Tiruppavai – 21
YetraKalangalEthirPongiMeedalippa
Maatraadhe Paal SoriyumVallalPerumPasukkal
Aatra-p-padaithaanMagane! Arivuraai!
Uttramudayaai! Periyaai! Ulaginil
ThotramaaiNinraSudare! Thuzhilezhaai!
MaatraarUnakkuValithulaindhu un Vaasarkann
AatraaduVandhuUnnadiPaniyummaaPoley
PottriyaamVandhomPugazhndu-eloRempaavaai
English Poem 21
O Son of Nanda Gopala, Owning Many Large Cows that
Generously yield Milk Incessantly; Awake!
Known through Veda; Even Vedas fail to explain You,
Your strength, Resplendent source of Conscience
Embodiment of Entire Light, for the Whole Universe.
Devoid of their strength, Your Enemies Lost pride in battle
Surrendered at Your Feet and Gate, Helpless and Praising
Similarly, We Came over to Sing Mangalam For You.
The large groups of Cows, the animals that give milk on their own, filling and overflowing the pots, are considered the real wealth of the ancient society in Krishna’s Dwapara Yuga. The cows in Nanda Vraja have grown with regular affectionate divine touch of Krishna. They learnt to be kind and helping others like this lively boy. Krishna always thinks of how to help them and repay for their generous flow of milk. The animals imbibed this kindness from Him. They desire to give as much milk as they could without minding whether pots are filled or overflowing. Krishna showers the milk of his kindness generously in a similar manner. The milching animals have been doubly strengthened with the association of Sri Krishna.
Also read: Our Devatha’s are 33, not 33 Crore!
Four kinds of devotees
From song 21, Goda praises the glory of Narayana. There are four kinds of devotees. 1 Aartawhoseeks relief from the pains and difficulties, 2 Jijnaasu… who is curious to know the character of the Self, 3 Artharthi…who desires wealth, and 4 Jnaani … who wants to serve God, not bothering about worldly pleasures. All the four are good, but Jnaani is one, who is dear to me, says Krishna in His Bhagavadgita. God is so kind that he considers four kinds are kind-hearted. That is the generosity of the God. The milch animals do not even require someone to squeeze milk from them. They generously yield milk on their own. But one thing is an essential requirement. That is keeping the pot below the jetting milk. You have to turn towards God, go nearer to teacher, and ask for what you want. God has supreme quality of giving without someone asking for. But like a pot, you should be in a receiving position; keeping pot is having desire for feeling about God.
Also read: Romantic Thiruppavai with divine inner meaning
Generosity of Cows
Lakshmi is described as “Anapaayini” who is always with Him. Still, she says, ‘I cannot survive without You’. Nitya Suri class of divine souls say we always want to see you… “SadaaPashyanthiSoorayah”, i.e.,Acharyasexplain the milk called the glory of Bhagawan. They request the God who owns such generous milching cows, to wake up and look at the Gopikas. It is not Vishnu of ocean of Milk, but Krishna under whose control animals yield streams of milk. He has left Ksheerabdi and settled in Vrepalle for these innocent and simple beings. Listen to our passionate calls, O God. Neela, the lover of Krishna, joined Goda and Gopikas in waking up Krishna. Krishna remainsunresponsive thinking that they might be waking up some other great personality and not He. The Gopikas found it and start praising Krishna with His exclusive characteristic attributes. The wealth you have inherited from Nanda is to help us, and not to sleep like this. We all think that You had left Ksheerabdi, original residence of Vishnu- the ocean of milk to take birth in a clan which lives on milking animals.
