govindhan gunam paadi en aavi kaaththiruppen - post 9

[Guest guest]

Dear Srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

In the previous post, we saw aazhvaar describeing krishna stood on the top

of hood of that vicious snake kaaLiyan - "uchchiyil ninRaanaal inRu muRRum".

 

 

When he stands at top will he keep quiet? No. May be, if it is some other

boy, he would have enjoyed standing peacefully on the snake hood for some

moments.

 

But this is naughty krishna, standing on the snake hood. What he did there?

 

This is again described beautifully by same aazhvaar- he learnt dancing -

thooya nadam payilum sundhara - says aazhvaar. Here aazhvaar says it is

pure dance "thooya nadam" - each word is to be relished again - simply

brings a picture in the mind - like a television - oh, what a scene, krishna

you make in my mind -

 

kaaya malar niRavaa, karumugil pOl uruvaa

kaanaga maamaduvil kaaLiyan uchchiyilE

thooya nadam payilum sundhara, en siRuvaa

thungamadhak kariyin kombu pariththavanE...

1-5-6 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi

meaning: oh blue coloured flower like lord, black cloud coloured bodied,

sundhara- oh the beauty, my young boy, oh you, who broke the ivory of that

mighty elephant, amidst the deep forest- in the ghat- you learn the dance so

cleanly on the hoods of kaaLiyan .....

 

sundharan - azhagan learns pure dance. Classical dance?- the learning spot-

the most dangerous one- on the hoods of vicious snake- who else can do such

contrasts except my krishna.

 

Swamy desikan described krishna learnt dancing from mother yasOdhaa when she

churned the curd for butter- naming it as navaneetha naatyam - in gopaala

vimsathi. But here aazhvaar calls it pure classical dance on hoods of snake.

May be since aazhvaar is time wise senior to aachaarya, in aazhvaar's eyes

he learnt classical form of dance first. Later for aacharya's sake and

mother's sake he learnt navaneetha naatyam. For he is always obedient to his

bhakthaas. So no wonder- first class first, subsequent- may be for a variety

sake.

 

But that lord's dance is always madhuram - sweet, delightful to his

bhakthaas. Let it be thooya nadanam or navaneetha naatyam. "Nruthyam

madhuram" says another bhaktha - sri vallabhaacharya [15th century C.E, in

central india] in his "madhuraashtakam" - since this ashtakam is so simple

and full of rasam- sweetness, I do not have any thing to comment but shed

tears in enjoying that krishna.

 

aDharam maDhuram vadhanam maDhuram

nayanam maDhuram hasitham maDhuram |

hrudhayam maDhuram gamanam maDhuram

maDhuraaDhipathErakhilam maDhuram ||1||

 

meaning: Sweet are His lips and His mien is sweet.

Sweet are His eyes as His smiles are sweet.

Sweet is His heart as His bearing is sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

vachanam maDhuram charitham maDhuram

vasanam maDhuram valitham maDhuram |

chalitham maDhuram Bhramitham maDhuram

maDhuraaDhipathErakhilam maDhuram || 2 ||

 

meaning: Sweet are His words as His actions are sweet.

Sweet is His dress as His posture is sweet.

Sweet is His gait as His gestures are sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

vENur maDhurO rENur maDhurO

vaaNee maDhuraa paadhou maDhurou |

nrthyam maDhuram sakhyam maDhuram

maDhuraaDhipatErakhilam maDhuram || 3 ||

 

meaning: Sweet is His flute and His foot-dust is sweet.

Sweet are His hands, as His blue feet are sweet.

Sweet is His dance and His friendship is sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

geetham maDhuram peetham maDhuram

Bhuktham maDhuram suptham maDhuram |

roopam maDhuram thilakam madhuram

maDhuraaDhipatErakhilam maDhuram || 4 ||

 

meaning: Sweet is His song and His pure drink is sweet.

Sweet is His food and His sleeping is sweet.

Sweet is His charm as His forehead is sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

Meaning: karaNam maDhuram tharaNam maDuram

haraNam maDhuram ramaNam maDhuram |

vamitham maDhuram samitham madhuram

maDhuraDhipathErakhilam maDhuram || 5 ||

 

meaning: Sweet are His limbs as His sporting is sweet.

Sweet are His guile's as His pranks are sweet.

Sweet is His mouth and His resting is sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

gujjaa maDhuraa maalaa maDhuraa

yamunaa maDhuraa veechee maDhuraa |

salilam maDhuram kamalam maDhuram

maDhuraaDhipathErakhilam maDhuram || 6 ||

 

meaning: Sweet is His pearl and His garland is sweet.

Sweet is Yamuna and Her rippling is sweet.

Sweet is the stream and the lotus is sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

gOpee maDhuraa leelaa maDhuraa

yuktham maDhuram muktham maDhuram |

dhrushtam maDhuram sishtam maDhuram

maDhuraaDhipathErakhilam maDhuram || 7 ||

 

meaning: Sweet are His maids and His frolics are sweet.

Sweet is His love and His parting is sweet.

Sweet are His pets and His leavings are sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

gOpaa maDhuraa gaavO maDhuraa

yashtirmaDhuraa srushtir maDhuraa |

dhalitham maDhuram phalitham maDhuram

maDhuraadhipathErakhilam madhuram || 8 ||

 

meaning: Sweet are His mates and His cows are sweet.

Sweet is His staff as His creation is sweet.

Sweet is His wrath as His graces are sweet.

The Lord of sweetness is entirely sweet.

Lord Sri Krishna is entirely sweet.

 

See here for one sentence of describing the dance, so many beautiful

addressing of that lord krishna. Just feel how much the author would have

enjoyed that rasam- sweetness to pour out his soul- to give out these

verses. The sweetness of krishna to the brim and even more.

 

Let that madhura bhaavam and maadhurya guNam of gOvindhan remain in the mind

till we receive the next post.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan M.G.