TIRUPPAVAI--24

TELUGU VYAKHYANAM

anRu iv ulagam aLandhaay adi pOtri 
senRanguth then ilangai setraay thiRal pOtri 
ponRach chakatam udhaiththaay pugazh pOtri 
kanRu kuNilaa eRindhaay kazhal pOtri 
kunRu kudaiyaay eduththaay guNam pOtri 
venRu pagai kedukkum nin kaiyil vael pOtri 
enRenRum un saevagamae aeththip paRai koLvaan 
inRu yaam vandhOm irangaelOr embaavaay (24) 

 In days of yore Arjuna ordered Sri Krishna,on the holy
      battlefield of Kurukshetra,to park his chariot in between
      the array of the two armies and the charioteer did so.
      So also now the Gopis earnestly solicited Him to walk
      out and embellish the royal throne by occupying it.He
      did it.When He stirred out all the Gopis with Nappinnai
      followed Him with prayers for His safety (Mangalaasaa-
      sanam)and when He sat on the throne held His feet with
      their very tender hands and pressed them to their heart
      and eyes with veneration.They beheld quickly the change
      in hue (i.e., the feet became very red owing to the strain of
      walking and being pressed by their soft hands gently).
 
      This reminded them of Sri Krishna's former heroic feat
      of measuring the whole universe with His very delicate
      feet.They thought they were also as cruel-hearted as
      Indra and the devas who never thought about His tender-
      ness (Saukumaarya).
 
      That Andal is the very worthy daughter of Periyaazhwar
      is proved in this verse.She says: " O Lord! you measured
      this universe for the sake of Indra,who was intent on
      getting back his kingdom;while Bali was after fame.No one
      gave a thought to your tenderness;so we have come to
      pray that you must be free from all evils.
 
      Ravana was worse; he had neither the generosity nor the
      aesthetic sense of Bali.Just like entering a cave and
      waking up and fighting a wild beast you walked to Lanka
      and fought with him.Hence we are afraid for you.
 
      That was when you were 37 years of age.What about the
      asura who entered the cart which was there to protect
      you,at the time when you were an infant and unable to
      distinguish between friend and foe? So we fear all the
      more for that.
 
      Then two asuras assuming the guise of a calf and fruit
      tried to put an end to your life.They were hidden enemies.
      We fear that all the more.
 
      These were evil acts by your foes; but what about Indra for
      whom you strained every nerve ? He suddenly became an
      adversary, for the flimsy reason that you consumed his
      food, and rained stony rain for seven days.You lifted up
      the mountain and saved the entire Gokulam. Mangalam etc.."
 
      UN SEVAKAME - only your (Krishna's) heroic feat.But it 
      may be remarked  that in this paasuram Andal has sung
      the glory of Vamana,Rama and Krishna.However there is
      no contradiction here because they were all His own
      previous births.Similarly her father Sri Vishnuchitta
      sings of them all - "Varuga varuga inge Vamana nambi..
      kariya kuzhal..Kaakutta nambi etc." As Sri Nanjeeyar
      delectably puts it, "Both father and daughter had the
      habit of building dams after all the water had flown
      through to the sea."