colour

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

This is a season of 'vaNNam' in tamil - or 'varNam' in Sanskrit - 'colours' in

English. Yes, since the beginning of navaraathri - the nine nights are of

specialty celebrations to dhEvi, the thaayaar - piraatti - the universal mother

for us srivaishNavaites - in all temples. Let it be vishNu dhEva aalayam or siva

aalayam, the dhEvi or mother is having a colourful decoration daily. [For

saivites mother is 'ambaaL' - 'ambaa' in Sanskrit is mother - that ambaa has

become ambaaL in tamil for them to denote paarvathi - the mother for them].

 

This navaraathri is celebrated in north India as the period of studying

raamaayaNam. On vijaya dhasami day the raavana samhaaram will be enacted in many

places by burning, on a massive scale, the hut like arrangement [made of coconut

leaves or palmira leaves] - a huge raavaNa [effigy] placed and burnt amidst

bursting crackers etc - something similar to 'sokkap panai' in villages in

south. [perhaps these terms like 'sokkap panai' may be quite unknown to

urbanites both in India or elsewhere]

 

This colour season or colourful season also leads to the next colourful season

of dheepaavali - the festival of lights, everywhere we are able to see colours.

[Hey, do not think I mean seeing colourful girls, in the paribhaashai of college

boys - codified language of youngsters]. I mean colourful decoration of perumal

and thaayar in temples first. Just a month ago the lord of thirumalai had a

brahmOthsavam full of colours - again for navaraathri - another brahmOthsavam -

another set of colours.

 

Then, of course, the selection of colourful dresses by our leading ladies, [the

wives - who lead us into the cloth store, so leading ladies] - and make a wear

on the credit cards. For they have to wear colourful dress - so several times if

the card is swiped, will it not thin out the money purse next month when the

payment becomes due - that is why I say this creates a wear on the credit cards.

 

Here again a 'dent' is created in us, by the matches and in the matches for

colours. Seeing us standing by the leading lady and having a good look at us,

the shop assistant says

* 'ammaa, there is no match for you' - meaning -

* hey, madam you have a mismatch in having selected this husband,

* now you want a match to you through or by way of having a saree,

* then again a match by way of a blouse to that saree,

* all these how can you get it, when you made a bad beginning?

* Sorry, ayyaa, there is no match for ammaa'.

Here he puns the words with match, ayyaa and ammaa. All these slowly add insult

to injury, which we have already suffered. Ok, that became a bit lengthy - That

is not my intention to talk about colours of the girls or match or mismatch with

the wife.

 

But I want to talk about the colourful lord - krishNan - the vamseedharan - or

raaman about his vaNNam - his colour, his valour. Just before getting started on

this vaRNa, when I see the dictionary for this word 'varNa' or vaNNam - I get

the meanings as

 

varNa - noun - means 'colour, form, a covering, glory, a syllable, a caste,

race, quality'.

 

varNa - verb - 'to describe, to paint, to spread'.

 

While thinking on the colour, which paasuram, except the following one of

thirumangai, will come first to the mind. See that beauty -

 

munnai vaNNam paalin vaNNam muzhudhum nilai ninRa

pinnai vaNNam koNdal vaNNam vaNNam eNNungaal

ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum thirumEni

inna vaNNam enRu kaatteer indhaLoorirE - 4-9-8 periya thirumozhi

 

meaning: Oh Swami of IndhaLoor! Thinking of your divine beautiful thirumEni

(body): during krutha yugam, it was the milky white colour. During thrEthaa

yugam, it was the golden colours. dhwaapara yugam saw your blue hued neela maNi

colour. At all times it is your dark cloud like colour (most merciful form and

colour). Please show us your colour and form, oh lord of IndhaLoor!

 

[bhakti-list -Archives aug 99 - from sri madhavak kannan of Singapore {VMK} with

a comment as - "again! great paasuram! adadaa!"]

 

But many a times aazhvaars and bhakthaas have said he is green in colour. See

the krithi here by OVS mahaan.

 

Raagam: saamaa thaaLam: aadhi

 

pallavi:

pachchai iLam thaLir mEni kaaNa

paNNu thavam konja nanjamO [pachchai]

 

meaning: hey, I wanted to see your tender leaf green colour - you know I have to

do so much penance to see that green colour of you and the body [roopam].

 

anupallavi:

ichchai thavir vaanam kooda nin niraththai Erkkum

engum oLi veesuginRa iLa mathiyam thORkum

gajjai kaTTi aaduginRa ninnazhagaik-kaNdaal

kaarenum mEgham ulavi engaNum muRaipaDa muzhangi avai aarkkum [pachchai]

 

meaning - that desire-less sky also will take your blue colour. That moon which

sheds light in all places will also loose his bright colour. The clouds, on

seeing your beautiful dance with feet having the anklets - gajjai [the sathangai

or salangai of dancers] - will start moving here and there thundering in a

regular way - as though they are putting thaaLam for your dance.

 

charaNam:

maamaayai thaaNdi ninRa guNakkadalE thayir

maththaNaiyum kaiyiRaNaindha eyiRRu ezhilE

aamaarum arindhaarum aRRa nilaiyE

aththai naan unakku enraal piththa nilaiyE [pachchai]

 

(madhyamakalam)

aRindhu seidha oru paapam ilEn enakku adhuthaan laksham kOti

aayinum unadhu iru padhamalar adiyinai anavarathamum thudhi paadi

aanandamaanadhu kOti kOti aagaiyinaal unaith-thEdith thEdi

alaivadhum thirivadhum alaRuvadhum aRa aruLa vENum enai naadi naadi [pachchai]

 

the meanings for the charaNam and madhyama kaalam we will see in next post, for

there is a very important point here. That is to be seen and enjoyed first. That

is why this postponement.

 

Point 1. munnai vaNNam paalin vaNNam - says aazhvaar.

 

OVS says 'engum oLi veesuginRa iLa mathiyam thORkum' vaNNam - you have, oh

krishNa - for many a times it is said chandhran is paal mathi - means - moon is

white - having white rays - that moon also will loose his colour - that white

colour - when he sees you dancing, for you are so white.

 

Point 2. 'maNiyin vaNNam' says aazhvaar - green colour. Some times blue

sapphire.

OVS says 'pachchai iLam thaLir mEni' - this maNi - krishNa maNi - generally

krishNa is said as maragatha mani - green emerald - or blue maNi - sapphire.

In the vasanthaa raga krithi OVS starts krithi as 'neela maLark kola thirumEni

kaNdu en nenjam niRaivaanadhE'. In another krithi in raagam aarabhi he starts

krithi as "maragatha mani maya chElaa, gopaalaa" - means gOpaalan is green in

colour. Another aazhvaar also says 'maragathak kunRu'.

 

Point 3. 'muzhudhum nilai ninRa pinnai vaNNam koNdal vaNNam' says aazhvaar - the

ever lasting cloud colour is his original colour for the ever lasting lord.

OVS says 'those clouds when they see you dancing, oh krishNa, they also dance -

means they also dance moving here and there, showing their colour -in comparison

with you, to show which colour is superior, yours or theirs. Not only that they

also provide the music - those thunder - muRaipada muzhangi - in proper rhythm

to the dance your dance or theirs is a doubt now I get. Added attraction is that

they also show again their yet another colour - the colour of lightning - ponnin

vaNNam of aazhvaar - lightning is bright yellow we all know.

 

Oh lord of indhaLoor - krishNa - which is your colour is it green, bright yellow

white or dark blue. Not able to decide. Like VMK of Singapore now I also should

say "adada, a great paasuram, adada, a great krithi - because both sing my

greatest krishNa.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.