VI.91 This beautiful verse compares the island temple-town of Śrīraṅgam to Viṣṇu’s heaven. The Kāveri is like the celestial river Viraja that borders Vaikuāāham, and the ‘ring of orchards’, valaya-druma-āvaḷi, is like the heavenly garden called Pleasure (nandana-vāṭi) that surrounds Viṣṇu’s paradise. The sprawling temple complex of Śrīraṅgam, considered the largest functional temple in the world, is surrounded by seven concentric rectangular enclosures or prakarās that are likened to the ‘Golden Gates of Heaven’, svarṇa-āvṛti-vrāta.
VI.92 In the previous verse (VI.91), the Kāveri River is referred to as sahya-udbhava, ‘born in the Sahyas’, a range of mountains known today as the Western Ghats. Here the Kāveri is described as kavera-duhitṛ, ‘the Daughter of Kavera’. TKR 658 identifies Kavera as the geographic source of the river, the present-day Talakaveri on Brahmagiri Hill in the Southern Sahyas of Karnataka. The reference more likely applies to the mythological origins of the sacred river. The anthropomorphized goddess Kāveri is the daughter of King Kavera and wife of Sage Agastya. Both performed great tapas to Lord Brahma and the story bears resemblance to Bhagīratha’s long penance to bring down the river Gaṅga. The Kāveri is often described as Dakṣiṇa Gaṅga, or the Gaṅga of the South.
The ‘tambūra’ vipañci is a five-stringed drone instrument. Śrīraṅgam is north of both Madhura and Śrī Villiputtūr, and falls into the traditional territory of the Cola empire, hence the reference coḷī (cf. I.54).
VI.93 ‘prayers of forgiveness’ is an interpretive translation of agha-marṣaṇa-snāna. The term marṣaṇa can mean ‘enduring’ or ‘forgiving’, but here it seems to be a specific type of prayer. VVS 518 glosses the phrase as agha-marṣaṇa sūktamulanu cĕppucu snānanamu cesi, and TKR 658 adds pāpālanu pogŏṭṭe mantrālu paṭhistū. The Kāveri is described as marut-vṛthā, which I have translated as ‘calm’, or ‘without wind’, possibly from the Sanskrit vṛthā which means ‘vain’ or ‘empty’. VVS 518 and TKR 658 offer variant readings—vṛdhā, vṛthā, and vṛtā.
‘noon rites’ is mādhya-āhnika-ādi, the special Vaiṣṇava ceremonies perfomed during the day, including the Brahma Yajña and the Pitṛ Yajña.
VI.94 This verse is a description of the prosperous city portion of the Śrīraṅgam complex. The first three walls enclose large commercial and residential areas that support the temple, while the actual temple begins only after the fourth enclosure. The layout is exactly the same today except that the town has expanded beyond the outer wall.
The poem is intended to highlight the virakti of the devotees, an unattachedness, dispassion or general disinterest in earthly enjoyments.
‘an ārati of rubies’ is ārati kĕmpurālu. The Telugu word ārati or hārati (from Skt ārātrikam, see Brown 832 and Apte 226) is a sacred offering of lighted camphor waved in front of a deity and then offered to devotees. TKR 660 interprets ‘island of white’, vĕlla dīvi, as the island of Śrīraṅgam.
VI.95 All South Indian temples have water tanks or lotus ponds (puṣkaraṇis) that are used for ritual bathing. The tank at Śrīraṅgam is known as Candra or Śaśi in this poem, i.e. the Moon. Caṇḍu is a dvāra-pālaka or gatekeeper who guards the temple’s inner sanctum (garbha-gṛha).
The phrase akāṇḍa gāhanā cāpala-kṛt is unclear—VVS 521 and TKR 661 interpret it to be in reference to a ‘host of demigods’ marut-guṇamu that enter the temple at an inappropriate time, only to be scared away by Caṇḍu. I have omitted this idea and translated the qualifier cāpala-kṛt as ‘whimsical’, from the Sanskrit cāpalyam meaning fickleness or inconstancy.
As Viṣṇucitta enters the inner sanctum (loni-vākiṭan), he moves closer and closer to a full vision (darśanam) of Lord Raṅganātha. The next two verses along with the long vacanam that follows (VI.96–98) describe Viśvaksena, Garuḍa, and Viṣṇu’s weapons (āyudhams), thereby functioning like a reverse parellel to the iṣṭa devata stuti that begins the entire epic (cf. I.10 back to I.1). The poet is in essence bringing us full circle.
VI.96 ‘colourful robe’ is kuthambu. The ‘signet ring’, mudra vrelu, signifies that Viśvaksena acts on behalf of the Lord (cf. I.4 and Note I.4). ‘a hundred motionless elephants’, niścalulai… danti-vaktrula-śatambu, could describe engraved stone pillars (still visible today) rather than real elephants. This may be a reference to the Hall of a Thousand Pillars in the fourth court, although ‘in the north-east corner [of the first enclosure] a small courtyard open to the sky contains the sanctuary of Viśvaksena (Senai Mudaliyār) with pilasters in the ancient Cola style’. See Auboyer 20, 23 and 44 for more information. Sūtravati is Viśvaksena’s wife and is of particular importance to Śrī Vaiṣṇavas (cf. VI.122). Compare this poem and I.4 to Svāmi Vedānta Deśika’s Yatirāja Saptati 3:
vande vaikuṇṭha-senānyam devam sūtravati-sakham |
yad vetra-śikhara-spande viśvam etad vyavasthitam ||
Praise to the Lord of Sūtravati,
divine commander of Viṣṇu’s army!
Just waving the tip of his staff
keeps the whole world in order.
VI.97 ‘Purandara’, the Destroyer of Cities, is an epither of Indra. Garuḍa is the ‘son of Vinata’ (cf. Bhagavad Gīta X.30). In Śrī Vaiṣṇava mythology, his body is composed of the four Vedas, veda-aṅgu. Contrast the tone and imagery of this poem to verses I.3 and IV.10.
VI.98 This is the longest prose passage in the present translation, and like other long vacanams in this text (cf. I.78), there is a heavy usage of rhyme, alliteration and word play. The poet’s pace and narrative style lead the reader through a breathtaking head-to-toe description (cf. Note V.7) of Raṅganātha resting on the serpernt Ādiśeṣa (śeṣa-śāyi), a reclining form of Lord Viṣṇu that is still worshipped today in Śrīraṅgam.
‘Love’ is the handsome god Kāma, here madhu-mathana, the Honey-Wine Maker. ‘Parāṅkuśa’ is another name for Nammālvār. ‘liberated souls’ are muktulu, glossed by TKR 664 as sāyujya sārūpya sāmīpya mukti-pŏndinavāru. sāyujya and sārūpya are technical terms meaning ‘absorbed’ and ‘identified’ with the essence of God. Although Nammālvār is believed to be chronologically later than Viṣṇucitta (Periya Ālvār), TKR 664 describes that there is no sense of conventional time (kālam ledu) in the presence of god.
Compare the description of Śeṣa to poem I.2. ‘primal origin of all the five elements’ is prathama-hetu-bhūtambu agu bhūta tanmātrayun polĕ, and ‘made from the souls of assembled saints’ is dharma-ādi-sūri pariṣat ātmakambu. TKR 665 identifies Dharma as the name of the first Ālvār (Pogai?), but this is more likely a reference to the Cola king Dharmavarman (VVS 524) who built the first temple at Śrīraṅgam (cf. Note VI.99).
‘drowned’ is mārjanam cesi, technically ‘wiped’ or ‘washed’, glossed by TKR 666 as munagaṭam valla. I have used ‘drowned’ as an homage to A. K. Ramanujan (cf. Note IV.5).
‘Tree of the Immortal Gods’, tri-daśa taru, is a reference to the kalpa-vṛkṣam or Wish-Fullfilling Tree of Heaven (cf. I.55, V.74). tri-daśa, literally ‘three stages’, applies to the gods who experience infancy, youth and adulthood, but never old age.
The ‘Elephant King’ is Gajendra, a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu who once became trapped in a thousand-year battle with a crocodile. Gajendra finally cries out in despair and is rescued by Lord Viṣṇu who arrives from heaven to kill the crocodile with his discus. This story known as Gajendra Mokṣam, the Rescue of the Elephant King, is a well-loved section in Potana’s Telugu Mahābhāgavatamu. For an English translation of selected verses, see NRS 143–146.
‘his beauty, a form beyond all forms’ is nija rucira mūrti-valana sa-ākāra nir-ākāra. ‘Flame of the Forest’ is Tel maṅkĕna/ modugu, Skt bandhuka/bandhujīva (cf. Note V.67). ‘nose like a laughing sesame flower’ is tila-kusuma vilasana apahāsi agu nāsa, possibly a hidden play on nuvvu (sesame) and navvu (laugh). ‘Bearer of Scents’ is a literal translation of gandha-vahu, i.e. the breeze.
‘Śrīvatsa’, literally ‘the favourite of Śrī’, is a special marking on the chest of the god Viṣṇu; it is also the spot where Lakṣmi rests her head. ‘delicate black tulasi leaves’, asita-peśala-tulasī-palāśa are the traditional offerings made to Raṅganātha. For Narasiṃha, see Note IV.22.
‘Jewel in the Sky’ is gagana-maṇi, i.e the Sun. ‘like two lapis pillars layered with topaz’ is puṣya-rāgampu tĕravāru vaidhūrya-maṇi stambha-yugambu.
‘God of Three Paces’ is traivikramambu agu or Vāmana (cf. Note IV.24). ‘like banyan berries’ is marri-paṇḍula vaḍupu-gala, and ‘shell of a baby turtle’ is kodama tābeḷḷa meḷḷa. ‘prophesising his tortoise birth’ is bhāvi nija kamaṭha avatāra sūcakambu, literally ‘hinting at his future descent as a tortoise’. The kūrma avatāra is technically ‘earlier’ than the Vāmana avatāra, but this kind of statement only furthers the idea that linear time is of no significance here.
The ‘signs from his life’, aṅkitambulu, are not clear—neither VVS nor TKR offer explanations. ‘three troubles of life’ is tāpa-traya (cf. Note I.73).
‘Primordial Progenitor’ is purāṇa-puruṣu, and ‘Ultimate Man’ is puruṣa-uttamu. For ‘Saviour of Vibhīṣaṇa’, vībhīṣaṇa-varadu, see Note VI.99. ‘Father of Love’ is anaṅga-janaku, a reference to Kāma’s birth as Pradyumna, the son of Krṣṇa and Rukmiṇi. ‘Lover of Śrīraṅgam’ is raṅga-ramaṇu.
For ‘Jaya! Jaya!’, see Note IV.16. Also compare the praise of the Lord in the following section to the daśāvatāra-stotra in Chapter IV.
VI.99 This short teṭagīti padyam is a summary of the legend of Śrīraṅgam’s founding. The idol is believed to have risen from the primordial ocean through tapas performed by Lord Brahma. From the ‘Creator’s Abode’, vidhi-gṛha, it was appointed to Sūrya the sun god and later taken to Ayodhya by the famous King Ikṣvāku, first of the Solar Kings and ancestor of Lord Rāma (īkṣvāku). During the epic war in Laṅka, Rāma was assisted by the asura Vibhīṣaṇa who was a great Viṣṇu bhakta. Although he is the brother of Rāvaṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa is mentioned here as dhana-pati-bhrātṛ, ‘brother to Kubera, Lord of Treasures’ because he, along with Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa and Śūrpaṇakha were all children of the sage Viśravas.
In honour of Vibhīṣaṇa’s service, Rāma invited him to Ayodhya for his coronation ceremony and presented him with the idol of Raṅganātha. When Vibhīṣaṇa journeyed back to Laṅka, carrying the idol on his head, he stopped along the Kāveri for some rest and placed the idol down on a sandy bank. To his great surprise, the image became fixed to that spot. Raṅganātha explained that he wished to remain there forever, beside the sacred Kāveri River, but assured Vibhīṣaṇa that he would always face south towards Laṅka. To this day, the idol of Śrīraṅgam faces south and worshippers must enter the seven enclosures from the southern gates.
VI.100 The poems in this praise section (VI.100–104) are markedly different than those found elsewhere in the text. Here the emphasis is on the metaphysical (cf. III.10–13) rather than the iconic (cf. I.12, IV.11, IV.16–31). This variability relates to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava concept of pañca-tattvam, the five forms of god, viz. para (transcendental), vyūha (emanation), vibhava (incarnation or avatāra), antaryāmi (inner being) and arca (idol). ‘Infinite, Indivisible and Invisible’ is anantun aprakāśun abhedyun.
VI.101 Here there are two derivational meanings for the name Nārāyaṇa; nārāyaṇa = nāra + ayana where nāra can mean either ‘human’ or ‘water’, and ayana can mean ‘going’, ‘moving’, ‘path’, ‘abode’, or ‘place of resort’.
‘Aggregate Substances’ is vastu-vitati, and ‘Heaven and Earth’ is a translation of bhū prabhṛtika, literally ‘the Earth, etc.’, a referece to the 25 tattvas or elemental realities, beginning with the Earth, that are enumerated by the Sāṁkhya school of philosophy.
‘the Venerable, the Lofty, the Ultimate Man’ is a beautiful mix of Telugu and Sanskrit—pĕmpāru gariṣṭhata gala para-puruṣu.
VI.102 This verse makes reference to the Hindu Trinity—Brahma, Viṣṇu and Śiva—who are respectively belived to create (prabhaviñcu), preserve (vartiñcu) and destroy (ḍindu) the universe (cf. Note IV.23). ‘the Great Light’ is mahun, from the Sanskrit mahas meaning ‘light’.
VI.103 The ‘Three Qualifying Colours’ are the tri-guṇas, referred to here as sattva-ādi guṇamulu (cf. Note IV.23). The ‘Collective Senses’, indriya-vitati, are ten in number—divided into the five jñāna-indriyas, sometimes called buddhi-indriyas or Organs of Perception, i.e. śrotra (ears), tvak (skin), cakṣuṣi (eyes), jihva (tongue), nāsika (nose); and the five karma-indriyas or Organs of Action, i.e. pāyu (anus), upastha (genitals), hasta (hands), pāda (feet) and vāk (mouth). To this list the Vedāntins add the four internal organs (cf. Note V.55).
The jñānendriyas relate to the five senses of hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell, which are often respectively identified with the the five constituent elements or pañca-bhūtālu, viz. ākaśa (ether), vāyu (air), agni (fire), jala (water) and pṛthivi (earth), and thus ‘Source of the Primal Elements’, sarva-bhūtamulu kaṇṭĕ ādyuḍu.
‘hours to minutes, to the blink of an eye … thread of time’ is kaḷā-kāṣṭhā-nimeṣa-ādi kāla-sūtra. A kaḷa is a measure of time equal to 30 kāṣṭhas, with one kāṣṭha being equivalent to 18 nimeṣas or blinks.
RAṄGANĀTHA
VI.104 ‘divine actions’ is līlalan (cf. Note II.91). ‘Ultimate Inner Image’ is para-sva-rūpa, and ‘Perfect Emanation of Self-Manifested Light’ is bhavya divya-avatāra, glossed by TKR 675 as śreṣṭhamaina tananta tānai janmiñcedi avatāram.
VI.105 This poem that describes the romantic thoughts of Raṅganātha is written in almost pure Telugu. Like other sīsa padyams (in particular cf. II.30), this verse employs a repeated phrase kānĕkā kaligĕ meaning ‘this must be why’. Here the metaphors harken back to the decription of Goda’s beauty in Chapter V and are intentionally subtle, and not so readily obvious.
Lakāmi’s son (siri-paṭṭi) is Manmatha, the God of Love whose flag is decorated with the image of a makara or karka, variously identified as a crocodile, dolphin or crab, or in this case a silver fish or carp (Tel beḍisa) that Goda’s eyes resemble.
Goda’s waist is as slender as a sprouting vine (Tel tīga), one that is only found in the Spring, here identified as caitruna from the Indian lunar month that corresponds to March or April.
Rati’s vīṇa or lute (kinnĕra) is made from two gourds which Goda’s breasts resemble. Saraswati (Vāṇi) resides in a lotus and has a swan as her vehicle (vāhana). The swan has apparently found a nest (kulāyambu) in Goda’s face, which resembles a blooming lotus.
Goda’s black curls (pĕn-nĕru) are like dark rain clouds that signal the time for peacocks to mate, and her feet are like lotuses that attract bees in search of honey. The flowers mentioned here are dry land mĕṭṭa-tāmaralu, a play on the word meṭṭu, meaning ‘step’.
VI.106 ‘eager’ is the verb uvviḷūri, literally ‘to water at the mouth’, ‘illusion, a woman in her image’ is māya-vadūṭi aṭlu, an idea that may be based on the māya-sīta or Illusionary Sita in the Ādhyātma Rāmāyanam (TKR 678). This short poem represents Goda’s apotheosis, the exact moment when she is merged with God. In fact, it is the climax of the entire work, everything that follows is resolution.
VI.107 ‘holy water blessed by the Lord’s feet along with a sacred cloth reserved for special devotees’ is a descriptive translation of pāda-tīrtha-prasāda-pariveṣṭanambulu. Palanquins (pālakis) usually have a window for passengers to look out through; here there seems to be a window with bars covered with a cloth, intimated by the phrase pañjarambu aḍaliñci, and gloss
ed by TKR 678 as pallaki tĕranu tŏlagiñci.
VI.108 ‘Save me!’ is a translation of the exclamation abrahmaṇyamu, which TKR 678 glosses as mosam (Fraud!), and campakumani pĕṭṭe mŏra (a cry of ‘Don’t kill me!’). Brown 40 explains it as ‘an unbrahminical or sacrilegious act; an exclamation meaning ‘to the rescue! a heinous sin is about to be committed!’ crying for quarter’. Viṣṇucitta’s dialogue here is impulsive and emotional, functioning like a brief nindā-stuti (cf. Note V.40).
VI.110 vāsavuḍu is identified by VVS 536 as devendruḍu or Lord Indra, king of the gods. ‘out of control’ is nir-aṅkuśuṇḍu, literally ‘one without a goad’. ‘Mother Compassion’ is the goddess Lakṣmi, dayā-nidhi amma.
VI.111 ‘pure, innocent Goda’ is nĕṭṭika sīla; ‘a well-behaved person’ says Brown 413, although the phrase seems to have more religious overtones. It may be derived from naiṣṭhika-śāla, literally ‘hall of faith’. For more information on this interesting term, see VVS 536 and TKR 681.
‘What’s that smirk?’ is a translation of the caustic phrase, vinta cūpa pĕṭṭidi. ‘Who can make right the crooked flow of rivers?’ is the Telugu proverb, diddun evvaḍu ilan erula vaṅkalu vāri ḍŏṅkalun.
VI.112 The term used for Viṣṇucitta is dharaṇī-suruṇḍu, a brahman, literally ‘a god upon the earth’. ‘mirror-like cheeks’ is gaṇḍa-darpaṇambulu.
VI.113 Again the Lord’s diction is filled with highly colloquial Telugu phrases. ‘O wise sage, have you lost your mind from old age?’ is mudi madi tappitoṭu muni mukhya, and ‘attacked me with abuse’ is dūru dūrĕdu.
VI.114 ‘O, my father! What’s done is done.’ is a literal translation of nā taṇḍri āyĕne āyanu. VVS 537 offers a variant reading. ‘Speak from within’ is kaḍupu paliki. ‘May you be victorious!’ is the phrase vijayivi kammu. Brown 152 defines kammu as ‘the singular imperative of agu to become. Be thou; become thou.’
The Giver of the Worn Garland KRISHNADEVARAYA'S AMUKTAMALYADA Page 18