kannanai ninaiththaalum sugame - post 7

[Guest guest]

Dear SrivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

I prey to my krishna to mitigate the sufferings of those who were directly

hit in the mis-happenings in the World Trade Center. Prayers to my krishna

to give peace to the world.

 

Now to continue-- We are enjoying krishNaa with the backdrop of gOvardhana

giri episode of krishnNaa's baala leelaigaL. That gOvardhana giridhAAri

provides manOllaasam to this bhakthaa when he continuously thinks on the

giridhaari. Read his song- this krithi is in the raagaa hindhOlam by Sri

Muththuswaami Dheekshithar [MD].

 

pallavi

gOvardhana gireesam smaraami anisam

gOpikaadhi manOharam garvitha kamsaadhi haram - gOvardhana

 

CharaNam-

gOvindha naama saaram

gajEndhra rakshaNaa dheeram

kavi jana hruNmandhaaram

kanaka jitha susareeram

ravi sasi nayana vilaasam

ramaNeeya mukhaabhaasam

sivagaNaadhi visvaasam

sri guru guha manOllaasam - gOvardhana

 

Meaning:

gOvardhana gireesam smaraami anisam - I incessantly meditate on that lord

who is the lord of the gOvardhana hill, and lifted it.

gOpikaadhi manOharam- he enchanted the hearts of gOpikaas and others.

garvitha kamsaadhi haram- he killed the arrogant kamsan.

gOvindha naama saaram - the essence of that name "gOvindhan".

gajEndhra rakshaNaa dheeram - he is the brave one who protected the

elephant gajEndhran from the paws of the crocodile.

kavi jana hruNmandhaaram - he is the coal tree in the hearts of poets or the

churning stick [or rod or the mandhara hill] to the hearts of poets and

churns them, thus enabling them to pour out sweet songs.

kanaka jitha susareeram -his body defeats gold in effulgence.

ravi sasi nayana vilaasam -he is the charm and shine provider for sun and

moon.

ramaNeeya mukhaabhaasam - he always appears with a charming face.

sivagaNaadhi visvaasam - siva and his assistants rely on him for all their

powers and positions.

sri guru guha manOllaasam - he is the aanandham provider to sri guruguhan-

viz MD.

 

Points:

1. See the words- kavi jana hruNmandhaaram- the word mandhaaram means

coral tree- pavazha malligai maram- giving that red stemmed and white

coloured smelly flower- so krishna flowers like that pavazha malli in the

hearts of poets.

 

2. Other meaning is- poets' hearts are churned in the same way as how

the mandhara malai was used to churn the milk ocean and amudham-nectar was

brought out. He brings out nectar like songs.

 

3. In case, oh readers, you have any doubt- please listen to this song

itself. The rasa is so effective, the raga is so evocative, and the lyrics

are so nice, that even a kaththuk kutti [beginner or learner] sings this

song- automatic aanandha bhaashpam- tears will flow out, not to a

connoisseur, but to an ordinary listener also.

 

4. See words - kanaka jitha su-sareeram- we read in many places the

thirumEni of kaNNan is neela mEgha syaamaLam- here MD says kanaka jitha

susareeram. Why this colour blindness to many poets? Is it? Bhaarathi says -

paarkkum idangaL ellaam nandha laalaa unthan pachchai niRam thOnRuthada

nandha laalaa, forgetting the fact that in the first line of this song, he

said kaakkai siRaginilE nandha laala unthan kariya niram thOnruthadaa. [i

saw black colour of you in that crows feathers, oh krishna, now when I turn

around and see the trees, I see your green colour].

 

5. While it is raining and krishNaa holding aloft the gOvardhanam,

krishNaa appears bright in the flashlight of the lightning that strikes the

surrounding. Because of the suddenness of two shines meeting each other, one

from krishna, another from the real natural lightning, it appears that

krishNaa the super lightning is the striking one. So the super golden light

from krishna only strikes the eye fading the real lightning. Hence kanaka

jitha susareeram, even though he is dark.

 

6. Also he is the light provider to the lightning. So also we can take

his sareeram is kanaka jitha susareeram.

 

7. Play of words like the above to explain kanaka jitha susareeram can

not describe the beauty of kaNNan. Dear bhakthaas- Close your eyes.

Visualise kaNNan in the inner eye. Have rains in your eyes, the real

lightning will strike then in your inner eyes, then look at kaNNan- now see

the colour- it is kanaka jitha susareeram. KrishNa- krishNa- idhu enna un

maayam.

 

8. guru guha manOllaasam- happiness of guruguhan- light in the hearts

of guruguhan- that is MD.

 

Without knowing how krishna lifted the gOvardhana hill and supported through

seven days, how to do this "anisam smarami"- remembering always. Here are

the details as provided to us by periyaazhvaar.

 

kaduvaaich china venkat kaLiRRinukkuk

kavaLam eduththuk koduppaan avan pOl

adivaai uRakkai ittu ezhap paRiththittu 3-5-4

 

idavan ezha, 3-5-5

 

seppaadu udaiya thirumal avan than

senthaamaraik kai viral ainthinaiyum

kappaaga maduththu maNi nedunthOL kaambaagak koduththu 3-5-6

 

padangaL palavum udaip paambu araiyan

padar boomiyaith thangik kidappavan pOl

thadangai viral ainthum malara vaiththu

dhaamOdharan thaangu thadavarai [3-5-7 Periyaazhvaar] antha gOvardhanam

 

meaning: Like how a mahout [trainer of an elephant] lifts a big ball of

cooked rice and offer it to the elephant which is hungry and angry with

reddened eyes, krishNa sent his strong forceful hand beneath the foot of the

gOvardhana hill and lifted it from the base of it. [3-5-4]

While he lifted the earth pods dropped from the hill.[3-5-5]

He, that thirumaal, who has red lotus palms, used his fingers like a set of

rods supporting a cup and supported the hill which looked like an umbrella

and his shoulder like a handle.[3-5-6]

Krishna, the dhaamOdharan, supported the gOvardhanam with spread palm and

fingers, like that 1000 headed snake with the spread hood, who supports the

universe.[3-5-7]

 

Points:

1. Kaduvaai sina venkat kaLiRu- see here a beauty- venkat kaLiRu- can

be split as

 

Vem+ kaN + kaLiRu- the elephant whose eyes are red due to anger and hunger.

[Pasi vanthida paththum paranthu pOm allavaa so eyes flash the anger with

red colour].

 

Now extend the same.

Vem + kaN- venkat- so venkatEsan- can it be taken as vem + kaN + easan-

sivandha kaNgaLai udaiya thalaivan- [ta can be Na or vice versa in grammar

is permitted].

 

Vem+kaN+raman = venkatraman- raman one who has red eyes.

 

2. maNi nedunthOL kaambaaga- handle for the umbrella the hill for the rain.

The small lotus fingers are the reinforcements or braces for supporting the

load of the hill. Perhaps from this only later the concept of having a

central pillar and angular bracing to stiffen the load above giving the

stability has come into the world. [This is from my typical civil

engineering brain to interpret].

 

3. PhaNaabhirama prasrutha anguleeka: priyaanga raagavyathishanga paandu:

BhujasthadheeyO giriNaa babhaasE bhoomaNdalEnEva bhujanga raaja:!! Slokam 50

 

This is the slokam from yadhava abhyudhayam in chapter 7 describing the

gOvardhana giri episode and ending with gOvindha pattaabhishEkam. Meaning is

just the same as for periyaazhvaar paasuram sighted above in 3-5-7.

 

Now see how great minds think alike- aazhvaar & dhEsikan.

 

But there is one major variation which swami dhEsikan gives. As per yaadhava

abhyudhayam, the lord holds the hill in its inverted position with the flat

base up and top crown down in his grip. But bhagavatham and aazhvaars

consider the hill is supported on its flat base. We will see more about it

in next post.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan M.G.