பேராசை எனும் பிணியில் பிணிபட்டு
ஓரா வினையேன் உழலத் தகுமோ?
வீரா, முது சூர் பட வேல் எறியும்
சூரா, சுர லோக துரந்தரனே. (16)
Peraasai enum piniyil pini pattu
Ora vinayen uzhala thagumo?
Veera Mudhu soor pada vel eriyum
soora sura loga thurandharane (16)
பேராசை எனும் - Desire and Greed
பிணியில் - Disease
பிணிபட்டு - Disease Ridden
ஓரா வினையேன் - A person without discriminative mind
உழலத் தகுமோ - Rot / Suffer
வீரா - The Brave One
முது சூர் - Ancient Villain
பட - Destroyed
வேல் எறியும் - Throw Spear
சூரா - Valiant One
சுர லோக - Land of Devas
துரந்தரனே - Protector
Short Meaning
Will I be caught in the great disease of desires and greed since I am a person without a discriminating mind? Oh Brave One! You destroyed the Ancient Villain (evil that has been there from time immemorial) by throwing your spear (indicative of Knowledge / Jnana) and protected the Devas. (You please protect me too)
Gloss
In Annapoorna Ashtakam, Sri Shankara sings to Mother Annapoorna -
Annapoorne Sadapoorne
Shankara Prana Vallabhe
Jnana Vairagya Sidhyartam
Bhiksham Dehi! cha Parvati!
Oh Mother who feeds us! (Any one who feeds us is an embodiment of Mother Annapoorna only. Only she feeds us - Not just food!).
You are always complete (Sadaa-Poorne). You are perfect and complete because you lack nothing!
You are the life support (Prana Vallabha) and love of Lord Shankara
Oh Parvati, I beg you! (Bhiksham Dehi!) - Please grant me Knowledge (Jnana) and Dispassion (Vairagya)
Mother Annapoorna is mostly interpreted as the aspect of Mother Goddess who gives food to the entire Universe (Humans, as a side effect of evolution, unfortunately think they are the center of the Universe. The Mother Annapoorna is Mother of all, and feeds every being in this wide Universe, visible and invisible).
A Brahmachari kid (student) is expected to beg and eat after his Upanayana (Sacred thread) ceremony, till he gets married . Similarly, Sannyasis can eat only by begging for alms too. The Maha Sanyasi, Sri Shankara similarly wants Bhiksha (alms) from Mother Annapoorna. But here, he does not seek food - He seeks Jnana (Knowledge) and Vairagya (Dispassion) - He asks Mother because, He knows only Mother Goddess can bless Him with these.
What is Jnana? It is the ultimate knowledge that we are non different from supreme. To realize this, we need to know we are complete and don't need any 'thing' else to be happy. But, human mind works in mysterious ways. As Eckhart Tolle says, a mind wants to want more than it wants to have.
A mind desperately wants to have something. Once it gets it, it simply moves on to next target while briefly being at peace with the object that it desperately wanted. But, it is just a matter of time when targets are retrained and mind is in deep pain again - In Arunachala Akshara Mana Malai, Bhagawan Sri Ramanar says - Please make my mind stop roaming by showing your supreme beauty (after which, the mind won't roam, because there is no superior target)
A person who realizes that searching of happiness in objects, people and external sources is futile, would then say, I don't want those external objects / people. Doesn't mean one needs to be physically away, but mentally detached. This state, where one is detached from objects / people in the material world is called vairagya. This has a negative connotation, esp in Tamil. It is equated to one wanting something, but staying away, which is completely wrong.
Vairagya is a supreme state where desires may arise, but with the help of sharp Jnana, it is cut and the person stays in a detached state - It is an active and a very positive place to be.
Desires are always rooted in perceived lack in self, as projected by the mind. Greed is an extreme version - In my opinion, these emotions are very useful. Greed is an excellent indicator where we perceive lack. (For e.g., if one thinks they lack money, they feel greed towards someone who has more of it. If one things they are not strong, they'll feel greed towards someone strong - Greed will never happen in cases if one doesn't feel lack. So, Greed is a useful emotion, only to be understood and then destroyed)
In this verse, Sri Arunagiri feels the pain of desire and greed (for his devotees). He asks rhetorically, that is it ok for me to suffer in the pain?
He calls greed (பேராசை) as a disease (பிணி). And asks, will you let me suffer? (உழலத் தகுமோ?) to Lord Murugan.
He brilliantly says, he suffers because of lack of discrimination (ஓரா வினையேன்). He clearly brings out due to the lack of Jnana, he suffers from desire and greed.
He calls out Lord Murugan as Veera (வீரா), the Brave One.
முது சூர் - Simply means Ancient Asura. It is easy to interpret it thus and move forward. However, the implications of this word is deep.
In Saiva Siddantha, it is said the Lord (Pathi), Soul (Pasu) and Bonding (Paasam) are eternal. Even in Bhagawat Geetha, Bhagawan Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, "Both you and I have been around for ever. I remember everything, but you don't"
Surapadman, the foe who couldn't be vanquished by anyone is symbolism for Ajnana - The Primal Ignorance. That which makes the self think it is different from the Brahman (God) - This Ajnana is as old as time.
So, Sri Arunagiri calls him as Ancient Asura / Villain.
[Interestingly, in many Tamil Poems, Lord Shiva is addressed as the Old Guy (since there is nothing older than Him :) ]
வேல் எறியும் - Lord Murugan vanquished the evil Asura Surapadman by throwing His Spear (Jnana Vel) - Lord Murugan's spear is called Jnana Vel - The spear of Knowledge.
Darkness of 1000 years is removed by a lamp in a moment. Darkness has no power against light. So, Ignorance has no power against knolwedge
When Murugan throws his Spear of Knowledge towards the Ancient Asura symbolizing Primal Ignorance, He is completely destroyed.
This is the reason why Murugan is glorified as Guru! (In the last verse of Kandhar Anubhuti, Sri Arunagiri lovingly calls Murugan to come as His Guru - Guruvai Varuvai!)
Murugan comes as Guru and removes the Primal Ignorance by saying Tat Twam Asi - You are That (You are non-different from Brahman) - Now the Ignorance is lost and Union with Lord Subrahmanya (Kandhar Anubhuti) is obtained
The fight between darkness and evil is a difficult one - So, Sri Arunagiri calls Lord Murugan as Soora (சூரா ) meaning, the valiant one. (Not to be confused with Sura / Asura meaning Devas / Asuras)
சுர லோக துரந்தரனே - By defeating the Surapadman, the Devas / Gods were saved - Hence Lord Murugan is glorified as One who protected the world of Devas.
