based on the vyakhyanam of Sri Periyavaccan Pillai
by Smt Sumithra Varadarajan

Before going into the vyakhyanam to the second paasuram Sri PVP places a beautiful avadharikai. He explains the value of the bhagavan nAmam with an excellent dhrustantam(illustration).

"muttai koduththu pazham kolluvargal vilai ariyum settigal pakkal pugundhavAre peruvillaiyena serukkarAnAr eththai poondu anubhavippArgal" That is consider the case of the fishermen who get the pearls from the sea. They actually do not know the value of the pearls they consider it to be like another fish and want to sell it for a price which could fetch them some fruits or grains for them to eat. But when they come to a city side and ask a pearl merchant how much the value of the pearls are and if he enlightens them with the actual worth of the pearl they realise the importance and then want to wear it themselves and adorn themselves with it. Similarly, initially a person by chance hears the bhagavan nAma and he says it to get worldly pleasures. He thinks that if he chants the nAmA and does nAma keertanam then his miseries will go and he can get all the palan he wants. But slowly by bhagavat krupai he comes in contact with an Acharya(settigal in PVP's words refers to an acharya). The Acharya wipes out his ignorance and tells him the actual value of the bhagavan nAma. Then he realises the importance of the bhagavan nAma and also his mistake of misusing it till today. So now he wants to do bhagavan nAma keetanam just for the sake of it and enjoy and not just for any palan. So now even if emperuman comes to grand moksha they refuse it since they want to remain here always to enjoy the sweetness of the bhagavan nAma. That's how now alwars says I will not even prefer moksha if I get the kainkaryam of seeing you and chanting your nAma always.

Paasuram-2
pachchai mAmalAi pOl mEni pavalavAi kamalachengan
Achchutha amararyEre Ayartham kozhundhe ennum
Echchuvai thavirayAn pOi endhiralokamAlum
Achchuvai perinum vEindEn ArangamAnagarulAne

Pachchai mAmalAi pOl mEni: Though alwar is actually doing ThirunAma keertanam, this paasuram seems to be a varnanai of the bhagavAn's sowndaryam(mEni azhaghu, physical beauty). This paasuram has been sung by alwar enjoying deeply the beauty of periya perumal. Here alwar equates emperuman to a big mountain. We are able to see the big beautiful body(thirumEni) of periya perumal through alwar's words. Alwar says mAmalai, a big mountain that too pachchai mA malai that is he is a beautiful green big mountain. Each word of alwar has a significance. 'Big' shows the gambeeram of bhagavan. Emperuman's is like a big mountain with great gAmbeeryam. When we hear that emperuman is so strong it is our natural tendency to refrain from going near him since we are all so weak. But alwar wants to get us close to bhagavan so he doesn't stop with his ghAmbeeryam. He starts the paasuram with a word 'pachchai' which denotes the sowlabhyam of the bhagavan. Alwar here shows that emperuman is not only a big mountain but he is a mountain full of medicinal herbs(pachchai-greenary). These herbs are capable of curing our samsaric diseases. One beauty is that other herbs or medicines in this world cure our diseases only when we it goes into our body but the herbs in the big mountain(Periya perumal) are capable of curing all the worldly diseases and even cure the samsara disease and take us all to moksha, just by sight. It is enough that we go and have darshan of periya perumal and he will kidnap us to moksha. Sri PVP continues to say that when one sees this mountain(Emperuman) from a distance the green beauty of the thirumEni attracts him to come near and then when he comes near he is tempted to surrender to the lotus feet of the emperuman and once he has done saranagathi he will be never able to get out of that place, he will always want to stay under the divine feet and enjoy the kainkaryam of bhagavan.

As we approach a mountain it causes an illusion as if it is approaching us. But this mountain actually comes towards us. That is why our acharyas say if we make one step towards him he comes ten steps. This mountain does not give us illusions but the result. That is why even Nammazhvar calls emperuman as "vAnamAmalaye adiyen kAna vArAye". VAnamAmalai is a divyadesam near Alwar thirunagari. Actually there is no mountain in this divyadesam. The emperuman himself is called as vAnamAmalai and hence the divyadesam also gets the same name. Here alwar is calling the emperuman to come and give darshan. Instead of saying deivanayaka he is calling emperuman as vAnamAmalaye please come and give darshan to me. Though no mountains move according to us, this mountain(emperuman) runs and comes to the call of his bhakthas. Emperuman is attributed to a big mountain to show his strength and to show how, he being the supreme, is standing with great gAmbheeryam but along with that emperuman also possesses the sowlabhyam to come to the call of his bhakthas and get along with them. More than the paratvam of bhagavan our alwars get more involved in his sowlabhya gunam to show us all that he is easily attainable and there is no need for us to fear seeing his greatness.

Alwar then continues to enjoy the beauty of bhagavan's chevvai(emperuman's reddish colour mouth) and kamalakkAn(lotus like eye of bhagavan) which we will continue in the next posting.