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thiruppavai day nine song nine

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramani Naidu • December 23, 2002 


TIRUPPAVAI  - DAY NINE – SONG NINE

Transliteration

thUmani mAtathuc cuRRum viLakkeriya
thUpam kamazath thuyilanai mEl kan vaLarum
mAmAn makaLE manikkathavam thAz thiRavAy
mAmIr avalai ezuppIrO un makaLthAn
UmaiyO anRic cevitO ananthalO
Emap perunthuyil manthirappattaLO
mAmAyan mAthavan vaikunthanenRenRu
nAmam palavaum navinRElOr empAvAy.

Translation

Hey cousin, still asleep on the soft bed,
With lamps aglow all around and incense-sweetened air
Within the pure jewel-decked palace,
Unbar the gem-studded doors.
Aunty, wonÂ’t you wake her up?
Is she deaf and dumb to sleep so deep?
Or is she under a spell of slumber?
We invoke the many names of God,
Mamayan, matavan and vaikuntan.
Let her come and join us.

The ninth song continues with the call to the maid within the house to come
out and join the others.

The song begins with a graphic description of the scene of the maid abed.
The adjectives used at the beginning of the song have certain connotations
that have well been brought out by commentators.

Anyone who reads classical Tamil literature will be surprised at the ease
and felicity with which adjectives are used in Tamil poetry. At times, more
than one adjective that seem to be synonymous will follow each other in
quick succession. However, such use of adjectives should not be
oversimplified in a paraphrasis to suggest the same meaning. This song is a
classic example to illustrate the point.

The palace is described to be jewel-decked and the adjective used is ‘thU’
meaning ‘pure’. Nammalvar, in one of his songs that celebrates
Tiruttulaivilli, a pilgrim centre, will use the expression ‘thuvaLil mAmani
mAtam Onku’. ‘mAmani mAtam’ means ‘the noble jewel-decked palace; ‘tuvaLil’
means ‘that which does not slacken’. It may perhaps suggest some slackening
in the past that has however been got over. But ‘thUmanimAtam’ in this song
shall be taken to mean that the palace in ayppati has such an elemental
purity or nobility about it that unswerving commitment to God is its
integral quality.

The reference to the lamplit room has a definite implication. While the
other maids are on their way to the ritualistic bath even as it is dark
quite early in the morning, she is still within doors, surrounded by lamps
shedding light. The intention is to find fault with her. The incense is so
fine that even as the smoke remains unseen, the fragrance fills the air.
‘thuyilanai’ is the word used to refer to the bed which implies that the bed
is so soft that one who lies on it will fall asleep almost immediately. The
reprove is that when they have given up similar beds in their homes, she is
yet to leave it, giving up the physical pleasure it affords.

To call her ‘cousin’ is to establish a sense of identity between all of them
in terms of their devotion, common to them all.

When there was no sign of the maid herself getting up, the other maids start
calling her mother. If she has no ear to hear their call, she should be deaf
indeed. If she does not respond to their insistent call, she should be dumb
indeed. Or perhaps a spell of slumber has been cast on her.

Perhaps her mother spoke back to them and said that the surest way to wake
her up was to invoke the names of God. Thus the song concludes with the
assent, “We celebrate God in all his various names like mAmAyan, mAtavan and
vaikuntan”.

‘MAyan’ has already been explained. As an attribute to God, it should not be
taken for deceit. It is the inscrutability of the intentions behind the
deeds of God as related to man.

‘MAtavan’ means ‘the Lord of the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, who dwells in
the lotusÂ’.

‘Vaikuntan’ refers to the supremacy of God not only in the world of men but
also in the world of the liberated souls and gods.

By implication, this song can be taken to implore the initiated but slack
devotee to give up the deluding pleasures of ignorance and to join the pavai
observance. The role of the mother is that of suggesting a sense of
direction to the young maids in the path of spiritual cultivation.






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



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