from a magazine.

SlOkam 8
yadvA sramaavadhi yaTaamati vAapyasakta:
staumyevameva khalu teapi sadaa stuvanta: |
vedaas caturmukha mukhAsca mahArNavAnta:
ko majjato: aNukulaacalayo: visesha: ||
Anvaya kramam:
Yadhvaa asaktha: Sram a avadhi yaTAmathi vaa api sthoumi
sadhaa api sthuvantha: tE Vedaa: chathurmuka mukhAsccha
yevam yEva khalu mahaa arNava antha: majjathO: aNu kulAchalayO:
ka: visEsha:
Swamy Adidevananda’s Translation:
Yet in spite of my weakness, I am justified in praising him to the limit of my capacity and to
the20
best of my knowledge. For, verily, even the Vedas and the four-faced Brahma, ever engaged
in
singing his glory, could praise him only in a similar strain. What difference by contrast is
there
between an atom and a huge mountain range when both are submerged in the great ocean?
Commentary:
In this slOkam, the disheartened ALvandhAr, who was about to quit in his efforts to eulogize
the
vaibhavam of the Lord consoles his mind and says that he will do what he can within his
limits
as the proper thing to do. He says to his mind: It is true that I cannot find the boundary of the
Lord’s kalyANa guNams and eulogize him properly. I am an asakthan (powerless one) and
yet I
am not going to desist from eulogizing Him. There is no rule that only those who fully
comprehend the auspicious attributes of the Lord alone can eulogize Him. It is acceptable to
eulogize the Lord within the limits of one’s Jn~Anam and saamarTyam. Hence, I am going to
eulogize Him instead of backing off. VedAs and the DevAs are always singing His
praise (Sadhaapi sthuvantha: tE Vedaa:). Brahma dEvan might praise His Lord a little better
than
me (Chaturmukha mukhaasccha yEvam yEva khalu). Anticipating protests over his saahasam
in
dragging a Maha Jn~Ani, the Chathurmuka Brahmaa for comparison, ALavandhAr advances
his
reasons for such an analysis: kO majjatho: aNu kulAchalayOr visEsha:? An atomic sized
thing and a mountain may be both immersed in the ocean. Both have huge differences in size.
When they are immersed in the deep ocean, one cannot tell their differences from
outside. Similarly, my ukthis (utterances) and BrahmA’s ukthis are like an atom and a
mountain.
Both of them however will disappear into nothingness, when compared to the vastness of the
guNams of the Lord, the KalyAna guNa PoorNan (anavathikaadhisaya asankhyEya KalyANa
guNa gaNa arvaNan). ALavandhAr comforts himself with the statements of Poygai
AzhwAr (avar avar thaamm thaamm aRinthavARu yEtthi) and Swamy NammAzhwAr
(tankaL
anbar tamathu soll valatthAl talai talai siRanthu poosippa). They went ahead and eulogized
according to the limits of their Jn~Anam and sakthi. Therefore, I am going to eulogize my
Lord
to my limits. He comforts his mind and says that there is no apachAram from such an
endeavor. In the previous slOkam, ALavandhAr used the words: “na sakhya:” In this slOkam,
he
chooses the word: “sthoumi” and begins the Sthuthi. Instead of using “sthOshyAmi” to
indicate
the future plans, ALavandhAr uses “sthoumi " to show that he has started his eulogy (present
tense).21
srivaishnavism