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IDU OR ARPUDHAM KELEER- PART 12

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • October 20, 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 11 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 seven paasurams
and few others who relished the kuzhal oothal episode of krishna leelai

Before we go into the next arpudham let us see two more paasurams of
periyaazhvaar in which he refers this flute playing leelai. With all these,
I come to the conclusion that no other azhvaar has enjoyed this flute
playing leelai of my beloved krishnaa like periyaazhvaar. Bhagavathaas can
give their views on this conclusion.

Mooththavai kaaNa mudhu maNaR kunReRi
Kooththu vanthaadik kuzhalaal isai paadi
Vaaiththa maraiyOr vaNanga imaiyavar
Eththa vanthennaip puRam pulguvaan empiraan ennaip puram pulguvaan 
- 1-9-8 vatta naduvE 

Meaning: Mother yasOdhaa says "My beloved krishnaa will come and embrace me
from the back (mudhugil Eri aNaiththuk koLLuthal)- my Lord (empiraan) will
krishnaa will come and embrace me from the back".

The elders of the gOpaa race are eagerly awaiting the arrival of my krishnaa
in the sabhai [mooththavai= mudhiyOr sabhai- assembly of elders] [it can
also be said as elderly ladies- mudhiya thaayar]. To give a clear vision
(dharsanam) to all these people who are waiting, he climbs over the sand
stone hillock nearby and on that hillock he started dancing and playing the
flute. Once the flute music started flowing, the brahmins who recite vEdhaas
stopped the vedhaas and started worshipping their lord the krishnaa. The
dEvaas are praising and standing there nearby in the sky listening to his
music. YasOdhaa says "such flute playing krishnaa will come and embrace me".

Kaayuneer pukkuk kadambERi kaaLiyan 
Theeya paNaththil silambaarkkap paainthaadi
VEyin kuzhal oothi viththaganaai ninRa
Aayan vanthu appoochchi kaattuginRaan ammanE appoochchi kaattuginRaan 
-2-1-3 mechchoothu

Meaning: The small pond (kaaLiyan madu) in which the poisonous snake
kaaLiyan lived  became ridden with poison and there by the greenery near the
madu had gone dry, water became useless for people and cows of brindaavan.
So kaayuneer. The Lord krishnaa climbed the kadamba tree, which is halfdry
[because of the poison of kaaLiyan] and entered the madu. KaaLiyan started
fighting with krishna. 

So the Lord climbed on his head (theeya paNam- padam- the spread of the
snake) and started dancing - silambu aarkka paainthaadi- how? The silambu-
the ornament in the leg started producing jingling noise - silambu aarkka-
paainthu aadi- since kaaliyan is trying to kill krishnaa he had to defend
and at the same time tame kaaliyan- so paainthu aadi- vEYin kuzhal- the
bamboo flute- oothi viththaganaai ninRa- the krishnaa on the head of
kaaLiyan started playing flute after taming him- that aayan- gOpaala
krishnaa- comes and poochchi kaattugiRaan- plays the childish pranks.

Now let us enjoy Swamy dEsikan on this kuzhal oothi episode of krishnaa.
Swami in his gopala vimsathi 9th slokam says "I am surrendering to the Lord
playing the vENu". 

padavee madaveeseeyam vimukthE: atavee sampadhamambu vaahayantheem
aruNaadhara saabilaasha vamscaam karuNaaam kaaraNamaanusheem bhajaami - 

I surrender to that Lord Krishnaa
- who is the nearest and easiest who can give mOksha, 
- who is like the cloud which can grow or enlarge or enhance the forest
wealth, (a simile used to show that like the cloud which can grow the
welfare of people thru food healtha and wealth),   
- who has the flute in his red lips, that flute which is very eager to touch
his lips often
- who for a specific reason adorns the garb of human form

Again in his gopala vimsathi 10th slokam, swami says "Let that flute playing
Krishna save me thru his kadaikkaN paarvai"

anuyaayi manOgn~a vamsca naaLai: avathu sparscitha vallaee vimohai:
anaghasmitha sceethalairasou maam anukampaa saridhambujairapaan~gai:

Let that Krishnaa who has beautiful eyes and plays the bamboo flute save me
through his kadaikkaN paarvai. 

How are these eyes? 
*	Those eyes which are very chill due to their presence in the purest
smiling face, 
*	Those eyes which enhances the eagerness (mOham) in the gOpa women, 
*	Those eyes which sprouts like lotus in the river called dhayaa.
  
Swami also refers the flute in select words as 
mEkalaa dhaththa vENU- the flute which is adorned by krishna in his waist
(bhagya saali vENu to touch his lips when playing, otherwise in his waist) 
manju vENavE- the beautiful sweet flute, 
saabhilaasha vamsa:- that flute which desires to be in his lips 
in his gOpaala vimsathi. It is not only krishnaa is special but articles
connected with him are also specials for devoted bakthaas like swami
dEsikaa.

Kanaka daasar, yet another staunch krishna bakthaa, from Karnaataka, in the
very famous song "barO krishnaiah:" in raaga maalika, asks krishnaa to come
to his house- the devotee's house- bakthara manekE - playing flute-
"ponkozhal oothuka baaraiah" and not simply make a visit. It is not that he
dislikes the visit of krishna- but the taste of kannan's music is the most
wanted and hence while he comes he must come playing the flute.

Let us see the next arpudam in this posting.

3.6.8	Paravaiyin kaNangaL koodu thuranthu vanthu padu kaadu kidappa
karavaiyin kaNangaL kaal parappittu kavizhnthirangi seviyaattagillaavE.

There are no difficult words.
When the Lord started playing flute, the birds left their nests. Except for
going in search of food, generally the birds will not leave their nests.
They migrate to a new place, when season changes, build the nests first in
the new place and then go for breeding etc in the usual way. So their basic
nature is not to leave their nests. But here aazhvaar says koodu thuranthu.
Means they found a new place as their safe nest- for their adaikkalam-
kannan. So they came- vanthu.- see a charecteristic change is happening.

Padu kaadu kidappa- they came to this kaadu- forest- kidappa- just they were
lying. Even though they came here to the forest, and the new nest in
krishna, they simply lie without doing their charecteristic work of building
nests etc- kidappa- again another charecteristic change- due to power of
music- ants, bees, and birds will not keep quite without any action [may be
except in nights when they cannot see]. Is it not an arpudham- what else is
the way to describe.

Karavaiyin kaNangaL- the calves of the cows of brindaavan- kaal parappittu-
with spread legs- if you observe keenly while drinking milk, and just after
when their stomach is full these calves spread their legs and stands.
Otherwise normal style only. But here aazhvaar says "kaal parappittu"- so
they drink the music milk given by the great mother kannan. An apt
description indeed. 

Kavizhnthu irangi sevi aattagillaavE- with rapt atttention- the ears are not
moving. When these animals if they are hearing some thing in rapt attention
only, they will not move their ears. They hear the sound with rapt attention
because of their basic instinct of fearand mentally ready to run. In normal
circumstances the ears will always be moving to while away flies and other
small insects. So to listen to kannan's music rapt attention and no movement
of ears. 

The music has changed the course of the world and tied everything in its
fold. Such is the power for HIS music.

In this context swami dEsikan says in his yaadhava abhyudhayam ch 8 slokam
49
SruNvadhbhirudhvaantha madhu pravaaham vamsasvamna thasya sudhaikavamsam!
SayUthyathaam nUnamavaapya sarvai: sathvai: sthitham saaminimeelilaakshi:!! 

The music of kaNNan was honey. It appeared that this honey had the birth
along with amirdham [nectar] from the milk-ocean. Once started hearing his
music all animals assembled together in the same flock half closed eyes
forgetting all their rivalries.

madhudhravairulvaNa sammadhaa srUNlEkhya nishpadha mrugadhvijaani!
UdhgrakOsOthpulakaani krushNO vamseeninaadhEna vanaanyakaarsheeth!! 
[Slokam 50- ch-8]

Kannan, with the flute music, made all cows, animals, and birds, bind like
the dolls without movements. It appears as though the gardens/ forests shed
tears [aanandha bhaashpam] when the flowers in the shrubs and trees
blossomed. This appeared as the ground had rOmaanchanam- horripilation.

aaswaadhya thadhvamsaninaadhamaadhveemaadhraaya thathsancharasowrabham cha!
Bhukthaamruthaanaam bhuvi sowrabhEyya: kshipthEtharaam ksheebadha
saamavaapu:!! Slokam 51

When the cows were hearing the flute music through their ears and standing
without any movement. They were also smelling the vEdic air which came in
front of the music. This was like the drunkards fully drunk and lying down
unconsciously. 

The difference was that these cows drank kannan's amudham and not madhu.

Let us see how sukhabrahmam enjoyed krishnaa's music in next part and the
remaining arpudam in next post.

Dasan Vasudevan M.G.