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nacciyar thirumoli three

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Ramani Naidu • December 17, 2002 


POSTING THREE

NACCIYAR THIRUMOLI

The worship of Kama, the God of Love is not celebrated in the Sanga
Literature. Cilappathikaram speaks of the worshiop of Indira. Butthere are
no details about the worship of Kama. In Manimekalai, there is an occasion
wherein it is said that the God of Love, Kama, will kneel in front of
Manimekalai. So beautiful is her face supposed to be. These indicate that
though Kama and the worship of Kama had been part of the Indian Mythology in
general and Tamil mythology in particular, there are no systematised or
institutionalised worship of Kama. It is in the mythological tradition that
Andal's Nacciyar Thirumoli is a revolutionary work.

In the aesthetic tradtions of India, dreams are considered as rasas. Dreams
are the remains of the experiences of the lived part of life. Dreams show
the body of man wherein the ego is almost extinguished. The parts of
suppressed emotions are the dreams. Nacciyar Thirumoli is a novel literature
in the midst of Dream Literature.

Nacciyar Thirumoli casually scales the heights of the glory of a spiritual
experience as the one in which the lady love dedicates her body and soul in
a desire not only that He should become hers but also in the desire that she
should become His.

Nacciyar Thirumoli has 143 verses in 14 cantoes with 10 each of 11 sections
and 11 each of 3 sections.

The first Thirumoli has ten verses. It is in the form of an appeal to Kama
to take the lady love to union with God. These verses are usually sung to
the raga Kaveri and Athi Thal. Anankadeva, Kamadeva, manmatha - these are
the terms of address with which the lady love preys to the God of Love to
bestow on her the bliss of union with God. What is specially manifest in
these songs is the resolve expressed in, "If ever I was spoken in terms of
marrige with a man, O Manmatha, take it from me, I will live no more!"

In the 10 songs of the second section Andal preys to God not to undo the
households of the young shepherdesses. She pleads with Him, "Dont  torture
us, please!" (with his absence amidst them). These verses are usually sung
in yamuna kalyani rag and thiruputai thal.

In the 10 songs of the third section she pleads for prizes in the form of
the dress He had stolen in recognition of their devotion to Kanna. These
verses are usually sung to cencurutti rag and ata thal.

In the Tamil Love Literature tradition the lady love will be shown as trying
to draw a circle in the sand while in separation from her lover. If the line
meets in a perfect circle, the belief is that the separation between will
come to an end soon. The fourth section of Nacciyar Thiurmoli is a prayer to
the lines to meet in a  circle so that she could join Kannan soon. If she
were not able to join him soon thus, she is sure to die - she professes.
These verses are usually sung kethara rag and ata thal. There are 11 verses
in this section.

The fifth section is an appeal to the koels to call the Lord aloud to join
her. There is a softness about the appeal as in, "Stay gentle! Call aloud
but call gently the Lord of Venkata to come to me!" These verses are usually
sung in Ananta Bairavi rag and Athi thal. There are 11 verses in this
section too.

The sixth section is a revolutionary dream literature. It begins with the
description of the ceremonial march of the Lord towards the altar of
marriage and proceeds further to talk about the union between the Lady and
Lord in the most sensuous terms. This section acquires its significance in
that it speaks about the rituals of marriage which do not essentially belong
to the indigenous Tamil tradition. There are 11 songs in this section also.
These songs are usually sung in kalyani rag and rupaka Thal.

The seventh thirumoli has revolutionary aspects compared to the rather
subdued tradition of love poetry in Tamil literature. It begins wondering if
the breath of Kannan will smell of camphor or lotus when He kisses his Lady
love. These verses are usually sung to varli rag and Rupaka thal.

The eigth thirumoli is in the form of sending the clouds as the envoys of
love. These songs appeal to the clouds to report to Him the pitiable and
torturous plight of the lady love separated from Him. These songs are
usually sung in Thusavanthi Rag and Athi Thal.

The ninth section speaks of her Waiting in Longing for Him addressing the
Lord at Thirumaliruncolai. I kept for him butter in a hundred containers; I
kept for him rice boiled in ghee in a hundred other containers. When is he
going to come and have them? That is the question we find in this section.
These songs are sung in kalyani rag and rupaka thal.

In the tenth section, unable to bear separation any more she calls the
koels, the flowers, the peacocks, the rains and the seas to go and tell Him
of her plight. These verses are usually sung in kampothi rag and thiruputai
thal.

He does not look at my face. He does not have desire for me. He does not
come forward to dispel my distress. - these are the complaints she makes
about Him to her mother and other relatives in the eleventh section. These
songs are usually sung in saveri rag to thiruputai thal.

The twelfth section is a request to all her relatives to take her to
wherever Kannan may be. She has understood that she could no longer bear
separation from Him. These songs are usually sung in nathanama kiriyai thal
and athi thal. The outskirts of Madurai, Ayppati, the banks of Yamuna,
pathavilosanam, pandivatam, kovarthanam, Thuvarapathy - thee are the places
identified as those where Kannan will be.

The thirteenth section speaks about how the clothes he had donned and
removed and others will bring her fever of love down. When speaking about
her breasts untouched by him she says,
When these breasts remain untouched by Him,
Let me pluck them with their roots
And throw them on His face to bring down my fever.
That can be termed a fiery love indeed! These songs are usually sung in
bairavi rag to athi thal.

The fourteenth section describes how the lady love happened to enjoy the
sight of Kanna at Vrindhavan in his many sided activities. These songs have
echoes of Jayadevar's songs in Sanskrit. These songs are usually sung in
Kalyani rag and rupaka thal.

Everyone know how Vishnu is associated with the earth in the Hindu pantheon.
The earth which provides man with the basis for his existence is made
fertile because of association with Vishnu. Based upon this concept have
many stories risen in the Hindu literature and mythology. Kama, the God of
Love, becomes synonymous with Vishnu in this respect. Vishnu is called
Krishnan and Kama.
In the Mahabharath is said,
"There is no distinction between Kama and Vishnu."
Thirumal is worshipped in the name of Kama."
"Kama is one of the many names of Vishnu."

So the element of sensuousness in Nacciyar Thirumoli is to be taken for the
expression of the blissful mood that Kanna who was the God of Love had
created in the mind of Andal. Let us read the verses in Nacciyar Thirumoli
in the days to come taking Andal for the Mother Earth and Vishnu for the God
who bestows his blessings. The story of Andal will then acquire new meaning
and new dimensions.








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