The story of the Conch is a great message to the devotee that with purity and sincerity of devotion one can gain a share in the Lord’s heart
Andal praises the Conch as being Pure (white) in personality, Great in achievements, Noble in character and Big at heart
In the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham, Azhvaars have praised the Lord in his various Avatars, his personality and his achievements. Thirumangai Azhvaar has praised his presence in many different temples and provides insights into those locations as it existed 1000s of years ago (i.e during his period). The Lord’s personality and valour have seen praised and described.
The 7th decad of Nachiyar Thirumozhi is unique in that it is the only one in the Divya Prabhandham where an Azhvaar has dedicated exclusively to one of the Lord’s weapons. Andal envies the Conch’s position of being ever present with the Lord, especially in light of her not being able to unite with the Lord. Through this decad, Andal brings to us the special relationship between the Lord and the Conch Panchajanya. Given the conch’s close association with her beloved, she makes detailed and probing queries about the Lord.
Andal praises the Conch as being Pure (white) in personality, great in achievements, noble in character and big at heart.
Andal begins by praising the pure personality of the Conch as signified by the (white) colour. Andal enquires about the Lord’s lips as to whether it will really taste sweet and if his mouth smells of camphor and has the fragrance of Lotus.
(At the Srirangam temple, camphor is thrown on Lord Namperumal on Kaisika Dwadasi morning in a special event on his way back to his sanctum after the Kaisika Ekadasi Utsavam).
கருப்பூரம்நாறுமோகமலப்பூநாறுமோ
திருபவளச்செவ்வாய்தான்தித்தித்திருகுமோ
ம``ருப்பொசித்தமாதவன்தன்வாய்ச்சுவையும்நாற்றமும்
விருப்புற்றுக்கேட்கின்றேன்
சொல்லாழிவெண்சங்கே
A standing example for us to rise in our lives
Despite being born at the lowly ocean and being brought up in Panchajana’s filthy body, Andal praises the conch’s astounding rise to the top of the world to be ever present in the left hand of the lord. There have been many who grew up alongside the conch in the ocean. They have all remained unsung and unheard. But the conch has had the special privilege of being on the lord’s lips. The roar of the conch is enough to shake the entire world. It is the Conch’s announcement with his deadly noise that shakes the spirit of the Asuras leaving them dumb stuck.
கடலில்பிறந்துகருதாதுபஞ்சசனன்
உடலில்வளர்ந்துபொய்ஊழியான்கைத்தலத்து
இடரில்குடியேறித்தீயவசுரர்
நடளைப்படமுழங்கும்தோற்றத்தாய்
நற்சங்கே
We have an opportunity in this life to rise above the filth and follow the Dharmic path.
She then compares the beauty of the Conch to the full moon that has risen tall behind the clouds and high above the Udayagiri Mountain. Andal says that his presence on the hand of Lord Vasudeva of Mathura places him on a special status and gives him a towering personality. Is that not enough to show the nobility of the Conch?
தடவரையின்மீதேசரத்காலசந்திரன்
இடையுவாவில்வந்துஎழுந்தாலேபோலநீயும்
வடமதுரையார்மன்னன்வாசுதேவன்கையில்
குடியேறிவீற்றிருந்தாய்
கோலப்பெருசங்கே
Secret chat with the Lord?
Conch is the symbol of sound. If one needs to reach out to the lord, it is the Conch that we need to approach for he is the closest to the Lord’s ears. One always gets the feeling that the Conch is ever whispering a secret into the Lord’s ears and that our messages are conveyed to the Lord by him on our behalf.
He is ever present in the shoulder of the Lord and there seems to be no space in this world where he is not present. Let alone mere mortals like us, not even the great Lord Indra would envy the Conch’s fortune. Even Indra cannot equal the conch and his proximity to the Lord.
சந்திரமண்டலம்போல்தாமோதரன்கையில்
அந்தரமொன்றின்றிஏறிஅலன்செவியில்
மந்திரம்கொள்வாயேபோலும்வலம்புரியே
இந்திரனும்உன்னோடுசெல்வத்துக்கேலானே
There were many others with different features and personalities born in the sea – some friends and others foes. But none has the resplendent feature of the Panchajanya. Though born in the same sea, this conch is special because of his association with the Lord.
உன்னோடுஉடனேஒருகடலில்வாழ்வாரை
இன்னார்இனையாரென்றுஎண்ணுவாரில்லைகாண்
மன்னாகிநின்றமதுசூதன்வாயமுதம்பண்ணாலும்
உண்கின்றாய்பாஞ்சசன்னியமே
The conch is indeed privileged that he does not have to travel a great distance for a sacred bath (in the 2nd decad of Nachiyar Thirumozhi, Andal describes the distance she and her friends have to travel to have a bath every morning before dawn). Being ever present in the Lord’s Lips, the conch is ever bathed. The conch has no reason to go on sacred pilgrimage for a permanent place has been found with the Lord. Instead of going around like mere mortals for a sacred bath the conch because of the permanent residency in the Lord has the sanctified sacred holy water from the Lord’s nectar mouth.
Praising the Lord’s Conch as being the best among Conches, Andal calls them a beautiful lot.
Comparing the conch’s presence on the shoulder of the Lord to the Swan, she says that just like a swan that gracefully rests on a lake after sipping nectar from the fresh lotus flowers, the conch’s ever residing stature on the Lord’s shoulder gives it a glowing personality.
And then she turns envious of the conch!!!!
Conch’s Food every day
To sustain himself, the conch consumes the nectar from the Lord’s lips every day. And when it is time to sleep, the Conch finds the Lord’s hands as the resting place. Is this not far too difficult for the young and beautiful girls to digest for they are ever longing to be with the Lord. Will they not rise in protest? They too want a place in the Lord’s heart but this beautiful conch has a place of rest in the Dark Lord’s Palm.
உண்பதுசொல்லில்உலகளந்தான்வாயமுதம்
கண்படைகொள்ளாள்கடல்வண்ணன்கைத்தலத்தே
பென்படையார்உன்மேல்பெரும்பூசல்சாற்றுகின்றார்
பண்பலசெய்கின்றாய்பாஞ்சசன்னியமே
16000 girls are in the queue and you enjoy exclusivity!!!!!
There are 16000 (6000 celestial beauties+10 thousand other damsels) beautiful young girls awaiting their turn to taste the Lord’s lips. While they are all wondering as to whether they will ever get their chance, the conch is enjoying an exclusive share of the Lord’s Lips. Andal questions the conch if this is not unfair and whether this will not result in them quarrelling with the conch. Girls are jealous of his special status accorded by the Lord. Feeling aggrieved, the young girls are likely to find faults in him for this exclusive rights.
பதினாறாயிரதேவிமார்பார்த்திருப்ப
மதுவாயில்கொண்டாற்போல்மாதவன்தன்வாயமுதம்
பொதுவாகஉண்பதனைக்புக்குநீஉண்டக்கால்
சிதையாரோஉன்னோடு
செல்வப்பெருஞ்சங்கே
In this 9th verse, Andal refers to the episode relating to Narakasura. When the mother of the asura pleaded with the Lord, he let go Narakasura’s son and handed over the entire kingdom to him. During the process, he drove out all the elephants except one. The 16000 ladies who were under captive pleaded to be freed from the Asura and sought to be united with their beloved Lord. Krishna took them all to Dwaraka and married them.
The story of the Conch
After completion of tutelage under Sage Sandipini, Krishna paid his Guru Dakshina by restoring to the sage his long lost son in the same form when he was lost years ago. For this, he had to undertake a battle with the demon inside the ocean. Out of the bones recovered from the battle was born Panchajanya, Krishna’s famous conch that he used through the war as his trumpet.
Thus born to a demon in the ocean, Panchajanya had grown to this high privileged status of being with the Lord. It is a clear message to the devotee that with purity and sincerity of devotion one can gain a share in the Lord’s heart. True devotion to God is a link between our path of action and knowledge.
Panchajanya is unique in that it is separated from all others in the huge seas and found a place in the Lord’s hand. Panchajanya is different from all other conches living eternally in peace resting in the Lord’s palms. The conch has the privilege of ever enjoying the nectar for food from his lips. In his hands, the conch sleeps. Thus, the wealth of the conch being with the Lord is just unmatched.