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what was that you did?- 4

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • September 30, 2000 


Dear sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer, 

You may think, this MGV is just stretching himself to do some kathai [story]
on the bhakti list on krishna. "kathaiyum perum poruLum kaNNa nin pErE" says
boothaththaaazhvaar in verse 64 second thiruvanthaathi.  [the story and
resulting wealth are all, Oh! Krishna, it is from your name -nin thiru
naamam]. "Kathaip poruLthaan kannan" [he is the subject for story] says
Thirumazhisai aazhvaar in 32 naanmugan thiruvanthaathi. It is apt and most
fit to do some kathai on that kathaip poruL kaNNan.

In the previous posts, we saw three krithis from three different authors
with the same central theme of wondering about yasOdhaa's bhaagyam, comments
on the first krithi "enna thavam seidhanai" by PS. In this part, we will go
for some comments and meanings of the next krithi containing same theme by
Smt. Ambujam Krishna AK. 

Pallavi: paNNiya puNNiyam yadhu? Ammaa, adhaip
parinthu emakku ingu kooru, ammaa - paNNiya

Meaning: What is the penance you did, Oh mother! I prey to you, please be
cordial to me and tell me. 

Comment: AK indirectly puts "My intention  is to know from you Oh yasOdha,
so that I also will do that  to get similar grace from Him". In the PS
krithi, it is clear, that, it is addressed to yasOdhaa. Here it is not clear
if you consider the pallavi alone, whether it is really addressed to
yasOdhaa or some other lady. 

Now combine pallavi with Anu pallavi:
paNNiya puNNiyam yadhu? Ammaa, adhaip
parinthu emakku ingu kooru, ammaa - 
paarkadal paambu aNai viduththup paraman un
madi aduththup paal uNNa yasOdhaa nee - paNNiya

Meaning: Oh! Yasodhaa!! That supreme lord left his abode in the snake bed in
the milk ocean and took to your lap. What is that good penance you did [or
fortune you had] to have him on your lap and feed him oh! YasOdhaa!! please
tell.

Comment: By combining the anu pallavi with the pallavi, it is clear that it
is addressed to yasOdhaa. Since it is addressed as "oh mother", even if she
is that not courteous, not preferring to reveal these secrets / answer, she
is forced / made to become courteous, by that calling "ammaa" twice, because
a mother is naturally generous towards their children calling ammaa and
rallying behind her.

In the second post we saw comments on 'paarkadal paambu aNai viduththup
paraman'. So no repetition. 

See the following verse from thirumangai aazhvaar
Thanthai thaLai kazhalath thOnrip pOi aaippaadi nandhan kula madhalaiyaai
vaLanrnthan kaaNEdee! Nandhan kula madhalaiyaai vaLarnthaan naan mugarkuth
thanthai kaaN - 11- 5-2.

Meaning: Girl 1 says to girl 2 as a sort of information- "As soon as the
child was born, the child got his father's shackles released on their own
[shackles slipped on their own], the child got himself transported from one
place to other place and grew as Nandhagopa's son". Girl 2 replies to girl 1
again as information "That son of nandhagopa is the father of that four
faced Brahma". That brahma's father is the that paarkadal paambu aNai
viduththup paraman - See the clue is available easily from this pasuram to
AK.

The  next line in krithi is "un madi aduththup paal uNNa yasOdhaa nee". This
"paal uNNal" is has been extensively elaborated by Periyaazhvaar in 2-2- 1
to 10 starting "aravaNaiyaai" saying "mookku urinchi mulai uNaayE" and
others. Similarly 3-1- 1 to 10 thannEraayiram  periyaazhvar deals with same
paal uNNal saying "anjuvan ammam tharavE". Kaliyan also has 9 paasurams on
this paal uNNuthal in 10-4- 1 to 9 santha malar [perhaps readers will
remember these came up translated very nicely by Sri MadhavakkaNNan
recently]. Kulasekhara also covers whatever he has to say on this paal
uNNuthal in just a single marvel in 7-7. 

I wonder, at times, these three are what great "observers". Is it their
observation combined with their visualisation of that scene of krishna being
fed by mother, gave these nice verses? Or is it by HIS grace, that these
verses come off so nicely  with that beautiful taste. So there is no wonder
AK also falls in line with these poorvar to say "un madi aduththup paal uNNa
yasOdhaa nee"  which has so much meaning in it.

CharaNam 1:
kattith thayir veNNai kaaichchina paal vaiththuk
kaaththirunthEn ethir paarththu irunthEn
thatti vazhi maraiththu um sattith thayir veNNai
kotti avan uNNa gOkulaththeer neevir- paNNiya

Meaning of charaNam 1: I was anticipating you, was waiting for you with
solid curd, which is very much liked by you, also milk that is boiled well
to give added taste. But he forced you, oh! folks of gokulam! to give him
those pots of curds, pots of butter, when you were carrying them for sale,
and he did eat all that curd butter etc, much to his liking, per force.  

Comment: Now the focus gets shifted, from yasOdhaa to aayarkulam, the gokula
vaasikgaL, residents of gokulam are considered as puNNiyasaaligaL. Question
is put to them. What is that fortune you had.

Here two points are there.
1. Thatti vazhi maraiththu avan kotti uNNa- krishna stands on the way when
these aayar folks take the pots of curd butter etc to go to market and sell
them, he takes these by forcing them -thatti - and he spills some and eats
some - kotti  avan uNNa - kottiyavan uNNa.

2. "thatti vazhi maraiththu um sattith thayir veNNai kottiyavan uNNa" - the
small bamboo mats which are used as doors in these aayar folks' huts were
used by him as cover for stealing these butter and curd, spilling some and
eating some quantity.

For the first there is a reference- Kappaal aayargaL kaavinil koNarntha
kalaththodu saaiththup parugi 3-1-5 periyaazhvaar- kappu- kambu- a bamboo
stick used to carry on the shoulder, which carry weight on both ends so that
the man is able to carry more weight without any damage to the article he
carries- this is similar to kavadi- which is given by the word kaavinil
here. 
KummaayaththOdu veNNai vizhungi kudaththayir saaiththup parugi 3-1-3,
saaLagraamam udaiya nambi saaiththup parugittu pOnthu ninRaan - periyazhvar.
He tilts the curd pots and eats some quantity only is clear here.

For the second meaning, see a predecessor in Kalaiyan paasuram- 
Padal adaiththa siRu kurambai nuzhainthu pukkup 
Pasu veNNai padham aara paNNai muRRum- 4-4-3
Padal- is a small bamboo mat
Kurambai - is hut.
So AK has enjoyed the DP well and taken clues and coined the lines so nicely
to give one more dimension of enjoyment on krishna - kathai and
kathaipporuL.

CharaNam 2: in raaga naatakurinji
eNNam enum izhaiyil paN malargaL thoduththuk
kaNNan kazhal saaththak kaaththirunthEn
paN isaiththu ummudan paal nilavil avan 
vaNNamaai viLaiyaada vanithaiyar neevir - paNNiya

Meaning of charaNam 2: I was waiting to offer the garland of "music" flowers
to the feet of KaNNan decorated in the thread called my "thoughts". Oh
maids, but he has come there leaving me behind, to sing and play with you
all in the moon light. To get him like that and what is the kind of good
fortune you had? 

Comment: Music is the flower. Thought is the thread. That music flower is
tied in the thought thread to make a garland for the feet of KaNNan. Oh!
what a rich imagination. 

Please remove "Kannan" from the context for a minute. Just consider this is
only a tamil verse addressed to the hero by his lover. Then also the lines
are simply gems. Now add Kannan. The taste increases manifold because the
verse has come out of pure love to him from the bottom of the heart. In
simple words the soul speaks. 

"Poosum saanthu en nenjame! punaiyum kaNNi enathudaiya vachagam sei malaiyE"
4-3-2 nammazhvar. I apply my mind itself as that sandal paste on you, the
flower garland I put on you is that poem I compose with my words. 
Is Idea taken from aazhvaar? Any doubts? 

"En nenjaththu uLLirunthu ingu iruntha thamizh nool ivai mozhinthu" -10-6-4
says nammazhvaar. So when he comes and sits in the mind, thoughts becomes
the thread, music is the flowers, pooja takes place so nicely with these
music flowers-  Naadha upaasanai. [I reserve just another quote from
Nammazhvaar on the music to the concluding part].

[Just as a side quote, I would like to mention that Sri K.V.Jagannathan the
great Tamil orator and writer {known as Ki. Vaa. Jaa. and Sishya of maha
mahopaadhyaaya Sri U.V. Swaminatha Iyer tamizh thaaththaa} has appreciated
these lines of AK in his foreword to her book on these krithis- saying
"kaNNanaiip paadumpOdhu ivar gopiyE aagividugiraar- AK becomes a gopi while
singing on Kannan - any doubts?] 

Oh bhaktaas- trust you are able to appreciate that depth in this song.

Dhaasan

M.G.Vasudevan

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