IDU OR ARPUDAM KELEER - PART 11

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Sri lakshmi nrusimha divya paadukaa sEvaka SrivaN satakOpa Sri Vedaanta

desika yateendra mahaa dEsikaaya namah:

 

In the previous postings, parts 1 to 10 on this topic, we saw

* How periyaazhvaar identified KaNNan with thirumaal,

* How he described the entire world was tied down by

his divine music thru the paasurams (without the meanings of the paasurams),

 

* Certain points on observations of bagavathaas.

* The meanings in detail for the first six paasurams

and few others who relished the kuzhal oothal episode of krishna leelai

 

Let us see one more periyaazhvaar paasuram on this kuzhal oothi episode and

the seventh arpudam in this posting.

 

Maayach chakatam udhaiththu marudhu iruththu

AayargaLOdu pOi aanirai kaaththu

VEin kuzhal oothi viththaganaai ninRa

AayargaL ERRinai paadi para

Aanirai mEiththaanai paadi para. In 3-9-9 starting with " enna " .

 

The tamil used here is simple. " The sakataasuran who came in a disguise to

kill krishna was killed by Krishnan. The marudha trees standing were made to

fall by krishnan. The gOpaalan krishnan went with cows and calves to grass

them, along with friends and played flute music there. Hey my dear

girl-friend, please sing the fame of the Lion among aayar, sing the fame of

cowherd krishnaa " . Here the word Eru means Lion (male lion- of course lion

itself denotes male only, but suddenly it may not strike to the mind that

female lion is called lioness, hence this emphasis). Viththagan is the most

beautiful word here, which means gettikkaaran, clever fellow, intelligent,

genius, wizard, prodigy, wonder kid etc,. All these words fit well to

krishnaa. Let us all sing his pugazh- krishnaa mukundha muraarE.

 

Now let us see the next arpudam.

3.6.7 AmaralOkaththaLavum senRu isaippa avi uNaa maRanthu vaanavarellaam

aayar paadi niraiyap pugunthu eeNdi seviuNaavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu

govindanaith thodarnthu enRum vidaarE.

 

This verse starts with " puviyuL naan kandathOr arpudham kELeer " - " In this

world, I saw some wonders and let me describe same now " , says aazhvaar.

 

In this paasuram aazhvaar describes kannan as " naagaththaNaiyaan " and in his

" kuzhal ootha " what happened. He is not said Krishnaa, gOpaalan, maadhavan,

gOvindan but naagaththaNaiyaan.

 

The word naagam has more than one meaning.

Naagam - snake

Naagam - elephant

Naagam - swargam

Naagam - surapunnai tree (in certain kshEtrams punnai maram is a vaahanam

for perumaaL, in the uRsavams- the same tree)

 

ANai also has more than one meaning.

aNai- (verb)- sErththu- enjoin- embrace

aNai- (verb) thaduththu- to stop [refer mettur aNai- the dam which prevents

flow of water in the place called mettur across river cauvEri]

aNai- (noun)- padukkai- bed

 

naagaththaNaiyaan - the person who is having a snake for his bed- anantha

sayanan- ananthan mEl sayanam kondiruppavan- one who is reclining, on the

snake called ananthan (NOT anantha -mudivillaamal or mudivillaatha -endless,

sayanan- paduththuk kondiruppavan- one who is sleeping endlessly).

 

naagaththaNaiyaan - one who saved the elephant from perishing- naagaththai-

yaanaiyai- the elephant- aNaiyaan- aNaiththu + aatkoNdavan- means thaduththu

aatkoNdavan- saved from getting destroyed or perished. Please connect

gajEndra mOksham episode for this naagaththaNaiyaan.

 

Periyaazhvaar here identifies the person who is playing flute as none other

than the supreme Lord " aadhimoolaME " of gajEndran, who is in the snake bed

in ksheerabhdhi.

 

Amara lOkaththaLavum senRu isaippa- - to the worlds of dEvaas- amarar- those

who never die- means dEvaas- the music of kaNNan reached devalOkam.

 

Avi- the food offered in the yagnas (havis in samskrit)

yagnam - fire sacrifices carried out by brahmins

 

UNaa maranthu- uNNa maranthu- with the longer vowel the emphasis is more on

the next word- forgotten to eat

 

vaanavarellaam aayar paadi niraiyap pugunthu- these devaas entered the

brindaavan- the aayar paadi and occupied every space available there - see

niraiya- fully occupied

paadi- is generally a place where people have settled recently. Paadi is

also used to denote the army settlement temporarily before they shift to a

new place.

 

Eendi - nerungi - came close

 

seviuNaavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu - seviyuL naavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu-

in the ears, the taste of tongue was felt and enjoyed that taste well.

 

govindanaith thodarnthu enRum vidaarE- followed gOvindan and hereafter will

never leave him.

 

The KaNNan's music travelled to the dEvalOkam. Why senRu isaippa- already

the kantharvaas, kinnaraas, naaradhar, thumburu et al are playing music in

the devalokam- there is always music and dance in devalokam- that music is

annulled by kaNNan's music. All the people in dEvalOkam forgot their routine

of taking the havis offered in the yagnam conducted in the boolOkam brought

by the courier agni. Did he really bring? No- He also forgot his routine,

because he was here listening to the music. So there is no food for the

devaas.

 

Already the manushyaaL -human beings and the living things (chEthana

vasthikkaL) in the bhoolOkam are tied down by the music of kaNNan. No body

performs the yagnas except the sravaNa yagnam of kaNNan's music. No other

yagnam is taking place. Then, how food will grow or be available to all the

living ones.

 

Krishna says in gita

Annaadh bhavanthi bhUthaani parjanyaath anna sambhava:

Yagnaath bhavathi parjanya: yagna: karma samudhbhava:- 3- 14

 

Karma brahmOdhbhavam vidhdhi brahmaakshara samudhbhavam

Thasmaath sarvagatham brahma nithyam yagnE prathishtitham 3-15

 

Due to eating the food, the living beings live (or survive). Due to the

rains the food is produced. Due to performance of yagnaas, rain is pouring.

Yagnam is performed out of karma or duty or work. Oh Paarthaa - Oh arjunaa-

know that karma is created by brahma. Brahma is created by aksharan, the

paramaathmaa. So in all the ways and means brahmam is residing in the yagnam

(or available or fixed).

 

The importance of yagnam and its performance is said in these two slokams.

 

As already referred in part 2 of this series krishna says

" na mE paartha asthi karthavyam thrishu lOkEshu kinchana

naanavaapthamavaapthavyam vartha Eva cha karmaNi "

 

" yadhi hyaham na varthEyam jaathu karmaNyathanthritha:

mama varthmaanuvarthanthE manushyaa: paartha sarvasca: "

 

Oh Arjuna, I do not have any duty, I have nothing to obtain, in spite of

this position I do my duty (work). If I do not do my duty like this people

will follow me in not doing duty " .

 

He claims I am doing duty. Perhaps he may be doing his duty. But his music

has prevented the performance of duty by others. The yagnam is not

performed. When there is no yagnam then how food will be available.

 

When the havis is not accepted by the devaas in yagnams, the brahmins who

carry out these yagnams suspect that there is some thing wrong in the

prakriyai- the method of carrying out the yagnam, and stop the yagnam. The

dharma pathnis of these brahmins are not serving their husbands in the yagna

prakriyai, since they are busy in listening to kaNNan's music. When they are

not sharing or carrying out what they have to in the yagnam, there is some

mistake in the prakriyai, and these dEvaas will not accept the havis. So the

yagnam is stopped. Though it is not specifically said these ladies have gone

we can easily connect with the young girls kovalar sirumiyar and in search

of their daughters these ladies have also gone..

 

Agni usually carries the havis to dEvaas. It may appear the devaas take or

accept it. But who really takes or consumes or accepts? It is saakshaath

mahaavishnu, the krishnaa swaroopi accepts the havishimself. He is the

yagnam, yagna kartha, yagna purushan and the havis in yagnam. He is carrying

out the naadha yagnam. So govindanai thodurnthu enrum vidaarE. Refer sahasra

naamam " yagno yagna pathir yajva yagnaangO yagna vaahana, yagnabhruth

yagnakruth yagnee yagna bhug yagna saadhana, yagnaantha kruth yagna guhyam

annam annaadha Eva cha " .

 

For further doubts, if any, please refer " kurai onRum illai by Sri Mukkur

lakshmi narasimhachariyar swamy " on this who accepts the havis in the

yagnaas. Smt Bhagyalakshmi has translated these nicely for the benefit of

those who cannot read the tamil version.

 

Krishna peforms the naadha yagnam here and makes the world to eats the havis

from music. Then where is the question of his flouting the rule made by

himself.

 

SeviyuL naavin suvai kondu magizhnthu- how you can bring the taste of the

tongue to the ears, then magizhnthu, enjoyed- we have to refer simply

thirukkuRaL-

 

sevikku uNavu illaadha pOzhthu siRithu vayiRRukkum eeyappadum -

 

When food is not available for the ears, food will be served for the

stomach. When stomach is empty the mind will be bent on getting the food,

thinking on the food only and will not allow to take any thing into the mnd.

Since mind controls the body, it will not allow any other part of the body

to do any other work. Mind gets stuck. So the food for stomach is given and

then only food for ears, like music etc.

 

But here the reverse. Havis is not consumed but the music is well taken.

That too how- seviyuL naavin suvai kondu- why? Because any thing is tasted

by the tongue. The sweetness of it or not is measured with reference to the

tongue only. Taste- this word itself is ascribed for the indriya tongue,

that is why seviyuL naavin suvai. For krishnaa any thing is possible- to

reverse the normal order of food for stomach first and then ears.

 

Oh bakthaas- if this is not an arpudham what else is?

 

Govindanai thodarnthu enRum vidaarE- all these people follow govindan and

they never leave him- means they all have become nithyasuris. No more karma

bhandham- see how simply periyaazhvaar has described a very big theory in

simple words, uravel namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu- of aandaaL also says

in simple terms- his daddy- gOvindhanai thodarnthu enRum vidaar.

 

All people follw gOvindan. gOvindan adiyai thodarnthu enRum vidaar- so have

vecome adiyaar- avan adiyaar- daasargaL. They were tied in the music.

Attention is only on him and his music. This means the bhakthi is focussed

on him. They also follow him whereever he goes- means totally surrendered to

him. Rest is in his hands. Sarva karma phala thyagam is made and he guides

for their destination.

 

Oh what a great line- hey krishnaa you sit in the tongue of your aNukkar and

the tongue pours out amudhappunal.

 

Now a beautiful tamil song by Kalki R. Krishnamurthy on this kuzhal oothi

episode -

 

KaRRinilE varum geetham

kaNgaL paniththida pongum geetham

kallum kaniyum geetham - kaaRRinilE

 

nilaa malarntha iravinuil thendRal ulaavidum veLiyil

neela niraththu baalakan oruvan kuzhal oothi ninRaan

kaalamellaam avan kaadalai eNNi uruguthE en nenjam - kaRRinilE

 

Though this song appeared in the cinema Meera, the simple tamil and the way

it is rendered on my beloved krishnaa makes me go into ecstacy whenever

heard.

 

A verse in simple tamil- author not known to me but read elsewhere- since

the words are catchy and the meaning is deep, I wish to share with you all-

 

kaNgaLai moodi kaNNanai eNNi

naNNiya nishtai naan puri pOthil

vaNNa isaik kuzhal vaayil isaiththup

puNNiyan mun vara poojaiyum kedumO?

 

Oh krishnaa the pooja is for you. When you are in my front allowing me to

eat you drink you with all my eyes and ears what is these in the pooja.

 

Sing on krishnaa and enjoy krishnaa

 

Dasan Vasudevan M.G.