a quick embrace 1

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

On Friday last viz. 28th July 06, we celebrated thiru aadip pooram - aaNdaaL thiruk kalyaaNam. But originally aaNdaaL celebrated her marriage in 'dream' first and later in 'reality'. As a result of her 'dream marriage' today we have a set of beautiful paasurams - which today also we sing in our marriage celebrations.

 

[actually I wanted to write on the following krithi on aaNdaaL kalyaanam day, but due to commitments of week long travel could not do in time - - so please excuse me for that. Perhaps you all may have noticed that next post of that 'seethaa's learnings' series article also got delayed on account of the travel]

 

In that 'dream marriage', aaNdaaL says

 

"paaLai kamugu parisudai, muththudai thaamam niRai thaazhndha, thOranaM naattiya, pandhal keezh naaraNan, nambi, kOlari, maadhavan, gOvindhan enbaan Or kaaLai, aayira yaanai soozha valam vandhu pugundhaan - pooraNa porkudam vaiththu [avanai] edhir koNdanar.

 

indhiran uLLitta dhEvar ellaam vandhu ennai magaL pEsinar, andhari [enakku] mandhirak kOdi uduththi maNamaali soottinaaL. vaai nallaar [aana] paarpanach chittargal naal dhisai theertham koNarndhu Eththi nalla maRai mandhiraththaal Odhi, pooppunai kaNNinanOdu enthannaik kaapu naaN katta [vaiththanar].

 

madhuraiyaar mannan, mangaiyar edhir koLa adhirap pugundhu, maththaLam kotta, varisangam ninRu oodha, ennai kaiththalam paRRinaan, pin thee valam seidhOm.

 

[pinnar andha] naarNan nambi semmaiyudaiya than thiruk kaiyaal en thaaL paRRI ammi midhiththEn. Erimugam paaritthu ennai munnE niRuththi avan poRi mugandhu attinaan.

 

[Engallukku] mangalak kunkumam appi kuLir saandham mattiththu aanai mEl veedhi valam seidhu maNa neer manjanam aattinar. - [ivvaRaaga en maNam inidhE mudindhathu - ellaam kanavil - indha kanavuk kalyaaNak kadhai kEtta neeNgal] vaaya nal makkaLaip peRRU maghizhungaL" enRu.

 

Once the marriage is over, what we normally see in all these foreigners' weddings is a big kissing in public between the newlyweds takes place, followed by an embrace, or vice versa. In Indian weddings, may be a partial or a half embrace takes place during the sEsha hOmam by asking the bride to take the lap of the bridegroom, and no kissing.

 

For raama and seethaa, vaalmeeki does not place on record in his raamaayaNam about this partial embrace in the sEsha hOmam. [of course he says all rituals were duly performed, so we can take that this was also done]. May be this did not take place also, since on both sides the groom side and as well the bride side, the parents were there, both kula gurus were there conducting the marriage, and the 'special' guru visvaamithra also.

 

So their full embrace takes place later in the full gaze of all the dhEvaas, rishis gandharvaas sidhdhaas, chaarNaas, et al, - not once but twice, because, by then, both were well familiar to each other / used to each other by living together for roughly 25 years. Let us enjoy that divine embrace -

 

This is first 'embrace' slOkam:

tham dhrushtvaa sathru hanthaaram maharsheeNaam sukha aavaham || 3-30-39

baBhoova hrushtaa vaidhEhee bharthaaram parishasvajE |

 

sathru hanthaaram tham dhrushtvaa = on seeing that enemy eliminator raama

maharsheeNaam sukha aavaham = raama the rejoice provider for great-sages [rejoicer]

vaidhEhee hrushtaa baBhoova = seethaa became exultant

bharthaaram parishasvajE = vaidhEhee, daughter of king of vidhEha, embraced her husband raama

 

meaning: On seeing Raama, that rejoice provider to these great-saints, vaidhEhee became exultant and with extreme exultancy, embraced her husband.

 

The second 'embrace' slOkam:

thatha: thu tham raakshasa sangha mardhanam sa poojyamaanam mudhithai: mahaatmaBhi: |

puna: parishvajya mudhaa anvitha [sasi + praBha] aananaa

baBhoova hrushtaa janaka aathmajaa thadhaa || 3-30-41

 

Meaning: Then, seethaa, with her moonshine visage [with her delightful face] again embraced raama, the eliminator of demonic troops, and whom the great sages are worshipping. That Janaka's daughter, Seethaa became thrilled.

 

In ayOdhyaa kaaNdam also seethaa embraces raama but that one is with all her sorrow - sOkham. See slokam

ithi saa sOka samthapthaa vilaapya karuNam bahu |

chukrOsha pathim aayasthaa bhrusam aalingya sasvaram || 2-30-22

 

meaning: Seetha, burnt by grief, having got exerted, lamented much piteously, embraced her husband and cried a lot with loud voice.

 

thaam parishvajya baahubhyaam visamjnaam iva dhuhkhithaam |

uvaacha vachanam raama: parivishvaasayams thadhaa || 2-30-26

 

meaning: Then Raama embraced her, with arms, who was depressed and had fainted as it were, spoke the following words, fully reassuring her.

 

May be these two embraces are a little different type, for that did not give bliss to both the husband and wife. Besides there were no 'onlookers' to enjoy that divine embracing as in the other scene. The two embraces in aaraNyam - forest - were at the height of seethaa's joy and also a sort of 'gift' to raama on his achievement of eliminating 14000 raakshasaas led by khara and dhooshaNa single handedly. This also lead to the kindling of desire in the rishis to aspire for an embrace that raama - one who is beauty personified - ramayathi ithi raama:

 

You can very well ask, dear bhakthaas why all these? See here padhmaavathi or sree mahaalakshmi embraces baalaaji, that lord sree-nivaasan, that vEnkata-pathi, soon after they exchange the marriage garlands - "immediately, quickly, and also tightly".

 

See lines of sree annamaachaarya krithi 'pidikita' in sree raagam - a classic krithi - with a tough telugu language. [Any errors in translation may be condoned please]. The poet visualizes like aaNdaal a beautiful marriage between his 'ishta dheivam' 'venkatapathi and padhmaa' --

 

Pallavi:

piDikiTa thalambraala peNDli koothuru kontha |

paDamarali navveenE peNDli koothuru ||

 

meaning: The bride is holding in Her hand the sacred rice to be showered / poured on the groom. She is with a hidden smile on Her face.

 

[the rice pouring is called 'thalambraalu' as per Telugu marriage tradition and happens even now. This year also I saw in TV on sri raama navami day - in bhadhraachalam - in the sri raama seethaa vivaaham this pouring towards the end of the vivaaham celebration - only a small difference - this pouring was done with pearls and kunkumam - instead of rice]

 

CharaNam 1:

pErukala javaraalE peNDli koothuru peddha |

pErula muthyaala meDa peNDli koothuru |

pEraNTaaNDla naDimi peNDli koothuru vibhu |

pEruguchcha sigguvaDee peNDli koothuru ||

 

meaning: The youthful bride has a big name. She is adorned with a big pearl necklace in Her neck [muththu haaram]. She is amidst several senior married ladies [sumangalees - like gowri or paarvathi, saraswathi et al who came to attend Her wedding]. As they are repeatedly kidding Her to utter her Hubby's name, she is blushing.

 

[gucchadam means jovially inducing to act in a particular way as desired - mainly fun is intended here and nothing more - no sarcasm or no severe ragging - or no himsai]

 

CharaNam 2:

birudhu peNDemu veTTe peNDli koothuru nEra |

birudhu magani kaNTE peNDli koothuru |

viridhoori nappuDE peNDli koothuru |

pathi beravEchee nidhivO peNDli koothuru ||

 

meaning: She is wearing a bracelet - the wrist ornament which is praiseworthy. She is straightaway looking at Her Man who is praiseworthy! She jetted her neck to receive the garland, the maNa maalai - viri dhaNda - She also put same or placed it - on Her husband - Pathi.

 

(pendemu also pendEramu)

(What happened to that the earlier shyness and blushing as a result of that kidding - gone perhaps?)

 

CharaNam 3:

peTTenE peddha thurumu peNDli koothuru nEDe |

peTTeDu cheeralu gaTTi peNDli koothuru |

gaTTigaa vEnkaTapathi kaugiTanu |

vaDi beTTina nidhaanamayina peNDli koothuru ||

 

meaning: She is wearing a big string of flowers (poo suththina koNdai - thurumu) attached to Her plait - jadai. She has worn a big saree, which it seems, as if she has taken and worn all the saree stocks from Her box (petti) all at the same time. The bride, who is otherwise very soft and slow, has held the husband 'vEnkatapathi' into Her embrace, quickly, and tightly!

 

Certain points on the krithi and few comments we will see in next post.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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