Sloka 38
Sighting of the TiruveLLaRai divya desam
Meaning
Dear Swan friend! You have an aquatic life (water based life). Listen now! As You enter the Cola nADu from the western side, You will find a region called Varsham. This region enhances the beauty of BhU lokam itself. Therefore, it is the tilakam worn by BhUmi Devi on Her forehead. Please do not fear that the name. Varsham refers to this region having continuous rain fall. The name is only Varsham and it thrives on abundant irrigation channels for its fertile fields. When you enter the Varsham section of CoLa nADu, you will see a white mountain (Svetagiri). There are trench like formations around this mountain and the mountain looks somewhat hidden inside these trenches. When one sees this sunken mountain, one thinks of portions of KailAsa Mountain after a large portion of it is hidden in earth. It will also appear as though AdiSeshan is just about rising from the earth, which he holds on His head.
Comments
The beauty of the fertile Varsha region is compared to the beauty of a tilakam on the forehead of BhUmi devi. Here drainage water from Cauvery flows through many channels and makes the land abundantly fertile. TiruveLLaRai divya desam (Svetagiri) is in this VarshA region. The whiteness mountain jutting out of the plains is viewed as portion of snow-clad KailAsa mountain and as AdiSeshan of beautiful white color arising out of the earth.
Sloka 39
The worship of the Lord of TiruveLLaRai (PuNDarIkAkshan)
Meaning
Oh Swan friend! At TiruveLLaRai, there is a jyotirmaya Parabrahmam devoid of Prakrti sambandham. He is svayam prakASam and His svarUpam can not be fully understood by any others. He gains the Phalan arising from its prakASam. He has limitless auspicious guNams. Those with discriminating intellect surrender to Him , when they desire the highest of PurushArthams. Because of His love for Periya PirATTi, this Jyoti svarUpan does not stay apart form Her even for one second. When this svayam jyoti PerumAn casts His glance even once on a cetanan, latter’s darkness of nescience will be destroyed immediately. It is enough for you to prostrate before this PuNDarIkAkshan once. All the wealth and auspiciousness will arrive your way.
Comments
In this Slokam, the words “guNa” represents the wick, “sneha” stands for the oil, “Aloka” denotes the jyoti, “tama:” the darkness and the word “teja:” is linked to a bright lamp. This Parabrahmam shines without the need for any other lamp. It is a divine dIpam with a good wick and does not need any oil to sustain itself unlike other lamps. He chases away the darkness and showers on any one, who prostrates before Him all mangaLams. This is the dhvani in this Slokam.
English Commentary by Sri Oppiliappan Sadagopan
Courtesy: Smt Jayanthi Sridharan (Carnatic vocalist)
