Guest guest Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Dear friends, In Stanza#26 of the "tiruppAvai", the "aayarpAdi" girls ask.... "vEnduvana-kettiyEl..." . And in Stanza#27, the Lord immediately gives..."perum sammAnam" ! Both stanzas are set against a wonderfully dramatic backdrop. ******* ****** ****** In Stanza#26, the girls beseech Krishna to provide them with the wherewithal needed to complete their sacrificial "vrata". They requisition 6 specific pieces of equipment for the purpose: "(1)"pOlvana sanghu" --- bugle-conches which they could blow in order to herald their procession (2) "sAlap-parai"--- drums to keep time and rhythm as they sallied forth for their ritual bath (3) "pallAndu-isaippArE" --- a band of benediction chanteurs who would shower their blessings on us and wish us success in our "vratam" (4)"kOla-villakku" --- a tall vertical torch that would glow and shed resplendent light along our pathway (5) "kOdi" --- a flag-post with our banner and insignia emblazoned on it (6) "vidAnamE" --- a canopy stretched above us to shade us from the drenching mists of the morning." The Lord patiently listens to the above demands and then playfully asks the girls,"But tell me, my dear girls, why are you all so keen to observe this sacrificial "nOnbu"/"neerAtam" of yours?". The girls answer in unison: "mArgazhi-neerAduvAn... mElaiyAr seyyvanagal..!" i.e. "We must perform these sacred "vrata-s" because our revered ancestors ("mElaiyAr") too observed them scrupulously since time immemorial. These are "sishtAchArA-s"... the conventions of life laid down by our elders... and we must obey them as though they were Vedic commandments."(Here, "pirAtti" is stressing the importance of faithfully adhering to duties prescribed by ancestry and tradition that are to be regarded as being as sacrosanct as those of hallowed scripture). The Lord is still in a mischievous mood and pulls their leg once more, "But my dear girls, you ask me for so many things to enable your "nOnbu"! What do you think I am? A magician to conjure up all those things for you? I am sorry I can't!". To which the "aayarpadi" girls are very quick to respond: "aalin-illaiyAy!"... and reduce Krishna to shame-facedness. "O come on, Krishna!", they remind Him, "Don't give us humbug! You who could even set sail on a mere leaf-platter ("yillai-patram") on the raging waters of the "Great Deluge" ("praLaya-kAla"), you who accomplished a feat like that, surely, you can easily gift us these little things?!". The Lord does not relent and continues the playful banter with them. "Tell me, you girls, but what is the benefit you hope to reap if you were to receive all the things you ask for? What will you all gain by completing your "nOnbu"? The girls then cry out in succession and begin to relate the numerous benefits they will reap: "We will reap, O Lord, great and wonderful things if you grant us our needs! We will have precious ornaments like (1) "sudakamE" -- bracelets (2) "tOlvaLayE"-- armlets (3) "tOdE" -- ear-pendants (4) "sevvipuvE"-- ear-studs (5) "padagamE" -- anklets and not to mention "adAi" (a fine wardrobe) and "pAl-soru" ("milk-&-rice" porridge fit for a King's banquet!)! We will receive all these as reward for our efforts... "yAm perum sammAnam!". The Lord patiently listens to all this talk in a mood of high amusement and humour not because of the gift of baubles they ask of Him, but the endearingly naive manner in which they do it! He sees the girls have all completely lost their hearts to Him in an effusion of great "bhakti"... and He is immensely pleased! **** ***** ****** The dramatic setting of the above 2 stanzas may apear to be simple and idyllic. But their poetic symbolism is very profound. The "gift of baubles" that the "aayarpAdi" girls ask of Krishna is no ordinary gift. If it is no ordinary gift then what is it? The 6 pieces of equipment the "aayarpAdi" girls ask for are interpreted by traditional SriVaishnava "vyAkhyAna- kartA-s" in terms of 3 different metaphorical sets viz.(a) "purAnic" or mythological (b) "Agamic" or temple-related and © philosophical or "swApadEsArthA" In the first mythological-set, the 6 items of gift the "aayarpAdi" girls ask for are said to convey "purAnic" equivalents as follows: (1)The expression "pAlanna vanna.... sanghu" is said to represent conches that would send out bugle-notes like the divine-conch, Panchajanya of Lord Narayana (2) "sAlap-parai" represents drums that sound exactly like those that Krishna had Himself sounded during the "kudak-kutthu" he performed in his youthful days in Gokulam... that extraordinary dance performed with earthen pots balanced on His head.. (3) "pallAndu-isaippArE" is a reference to the Lord's foremost benediction chanteurs ---- NammAzhwAr who sang "pOliha, pOliha, pOliha" (T'mozhi: 5-2-1) and Peri-AzhwAr who sang "pallAndu-pallAndu". (4)"kOla-villakku" is poetic metaphor for the "torch" that would shed resplendent light along our pathway... like "Napinnai-pirAtti" who in her role of "purushAkArA" leads us on the roadway unto Him (5) "kOdi" is an expression that symbolises a flag-post with an insignia emblazoned on it.... exactly the kind of flagstaff function which "peria-tiruvadi", Sri.GarudAzhwAr performs for the Lord (6) "vidAnamE" ... canopy ... is the poetic equivalent of the Lord's fabric that is thrown around Himself like a shawl... vide TiruppAnazhwAr's description in the "amalanAdipirAn" as "arai-sivandhavaaday". The next set of metaphors is closely related to temple conventions or modes of worship as per, say, some "Agama-manuals". For example in the Srirangam temple when the Lord is taken out in procession during the month of "mArgazhi" one can hear the (1) "sanghu", the blowing of conches (2) the beating of drums ("parai") (3) the recitation of "tiru-pallAndu" (4) one can see "dAsa-nambis" holding fire-torches or lamps of "kOla-viLakku" (5) great big banners ("kOdi") and (6) canopies too. Traditional commentators however emphasise that the 6 gifts of the "aayarpAdi" girls are in truth the philosophical metaphors for the following qualifications that every devotee of God ardently seeks to acquire: (1) "sanghu" or conch symbolises "ananyArha-sEshatva gnyAnam" embodied by the "pranavam". This refers to the realization by the devotee of God that there is no other means to liberation available to him except through servitude to God (2) "parai" or drum symbolises "pAratantriya gnyAna" which denotes the devotee's absolute reliance on God for absolutely everything in life here and the hereafter (3) "pallAndu-isaipArE" or benediction-chanteurs symbolises "satsahavAsam" or the extreme importance that the company of the godly holds for the devotee (4) "villakE" or lamp or torch... which symbolises "bhAgavatha-seshatva gnyAna" or the need for the devotee to willingly serve God's elect (5) "kOdi" or banner or flag-post symbolises "bhagavath-kainkarya" or the yearning of the devotee to be able to serve the Lord directly (6) "vidAnamE" or canopy which symbolises "bhOgdritva-nivritti" or the attitude of utter selfless-ness which the devotee must cultivate. Without the above "gifts" of mind and soul, the devotee of God can never hope to attain God. So when AndAl, through the "aayarpAdi" girls, asks for the "gifts of baubles", we realize that she is in truth asking for the greatest of "gifts" that God in His Kindness can ever grant a human soul. ********** ******** ********* In Stanza#27, we see the 'aayarpAdi" girls enumerating the great benefits they shall reap with the help of the 6 pieces of equipment they ask Krishna to gift them and they are: (1) "sudakamE" -- bracelets (2) "tOlvaLayE"-- armlets (3) "tOdE" -- ear-pendants (4) "sevvipuvE"-- ear-studs (5) "padagamE" -- anklets Here too, the traditional "vyAkhyAna-kartA-s" point out that the above are symbolic of the marks that a true devotee of God bears upon both his body and soul for all the world to see. What are those marks? They are: (1) "sUdagam" which signifies the SriVaishnavite caste-insignia or the 12 "urdhva-pundrA-s" or 12 marks of "tirumann-srichurnam" (2) "tOl-valai" signifies the marks of "Chakra" and "sanghu" that is branded on the shoulers of every SriVaishnavan during the "samAshrayanam" rite which is obligatory in life for him (3) "todu" symbolises the "tirumantra" or "ashtAkshara" the sound of which is said to be ever reverberating in the ears of the true devotee (4) "sevippu" symbolises the "dvaya-mantra", realization of which shows up as a radiating halo or as an aura of "bhakti" around the devotees ears and head (5) "pAdagam" symbolises the Lord's "charam-shlokam" (of 32 aksharA-s) which shows the devotee the path on which he must tread to attain Him. Thus, on a deep study of Stanza#26 and #27, containing the very significant expressions ""vEnduvana-kEttiyEl" and "yAm perum sammAnam" we see how well our "pirAtti" of SriVilliputtur uses poetic metaphor to convey lofty doctrine. AndAl tiruvadigalE sharanam, dAsan, Sudarshan Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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