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

Now we proceed to see the meanings of rest of the lines in the second paasuram in Thirumaalai.

PavalavAi kamala chengan achchudha: Earlier azhvar has visuvalised before us a huge green mountain, Emperuman. Now he proceeds to further describe the other beautiful parts of that mountain. This mountain(Emperuman) has a mouth with a colour of a red coral, and he has beautiful eyes which are like a lotus. It is a general tendency of all tamil poets to attribute the eyes to the blossomed lotus to show the beauty of the eyes. Even Kamban while describing the beauty of Sri rAmA says "Alarindha senthamarai pOndra kangal"(the eyes are like a blossomed red lotus).

Emperuman as we told earlier is a little different from the usual mountain in the sense that he doesn't cause any illusion like approaching us but himself runs to the call of his bhakthas. When a bhagavata does ThirunAma sankeetanam he from his reclining position sits and listens and if the bhagavata starts dancing a little bit then the emperuman becomes over joyed. Usually the bhagavatas say that if we sit and sing his praise, he stands and listens if we stand and sing then he walks and listens and if we start dancing(this is the stage when bhagavatas doing bhagavan nAma keertanam loose themselves) then he gives us darshan and enjoys us singing mangalasasanam to him. There is one rishi vakhyam which says "VishnOr gAnancha natanamca visheshataha brahman brahmana jAtEnAm karthavyam Nityakarmavatu"(It is a prime duty of any brahmana to sing and dance to the praise of the lord vishnu) and bhagavan says "naham vasame vaikunthe"(I will not stay in vaikundam when a bhagavatan is singing my praise or doing mangalAsAsanam to me). Emperuman becomes a servant of the devotees who always are involved in his nAma keertanam.

In Nammazhvar's Thiruvaimozhi there is one excellent pAsuram "pulingudi kidandhu varagunamaNgai erundu vaikundaththil nindru"(ThiruvAimozhi 9-2-4). Here azhvar does mangalAsAsanams to three of the Nava thirupathi divyadesams which are all located in and around Alwar Thirunagari. The vyakhyanam to this pAsuram is excellent. Alwar started singing the praise of the bhagavan. The Emperuman who was in a reclining pose in Thirupulingudi divyadesam hearing alwar's excellent pAsurams got very much attracted that he sat up in Varaguna maNgai and then alwar continued to sing and emperuman wasn't able to control himself that he stood up in Srivaikunda divya desam. Alwar didn't stop yet he continues and now emperuman has walked all the way listening to alwar and now has reached Alwar thirunagari and has settled in Alwar's mind(ensindhai angaNkazhiyAdhe). Now perumal has come, so alwar gets more enthusiastic to sing and dance. But then bhagavat anubhavam is more nice if we have more bhagavatas with us. So alwar now starts searching for saga bhagavatals. Now the ghosti of bhagavatals have come. What are they going to do? Alwar replies "nalindha seer ulagam moondrudan viyappa, nangal koothAdi nindrArppa". That is now that alwar has got a ghosti they are not able to restrict themselves to just singing the praise of bhagavan but they also start to dance(koothu) and they have made such a huge noice that all the 3 worlds have come to see what was happening and seeing the bhagavata ghosti headed by alwar singing and dancing forgetting themselves, they are all astonished. Here alwar doesn't stop with saying we sing and dance he says 'nindrArppa' that is inbetween the dance they stand and shout "hare! KrishnA! Jai! etc" putting the 3 worlds to surprise seeing the involvement of the bhagavata ghosti. But the bhagavata ghosti are not at all bothered what the others feel and how they praise them but they are interested only in bhagavan coming to see their koothu. So ignoring all others who are praising them, alwar continues to call the bhagavan "palingu neer mugilin pavalam pOl kanivAi sivappa nee kAna VarAye". Here alwar challenges perumal that if you have the luck to enjoy our bhajanai then come here with a smile on your beautiful red coral coloured mouth. Here alwar is saying that the mouth of emperuman is like a pavalam(coral) found in the water in the clouds. We all know that we find corals in water but here alwar says that the mouth of emperuman is like a coral in the clouds. This is called as Abhoodha kalpanai in tamil poetry. That is the poet dreams of something which is not possible. Even kamban says "mEgaththil Thamarai kAdu pOtharpOl" that is he is saying, like a lotus forest in the sky. Lotus is found in water and the clouds also have water in them but can a lotus grow in the sky? Though it is not possible kamban gives such a description to show that like this imagination cannot come true similarly we cannot also say any comparison for the beauty of emperuman. His beauty is also beyond imagination. Nammazhvar also follows the same technique here. So alwar said come with your beautiful red coloured coral like mouth. But then one thing struck alwar the red colour is beautiful but does a coral have any taste? It is like a stone but emperuman's mouth is so sweet so he says it is kanivAi(like a fruit sweet and soft). Now emperuman hearing our nAma keetanam enjoys so much, like tasting a very nice sweet dish. So with a happy expression on your face come to give us darshan, says the alwar. Here alwar doesn't ask emperuman to come with his usual symbols like shangu and chakram but only with his kanivAi. Almost all the alwars get immersed in the beautify of the ThiruvAi(mouth) and eyes of the bhagavan. Alwar has a similar anubhavam with the Thirukurungudi divyadesa emperuman also. "Sanginodum nemeyodum thamaraikangalodum sengkanivAi ondrinodum selgindraden nenjame" (Thiruvaimozhi 5-5-1)Alwar first sees the sanghu and chakram and then the lotus like eyes of the bhagavan but he is steady all this time but then when he finally saw the senkanivAi he lost his senses to the bhagavan and his mind as gone at the back of the bhagavan. So when alwar thinks about the sanghu or chakram which the emperuman is holding he gets the respect towards him but his love floods when he sees the emperuman's beautiful eyes and mouth. So he sings 'sanghu chakaram endru kaikoopum'(respect is shown by prostrating to him seeing the sanghu and chakaram) but when he sees the thamaraikan he faints(thalarum) and loses power.

So there are so many other paasurams were the alwars rejoice seeing the beauty of the thiruvAi and thirukkan of bhagavan so now thondaradi podigal calls the bhagavan with the nAmA "pavalavAi kamalachengan Achchudha". Achchudha means one who doesn't leave his adiyars at any point of time.