hilltop lamp 2

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We saw a beautiful krithi on the `hasthigiri dheepam' on the `dheepa

aavaLi' day composed by that mahhan krishNa bhaktha OVS.

 

We all, very well, know generally a lamp, placed at a height,

illuminates all places around it, except its own base. This lamp also

guides all, who are able to identify the lamp, get or take that

illumination provided by it, enroute and thereby helps these to reach

their individual destination. If the same lamp is placed on a hilltop

the visibility increases multifold and this lamp is able to guide

quite a large number of people. Even ships sailing on sea also use

such lamps placed on elevation – the basic principle of providing

lighthouses in the seashores.

 

Think for a moment, if that lamp is also able to grant boons of these

passers-by, who has taken that light in their stride, then, oh, what

a great help this `lamp' provides? That is what the poet says in the

pallavi

 

kunRin mEl itta dheepam engaL kuRai enum

iruL pOkkum varadharaaja dheepam - kunRin

 

meaning: the lamp named varadharaaja is lit on the hill top - that

light which removes the darkness – the darkness of sins or wanting in

us.

 

One, who grants boons, is `vara dha' – dha is Sanskrit means `give' –

vara is boon – amongst all boon granters, he is king - so he is vara

+ dha + raajaa. That person is in the hill top lamp, that savior and

guiding lamp, on the hasthi giri.

Swamy desikan says

`kari giri mEl ninRu anaiththu ulagum kaakkinRaanE' [41- adhikaara

sangraham]

yes – as already stated the base of the lamp becomes dark because the

lamp is shining at top and it's rays does not illuminate its own

base. So it is kari giri – karuththa giri - dark hill. [also kari

means hasthi – elephant – so kari giri is hasthi giri].

 

The anupallavi we saw in the krithi reads

manRil maaNikka maragatha dheepam

engaL maadhu arasi dhEvaki ERRiya dheepam

 

meaning: the red ruby lamp or green emerald lamp is lit in a common

place – our empress lady dhEvaki lit that lamp means brought into

this world.

 

It is generally known that red colour when mixed with green becomes

dark or black. Even when you place such a dark object in an open

place, because of the brightness outside or surrounding that dark

object, may be this object will appear comparatively darker. If that

dark object [– or subject?] is kaNNan – perhaps he will shine like a

lamp, the dhEvaki's lamp.

For aazhvaar also says `uruvu kariya oLi maNivaNNan' – periyaazhvaar

1-2-17 -

paruvam nirambaamE paar ellaam uyya

thiruvin vadivu okkum dhEvaki peRRa

uruvu kariya oLi maNi vaNNan

puruvam irundhavaa kaaNeerE pooNmulaiyeer vandhu kaaNeerE

 

see that paar ellaam uyya – engal kuRai ennum iruL pOkkum – dhEvaki

peRRa – dhEvaki ERRiya – thiruvin vadivu okkum dhEvaki – engaL maadhu

arasi – maadhu means nobody else except that poo mannu maadhu – that

maha lakshmi – is she not a `queen' when her husband is the lord.

Style and placement of words differ but meaning one and same. Is it

that aazhvaar influenced OVS – or is it krishNa bhakthaas use similar

words when it comes to singing his glory?

 

Let us move on to charaNam –

navaneetham maNakka varum dheepam

naaradha gaanam kEttu thuLLi ezhum dheepam

kuvaLai malar neela dheepam

aayar kulam vaazha vandu ninRa

nalam tharum dheepam -- kunRin

 

On this navaneetha smell – aaNdaaL's chellap peyar to my krishNa –

pet name by aaNdaal is more appealing to me - that `kuNungu naaRik

kuttERu' – young bull smelling butter – she says `vrindhaavanaththE

kandOmE' – I saw in the forest of brindhaavanam [kaNdOmE plural? or

royal `we'? – answer is yes- royal we - singular].

 

How can she see so easily a dark coloured person in a dark green

forest? Because this person is like a bright shining light – also

smells butter - navaneetham maNakka varum dheepam – this lamp comes

smelling fresh butter.

aaNdaaL also says `kaNangaLOdu min mEgham kalandhaarpOla' – please do

a small anvayam – mEghak kaNangaLOdu min kalandhaarpOla' – a

lightning mixed amongst dark clouds – there were two facilitators –

butter smell, light's[ning's] brightness – so could easily see him.

Oh what a taste – navaneetham maNakka varum dheepam - krishNa

krishNa.

 

let us continue in next, since emotions are high here [due to that

naaradha gaanam or butter smell of krishNa?] unable to distinguish

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.