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/cinnaJ/ciRu kAlE: Shri Harikrishnan's and Shri Vasudevan's comments

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Visu9 • September 23, 2002 


/Om namO nArAyaNAya ||

/anpuLLa Shri Vasudevan:

Thanks for the refernce to Shri /perukaraNai chakravarthy achArya Swami's translation of the expression /ciRRaJ/ciru kAl as /ciRu + /am + /ciRu + /kAl meaning small beautiful leg. I hope this will confirm that such a translation has been known for a long time. 

Shri Harikrishnan and Shri Nanmaaran have raised the issue that if the expression refers to "leg", the correct expression should have been /cinaJ/ciru kAl. I do think that that is a valid point of view, but Shri /ANTAL must have considered it and rejected it for a reason somewhat along  the following lines:

Let us look at the rhymes: They are /ciRRam, /poRRA, /peRRam, /kuRRE, /iRRai, /eRRaikkum /uRROmE, and /maRRai. 

Let us try replacements: 

/cinnaJ, /ponn(am), /????, /kunRi, /inRu, /enRu, /unRan or /untan, and /mannum. 

There are other variations that are available. But the word /peRRam seems to be unique. And that was the point I wished to make, when I wrote my original translation of the /pAcuram for celebrating /krushnA/jayanti. 

It seems to me that /ANTAL put all her literary weight on that expression /peRRam and opted for variations like /ciRRam and /iRRai etc. 

What is the significance of this word /peRRam in simple terms?  It is simply this: We are children and you are our  parent. Just as a cowherd cannot subcontract the cows to others you also as parent cannot forego your responsibility for taking care of us. In return we will do what children do -- small services giving a hand here and there. And this we want in this birth and in the 7 squared births to come. We love you, daddy!

It also seems that /ANTAl seems to have meant these songs for training chidren. That seems to be her aim for the series with this one ending with that message. That mission will be consistent with her father's mission which earned him a /kiZi. /A /kiZi (fabric) is similar to what we call today /ponn/ATai pOrttal. You honor a great soul or one who has achieved a great feat publicly with putting a /kiZi on him or her. That is the modern practice of /ponn/ATai pORttal is a continuation of that /kiZi ceremony. You may also give cash along with the /ponn/ATai. So money bag is part of it. 

Shri /ANTAL and her father probably considered it their duty to train children in the ways of /perumAL and this 29th song seems to confirm that the /tirup/pAvai series is meant to be sung by children more than adults. Of course, adults have to sing them along with the children as a teaching technique.

I will write more on this in my next postings. 

Again thanks for your references and comments. Thanks also to Shri Sadagopan for Shri /periyAZvAr's /pAcuram 245. It is a beautiful piece.

/nalan/tarum collai nAn kaNTu/koNtEn; nArAyaNA ennum nAmam.


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