Pasuram 4.6.6

Tamil text and transliteration:

தணியும் பொழுது இல்லை நீர் அணங்கு ஆடுதிர் அன்னைமீர்,
பிணியும் ஒழிகின்றது இல்லை பெருகும் இது அல்லால்,
மணியின் அணிநிற மாயன் தமர் அடி நீறுகொண்டு
அணிய முயலின் மற்று இல்லை கண்டீர் இவ் அணங்குக்கே.

taṇiyum poḻutu illai nīr aṇaṅku āṭutir aṉṉaimīr,
piṇiyum oḻikiṉṟatu illai perukum itu allāl,
maṇiyiṉ aṇiniṟa māyaṉ tamar aṭi nīṟukoṇṭu
aṇiya muyaliṉ maṟṟu illai kaṇṭīr iv aṇaṅkukkē.

English translation of verse 4.6.6:

Ye, mothers, pity it is, in wrong methods you persist,
It does only aggravate the malady; I insist
That you on this young lady smear the dust
Off the feet of devotees of the Lord Who excels
The blue gem rare; no other remedy can work so well.

Notes

(i) The elders pay no heed to the advice of the mate and persist in propitiating the inferior deity, which only aggravates the malady of the Nāyakī. An exasperated mate now asks them to stop their activities forthwith and smear the Nāyakī with the dust from the feet of Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. When the women plead that it is beyond them to collect the dust in question, the mate advises them to think of it, at least, as even the mere thought of doing so will cure the Nāyakī. Resolving to do the right thing and giving up the wrong things are two of the six pre-conditions for ‘Prapatti’ or loving surrender to the Lord’s grace, as laid down in ‘Śrī Pāñcarātra’. Whereas even the mere resolve to do what is right is enough, the evil or wrong things have to be necessarily given up. And so, the elderly women are asked to give up their unwholesome activities and just contemplate the right step, namely, smearing Parāṅkuśa Nāyakī with the dust off the devotees’ feet.

(ii) Here is an anecdote to prove the efficacy of the dust from the holy feet of devotees, by way of removing the contamination from inferior deities. Two devout followers of Śrī Rāmānuja accompanied Akaḻaṅka nāṭṭāḷvāṉ, a prince, while going to some place. On the way, the Prince pointed to a jain temple with images of lion in front, and jokingly asked his followers to prostrate, saying that it was their favourite Viṣṇu temple. It was dark and they couldn’t clearly make out which temple it was but they took the Prince at his word and reverently prostrated in front of the temple. When, however, a little later, they came to know that it was a jain temple, the shock was too great for them and they fainted. It was only when Piḷḷai-uraṅkāvilli Tācar, a very intimate disciple of Śrī Rāmānuja, arrived on the spot and smeared them with the dust from his feet, that they recovered their consciousness and got up. (The greatness of Tācar has already been alluded to, in the notes under IV-6-2).

(iii) Once, when Nañcīyar and his disciples were assembled in an enclosure, near the holy pavilion inside the temple of Lord Raṅganātha, this very theme of smearing the dust of holy men on the God-sick came up for discussion. One of the disciples wished to be enlightened as to how the foot-dust of the holy men is prescribed as the cure for a malady induced by the Lord Himself, instead of the very cause (the Lord) being also looked upon as the cure for the God-afflicted. The illustrious Preceptor elucidated that there are two distinct stages, namely, initial recovery through first-aid and then the Sovereign remedy. If buttermilk, the antidote for fits is not ready at hand, ginger-powder is applied to the patient’s nostrils, as a preliminary measure. The sprinkling of the dust of the holy men corresponds to the application of ginger-powder to the patient’s nostrils and when the patient recovers his breath somewhat, then the butter milk, the sovereign remedy, the beatific vision of Lord Kṛṣṇa (the Divine Charioteer, longed for, vide IV-6-1) will be administered.