nacciyar thirumozhi nine

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DAY NINE - NACCIYAR THIRUMOZHI

THIRD THIRUMOZHI

 

In the Krishna Avatar Narayana is supposed to have stolen the dress of the

shepherdesses when they were taking bath in the pond. He then climbs up the

kuruntha tree and makes fun of them. The shepherdesses plead of him to give

them their dress back. The third Thirumozhi describes this scene.

 

They had been to the pond much before the sun rose. They are not able to

leave the pond even much after the sun has risen. Give us our dress back.

We will not come again to this pond, they plead with Krishna. How is it you

are here at the pond? Don’t be in a hurry because it is too early for us to

be in a love relationship with you. Give us our dress you have kept on the

branches of the kuruntha tree. It is a childish game on your part to make us

stand naked in the waters of the pond. There are many taking bath here. We

stand here with tear filled eyes. We are not able to control our tears.

Give us our dress back. See, the fish bite our legs. See, the stems of the

lotus tickle us so sharply that it is like the sting of the poisonous

scorpion. Give us our dress back. The houses of ours is too far away. We are

here in the waters suffering like this. Drop down our dress from the

branches of the tree. It is not we alone being here. It is not right that we

have to suffer this for all to see. Give us our dress back. The cold water

makes our bodies shiver. Your pranks make our hearts shiver in pain. Give us

our dress back.

 

They pray to Him. They praise Him as their elixir. They promise Him that

they would give Him all that he wants and they would go away unseen by

anyone. They call Him the King of the Monkeys half in jest and half in

praise. They threaten Him saying that the game will become serious if their

brothers happen to come there and see their plight. They cry in pain talking

about the fish bite and the sharp feel of the lotus leaves on their unclad

legs. They find fault with Him saying that it does not become of Him to play

thus with them. They even ask Him if it was to annoy them that He had

escaped from the prison in Kamsa’s palace during the night and came to live

with them. For all this, Krishna was not to give them their dress back.

 

One of the usual aspects of Alwar literature is singing in praise of the

beauty of His form. In these ten songs also we see that aspect. He is the

One who sleeps on a bed of the Snake; He is the One who wears the garland of

the honeyed basil flowers; He has the Black Form; He is the One who slept

during the deluge with his pristine eyes closed.

 

The greatness of the avatars is also spoken. He had destroyed Lanka with His

bow and arrows. He is the King of the monkeys. He is the one who had danced

the kutakkuthu. He is the one who had escaped from the treacherous Kamsa. He

is the One who sucked the life of the monstress along with the milk from her

teats.

 

Of these references, Indira Parthasarathy has to say this about the

Kutakkuthu.

Kutakkuthu is a kind of dance of the shepherds. With one pot on each hand

and one each on the shoulders and quite a few arranged one above the other

on the head, the dance will be performed. The pots on the hands will be

thrown up and caught even as the dancer moves to the tune of the trumpets.

Cilappathikaram speaks of 6 kinds of Kuthu. Madhavi is supposed to have

performed 12 kinds of Kuthu. Kutakkuthu is one of them. This is

aesthetically quite appealing to the spectators. It is said that Krishna had

designed this dance form. Besides suggesting an aesthetic form to God as the

one who dances and sings, this concept also brings out all the physical

faculties together to a perfect tune. The God becomes human in dancing in

the midst of the shepherds. Krishna dances amidst men and women to inspire

their imagination. The philosophic explanation will indicate that it is not

only the cit and the acit that look up to God but it is God also looking

down upon the cit and the acit.”

 

Dramatic element is there in these songs too.

 

Why does she say that she prays to him along with her friend? Bathing in the

pond is figurative for union in love. What prevents you from enjoying

yourself with me? That is Krishna’s question. See, the sun has risen, they

say. That is alright. You have cheated me in leaving me behind as you came

down here to the pond. Please excuse, with folded hands, He says. They

cannot obviously do so with one arm. They cannot obviously use both their

arms since they have to cover their nudity at least with one of their arms.

So they use the right and left arms of each other to make one pair in

prayer.

 

What do they mean to say with “Since it is not proper, Boy of manifold

mischief, hurry not!”? What if I have come here by whatsoever means? I have

come here you see! Come and let us be together, He says. It is not yet time

for it. Wait, they say. We will give you all that you want later on. For the

time being, give us our dress back.

 

Why do they say, “Not only are we your aunt’s daughters here. See, others

have also arrived.”? You come to a secluded place like this and indulge in

all these mischief. Why do you do so? That is their question. He says that

he does so to make them all related to Him by marriage. Hey see! It is not

only we who can be related to You by marriage that is here. There are others

like your aunts and their mothers. They say.

 

Look at the maternal indulgence referred to in, “Yesodha speaks not

upbraiding you, Leaving you to your pranks.”