Tiruppavai

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr . Layne Little : VaNakkam .Thanks very much

for your note.I am delighted to know of your

Graduate studies in Tamil at Berkeley .

Best wishes to you in your academic program .

 

I agree that AndAL's outpourings thru her

two master poems have a profound and lasting

message for all of us . I went to school at

ANNAmalai University at Chidambaram , where

Sri Ramalinga SwamigaL attained union with

the cosmic dancer , NatarAjA . His poems are

the distillation of the intense bhakthi he had

for Sri NatarAjA . Hope you will be able to meet

some great Tamil scholars in India and visit the temples

of AndAL at SrivillipputthUr and that of Sri NatarAjA

at Chidambaram .

 

By copy of this note , I have advised Mr. Mani Varadarajan ,

the owner of the Bhakthi private list about your interest to

join this mailing list . I have copied the other members

as well since your introduction about your interests

would be helpful to them .You should be hearign further

from Sri mani VaradarAjan .

With Best wishes ,

V.Sadagopan

By

 

 

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

INTERNET:anjaneya, INTERNET:anjaneya

TO: V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

DATE: 7/24/97 7:47 PM

 

RE: Tiruppavai

 

Received: from dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com (dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com [206.214.98.8])

by dub-img-4.compuserve.com (8.8.6/8.8.6/2.2) with ESMTP id TAA08546

for <75041.3037; Thu, 24 Jul 1997 19:47:31 -0400 (EDT)

Received: (from smap@localhost)

by dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4)

id SAA13122 for <75041.3037; Thu, 24 Jul 1997 18:47:28 -0500

(CDT)

Received: from ala-ca33-02.ix.netcom.com(199.35.209.98) by dfw-ix8.ix.netcom.com

via smap (V1.3)

id sma013085; Thu Jul 24 18:47:21 1997

Message-ID: <33D7E7D8.66DA

Thu, 24 Jul 1997 16:40:08 -0700

Layne Little <anjaneya

anjaneya

Organization: So. Asian Studies (Tamil) @ Berkeley

X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0C-NC320 (Win95; U)

75041.3037

Tiruppavai

 

vaNakkam,

My name is Layne Little. I am a Tamil graduate student at Berkeley,

and have since my early youth been blessed with the sweet ecstacy of

being immersed in aanjaneyaavin aruL. I was intriged to read your

discussion of Tiru Andal's bridal mysticism. Tiruppavai has made such a

profound impact upon me, though my Tamil is limited I have always

enjoyed her composition and contemplated the elements that follow

perfect suit with the great mythologist Lord Rangan, who first outlined

the stages of the Hero's quest. I particulary love how she draws the

hearer into the quest through emploring her pavai-friend to awaken and

begin the quest; for the soul sleeps until the heart's call is heard.

Such a classic vision of the quest is also induced in the Cittar

tradition in works such as Ramalingar's AaNi pon ambalttae, but this

quest is through the mansion of the soul. Western alchemical tradition

provides a striking parralel to this work in the story known as 'the

Mystic Tower'. Where the seeker like Ramalingar is guided through the 7

level tower of the soul. The same kind of numerical significance in

evidenced in Tiruppavai by the number of verses parraleling the solar

cycle, as her lord Narayan will ever be proclaimed by the eternal

radience of the sun.

 

Please send me information regarding participation in Sri Vaishnava

discussion group. I'de be happy to share correspondences with other

traditions or confine my discussion to Tamil Vaisnava tradition.

 

Jaya Sri Ram!