The gopis get inside the palace of Nandagopan after besieging the gatekeepers and now, they have to wake up Krishna's parents, Nandagopan and Yasodha, and Lord Krishna himself and his brother Balarama. So, they reach their chambers and try to awaken one-by-one.
Paasuram - 17 of Thiruppavai
Ambarame thaNNeere SoRe aRam Seyyum
Emberumaan Nandagopaalaa eZhundiraay
Kombanaarkellaam kozhunDe kulaviLakke
Emberumaatti Yasodhaa aRivuraay
AmbaramoodaRiththu ONgiuLagaLandha
UmbaR komaane uRangaaDu eLundiRaay
SemboR kazhaLadi chelvaa BalaDevaa
Umbiyum neeyum uRangelor embaavaay
Outer, explicit literal meaning of this paasuram
The gopis first awaken Nandagopan by praising his virtues. Oh, King Nandagopan, who generously gifts away clothes, water, and food in abundant quantities, Oh, our Lord kindly awaken.
Oh, Queen Yasodha, who is the slimmest, young beautiful lady (being like a tender child) among all the gentle women and is the brightest light of the entire clan, please wake up. Oh Krishna, who pierced through the sky with your gigantic form and measured all worlds with two steps, please awaken.
Oh Baladeva, whose feet are adorned with reddish golden anklets, please wake up along with your brother.
The inner, in-depth meaning of the Thiruppavai paasuram 17
Andal here refers to the four essentials required for accomplishing union with God. One should first seek an Acharyan, thereafter the Thirumantram, next, he should understand the meaning of it and the last one is to get to the essence of that Thirumantram. Nandagopan is the Acharyan here. Lord Vishnu himself has imparted the Thirumantram to Goddess Lakshmi. Nandagopan is compared to Vishnu and so got praised as the giver of all essentials.
Yasodha is Compared to Vishnu's consort Lakshmi and so being praised as the most virtuous lady who possessed Lord Krishna in her womb. So, she is the Thirumantram, Krishna and Balarama are the meaning and essence of Thirumantram. Both are inseparable as they are Sriman Narayan and Adi Seshan themselves. So, along with Krishna, Balarama also gets awakened. The gopis request Balarama to awaken Krishna also along with himself.
