--- sampathkumar_2000 <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> wrote: > To: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > From: "sampathkumar_2000" <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> > Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 06:50:47 -0000 > Subject: [tiruvengadam] > "arivOnrum-illA".."pin-senru".."siru-pEr-azhaitu"- PART 1 of 2 > Reply-to: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > Dear friends, > > The 28th Verse of the "tiruppAvai", meant to be > recited by all of us today (12 Jan) in our homes and > more importantly in our hearts as part of daily > worship, constitutes the glorious culmination of > "mArgazhi". > > The verse marks the grand finale of the "pAvai-nOnbu" > ... the sacrificial labour of intense love which the > "aayarpAdi" girls, those dear soul-mates of AndAl in > Nandagopan's idyllic hamlet, cheerfully undertook in > their burning desire to attain God. > > In Stanza#28, our "gOdA-pirAtti" truly achieves the > acme of her many-splendoured poetic gifts. > > ***** ****** ******* > > There are 3 splendid expressions 'pirAtti' uses in this > 'pAsuram' which constitute its essence: > > (1) "arivOnrum-illA".. > (2) "pin-senru".. and, > (3) "siru-pEr-azhaitu"(: > > They can be studied first in their dramatic context > and then in their philosophic context. > > Let's look at the dramatic context: > > "arivOnrum illa" is the term the girls use to describe > their condition as simple cowherdesses. > > "As members of a simple, naive and unpretentious > bucolic community", they tell their Krishna, "Lord, we > have no claim whatsoever to "gnyAna" ("arivu")... > knowledge of things exalted in life. O Krishna, what > do you expect of us? Great understanding of this Truth > and that? You know quite well that we are all utterly > unregenerate, down-to-earth creatures. Our moments of > exaltation in life are not those spent in "high > thinking" but in those moments of "simple living" when > we stuff our bellies with food ("sErndu-unbOm!" or, in > other words, "We live to eat no less than we eat to > live!") How do you expect us then, O Govinda, O > Supremely Impeccable One ("kurai-onrum-illAda > gOvinda!"),how do you expect us to have knowledge and > undersanding of matters concerning high Truth and > "tattvam" ... matters quite beyond the ken of our > minds?". > > The Lord hears this and replies,"But if you are beings > with lowly "gnyAna" you could always go to a "guru" or > preceptor and follow him? You could gain knowledge > thus?". > > To which the poor girls reply, "O Krishna the only > "gurus" who will allow "aayarpAdi" girls to follow > them are our own cows... "karavaigal pin-senru"! We > have no "gurus", O Krishna, worth the name, except the > cows we graze and whose foot-steps (or rather, ""hoof-steps"!) > we follow into the forests! We are > utter ignoramuses, O Krishna... "ariyAda-pillaigal"... > where can we go in search of a "guru"?" > > The Lord listens to these extremely moving words of > self-deprecation, nay, self-humiliation even > ("naichhyAnusandAnam"), of the "aayarpAdi" girls, and > then queries them further in mock consternation and > seriousness: > > "But my dear girls, this is getting ridiculous! First > you ask me to fetch things for you, to help you > perform your "nOnbu". Then you say you want precious > "gifts" of "armlets", "anklets" and "feasts" in reward > for the successful conclusion of your "vrata". Now if > I ask you why I must grant you all your hearts' > desires... and how you consider yourelves deserving of > my generosity... all of you turn around and say you > are simple, ignorant villagers! Then when I ask you to > go and seek the help of a "guru" you turn around and > say that you have none but "cows" to serve you as > "gurus"! Now what's all this?! This is too much! What > cheek, indeed! You must all take me for a complete > fool or simpleton... not the Lord Almighty that I > am... to grant you your wishes for the mere asking! > Why should I? Why indeed? Give me one good reason why > I should?". (In terms of the 'saraNagati" doctrine, the > Lord seems to be querying here Himself the justification for > "nirhetuka-kripa".) > > When Krishna bursts out thus, the "aayarpAdi" girls > reply immediately: > > "O Krishna, if we make bold to demand your Grace and > Generosity, knowing fully well that we are utterly > undeserving of it, it is because of the liberty we > take with one such as You who are one of our own kind! > You too are one of our clan ("yadukula-nandanA"), aren't > you? Are we not blessed that You, O Lord of Creation, > freely chose to be "born" especially amongst us ...the > community of lowly cowherds and cow-maidens..."undannaip- > piravi-perunndanai-punniyam-yAm-daiyOm"? It is because you > are one amongst us, O dear Krishna, that we take these > easy liberties with you.... like asking you to do > errands for us or to bring us little gifts or even > calling you by familiar nicknames > ("siru-pEr-azhaittu") such as > Narayana,("nAttra-tuzhAymudi-nArAyanan"), Son of > Nandagopan ("nandagopan-kumaran") or O! lion-cub of > YasodhA ("yasOdai-illan-singham")...etc.". (Here we are > reminded about the 1000 sacred "nAmA-s" of the Vishnu-sahasranAMam > which also for a pure devotee, such as an 'aayarpAdi' > cohwerdess, are nothing but "siru-peyyargal"!) > > The Lord listens again to these wonderful words of > love and sheer "bhakti" with inward joy he can barely > conceal. And yet, playfully, He continues to maintain > the severe facade that He presents to the poor girls, > as if to say "All that you say...and you say such > fine things indeed... will however cut no ice with > me!". > > At this point the "aayarpAdi" girls employ their final > weapon of endearment. They invoke the nature of their > relationship with Krishna. They swear by the eternal > and unexcisable bond of kinship with their Lord and > hail it as a knotted tie of love that will survive and > sustain for now and for all times: "undannOdu utrayval > namakku ingu ozhikka-ozhiyAdhu...". > > "O Krishna, we may be ignorant, we may lack the grace > of "gurus", we may be behaving improperly with you. > You may think lowly of us, you may be annoyed with us > and you may think of us as undeserving of your love > and protection. But the fact of the matter is, O > Krishna, no matter what offence we commit and what you > feel about us, YOU HAVE TO GIVE IN to our heart's > desire... which is nothing but You Yourself! You have > no cchoice in the matter! And that is because You and > We are bonded inextricably into a kinship that knows > no time, no boundaries, no obstacles...Therefore, O > Lord, please grant us our wish..."iraivA! nee tArAy > parai!"... > > (Talking of the "nitya-bandham", eternal bond, between Man > God, we are reminded here of the famous passage in the > "saranAgati-gadyam" where Udayavar also refers to un-severable > kinship with God : "tvamEva mAtha, tvamEva pitA, tvamEva bandhu, > tvamEva guru...etc."). > > The Lord listens to this outpouring of "bhakti" and > can bear no more to see the pain and pining of the > "aayarpAdi" girls! > > At last He grants them the gift they seek... the Gift of > Himself! > > And the curtains drop on the final scene of the > "tiruppAvai" ! > > ****** ******* ******* > > adiyEn has only explained the dramatic content and > sequences of Stanza#26 and not the esoteric > significance or "svApadesArtham". Let's do > so in the next accompanying post (2 of 2). > > dAsan, > Sudarshan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |