pUngkOdhai

pUngkOdhai

Attachment to Krishna Avatar 2 : Inviting Lord Krishna to clap His hands and play

tirumangai AzhwAr sings this tirumozhi as yaSOda pirATTi. In the previous tirumozhi she called Him to drink milk. Here she plays with Him chappANi—a kind of play where you hold the hands of the child and make them clap.

1. poongOdaiyAichi kaDaiveNNei pukkuNNa
AngavaL ArttuppuDaikka puDaiyuNDu |
Engiyirundu SiNungi viLaiyADum
OngOda vaNNanE chappANi oLimaNivaNNanE chappANi || One ||

Though this pASura is sung by yaSOda, the term ‘poongOdai Aichchi’ is in third person. Perhaps she herself describes in these terms. But the better interpretation is—AzhwAr does not forget himself even though he talks through the mouth of yaSOda. periyAzhwAr in the pASura ‘SeedakkaDai amudenna dEvaki’ uses the same technique.

yaSOda has kept freshly churned butter in a pot. kaNNan stealthily goes there and eats all the butter. She finds out His act, binds Him to a mortar, beats Him with a stick. He cries for sometime. She feels sorry for her act, releases Him, fondles Him and plays chappANi with Him. He too forgets His pain and happily plays with her.

chappANi—‘SahapANi’ is the Sanskrit word which literally means one hand with the other. It is enjoyed by children.

2. tAyar manangaL taDippa tayir neyyuNDEi
embirArkkaL irunilattu engaL tam
Ayarazhaha aDihaL aravinda |
vAyavanE koTTAi chappANi
mAlvaNNanE koTTAi chappANi || Two ||

When You steal butter and curds and eat pots full of them the AyarpADi Aichchis feel sad (not for stealing butter) about Your health. They wonder whether this small boy would digest them all. Thus You cause anxiety in their minds. You are very beautiful with lotus-like hands, face and mouth. You are the handsomest person in our race. Come let us play chappANi.

3. tA mOr uruTTittayirnei vizhungiTTu
tAmO tavazhvarenra Aichchiyar tAmbinAl |
tAm mOdarakkaiyAl Arkkattazhumbirunda
tAmOdarA koTTAi chappANi tAmarai kaNNanE chappANi || Three ||

The Aichchis will keep in separate pots buttermilk, curd, ghee and butter. They will keep them at a height in ‘uri’. But kaNNan somehow gets hold of them coming under the cover of darkness. He will put His hand inside each pot to see what it contains. If it is butter milk He will drop it on the floor. If it is butter or curd He will eat them all. The next day Aichchis come to know His act. They come to yaSOda’s house to complain about Him. But they see Him crawling like a small boy looking up innocently at them. But they are not to be deceived by His appearance. They bind Him with a cord and beat Him with their hands. Thus He has got many scars (and hence called dAmOdara) in His body. yaSOda asks Him to play chappANi with her.

4. peTTrArtaLaikazhala pErndu angayaliDattu
uTTrAr oruvarum inri ulahinil |
maTTrArum anjappOi vanjappeNnanjuNDa
kaTTrAyanE koTTAi chappANi kArvaNNanE koTTAi chappANi || Four ||

Oh! kaNNa! You did this avatAra in order to unfasten the fetters of Your real parents—vasudEva and dEvaki. You sucked the poisoned milk of pootana along with her sweet life when she came disguised as yasOda, Your foster mother. When she did sprawling her huge form on the ground everyone feared her and feared for Your safety. Oh! gOpAlakriShNa! Come and play chappANi.

ayaliDattu—Means very near. It is not taken in its ordinary sense of ‘different place’. It is interpreted differently as ‘orutti mahanAi pirandu Oriravil orutti mahanAi oLittu vaLara’ tiruppAvai—one who is born in one place (of vasudEva and dEvaki) and shifted to other place (of AyarpADi to be brought up by yaSOda and nandagOpa.)

5. SOttena ninnai tozhuvan varamtara
pEichchimulaiyuNDa piLLAi periyana
Aichchiyar appamtaruvar avarkkAha |
SATTri OrAyiram chappANi
taDangaihaLAl koTTAi chappANi || Five ||

6. kEvalamanru un vayiru vayiTTrukku
nAn aval appam taruvan karuviLai
poovalar neeNmuDi nandan tan pOrErE |
kOvalanE koTTAi chappANi
kuDamADee koTTAi chappANi || Six ||

Oh! kaNNa! You are like karuviLaippoo! Oh! gOpAlakriShNa! You graze the herds of cattle like any AyarpADi boy. You wear a tall diadem as a mark of lordship. But You are nandagOpa’s dear son. Let us play chappANi.

7. puLLinaivAi piLandu poongurundam SAittu
tuLLiviLaiyADi toonguriveNNeiyai
aLLiyakaiyAl aDiyEn mulai neruDum |
piLLaippirAn koTTAi chappANi
pEimulaiyuNDAnE chappANi || Seven ||

Oh! My son! You tore the mouth of bakAsura who came like a crane. You felled the kurunda tree which was full of flowers. You ate all the butter kept in the ‘uris’. You are never tired of jumping, running and playing. i feel happy and proud when You play with my breasts when You drink milk. Oh! My Lord! Let us play chappANi.

Like periyAzhwAr who talks through the mouth of yaSOda, the chEShTitas of kaNNan, here too AzhwAr speaks through the mouth of yaSOda and never forgets his identity too. Hence even though she calls Him to play chappANi she narrates incidents which takes place later on.

8. yAmum pirarum ariyAda yAmattu
mAyavalavaippeNvandu mulaitara
pEiyenru avaLaippiDittu uyiraiyuNDa |
mAyavanE koTTAi chappANi
mAlvaNNanE koTTAi chappANi || Eight ||

When all the AyarpADi folks including me were sleeping there came a wicked vile woman called pootana. She came disguised like me and gave You the poison smeared breasts to suck. You knew who she was and therefore sucked her life. Oh! kaNNa come. We shall play chappANi.

alavai peN—Is a girl who talks too much. Here it refers to pootana. Perhaps she was talking nicely to kaNNan to make Him drink milk like Oh! My sweet honey! Oh! My pearls! Oh! My selva! Come and drink milk etc.,

9. kaLLakkuzhaviyAi kAlAl SahaDattai
taLLiyudaittiTTu tAyAi varuvALai
meLLa toDarndu piDittu AruyiruNDa |
vaLLalE koTTAi chappANi
mAlvaNNanE koTTAi chappANi || Nine ||

Oh! kaNNa! You kicked the huge cart (haunted by an asura) with Your tiny feet ad sheltered it to pieces. You were not deceived by the rAkShasi even though she was disguised like me, Your mother. You waited for a suitable moment to snatch her life away. Oh! vaLLalE! Let us play chappANi.

10. kArAr puyalkai kalikanri mangaiyarkOn
pErALan nenjil piriyAdu iDangoNDa
SeerALA SendAmaraikkaNNA taNDuzhAi |
tArALA koTTAi chappANi
taDamArvA koTTAi chappANi || Ten ||

tirumangai AzhwAr, the chief of tirumangai, has sung these pASuras as yaSOda pirATTi. She calls Him to play chappANi. The last pASura is also through yaSOda’s mouth only. It is not a Pala Sruti as usually it should be. Perhaps AzhwAr has not extricated himself from His involvement with kaNNa as ‘her’ child. yaSOda say ‘Oh! kaNNa! You reside in the heart of tirumangai AzhwAr! Similarly You should reside in mine too. This can be the Pala Sruti of those who read these pASuras