nata vara -post 3

[Guest guest]

Post 3

 

Dear sri vaishNva perunthagaiyeer,

 

Smt. Prema Nandakumar Ph.D quotes the following poem of Ezhuthachchan

titled `Krishna in karNaparva' in her "Samvatsar Lecture delivered on

28.1.2004 at the Thunchan Festival organised jointly by Sahitya

Akademi, New Delhi and Thunchan Memorial Trust, Tirur". The text of

the lecture is found in website

www.//theory.saha.ernet.in/~hari/prema2.html. Actually I was

searching for some good references on this `nata vara' in particular

on the `suthra dhara' of Sanskrit drama. Then I came across this

website. So I thought of sharing this poem with you all.

 

Quote - "Here is Prof. Ayyappa Paniker rendering Ezhuthachchan's

Krishna in Karnaparva into faultless English:

 

"The colourful peacock feathers fixed in a row

And brought together and tied up on the top

With the heavy tresses so like dark clouds

In the diadem with its glitter and glow

The tiny particles of dust on them

The tilak too moist with sweat

The beauty of the brows that keep moving

To create, protect and destroy the world

The eyes that reflect the changing sentiments

With pity and compassion for the lowly

Anger towards the cruel and the wily,

Love for the lovely, wonder at the squabble

Garlands, swaying on the breast,

Made of tulsi, and lotus and tender leaves

Strings of rubies and kausthubha jewel

Around the neck, the whip in hand

The breast smeared with kumkum

The bright yellow clothes, the anklets

The twin lotus feet, as in my heart

So I clearly saw in the chariot to my joy. -- unquote

 

See, the poem just describes my krishNa, in similar lines of

the `barhaapeedam' slOkam, the dressing of krishNa, the nata vara,

which we are discussing. From the first line to last but one line, of

the poem, it is all a full reflection of `barhaapedam and other two

slOkams' we have already seen. And has added features like

1. whip in hand,

2. kumkum in chest

3. kousthubha in chest

 

periyaazhvaar in seelaik kudhambai and thazhaigaLum padhigams while

describing the dressing of krishNa in lines of this barhaapeedam

slOkam – mentions `surigaiyum, theRivillum, cheNdu kOlum' as the

tools krishNa carries, [or weapons (?) for a boy krishNa], for any

fight, in case, krishNa wants to take up in the forests. So also the

poet here adds a whip.

 

Only the last line of `I saw clearly in the chariot' leads us

elsewhere, to the war front as `krishNa the charioteer' appearing in

front of karNan, when arjuna is meeting karNan in war. Otherwise, it

is all the `raasa vihaari krishNa'. Now, read the poem again and

enjoy my krishNa.

 

Ok, let us now take swamy dhEsikan's slokam on gOpaalan with the

decorations appropriate for his role as a cowherd, roaming and

dancing with friends, while in the forests and grazing the cows and

their calves for our enjoyment of krishNa roopam. Go-paalan is

generally one who roams in the forest grazing his cow and calf herds.

Hence, our gOpaalan, the supreme lord sri krishNa, decorates himself

with the ornaments appropriate to the dwellers of the forests (i.e.)

with natural products as available in the forests. The slOkam first,

for recalling -

 

chithraakalpa: sravasi kalayan laangalee karNapooram

barhOththamsa sphuritha chikurO bandhujeevam dhaDhaana:

gunjaabadhDhaam urasi laLithaam Dhaarayan haarayashtim

gOpasthreeNaam jayathi kithava: gOpi koumaara haaree

-17 gOpaala vimsathi of swamy dhEsikan

 

chithra = excellent, strange, wonderful, a brilliant ornament,

variety of colours

aakalpa: = one who is decorated, ornamented

sravasi kalayan = praised, taken hold of the die kali – red colour

marked and that is bright worthy of a praise

laangalee karNapooram = cocoanut flowers in the earlobes

barhaa uththamsa = peacock crest worn on the crown of head

sphuritha chikura: = flashing, glittering hair

bandhu jeevam dhaDhaana: = a flowering plant in which red flowers

blossoms at mid day and withers next day morning, these flowers held

in hand

gunjaa aabadhDhaam = tied or made by means of the kundhumaNi seeds

urasi laLithaam = in the chest, worn and adds beauty

Dhaarayan haara = wearing garlands

yashtim = a stick

gOpa sthreeNaam jayathi = seeking victory over the gOpa women

kithava: = naughty, [actually kithava means a gamester, gambler, a

cheat, a fraud]

gOpi koumaara haaree = stealing or removing the youth of gOpees

 

meaning: The mischievous gOpalan, who stole the youth of the gOpees

appears before them with many decorations that enhance his beauty. On

his ears, the gOpees find the flower known as laangalee (flowers from

the coconut tree's sheaf / thennampoo - cocoanut tree's flower); they

find peacock feathers on his dark and curly tresses; red hibiscus

also decorates those tresses, and hands. On his broad chest, they

find a beautiful necklace made of yellowish-red or black and red

seeds known as Gunjaa [or Kundhumani in tamil, red and black berry]

strung together. With these and more aabharaNams made of forest

products, Gopalan enchants the hearts of the adoring Gopis.

 

The difference between sukhar and swamy is - the kundhumani haaram is

in chest whereas as per sukhar slokam it was in ears. Swamy also

gives a beautiful title `kithava:' to my krihsNa. Whatever

difference, the description of the natavara is one and same with

minor variations only.

 

Since, already the length of the post is growing more, we will see

the description of my Krishna, by bhakthaas leela sukhar and

naaraayana theerthar in next post.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.