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IDU OR ARPUDHAM KELEER- PART 14

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • October 26, 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 13 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 ten paasurams
and few others who relished the kuzhal oothal episode of krishna leelai

Now let us see how naaraayana bhattathri enjoyed krishnaa on this vENu
gaanam leelai in his magnum opus naaraayaNeeyam: 

NirgathE Bhavathi dhaththa dhrushtaya sthvadh gathEna manasaa mrugEkshaNaa:!
VENu naadham upakarNya dhooratha sthvadh vilaasa kathayaa aBhirEmirE!! Canto
59- sloka 3

Meaning: The gopees who have beautiful eyes like deers, would watch you with
love, your starting out for grazing the cattle, Oh krishnaa. When you were
out of sight for them, then they listen to your flute music which comes in
the air. With the minds centered on you, they delight (aBhirEmirE)
themselves by recollecting your sporting activities (leelais). 

[See how nicely the poet explain the minds of these gopees are always on
krishnaa, when he is there physically their joy has no bounds, and they
enjoy his physical presence. When he is not there, the thoughts of krishnaa
through the leelais - so krishnaa anusmaraNam always- blessed are the gopees
to remember him always]

MaarabaaNadhutha khechareekulam nirvikaara pasupakshi maNdalam!
DhraavaNam cha dhrushadhaamapi prabhO thaavakam vyajani vENu koojitham!! 
59-5

Meaning: O my Lord krishnaa! Your vENu koojitham- the flute music better
than the cuckoo bird's calling- went like the manmathaa's flower arrows
[maara bhaaNam] into the minds of the apsara clan and made them fans of your
music. So they came down and started  hovering in the sky. The creations
like cows, birds all went into a state of emotional stillness because of
your music. Your music melted even the rocks (dhrusadham) into liquid.

Reference: periyaazhvaar- birds- paravaiyin kaNangaL- 3-6-8
Cows- karavaiyin kaNangaL
Apsaras- vaaniLampadiyar- 3-6-3

The words vENu koojitham- is a beauty here- linked with cuckoo. Here the
poet says krishnaa's vENu koojitham is better than cuckoo calling. Perhaps
after enjoying about kaNNan' kuzhal Subramania Bharathi also says kaththum
kuilOsai ammaa saRRu kaathil vizha vENum in kaaNi nilam song- kuyil not
koovum but kaththum here for him- because already kaNNan's flute is there
lingering in the mind and ears of bharathi.

Another point on the vaaniLampadiyar- in one of the commentaries the urai
aasiriyar has mentioned vaaniLampadiyar as young and nicely shaped apsara
sthree -iLam -young, padiyar- uruvam udaiyavar. In the devaas apsaras
gantharvar and all there is no moopppu- jaraa- young and old is not there
for them - it is only for human beings here in this bhoolOkam. That is why
this meaning is not taken but taken as servants in the explanations in this
3-6-3.

nirvisanka bhavadhangadharsinee: khecharee:khagamrugaan pasoonapi! 
ThvathpadhapraNaayi kaananam cha thaa dhanyadhanyamithi nanvamaanayan!! 
59-7

meaning: Without any doubts the  apsara woman, the birds, animals and cows
of brindaavan are fortunate because they have unrestricted opportunity of
seeing you Oh krishnaa, physically! The forest lands of vraj bhumi on which
you tread with your feet are also fortunate.

Why suddenly the poet has changed the track from enjoying the flute music to
vie with the luck of these apsaras birds etc. Is this not similar to
"sankaraiyaa un selvam saala azhagiyadhE" of aaNdaaL- a coomon practice of
bhakthaas to vie with things connected with the Lord.

See here another bhaktha oothukkadu venkatasubbaiyer, in the senchurutti
raaga krithi- may be this third time I am quoting him in this series- the
taste is so high and relevant to situation- that I cannot resist but use his
songs.

Pullaai piravi thara vENum  kaNNaa
Punithamaana pala kOdi piravi thanthaalum brindhaavanamathil oru (pullaai)

Pullaagilum nedunaaL nilladhu aadhalinaal oru kallai
Kamala malar iNaigaL aNaiya enathu uLLam 
PuLagithamuRRidum bhava maRRidum ena oru (pullaai)

Oru kaNam un padam padum enthan mElE
Maru kaNam naan uyarvEn mEnElE
ThirumEni en mElE amarnthidum oru kaalE
Un thirumagaL ena malaradi peyarnthu unai thodarntha raadhaikkum idam
tharuvEnE (pullaai)

Oh what a krishnaanubhavam. This is very similar to kulasekhara aazhvaar's
appeal to thiruvenkatam udaiyaan "padiyaai kidanthu un pavala vaai
kaaanbEnE".

AapibhEya madhuraamrutham kadha vENumuktha rasasEshamEkadhaa!
DhoorathO batha krutham dhuraasayE thyaakulaa muhurimaa: samaamuhan!! 59-8

Meaning: "Shall we ever have the bliss of imbibing what is left of the honey
of his kiss, after the flute has enjoyed it to its full. Ah! Why crave for
the impossible" so thought the gopikaas again and again in utter distress
and despair.

Sammoorchanaabhirudhitha svaramaNdalaabhi: sammoorchayanthamakhilam
bhuvanaantharaalam! ThvadhvENunaadha mupakarNya viBhO tharuNya
sthaththaadhrusam kamapi chiththavimOhamaapu:!! 65-2

Meaning: As the clear and distinct strains of your flute with its ascending
and descending notes filled all space and absorbed the attention of all
young women of the vraj community, they were overcome by an unparallelled
and inexplicable fascination.

Thaa gEhakruthyanirathaa sthanayaprasakthaa: kaanthOpasEvanaparaascha
sarOruhaakshya:! Sarvam visrujya muralee ravamOhithaasthE
kaanthaaradhEsamayi kaanthathanO samEthaa:!! 65-3

Meaning: Captivated by the sound of the flute who were devoted to the
household chores or duties like caring the children, service to their
respective husbands, etc, abandoned all these chores and rushed to the
forests (or woods) where krishna stationed himself and played flute.

KaaschinnijaangaparibhooshaNa maadhaDhaanaa vENupraNaadha mupakarNya
kruthaarDhabhushaa:! Thvaamaagathaa nanu thathaiva vibhooshithaabhyasthaa
Eva samruruchirE thava lOchanaaya!! 65-4

Meaning: Some of them had dressed and decorated themselves in full, some of
them had gone through the toilet only half way. But when they heard the
flute music they ran to you as they were. To you they were more attractive
with their devotion was so over powering as to make themselves forgetful of
their appearance. 

Reference: See periyaazhvaar in kOvalar sirumiyar iLankongai kudhukalippa
udal uL avizhnthu engum kaavalum kadanthu kayiru maalaiyaagi vanthu
kavizhnthu ninRanarE. (Covered in part 3)

Kaachith kuchE punarasajjitha kanchuleekaa vyaamOhitha: paravadhoobhi
ralakshyamaaNaa! Thvaamaayayow nirupama praNayaathibhaara raajya abhishEka
vidhayE kalaseedharEva!! 65-6

Meaning: Another wearing ornaments but without any upper garment and
unnoticed by other women inspite of this oddity because of their own
excitement seemed with her exposed breasts, to be approaching thee with two
pots of water meant to bathe thee for thy coronation as the unrivalled
emperor of the land of love.
Reference same as 3-6-1 and 3-6-2 udai negizha 

Kaaschith gruhaath kila nirEthu mapaarayanthya sthvaamEva dhEva hrudhayE
sudhrudam vibhaavya! DhEham vidhooya parachith sukharoopamEkam thvaamaavisan
paramimaa nanu dhanyadhanyaa:!! 65-7

Meaning: Some gopikaas being unable to come out of their homes owing to
restrictions imposed by their kith and kin abandoned their bodies in the
state of complete absorption in thee through meditation and got merged in
thee. These indeed were the most fortunate of all.

VaasudEva thava bhaasamaanamiha raasakElirasasowrabham
DhoorathO api khalu naaradhaagadhitha maakalayya kuthakaakulaa!
VEshabhooshNa vilaasapEsala vilaasinee sathasamaavruthaa
NaakathO yugapadhaagathaa viyathi vEgathO atha suramandalee!! 69 -3

Meaning: O vaasudEva- hearing from naaradha from afar about the sweetness
and glory of thy raasa dance devaas in the company of their women folk
distinguished for their expertise in personal decoration and amorous display
hurried in great joy from heavenly abode and stationed themselves in the
sky.

Reference: ambaram thiriyum kaanthappar and VaaniLampadiyar of
periyaazhvaar..

BaahudhvandhvEna rathnOjvala valaya bhruthaa soNapaaNi pravaalE 
nOpaaththaam vENu naaleem prasrutha nkha mayookhaangulee sanga saaraam!
Kruthvaa vakthraaravindhE sumadhura vikasadh raagamudh bhaavya maanai:
Sabdha brahmaamruthaisthvam sisisritha bhuvanai: sincha mE karNaveetham
100 -5
(This is part of the kesa paadhaadhi varnanam part of naaraayaneeyam - this
is like  amalan aadhi piraan).

Meaning: O krishnaa please soak my ears with your nectarial flow of flute
music which is the veritable brahman embodied as sound. This music also
cools all wolds with its sweet and expanding notes as they flow out of the
flute touching your lotus lips, the two shoulders having rathnam bedecked
rings the red hands gleaming finger nails all are a beauty treat for my
eyes. 

This sentence has a parallel in thyaagaraaja calling krishnaa "vENu
veritable brahman embodied as sound gaana moorthE" in nowka charithram
already quoted in part 4 "veritable brahman embodied as sound" 

Now let us see another song [from sadaasiva brahmendra an avadhootha who
sang many philosophical except a few on bhakthi. This one on krishna vENu
gaanam is a special and famous] 

Gaayathi vanamaalee madhuram (gaayathi)

Pushpasuganthitha malaya sameerE 
Punithana sEvitha yamunaa theerE (gaayathi)

Thulasi dhaama bhooshaNa dhaari
Jalaja Bhahruda sathguNa sowrE
Paramahamsa yogsabhavaarE
Pari bhooritha muraLee rava kaarE

This song is sung in many raagas by many artists. 
 
Dasan Vasudevan M.G.