The Elephant 1-vAraNam

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vAraNam

 

Today's HIndu carries the word ' Pachyderm' signifying the tusker.

 

Let us first take one of the several words indicating this term. 'vAraNam'.

 

Sri ANDAL talks of the jumbo, not one, not hundreds but a thousand and that too when -these surround at the time of the wedlock with the Lord --the famous words from The nAchiyAr Thriumozhi

'vAraNam Ayiram sUzha valm seidhu' 6-1;

 

Generally, Azhwar-s just do not use this term for representing the tusker but while describing the GajEndhrA mOksham or narrating the demolition of the kuvalaiyApEtam. This apart AzhwAr-s take pride in comparing the elephant with the Lord Himself.

 

'vAraNam koL idar kadindha mAlai ..' 2-10-10; are the beatuiful words from Periya Thirumozhi recalling the gAjEndhra mOksham.

 

...vAraNam paiya ninRu vUrvadhu pOle'1-7-1 of PeriyAzhwAr ThiruMozhi says Sri PeriyAzhwAr making us visualise the big giant of the behomoth slowly and steadily shaking on both the sides progressing on its walk. This is likened to the walk of kutti kaNNan -The Almighty.

 

The masterpiece on vAraNam is here from Sri PeriyazhwAr again

 

'oru vAraNam paNi koNdavan poigaiyil, kanjan than

oru vAraNam vuyiruNdavan vuRaiyum malai,

karu vAraNam than pidi thodarndhOda kadalvaNNan

thiruvANai kURath thiriyum thaN mAlirunjOlaiyEa' 4-2-5;

 

The first vAraNam on the first line --The Lord who granted kainkaryam-service to GajEndhrAzhwAn.

The second vAraNam -second line --The Lord who vanquished the elpehant kuvalaiyapEtam.

The thrid vAraNam-third line --- The elephant playing with its pair.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

dAsan

vanamamalai padmanabhan