Sri Sundarabahusthavam – 37

• SlOkam 109:



ASriteshu sulabha: bhavan bhavAn
martyatAm yadi jagAma sundara! |
astu nAma tat ulUkhale kiyat
dAmabaddha iti kim tadA aruda: ||

In the previous Slokam, KUresar was enjoying the Paratvam of the Lord, which blessed pUtanA with moksham. Here, he enjoys the saulabhyam of the Lord, which permitted His mother to tie Him down to a wooden mortar. Azhvar have reflected on this saulabhyam and have swooned over the display of saulabhya guNam of the Lord (ettiRam uralinODu iNaintu iruntu Engiya eLivE — Swamy NammAzhvAr, TiruvAimozhi 1;3:1).

Meaning::

Oh Beautiful One (Sundara)! Let it be that You became accessible to Your devotees and took on a human form (ASriteshu sulabha: bhavan, bhavAn martyatAm yadi jagAma tat astu nAma). Why did You get bound to a mortar with a rope as punishment meted out by Your angry mother? How many ropes were needed to tie Your waist and there on to tie You to the mortar? Please
tell.

Comments:

Many AzhvArs have enjoyed this lIlai of the Lord being tied up by a human being (kaNNinuN siRut-tAmpinal kattuNNappatta peru mAyan). Kaliyan (Periya Tirumozhi 6.7.4) experiences the whimpering of the Lord at being tied down by His mother: “oLiyA veNNay uNDAn enRu uraloDu Aycci oN kayiRRAl viLiyA Arkka AppuNDu vimmi azhutAn”.

Swamy NammAzhvAr says that he understands why the Lord took on sorrowful manushya avatArams with the goal of redeeming a few souls but he can not understand why He let Himself bound by a bunch of ropes and cried over that experience (tuyaril maliyum manisar piRaviyil tOnRik-kaN kAna vantu, tuyarangaL seytu, tam deiva nilai ulakil puka uyykkum AmmAn — ThiruvAimozhi 3.10.6). KulaSekhara AzhvAr takes on the role of Mother YaSodA and enjoyed the limitless blissful anubhavam of watching KuTTi KaNNan squirming on being tied, looking at her with eyes full of fear and begging Her with folded hands to free Him. KUresar asks the Lord: How many ropes did it take to tie You up? Please tell (ulUkhale kiyat dAma baddha:?)

• SlOkam 110:



sundarorubhuja! nandanandana:
tvam bhavan bhramara vibhrama alaka:
mandireshu navanIta tallajam
vallavIdhiyam uta vyacUcura: ||

In this Slokam, KUresar poses another question to the Lord relating to His stealing of butter and curd.

Meaning::

Oh Sundararajan with stout and well rounded shoulders! You became the son of Nandan with dark tresses resembling that of the color of the black beetles (bhramara vibhrama alaka:) and stole special butter (navanIta tallajam) from the homes of the cowherdesses. Did You steal butter or did You steal the hearts of the young cowherdesses?

• SlOkam 111:

kALiyasya phaNatAm Sirastu me
sat kadambaSikaratmeva vA |
vashTi jushTavanasSaila sundara!
tvat padAbja yugamarpitam yayo: ||

This Slokam houses a prayer of KUresar about the Lord placing His sacred feet on his head and redeem him like He redeemed the kALiya nAgam and the burnt out Kadamba tree from which the Lord jumped to dance on the hoods of kALiyan.

Meaning::

Oh Lord, Who chose TirumAlirumcOlai as Your preferred residence (jushTavana Saila)! Sundara! Your sacred feet was placed on the hoods of kALiyan and on “the almost dead” Kadamba tree on the banks of the pond (maDu in YamunA river), where kALiyan was causing harm to trees and animals. May those auspicious feet of Yours be placed on my head as well to redeem me to gain sattA (true existence)! aDiyEn desires this saubhAgyam also.

Comments:

KUresar refers to the wonderful transformative power of the Lord’s sacred feet as it comes into contact with a plant or creeper or the head of a snake in the atimAnusha stavam (Acinvata: kusuma angri saroruham te ye bhejire bata vanaspatayo latA vA). The Kadamba tree by the side of the pond where kALiyan lived had lost its leaves, flowers and fruits and was struggling with its life as a result of the ingestion of the poison exuded by kALiyan before the Lord climbed on it to jump from there. The mere contact with the Lord’s sacred feet brought the Kadamba tree back to life in full bloom. You placed Your holy feet even when they were not seeking them. Such a contact showered mangalams on both kALiyan and the Kadamba tree. PurANa vAkyam houses the wish of the poet wanting to be that Kadamba tree: “patyu: prajAnAm aiSvaryam paSUnAm vA na kAmaye, aham kadambo bhUyAsam kundo vA yamunAtaTe”. The poet longs for being a Kadamba or Kunda tree on the banks of YamunA river instead of seeking cattle, progeny and all other kinds of wealth.

Source:

Oppiliappan KOil Sri Varadachari SaThakOpan Swami