thavaLaviLampiRai

thavaLaviLampiRai

thirukkuRungkudi 1

AzhwAr’s nAyaki BAva continues. parakAla nAyaki pulls back her mind which had gone behind pullANi ammAn and engages it on the tirukkurunguDi emberumAn. Still she is not fit to move anywhere. She asks her friends to take her to places which are connected to Him. ‘Oh! Friends! emberumAn has no sympathy on me. At least you should show some mercy and take me to tirukkurunguDi.

1. tavaLaviLam pirai tuLLumuneer
taNmalar tenralODanrilonri
tuvaLa en nenjaham SOraveerum
SoozhpaninAL tuyilAdiruppEn |
ivaLumOr peNkoDi enrirangAr
en nalamaindum mun koNDu pOna
kuvaLai malar niravaNNar mannu
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || One ||

prakala nAyaki tells her friends—‘Oh! Friends! This cruel crescent moon is cool and beautiful to others but not to me. The moon is indeed very wicked pouring hot rays on me. This beach which is enjoyed by all the people is like poison to me. This cool southern breeze which pleases everyone is blowing hot air. This chirping of birds is like sweet honey to the ears of others whereas it is like hot molten iron poured into my ears. All of them are villains each one is enough to kill me. Why should they all get together and torment me like they do in the hell. It is like the kingless city which is seized by the enemies who enter it through the four gates in four directions. These four enemies have schemed to kill me.

i am already lying flat on the ground. The snow fall adds to my agony. All the people, especially lovers, enjoy this season hugging and sleeping in each other’s arms. Since i am a mahApApi i don’t have Him to embrace me. i am the only person awake without getting a wink of sleep.

Let these birds etc., be my enemies. i don’t care. But Alas! He is also indifferent towards me! He doesn’t think ‘Ah! This young innocent girl is suffering beyond endurance because of me. i should somehow help her’. i wonder why He is so, who is reputed to be karuNAsAgara. Ah! All is due to my fate. seeta pirATTi was separated from Him for nearly ten months. But i am not seeta pirATTi! i won't tolerate separation even for a minute, let alone months! (sigh) Please take me to tirukkurunguDi emberumAn who has robbed me of my five indriyas. en nalam aindum koNDu pOna—There are two interpretations—

The five indriyas are—eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. What is the meaning of koNDu pOna (robbed)? He has robbed them of their natural inclinations to go towards worldly objects. The eyes want to see Him alone; the ears like to hear His stories, guNa etc., alone; The nose wants to smell His tuzhasi mAla alone; the tongue wants to chant His thousand names alone; the skin wants to touch and hug Him alone.
As interpreted by amudanAr—in tiruneDundANDaham there is a pASura (25th) where parakAla nAyaki says ‘en nalanum, en niraiyum, en Sindaiyum, en vaLaiyum koNDu ennai ALum koNDu’ She mentions five things starting with en nalanum. What is meant is these five things taken away by Him.
kuvaLai malar nira vaNNar—The friends ask her ‘how is it possible to rob them when you are wide awake (tuyilAdiruppEn)? Don’t robbers come only when we are asleep?

nAyaki replies—Well! He made me forget everything (even myself) by showing His excellent kuvaLai malar nira vaNNam.

If you take me to tirukkurunguDi i shall be with Him. Then all these enemies help me in enjoying Him fully.

2. tAdavizh mallihaipulli vanda
taNmaDiyin iLavADai innE
oodaitiritandu uzhariyuNNa
Oriravum urangEn urangum |
pEdaiyar pEdaimaiyAlirundu
pESilum pESuha peivaLaiyAr
kOdainarumalar mangaimArvan
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Two ||

Oh! Friends! i spent the nights in sleeplessness because of the cool southern breeze that blows through the malligai flowers burn me. i think i am the only one suffering like this. There are many stupid girls who are ignorant of Bagavat samslESha and vislESha and hence spend their time in sound sleep. They laugh at me and comment about my behaviour at my back. Let them talk whatever they want to. i don’t care! What i am hoping is He will understand me. So i plead you to take me to tirukkurunguDi.

3. kAlaiyum mAlaiyottuNDu kangul
nAzhihai oozhiyil neeNDulAvum
pOlvadOr tanmai puhundu nirkum
pongazhalE okkum vADaiSollil |
mAvalan mAmaNivaNNan mAyan
maTTrum uLa avai vandiDAmun
kOlamayil payilum puravil
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Three ||

The friend tells parakAla nAyaki—‘Oh! Friend! Don’t be sad. Please keep quiet and be patient. Soon the night will end and the day will dawn.’

nAyaki replies—‘Ah! What difference it is going to make? The days are as bad as nights’.

The meaning of this statement is –‘kAlaikku Seida, nanri en kol evan kol yAn mAlaikku Seida pahai’ (tirukkuraL)—What good did i do to the morning that it is friendly to me and what bad did i do to the evening that it should hurt me. ‘kAlai arumbi pahalellAm pOdAhi mAlai malarum innOi’ (tirukkuraL)—The love sickness is a bud in the morning, slightly opens in the afternoon and fully bloom in the night.

In the morning she remembers the dream she had in the night about she being with Him. In the afternoon she thinks of her separation from Him. In the evening her sickness worsens and the nights are simple unbearable. Hence parakAla nAyaki replies her friend there is no difference between day and night.

‘i don’t think the night ends that soon. It drags on and on like a yuga. ‘pala pala oozhihaLAyiDum ------ anbar kooDilum neengilum yAn melidum’—tiruviruttam. ‘koDiyar koDumaiyiTTrangoDiya innal neDiya kazhiyum irA’—tirukkuraL

mAmaNivaNNan mAyan maTTrum uLa—He is a mAyan. He has created nights, breeze etc., to torment me. Not only these there are many more things like birds, moon, the sea etc., etc., ready to torture me. Before they march against me let me go to tirukkurunguDi.

4. karumaNi pooNDu veNNAhaNaindu
kArimilETTru aNAr tAzhndulAvum
orumaNiyOSai ennuLLam taLLa
Oriravum urangAdiruppEn |
perumaNi vAnavar uchchivaitta
pEraruLALan perumai pESi
kurumaNi neer kozhikkum puravin
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Four ||

The nAyaki speaks of her sad condition on hearing the sound of bells tied round the necks of the bulls returning from the pasture in the evening. In the last pASura nAyaki was lamenting over the never ending nights. Now she talks of the evenings. It isn’t in order one may think. But it is no so says periyAchchAn piLLai. The main theme of nAyaki’s lamentation over the separation from nAyaka is maintained throughout.

The cattle return in the evening with bells tied round their necks making sound. The nAyaki await this moment with great expectations since they bring home the nAyakas and the hope of samslESha. To the others whose nAyakas don’t return they bring distress.

vEn nahaNaindu—The bulls go near the cows with love. This scene enhances the love of the nAyaki. It brings all other memories in succession.

5. tiNtimilETTrin maNiyum Ayan
teenguzhalOSaiyum tenralODu
koNDadOr mAlaiyum andiyeenra
kOlaviLam piraiyODu kooDi |
paNDaiya vallavivai namakku
pAviyEnAviyai vATTam Seyyum
koNDal maNiniravaNNar mannu
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Five ||

The bells hanging from the necks of the bulls and cattle returning home from the pasture, the sound of the flute played by the shepherd boys following the cattle, the cool southern breeze and the pleasant evenings, the beautiful crescent moon which rises after dusk—all of these are enemies in my case. Each one of them is capable of killing me individually. What to talk of them scheming together to end my life? Why should they torment me alone? (not anyone of you ) Perhaps my mind runs after ‘ayarvarum amararhaL adipadi and uyarnalam uDaiyavan’ . Who resides in tirukkurunguDi. Therefore, Oh! Ladies! Take me there if you want to save me.

6. elliyum nanpahalumirundE
ESilumESuha EndizhaiyAr
nallaravar tiram nAm ariyOm
nANmaDam achcham namakkingillai |
vallanaSollil mahizhvarEnum
mAmaNivANNarai nAm maravOm
kollaivaLar iLamullaipukku
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Six ||

The other girls in this city talk about me alone and nothing else. i know their very nature is to gossip day and night. i have nothing to do with them’. Let them talk as they please. i think they are fortunate because they have their lovers with them unlike me. They wear ornaments (EndizhaiyAr) and don’t cry like me. But they lack the feminine qualities like achcham, maDam, nANam, payiruppu etc., They, however say i lack them! Well! Let it be so! (In fact it is He who robbed the qualities from me). They also say ‘This girl doesn’t forget Him. She is still thinking of Him. He is never going to come! They laugh at my activities.

Let them do so! What i feel is even forgetting or remembering Him is His sankalpa. Is it easy to forget His maNi nira vaNNam? Why should i stay in this place where people laugh at me? i shall go to tirukkurunguDi where He is.

achcham—to tremble at the slightest cause of fear

nANam— to do wrong

maDam—to appear ignorant even if she knows everything

payirppu—to feel disgusting to touch even the dress of another man other than her husband

parakAla nAyaki lacks these qualities due to her extreme love for Him.

iLa mullai pulhu—The tender mullai creepers (like our nAyaki) climbs on to the strong trees (emberumAn) finding great support (in Him). ‘kOl tEDiyODum kozhundE pOnradE mAl tEDiyOdum manam’.

7. SengaNneDiyakariyamEni
dEvaroruvar ingE puhundu en
angam meliya vaLaikazhala
AdukolO? venru Sonnapinnai |
aingaNai villi tannANmai ennODu
ADum adanai ariyamATTEn
kongalar tANpaNai Soozh puravil
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Seven ||

Oh! Friends! How can i describe His charm and eyes? If one is to place His eyes in one pan of a balance the other organs in the other pan, definitely the first pan will go down. All the vAtsalyas in His mind are revealed in the eyes. Even if i escape from His eyes, i cannot from His beautiful tirumEni. Even if i am able to describe His eyes and tirumEni i certainly cannot of His greatness. Many vainly call themselves dEvas. But He alone is the real dEva whose extraordinary character is beyond words. Ah! He is the only one of the kind! He should be honoured by going where He is and worshipped. But He came to me out of His soulaBya. But Alas! i don’t know why He left me! He told in several words that He would never leave me. But He did! Why? Did He promise only to break it? From that day onwards manmatha tortures me. Therefore, take me to tirukkurunguDi.

Adu kolO—­’adu’ means that. Here becomes ‘Adu’. The word that He uttered when He was with her that ‘I shall never leave You’ is ‘adu’. He said ‘piriyEn’ (I shall not leave you) but it only meant ‘pirivEn’ (I shall leave you). The very utterance of ‘pirivEn’ burns her tongue. So she simply says ‘AdukolO’. Suddenly she becomes lean and her bangle slip.

panchabANan is manmatha (aingaNai villi). The arrows are five flowers—mullai, aSOka, muzhuneelam, mango flower, alli and lotus. These flower arrows torture me when they are thrown at me during vislESha. If He is near me, these flowers i enjoy throwing at Him and He at me during jalakreeDa.

8. kEvalamanru kaDalinOSai
kENminhaL Ayankai Ambulvandu en
AviyuLavum aNaindu nirkum
anriyum aindukaNai terindiTTu |
EvalangATTi ivanoruvan
ippaDiyE puhundeidiDAmun
kOvalar koottan kuripparindu
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Eight ||

Today the sound of the roaring sea seems to be different. Don’t you think so? sugreeva called his brother vAli to fight with him. The voice was different as his wife tAra tells him. She says ‘i am certain sugreeva has confidence to win over you and hence the reason must be he must have had the support of Sree rAma.’ Similarly the sound of the sea is very confident to kill parakAla nAyaki. Even the flute makes sound only to pierce her heart and kill her. (Ayan kai Ambal vandu ennAviyaLavum aNaindu nirkum’) manmatha is another fellow who has vowed to kill her with his five arrows. He has already aimed them and is about to discharge on the target without fail revealing skill in archery. Before he succeeds let me go to tirukkurunguDi—says parakAla nAyaki.

ivanoruvan—If you count the fellows who are ready to kill me, manmatha stands first in the list and is the best too.

ippaDiyE puhundu—‘Or meenAya koDi neDuvEl vali Seyya melivEnO’—periya tirumozhi tiruvAli padiham.

kOvalar koottan—kaNNan is an expert kuDakkoottan. His koottu pleases even the uncivilized shepherd folks. What to talk of parakAla nAyaki?

kuripparindu—Oh! Friends! Somehow know His idea—whether He wants me or not. If He wants me take me there. If on the other hand, He doesn’t want me, let me die here.

9. SOttena ninru tozhavirangAn
tonnalam koNDu enakku inrukArum
pOrpadOr porpaDam tandu pOnAn
pOyina oorariyEn enkongai |
moottiDuhinrana maTTravan tan
moyyahalam aNiyAdu vALA
koottan imaiyavar kOn virumbum
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Nine ||

parakAla nAyaki continues—i pleaded, prostrated at His tiruvaDi, did anjali to Him. Still He does not pity me.

‘How do you say so?

‘tonnalam koNDu’__replies nAyaki. ‘He has taken away my womanly qualities like achcham etc., i feel i am naked bereft of them. In order to dress me, He wrapped round me the ‘pasalai nOi’

‘ponkulAm payalai poottana mentOL’—AzhwAr says in tiruviDavendai padiham

pOyina oorariyEn—He could have told me where He is going when He left me. He didn’t do that also.

‘Then why do You ask us to take you to tirukkurunguDi if you are not sure He has gone there?’

‘Well! He used to mention that divya dESa several times when we were together. Hence i guess He must be there’.

‘If you are not very sure about His whereabouts why not stay here?’

‘Alas! My breasts torture me like hell. They swell even if not hugged by Him’

ANDAL said ‘koLLum payanonrillA kongai tannai kizhangODum aLLi parittiTTu avan mArvil erindEn azhalai teervEnE’—nAchchiyAr tirumozhi.

ANDAL’s utterances are very vehement, where as AzhwAr’s is not so because ANDAL is born woman, AzhwAr’s womanliness is superimposed.

10. SeTTravan tennilangai malanga
dEvappirAn tirumAmahaLai
peTTrum en nenjaham kOyil koNDa
pEraruLALan perumaipESa |
kaTTravan kAmaruSeer kaliyan
kaNNahattum manattum ahalA
koTTravan muTTrulahALininra
kurunguDikkE ennai uittiDumin || Ten ||

emberumAn who destroyed the lankApuri, who is the dEvAdi dEva, who has periya pirATTi in His tirumArbu resides in my eyes and heart. Thus says tirumangai AzhwAr about the tirukkurunguDi nAyahan. He is the sarvESwara and sarvalOka nAtha who resides in tirukkurunguDi and in AzhwAr’s heart as well.