"arivOnrum-illA".."pin-senru".."siru-pEr-azhaitu"

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Dear friends,

 

The 28th Verse of the "tiruppAvai", meant to be

recited by all of us today (12 Jan) in our homes and

more importantly in our hearts as part of daily

worship, constitutes the glorious culmination of

"mArgazhi".

 

The verse marks the grand finale of the "pAvai-nOnbu"

.... the sacrificial labour of intense love which the

"aayarpAdi" girls, those dear soul-mates of AndAl in

Nandagopan's idyllic hamlet, cheerfully undertook in

their burning desire to attain God.

 

In Stanza#28, our "gOdA-pirAtti" truly achieves the

acme of her many-splendoured poetic gifts.

 

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

 

There are 3 splendid expresions 'pirAtti' uses in this

'pAsuram' which constitute its essence:

 

(1) "arivOnrum-illA"..

(2) "pin-senru".. and,

(3) "siru-pEr-azhaitu"(:

 

They can be studied first in their dramatic context

and then in their philosophic context.

 

Let's look at the dramatic context:

 

"arivOnrum illa" is the term the girls use to describe

their condition as simple cowherdesses.

 

"As members of a simple, naive and unpretentious

bucolic community", they tell their Krishna, "Lord, we

have no claim whatsoever to "gnyAna" ("arivu")...

knowledge of things exalted in life. O Krishna, what

do you expect of us? Great understanding of this Truth

and that? You know quite well that we are all utterly

unregenerate, down-to-earth creatures. Our moments of

exaltation in life are not those spent in "high

thinking" but in those moments of "simple living" when

we stuff our bellies with food ("sErndu-unbOm!" or, in

other words, "We live to eat no less than we eat to

live!") How do you expect us then, O Govinda, O

Supremely Impeccable One ("kurai-onrum-illAda

gOvinda!"),how do you expect us to have knowledge and

undersanding of matters concerning high Truth and

"tattvam" ... matters quite beyond the ken of our

minds?".

 

The Lord hears this and replies,"But if you are beings

with lowly "gnyAna" you could always go to a "guru" or

preceptor and follow him? You could gain knowledge

thus?".

 

To which the poor girls reply, "O Krishna the only

"gurus" who will allow "aayarpAdi" girls to follow

them are our own cows... "karavaigal pin-senru"! We

have no "gurus", O Krishna, worth the name, except the

cows we graze and follow into the forests! We are

utter ignoramuses, O Krishna... "ariyAda-pillaigal"...

where can we go in search of a "guru"?"

 

The Lord listens to these extremely moving words of

self-deprecation, nay, self-humiliation even

("naichhyAnusandAnam"), of the "aayarpAdi" girls, and

then queries them further in mock consternation and

seriousness:

 

"But my dear girls, this is getting ridiculous! First

you ask me to fetch things for you, to help you

perform your "nOnbu". Then you say you want precious

"gifts" of "armlets", "anklets" and "feasts" in reward

for the successful conclusion of your "vrata". Now if

I ask you why I must grant you all your hearts'

desires... and how you consider yourelves deserving of

my generosity... all of you turn around and say you

are simple, ignorant villagers! Then when I ask you to

go and seek the help of a "guru" you turn around and

say that you have none but "cows" to serve you as

"gurus"! Now what's all this?! This is too much! What

cheek, indeed! You must all take me for a complete

fool or simpleton... not the Lord Almighty that I

am... to grant you your wishes for the mere asking!

Why should I? Why indeed? Give me one good reason why

I should?".

 

When Krishna bursts out thus, the "aayarpAdi" girls

reply immediately:

 

"O Krishna, if we make bold to demand your Grace and

Generosity, knowing fully well that we are utterly

undeserving of it, it is because of the liberty we

take with one such as You who are one of our own kind!

You too are one of our clan, aren't you? Are we not

blessed that You, O Lord of Creation, freely chose to

be "born" especially amongst us ...the community of

lowly cowherds and cow-maidens..."undannaip-piravi-

perunndanai-punniyam-yAm-daiyOm"? It is because you

are one amongst us, O dear Krishna, that we take these

easy liberties with you.... like asking you to do

errands for us or to bring us little gifts or even

calling you by familiar nicknames

("siru-pEr-azhaittu") such as

Narayana,("nAttra-tuzhAymudi-nArAyanan"), Son of

Nandagopan ("nandagopan-kumaran") or O! lion-cub of

YasodhA ("yasOdai-illan-singham")...etc.".

 

The Lord listens again to these wonderful words of

love and "bhakti" with inward joy he can barely

conceal. And yet, playfully, He continues to maintain

the severe facade that He presents to the poor girls,

as if to say "All that you say...and you say such

fine things indeed... will however cut no ice with

me!".

 

At this point the "aayarpAdi" girls employ their final

weapon of endearment. They invoke the nature of their

relationship with Krishna. They swear by the eternal

and unexcisable bond of kinship with their Lord and

hail it as a knotted tie of love that will survive and

sustain for now and for all times: "undannOdu utrayval

namakku ingu ozhikka-ozhiyAdhu...".

 

"O Krishna, we may be ignorant, we may lack the grace

of "gurus", we may be behaving improperly with you.

You may think lowly of us, you may be annoyed with us

and you may think of us as undeserving of your love

and protection. But the fact of the matter is, O

Krishna, no matter what offence we commit and what you

feel about us, YOU HAVE TO GIVE IN to our heart's

desire... which is nothing but You Yourself! You have

no cchoice in the matter! And that is because You and

We are bonded inextricably into a kinship that knows

no time, no boundaries, no obstacles...Therefore, O

Lord, please grant us our wish..."iraivA! nee tArAy

parai!"...

 

The Lord listens to this outpouring of "bhakti" and

can bear no more to see the pain and pining of the

"aayarpAdi" girls!

 

He grants them the gift they seek... the Gift of

Himself!

 

And the curtains drop on the final scene of the

"tiruppAvai" !

 

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

 

adiyEn has only explained the dramatic content and

sequences of Stanza#26 and not the esoteric

significance or "svApadesArtham". He will try and do

so in the accompanying post (2 of 2).

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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