PERUMAL TIRUMOZHI - 9*

*PERUMAL TIRUMOZHI 9*

*PASURAMS 730—740*

*Van tALiNai*

(thanayan vanam pugath dhasarathan pulambudhal)

In this decade AzhvAr talks about the misfortune of king dasharathA. He thinks that, there can be none like DasarathA, who would have  suffered to this extent, the separation of rAma. DasarathA's grief and regret of sending rAma to the forest is vividly explained here.

730 * vanthALiniNai vaNangki vaLanagaram thozhudhEththa * mannanAvAn ninRAyai * ariyaNai mEl irundhAyai *

nedungkAnam padarap pOgu enRAL ** em irAmAvO! * unaip payandha

kaikEsi than soRkEttu * nanRAga nAnilaththai ALviththEn *

nanmaganE! unnai nAnE (1)

730. Oh! My dear son rAma! Getting to know the excitement of the entire subjects of Ayodhya and the chieftains, who respect you, greet you and honour you by falling at your feet, on making you the next heir to the throne, I got overwhelmed in making all the arrangements for crowning you. Later listening to the words of kaikeyi, I had to dethrone you and send you to the deep forest.[nAnilam - the earth with its four types of land-kurunji (mountainous region), mullai (forest region) , marudam (plains),neydal (seashore)]

What a great King am I? Ordering you to be the King the previous day and threw you out of the kingdom the next day. (1)

731 vevvAyEn vevvurai kEttu * irunilaththai vENdAdhE viraindhu * venRi

maivAya kaLiRozhindhu thErozhindhu mAvozhindhu * vanamE mEvi **

neyvAya vElnedungkaN * nErizhaiyum iLangkOvum pinbu pOga *

evvARu nadandhanai? em irAmAvO! * emperumAn! en seygEnE! (2)

731. Oh! My child rAma!  Listening to those harsh words from my cruel mouth*( vevvAyEn vevvurai)*, you prepared yourself to proceed to the forest. Having least interest towards the kingdom, leaving behind the army of elephants, horses and chariots, you set to the forest with your spear eyed, bedecked wife and your dutiful brother following you. How did you do this rAma? How will I rectify this act of mine?(2)

732 kollaNaivEl varinedungkaN * kausalai than kulamadhalAy! kunivillEndhum *

mallaNaindha varaiththOLA! * valvinaiyEn manamurukkum vagaiyE katRAy **

mellaNai mEl mun thuyinRAy inRinippOy * viyankAna maraththin nIzhal *

kallaNai mEl kaN thuyilak katRanaiyO? * kAkuththA! kariya kOvE! (3)

732. Oh! Progeny of the clan of kousaLya, who is characteristic with her lengthy, speary, reddish eyes. Oh! Possessor of the divine tilted bow, with mountain like strong shoulders. You melt my sinful heart with your compassionate deeds. Oh! The one born in the kakusta dynasty (kAkustA), Oh! Dark hued Lord !, you enjoyed the comforts of the soft mattress while being here. Where as, now you have accepted and chosen to sleep in the hard terrain under a tree. Where did you learn all this rAma? (3)

733 vA pOgu vA innam vandhu orukAl kaNdu pO * malarAL kUndhal *

vEy pOlum ezhil thOLi than poruttA * vidaiyOn than villaich setRAy **

mApOgu nedungkAnam valvinaiyEn * manamurukkum maganE! * inRu

nI pOga en nenjcham * irupiLavAyp pOgAdhE niRkumARE (4)

733.You broke the powerful bow [dhanus], of Lord shiva (vidaiyon -vrushaba vAhanan- the one who has the bull as his vehicle)for the sake of marrying the most beautiful Seetha, who has tresses adorned with flowers, slender like the bamboo and has beautiful shoulders. Oh! My son rAma, you melt my sinful heart. Please come to me now, you can go later. Without fail come here certainly, you can leave after seeing me. I used to keep calling you for want of seeing you often. How is that my heart still stays strong without breaking, even after sending you, at this young age to the dreadful forest where dangerous animals live? (4)

Out of utmost love towards rAma, King Dasaratha, unable to stay without seeing him even for a short while, used to call him frequently and enjoy his beauty from front. In order to enjoy his back beauty immediately he used to ask him to leave. (வா போகு வா)

In the similar way Dasaratha called Him, after deciding to give the kingdom to Him, previously he asked Him to go and follow the rituals to be observed before coronation. Later calling Him to come,under the pressure from Kaikeyi, he immediately asked Him to leave to the forest. These are the two ways of interpretation given for the phrase (வா போகு வா) (4)

734 porundhAr kaivElnudhi pOl paral pAya * melladikkaL kurudhi sOra *

virumbAdha kAn virumbi veyil uRaippa * vempasi nOy kUra ** inRu perum pAviyEn maganE! pOginRAy * kEkayar kOn magaLAyp petRa *

arumpAvi soRkEtta aruvinaiyEn * en seygEn? andhO! yAnE (5)

 

734.Oh! Dear son rAma! Of this sinful me, how am I going to rescue you from this great misery and how am I,going to wash my sin of sending you to the forest, where sharp tipped stones (பரல்) as sharp as the tip of a spear (vEl nudhi pOl)* prick your tender feet and as a result, blood gushes  out, where you have to tread in the scorching heat, where you have to stay hungry as you have to walk long distances. Now, when you have to be happily ruling the kingdom, leaving the pleasures, you have started proceeding to walk with your wife and brother willingly into the forests where even old people like me don't wish to go. Caught under the misery, as a result of the boon given to the daughter of King of the kingdom of kekeya, will I ever be able to get out of this misery ? (5)

735 ammA enRu ugandhazhaikkum * Arvach sol kELAdhE aNisEr mArvam *

en mArvaththidai azhundhath * thazhuvAdhE muzhusAdhE23 mOvAdhuchchi **

kaimmAvin nadaiyanna mennadaiyum * kamalam pOl mugamum kANAdhu *

emmAnai en maganai izhandhitta * izhithagaiyEn irukkinREnE (6)

735. Staying, without getting to rejoice, listening to my son happily calling me dad; without hugging his jewel adorned chest against mine; without even kissing him on his forehead; without assimilating with pride his cool lotus like looks on his lotus like face and the majestic elephant like walk, I wonder, how I am able to be alive, bearing the whole world's hatred, having done this cowardice act of not having him close to me, but send, my beloved child to the forest. (6)

736 pUmaruvu naRunjkunjchi punsadaiyAy punaindhu * pUnthugil sEralgul *

kAmarezhil vizhaluduththuk * kalanaNiyAdhu angkangkaL azhagu mARi **

EmaruthOL en pudhalvan * yAn inRu selath thakka vanam thAn sErdhal *

thUmaRaiyIr! idhu thagavO? * sumanthiranE! vasittanE! sollIr nIrE (7)

736. Oh!pious scholarly brahmins, Oh!Guru sage VasishtA and my minister Sumantara! Why didn't you all advise me, that my acts are improper? My son who has fragrant locks of hair adorned with flowers and broad magnificent shoulders carrying the quiver, has tied up his hair into a knot above his  head like the rishis, instead of wearing silk  attire, he has chosen to wear a kind of reef which I should be desiring to wear at my age. Loosing his charm by refraining himself from not wearing ornaments and instead of ruling the kingdom in this prime age,he  has set out to the forest where at this age, I should be going. Why didn't you all advise me that this is not fair? (7)

737 ponpetRAr ezhil vEdhap pudhalvanaiyum * thambiyaiyum pUvai pOlum *

minpatRA nuNmarungkul * melliyal en marugiyaiyum vanaththil pOkki **

nin patRA nin magan mEl pazhi viLaiththittu * ennaiyum nILvAnil pOkka *

en petRAy? kaikEsI! * irunilaththil inidhAga irukkinRAyE (8)

737. Hey kaikEyi ! Mercilessly, sending our son rAma, who is similar to mahAvishnu - the epitome of knowledge and vEdas himself (பொன்பெற்றாரெழில் - here பொன் denotes the knowledge. He has received the great Vedic knowledge from both Vasishta and viswAmitra.), his very own brother Lakshmana and  my daughter in law Seetha who is like a parrot, soft spoken and timid with waist as slender as a lightning, to the forest, you have effected disrepute to your favourite  son Bharatha. Not stopping there, by this act poof yours, you are sending your husband, who cannot live without his son, to the permanent abode. What do you gain by doing all this? Is it to stay happy in this world? (8)

738 munnoru nAL mazhuvALi silai vAngki * avan thavaththai mutRum setRAy *

unnaiyum un arumaiyaiyum un mOyin varuththamum * onRAgak koLLAdhu **

ennaiyum en meyyuraiyum meyyAgak koNdu * vanam pukka endhAy! *

ninnaiyE maganAgap peRap peRuvEn * EzhpiRappum nedunthOL vEndhE! (9)

738. At the time when you were returning back after getting married to Seetha, you encountered with parasurAma, the Wielder of the axe and retrieving the Vishnu dhanus from him, you subdued his anger by chording it and infusing the arrow with all the powers withdrawn from him, you brought an end for him. Oh! My son, the shresth among the Kshatriya clan,setting aside and not minding your greatness nor the grief of your mother, giving primary importance to me and my vow to Kaikeyi, you set to the forest.  Oh! My son rAma, I strongly wish that, in all my births, I should be blessed to get you as my son always. (9)

739 thEnagu mAmalark kUndhal * kausalaiyum sumiththiraiyum sindhai nOva *

kUnuruvin kodunthozhuththai soRkEtta * kodiyavaL than sol koNdu ** inRu

kAnagamE miga virumbi * nI thuRandha vaLanagaraith thuRandhu * nAnum

vAnagamE miga virumbip pOginREn * manukulaththAr thangkaL kOvE! (10)

739. Oh! Lord, of the entire clan of Manu! Causing a deep depression in the minds of Kausalya and Sumitra, both with their tresses adorned with bloomed honey laden flowers, listening to the mean words of the hunched back vicious lady, instead of ruling the kingdom, giving importance to the tyrannous natured Kaikeyi‘s orders, you chose to leave to the forest. In the same manner, leaving the kingdom that hasn’t seen your coronation, even I, who is very much attached to you, have willingly chose to leave to the upper world. (10)

740 * ErArndha karunedumAl irAmanAy * vanam pukka adhanukku AtRA *

thArArndha thadavaraiththOL dhayarathan

thAn pulambiya * appulambal thannai **

kUrArndha vElvalavan kOzhiyar kOn * kudaik kulasEkaran soRseydha *

sIrArndha thamizh mAlai ivai vallAr * thIneRikkaN sellAr thAmE (11)

740.  The victorious broad shouldered  Dasaratha, lamented upon, unable to accept the exile of rAma  who is the incarnation of the beautiful black hued Sri mahAvishnu  to the forest. Kulasekara Azhwar, the Chera king, wielding the sharp sphere has penned carefully using appropriate words. Those who take effort to read these verses, will be guarded against leading a vicious life (11)

Azhwar Thiruvadigale sharanam