Divya Prabandham — Thiruva:ymozhi (selection)

Namma:zhva:r — Sri:-focused pa:surams from Thiruva:ymozhi

நம்மாழ்வார் — திருவாய்மொழி ஶ்ரீபாசுரங்கள்

Namma:zhva:r (Sathakopa)·9th century CE·7 verses·Daily Sahasragi:thi (Thiruva:ymozhi) pa:ra:yana in the Samprada:ya; Namma:zhva:r Thirunakshathram; recited during the eleven-day Adhyayana Utsava at every Dhivyadhesa

A curated selection of seven pa:surams from Namma:zhva:r's Thiruva:ymozhi that center on Sri: and Her eternal inseparability from Sri:man Na:ra:yana. The Thiruva:ymozhi — the Dhra:vida Veda, the thousand-and-one-hundred-two pa:surams of Namma:zhva:r — is the supreme Tamil scripture of the Samprada:ya, and the pa:surams selected here are the foundational sruthi-equivalents in Tamil for the doctrine that the Lord is never approached except in His union with the Mother. The selection anchors on Thiruva:ymozhi 6.10.10 — the prapatti-pa:suram in which Sri: Herself says 'I will not leave Thee, not even for a moment' — the locus classicus of the purushaka:ra teaching.

Namma:zhva:r — Sathakopa, the chief of the A:zhva:rs and the source-spring of the Dhra:vida Veda — composed the Thiruva:ymozhi as the supreme Tamil expression of Vedic truth, eleven hundred and two pa:surams arranged in ten centuries of ten dhasakams each. The Samprada:ya recognizes the Thiruva:ymozhi as Dhra:vida-Veda, sruthi in Tamil, and within this vast corpus a particular set of pa:surams contemplate Sri: directly — Her eternal seat upon the Lord's chest, Her inseparability from Him, Her mediation by which alone the soul reaches Him. These ten pa:surams are gathered here as the doctrinal essence of Namma:zhva:r's contemplation of the Mother.

The theological place of these pa:surams in the Samprada:ya is foundational. Bhagavad Sri: Ra:ma:nuja:cha:rya's purushaka:ra teaching — the doctrine that no soul approaches the Lord except through Sri:'s mediation — finds its Dhra:vida Veda warrant in Namma:zhva:r. Where Periya:zhva:r gives us the Mother's va:thsalya through Yasodha: and A:nda:li gives us the Mother who leads us in the vrata, Namma:zhva:r gives us the ontology: Sri: is the eternal pathni: of Sri:man Na:ra:yana, never apart from Him for a single moment, and any contemplation of the Lord that does not see Her on His chest is an incomplete contemplation. A curated selection of approximately ten pa:surams is presented here; the complete Thiruva:ymozhi with the I:du vya:khya:na of Nampililiai is available through the external sources linked below.

Curated Selection

A curated selection of seven pa:surams from Namma:zhva:r's Thiruva:ymozhi that center on Sri: and Her inseparability from Sri:man Na:ra:yana — the mangala-pa:suram of the Dhra:vida Veda (1.1.1), the Thiruccenkunru:r a:kinchanya cry (5.7.1), three verses from the famous Thiruvenkatam prapatti decad (6.10.1, 6.10.7, 6.10.10 — the seed of the purushaka:ra teaching), the Mother's lament with Sri: invoked (7.2.9), and the seal-pa:suram of the entire Thiruva:ymozhi (10.10.10). The complete Thiruva:ymozhi (1102 pa:surams) is available through Sadagopan.org editions.

Tamil·Always shownIAST·Always shownతెలుగు · Telugu·Always shown

Thiruva:ymozhi 6.10.10

அகலகில்லேன் இறையும் என்று அலர்மேல் மங்கை உறை மார்பா நிகர் இல் புகழாய் உலகம் மூன்று உடையாய் என்னை ஆள்வானே நிகர் இல் அமரர் முனிக் கணங்கள் விரும்பும் திருவேங்கடத்தானே புகல் ஒன்று இல்லா அடியேன் உன் அடிக்கீழ் அமர்ந்து புகுந்தேனே

తెలుగు · Telugu

'క్షణమైనను నిన్ను విడిచిపోను' అని పలుకుచు పద్మవాసిని శ్రీ నివసించు వక్షస్థలమా! సాటిలేని యశస్సు గల, త్రిలోకములకు అధిపతియైన నా ప్రభూ! సాటిలేని దేవ-ఋషి గణములు కోరెడి తిరువేంకటనాథా! వేరొక శరణము లేని ఈ దాసుడు నీ పాదముల క్రింద కూర్చుండి శరణు పొందెను.

English

O Chest upon which abides the Lady of the lotus, saying 'I will not leave Thee, not even for a moment'! O Thou of peerless glory, Master of the three worlds, my Lord! O Lord of Thiruvenkatam, longed for by the matchless companies of devas and rishis! This servant who has no other refuge has come to settle beneath Thy feet, and there entered.

Meaning

This is the supreme prapatti pa:suram of the Samprada:ya — Namma:zhva:r's formal surrender at the feet of Thiruvenkatamudaiya:n, and the doctrinal Dhra:vida-Veda parallel of the Carama Sloka. The first line is the very seed of the purushaka:ra teaching: Sri: Herself declares, 'I will not leave Thee, not even for a moment' (akalakille:n iraiyum), and so the A:zhva:r approaches the Lord by approaching the Chest on which She resides. Ra:ma:nuja's entire prapatti theology rests on this verse: one cannot reach the Lord except through Sri:, because She does not leave Him for a moment.

Thiruva:ymozhi 6.10.1 (opening of the decad)

உலகம் உண்ட பெருவாயா உலப்பில் கீர்த்தி அம்மானே நிலவும் சுடர் சூழ் ஒளி மூர்த்தி நெடியாய் அடியேன் ஆர் உயிரே திலதம் உலகுக்கு ஆய் நின்ற திருவேங்கடத்து எம் பெருமானே குல தொல் அடியேன் உன பாதம் கூடுமாறு கூறாயே

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఓ లోకములను మ్రింగిన మహావదనుడా, అక్షయ కీర్తి గల తండ్రీ, నిత్యదీప్తి చుట్టుకొనియున్న ప్రకాశమూర్తీ, దీర్ఘకాయుడా, ఈ దాసునికి ప్రాణమైనవాడా! లోకమునకే తిలకమై నిలచిన మా తిరువేంకటనాథా! కులపరంపరగా దాసుడైన నేను నీ పాదములను చేరుటకు దారిని తెలుపుము.

English

O great-mouthed One who swallowed the worlds, O Father of inexhaustible fame, O Form of light surrounded by enduring radiance, O Tall One, very life of this servant! O our Lord of Thiruvenkatam, standing as the very tilaka-mark of the world! Tell me how this servant of an ancient hereditary lineage may yet come to be united with Thy feet.

Meaning

The opening of the 6.10 decad — Namma:zhva:r's plea at Thiruvenkatam, addressing the Lord by His cosmic acts (swallowing the worlds at pralaya) and by His local manifestation (the tilaka of the world, Thiruvenkatam). The A:zhva:r ends with the central question of the Samprada:ya: 'tell me how I may come to Thy feet' — and the entire decad answers it: by Sri:'s mediation. The verse establishes the decad's setting as Thiruvenkatam, the Dhivyadhesa where Sri:niva:sa stands with Sri: eternally on His chest.

Thiruva:ymozhi 1.1.1

உயர்வற உயர்நலம் உடையவன் யவன் அவன் மயர்வற மதிநலம் அருளினன் யவன் அவன் அயர்வறும் அமரர்கள் அதிபதி யவன் அவன் துயர் அறு சுடர் அடி தொழுது எழு என் மனனே

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఎవరికి సాటి లేని శ్రేష్ఠత గలవాడెవరో — అతడే; మోహమును తొలగించి సరియైన జ్ఞానమును అనుగ్రహించినవాడెవరో — అతడే; అలసటలేని అమరుల అధిపతి యెవరో — అతడే; ఆ దుఃఖహరమైన తేజోమయ పాదములను నమస్కరించి లెమ్ము, ఓ నా మనసా.

English

He who possesses the highest excellence so that none is higher — He alone; He who, removing all confusion, granted me the excellence of right knowledge — He alone; He who is the unwearying Lord of the immortals — He alone; bow at His grief-removing, effulgent feet and rise, O my mind!

Meaning

The very first pa:suram of the Thiruva:ymozhi — the mangala sloka of the Dhra:vida Veda. Though it does not name Sri: directly, the Samprada:ya reads it as already implicit: the 'highest excellence' (uyar nalam) of the Lord is precisely His being Sri:pathi — the Husband of Sri: — and the 'right knowledge' (mati-nalam) that Namma:zhva:r receives is the knowledge that the Lord is never alone. This pa:suram is included in any Sri:-focused selection because it sets the doctrinal frame for everything that follows.

Thiruva:ymozhi 5.7.1 (Thiruccenkunru:r)

நோற்ற நோன்பிலேன் நுண்ணறிவிலேன் ஆகிலும் இனி உன்னை விட்டொன்றும் ஆற்ற கிற்கின்றிலன் அரவின் அணை அம்மானே சேற்றுத் தாமரை செந்நெல் ஊடு மலர் சிரீவரமங்கல நகருளானே

తెలుగు · Telugu

నేను తపస్సు చేసిన వాడను కాను, సూక్ష్మజ్ఞానమును కలవాడను కాను; అయినను నిన్ను విడిచి యిక ఒక్క క్షణమైనను నేను ఉండజాలను — శేషశాయీ! పంటకు పక్వమొందిన ఎర్రవరికాడల నడుమ బురద-తామరలు పూచు శ్రీవరమంగళ నగరమున వేంచేసిన ప్రభూ!

English

I have observed no austerities; I possess no subtle insight; yet now I cannot bear to live apart from Thee for even one thing more — O my Father who reclines upon the Serpent-couch, O Lord who dwells in the sacred city of Sri:varamangala where lotuses bloom in the mire amid the ripening red paddy.

Meaning

The famous opening of the Thiruccenkunru:r decad — the doctrinal locus classicus for the Samprada:ya teaching of a:kinchanya, the surrender of one who has nothing. The A:zhva:r has no austerity, no jna:na; he has only one thing — he cannot live without the Lord. This is the qualification for prapatti: not virtue, but the inability to live apart. The address is to the Lord on the Serpent-couch with Sri: beside Him — and the Samprada:ya reads the verse as the Mother's child speaking, claiming his birthright by his very helplessness.

Thiruva:ymozhi 6.10.7

வேங்கடத்து உறைவார்க்கு என்று உள்ளம் கீழ் வழியக் கொண்டு நாங்கள் குடி நாங்கள் குடி நாங்கள் குடி என நாள்தொறும் ஓங்கு பெருஞ்சீர் உலகம் மூன்றும் உய்யத் தோன்றிய நாயக ஆங்கு அவன் தாள் சேருமாறு வினையேனை அருளாயே

తెలుగు · Telugu

వేంకటనాథునికి హృదయము కరిగి సేవలో నిలుచుచు, దినదినమును 'మేము ఆయన పరివారము, మేము ఆయన పరివారము, మేము ఆయన పరివారము' అని పలుకుచు — త్రిలోకముల ఉద్ధరణకై ఉన్నతమైన మహాకీర్తితో అవతరించిన నాయకా! అచ్చటనే ఆ ప్రభువు పాదములను చేరునట్లు ఈ పాపికి అనుగ్రహింపుము.

English

With heart melting in service for Him who dwells at Venkatam, day after day saying 'We are His household, we are His household, we are His household' — O Lord who appeared in towering glory for the deliverance of the three worlds! Grant that this sinner too may reach His feet there.

Meaning

Within the 6.10 decad this verse names the longing of the Samprada:ya — the soul's desire not to enjoy the Lord in isolation but to be counted as part of His household, His kuti, alongside all His other devotees. The threefold repetition of 'na:nkali kuti' is the cry of communal bhakti. The A:zhva:r ends by asking the Lord — who took avatha:ra precisely to deliver the three worlds — to extend that same deliverance to him. The doctrinal point: the Lord's avatha:ra-purpose includes this one soul; He owes it to His own descent.

Thiruva:ymozhi 10.10.10

அவாஅற்று வீடு பெற்ற குருகூர்ச் சடகோபன் சொல் அவாவில் அந்தாதிகள் ஆயிரத்துள் இவை பத்தும் அவாஇல் அந்தாதியால் வல்லார் முனிவராய்த் துயருடையார் அல்லர் அவாஇல் அந்தாதியால் அந்தம் இல் பெருஞ்சேற்றுள் ஆழாரே

తెలుగు · Telugu

కుళికులు అన్నియు తొలగి ముక్తి పొందిన కురుకూరు శఠకోపునిచే రచింపబడిన కామనా-రహిత అన్తాది శైలి సహస్ర పద్యములలో ఇవి పది; ఈ కామనా-రహిత అన్తాదిని పారాయణము చేయగలవారు మౌనమునులై దుఃఖ రహితులగుదురు, అంత్యము లేని సంసార మహా బురదలో మునిగిపోరు.

English

Of the thousand antha:di-verses framed in longing-yet-unbound by Catako:pan of Kuruku:r — who, his longing exhausted, attained liberation — these are the ten; those who can recite this longing-yet-unbound antha:di will become silent sages, freed of grief, and will not sink into the endless great mire of samsa:ra.

Meaning

The very last pa:suram of the Thiruva:ymozhi — the seal of the Dhra:vida Veda. Namma:zhva:r signs his thousand pa:surams: longing-born yet longing-free, an ava:-il-antha:thi. The phrase 'ava: arru vi:du perra' — 'desire-extinct, moksha-attained' — is the Samprada:ya's epitaph for Namma:zhva:r: he reached the Lord and his desire (ava:) was simultaneously extinguished and fulfilled. The verse promises that recitation of these thousand verses lifts the reciter above grief and out of the samsa:ra-mire. Included in any Sri:-selection because the entire Thiruva:ymozhi terminates in the foot of the Lord-with-Sri:.

Thiruva:ymozhi 7.2.9 (the Mother's lament)

வாள் கொள் வண்ணம் என் ஆயர்கொழுந்தே என்னும் ஆல்கட் கடல் அமுதே என கொள்ளும் கோல மலர்ப் பாவைக்கு அன்பாகிய என் அன்பேயோ என்ன கோலம் கொள்ளுமே என் கொழுந்தே

తెలుగు · Telugu

'ఖడ్గవర్ణుడవైన నా గోపకుల కోమల చిగురా!' అని ఆమె పిలుచుచున్నది; ఆయనను నేత్రములవంటి సముద్రామృతముగా భావించుచున్నది; ఓ నా ప్రియా, పద్మనివాసిని శ్రీకి ప్రియుడైనవాడా — నా చిగురూ, ఇపుడు ఎట్టి రూపము ధరించునో?

English

'O sword-hued tender shoot of my cowherd-clan,' she calls; she takes Him to be the nectar of the deep-eyed ocean; O my dearest, who is the dear one of the Lady of the lovely lotus — what form will He now assume, my tender shoot?

Meaning

From the 'Mother's lament' decad in which Namma:zhva:r speaks in the persona of the Na:yika:'s mother (paraka:la-na:yika:-bha:va). The lament names the Lord as the One who belongs to Sri: — 'beloved of the Lady of the lovely lotus' (ko:la malarp pa:vaikku anpu) — and only because He is Hers can He also be the soul's. The Samprada:ya places this verse in any Sri:-selection because it shows the A:zhva:r thinking of the Lord and Sri: together even in the throes of viraha: he cannot see the One without seeing the Other.

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