"seeriya singAsanattirundu..."

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Dear friends,

 

Today is the day of the 23rd Stanza of the

"tiruppAvai" beginning with the lines:

 

"mAri malai muzhanjil mannik-kidandurangam

seeriya singam arivutru-tee-vizhittu...".

 

It is said (by both Tamil scholars and "vyAkhyAna-

kartA-s" alike) the first 5 lines of this verse

constitute one of the finest pieces of poetry ever

written in the annals of Tamil literature, past and

present. No language on earth can mirror the power and

beauty of these lines by way of the best or most

faithful translation. Nowhere else is the super-poetic

mind of AndAl- pirAtti, with its awesome powers of

observation, at once both telescopic and minute...

nowhere else is it so much in evidence as here in

these 5 lines.

 

In purely literal terms, the above 5 lines describe

the lion in winter.

 

The majestic beast ("seeriya singam"), lies with a

mate in its winter retreat deep inside a cavern high

in the hills ("mAri-malai- muzhanjil"). Awoken

suddenly out of its deep slumber ("arivutru"), the

great king of the forest languidly strides out of the

cave with darting eyes blazing ("teevizhittu") and

long, golden manes bristling ("vEri-mayir ponga").

 

It pauses outside the mouth of the cave for a moment.

It turns its massive, imperial head this way once and

then the other way, and in one sweeping glance takes

in the landscape...much like the proverbial monarch

surveying all that lay in his kingdom.

 

The lion then draws itself up ("muri nimirndu"),

flexes his long, feline body, shaking off its sloth

("eppAdum pErndu-udari") and then, with one short

blast of a roar that rents through the forest air like

a crack of thunder, the King proceeds forth further

("muzhangip-purapattu..") ....

 

Magnificent lines, indeed!

 

Devotees of the famous 'Ahobila-kshetram' (near

Kurnool, India) are generally found to favour singing

this particular Stanza in praise of Lord Nrisimhan who

presides inside a cave-temple atop the "garudAdri"

Hill there. The words of this 'pAsuram' were composed

by AndAl not with Nrsimhan in mind. Nevertheless, the

majesty of the words and the leonine gait of their

syntactic ebb and flow are seen to aptly fit the

description of 'Ahobila- nrsimhan' to the very tee.

 

 

Speaking of the "gait" or "strides" of the Lord (be it

Krishna or even Nrsimhan) the commentator Sri.Azhagiya

Manavala perumal Nayanar in his "ArAyirapadi" says

that it has the combined majesty of the picture of a

fighting bull or a male elephant advancing; it also

has the fluid grace of a stalking tiger and the

imperial haughtiness of the lion amongst its brood.

 

 

In this verse the 'aayarpAdi" girls actually entreat

Lord Krishna who has at last woken up from the

bed-chamber of Napinnai-pirAtti. He strides forth then

into an outer assembly-room, seats Himself comfortably

on a glorious throne ("seeriya-singAsanam") and

prepares to listen to their petitions and consider

granting them their heart's desire ("yAm vanda-kAriyam

ArAyndu...".

 

The "muvAyira-padi" of SriPVP expands on the phrase

"koppudaya-seeriya-singAsanam" i.e. the imperial

throne befitting the Lord of the Universe.

 

This throne, it is explained by PVPillai is no

ordinary throne! The commentator hails the throne as

the "dharmAdhi-pitam"... the great Seat the Almighty

normally used by God in his Abode in the highest

heaven, SriVaikuntam! It is the Seat upon which the

Supreme Monarch of All Things always rests and from

where He surveys and rules His kingdom of "sara" and

"a-sara"....i.e. all things movable and stationery in

the entire universe.

 

Now, what kind of throne is this... this great throne

of SriVaikuntam? And how is it that Andal's

'aayarpAdi' girls happen to be offering that mythical

"seeriya-singAsanam", that same hallowed Seat of

SriVaikuntam to Lord Krishna here in the herdsman,

Nandagopan's little hamlet on earth?

 

Sri.PVPillai explains that this great throne, this

Imperial Seat of the Almighty that is offered in the

"tiruppAvai' to Him and that too here in this temporal

world, is a unique one. It is said to have 4 pairs of

legs:

 

One set of one of pairs is called "a-dharma

gnyAnAdigal" and they are (1)"a-dharma"

(unrighteousness) (2)"a-gnyAnam" (Ignorance),

(3)"a-vairAgyam" (the opposite of renunciation i.e.

desire) and (4) "un-aiswariyam" (poverty of all kind

of means).

 

The second set of the second of pairs is called

"dharma-gnyAnidagaLagira bhagavath-bhAgavata

sikhAmanigal" and they are (1) "dharma" (eternal

righteousness), (2) "gnyAnam" (enlightenment), (3)

"bhakti" (the wealth of God-love, i.e. real

"aiswaryam") and (4) "vyrAgyam" (renunciation of

temporal desires).

 

The real meaning of the above 8-legged throne, the

"svApadesArtham" is that God rules this universe

through the power that lies vested in his Holy Throne

with its 8 pillared-foundation on which All Creation

is firmly grounded viz. "dharma/a-dharma",

"gnyAna/a-gnyAna", "vyrAgya/a-vyrAgya" and

"bhakti/un-aiswaryam".

 

AndAl's 'aayarpAdi" girls in Stanza#23 thus entreat

the Lord Almighty to seat Himself comfortably on such

a glorious "8-legged throne". After seating Himself

thus, He is then requested to patiently listen to

their petitions and prayers ("yAm vanda kAriyam") and

give it all deep consideration and serious thought

("aarAyndu-arul").

 

"To be seated".... on "seeriya-singAsanam" ... to have

the Lord "seated" in front of them... now, why do the

aayarpAdi girls insist on the the Lord "seating"

Himself first before proceeding to listen to their

prayers?

 

The commentators again explain in their

'svApadEsArtham' that whenever the Lord gets down to

any "serious business" He is always first "seated".

 

In Kurukshetra He delivered to Arjuna the great

message of the 'Bhagavath-gita' in a "sitting

posture". The commentators call this "sitting-posture"

of the Lord as "thEr-thattin vArtthai" --- the

"message delivered from the "Throne of Chariot"

(Arjuna's).

 

Again in the Ramayana, the "achAryA-s" remind us of

"the message that the Lord delivered while seated on

throne-seat on the shores" ("kadarkarai-vArthai") viz.

the solemn guarantee of unconditional protection that

Lord Rama gave to every soul that performed

'saranAgati' unto Him.

 

Both occasions above were extremely solemn and

momentous indeed when God Almighty transacted very,

very "serious business" with his subjects. And on both

occasions He did it while being "seated", as it were,

on a glorious throne ("seeriya-singAsanam")!

 

Thus, here too in the tiruppAvai, since the

"aayarpAdi" girls wanted the Lord to get down to the

"serious business" of listening to their prayers and

petitions, AndAl made them entreat Him to first settle

himself down on the great "8-legged" throne of

glory... the "dharmAdi-peetam", the

"seeriya-singAsanam".... so that Krishna would be as

well pre-disposed to them and to their plaints as He

had been when He delivered His solemn assurance of

deliverance and comfort to both Arjuna and Vibeeshana.

 

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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