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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00150 Oct 2004

 
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Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

This is a season of 'vaNNam' in tamil - or 'varNam' in Sanskrit - 'colours' in 
English. Yes, since the beginning of navaraathri - the nine nights are of 
specialty celebrations to dhEvi, the thaayaar - piraatti - the universal mother 
for us srivaishNavaites - in all temples. Let it be vishNu dhEva aalayam or 
siva aalayam, the dhEvi or mother is having a colourful decoration daily. [For 
saivites mother is 'ambaaL' - 'ambaa' in Sanskrit is mother - that ambaa has 
become ambaaL in tamil for them to denote paarvathi - the mother for them]. 

This navaraathri is celebrated in north India as the period of studying 
raamaayaNam. On vijaya dhasami day the raavana samhaaram will be enacted in 
many places by burning, on a massive scale, the hut like arrangement [made of 
coconut leaves or palmira leaves] - a huge raavaNa [effigy] placed and burnt 
amidst bursting crackers etc - something similar to 'sokkap panai' in villages 
in south. [perhaps these terms like 'sokkap panai' may be quite unknown to 
urbanites both in India or elsewhere] 

This colour season or colourful season also leads to the next colourful season 
of dheepaavali - the festival of lights, everywhere we are able to see colours. 
[Hey, do not think I mean seeing colourful girls, in the paribhaashai of 
college boys - codified language of youngsters].  I mean colourful decoration 
of perumal and thaayar in temples first. Just a month ago the lord of 
thirumalai had a brahmOthsavam full of colours - again for navaraathri - 
another brahmOthsavam - another set of colours. 

Then, of course, the selection of colourful dresses by our leading ladies, [the 
wives - who lead us into the cloth store, so leading ladies] - and make a wear 
on the credit cards. For they have to wear colourful dress - so several times 
if the card is swiped, will it not thin out the money purse next month when the 
payment becomes due - that is why I say this creates a wear on the credit 
cards. 

Here again a 'dent' is created in us, by the matches and in the matches for 
colours. Seeing us standing by the leading lady and having a good look at us, 
the shop assistant says 
        *       'ammaa, there is no match for you' - meaning - 
        *       hey, madam you have a mismatch in having selected this husband, 
        *       now you want a match to you through or by way of having a 
saree, 
        *       then again a match by way of a blouse to that saree, 
        *       all these how can you get it, when you made a bad beginning? 
        *       Sorry, ayyaa, there is no match for ammaa'. 
Here he puns the words with match, ayyaa and ammaa. All these slowly add insult 
to injury, which we have already suffered. Ok, that became a bit lengthy - That 
is not my intention to talk about colours of the girls or match or mismatch 
with the wife. 

But I want to talk about the colourful lord - krishNan - the vamseedharan - or 
raaman about his vaNNam - his colour, his valour. Just before getting started 
on this vaRNa, when I see the dictionary for this word 'varNa' or vaNNam - I 
get the meanings as

varNa - noun - means 'colour, form, a covering,  glory, a syllable, a caste,  
race, quality'. 

varNa - verb - 'to describe, to paint, to spread'.

While thinking on the colour, which paasuram, except the following one of 
thirumangai, will come first to the mind. See that beauty -

munnai vaNNam paalin vaNNam muzhudhum nilai ninRa
pinnai vaNNam koNdal vaNNam vaNNam eNNungaal
ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum thirumEni
inna vaNNam enRu kaatteer indhaLoorirE  - 4-9-8 periya thirumozhi

meaning: Oh Swami of IndhaLoor! Thinking of your divine beautiful thirumEni 
(body): during krutha yugam, it was the milky white colour. During thrEthaa 
yugam, it was the golden colours. dhwaapara yugam saw your blue hued neela maNi 
colour. At all times it is your dark cloud like colour (most merciful form and 
colour). Please show us your colour and form, oh lord of IndhaLoor! 

[Bhakti-list -Archives aug 99 - from sri madhavak kannan of Singapore {VMK} 
with a comment as  - "again! great paasuram! adadaa!"] 

But many a times aazhvaars and bhakthaas have said he is green in colour. See 
the krithi here by OVS mahaan.

Raagam: saamaa          thaaLam: aadhi 

pallavi:
pachchai iLam thaLir mEni kaaNa 
paNNu thavam konja nanjamO [pachchai]

meaning: hey, I wanted to see your tender leaf green colour - you know I have 
to do so much penance to see that green colour of you and the body [roopam]. 

anupallavi:
ichchai thavir vaanam kooda nin niraththai Erkkum
engum oLi veesuginRa iLa mathiyam thORkum 
gajjai kaTTi aaduginRa ninnazhagaik-kaNdaal
kaarenum mEgham ulavi engaNum muRaipaDa muzhangi avai aarkkum [pachchai]

meaning - that desire-less sky also will take your blue colour. That moon which 
sheds light in all places will also loose his bright colour. The clouds, on 
seeing your beautiful dance with feet having the anklets - gajjai [the 
sathangai or salangai of dancers] - will start moving here and there thundering 
in a regular way - as though they are putting thaaLam for your dance.  
 
charaNam:
maamaayai thaaNdi ninRa guNakkadalE thayir 
maththaNaiyum kaiyiRaNaindha eyiRRu ezhilE
aamaarum arindhaarum aRRa nilaiyE 
aththai naan unakku enraal piththa nilaiyE [pachchai]
   
(madhyamakalam)
aRindhu seidha oru paapam ilEn enakku adhuthaan laksham kOti 
aayinum unadhu iru padhamalar adiyinai anavarathamum thudhi paadi 
aanandamaanadhu kOti kOti aagaiyinaal unaith-thEdith thEdi 
alaivadhum thirivadhum alaRuvadhum aRa aruLa vENum enai naadi naadi [pachchai]

the meanings for the charaNam and madhyama kaalam we will see in next post, for 
there is a very important point here. That is to be seen and enjoyed first. 
That is why this postponement.

Point 1. munnai vaNNam paalin vaNNam - says aazhvaar. 

OVS says 'engum oLi veesuginRa iLa mathiyam thORkum' vaNNam - you have, oh 
krishNa - for many a times it is said chandhran is paal mathi - means - moon is 
white - having white rays - that moon also will loose his colour - that white 
colour - when he sees you dancing, for you are so white.  

Point 2. 'maNiyin vaNNam' says aazhvaar - green colour. Some times blue 
sapphire. 
OVS says 'pachchai iLam thaLir mEni' - this maNi - krishNa maNi - generally 
krishNa is said as maragatha mani - green emerald - or blue maNi - sapphire. 
In the vasanthaa raga krithi OVS starts krithi as 'neela maLark kola thirumEni 
kaNdu en nenjam niRaivaanadhE'. In another krithi in raagam aarabhi he starts 
krithi as "maragatha mani maya chElaa, gopaalaa" - means gOpaalan is green in 
colour. Another aazhvaar also says 'maragathak kunRu'.

Point 3. 'muzhudhum nilai ninRa pinnai vaNNam koNdal vaNNam' says aazhvaar - 
the ever lasting cloud colour is his original colour for the ever lasting lord. 
OVS says 'those clouds when they see you dancing, oh krishNa, they also dance - 
means they also dance moving here and there, showing their colour -in 
comparison with you, to show which colour is superior, yours or theirs. Not 
only that they also provide the music - those thunder - muRaipada muzhangi - in 
proper rhythm to the dance your dance or theirs is a doubt now I get. Added 
attraction is that they also show again their yet another colour - the colour 
of lightning - ponnin vaNNam of aazhvaar - lightning is bright yellow we all 
know.

Oh lord of indhaLoor - krishNa - which is your colour is it green, bright 
yellow white or dark blue. Not able to decide. Like VMK of Singapore now I also 
should say "adada, a great paasuram, adada, a great krithi - because both sing 
my greatest krishNa.

Dhaasan 

Vasudevan m.g.






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