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KANNAN PERRA VENNAIK KALVI- 10

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • February 2, 2000 


Dear Srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer

We closed the earlier part with "Then also the hunger still remains for
krishna. What he does further? Let us see in next post".

Now let us see another attempt of "veNNaik kaLavu" and "veNNai
vizhunguthal". This reference is from thirumangai aazhvaar 
....Aangoru naaL aaippaadi 
seeraar kalai algul seeradi senthuvar vaai
vaaraar vana mulaiyaaL maththaarap paRRik koNdu
Eraar idai nOva eththanaiyOr pOdhumaai
Seeraar thayir kadainthu veNNai thirandu athanai
VEraar nudhal madavaar vErOr kalaththu ittu
Naaraar uri yERRi nanku amaiya vaiththu athanai
POraar vERkaN madavaaL pOnthanaiyum poi urakkam
Oraadhavan POraadhavan pOl urangi aRivuRRu 
thaaraar thadanthOlgaL uLLaLavum kai neetti 
aaraadha veNNai vizhungi arugiruntha mOraar kudam urutti- 

- 13th verse of siriya thirumadal 

Viji (Triplicane) has given very beautiful meaning for this and hence I am
not capable of adding any more.. But the tamil here is "very very tasty
tasty".

Krishna's shoulders and long hands are fully utilised - "thadanthOlgaL
uLLaLavum kai neetti"- the rim of the pot is touched by the shoulders- means
full length of hand is stretched. This also means that such big pots are
used to keep curd, butter etc. Krishna stretches himself fully to reach the
bottom of the pot- means almost the entire quantity is consumed by krishna
from such large pots.

 Whether such consumption is going on daily. Yes says nammazhvaar. See his
lines.
"Vaigalum veNNai kai kalanthu undaan poi kalavaathu en mei kalanthaanE"-
1-8-5 thiruvaaimozhi
Vaigal means daily. He mingled butter with both hands and ate. Thus he also
mingled in my spirits without any falsehood, truly he mingled in my mind.

If such fast consumption is going on daily, then, what will happen to the
health of the child? Mother is worried. See what she did.

PuLLinai vaai piLanthittai, poru kariyin kombu osiththaai, kaLLa arakkiyai
mookkodu kaavalanaith thalaik koNdaai, aLLi nee veNNai vizhunga anchaadhu
adiyen adiththEn  2-7-5 periyaazhvaar

Meaning: Oh krishna-You killed the asuran came in the form of bird- baka
asuran (bakam is kokku- crane). You also killed the elephant kuvalayaa
peetam, which came to fight with you (poruthudhal is fighting) [kari is
elephant]. When you did these things, I was afraid but did not beat you (to
prevent you from doing such things).  When You swallowed the butter several
times, by lifting butter with both hands, I have beaten you without any
fear, for this act of yours. 

Why mother has to fear- "Oh krishna-when you can do killing etc in this
childhood itself, who came near you with the intention of killing, you are
capable of punishing me also for having beaten you". That is why mother
thinks and says- anchaadhu adiyen adiththEn. 

"But, I, as your mother, initially had the fear, later did not have any fear
of being punished for my act, since my intention is to correct you from
doing mischief".

See another way of telling that he was beaten well for this vennai thirudi
vizhunguthal-
SEppooNda saadu sithari thirudi neik kaappoondu nandhan manai kadaith
thaambaal sOppooNdu thuLLith thudikka thudikka anRu aappooNdaan -
periyaazhvaar - 2-1-5

Meaning: The cart which had a iron strap (in tamil pattai - an iron strap
fixed alround the wheel to avoid the fast wearing of wood)- Seppu uNda
saadu- saadu is cart- the asura who came in the cart form - sakataasuran-
was killed by krishna. Krishna stole ghee and spread that ghee on his body.
That gave smell. Due to this mother got angry and she started beating
krishna using the Kadaith thaambu. kadaith thaambu (kadaiyalakku uthavum
thaambu) is the rope with which the curd is churned with the churning rod-
(maththu). 

SOppooNdu is sOppu + uNdu- eating slaps - getting slaps from mother. That
too how he reacted - thuLLi thudikka thudikka- he jumped and while he jumped
received the rope beat, trembled and writhed due to pain.

Though he was beaten, "this veNNai vizhunguthal provided benefit to somebody
or it was only a nuisance to the gopees" this point has to be checked. See
mother yasOdhaa addressing the child

KummayaththOdu veNNai vizhungi kudaththayir saiththup parugi poim maaya
maruthana asurarai ponRuviththu inru nee vanthaai 3-1-3 periyaazhvaar

Meaning: You swallowed the butter and well-cooked dhal. You drank the curd
in pots by tilting these pots. Then you went out and killed the asuraa who
came as whirl wind (maruthaana here is the wind and not marutha maram which
were standing in the garden).

If such milk, curd, butter eating continues, the mouth and body will smell
only butter.  We have already seen krishna being called "kuNungu naari" by
aaNdaaL. But see here 
"Paalodu nei thayiru oN saanthodu sanbagamum pankayam 
nalla karuppooramum naarivara kOla narum 
pavaLach chenthuvar vaayinidai -  periyaazhvaar- 1-5-9
meaning: The mouth which is red coral like smells milk, curd, ghee etc. It
also smells good sandal (oN saanthodu), sEnbaga flower, lotus flower, good
camphor, etc. 

How is it? Because of love of the mother or as usual the maayam of kaNNan. I
think it is the maayam of kaNNan. Bhagavathaas can comment on this. 

Annamaachaarya in his beautiful krithi "bhaavayaami gOpaala baalam" in raaga
yamuna kalyaani refers this vennai holding hands and wonders how brahma and
other devaas are bowing in reverence to such butter holding young gOpaalan.
See his lines
Niratha kara kalitha navaneetham brahmaadhi
Sura nikara bhaavanaa sObhitha padham- bhaavayaami
Meaning: The young gOpaalan's hands are engaged in holding the butter.
Brahma and other dhEvaas treasure in their mind this shining young gOpaalan.
Let such hands and feet purify me.

See the another great krishna bhakthaa enjoying this butter holding krishna.
"PaaNow paayasa Bhakthamaahitha rasam biBhranmudha dhakshiNE
SavyE saaradha chandhramaNdalaniBham havyangaveenam dhaDhath!
KantE kalpitha puNdareeka nakhamapyudhdhaama dheepthim vahan
DhEvO dhivya dhigambarO dhisathu nassoukhyam yasodhaa sisu:"!! 
2.74- leela sukhar

Meaning: Let that yasodhaa's young child krishna give us limitless joy who 
*	in his right hand hold with joy sweet nectar like paayasam- sweet
rice- akkara adisil, 
*	in the left hand has butter ball which looks like the winter
seasonal bright full moon, 
*	in the neck has tiger nails as his jewel in the chest, 
*	has a body with growing tEjhas- 
*	has no dress in his body.

See one more krishna bhakthaa "sadhaasiva brahmendhra" who enjoys krishna-
he has composed only 23 songs out of which 7 are on krishna.  See the beauty
of the lines in simple samskrit. This krithi is in kaapi raaga.

Smara vaaram vaaram -chEtha: smara nandha kumaaram

Ghosha kuteera payO ghrutha chOram
GOkula brundhaavana sanchaaram -smara

VENurava amrutha paana kaToram 
visva sthithi laya hEthu vihaaram -smara

parama hamsa hruth panjara keeram 
patuthara DhEnubaka samhaaram- smara

meaning: Hey mind, please recollect the thoughts on 
*	Sri krishna who is nandhagOpaa's son. 
*	Krishna who stole milk and ghee in the cowherd houses in aaippaadi,
who roamed in brindhaavan and gokulam
*	Krishna who is completely filled with his nectarian flute music
*	Krishna who has for the play shrushti- creation, sthithi-
sustenance, layam- destruction of this entire world
*	Krishna who is the parrot in the heart cage of paramahamsas- saints
*	Krishna who killed bakan, dhEnukan etc.

This sanyaasi "sadhaasiva brahmendhra" also claims krishna is "kapata angee
krutha maanusha vEsham kapata naatya krutha kruthnusu vEsham" in his "bhaja
rE yadhunaatham" krithi- meaning one who has adorned the human garb
"vanchanaiyaaga" "farce sake" and danced in comedy role in the farce drama.

The theme of parts 9and 10 are vennai vizhunguthal. The next theme what we
are going to see is kOL solluthal- complaining.

Dasan Vasudevan M.G.

PS: Incidentally I want to share a totally different meaning for kaNNan. Of
course this has very little connection with veNNaik kalvi. This meaning I
read recently in some magazine. "Yaadhinum uyarnthOr thannai yaavarkkum
kaNNan enRE Othiya peyarkkuth thaanE uRu poruL uNarththivittan"- kamba
raamaayaNam kolam kaaN padalam. 

Sri raama walks through the streets of janaka's videha nagaram after he has
successfully broken the siva dhanus. The people see him with their eyes wide
open. They cannot miss any of his even small movements. So he occupies fully
their eyes. So he is their kaNNan. "EllOr kaNgaLilum avan nirainthu
iruppathanaal avan kaNNan aaginaan"- see raaman has become kaNNan.