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nacciyar thirumoli five

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramani Naidu • December 19, 2002 


Day Five - Nacciyar Thirumoli

Let us see the details of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli quoted
yesterday.

The first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli can be discussed in terms of five
aspects.

First, let us consider these songs as making up a piece of literature in
extension of the Tamil Canka tradition of the ritualistic bathing in the
month of Thai.

Words like, "Worshipped", "prayed", "appealed" indicate that the ritualistic
bathing in the month of Thai acquired association with the worship of the
God of Love, Kama, and developed into the vow of Kama. In addition to the
ritualistic bathing and praying for a virtuous husband, we see a new trend
of worshipping the God of Love in the days of Andal.
In the Srivaishnava tradition, there is no celebration of worshipping any
god other than Thirumal in his various avathars for any blessing in any
form. That is why when Prathivathi bhayankaram Annankarachariyar came to
explain the doubtful  "hoping to be redeemed" in Song One wrote the
following :
"The doubt in 'Hoping to be redeemed' in Song One has to be explained. To
worship Kama is to pray to the god who is likely to cause the annihilation
of the physical. Will it in any way lead to redemption or will it pull the
soul down to salvation? - that is the doubt here."
Moreover Andal says that along with Kama, she worships His brother. Kama's
brother is Sama. Krishna had begotten Prathyumnan, the aspect of Manmatha
through Rukmani. Jambavi Devi begot Him Samban or Saman. That is the remark
to be found in the Sribhagavatham.

Next to be appreciated is the fact that in these ten songs, Andal has
explained all the parts of the processs involved in the vow taken up in the
name of Kama.
Searching for the right place for Kama to be installed during the month of
Thai
Decorating the streets for the procession of Kama during the month of Masi
Taking bath at the pond well before dawn
Making Offers to Kama in the fire of tender faggots
Making arrows of flowers
Offering umatha and murukku floral worship
Writing the name of Kama on the walls
Offering the flag, horses and ladies in attendance to Kama
Observing the Vow in the name of Kama with the presiding presence of the
beatiful, the young, the adept in sex and those who chant the scriptures of
Sex
Offering green rice, sugarcane, rice, jaggery and aval while chanting the
mantras devised by those who are well versed in the scriptures of love
Ignoring bathing and keeping oneself intact for the love game even as one is
languishing in love

Such is the list of what ought and ought not to be done, what was and was
not done during the vow in the name of Kama. We see it spread through the
first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli.

Let us see further about these:
1. When the reference is made to the faggot without thorn for the
sacrificial fire of offerings to Kama, Andal refers to the care and concern
that go into the worship/
2. Aravintham, Ashokam, mango, navamallikai and karuneythal are the five
flowrs with which the arrows of Kama are usually made.
3. Umathai and Murukku flowers are fleshy. Their fragrance arouses sensuous
pleasures both at the physical and the mental level. Therefore they become
the flowers of Kama.
4. Traditional interpretatiion will account for writing the name of Kama on
the wall saying that once Krishna is attained Kama may be forgotten and so
to remind of Kama even after union with Krishna, Kama's name is written on
the wall. However, it will be better to interpret it as writing the name of
Kama and drawing his form and his symbols on the walls as part of the Vow in
the name of Kama.
5. The flag of Kama has the symbol of the fish.
6. It is not only a special aspect of these songs that those who preside
over the ritual for Kama happen to be those well acquainted with the
scriptures of love. It is also a revolutionary claim. Andal has made the
formulae of love the scripture of love.
7. The Canka poetry speaks of how the lady love languished at the physical
lever because of her longing. Andal also speaks in the same vein but with a
subtle difference. She is speaking of languishing but of neglect of the
physical in her longing. She has ignored to bath herself properly. She has
let her lips shrivel. This is an instance of contradictions complementing
each other. Physical beauty sparks love and romance. It is ironic that in
the interest of the same love, she has ignored physical beauty.
8. Andal almost coerces Kama to take her to her Lord when she says that the
onus of the sin of making her suffer separation from her Lord will fall on
Kama's shoulders.

The second aspect of these ten songs is the way in which the physical
aspects of longing are described in sensuous terms so very characteristic of
Andal.

>From the days of my youth
That my full swelled breasts are meant
Only for the feel of the Lord of Dwaraka.
Pray do I unto you, Lord of Love,
To take me to Him forthwith.
Why should Andal be in such a great hurry? Her breasts have become so
shapely only to be felt by the fingers of her Lord. Lest they should become
shrivelled and shrunk because of age, she pleads that Kama facilitates her
union with her Lord almost immediately.

The fifth and the ninth songs of the first ten are special in a way. In both
we see brilliant comparisons worked out. In the ninth song, it is comparing
the bull chased away after extracting the work without fodder to letting her
languish in her passion for her Lord. That is a brilliant comparison indeed.

In the fifth song she compares the fox passing by and sniffing the
ceremonial offering of Brahmins to Gods to her breasts even spoken of being
meant for the feel of human fingers when they have been dedicated from the
beginning to the sensuous feel of the fingers of her Lord. Andal succeeds in
sanctifying her lust with the help of this comparison.

The seventh song is the most delicate of all. She talks of her bright
abdomen that slants towards the thighs and just above them, like two mounds
the breasts. She longs for the gentle feel of the fingers of her Lord on her
lower abdomen and her breasts. Any man or woman who has experienced the
pleasure of the sensuous feel of the abdomen and the breasts cannot but
relish this song.

As said earlier, there is contradiction complementing each other in the
eighth song. It is a lust that ignores the body that is the inspiration of
lust!

The eighth song has another aspect too. Andal describes another sensuous
scene in Thiruppavai, her other composition. Nappinnai, the divine consort,
does not allow her Lord who is lying on her breasts early in the morning
after the long night of happy indulgence to leave her behind to answer the
call of the shepherdesses who pray for His graceful presence to grace their
pavai vow. But in this song, the prayer is not for embracing Him tight so as
to press his chest with her breats. It is to enable her to make Him feel
restful as she presses his feet. Annankarachariar will appreciate this song
in the name of the possibility that anyone who holds the feet of God is sure
to have their prayers fulfilled.

The third aspect of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli is an aspect
that is general to Alwar Literature. When they speak about the grandeur of
God, they usually celebrate the deeds of the avatars of God. In these ten
songs also there are references to certain deeds of avatars. Krishna is
supposed to have vanquished a monster who appeared in the form of a crane.
He tore the beak and killed the crane. He is supposed to have killed another
monster who appeared in the form of an elephant pulling out its tuskers. In
the Vamana avatar he is supposed to have measured the whole universe in
three strides.

The fourth aspect of the first ten songs of Nacciyar Thirumoli are the terms
with which the physical charm of God is spoken. This is also another general
aspect of Alwar Literature.

Holding the sparkle spitting discus
Receptacle of the unique Wisdom
Holding the discus and conch
Black-hued as the rain clouds
Black-hued as the kayaa flower
Black-hued as the karuvilai
Lotus faced
Ocean-hued

The fifth aspect which in fact is the most distinguishing aspect of Nacciyar
Thirumoli is the determination in the declaration that she and everything of
hers are His.

She has no redemption if she is not all His
Thirumal is her goal
Thirumal is her lamp
She has vowed herself to Thirumal
She cannot live if she were spoken wife to any human
Her feminity sustains only in holding on to His feet
She may have to become desperate if she could not serve Him.

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



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