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thiruppavai day two song two

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Ramani Naidu • December 16, 2002 


THIRUPPAVAI - THIRUPPALLIYELUCCI
>From Ramani's Desk

Thiruppavai - Day Two - Song Two

Transliteration

vaiyaththu vAlvIrkAL nAmum nam pAvaikku
ceyyum kirisaikal kEliRo pARkataluL
paiyaththuyinra paraman ati pAti
neyyunnOm pAlunnom nAtkalE nIrati
maiyittu eLuthOm malarittu nAm mutiyOm
ceyyathana ceyyOm thIkkuRalaic cenROthOm
aiyamum piccaiyum Anthanaiyum kaikAtti
uyyumAru enni ukanthElEr empAvAy.

Translation

O listen you people of the world,
What we propose to commit ourselves to
In the name of the pavai observance.

We will sing in praise of the Lord
Gently asleep on the milky ocean.
We will renounce ghee and milk.
Bathing late in the evening,
We will not adorn ourselves with colirium.
We will not decorate our hair with flowers.
We will not commit acts forbidden.
We will not carry tales.
We will distribute alms in dedication.
We will accept alms from the deserving.

Thus we will mediate on salvation
And celebrate the bliss thereof.

The second song of Thiruppavai is a declaration of commitments in the name
of the pavai observance. It is also a statement of what the devotees will
refrain from indulging in the interest of augmenting total commitment to the
pavai observance. Singing the praise of God is an obligation to commit
oneself to. It is all the more so because God has condescended to grace man
in descending to lie on the couch of Adhisesha, (the thousand headed
serpent) afloat the milky ocean. Ghee and milk contribute to physical
consciousness and therefore to be refrained from in the process of spiritual
cultivation. Bathing late in the evening is again a means to stifle physical
consciousness. To adorn oneself with colirium and to decorate one's hair
with flowers are also indulgences which are indicative of a preoccupation
with the mundane and the sensuous. Therefore the proposal to refrain from
such indulgences. Acts detrimental to spiritual cultivation in accordance
with scriptural dicta are to be refrained from. To carry tales about others
for personal benefits does not become of the devotee. Alms to be given in
dedication to God is a duty prescribed. Such giving is not necessarily in
terms of material. Imparting the sense of the divine is also a form of
giving. At the same time, even the best of men in devotion and duty are not
the perfect until God bestows His grace upon such. Therefore the devotee has
to remain an ever-ready receptacle of God's grace. That is to accept alms.
Leave alone salvation, meditation on salvation in itself is cause enough for
happiness to the devotee.

The song is in the form of a public address to make a declaration of
commitments. That in itself is an indication for assurance of commitment. It
is not only a commitment to do but also a commitment to refrain. The song by
implication points to sanctification of the human in its three aspects
(trikarana suddhi) - the physical aspect, the mental aspect and the
utterance.






Ramani


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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