nacciyar thirumoli five

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Day Five - Nacciyar Thirumoli

 

Let us see the details of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli quoted

yesterday.

 

The first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli can be discussed in terms of five

aspects.

 

First, let us consider these songs as making up a piece of literature in

extension of the Tamil Canka tradition of the ritualistic bathing in the

month of Thai.

 

Words like, "Worshipped", "prayed", "appealed" indicate that the ritualistic

bathing in the month of Thai acquired association with the worship of the

God of Love, Kama, and developed into the vow of Kama. In addition to the

ritualistic bathing and praying for a virtuous husband, we see a new trend

of worshipping the God of Love in the days of Andal.

In the Srivaishnava tradition, there is no celebration of worshipping any

god other than Thirumal in his various avathars for any blessing in any

form. That is why when Prathivathi bhayankaram Annankarachariyar came to

explain the doubtful "hoping to be redeemed" in Song One wrote the

following :

"The doubt in 'Hoping to be redeemed' in Song One has to be explained. To

worship Kama is to pray to the god who is likely to cause the annihilation

of the physical. Will it in any way lead to redemption or will it pull the

soul down to salvation? - that is the doubt here."

Moreover Andal says that along with Kama, she worships His brother. Kama's

brother is Sama. Krishna had begotten Prathyumnan, the aspect of Manmatha

through Rukmani. Jambavi Devi begot Him Samban or Saman. That is the remark

to be found in the Sribhagavatham.

 

Next to be appreciated is the fact that in these ten songs, Andal has

explained all the parts of the processs involved in the vow taken up in the

name of Kama.

Searching for the right place for Kama to be installed during the month of

Thai

Decorating the streets for the procession of Kama during the month of Masi

Taking bath at the pond well before dawn

Making Offers to Kama in the fire of tender faggots

Making arrows of flowers

Offering umatha and murukku floral worship

Writing the name of Kama on the walls

Offering the flag, horses and ladies in attendance to Kama

Observing the Vow in the name of Kama with the presiding presence of the

beatiful, the young, the adept in sex and those who chant the scriptures of

Sex

Offering green rice, sugarcane, rice, jaggery and aval while chanting the

mantras devised by those who are well versed in the scriptures of love

Ignoring bathing and keeping oneself intact for the love game even as one is

languishing in love

 

Such is the list of what ought and ought not to be done, what was and was

not done during the vow in the name of Kama. We see it spread through the

first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli.

 

Let us see further about these:

1. When the reference is made to the faggot without thorn for the

sacrificial fire of offerings to Kama, Andal refers to the care and concern

that go into the worship/

2. Aravintham, Ashokam, mango, navamallikai and karuneythal are the five

flowrs with which the arrows of Kama are usually made.

3. Umathai and Murukku flowers are fleshy. Their fragrance arouses sensuous

pleasures both at the physical and the mental level. Therefore they become

the flowers of Kama.

4. Traditional interpretatiion will account for writing the name of Kama on

the wall saying that once Krishna is attained Kama may be forgotten and so

to remind of Kama even after union with Krishna, Kama's name is written on

the wall. However, it will be better to interpret it as writing the name of

Kama and drawing his form and his symbols on the walls as part of the Vow in

the name of Kama.

5. The flag of Kama has the symbol of the fish.

6. It is not only a special aspect of these songs that those who preside

over the ritual for Kama happen to be those well acquainted with the

scriptures of love. It is also a revolutionary claim. Andal has made the

formulae of love the scripture of love.

7. The Canka poetry speaks of how the lady love languished at the physical

lever because of her longing. Andal also speaks in the same vein but with a

subtle difference. She is speaking of languishing but of neglect of the

physical in her longing. She has ignored to bath herself properly. She has

let her lips shrivel. This is an instance of contradictions complementing

each other. Physical beauty sparks love and romance. It is ironic that in

the interest of the same love, she has ignored physical beauty.

8. Andal almost coerces Kama to take her to her Lord when she says that the

onus of the sin of making her suffer separation from her Lord will fall on

Kama's shoulders.

 

The second aspect of these ten songs is the way in which the physical

aspects of longing are described in sensuous terms so very characteristic of

Andal.

>From the days of my youth

That my full swelled breasts are meant

Only for the feel of the Lord of Dwaraka.

Pray do I unto you, Lord of Love,

To take me to Him forthwith.

Why should Andal be in such a great hurry? Her breasts have become so

shapely only to be felt by the fingers of her Lord. Lest they should become

shrivelled and shrunk because of age, she pleads that Kama facilitates her

union with her Lord almost immediately.

 

The fifth and the ninth songs of the first ten are special in a way. In both

we see brilliant comparisons worked out. In the ninth song, it is comparing

the bull chased away after extracting the work without fodder to letting her

languish in her passion for her Lord. That is a brilliant comparison indeed.

 

In the fifth song she compares the fox passing by and sniffing the

ceremonial offering of Brahmins to Gods to her breasts even spoken of being

meant for the feel of human fingers when they have been dedicated from the

beginning to the sensuous feel of the fingers of her Lord. Andal succeeds in

sanctifying her lust with the help of this comparison.

 

The seventh song is the most delicate of all. She talks of her bright

abdomen that slants towards the thighs and just above them, like two mounds

the breasts. She longs for the gentle feel of the fingers of her Lord on her

lower abdomen and her breasts. Any man or woman who has experienced the

pleasure of the sensuous feel of the abdomen and the breasts cannot but

relish this song.

 

As said earlier, there is contradiction complementing each other in the

eighth song. It is a lust that ignores the body that is the inspiration of

lust!

 

The eighth song has another aspect too. Andal describes another sensuous

scene in Thiruppavai, her other composition. Nappinnai, the divine consort,

does not allow her Lord who is lying on her breasts early in the morning

after the long night of happy indulgence to leave her behind to answer the

call of the shepherdesses who pray for His graceful presence to grace their

pavai vow. But in this song, the prayer is not for embracing Him tight so as

to press his chest with her breats. It is to enable her to make Him feel

restful as she presses his feet. Annankarachariar will appreciate this song

in the name of the possibility that anyone who holds the feet of God is sure

to have their prayers fulfilled.

 

The third aspect of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli is an aspect

that is general to Alwar Literature. When they speak about the grandeur of

God, they usually celebrate the deeds of the avatars of God. In these ten

songs also there are references to certain deeds of avatars. Krishna is

supposed to have vanquished a monster who appeared in the form of a crane.

He tore the beak and killed the crane. He is supposed to have killed another

monster who appeared in the form of an elephant pulling out its tuskers. In

the Vamana avatar he is supposed to have measured the whole universe in

three strides.

 

The fourth aspect of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli are the terms

with which the physical charm of God is spoken. This is also another general

aspect of Alwar Literature.

 

Holding the sparkle spitting discus

Receptacle of the unique Wisdom

Holding the discus and conch

Black-hued as the rain clouds

Black-hued as the kayaa flower

Black-hued as the karuvilai

Lotus faced

Ocean-hued

 

The fifth aspect which in fact is the most distinguishing aspect of Nacciyar

Thirumoli is the determination in the declaration that she and everything of

hers are His.

 

She has no redemption if she is not all His

Thirumal is her goal

Thirumal is her lamp

She has vowed herself to Thirumal

She cannot live if she were spoken wife to any human

Her feminity sustains only in holding on to His feet

She may have to become desperate if she could not serve Him.