Thiruneermalai Ashramam- samprokshanam on July 9- appeal -15- Madal pasurams referring to Thiruneermalai

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Sri:

SrimathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Let us continue to enjoy verses on Thiruneermalai.

 

siRiya tirumaDal (73rd line ) – iDavendai nIrmalai

periya tirumaDal (130th line) – nIrmalaimEl mannum maRai nAngum AnAnai

 

Given below is the excellent introduction and write up on what is “madalâ€

and why Thirumangai AzhwAr (in naayaki bhAvam) chose to embrace this… (Thanks

to Sri Satakopan Swamin for his permission to share)

 

Let us enjoy the write up before we enjoy the specific reference to

Thiruneermalai divya desam in Periya Thirumadal and SiRiya Thirumadal.

 

The themes & structure of the two Thirumadals: Siriya and Periya Thirumadals.

 

Invocatory Verse for Siriya Thirumadal:

 

The Taniyan for this Aruliccheyal is by Pillai Thirunarayoor Arayar..

 

It is appropriate an Arayar associated with Thirunarayoor is the

author of this Taniyan inview of the special role played by the

Archamurthy of Thirunarayoor( Sugnada Giri Nambi) ).

 

The Taniyan is as follows:

 

muLLicchezhumalaroh taaraan muLaimadhiyam

koLLikkennuLLam kodhiyameh --vaLLal

thiruvaaLan siirkkaliyan kaarkkaliyai vetti

maruvaaLan tanthaan Madal.

 

The mighty Generous Thirumangai ,who wears both the flower garland of thorns and

a becoming sword in his hand is the most auspicious Azhwar. He has cut asunder

the darkness generated by Kali Yuga and given me the Madals so that my mind

tortured by grief over the separation from my Lord will not boil uncontrollably

at the sight of the rising moon. (Nayakis suffering from the painful experience

of pleasure –giving objects during the times of separation from their Nayakas

is alluded to here.)

 

The Rules of Tamil Poetry and the Madals & the Azhwar's breaking of the

convention The rules of Tamil poetry require that the Madals should be set in

the KaliveNN paa meter. PannirupAttiyal describes further the form and content

of the ancient style of Madal poetry as one set in KaliveNpaa and having the

poetic features of Ethugai and Monai(Consonance and Rhyme).

 

The grammar for this poetry also restricts the subject matter to focus on Inbam

or Kaamam at the expense of other three goals of life( Purushaarthams) such as

Dharmam (Aram), Artham (PoruL), Moksham (Veedu). In the Tamil poetry , Madal is

a practise restricted to a Male lover , who has been spurned by his lady love.

 

ThiruvaLLuvar describes the Madal custom practised by the lover as follows:

 

" In ancient times those who had failed in their love used to ride over a

horse- like carrier(contraption ) made of dry palm-leaves (Madal). The pain

(Self-torture) of pricking ride they endured in preference to their pain in

failure (to win the hand of the lady-love) . " This unusual testimony of love was

aimed to soften the heart of the woman whom he loved and to win her over. Grief

is shamelessly proclaimed in public through the stunt like act of riding on the

jagged stems of palm leaves to shame the lady love and hopefully achieve a

change of her attitude of rejection.

 

Clearly, the performance of Madal(Madalerutal) is not recommended for women as

an act of public protest and lamentation against her hard-hearted lover , who

did not reciprocate her intense love. It was considered immodest for a woman to

engage in such public displays.

 

Thirumangai, Nammazhwar assumed the Naayika Bhavam in their respective Bhaghavad

Anubhavams and adopted the practise of Madalerutal to express their intensity of

suffering caused by their separations from their objects of Love(Viz) Sriman

Narayana. Both of them rejected the Tamil poetry traditions, which restricted

Madalerutal to men , but followed the

Tamil grammar recommendations that this type of ancient poem should deal with

the worldly love and that it should be set in KaliveNpaa.

 

Thirumangai justifies his practise of Madalerutal by referring to the extensive

use of this type of demonstration in the Northern tradition and cites the

behavior of Sita,Usha ,Vegavati and Ulupikai , the heroines of Ithihasas like

Ramayanam and Maha Bharatam . He says that they

expressed openly their love and sought their company through a variety of means.

He describes in the Periya Thirumadal the behavior of his role models this way:

" Sita followed Rama and lived with him in the forest (against the advices of

the elders); Vegavati went in search of her lover into the battle field, not

heeding her brother's protest and she enjoyed her lover's company.

 

Ulupikai , aNaga woman made Arjuna be a prey to her lustful advances as alluded

in Maha Bharatam. Usha , the daughter of Banaasura had her lover transported by

her friend, Chitralekha.Above all Parvati rejected her parents advise and

engaged in arduous penance for union with Siva " .

 

Thirumangai with his extraordinary mastery of Tamil poetry and its grammar

decided to portray his acute pangs of separation from her Nayaka and decided to

practise the ancient custom of Madalerutal , an act prohibited in south for

women.

 

He had become Parakala Nayaki to express his pain of searation and to taunt the

Lord for his act of abandonment.

 

What Type of Madal is Thirumangai's Madal ?

 

Tolkaapiyam , an ancient and authoritative work on Tamil grammar distinguishes

between two kinds of Madal . One type of Madal DECLARES the intention of riding

a Madal(IntiNai) and the other consists of actual mounting on the carrier made

up of dry and prickly palm leaves and riding on it (PeruntiNai).

 

The madal literature of Thirumangai Azhwar belongs to the IntiNai variety of

Madal. Just a threat to shame the Lord and gain His change of mind. It has been

pointed out that " the Azhwar might have wished to make a literary revolution on

a spiritual basis.

 

He did break the convention (of Tamil rules of Poetry) and introduced a new

tradition that a love-smitten lady can develop an inexhaustible and immortal

love towards the supreme Lord. If the lady fails in her endeavour to unite

herself with the Lord, she resolves that she has no other alternative than to

ride on a Madal. "

 

More on Madal - in next post

 

let us continue to work together and perform bhagatha, bhAgawatha, Acharya

kainkaryams. We earnestly appeal to selected friends, sishyas, abhimanis to

separately undertake this part of the Asramam branch establishment. If the

burden is shared by contributing separate parcels of Rs. 10,000/- each or even

less by about 150 persons for this, we could manage the task and complete the

Samprokshanam.

 

All donations in cash or by DD or by cheque payable at Chennai or at Srirangam

should be made payable to SPAV ABHIVARDHINI TRUST which enjoys 80G exemption of

IT Act valid upto 31/03/2010.

 

Payments, if payable at Srirangam, may be sent to:

 

Srikaryam

Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Swamai Asramam

SPAV Abhivardhini Trust

43A/13, Asramam Road, Srirangam

TRICHY – 620 006

Ph: 0431-2436100

 

Payments, if payable at Chennai, may be sent to:

 

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CHENNAI – 600 034

Mobile: 0-98400 13012

 

Please send me an email pledging your support towards this divine kainkaryam.

 

AzhwAr ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan