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IDU OR ARPUDHAM KELEER - PART 11

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • October 15, 1999 


Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

Sri lakshmi nrusimha divya paadukaa sEvaka SrivaN satakOpa Sri Vedaanta
desika yateendra mahaa dEsikaaya namah:

In the previous postings, parts 1 to 10 on this topic, we saw 
		*	How periyaazhvaar identified KaNNan with thirumaal, 
		*	How he described the entire world was tied down by
his divine music thru the paasurams (without the meanings of the paasurams),

		*	Certain points on observations of bagavathaas. 
		*	The meanings in detail for the first six paasurams
and few others who relished the kuzhal oothal episode of krishna leelai

Let us see one more periyaazhvaar paasuram on this kuzhal oothi episode and
the seventh arpudam in this posting.

Maayach chakatam udhaiththu marudhu iruththu
AayargaLOdu pOi aanirai kaaththu
VEin kuzhal oothi viththaganaai ninRa 
AayargaL ERRinai paadi para 
Aanirai mEiththaanai paadi para. In 3-9-9 starting with "enna". 

The tamil used here is simple. "The sakataasuran who came in a disguise to
kill krishna was killed by Krishnan. The marudha trees standing were made to
fall by krishnan. The gOpaalan krishnan went with cows and calves to grass
them, along with friends and played flute music there. Hey my dear
girl-friend, please sing the fame of the Lion among aayar, sing the fame of
cowherd krishnaa". Here the word Eru means Lion (male lion- of course lion
itself denotes male only, but suddenly it may not strike to the mind that
female lion is called lioness, hence this emphasis). Viththagan is the most
beautiful word here, which means gettikkaaran, clever fellow, intelligent,
genius, wizard, prodigy, wonder kid etc,. All these words fit well to
krishnaa. Let us all sing his pugazh- krishnaa mukundha muraarE.

Now let us see the next arpudam.
3.6.7 AmaralOkaththaLavum senRu isaippa avi uNaa maRanthu vaanavarellaam
aayar paadi niraiyap pugunthu eeNdi seviuNaavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu
govindanaith thodarnthu enRum vidaarE.

This verse starts with "puviyuL naan kandathOr arpudham kELeer"- "In this
world, I saw some wonders and let me describe same now", says aazhvaar.

In this paasuram aazhvaar describes kannan as "naagaththaNaiyaan" and in his
"kuzhal ootha" what happened. He is not said Krishnaa, gOpaalan, maadhavan,
gOvindan but naagaththaNaiyaan. 

The word naagam has more than one meaning.
Naagam - snake
Naagam - elephant
Naagam - swargam
Naagam - surapunnai tree (in certain kshEtrams punnai maram is a vaahanam
for perumaaL, in the uRsavams- the same tree)

aNai also has more than one meaning.
aNai-  (verb)- sErththu- enjoin- embrace
aNai- (verb) thaduththu-  to stop [refer mettur aNai- the dam which prevents
flow of water in the place called mettur across river cauvEri]
aNai- (noun)- padukkai- bed

naagaththaNaiyaan - the person who is having a snake for his bed- anantha
sayanan- ananthan mEl sayanam kondiruppavan- one who is reclining, on the
snake called ananthan (NOT anantha -mudivillaamal or mudivillaatha -endless,
sayanan- paduththuk kondiruppavan- one who is sleeping endlessly). 

naagaththaNaiyaan - one who saved the elephant from perishing- naagaththai-
yaanaiyai- the elephant- aNaiyaan- aNaiththu + aatkoNdavan- means thaduththu
aatkoNdavan- saved from getting destroyed or perished. Please connect
gajEndra mOksham episode for this naagaththaNaiyaan.

Periyaazhvaar here identifies the person who is playing flute as none other
than the supreme Lord "aadhimoolaME" of gajEndran, who is in the snake bed
in ksheerabhdhi.

Amara lOkaththaLavum senRu isaippa- - to the worlds of dEvaas- amarar- those
who never die- means dEvaas- the music of kaNNan reached devalOkam.

Avi- the food offered in the yagnas (havis in samskrit)
yagnam - fire sacrifices carried out by brahmins

UNaa maranthu- uNNa maranthu- with the longer vowel the emphasis is more on
the next word- forgotten to eat

vaanavarellaam aayar paadi niraiyap pugunthu- these devaas entered the
brindaavan- the aayar paadi and occupied every space available there - see
niraiya- fully occupied
paadi- is generally a place where people have settled recently. Paadi is
also used to denote the army settlement temporarily before they shift to a
new place.

Eendi - nerungi - came close

seviuNaavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu - seviyuL naavin suvai koNdu magizhnthu-
in the ears, the taste of tongue was felt and enjoyed that taste well.

govindanaith thodarnthu enRum vidaarE- followed gOvindan and hereafter will
never leave him.

The KaNNan's music travelled to the dEvalOkam. Why senRu isaippa- already
the kantharvaas, kinnaraas, naaradhar, thumburu et al are playing music in
the devalokam- there is always music and dance in devalokam- that music is
annulled by kaNNan's music. All the people in dEvalOkam forgot their routine
of taking the havis offered in the yagnam conducted in the boolOkam brought
by the courier agni. Did he really bring? No- He also forgot his routine,
because he was here listening to the music. So there is no food for the
devaas. 

Already the manushyaaL -human beings and the living things (chEthana
vasthikkaL) in the bhoolOkam are tied down by the music of kaNNan. No body
performs the yagnas except the sravaNa yagnam of kaNNan's music. No other
yagnam is taking place. Then, how food will grow or be available to all the
living ones. 

Krishna says in gita 
Annaadh bhavanthi bhUthaani parjanyaath anna sambhava:
Yagnaath bhavathi parjanya: yagna: karma samudhbhava:- 3- 14

Karma brahmOdhbhavam vidhdhi brahmaakshara samudhbhavam
Thasmaath sarvagatham brahma nithyam yagnE prathishtitham 3-15

Due to eating the food, the living beings live (or survive). Due to the
rains the food is produced. Due to performance of yagnaas, rain is pouring.
Yagnam is performed out of karma or duty or work. Oh Paarthaa - Oh arjunaa-
know that karma is created by brahma. Brahma is created by aksharan, the
paramaathmaa. So in all the ways and means brahmam is residing in the yagnam
(or available or fixed). 

The importance of yagnam and its performance is said in these two slokams. 

As already referred in part 2 of this series krishna says 
"na mE paartha asthi karthavyam thrishu lOkEshu kinchana
naanavaapthamavaapthavyam vartha Eva cha karmaNi"

"yadhi hyaham na varthEyam jaathu karmaNyathanthritha:
mama varthmaanuvarthanthE manushyaa: paartha sarvasca:"

Oh Arjuna, I do not have any duty, I have nothing to obtain, in spite of
this position I do my duty (work). If I do not do my duty like this people
will follow me in not doing duty". 

He claims I am doing duty. Perhaps he may be doing his duty. But his music
has prevented the performance of duty by others. The yagnam is not
performed. When there is no yagnam then how food will be available.

When the havis is not accepted by the devaas in yagnams, the brahmins who
carry out these yagnams suspect that there is some thing wrong in the
prakriyai- the method of carrying out the yagnam, and stop the yagnam. The
dharma pathnis of these brahmins are not serving their husbands in the yagna
prakriyai, since they are busy in listening to kaNNan's music. When they are
not sharing or carrying out what they have to in the yagnam, there is some
mistake in the prakriyai, and these dEvaas will not accept the havis. So the
yagnam is stopped. Though it is not specifically said these ladies have gone
we can easily connect with the young girls kovalar sirumiyar and in search
of their daughters these ladies have also gone..  

Agni usually carries the havis to dEvaas. It may appear the devaas take or
accept it. But who really takes or consumes or accepts? It is saakshaath
mahaavishnu, the krishnaa swaroopi accepts the havishimself. He is the
yagnam, yagna kartha, yagna purushan and the havis in yagnam. He is carrying
out the naadha yagnam. So govindanai thodurnthu enrum vidaarE. Refer sahasra
naamam "yagno yagna pathir yajva yagnaangO yagna vaahana, yagnabhruth
yagnakruth yagnee yagna bhug yagna saadhana, yagnaantha kruth yagna guhyam
annam annaadha Eva cha".

For further doubts, if any, please refer "kurai onRum illai by Sri Mukkur
lakshmi narasimhachariyar swamy" on this who accepts the havis in the
yagnaas. Smt Bhagyalakshmi has translated these in the other net nicely for
the benefit of those who cannot read the tamil version. 

Krishna peforms the naadha yagnam here and makes the world to eats the havis
from music. Then where is the question of his flouting the rule made by
himself.

SeviyuL naavin suvai kondu magizhnthu- how you can bring the taste of the
tongue to the ears, then magizhnthu, enjoyed- we have to refer simply
thirukkuRaL- 

sevikku uNavu illaadha pOzhthu siRithu vayiRRukkum eeyappadum - 

When food is not available for the ears, food will be served for the
stomach. When stomach is empty the mind will be bent on getting the food,
thinking on the food only and will not allow to take any thing into the mnd.
Since mind controls the body, it will not allow any other part of the body
to do any other work. Mind gets stuck. So the food for stomach is given and
then only food for ears, like music etc. 

But here the reverse. Havis is not consumed but the music is well taken.
That too how- seviyuL naavin suvai kondu- why? Because any thing is tasted
by the tongue.  The sweetness of it or not is measured with reference to the
tongue only. Taste- this word itself is ascribed for the indriya tongue,
that is why seviyuL naavin suvai. For krishnaa any thing is possible- to
reverse the normal order of food for stomach first and then ears.

Oh bakthaas- if this is not an arpudham what else is?

Govindanai thodarnthu enRum vidaarE- all these people follow govindan and
they never leave him- means they all have become nithyasuris. No more karma
bhandham- see how simply periyaazhvaar has described a very big theory in
simple words, uravel namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu- of aandaaL also says
in simple terms- his daddy- gOvindhanai thodarnthu enRum vidaar. 

All people follw gOvindan. gOvindan adiyai thodarnthu enRum vidaar- so have
vecome adiyaar- avan adiyaar- daasargaL. They were tied in the music.
Attention is only on him and his music. This means the bhakthi is focussed
on him. They also follow him whereever he goes- means totally surrendered to
him. Rest is in his hands. Sarva karma phala thyagam is made and he guides
for their destination. 

Oh what a great line- hey krishnaa you sit in the tongue of your aNukkar and
the tongue pours out amudhappunal. 

Now a beautiful tamil song by Kalki R. Krishnamurthy on this kuzhal oothi
episode -

KaRRinilE varum geetham 
kaNgaL paniththida pongum geetham 
kallum kaniyum geetham - kaaRRinilE

nilaa malarntha iravinuil thendRal ulaavidum veLiyil 
neela niraththu baalakan oruvan kuzhal oothi ninRaan 
kaalamellaam avan kaadalai eNNi uruguthE en nenjam  - kaRRinilE

Though this song appeared in the cinema Meera, the simple tamil and the way
it is rendered on my beloved krishnaa makes me go into ecstacy whenever
heard.

A verse in simple tamil- author not known to me but read elsewhere- since
the words are catchy and the meaning is deep, I wish to share with you all- 

kaNgaLai moodi kaNNanai eNNi
naNNiya nishtai naan puri pOthil
vaNNa isaik kuzhal vaayil isaiththup
puNNiyan mun vara poojaiyum kedumO?

Oh krishnaa the pooja is for you. When you are in my front allowing me to
eat you drink you with all my eyes and ears what is these in the pooja. 

Sing on krishnaa and enjoy krishnaa

Dasan Vasudevan M.G.