Tiruppavai pasuram 27

 Tiruppāvai – Pāsuram 27

Preamble 

From Pāsuram 16 onwards, Āṇḍāḷ and the sakhīs move step by step toward Krishna—waking, invoking, praising, and finally standing before Him.

In Pāsurams 23 and 24, Krishna is asked to rise and is praised through His many divine deeds.

In Pāsuram 26, He is acknowledged as the eternal King, already crowned, already sovereign.

Now, in Pāsuram 27, the journey reaches its emotional and spiritual fulfillment: belonging replaces seeking.

Text 

First Two Lines

கூடாரை வெல்லும் சீர் கோவிந்தா! உன் தன்னை

பாடிப் பறை கொண்டுயாம் பெரும் சம்மானம்

Transliteration

Kūḍārai vellum sīr Govindā! un tannai

Pāḍip paṟai koṇḍu yām peRum sammānam

Meaning

O glorious Govinda, who overcomes all opposition!

By singing You Yourself and receiving the pārai, we attain great honour.

Explanation

“Kūḍārai vellum” does not merely mean defeating external enemies. Here, Āṇḍāḷ points to Krishna as the One who removes all that prevents union—fear, ego, distance, and separation. Govinda conquers not by force, but by dissolving barriers.

“Un tannai pāḍi” is crucial. The sakhīs do not say they sing about Krishna; they say they sing Krishna Himself. Song, singer, and Lord merge. Devotion is no longer an act—it has become identity.She says  "Un tannai" not "Unnai"

The “pārai” here is not an object. It signifies recognition and acceptance. “Sammānam” means dignity, honour, and belonging. What is received is not a gift, but acknowledgment: You are Mine.

நாடு புகழும் பரிசினால் நன்றாகச்

சூடகமே தோள் வளையே தோடே செவிப் பூவே!

Nāḍu pugazhum parisinal nanrāga

Sūḍagamē tōḷ vaḷaiyē tōḍē sevi pūvē!

With gifts praised throughout the land,

we receive head ornaments, armlets, bangles, earrings, and ear-flowers.

At first glance, this sounds like a return to worldly adornment. But this is precisely where Āṇḍāḷ’s depth must be understood. These ornaments are not being sought as pleasures. They return because they have lost their power to distract.

Earlier, ornaments had to be renounced because they gave identity and fed desire. Now, after union, they no longer define the self. They simply express joy. Inner transformation has already occurred; outer adornment becomes harmless.

Each ornament also reflects maturity—readiness, grace, and completion. These are not rewards; they are signs of inner change.

பாடகமே என்றனைய பல்கலனும் யாம் அணிவோம்

ஆடை உடுப்போம் அதன் பின்னே பால் சோறு

Pāḍagamē enRanaiya palkalanum yām aṇivōm

Āḍai uḍuppōm adan pinnē pāl sōru

We shall wear anklets and many such ornaments,

we shall wear fine garments, and then partake of milk-rice.

Anklets are important—they sound when one moves. Life itself now becomes rhythmic devotion. Every step remembers Krishna.

Clothing here signals a new identity. Earlier, identity had to be stripped away. Now, a new identity—belonging to Krishna—is worn effortlessly.

Milk-rice signifies nourishment, care, and security. It is no longer comfort-seeking. Inner hunger has ended.

மூட நெய் பெய்து முழங்கி வழிவாரக்

கூடி இருந்து குளிர்ந் தேலோர் எம் பாவாய்

Mūḍa nei peydu muḻaṅgi vazhi vārak

Kūḍi irundu kuḷirndu ēlōr em pāvāy

With ghee poured generously, flowing abundantly,

we shall sit together and rest in contentment—O dear Lord.

Ghee flowing freely is a powerful image. Only one who is inwardly secure can afford abundance without fear. There is no anxiety, no calculation, no restraint.

“Kūḍi irundu kuḷirndu” is the emotional climax. Sitting together and cooling down signifies the end of spiritual restlessness. Only those who are fully accepted can rest.

         From Renunciation to Restored Joy

Āṇḍāḷ is not reversing the discipline of Tiruppāvai here; she is completing it. The vow was never meant to glorify deprivation. It was meant to remove substitutes for Krishna.

Ornaments, clothes, food, and comfort were renounced earlier because they mattered too much. Now they return because they no longer matter in that way. They have lost their importance and relevance as objects of desire.

This is the central teaching of Pāsuram 27:

What was once dangerous becomes harmless.

What was once distracting becomes celebratory.

What was once renounced returns as grace.

The Pāvai nōṉbu ends not because time has passed, but because belonging has been achieved. Renunciation has done its work. Joy is restored—not as indulgence, but as freedom.

Āṇḍāḷ shows us that bhakti does not destroy life; it redeems it. When Krishna is found, life itself becomes safe again.

Symbolic Interpretation 

The ornaments are not worldly gifts:

Bangles are folded hands in surrender

Armlets are refuge in Śaṅkha and Cakra

Forehead ornament( netti, bindi) is bowing for grace

Anklets are Krishna’s Tiruvadi, granting prapatti

The food is not indulgence, but prasāda—milk and rice soaked in compassion, ghee flowing like grace.

Everything here is symbolic of total surrender and acceptance, not enjoyment for its own sake.

Pāsuram 27 is not a demand; it is a declaration.

The sakhīs no longer ask to be taken in—they know they already belong.

The vow ends.

The relationship does not.

Āṇḍāḷ Tiruvadigaḷē Śaraṇam

I take refuge at the sacred feet of Āṇḍāḷ.