Verse 23    Word For Word  Translation  Commentary  Errors

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23. maari malai muzhaiNYcil

Simple Word for Word meanings
maari          malai    muzhaiNYcil       mannik kitan^thu    uRaNGkum *
Rainy season;  mountain in a cave  (with) wife   lying united sleeping      

cIriya ciNGkam aRivuRRuth                  thI   vizhiththu *
brave  lion    comes to senses (opens his) fiery eyes

vEri mayir    poNGka             eppaatum     pErn^thu        uthaRi *
mane [? hair] shaking (his body) on all sides bending/moving shaking

mUri         nimirn^thu  muzhaNGkip        puRappattup *
into shape , standing up roaring   (as if) starting (to)

pOtharumaa  pOlE       nI            pUvaip   pU     vaNNaa *        un
go        ; like that  you (who are) bilberry flower colored  (from) your

kOyil  ninRu    iNGNGanE        pOn^th      aruLi * kOpputaiya
temple standing in this manner  come  (and) grace . Decorated

cIriya ciNGkaacanaththu       irun^thu *   yaam van^tha
Great  throne           (You) Seated (on)  our  coming

kaariyam aaraayn^thu   aruL 
purpose  examine (and) grace (us).

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

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

In the words of the Young girls , ANDAL describes how the Lord should majestically come out of His chamber).Just as the majestic lion ( Seeriya Singam) crouching in sleep inside the mountain-cave during the rainy season , on becoming awake , opens its fire-emititng eyes ,(looks all around as the King of beasts) , sizes vigorously the locks of hairs of its fragrant manes standing erect , shakes itself up , gets up majestically ,comes out of the cave with a loud roar (simha Naatham) ,even so ,May You , the Lord of enchanting bluish hue of KaayAmpoo flower , emerge from Your holy shrine (aasthAnam)and come out this way--blessing us by the darsana-soubhAgyam of Your gait --and be seated on the perfectly suited and well-deserving throne ; and then, May You kindly look into the aim and purpose of our coming here (and awakening You).

Commentary   By Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchari Sadagopan

In this Paasuram , the Gopis describe the Majestic gait of KrishNa-simham . In the previous (angaNmA Gn~Alatthu ) paasuram , they announced their arrival at the foot of His cot and appealed to Him to wake up and look at them and inquire about their mission . He obliges. Here, they salute the gambhIra Nadai  azhahu of that "YasOdhai iLam singam ". The "Suka Suptha  Paranthapan" ( the blissfully resting scorcher of His enemies)  has now arisen and the way in which He awakens-- like a Lion waking up in its cave during rainy season after a deep sleep-- is movingly captured by ANDAL in this Paasuram.

The Connection of the 23rd Paasuram to Sri Narasimhan
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This Paasuram is considered to be dedicated to Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan by ANDAL. PerukkAraNai Swamy as the Aasthaana VidhvAn of Sri Matam gives this explanation for such a view . In the hills (caves ) of AhObilam , MaalOlan , Sri LakshmI Narasimhan , was in deep sleep ( mannik Kidanthu uRanginAn). He is the  "Seeriya SrimAnAna Singam". He reflected on the unfortunate lot of the people of Kali age and their deep aj~nAnam and took pity on them and had the sankalpam to bless them . Hence , He came out of the caves of AhObilam Hills and went on SanchAram to the villages and towns all over BhAratha Varsham in the company of AadhivaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar and His successors to grow the tatthva Jn~Anam of people and to bless them with the phalan of Prapatthi at His Thiruvadi.

The significance of Number 23
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This is the 23rd paasuram . When you consider 23 as 2+3 , the sum is 5 . The fifth nakshathram is Mruga Seersham or the One who has the head of an animal (Nrusimhan). Although HayagrIvan , VarAhar have the heads of animals , according to Vedam ( mrugOrana Bheema: kuchara: giristha:) , the Mrugaseershan referred to here is thus Nrusimhan. The Paasuram is then about Narasimha Moorthy showing us the Maarga Seersahm ( Talai siRantha UpAyam), Prapatthi maargam for our salvation.

AchArya RaamAnujA and Lakshmi Narasimhan
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VisishtAdvaitha Matha Pravarthakar , AchArya RaamAnujA's aarAdhya dhaivam was Lakshmi Narasimhan .He appointed 74 peetAdhipathis and gave each of them the icon of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan and asked them to spread the glory of our sampradhAyam and enhance its splendor through AarAdhanam of Lakshmi Narasimhan . Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr refers to this important niyamanam of AchArya RaamAnujA this way:

"Valarntha VenkOpa MadangalonRAi--kizhitthavan keerthi
 payir yezhunthu viLainthidum chinthai RaamAnusan".

Narasimha AarAdhanai by AchAryAs
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In all AchArya's aasthAnam , it is interesting to note that Lord Narasimhan is worshipped ( Uduppi , SrungEri , VaanamAmalai et al).Adhi SankarA sang the "Lakshmi Nrusimha KarAvalampa SthOthram " , when he was in deep distress.His moving cry was like the Gajendran's  cry "AadhimoolamE".

PeriyAzhwAr and ANDAL as BhakthAs of Narasimha
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PeriyAzhwAr was a Narasimha Bhakthar and His daughter was also Narasimha Bhakthai .PeriyAzhwAr stated in His passuram that he is "yEzhpadikkAl" Narasimha Bhakthan . For seven generations , He and His family are Narasimha BhakthAs . His daughter of the next generation is a natural Narasimha Bhakthai .She goes on to say in VaaraNamAyiram Paasuram dealing with Laaja Homam that Narasimhan is Achyuthan  ( One who never fails in His RakshaNa vratham of His BhakthAs: "arimuhan acchuthan "). ANDAL through Gopis reminds us of the Achyutha Tatthvam of MalOlan and His aasritha PakshapAtham .One AzhwAr saluted this Nrusimham as " azhahiyAn thAnE !ariuruvan thAne" and Kaliyan saluted Him as "Nammudai NamperumAn" in his Nallai nenjE paasuram.

ANDAL in Her 23rd Paasuram of ThiruppAvai sang about the Vaibhavam of Nrusimhan , when She chose the words," Mannik Kidanthu uRangum Seeriya Singam".

The Inner Meaning of this Paasuram : PerukkAraNai Swamy
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Maari malai muzhanjil Mannik kidanthuRungum seriya Sigham aRivuRRu = Receiving the blessing of dhivya Jn~Anam from Lakshmi- Narasimhan , who is the enduring Thee Vizhitthu principle of the rahasyams of Vedams( Upanishads) , which pour down (knowledge about ) PuNyams and Paapams and awakening as a result of His dhivya anugraham

vEri mayir ponga yeppAdum pErnthu udhaRi moori nimirnthu nee muzhanki puRappattu yeppAdum povaip poo VaNNA Poovaip Poo VaNNA                  =
May you journey to Sri Vaikuntam  to the sound of mangaLa vAdhyams! May You , who has not procrastinated  about the performance of your nithya karmAs , spread the glories of that Lord of fragrant kEsams and supreme Buddhi VikAsam !

Poovaip Poo VaNNA  = Oh Aathma Jn~Ani with blossomed  Jn~Anam!

ninn kOil ninRum      = leaving from the hrudh-puNdarIkam, where the Lord resides

injn~anE pOntharuLi= and proceeding in the path shown  by AadhivAhikAs

kOppudaya seeriya SingAthanatthirunthu = staying at the paryankam of the Lord at His command

yAmm vantha Kaariyam aarAyntharuL        = Please intercede with the Lord for us to be blessed with sarva- vidha Kaimkaryam (nithya Kaimkaryam).

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