nacciyar thirumoli three

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POSTING THREE

 

NACCIYAR THIRUMOLI

 

The worship of Kama, the God of Love is not celebrated in the Sanga

Literature. Cilappathikaram speaks of the worshiop of Indira. Butthere are

no details about the worship of Kama. In Manimekalai, there is an occasion

wherein it is said that the God of Love, Kama, will kneel in front of

Manimekalai. So beautiful is her face supposed to be. These indicate that

though Kama and the worship of Kama had been part of the Indian Mythology in

general and Tamil mythology in particular, there are no systematised or

institutionalised worship of Kama. It is in the mythological tradition that

Andal's Nacciyar Thirumoli is a revolutionary work.

 

In the aesthetic tradtions of India, dreams are considered as rasas. Dreams

are the remains of the experiences of the lived part of life. Dreams show

the body of man wherein the ego is almost extinguished. The parts of

suppressed emotions are the dreams. Nacciyar Thirumoli is a novel literature

in the midst of Dream Literature.

 

Nacciyar Thirumoli casually scales the heights of the glory of a spiritual

experience as the one in which the lady love dedicates her body and soul in

a desire not only that He should become hers but also in the desire that she

should become His.

 

Nacciyar Thirumoli has 143 verses in 14 cantoes with 10 each of 11 sections

and 11 each of 3 sections.

 

The first Thirumoli has ten verses. It is in the form of an appeal to Kama

to take the lady love to union with God. These verses are usually sung to

the raga Kaveri and Athi Thal. Anankadeva, Kamadeva, manmatha - these are

the terms of address with which the lady love preys to the God of Love to

bestow on her the bliss of union with God. What is specially manifest in

these songs is the resolve expressed in, "If ever I was spoken in terms of

marrige with a man, O Manmatha, take it from me, I will live no more!"

 

In the 10 songs of the second section Andal preys to God not to undo the

households of the young shepherdesses. She pleads with Him, "Dont torture

us, please!" (with his absence amidst them). These verses are usually sung

in yamuna kalyani rag and thiruputai thal.

 

In the 10 songs of the third section she pleads for prizes in the form of

the dress He had stolen in recognition of their devotion to Kanna. These

verses are usually sung to cencurutti rag and ata thal.

 

In the Tamil Love Literature tradition the lady love will be shown as trying

to draw a circle in the sand while in separation from her lover. If the line

meets in a perfect circle, the belief is that the separation between will

come to an end soon. The fourth section of Nacciyar Thiurmoli is a prayer to

the lines to meet in a circle so that she could join Kannan soon. If she

were not able to join him soon thus, she is sure to die - she professes.

These verses are usually sung kethara rag and ata thal. There are 11 verses

in this section.

 

The fifth section is an appeal to the koels to call the Lord aloud to join

her. There is a softness about the appeal as in, "Stay gentle! Call aloud

but call gently the Lord of Venkata to come to me!" These verses are usually

sung in Ananta Bairavi rag and Athi thal. There are 11 verses in this

section too.

 

The sixth section is a revolutionary dream literature. It begins with the

description of the ceremonial march of the Lord towards the altar of

marriage and proceeds further to talk about the union between the Lady and

Lord in the most sensuous terms. This section acquires its significance in

that it speaks about the rituals of marriage which do not essentially belong

to the indigenous Tamil tradition. There are 11 songs in this section also.

These songs are usually sung in kalyani rag and rupaka Thal.

 

The seventh thirumoli has revolutionary aspects compared to the rather

subdued tradition of love poetry in Tamil literature. It begins wondering if

the breath of Kannan will smell of camphor or lotus when He kisses his Lady

love. These verses are usually sung to varli rag and Rupaka thal.

 

The eigth thirumoli is in the form of sending the clouds as the envoys of

love. These songs appeal to the clouds to report to Him the pitiable and

torturous plight of the lady love separated from Him. These songs are

usually sung in Thusavanthi Rag and Athi Thal.

 

The ninth section speaks of her Waiting in Longing for Him addressing the

Lord at Thirumaliruncolai. I kept for him butter in a hundred containers; I

kept for him rice boiled in ghee in a hundred other containers. When is he

going to come and have them? That is the question we find in this section.

These songs are sung in kalyani rag and rupaka thal.

 

In the tenth section, unable to bear separation any more she calls the

koels, the flowers, the peacocks, the rains and the seas to go and tell Him

of her plight. These verses are usually sung in kampothi rag and thiruputai

thal.

 

He does not look at my face. He does not have desire for me. He does not

come forward to dispel my distress. - these are the complaints she makes

about Him to her mother and other relatives in the eleventh section. These

songs are usually sung in saveri rag to thiruputai thal.

 

The twelfth section is a request to all her relatives to take her to

wherever Kannan may be. She has understood that she could no longer bear

separation from Him. These songs are usually sung in nathanama kiriyai thal

and athi thal. The outskirts of Madurai, Ayppati, the banks of Yamuna,

pathavilosanam, pandivatam, kovarthanam, Thuvarapathy - thee are the places

identified as those where Kannan will be.

 

The thirteenth section speaks about how the clothes he had donned and

removed and others will bring her fever of love down. When speaking about

her breasts untouched by him she says,

When these breasts remain untouched by Him,

Let me pluck them with their roots

And throw them on His face to bring down my fever.

That can be termed a fiery love indeed! These songs are usually sung in

bairavi rag to athi thal.

 

The fourteenth section describes how the lady love happened to enjoy the

sight of Kanna at Vrindhavan in his many sided activities. These songs have

echoes of Jayadevar's songs in Sanskrit. These songs are usually sung in

Kalyani rag and rupaka thal.

 

Everyone know how Vishnu is associated with the earth in the Hindu pantheon.

The earth which provides man with the basis for his existence is made

fertile because of association with Vishnu. Based upon this concept have

many stories risen in the Hindu literature and mythology. Kama, the God of

Love, becomes synonymous with Vishnu in this respect. Vishnu is called

Krishnan and Kama.

In the Mahabharath is said,

"There is no distinction between Kama and Vishnu."

Thirumal is worshipped in the name of Kama."

"Kama is one of the many names of Vishnu."

 

So the element of sensuousness in Nacciyar Thirumoli is to be taken for the

expression of the blissful mood that Kanna who was the God of Love had

created in the mind of Andal. Let us read the verses in Nacciyar Thirumoli

in the days to come taking Andal for the Mother Earth and Vishnu for the God

who bestows his blessings. The story of Andal will then acquire new meaning

and new dimensions.