Oh happy peacocks! You are displaying your pleasure by dancing with your feathers spread out beautifully! Please understand that I am not in a state of mind blessed enough to enjoy your dance. The kuDamADu kUttan gOvindan has stolen all that I had (sarvasva apahAram) including my eyes (they don t have the desire to see anything but Him), my bangles, etc. Is it befitting of you to hurt my feelings even more by dancing in front of me?

naDamADit tOgai virikkinRa mAmayilgAL: In the last pAsuram (10.6 gaNa mA mayilgAL), the peacocks knew that godai fell at their feet and is thus very weak; so, it looks like they are thinking that there is no obstruction to finishing up their work of making her suffer, and they start dancing by spreading their beautiful feathers. By showing off the beauty of their feathers, they remind her even more of His beauty and thus achieve the objective of torturing her even more perfectly.

ummai naDamATTam kANap pAviyEn nAnOr mudal ilEn: I do not even have the ability to see your dance, since my eyes which are needed for seeing your dance followed emperumAn and left with Him when He left me .

Note the analogous incident in SrImad vAkmIki rAmAyaNam. King dasaratha told kausalyA after rAma had left for the vana vAsam:

(Oh kousalya! My eyes followed rAma when he left; they haven t returned back to me. I don t even see you. Please touch me well with your hands (so that I can feel whether I have the sense of touch left in me or not)).

nAnOr mudalilEn: It seems like godai will have eyes only if emperumAn is with her! The yajur vEda 4-6-5.2 declares cakshur devAnAm uta martyAnAm - He is eye of nityasUri-s and of people, He is her eye too.

gOvindan kO miRai Seidu: Even though He is gOvindan who is easily attainable to cows and cowherds, He is torturing me just as a king can treat his people as he pleases.

emmai uDai mADu koNDAn: 1. He took my natural belongings such as my beautiful fair color; 2. He took away my nANam (shyness) which is my belonging, and also my other natural wealth such as my beautiful complexion and vaLai (bangle). 3. He took away everything that belonged to me with nothing left behind to claim as mine. uDai means belonging and mADu means wealth; so, the one word uDaimADu means all the wealth.

ungaLukku ini onRu pOdumE: It is His nature to torture me. Torturing is not your nature. Then, is it right that you dance before me and remind me of Him?

mudal ilEn: SrI PBA gives reference to en aim pulanum ezhilum koNDu He took control of all my five senses.

emmai uDai mADu koNDAn: It can be interpreted in 2 ways:
uDai- dresses; mADu wealth; or
emmaiyuDai mADu koNDAn : emmaiyuDai our, mADu all the wealth; i.e., everything that I had sarvasvattaiyum koNDAn. The nigaNDu states: mADu pon pakkam Selvam .

Abbreviations: PVP= SrI periyavAccAn piLLai PBA= SrI prativAdi bhayankaram aNNangarAcAriyAr

Oh rainy clouds! In making vigraha-s etc., it is common to first make a figure of wax, then coat it outside with clay, and then melt the wax inside and pour it out. The azhagar of tiruvE nkaTam has similarly embraced me outside, and is melting me inside out and destroying me. Won t you first unite me with Him so that I can embrace Him closely just as I am imagining in my mind, and then shower your rains over both of us to your heart s content?

The clouds have rained and made the flowers (kArkkODal etc.) blossom, and the peacocks dance with joy, and have tortured ANDAL in whichever way they can. Now they have started showering on her as well, and thus continue to disturb ANDAL s mind even further. SrI tirumalai nambi is said to have become deeply engrossed with the meanings of this pASuram and the next one, and after chanting these pASurams, will be filled with tears in his eyes ( kaNNum kaNNIrumAi oru vArttaiyum SollAdE ), and will become silent and not be able to proceed further for quite some time.

mazhaiyE mazhaiyE: the reason why godai is calling the clouds two times is that, they are all so far away and she wants to make sure they can hear her.

maN puRam pUSi uLLAi ninRa mezhugu URRInARpOl: People who make vigrahams first make a wax figure, apply cold clay on the outside , then melt the wax inside and pour it out. When emperumAn embraced godai, it was like applying cold clay on the outside. When her heart melted and turned inside out, it was like heating up the wax to expel it outside.

azhagap pirAnAr tammai: He is endowed with the soundaryam that is so captivating everyone, and I am totally out of my control.

en ne njattu agappaDat tazhuva ninRu: I should embrace Him in the same form as He is in my heart, unlike the current state where He eludes me as soon as I stretch out my hands to embrace Him. When we are together thus embraced and together just as bANAsuran s daughter Ushai and kaNNan s grandson aniruddhan were chained together in the same jail, then you pour your rain on both of us to your heart s content; not now when I am alone and depressed.

The raining clouds with whom godai had already talked to in viNNIla mElAppu had been the cause of several things and events that have tortured her (like the flowers, fruits, the dancing of the peacocks etc). In addition to killing her through these, the clouds have now started raining on her and directly hitting her. Rain during the vislEsha kaLam (viraha tApa kAlam) is not a welcome event for godai. Hence, she is requesting them to rain during the samslEsha kAlam, when the rain s varsham will be Anandakaram .

SrI UV gives a couple of alternate interpretations for this pASuram. One involves taking the phrase maN puRam pUSi uLLAi ninRu mezugu URRiNARpOl URRu nal vE nkaTattuL together, and interpreting the phrase maN puRam pUSi to refer to tiruvE nkaTam Hills, and mezugu URRiNARpOl to refer to the pouring waterfalls over the divine Hills. The anubhavam here is that tiruvE kaTa malai looks like a huge rock coating over some object, and bhagavAn is pouring the waterfalls on these Hills like pouring the molten candle over this shape.

The second interpretation is that ANDAL is praying to the clouds that in addition to their pouring their waters on her, they should embrace Him and bring him over and shower Him also on her (azhagap piRAnAr tammai URRavum). This way, He will be close to her (ennait tagaittuk koNDu) just as she imagines in her mind. There is a coating in her mind of the desire to be close to Him, like the wax coating on the figure referred to earlier. If the clouds bring Him and pour Him on her mind (en ne njattu agappaDat tazhuvik koNDu ennait tagaittukkoNDu URRavum), the wax of desire will melt away because her desire would have been fulfilled.

ANDAL feels: Currently, I am looking at objects like you and my desires grow out of proportions out of despair. If you rain Him on me in such a way that He is with me the way I imagine in my heart, then I will not have to look outside at objects like you any more :
( naishA paSyati rAkshasyo nemAn pushpa phaladrumAn ekasta hRdayA nUnam rAmamevAnupaSyati rAmAyaNam sundara kANDam )

mazhiyE mazhaiyE: Can mean several rain clouds or clouds that are far away or for calling the clouds with love to request them for their help [[compare agastya s words in Aditya hRdayam when calling rAma with love: rAma rAma mahAbAho in yuddha kANDam ].

Abbreviations: PVP= SrI periyavAccAn piLLai PBA= SrI prativAdi bhayankaram aNNangarAcAriyAr UV = SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcAriyAr

Next, godai appeals to the ocean: "Oh Ocean! You gave Him a place to lie down. But He ended up churning you with a mountain, penetrated your body, and extracted the nectar from within you. So also, He entered my body, and He is extracting my life out of me now. Since you have undergone the same kinds of sufferings that I am going through, won't you go and inform tiru anantAzhvAn who is His sacred bed, about all the misery I am going through (so that he can in turn intercede on my behalf?)"

kaDalE kaDalE: The kaDal (ocean) is not hearing when she calls once because of the alai muzhakkam (sound of the waves), so she is calling twice.

unnaik kaDaindu kalakkuRuttu: You helped Him by serving as His bed; He reciprocated by churning you inside out without even having a consideration for you who served as His bed. He is one who has demonstrated that He is capable of drilling a rock at the throat of one who gives Him a place to lie down, and draining out all their power and resources from them. You are suffering the same plight I am going through; so, you should help me.

uDaluL pugundu ninRu URal aRuttavaRkku: He first embraced you as His bed, and then under the pretext of helping the dEvas, He drained you of all your resources.

ennaiyum uDaLuL pugundu ninRu URal aRukkinRa: Just as He did to you, He embraced me first, and then drained me of all that I possessed.

mAyaRkku: Even though He thus mistreated me, He is the Wonder that continues to draw me to Him uninterruptedly and incessantly ("koDiya en ne'njam avan enRE kiDakkum" - tiruvAimozhi 5-3-5).

en naDalaigaL ellAm: "All the sufferings that I am going through, which are similar to the ones you are going through (like going and coming aimlessly and ceaselessly all the time, not sleeping all through night and day, calling continuously, and not giving up no matter how long it takes)".

nAgaNaikkE SenRu uRaittiyE: I know it is a difficult feat to approach Him, but if you go up to tiru anantAzhvAn who is our friend, he will make a recommendation on our behalf. So, our task will become easier. ( "nAgaNai miSai nampirAn SaraNe SaraN namakku" - tiruvAimozhi 5-10-11 - nammAzhvAr had resorted to tiru anantAzhvAn for purushakAratvam as well).

ANDAL is aware of the close relation between emperumAn and the Ocean:

"mAlum karunkaDalE! en nORRAi! vaiyagam uNDu Alin ilait tuyinRa AzhiyAn - kOlak karumEnic cengaNmAl kaN paDaiyuL enRum, tirumEni nI tINDap peRRu" - mudal tiru antAdi.

nAgaNaikkE SenRu uRaitti: It looks as though tiru anantAzhvAn is the only one who is qualified to do kaimkaryam to Him at all times and in all forms - "SenrAl kuDaiyAm irundAl Si'ngAsanamAm". Go and let him know that we should also be given a chance to take part in His kaimkaryam. He is not the the only one who should be allowed to do kaimkaryam for emperumAn.

SrI UV points out that gOdai who had been calling emperumAn by respectful names [[ like vEda mudalvar, vAi azhagar, kumaranAr, vEnkaTa nAdar, maNavALar, azhagappirAnAr ]], is now calling Him in singular "aRuttavaRkku", "mAyaRkku".

Godai tried treating all the beings which were causing misery to her with all due respect, because she considered them to be all part of Him and having His amSam in them. That did not bear any fruit for her. Next, she tries to look for something that has gone through an experience similar to her, and is also close to Him. She thinks of the ocean as the best representative that fits this criterion, to help her who is drowned in the ocean of sorrow. So she now calls out to the Ocean. She calls 'kaDalE' twice, just to make sure that the ocean realizes that she is calling out seeking its help, and not with any other motive.

kaDalE kaDalE: "Oh ocean! I know you helped Lord rAma and kRshNa when they called out to you for help [[ you helped rAman to build a dam across you, and gave a place for residence in dvAraka when kaNNan decided to establish His city down below your water ]]. Now I need your help.

nAgaNaikkE SenRu uRaittiyE: Go, tell Him what my sufferings are. He is lying on you with AdiSeshan as His bed. Don't worry about how to wake Him up, or how to know when He is awake etc. AdiSeshan is very close to you and also to Him; so, all you do is tell AdiSeshan, and he can take care of the rest, since he knows when emperumAn is asleep or awake. Tell AdiSeshan the following words: "Just as He who churned me inside out is always with me, lying on me, embracing me and giving me Anandam, He who churned gOdai's heart should embrace her and give her the same anubhavam of closeness and Anandam also".

Abbreviations: PVP= SrI periyavAccAn piLLai PBA= SrI prativAdi bhayankaram aNNangarAcAriyAr UV = SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcAriyAr

viTTucittar azhagarai varuvippArO?

nalla en tozhi! nAgaNai miSai nam parar
Selvar periyar Siru mAniDavar nAm Seivadu en
villi puduvai viTTucittar ta'ngaL dEvarai
valla pariSu varuvipparEl adu kANDumE

A. Meaning from SrImAn SaDagOpan's tamizh treatise:

ANDAL concludes the final pASuram of this tirumozhi by declaring that with AcArya kaTAksham alone, the Sishya will get to the Feet of emperumAn. She tells her friend: "emperumAn who has for His bed tiru anantAzhvAn, is the Supreme Lord of all, One who is great in every respect; on the other side, we are the measly little creatures who are totally powerless. There is nothing we can do by ourselves to reach Him. But if periAzhvAr who is dear to emperumAn intercedes and invites Him, then we will get to have His sevA definitely". (The inner meaning is that to reach sarvEsvaran, one needs AcAryan's blessing).

Where is pAmbaNaiyAn, whom my forefathers extolled as "kAyAm pU malar piRangal anna mAlaik kaDi arangattu aravaNaiyil paLLi koLLum mAyOn"? Where is an ordinary woman like me? Where is the kOmaLak karumaNi, who is sleeping in kShIrAbdi while His tiruppAadams are being massaged by periya pirATTi? Where is a small girl like me, who is unfortunate enough not to be blessed by Him? We are worlds apart. So, let us ask our periAzhvAr, who has a close relation with Him, to call Him here.

gOdai's tOzhi is even more sad than gOdai. There were only two things that gave some hope to gOdai: 1. Being born as periyAzhvAr's daughter and 2. The words of emperumAn that "He will not forsake those who love Him" - "anbu uDaiyArai viDen". gOdai is constantly worrying : "kumaranAr Sollum poi AnAl nAnum piRandamai poi anRE" (NT 10.4). So the tOzhi is trying to think of some way to make gOdai live. gOdai realizes her tOzhi's sadness and consoles her: "Don't worry; there is a way out for us; periyAzhvAr who is our AcAryar will somehow get Him for us".

nalla en tOzhi: "Oh good friend, who feels sadder at my plight than even I do".

nAgaNai miSai nam parar Selvar periyar Siru mAniDavar nAm Seivadu en: What can lowly creatures like us do to that great emperumAn, tiru's nAyakan, who is lying on His serpent bed ? nammAvAr who did SaraNAgati with the words "aDik kIzh amarndu pugundEnE" (tiruvAimozhi 6-10-10), first sought the purushakAratvam from pirATTi and anantAzhvAn before His SaraNAgati to emperumAn: ("agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl mangai uRai mArbA!" - tiruvAimozhi 6-10-10, and "nAgaNai miSai nampirAn SaraNE SaraN namakku" - tiruvAimozhi 5-10-11. But, gOdai feels that pirATTi and tiru anantAzhvAn, who were sought by nammAzhvAr as purushakAra bhUta-s, are both responsible for her not getting Him. She is in a coma with viraha tApam, and is at the point of slipping away from bhagavad vishayam.

nam parar: only our great emperumAn and no one else is referred to us para brahmam, param poruL, param jyoti and paramAtmA:

"nArAyaNa param brahma tatvam nArAyaNah parah |
nArAyaNa parO jyOtir_AtmA nArAyaNah parah ||
(taittirIya upanishad)

nam Selvar: He is tiruvin nAyakar: "aNaivadu aravaNai mEl pUmpAvai Agam puNarvadu" (tiruvAimozhi 2-8-1). purusha sUktam declares: "hrIsca te lakshmIsca patnyau" (Oh parama purshA! You have bhUmidEvI and lakshmidEvI as your consorts).

periyar: Because of the above-mentioned reasons, He is "periyavar" - a great personality. We are like the small atoms, and He is like a huge mountain.

Siru mAniDavar: We are not from dEva jAti to stand somewhere in His vicinity; we are not jn~Ani-s to be close to Him; we are not like the great anantAzhvAn, who is all-knowing, yet acting as acit and laying down as His bed and thus getting to embrace Him; and we are not like the innocent AyarpADi girls who did not even know the difference between right hand and left hand, yet, were blessed enough to be embraced by Him. We are none of the above, but just lowly, worthless humans.

nAm Seyvadu en? : Even though He gave His word: "I shall protect ASrita-s", we are powerless to force Him to keep His word. Does that mean we have give up seeking Him? Not so, says godai.

villi puduvai viTTucittar tangaL dEvarai: When we have the same Sesha-Seshi sambandam with emperumAn that the AcAryan has, why do we need the AcAryan in the middle? Even though our relation to Him is just the same as our AcArya's relation to Him, viz. we are sesha-s to Him who is the SeshI, and our relation to bhagavAn is thus an ever-existing one, ANDAL is pointing out to us that we won't reach Him until there is the anugraham of the AcArya. The SAstrArtha that is being conveyed is that the role of the AcArya is absolutely essential in our effort to reach Him. ParamAtmA just will be subservient to whatever the AcArya wishes, and we need the AvArya's purushakAratvam in our SaraNAgati to Him. There are of course those like madhurakavi who declare that they consider the AcArya as their God, and there is no other God they will ever seek - devu maRRu aRiyEn (kaNNinuN - 2).

ANDAL is indicating that she is not seeking Him directly any more, but she will seek her AcArya's blessing instead, and she is firmly establishing the AcArya in between her and Him - "tangaL dEvarai" - she is now referring to Him as periyAzhvAr's devar, who will listen to what periAzhvAr says. In fact, the only reason why she is running after emperumAn is because periyAzhvAr is fond of Him.

(SrI PVP reminds us here of an anecdote about tripurA dEviyAr, a disciple of emperumAnAr. Once she was asked why she is not worshiping anya devata-s and she replied: "because emperumAnAr is not doing so. If He worships Sivan, then we will also worship Him".)

valla pariSu varuvipparEl: periyAzhvAr has several ways of making Him come. He might get Him here by attracting Him with "SeNbagap pU SUTTa vArAi" (periyazhvAr tirumozhi 2-7-1) or by singing "paLLANDu paLLANDu" (tirupppalANDu) or by "vENDiya OdangaL Odi viraindu kiHi aRuttu". Or He might call "nAraNA nIrADa vArAi" (2-4-1) or for 'kuzhal vAra". When he calls "andiyam pOdidu Agum azhaganE! kAppiDa vArAi " (2-8-1), He cannot refuse the invitation. He made Him come for nIrADal by "veNNai aLainda kuNungum" (2-4), for adorning flowers by "Anirai mEykka nI pOdi" (2-8) and or kAppiDal by "indiranODu piraman" (2-8). Since he has so many ways of getting Him, gOdai calls it "valla pariSu".

Another reason why it is called "valla pariSu": just as gOdai is trying to have periyAzhvAr as purushAkAram, periyAzhvAr might have his AcAryAr as his purushAkAram and get Him.

SrI PVP gives another instance to bring out the importance of the purushakAratvam of AcArya in prapatti. In stotra ratnam Slokam 22, AlavandAr first does prapatti directly to perumAL:

Probably because he felt that this surrender directly to bhagavAn without the involvement of AcArya will not fructify, in the last Slokam (65), he pleads to bhagavAn to bless him because of his connection with his grandfather nAthamuni, who of course is AlavandAr's parama AcArya and also dear to emperumAn:

"akRtrimat-tvac caraNAravinda
prEmaprakarshAvadhimAtmavantam |
pitAmaham nAthamunim vilokya
prasIda madvRttam acintayitvA || "

"Without taking into account my behavior (which will disqualify me from your Grace right away), please bestow Your blessings on me just because of my relation to my grandfather nAthamuni, who had utmost attachment to Your tiruvaDitAmaraigaL and who has realized the AtamsvarUpam".

"ammAn Azhip pirAn avan avviDattAn yAnAr?" There is a world of difference between His greatness and our smallness. That periyavar (emperumAn) will behave like a kORkIzhk kanRu (a calf subdued by a kOl or kambu) with periyAzhvAr.

gOdai did not give a phalaSruti for this tirumozhi; the current pAsuram stands in the place of phalaSruti, namely, bhAgavata sambandham can lead to the realization of emperumAn.

This pASuram is considered by svAmi deSikan as a great illustration of AcArya nishThA, which is one form of prapatti, where the AcArya performs the prapatti on behalf of the disciple.

Abbreviations: PVP= SrI periyavAccAn piLLai PBA= SrI prativAdi bhayankaram aNNangarAcAriyAr UV = SrI uttamUr vIrarAghavAcAriyAr