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thiruppavai day fifteen song fifteen

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramani Naidu • December 29, 2002 


THIRUPPAVAI - DAY FIFTEEN - SONG FIFTEEN

Transliteration

ellE ilamkiliyE innam urankuthiyO
cillenRu azaiyEn min nankaimIr pOtharkinREn
vallai un katturaikal pantE un vAyaRithum
vallIrkaL nInkaLE nAnEthAn Ayituka
ollai nI pOthAy unakkenna vERutaiyai
ellOrum pOnthArO pOnthAr pOl ennikkoL
vallAnaik konRAnai mARRArai maRRaLikka
vallAnai mAyAnaip pAtElOr empAvAy.

Translation

Hey young parrot! Are you still asleep?
DonÂ’t be so harsh maids. IÂ’ll join you.
We know your vain promises of the past.
I know you, donÂ’t I? Take me as you please.
Join us quick. Why do you make exceptions?
Is everyone there? Of course, you can count for yourself.
Let us sing in praise of the Inscrutable,
Who annihilated the mighty elephant,
Who cured the foes of their pride.

The fifteenth song, as stated earlier, is in the form of an exchange of
remarks between the maid withindoors and the maids awaiting her to join
them. At the end of the song, the maid joins the others and the pavai march
resumes.

The maid, in the same placating tone as at the end of the previous song, is
addressed the young parrot. “Are you still asleep?” is more an explanation
to the maids themselves, “Perhaps she is really still asleep.” But then, the
first response from within follows, much to the relief of the other maids.
When woken up from deep slumber, it is but natural to be irritated.
Therefore the remark, “Don’t be so shrill and harsh.” The maids now start
teasing her. “O we know how you have failed in your promises to us.” The
maid rebukes them for the rebuke, “I know you for the harsh tongued that you
are, don’t I?” But then, she is aware that she has overslept. Therefore the
immediate admittance, “Take me as you please.” The maids continue with their
teasing. “How is it you try to make an exception? As if you can have an
exclusive experience of the Divine.” The maid has no answer. She asks if
everyone has already joined the troop. The immediate response is, “Why
should we answer such a question? You can come out and see for yourself.”
Meanwhile, the maid comes out and joins the others and the maid leads the
pavai march. They propose to sing in praise of Krishna who annihilated a
monster in the form of an elephant called the Kuvalayapitam and who cured
the foes of their pride.
This song highlights one of the basic attributes of the Vaishnavites. When a
devotee is found fault with on one score or the other, the true Vaishnavite
immediately is pleased for the grace of the accusing in excusing the
shortfall.
This song has a certain dramatic charm about it that characterises the
classic sankam literature from which bhakthi literature in Tamil has
borrowed profusely. The sankam poetry is an evocation of snippets of life
usually presented in the form of a dramatisation as in the kalittokai or
monologue as in most other sankam literature. A classic example will be that
song from puram, where a mother answers a query about her son from a woman
of her own age. “You hold the pillar of my little house and ask me where my
son is. Let me tell you. This womb is like a stony cave sought by a tiger
for a brief sojourn. He will be found in the battlefield.”

ciRRil naRRUN paRRi
nin makan yAntuLan kollO
ena vinavuthiyAyin
en makan yAntuLan Ayinum aRiyEn
Orum puli cErntu pOkiya kallaLai pOlath
thOnRiya vayirO ituvE tOnruvan mAthO pOrkkalaththAnE.

The fifteenth song of Tiruppavai indicates a definite turn of events in the
pavai observance.

The first song is a general call to all the maids to join the pavai. The
second song is a declaration of the qualification of the pavai participants.
The third song mentions the benefits that accrue as a result of the pavai
observance. The fourth song is a prayer for rains and in effect for GodÂ’s
grace. The fifth song is an assurance of redemption. By the time the sixth
song begins, all the maids have assembled excepting the one still abed. Or
alternatively, beginning the sixth song through the fifteenth song, such of
those maids who are yet to join the troop have been woken up to join the
others. With the maid who was the best of them all having joined them, or
alternatively, with the last of the maids having joined them, the pavai
bathing follows, followed by the assembly reaching the temple, as in the
sixteenth song. Gaining admittance into the temple, singing songs to wake up
God and the others, being granted audience by the God and other such phases
of pavai are celebrated in the second half of the thirty songs of
Tiruppavai. Thus the fifteenth song can be said to mark a definite turn in
the events of the pavai.

A point of literary interest is that the fourth song of Tiruvempavai, the
Saivite version of the pavai ritual is found to correspond almost line to
line with the fifteenth song of Tiruppavai.
Onnittila nakaiyay innam pulartinro
Vannak kilimoliyar ellarum vantaro?
Ennik kotullava collukom avvalavum
Kannait tuyinravame kalaittaip pokkate
Vinnukkoru maruntai veta vilup porulaik
Kannukkiniyanaip patik kacintullam
Unnekku ninruruka ya mattom niye vantu
Ennik kuraiyir tuyilelorempavay.

Traditional interpretation will identify the maid in this song with
Tirumankai Alwar. In a series of ten songs, Tirumankai Alwar resolves the
duality between the transcendent Narayana and His manifest forms.

 The first of the song begins with “manameru men nokki”. A paraphrasis will
read as follows: “Rama walked through the stony forest with Vaiteki. The
golden feet that traversed the forest are those at which the Gods fall in
supplication.”
Secondly, Tirumankai Alwar has chosen to call himself in his songs a parrot.
“kilipola milarri natantu”
“menkili pola mika milarru men petaiye”
Thus the address at the beginning of the fifteenth song is an address to
Tirumankai Alwar. Moreover, Tirumankai Alwar has defined his mission as
reiterating whatever has earlier been said by Nammalvar.
“maran panitta tamil maraikku mankaiyarkon arankam kura”
That way also the address refers to Tirumankai Alwar. Tirumankai Alwar has
also referred several times to the annihilation of the elephant. Avarivai
ceytarivar ancana mamalai pole” Kavala yanai kompocitta kannanennum” He has
also celebrated the way in which Krishna has cured the erring of their pride
without annihilating them.
“kunrametuttu anirai kattavan tannai”
“kunretutta tolinanai”.

Discerning readers of this interpretation may be surprised by the following
about the traditional interpretation. Tirumankai Alwar had been later to
Andal. Therefore to ascribe references in AndalÂ’s songs to the one who
appeared later would only betray the enthusiasm of the interpreter. While
the charge is tenable, the traditional interpreters would justify their
claims in the name of anticipation by Andal of the Alwars in line.






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