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"tiruppAvai" & "praNavam"

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Dear friends,

 

"mArgazhi" has come and gone but adiyen is still

suffering from the "tiruppAvai" fever!

 

One young "bhAgavata" on the list has been privately

discussing with adiyen certain aspects of the

"tiruppAvai". One of those has been "tiruppAvai" and

the use and invocation of the "praNavam" (A-U-M)in the

hymn.

 

This young bhAgavata told me something which adiyen

had never heard before! From the standpoint of pure

poetic appreciation, his view is indeed very

revelatory! But adiyen does not know if it accords

with tradition.

Perhaps someone really knowledgeable (like SrimAn

Anbil, Sadagopan or Sempath Rengarajan or other) can

throw some light on it.

 

Here is what the young bhAgavatha says:

 

"The whole of the "tiruppAvai" is actually in the form

of the "praNavam" (in Tamil, "tiruppAvai anaithum

praNava-vadivvulE irukkinradu yenrE sollallAm"!).

 

"praNavam" begins with ""a"-kAra-shabdam", "A" which

is symbol for Isvara or God. It ends with ""ma"-kAra

shabdham", "M" which symbolises "jeeva" or soul. And

in the middle there is ""u"-kAra shabdam", "U" which

is the symbol for the agency of divine intercession

("purushAkAram") that brings about the union between

Isavara and jeeva."

 

"The whole of "tiruppAvai" deals with "jeeva", Isvara

and purushAkAra.

 

"How is that?

 

"Just look at the stanzas! They start with

"mArgazhi-tinggal...", with the letter "M". Right from

Stanza#1 until Stanza#17,the tiruppAvai's principal

focus is on the theme of what the "aayarpAdi" girls

do....And they actually represent "jeeva-s"...

individual souls.

 

"Stanza#18 begins with "undhu-magallitran..." and with

the the syllable "U". In this stanza and the next two,

the focus of the "tiruppAvai" is wholly on "napinnai",

who is "thAyyAr" or the symbol of "purushAkAram"...

the agency of divine intercession that enables "union"

between jeeva and Isvara.

 

In Stanza#22, for the first time in the entire

sequence of the 'tiruppAvai", the "aayarpAdi" girls

begin to address Lord Krishna directly. Thereafter, in

the rest of the hymn right upto Stanza#30, the focus

remains fixed on the Lord or "Isvara". And quite

signficantly, Stanza#22, we see, begins with

"anganmAnAlath- arasar...." with the letter "A"...

""a"-kAra- shabdam"... the syllable denoting Isvara

principle in the "praNavam" A-U-M!

 

"So, we see how the "tiruppAvai" begins with examining

the principle of "ma" (jIva), then procees to deal

next with the principle of "u" (purushAkAra) and

finally ends with essaying the Supreme principle of

"a" (Isvara).

 

"Thus the symbolic structure of the tiruppAvai is

clearly founded on "ma", "u" and "a" which in reverse

order is "a", "u" ,"ma" or the 3 phonetic elements

constituting the primordial sound, the "praNavam"!"

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

 

When adiyen heard the above interpretation, a small

doubt struck him. We see that in the actual sequence

of the "tiruppAvai", even before Stanza#22, in

Stanza#21 itself ("Etra-kallangal..") the "tiruppAvai"

talks of the Lord or Isvara. So how can we say (rather

conveniently) that it is in Stanza#22 that Isvara is

first talked about?

 

So adiyen posed the above question to the young

"bhAgavata" and his brilliant reply was:

 

"Yes, Stanza#21 also deals with the Lord but it deals

with Him in his "para-nilai"... His Distant and

Transcendent form... as indicated in the phrase

"periyAy" in that stanza. But if you look carefully,

it is only in Stanza 22("aganmAnAllat-arasar...") that

the Lord is first talked of in His easy

'saulabhya-nilai" indicated in the phrase "nin

palli-kattil keezhiyE"!.

"Therefore, we should take Stanza#22 and not Stanza#21

into reckoning when determining where exactly the

""a"-kAra-shabdham" of the "praNavam" begins in the

natural sequence of the "tiruppAvai"."

 

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

Adiyen thinks the above is simply brilliantly

conceived! It clearly shows how the whole of the

"tiruppAvai" AndAl structured around the

"praNava-tattvam"!

 

What do other members think? Kindly give your

comments, if any. Thanks,

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

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> Dear friends,

>

> "mArgazhi" has come and gone but adiyen is still

> suffering from the "tiruppAvai" fever!

>

> One young "bhAgavata" on the list has been privately

> discussing with adiyen certain aspects of the

> "tiruppAvai". One of those has been "tiruppAvai" and

> the use and invocation of the "praNavam" (A-U-M)in

> the

> hymn.

>

> This young bhAgavata told me something which adiyen

> had never heard before! From the standpoint of pure

> poetic appreciation, his view is indeed very

> revelatory! But adiyen does not know if it accords

> with tradition.

> Perhaps someone really knowledgeable (like SrimAn

> Anbil, Sadagopan or Sempath Rengarajan or other) can

> throw some light on it.

>

> Here is what the young bhAgavatha says:

>

> "The whole of the "tiruppAvai" is actually in the

> form of the "praNavam" (in Tamil, "tiruppAvai

anaithum praNava-vadivvulE irukkinradu yenrE

sollallAm"!).

>

> "praNavam" begins with ""a"-kAra-shabdam", "A" which

> is symbol for Isvara or God. It ends with ""ma"-kAra

> shabdham", "M" which symbolises "jeeva" or soul. And

> in the middle there is ""u"-kAra shabdam", "U" which

> is the symbol for the agency of divine intercession

> ("purushAkAram") that brings about the union between

> Isavara and jeeva."

>

> "The whole of "tiruppAvai" deals with "jeeva",

> Isvara and purushAkAra.

>

> "How is that?

>

> "Just look at the stanzas! They start with

> "mArgazhi-tinggal...", with the letter "M". Right

> from Stanza#1 until Stanza#17,the tiruppAvai's

principal focus is on the theme of what the

"aayarpAdi" girls do....And they actually represent

"jeeva-s"...

> individual souls.

>

> "Stanza#18 begins with "undhu-magallitran..." and

> with the the syllable "U". In this stanza and the

next two, the focus of the "tiruppAvai" is wholly on

> "napinnai", who is "thAyyAr" or the symbol of

"purushAkAram"... the agency of divine intercession

that enables "union" between jeeva and Isvara.

>

> In Stanza#22, for the first time in the entire

> sequence of the 'tiruppAvai", the "aayarpAdi" girls

> begin to address Lord Krishna directly. Thereafter,

> in the rest of the hymn right upto Stanza#30, the

focus remains fixed on the Lord or "Isvara". And quite

> signficantly, Stanza#22, we see, begins with

> "anganmAnAlath- arasar...." with the letter "A"...

> ""a"-kAra- shabdam"... the syllable denoting Isvara

> principle in the "praNavam" A-U-M!

>

> "So, we see how the "tiruppAvai" begins with

> examining the principle of "ma" (jIva), then procees

to deal next with the principle of "u" (purushAkAra)

and finally ends with essaying the Supreme principle

of

> "a" (Isvara).

>

> "Thus the symbolic structure of the tiruppAvai is

> clearly founded on "ma", "u" and "a" which in

> reverse order is "a", "u" ,"ma" or the 3 phonetic

elements constituting the primordial sound, the

"praNavam"!"

> ******* ********** *******

>

> When adiyen heard the above interpretation, a small

> doubt struck him. We see that in the actual sequence

> of the "tiruppAvai", even before Stanza#22, in

> Stanza#21 itself ("Etra-kallangal..") the

> "tiruppAvai" talks of the Lord or Isvara. So how can

we say (rather conveniently) that it is in Stanza#22

that Isvara is first talked about?

>

> So adiyen posed the above question to the young

> "bhAgavata" and his brilliant reply was:

>

> "Yes, Stanza#21 also deals with the Lord but it

> deals with Him in his "para-nilai"... His Distant

and

> Transcendent form... as indicated in the phrase

> "periyAy" in that stanza. But if you look carefully,

> it is only in Stanza 22("aganmAnAllat-arasar...")

> that the Lord is first talked of in His easy

> 'saulabhya-nilai" indicated in the phrase "nin

> palli-kattil keezhiyE"!. "Therefore, we should take

Stanza#22 and not Stanza#21 into reckoning when

determining where exactly the ""a"-kAra-shabdham" of

the "praNavam" begins in the natural sequence of the

"tiruppAvai"."

>

> ******* ******** ********

> Adiyen thinks the above is simply brilliantly

> conceived! It clearly shows how the whole of the

> "tiruppAvai" AndAl structured around the

> "praNava-tattvam"!

>

> What do other members think? Kindly give your

> comments, if any. Thanks,

>

> dAsan,

> Sampathkumaran

>

 

 

 

Talk to your friends online with Messenger.

http://im.

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