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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00135 Dec 2004

 
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Post 3

Dear sri vaishNva perunthagaiyeer,

Smt. Prema Nandakumar Ph.D quotes the following poem of Ezhuthachchan 
titled `Krishna in karNaparva' in her "Samvatsar Lecture delivered on 
28.1.2004 at the Thunchan Festival organised jointly by Sahitya 
Akademi, New Delhi and Thunchan Memorial Trust, Tirur". The text of 
the lecture is found in website 
www.//theory.saha.ernet.in/~hari/prema2.html. Actually I was 
searching for some good references on this `nata vara' in particular 
on the `suthra dhara' of Sanskrit drama. Then I came across this 
website. So I thought of sharing this poem with you all. 

Quote - "Here is Prof. Ayyappa Paniker rendering Ezhuthachchan's 
Krishna in Karnaparva into faultless English:
  
"The colourful peacock feathers fixed in a row 
And brought together and tied up on the top 
With the heavy tresses so like dark clouds 
In the diadem with its glitter and glow 
The tiny particles of dust on them 
The tilak too moist with sweat 
The beauty of the brows that keep moving 
To create, protect and destroy the world 
The eyes that reflect the changing sentiments 
With pity and compassion for the lowly 
Anger towards the cruel and the wily, 
Love for the lovely, wonder at the squabble 
Garlands, swaying on the breast, 
Made of tulsi, and lotus and tender leaves 
Strings of rubies and kausthubha jewel 
Around the neck, the whip in hand 
The breast smeared with kumkum 
The bright yellow clothes, the anklets 
The twin lotus feet, as in my heart 
So I clearly saw in the chariot to my joy. -- unquote

See, the poem just describes my krishNa, in similar lines of 
the `barhaapeedam' slOkam, the dressing of krishNa, the nata vara, 
which we are discussing. From the first line to last but one line, of 
the poem, it is all a full reflection of `barhaapedam and other two 
slOkams' we have already seen. And has added features like 
1.      whip in hand, 
2.      kumkum in chest
3.      kousthubha in chest 

periyaazhvaar in seelaik kudhambai and thazhaigaLum padhigams while 
describing the dressing of krishNa in lines of this barhaapeedam 
slOkam ? mentions `surigaiyum, theRivillum, cheNdu kOlum' as the 
tools krishNa carries, [or weapons (?) for a boy krishNa], for any 
fight, in case, krishNa wants to take up in the forests. So also the 
poet here adds a whip.  

Only the last line of `I saw clearly in the chariot' leads us 
elsewhere, to the war front as `krishNa the charioteer' appearing in 
front of karNan, when arjuna is meeting karNan in war. Otherwise, it 
is all the `raasa vihaari krishNa'. Now, read the poem again and 
enjoy my krishNa. 
 
Ok, let us now take swamy dhEsikan's slokam on gOpaalan with the 
decorations appropriate for his role as a cowherd, roaming and 
dancing with friends, while in the forests and grazing the cows and 
their calves for our enjoyment of krishNa roopam. Go-paalan is 
generally one who roams in the forest grazing his cow and calf herds. 
Hence, our gOpaalan, the supreme lord sri krishNa, decorates himself 
with the ornaments appropriate to the dwellers of the forests (i.e.) 
with natural products as available in the forests. The slOkam first, 
for recalling - 

chithraakalpa: sravasi kalayan laangalee karNapooram
barhOththamsa sphuritha chikurO bandhujeevam dhaDhaana:
gunjaabadhDhaam urasi laLithaam Dhaarayan haarayashtim
gOpasthreeNaam jayathi kithava: gOpi koumaara haaree 
-17 gOpaala vimsathi of swamy dhEsikan

chithra = excellent, strange, wonderful, a brilliant ornament, 
variety of colours 
aakalpa: = one who is decorated, ornamented
sravasi kalayan = praised, taken hold of the die kali ? red colour 
marked and that is bright worthy of a praise 
laangalee karNapooram = cocoanut flowers in the earlobes
barhaa uththamsa = peacock crest worn on the crown of head
sphuritha chikura: = flashing, glittering hair
bandhu jeevam dhaDhaana: = a flowering plant in which red flowers 
blossoms at mid day and withers next day morning, these flowers held 
in hand
gunjaa aabadhDhaam = tied or made by means of the kundhumaNi seeds
urasi laLithaam = in the chest, worn and adds beauty
Dhaarayan haara = wearing garlands 
yashtim = a stick
gOpa sthreeNaam jayathi = seeking victory over the gOpa women
kithava: = naughty, [actually kithava means a gamester, gambler, a 
cheat, a fraud] 
gOpi koumaara haaree = stealing or removing the youth of gOpees 

meaning: The mischievous gOpalan, who stole the youth of the gOpees 
appears before them with many decorations that enhance his beauty. On 
his ears, the gOpees find the flower known as laangalee (flowers from 
the coconut tree's sheaf / thennampoo - cocoanut tree's flower); they 
find peacock feathers on his dark and curly tresses; red hibiscus 
also decorates those tresses, and hands. On his broad chest, they 
find a beautiful necklace made of yellowish-red or black and red 
seeds known as Gunjaa [or Kundhumani in tamil, red and black berry] 
strung together. With these and more aabharaNams made of forest 
products, Gopalan enchants the hearts of the adoring Gopis.      

The difference between sukhar and swamy is - the kundhumani haaram is 
in chest whereas as per sukhar slokam it was in ears. Swamy also 
gives a beautiful title `kithava:' to my krihsNa. Whatever 
difference, the description of the natavara is one and same with 
minor variations only.

Since, already the length of the post is growing more, we will see 
the description of my Krishna, by bhakthaas leela sukhar and 
naaraayana theerthar in next post.

Dhaasan

Vasudevan m.g.









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