A 'mArgazhi' diary: some reflections-3

[Guest guest]

Dear friends on the bhakti-list,

Today (21st December) adiyen read Sriman Sadagopan

swami's 'anubhavam' of the tiruppAvai. What a

pleasure! How nicely Sadagopan Sir handles the pAsuram

"aazhi-mazhaikanna..." and how nicely he shows how the

Lord in 'mohini-alankAram' appeals to both 'nubile'

womenfolk and virile 'menfolk'. Thank you so much,

Sir, adiyen really enjoyed devarir's most erudite

post. It was so very informative.

 

Now adiyen continues with his own diarized little

notes on a layman's 'anubhavam' of a few pAsurams from

the tiruppAvai.

 

********** ******** ******

In the tiruppAvai, our divine poetess of

SriVilliputtur has written some truly exquisite lines

on "mazhai" rains) and "tooya perUneer" (pristine

river waters).

 

Expressions she uses like "teeng-inri nAdellAm

ting-gal mummAri peyydu..." (Verse 3),

"vAzha-ullaga-nil nee peydhi~Dai...",

"sArnga-udhaita-sara-mazhai pOl" and "... tooya

perUneer yamunai..." ... these are all phrases

reflective of a poet's extreme fascination for "rain"

and "stream-waters" and for the blessing of fertility

and plenitude they shower on the world at large.

 

It is no surprise at all the subject of "rains" or

"streams" held a special and inspired place in pirAtti

heart and which drove her to the loftiest heights of

poetry. And it is therefore not without significance

that in the "gOdA-stuti", AndAl's person and

personality are both described by Swami Desikan in

especially riverine metaphors:

 

"shOnA-dharEpi kuchayOrapi tunghabhadrA

vAchAm pravAhani-vahEpi sarasvatee tvam I

aprAkrutai-rapi rasair-virajA svaBhAvAth

gOdApi dEvi kamitur-nanu narmadAsi II

 

Desikan says, "Words fail in describing thee,O

Goda-devi! Should I liken your soft lips to the

scarlet Sone-river? Should I liken your ample breasts

to the heaving Tunghabhadra? Your sweet speech to me

is the sound of the gentle ripple of the Sarasvati! O

Devi! Your "svabhAva" shames the Viraja's purest

currents even? And if I must praise thee as the

beloved of thine Spouse how else should I compare thee

than liken you to the faithful Narmada?".

 

***** ****** *******

 

Whenever adiyen reads, again and again, the 2nd, 3rd,

4th and 5th verses of the tiruppAvai, adiyen marvels

at how beautifully pirAtti expands and develops the

theme of "human sacrifice" (e.g. 'mArgazhi-nOnbu',

'ekadasi-vratam','hOma-yag~nya kArya', etc.) and

skillfully associates it with the universal prayer of

humanity for "rains" and "riverine waters".

 

(1) neyyunnOm pAlunnOm nAtkAle neerAdi

maiyyittu-ezhudOm malariitu nAmudaiyyOm

seyyAdana seyyOm teekurallai sendrOdOm..." (Verse

2)

 

(2)"teeng-inri nAdellAm ting-gal mummAri peyydu..."

(Verse 3)

 

(3)"vAzha-ullaga-nil nee peydhi~Dai..."

 

(4)"... tooya perUneer yamunai...".

 

In the first of the above 4 passages, pirAtti with a

few deft, masterly poetic strokes covers the theme of

"sacrifice" as a great sustaining force in the human

world. Here she is echoing the the Vedic clarion call

for "yagn~ya" -- that supreme ("dhArmic") principle of

"sacrifice" on which all universe and all humanity

sustains itself and survives. Here one hears the

echoes of the Rg. suktam: "yagnyEna yagnya-maya jantA

devAh:, tAni dharmAni prathamAnnyAsann...etc.".

 

In the second of the above passages, AndAl uses the

expression "mummAri-peyydu"... an extremely evocative

expression. In adiyen's mind it never fails to

immediately trigger rapid and multiple images of the

monsoon-rain coming down in great white sheets from a

rumbling, darkened sky and sweeping majestically over

vast acres of lush paddy-fields surrounded by thick

and silent woodlands....

 

The 3rd and 4th of the above 4 passages again, in

scintillating terms, speak of the life-giving,

life-sustaining force of rain.

 

All the 4 passages above when read together clearly

underscore one of the most important messages of the

Bhagavath-gita.

 

And what is that message?

 

adiyen shall explain in the next page of this

'mArgazhi' diary.

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place.

Shopping: