oil bath for a calf

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

The grand mother's presence, in a family, is essential [either paternal or

maternal grand mother] for three main reasons. May be you can have or add a host

of other reasons besides these three.

 

The main three are

1. giving an elaborate oil bath to the new born child and continue that bath for

some good time.

2. kaiyil saadham pisainthu koduththal - feeding the child easily while telling

interesting stories, by making him/ her sit in a ring around the grand mother

along with others. [this way the culture of sharing things from food first,

later to all things is cultivated at that young age. Besides the good stories

told by paatti develops the interest in the religion for mostly these stories

will be revolving around raamaayaNam and mahaa bhaaratham].

3. Be the root cause for the jokes of all kinds in all countries - especially

the jokes on fights between the mother in law and daughter in law [recently I

read UK is the hotbed for mother in law jokes more than any other country].

 

Our interest pins on the first reason in this post and the second one in the

next post. With the growing absence of joint families, the elders take asylum in

old age homes. [Readers may also recall a long discussion took place on old age

homes in the various lists].

 

The young mothers do dual roles mostly

* First role as a corporate executive [part time?]

* Second role as a caring mother for the children in the family.

*

* [because of reason given above this also becomes a part time some times, or a

baby sitter enters the scene if that can be affordable]. The net result is that

the present day children miss the sugam of both - the oil bath as well kaiyil

saadham pisainthu koduththal.

*

* Considering the subject topic, many of us would vouch for the important

benefits from an oil bath - weekly once, leading to coining an adage, "sani

neeraadu". On Saturdays have a good leisurely oil bath. That is what is really

neeraattam. Immediate question comes to the mind - what about other days? - it

is all avasarak kuLiyal - with a bucket of water - that is also becoming

difficult in chennai - with the present water scarcity and no rains - may be a

steam bath daily may be recommended shortly, which will lead to a large saving

in water consumed.

*

* But all of us remember the oil bath on dheepaavali day, irrespective of the

amount of hair we have on the head, the hairstyle what we have - at least one

spoon of oil - then a shampoo bath - then inquire all - swamy gangaa snaanam

aachchaa? - at least over telephone - irrespective of whether that particular

srivaishnava is in India or US or among yavanas and mlEchchaas.

*

* Have you ever heard of a calf having an oil bath? That is the real topic and

all these are poorva peedigai. I hear the murmur - hey human oil bath itself is

now a days out of question then oil bath for a calf?

*

* If done, that may be a wonder of high order.

* When a calf can be hidden in a butter pot, krishNa comes behind in search of

the calf / butter, then gets caught, answers "balaanuja" when confronted with

that harsh question "kasthvam?", then there is no "wonder" in a calf getting an

oil bath.

*

* Our dear Sri Sadagopan iyengar, the master narrator, from coimbatore, gave a

beautiful dramatisation of this slOkam of krishNa karNaamrutham recently.

*

* That way, my krishNa is also a modern day child, to miss this sugam of oil

bath being carried out by his grand mother, for there was no reference or a

mention about either a paternal or maternal GM to him as far as I know, doing

all the child care for krishNa. [ref on ugrasena the grand father is there] .

*

* How about a caring mother - that also a big NO for krishNa - for he is

"oruththi maganaaip piRanthu Or iravil ruththi maganaai oLiththu vaLarnthavan" -

thiruppaavai 25

*

* - as mother dhEvaki herself says, "I missed all that piLLai inbam"

*

* thiruvinai illaath thaayaril kadaiyaayina thaayE - 7-1 perumaal thirumozhi PT

* I am the last in that group of ill-lucked mothers.

*

* piLLai inbaththai izhantha paaviyEn- 7-4 PT

* I am a sinner having missed all that pleasures of caring a child

*

* koduvinaiyaEn - 7-6 PT - a great sinner

*

* veRidhE mulai sumanthu thanjamElonRilEn uinthirunthEn 7-10 PT

* I just carried the breasts in vain without use to my child, no other go.

*

* KrishNa had one good luck at the same time - the foster mother yasOdhaa is

good as certified by the original mother herself

* "thakkadhE - nalla thaayiap peRRaayE" - you had a good mother in yasOdhaa.

* Further certification is "ellam dheiva nangai yasOdhai peRRaaLE" - she is a

heavenly lady.

*

* Did that yasOdhaa give a good oil bath to krishNa - yes. Even an ordinary bath

is elaborate. See

* nOkki yasOdhai nuNukkiya manjaLaal

* naakku vazhiththu neeraattum innambikku

* vaakkum nayanamum vaayum muRuvalum

* mookkum irunthavaa kaaNeerE

* - moi kuzhaleer vanthu kaaNeerE.

* 1-2-15 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi.

*

* "Yasodhaa saw well the child, using powdered turmeric, she removed all the

phlegm in the throat, powdery material in the tongue due to drinking of the milk

etc, and gave a bath. Oh ladies, who have hairdo where bees come and sit on the

flowers used, please come and see the eyes, mouth, nose and the smile of this

child, do come".

*

* Perhaps this kind of bath helped krishNa to deliver that vaaku later - amudha

vaakku - aruL vaakku - bhagavath geethai in the war field.

*

* How about the preparations for that oil bath -

* veNNai aLaintha kuNungum viLaiyaadu puzhudhiyum koNdu

* thiNNenevivvuraa unnai thEiththuk kidakka naanottEn

* eNNai puLippazham koNdingu eththanai pOdhumirunthEn

* naNNalariya piraanE naaraNaa neeraada vaaraai

* - 2-4-1 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi.

*

* Oil is ready, puLippazham - may be a lemon to remove all that smell of butter

- kuNungu - as aaNdaaL calls krishNa - kuNungu naaRi kuttERu - then use all

powders, soaps, etc to give pleasant smell. Is that all or more? - see

*

* manjaLum sengazhuneerin vaasigaiyum naaRusaandhum

* anjanamum koNdu vaiththEn azhaganE neeraada vaaraai

* 2-4-4 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi.

 

Turmeric to give colour, garland of that blue colour flower sengazhuneer poo -

good smelling sandal, collerium for the eyes, all ready to dress after the bath.

 

What is he busy with to call him "neeraada vaaraai, vaaraai" in all the nine

paasurams of neeraattam padhikam. For krishNa said "oh, mother, please wait".

So, she is waiting and calling krishNa for the bathing.

 

Meanwhile some other lady from aaippaadi came to meet yasOdhaa for a small chat.

Immediately a discussion starts. What is the topic?

What else in gOkulam, except krishNa and krishNa centered points.

 

Perhaps, dear bhakthaas, you may accuse me that how do you say that such chats

take place, that too when some work is on hand. -. See evidence-

 

mElaiagaththE neruppu vENdi senRu

iRaippozhudhu angE pEsi ninRen - 2-9-5 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi.

So such chats in between works is common in rural side.

 

Now see the course of the discussion between yasOdhaa and the other lady -

 

ennathaan solladi kaNNan pidiththa pidikku

edhir uNdO solladi

eNNai thEiththidavum ingu vaa enavum

iru iru varuvEn enRu piragu Odi

kanRu onRai kayiRodu iNainthu

iLan kaNNaik kaatti idhaRku eNNai thEi enRal [ennathaan]

 

"when I called krishNa for an oil bath, krishNa says, oh, mother, please wait,

then he brings a calf along with its tying rope and says oh, mother, please give

an oil bath to this calf also along with me. But dear lady, you please tell me,

is there is any opposite word to krishNaa's. what can I do?"

 

Is it only the mother's iyalaamai - nothing she can do or?

Is there any word opposite to krishNa's will?

Please think it over.

This beautiful krithi is by ooththukkadu venkata subbu iyer in raagaa yadhukula

kaambodhi .

 

Further he also shows his young beautiful eyes - iLankaNNaik kaatti - already

mother has called all to come and see the eyes - vaakkum nayanamum vaayum

muRuvalum mookkum vanthu kaaNeerE. After seeing all that any opposition to

krishNa - mooch- nothing doing. The whole world is at krishNa's command, feet.

 

yasOdha says immediately - "dear, yours most obediently".

 

When mother yasOdhaa says so - how about me.

 

Yours most obediently - dear bhagavathaas,

 

Vasudevan m.g.