[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Powerful Thirumandham-kunnu Bhagavathy and Mamamkam

[Guest guest]

Hi Sunil g,

I read with great interest your reference to Mamakam,

Chaver and the Zamorin. I am currently re-reading C

Radhakrishnan's " theekkadal kaTanju thirumadhuram "

story of ezhutthassan and how he was instrumental in

creating the malayala bhasha. In this an elaborate

episode is given on chavers and zamorins. It gives a

realistic story of a chaver and his family. It gives a

picture beyond the history and I was delighted to read

it and now your posting.

 

The book is a treasure that goes on to explain how

ezhuthassan created the Harinama keerthanam to impart

vedantic knowledge to people who were not ableto learn

the Vedas directly. I read each page a few times as I

enjoy the language and the treatment of vedanthic

appraoch in life in such a profound manner. I

recommend it to all.

Thanks

Sukumar

 

--- Sunil Menon <menon_sunil wrote:

 

> Thanks to Arun for sharing Jnanapaana in English.

>

> I like to correct a small mistake in the article.

>

> Angadipuram Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy Temple has

> special importance

> in my life. My home town in Kerala is near

> Angadipuram, where the

> famous temple is. Being a Valluvanadan, she is my

> Patron Goddess or

> desha devatha.

>

> Thirumandhamkunnu temple is NOT the family goddess

> of Zamorins

> (Samoothiri) but their arch rival Valluvanad Raja

> Vamsam (Valluva

> konathiry or Vellattiri).

>

> Zamorins used to be the bitter enemy of Valluva

> Konathiri and the

> history of 'Mamamkam' explains the rivalry, and

> fights.

>

> [ At the end of the rule of Perumals, the right of

> mamankam was with

> Vellattiri, the ruler of Valluvanad. Later the

> Zamorin of Kozhikode,

> took this right by force and this resulted in

> dispute and bloodshed

> between these two Rajas. Valluvanad Raja used to

> sent Chaver warriors

> to fight until death, to recapture the right from

> the Zamorin, who

> would stand Nilapadu at Nilapadu thara in

> Tirunnavaya, Surrounded by a

> large contingent of soldiers, in every 12th year.

> The last of such

> Mamankam, was believed to be held in 1755, when

> Zamorin had an hair

> breath escape from a 16 year old Chaver. (to us,

> Valluvanadan's this

> was cheating when one of the guards of Zamothiri's

> stabbed the young

> Chaver from behind - against the rules of Nilapadu)

> ]

>

> Why we need stories of Roman emperors or Gladiators

> when we have all

> that in our own chilling history! I suggest folks to

> read the history

> of Mamamkam and visit places like Angadipuram and

> Thirunavaya. These

> places are some of the most beautiful places in

> Kerala and with so

> much of history.

>

> For example a Chaver-thara, still preserved at the

> temple complex, is a memorium for the martyrs of

> Mamankam. The Chaver warriors used to converge at

> this place before going to Tirunnavaya.

>

> Thirumandhamkunnu temple is very famous for Mangalya

> pooja (prayers

> for a happy and long marriage). I will explain

> about the powerful

> Bhagavathy temple and rituals in another mail.

>

> Amme Bhagavathy, Sharanam.

>

> Om Namo Narayanaya:

>

> Sunil.

>

>

>

>

> guruvayur , ARUN <haavoo>

> wrote:

> > Janmashtami special- Jnana Pana in English

> >

> >

> > Poonthanam was born about four hundred years ago

> in a village

> called Angadippuram in Kerala. Near by is the

> Thirumandan Kunnu

> Bagavathy temple which is the family goddess of the

> Zamorins who ruled

> over a part of Kerala now called Malabar.

> >

> > Poonthanam is not his name but the name of the

> Namboodiri family he

> belonged to..His name seems to have been forgotten

> in antiquity. At a

> very young age Poonthanam started visiting the

> temple at Guruvayoor

> and became a staunch devotee of Lord

> Guruvayurappan-the presiding

> deity. He got married and had a son. On the child's

> first birthday

> when a great feast was being arranged the child fell

> in the boiling

> rice and died. From then on Poontanam became a

> perennial visitor of

> Guruvayur. Poonthanam did not know Sanskrit and so

> decided to express

> his innate feelings in chaste Malayalam. One of the

> greatest poets of

> the time was Melpattur Narayanan Bhattathippad who

> later wrote one of

> the greatest books of that era named " Narayaneeyam "

> Melpattur was also

> a great devotee of Guruvayurappan. It is told that

> initially when

> Poontanam requested help in editing his poetic work

> " Sri Krishna

> Karnamrutham " from Melpattur he refused saying that

> he never read

> works in Malayalam. Melpathur started

> > suffering from rheumatism immediately and that

> night the Lord

> appeared in his dream and told how the lowly

> Malayalam works of

> Poonthanam were more dear to him than the Sanskrit

> works of Melpathur.

> There are several tales of Poontanam the great

> devotee and his Lord

> Guruvayrappan.

> >

> > Poonthanam was possibly one of the greatest fore

> runners of Bhakthi

> cult in Kerala and his greatest work was Jnana Pana,

> Loosely it can be

> translated as " Pot of Knowledge " . But " pana " here is

> not pot but a

> style of folk poem. This is written in a common

> man's language and in

> a common man's verse. It preaches the greatness of

> repetition

> (singing) of the Holy God's names. In between

> Poonthanam wrote about

> the world he saw and the world he wanted to see.

> Some people term it

> as the " Bhagavad Geetha of Malayalam " .

> >

> > Though written in a simple language , there are

> many complex

> statements which are obtrusive. The only

> interpretation available is .

> the " Tatwa deepika " which is written by

> Sri.K.R.Neelakandan

> Nambeesan.I have followed his interpretation in

> translating the Jnana

> Pana in to English.I also have given English

> transliteration before

> the translation as well as a brief commentary for

> each verse after the

> translation...I dedicate this translation to Lord

> Guruvayurappan and

> request his devotees to pardon any lapses that have

> occurred in my part.

> >

> >

> > Guru Nathan thuna cheiga sanththam,

> > Thiru namangal navin mel eppozhum,

> > Piriyathe irikkanam nammude,

> > Nara janmam saphala makkeduvan.

> >

> > Request I, for the grace from my Guru without

> fail,

> > So that Lord's holy names are always on my tongue,

>

> > And continue to be there forever without change,

> > So that this our, human birth becomes most

> fruitful.

> > Comment:All great Indian religious work either

> start with

> salutations to the teacher or to the God.

> >

> > Innale yolam enthannu arinjeela,

> > Ini naleyum enthannu atrinjeela,

> > Ini kanda thadikku vinasamum,

> > Inna nearm enatharenjeela.

> >

> > Till yesterday we did not know it,

> > Even tomorrow, we may not know it,

> > The death to this trunk which is the body that we

> see today,

> > Know we not when it is .

> >

> > (We do not know what we were in the last birth,

> > We do not know what we will be in the next birth,

> > Even in this birth in this human body,

> > Know we not when all this is going to end.)

> >

> > Comment:The poet brings out the ignorance filled

> life of the so

> called intelligent human being in this verse.

> >

> > Kandu kandangirikkum janangale,

> > Kandilennu varuthunnathum Bhavan

> >

>

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

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