TVM 10.4.1

The Feet of Dāmodara are the Support for the Path of Penance.

தாமோதரன் தாள்களே தவநெறிக்குத் துணை

3816 சார்வேதவநெறிக்குத் தாமோதரன்தாள்கள் *
கார்மேகவண்ணன் கமலநயனத்தன் *
நீர்வானம்மண்ணெரிகாலாய் நின்றநேமியான் *
பேர்வானவர்கள் பிதற்றும் பெருமையனே. (2)

3816 ## cārve tavanĕṟikkut * tāmotaraṉ tāl̤kal̤ *
kār meka vaṇṇaṉ * kamala nayaṉattaṉ **
nīr vāṉam maṇ ĕri kāl āy * niṉṟa nemiyāṉ *
per vāṉavarkal̤ * pitaṟṟum pĕrumaiyaṉe (1)

Ragam

Kalyāṇi / கல்யாணி

Thalam

Ādi / ஆதி

Bhavam

Self

Reference Scriptures

BG. 9-14

Simple Translation

3816. To those who walk the path of devotion, the gentle feet of the cloud-hued Tāmōtaraṉ, with eyes like red lotus petals, and who embodies the five elements, are easily accessible. He wields the discus, and His grandeur is sung eternally by the Nithyasuris in SriVaikuntam.

Explanatory Notes

The Āzhvār affirms that the lovely feet of Tāmōtaraṉ (Dāmodara, that is, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Who displays His simplicity galore, exhibiting, on His tummy, the scar caused by the rope tied round it by Mother Yaśodhā) render the pursuit of the path of loving surrender, quite facile—see also I-3-5, where the Āzhvār exhorted the worldlings to stick to the path of loving surrender,

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Word by Word (WBW) meaning

(The words may be rearranged to facilitate conversion from poetry to prose (Aṉvayam). Please read the meanings (in black) continuously to form the sentence and understand the simplified meaning based on the Divyārtha Dīpikai for the verse.)

கார் மேக — காளமேகம் போன்ற; வண்ணன் — நிறமுடையவனும்; கமல — தாமரை போன்ற; நயனத்தன் — கண்கள் உடையவனும்; நீர் வானம் மண் எரி — நீர் வானம் மண் தீ; கால் ஆய் — காற்று ஆகிய அனைத்தையும்; நின்ற — நியமிப்பவனும்; நேமியான் — சக்கரத்தைக் கையிலுடையவனும்; பேர் — அவன் திருநாமங்களை; வானவர்கள் — நித்யஸூரிகள்; பிதற்றும் — துதித்து வணங்கும்; பெருமையனே — பெருமை உடையவனுமான; தாமோதரன் — தாமோதரனின்; தாள்கள் — திருவடிகளே; தவ நெறிக்கு — பக்தி மார்க்கத்திற்கு; சார்வே — எளியனவாகும் உகந்ததாகும்

kamalam — like a lotus; nayanaththan — having divine eyes; nīr vānam maṇ eri kāl āy ninṛa — being the antharāthmā of the whole universe which is highlighted by the pancha bhūthams (the five elements), having the whole universe as prakāra (attribute); nĕmiyān — having thiruvāzhi (divine chakra) which is the tool for protection; pĕr — divine names for such beauty, aptness and protection; vānavargal̤ — residents of paramapadham; pidhaṝum — to recite in no particular order, due to overwhelming joy; perumaiyan — one who has greatness; dhāmodharan — known as dhāmodharan for being obedient towards the devotees (due to being bound by his mother after being caught in stealing butter as said in thiruvāimozhi 1.3.1 -maththuṛu kadai veṇṇey kal̤avinil uravidai āppuṇdu eththiṛam-); thāl̤gal̤ — divine feet; thava neṛikku — bhakthi mārgam which is popularly highlighted in thiruvāimozhi 1.3.5 as “vaṇakkudaith thavaneṛi”; sārvĕ — will be the attainable goal.; vānaththu — residents of higher worlds; imaiyŏrkkum — brahmā et al

Detailed Explanation

In this inaugural pāśuram of the chapter, Śrī Nammāzhvār authoritatively establishes the ultimate goal, or prāpyam, which is to be attained through the discipline of bhakti yoga. He declares that this supreme end is none other than the divine feet of Emperumān, who is the undisputed sovereign of the ubhaya vibhūti—both the spiritual and material realms—and who

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TVM 10.4.2