Krishna's cruelty!!

17. நாளுமுயிர்பபெய்து கூத்தாட்டுக்காணும்

This is Nacchiyar Tirumozhi 5-2, வெள்ளை விளிசங்கிடங்கையிற்கொண்ட விமலனெனக் குருக்காட்டான்; உள்ளம் புகுந்தென்னை நைவித்து நாளுமுயிர்ப்பெய்து கூத்தாட்டுக்காணும் veLLai viLicangiDangaiyiRkoNDa vimalanena kurukkAttAn; uLLam pugundhennai naiviththu nALumuyirppeydhu kUththAttukkANum. 

 

There isn't an explicit metaphor here. It must be understood in the subtle form that it is. In the days of kings, people committing heinous crimes would be severely punished. Some sentences would include getting whipped for thirty times or so. The criminal would reach the brink of death after ten strikes. The executioners would then feed him and let him recover. Then, they would hit him until he reached the point of collapsing. They would feed him again and once rejuvenated, continue the punishment. The criminal would end up serving the entire sentence without losing his life. His life would be saved every now and then, for the only sake of delivering the punishment.

What is the use of this cruel story here? Andal reaches the climax of anger against Krishna for His insincere and inconsistent behaviour and compares His actions to that of the above mentioned executioners. He appears to spring up from nowhere every now and then with the pretext of trying to save her, while He really is doing that to trouble her even further. He bewitches her and enters her heart but fails to show up in person. This drives Andal to anger arising out of the sorrow of separation.

Most Painful!

16. விடத்தேளெறிந்தாலேபோலே வேதனையாற்றவும்பட்டோம் 

 

Suffering from the pangs of separation from Krishna, and deciding that future contact would once again result in separation and hence more suffering, the Gopikas decided to go a secluded pond in their village that they believed Krishna did not know. They would then bathe in the cool water to quell the heat of separation.

Being இருளன்னமாமேனியன், having a divine form akin to darkness, He carefully followed them to the pond. When they had left their robes on the shore and had taken the dip, He quickly collected them and rose to a tree top. What ensued thereon was an exchange between Him and them, filled with pleas and condemnations, praises and scorns.

At one stage, the Gopikas reveal the intense pain undergone by them. This comes out through Nachchiyar Thirumozhi, தடத்தவிழ் தாமரைப் பொய்கைத் தாள்கள் எங்காலைக் கதுவ விடத்தேளெறிந்தாலேபோலே வேதனையாற்றவும்பட்டோம் - thadatthavizh thAmaraip poigaith thALgaL engAlaik kadhuva vidaththELeRindhAlEpOlE vEdhanaiyARRavumpattOm. They compare their pain to that endured on the sting of a scorpion. 

 

The Bitter Sweet

15. கட்டியும் கைத்தாலின்னாமையறிதியே 

 

In second decade of Nacchiyar Thirumozhi, Andal takes the mood of gopikas who are in the state of anger, that arises when the lover fails to stand up to their love. They would have suffered several days and nights in separation from their lover that they would take Him to task on His first appearance.

When Krishna approached the Gopikas, they pretended to be busy with something else and ignored Him. He tried to impose Himself upon them. They pushed Him aside, "We know not with how many damsels Thou spent Thy merry times. Do not touch us with those same hands." Astounded by this reply, Krishna says, "O Gopikas! Haven't you told Me that I am like honey, fruit, nectar and milk to you? Whence has this changed? Who do you think I am?" Saying so, He showed them His true form bearing His divine conch and divine discus, and smiled upon them.

They tell Him, "சுடர் சக்கரங்கையிலேந்தினாய்! கட்டியும் கைத்தால் இன்னாமை யறிதியே கடல்வண்ணனே!" 'chudar chakkarangaiyilEndinAy! kaTTiyum kaiththAl innAmaiyaRidiyE kaDalvaNNanE!' - "It is true that Thou art most beautiful and most enjoyable. However, haven't Thou heard that even sweets taste bitter to the sour tongue?" The meaning is, the Gopikas have soured by Krishna's prolonged separation. As a result, they are hurt even by His enjoyable presence, like the sour tongue tasting bitterness from even sweets.

Be Mindful!

உழுவதோரெருத்தினை நுகங்கொடுபாய்ந்து ஊட்டமின்றித் துரந்தாலொக்குமே

This is from Nacchiyar Thirumozhi (1-9) "தொழுது முப்போது முன்னடி வணங்கி" - "thozhudhu muppOdhu munnadi vanNanGgi" hymn. Andal, due to intense suffering arising from Krishna's separation, takes the agency of Kamadeva. 

She tells Manmatha, "O Kamadeva! Though you are like my son, I am seeking your agency respectfully to unite Krishna with me! My worship, this, should not fail. If it runs waste, you would incur terrible sin." What is the nature of the sin? Here, Andal offers a comparison. "Your act would become similar to that of a farmer who uses his oxen for ploughing the field but beats them and chases them away without feeding them. You will incur the sin of that farmer! So, you cannot take all this worship from me and ignore my request to unite me with Krishna. Be conscious of what is expected from you!"

The soul is very valuable!

13. மறையவர் வேள்வியில் வகுத்த அவி - நரிபுகுந்து கடப்பதும் மோப்பதுஞ் செய்வதொப்ப

In Nacchiyar Thirumozhi 1-5, Andal expresses that her very existence is only for the sake of Lord Krishna and any stray word that Andal's existence is for someone else would not only be intolerable to her but destroy her completely.

She offers an example to such a damaging exercise:

"வானிடைவாழுமவ்வானவர்க்கு மறையவர் வேள்வியில் வகுத்த அவி கானிடைத் திரிவதோர் நரிபுகுந்து கடப்பதும் மோப்பதுஞ் செய்வதொப்ப"

"vAnidaivAzhumavvAnavarkku maRaiyavar vELviyil vaguththa avi kAnidaith thirivadhOr NaripuguNdhu kadappadhum mOppadhunY cheyvadhoppa"

The Brahmins, who perform rituals prepare sacred offerings with much care and devotion, intending to offer them to the gods worshipped by the ritual. If that offering were to be only kicked about or smelt by a fox from the forest though not consumed by it, the whole offering would still have to go waste, as it cannot be used for any sacred purpose. Likewise, Andal's existence is exclusively for the sake of the Lord. A stray word spoken at some distant place by some fool would be sufficient to destroy her. While superficially it may be understood that Andal is in love with Krishna as much as He is with her, and that any stray word would be unbearable to her, our divine mother hides a very important concept of our tradition beneath these words. Swami Pillailokacharya, out of sheer grace for dull heads like us, shows us the underlying concept by using the same comparison in Mumukshuppadi as

"தேவர்களுக்கு சேஷமான புரோடாசத்தை நாய்க்கு இடுமாபோலே ஈச்வரசேஷமான ஆத்ம வஸ்துவை ஸம்ஸாரிகளுக்கு சேஷமாக்குகை"

"dhEvargaLukku chEshamAna purOdAchaththai NAykku idumApOlE IchvarachEshamAna Athma vasthuvai samsArigaLukku chEshamAkkugai"

[ Expending the soul, which exists only for the sake of Lord Srimannarayana, for the sake of materialists is like expending the offering prepared for the gods on a dog. ]

சிம்ம நடை!

12. cIriya cingam ... pOdarumApOlE - Like the stride of a great lion

Courtesy: pbase ramanujadasargal

This phrase occurs in Thiruppavai - 23rd hymn "mArimalai muzhainjil". As Lord Krishna rises from His sleep and strides towards His SimhAsana throne, Andal is reminded of the stride of a great lion. This is a not a new comparison. Lord Rama had a similar stride and made Sage Valmiki make the same comparison in Sri Ramayana as "parvatAdiva nishkramya simhO giriguhASaya:" - Rama's walk is like the stride of a lion that sets out from its mountain den.

Kings and Conquests

11. paruppadatthukkayalpoRittha pANDiyar kulapadipOl - Like the Pandya King who marked the Meru mountain with his "fish" emblem

Courtesy: pbase ramanujadasargal

Periyazhwar has already been seen talking about Chelva Nambi, a fellow Srivaishnava of his times, in his hymns. From the hymns of invocation to Periyazhwar and from his history, it is understood that Periyazhwar established the supremacy of Srimannarayana upon the request of the Pandya King. King Malayadwajan was a devout Srivaishnava and worshipped the Lord of Thirumalirunsolai. Periyazhwar, himself says in Periyazhwar Thirumozhi 4-2-7, "konnavil kUrvEl kOn neDumARan thenkUDalkOn thennan koNDADun thenthirumAlirunsolaiyE!", describing the deep love of the king for Thirumalirunsolai. Swami Koorathazhwan quotes the same in Sundarabahusthavam, "idamimE SruNumO malayadwajam nrupamiha swayamEva hi sundara! caranasAtkrutavAniti".

The phrase of interest occurs in Periyazhwar Thirumozhi 5-4-7, "paruppadatthukkayalpoRittha pANDiyar kulapadipOl, thiruppolindha chEvaDi en chenniyinmEl poRitthAiy". The King Malayadwaja Pandiyan conquered the lands all the way to the Meru Mountain. To enable his subjects to travel with ease, he cleared the path to Meru and destroyed all the enemies on the way. He marked the Meru with His "fish" emblem as a symbol of his conquest.

Alright! A great king and devotee, no doubt, is King Malayadwajan. But, what is the use of this phrase in a compilation of figures of speech. We will come to that now. Periyazhwar uses the above described action of the king as a comparison to the action of emperumAn. How? EmperumAn cleared the path infested by forests of sins and destroyed the enemies (like prApya virOdhi - upAya virOdhi - swarUpa virOdhi) of Periyazhwar. To herald this victorious conquest over Periyazhwar's obstacles, emperumAn marked His divine feet on PeriyAzhwAr's head.

Periyazhwar beautifully compares the conquest of the king to the conquest of emperumAn, the former in the material domain and the latter in the spiritual domain, integrating the information about a devotee--king and the Saviour Lord in the one go!