nILnAgam

nILnAgam

Stating that those parts of the body that are not dedicated to Him are worthless

BagavAn has given us senses and organs to use them to have BagavadanuBava. Let us not use them to acquire worldly pleasures which are transitory and ‘alpa’. AzhwAr in this tirumozhi asks the people to follow His advice.

1. neeNAham SuTTri neDuvarai naTTu AzhkaDalai
pENAn kaDaindu amudam koNDuhanda pemmAnai |
pooNAra mArvanai puLLoorum ponmalaiyai
kANAdAr kaNNenrum kaNNallakaNDOmE || One ||

Our perumAn is sarvESwara. He rides on garuDa vAhana like a golden mountain mounted on a bird. He is sarva rakShaka who churned the pArkaDal with mandara mountain as rod and vAsuki as cord. The amruta that came out of it, dEvas took. BagavAn felt happy that He could help them. Those eyes which don’t see His beautiful form wearing golden ornaments etc., are not eyes at all. AzhwAr asks us what is the use of having eyes which can see worldly objects alone?

‘kariyavanai kANAda kaNNenna kaNNE’

‘kaNNimattu kANbArtam kaNNenna kaNNE’

2. neeLvAn kuraLuruvAi ninrirandu mAvalimaN
tALAl aLaviTTa takkaNaikku mikkAnai |
tOLAda mAmaNiyai toNDarku iniyAnai
kELA SevihaL Seviyalla kETTOmE || Two ||

He took vAmana avatAra only to grow as trivikrama. He begged three pieces of land only to measure and posses them for Himself. He deserves to be honoured by all (paramapoojya). He is like a great sapphire which cannot be worn by making a hole and which is ever bright. He is very sweet to His dAsas. Those who don’t hear His glories and guNas are indeed deaf. Those ears are in vain which hear vain talks.

neeLvAn kuraLuruvAi—Like a tiger and a lion that shrinks his body only to jump on the prey, He took vAmana form only to grow immensely in size and be victorious.

takkaNaikku mikkAn— In dharmaputra’s rajasooya yAga He was chosen by all as the one to get first honour.

tOLAda mA maNiyai—Ordinary sapphire can be pierced and worn. In due course it loses its luster. But He has neither of these defects.

toNDarku iniyArai kELA SeivhaL—Those who don’t hear His swaroopa, roopa, guNa, viBooti, etc., in detail as said in purANas and itihAsas have no ears. They are simply two holes in the face like pits on the ground.

3. tooyAnai tooyamaraiyAnai tennAli
mEyAnai mEvAL uyiruNDu amuduNDa |
vAyAnai mAlaivaNangi avanperumai
pESAdAr pEchchenrum pEchchalla kETTOmE || Three ||

Those who don’t speak His glories but speak nonsense have no mouths. You should speak about how He killed pootana by sucking poison-smeared breasts, how He sucked yaSOda’s milk, how He resides in tiruvAli and how He is called tooyAn, etc., Do not waste Your vAk indriya by speaking about other men and matters.

4. kooDAviraNiyanai kooruhirAl mArviDanda
ODA aDalariyai umbarAr kOmAnai |
tODAr narum tuzhAi mArvanai ArvarttAl
pADAdAr pATTenrum pATTalla kETTOmE || Four ||

He took a unique narasimha avatAra not seen anywhere else. He tore the chest of hiraNya since he was the enemy of His Bakta. He is the Lord of nityasooris and wears a fragrant tuzhasi mAla. Let us sing Him alone. Any other songs sung on anyone else is not sweet to hear and it is not worth hearing.

5. maiyAr kaDalum maNivaraiyum mAmuhilum
koyyAr kuvaLaiyum kAyAvum pOnriruNDa|
meyyAnai meyyamalaiyAnai SangEndum
kaiyAnai kai tozhAkaiyalla kaNDAmE || Five ||

He is our swAmi residing in tirumeyyam and has SanKa in His hand. He is dark like sea, sapphire, dark cloud, kAyAmpoo and neelOtpala flower. Let us do anjali to Him with our hands. If we fail to do that our hands are useless (tozhAkkaihaL kaiyalla ulakkaiyE).

6. kaLLAr tuzhAyum kaNavalarum kooviLaiyum
muLLAr muLariyum Ambalum mun kaNDakkAl |
puLLAi Or EnamAi pukkiDandAn pon aDikkenru
uLLAdAr uLLattai uLLamA koLLOmE || Six ||

The minds of those fellows who don’t think on seeing any flower ‘Ah! This should be offered at His tiruvaDi’ are not minds at all.

periyavAchchAn piLLai—‘snEhamillAdavan iDil tiruttuzhAyum AhAdu; snEhattODE iDil alariyum Ahum’—if a tuzhasi is offered without Bakti it is not proper; if even a wild flower (alari) is offered with love it is proper.

It is said—once in Sree jagannAth some prince went to worship emberumAn. They knew that He likes SeNbaga flowers very much. They went in search of SeNbaga flowers. But all the flowers had been already sold. There was just one flower left. Since they were rich they offered to buy at a very high price. He had a dream in the night saying the flower offered by him is very heavy and it pains Him. Therefore anything offered without pride and ego is accepted by Him.

puLLAi Or EnamAi—To Him who would take any form-high or low—anything whether high or low — offered with love is desirable.

ponnaDikkenru uLLAdAr uLLattai—periyavAchchAn piLLai ‘ninaivE amaiyum; Seyal mihai’—a mere thought that they should be offered to Him is enough. One need not actually pluck the flowers, go to His temple and offer at His tiruvaDi. Those who don’t have such thoughts are heartless people.

7. kanaiyAr kaDalum karuviLaiyum kAyAvum
anaiyAnai anbinAl ArvattAl enrum |
SunaiyAr malariTTa toNDarAi ninru
ninaiyAdAr nenjenrum nenjalla kaNDAmE || Seven ||

On seeing the ocean, karuviLaipoo and kAyAmpoo one is reminded of His form. Then we should think of offering flowers at His tiruvaDi. If we don’t have the hearts to think so they are not nenju but nanju (poison).

SunaiyAr malar—One need not trouble to climb the tree (like SeNbaga) or to go to forests to pluck flowers. But it suffices to go to a nearby pond and get flowers.

‘tAmuLarE tammuLLam uLLuLadE tAmaraiyin poovuLadE Ettum pozhuduNDE’— boodattAzhwAr pASura.

8. veriyAr karungoondal Aichchiyarvaitta
uriyAr naruveNNei tAn uhanduNDa |
SiriyAnai SengaNeDiyAnai Sindittu
ariyAdAr enrum ariyAdAr kaNDAmE || Eight ||

Know Him as a boy who stole butter kept in the ‘uris’. Know Him as the sarvESwara with red lotus like eyes. Thus only if You know His form and guNa You know Him. If You know Him not but have SAstric knowledge then You are a fool. Therefore AzhwAr says ‘SengaN neDiyAnai Sindittu ariyAdAr enrum ariyAdAr’. To know Him is ‘ONDODiyAl kELvan oruvanaiyE nOkkum uNarvu’.

9. tEnoDu vaNDAlum tirumAlirumSOlai
tan iDamAkkoNDAn taDamalarkkaNNikkAi |
ArviDai EzhanraDarttArku ALAnAr allAdAr
mAniDavar allarenru en manattE vaittEnE || Nine ||

To be human is to believe, think, love and worship Him alone. Eating, sleeping, mating are all common to both us and animals. To do that alone make us animals. Therefore think of Him as the consort of nappinnai pirATTi think of Him who subdued the mighty bulls. AzhwAr says ‘en manattE vaittEnE’ as BagavAn says in Bagavat geeta ‘mE matam’.

10. meinninra pAvam ahala tirumAlai
kainninra AzhiyAn Soozhum kazhal SooDi |
kainninra vElkai kaliyan olimAlai
aiyonrumaindum ivaipADi ADuminE || Ten ||

Oh! Men! You can get rid of pApas which You have to experience as duhKa, by resorting to His tiruvaDi. He is lakShmee pati and AzhiyAn. AzhwAr has sung these ten pASuras on Him with Bakti. Therefore sing them and dance with ecstasy.