meimmai peruvaarththai//kiZI aRuttAn

[Guest guest]

Sri rAmAnujasya caraNau SaraNam prapadhyE ||

 

/namastE Shri Vasudevan tiruvarE.

 

Just a note on the quote from Shri /paTTar pirAn' s /taniyan.

 

//vENTiya vEtaGkaL/Oti viRaintu kiZi aRuttAn

 

The translation you have used: "He hastily tore the cash bag hung after uttering

the required /vedAs". It seems to me that the translation does not bring out the

full effect of the line.

 

/kiZi is a fabric: A cloth, but cut out of a full piece. That is it is a piece

of cloth not small as a cash bag would be. You take a woven fabric at its

source. It has four to 8 dhOtIs or sArIs. Whn it is torn each is a /kiZi. A

single dhOtI is a /kiZi. In general it is a fabric.

 

Here is a line from /JAna/campantar: /veN/kiZiyiR pavLam puRai pUntarAy.

Addressing, the Lord of /tirup/pUntarai, he says: Sure, you are the Lord of the

grounds full of holy flowers (punnai flower: pUkkaLaik koNTa tarai). See "the

grounds are like a white fabric on which are laden pearls". The previous line

addresses what the pearls are. The pearls are /cen/nel: Brown rice with the husk

still on, which is even redder than the rice proper. The full lines that are

relevant: "cen/nel aG/kaZani paZanatt/ayal Or/ceZum || punnai veN/kiZiyiR

pavaLam purai pUntarAy || Lord of tirup/pUntarai, (I know why you are called

/pUn/tarAy!) The red rice has been cultivated in well-irrigated rich soil. Those

fields are bordered by /punnai trees which are shedding their white flowers.

When I look at it from a distance as I approach /tirup/pUntarai, I see a white

fabric overflowing with red pearls.

 

/aRuttal: To cut. But used just as in English. He cut a prize! He cut a big

profit! How to cut the problem to size? So one meaning of /aRuttal is to shape,

to gain, to win, etc. Here is a song from /JnAna/campantar on the /nava/grahAs!

/JAyiRu tiGkaL . . . veLLI | cani pAmp/iraNtum/uTanE || /AcaRum!

 

That is the nine planets will confer or bestow blessings on this person (who has

captured Lord civA in His heart). The great saint says: "The nine planets will

cut a Blessing on this" fellow! Just like an American teenager would say!

 

So /kiZi aRuttAn means to cut a fabric in the sense of winning a prize, as you

would cut a ribbon when the race is won or when they cut a ribbon when starting

a new building etc.

 

Translation tips: Cut a ribbon: /kiZi aRuttal! Unless you want to say

/vAlaip/palam instead of /vAZaip/paZam! And call it tUya/tamiZ.

 

Compare, "/avan kiZiccAn! :-) Or /civanA, avan ennattaik kiZiccAn! :-)

 

That means he can hardly deliver! :-) Or an argument between brothers: /nI

ennattaik kiZiccE? Or, /vAy kiZiyaratE, aZaku pO!

 

/Otutal: To teach. Our people could not teach without /Otutal.

 

So a translation with full effect: He (the /AZvAr) took scriptures to the

people, , and acted as a minister (of perumAL). And doing so cut a fabric of his

own! That is he preached about perumAL to people and had a large following!

 

I do not think that you want to hear after these notes about why /viRaintu is

translated as a minister or a preacher! I hope Shri /vaishNavAs are not offended

by my translation.

 

/naH svI/kurvaka asmAt krupAm: Wherefore, cause us to have Your Grace.

/vantanam.

 

Visu

[Guest guest]

Shri mathe Ramanujaaya Namaha

Dear Sri Visu/Vasu:)

I have a few comments to add to this sequel. "Vendiya Vedangal odhi

viraindhu kizhi arutthan" - this is a simple verse. Many a times we

say do it fast, which means before some one else does! Before someone

else came there to the pandiyan sabai with wrong philosophies he

(Azhwar), did it fast(viraindhu kizhi arutthan). i.e whenever someone

says something that is wrong that goes into people's mind easily. And

think of this wrong thing being told very first! Nothing would be

worse than that. So, this thaniyan says, azhwar took the appropriate

knowledge using vedic references(which he got through his dreams from

the lord himself), hurried to the pandiyan sabhai and did the

paratattva nirnayam. That is all. Here the emphasis to the 'kizhi

arutthan' is not much done. Kizhi arutthal is a normal prize awarding

program that existed in those days. And only those who deserve or

those who win get it. It has nothing to do with things like 'cutting

a fabric of his own' etc. The real emphasis must be on when one

should do the right thing. Do it at the earliest. Hurry to do it.

That is the message. And I guess that was what was meant by 'hastily'

in Shri Vasudavan's post. Probably he meant the right thing but

the 'hastily tore' was probably not the right way of expressing it.

Anyone would definitely like to hurry to good things. Ramanujar, as

soon as he heard the thirumanthrartham, went to the temple top and

told that to everyone. "as soon as" - hurried - viraindhu. Paratattva

nirnayam was badly needed at that time of azhwar. So, he did it at

the earliest. He had to hurry to tell everyone that lord Sriman

Narayanan was the paramporul.

I just told what I felt and I hope no one is offended by this. No

offense intended on anyone. Ideas just differ. Learned scholars

kindly correct me and excuse me for my mistakes!

Sarva aparadhaan kshamasva!

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

Lakshmi Narasimhan