bed and assure Him that they have arrived  in a state of freedom from SvathanthrAthma Bramam  (delusion that they have the independence & power to act as  their own protectors) and anya-sEshathva Bramam ( delusion that other devathais can be obeyed as their Masters instead of Sriman NaarAyaNan alone).They reveal thus the perfection of their tatthva Jn~Anam.

The Gopis tell KrishNA that it must be a curse (saapam)  that stood in the way of receiving His anugraham , although they are fully qualified to receive that anugraham. They appeal to Him to look at them with both of His eyes to banish that Saapam and bless them with the boon of  anushtAna poorthi.

SrI BhuvarAhaacchAr Swamy's description of the context Of Paasuram:

" Sri Krishna (innocently)inquires with the Gopis  the reason for their visit ; and they reply:

Oh Lord ! even though You know very well that we have approached You as refugees , having no one else to give us protection , You have not condescended to cast Your nectarine glances on us. We are born of a family  (of AzhwArs) whose constant prayer is for Your grace and that You should talk to us by moving Your coral- like lips. We , like the vanquished kings , have cast
aside our ego and have assembled at the foot of Your bed  seeking Your protection. Our sole ambition is to be  the target of Your merciful eyes .Your inquiry regarding  the purpose of our visit appears to be a new practise in Your relations with us. Know that we, who should be  always united with you , are today pining in separation  from You. This situation , which appears to be due to some  curse , can be modified only by Your nectarine glances .It is only for this comforting look that we have come to You and
not for any other favour. So open Your eyes slowly and steadily and look at us ".

 Upanishad BhAshyakArar's lilting Sanskrit explanation
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"--mahAmaNdalAdhipathaya: nirasthAbhimAnA:santhO sangIbhUya thvadhIya manja adhasthAna pradEsE yatho Upavisanthi tathA thvadhguNa vivasA bhUthvA aagathya aasrithA:sma --( just as the great kings casting aside their ego have arrived at the foot of Your cot , we are also standing overcome by Your guNAdhisayam and have sought Your protection )" .

KinkiNi Vaai seytha thAmari--" dhara-vikasitha puNDarIka sadhrusa raktha nayanAbhyAm mandham mandham asmAn aalOkaya" ( with Your slowly opening red lotus like eyes , please look at us and bless us).

ThinkaLum --saapam azhinthu: " udhitha Chandra Soorya sadhrusAbhyAm athisundara nayanAbhyAm asmAn pasyasi chEth asmadhIyAni pApAni nasyanthi"
(If You look at us with Your Sun and Moon-like , most beautiful eyes , all of our sins will be destroyed).

PerukkAraNai Swamy's anubhavam on selected passages :
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(1) abhimAna BhangamAi Vanthu = There are 8 kinds of delusions that a human beings have that interferes with their Tatthva Jn~Anam:

(a) Delusion that one's SarIram is AathmA
(b) Delusion that one is a svathanthran
(c) Thought that we are servants to some one other than the Lord.
(d) Delusion that there are bhandhus other than Sriman NaarAyaNan to help us.
(e) Delusion that one can attain purushArtham (mOksham) by seeking UpAyams   other than Bhakthi & Prapatthi.
(f) deep desire to wallow in persihable pleasures.
(g) the delusion that we do everything by our own power.
(h) the tendency to commit apachAram to BhaagavathAs.

The release from these eight kinds of delusions is the conviction that one is Bhaagavatha Seshan ( the servant of the devotees of the Lord).

(2) AngaNmA Gn~Ala paasuram is the 22nd one in Thiruppaavai. AhankAram is the 22nd Tatthvam in the hierarchy of Tatthvams. While talking thus about abhimAna Bhangam (ahankaram's banishment), ANDAL chooses the 22nd Paasuram to house the thoughts on AbhimAnam (ahankAram).

(3) When seeking Lord KrishNA's help in the war to come at KurukshEthram , Arjunan stayed at the feet of the sleeping Lord and DuryOdhanan chose the position at the head of the cot. Once Lord KrishNa woke up , his nectarine glances fell on ArjunA and blessed him . ArjunA chose the Lord Himself and DuryOdhanA chose the army of KrishNA for help in the ensuing battle. The results of that choice are well known. It is better to be at the foot of the Lord's cot rather than at the other side. That is what the Gopis are alluding to here( SenkaNN yemmEl VizhiyAvO).The Gopis pray for the prathama KatAksham of the Lord .

(4) ThingaLum Aadhithyanum : Chandran makes one joyous with his cool rays. Sooryan chases away the enemies with its power. Lord's eyes are like the Moon and the Sun . The Gopis pray for both the blessings ( " prasanna Aadhithya varchasam Chandra kAnthAnanam Raamam atheeva Priya darsanam " is the description of the Lord in Srimath RaamAyanam).

(5) AnkaNN iraNDum koNDu: Seeing with one eye or half eye (kaNN chimittal) generates  base instincts (kaama VikAram).Hence , the Gopis pray for Him to look at them with both eyes like a caring Mother looking at her child with both eyes.This is the proverbial "VishNO: KatAksham".The Gopis remind Him that they are not there for half or one eyed glance that will lead to Madhana VikAram  (Manmatha ChEshtai like in Raasakreedai ).They want the two eyes of the Lord like Moon ( cooling , comforting glance) and Sooryan ( Removal of the darknes of aj~nanam)to bless them for Moksham .

(6) When One recites the 22nd ThiruppAvai Paasuram daily with niyamam , then all the sins committed by us will be eliminated according to PoorvAchAryAs. This is an appropriate thought for this Vaikunta EkAdasi day. ANDAL is indeed our Maarga Darsini . 

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