R. Prabhu's Notes

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 7

2011-12-28T01:55:00.000+05:30

From the previous posts, it is clear about the influence of Avvaiyar's works even to the common man. Her songs are lucid, simple and convey a great meaning that still progresses even to this day in the form of sayings and quotes.

The following verses are examples of her works that have permeated to all generations of people. Being used commonly to portray moral values.

சொல்லாம லேபெரியர் சொல்லிச் செய்வர்சிரியர்
சொல்லியுஞ் செய்யார் கயவரே நல்ல
குலமாலை வேற்கண்ணாய் கூறுவமை நாடில்
பலாமாவைப் பாதிரியைப் பார்

Sollamalae Periyar Solli Seivar Siriyar
Solliyum Seiyyaar Kayavarae Nalla
Kulamaalai Vel Kannaai Kooruvamai Naadil
Palaa Maavai Paadhiriyai Paar

meaning, people who help without being asked for are noble and generous. The ones who help after being asked are mingy or mean. Those who don't help even after asking are crooks. They are comparable to the Jackfruit, Mango tree and the Paadhiri tree. Jackfruit, gives benefit without indication like flowering that it is going to bear a fruit. The mango flowers announcing bearing the fruit, whereas the Paadhiri tree just flowers but does not bear any fruit.

The next song is about a miserly businessman who is very fond of praises but never gives even the least valued copper coin to those who praise him. The businessman's name was Koraikkal Azhwan. He was very wealthy that was an attraction, which sometimes made poets to think that he would provide money if they sang songs in praise of him. So, poets would go to him sing praises about him, Azhwan would enjoy such praises, but would say some reasons and ask them to come the next day. So, most poets would walk to him for a few days and then give up.

Avvaiyar knew about this and wanted to teach him a lesson, so she went to him and praised him about the wealth he had. Azhwan was happy and told Avvaiyar that he would provide her wealth and send her along with an elephant the next day. Avvaiyar went to him the next day, Azhwan said that elephant would be of no use to Avvaiyar, also that she is old, she would not be able to maintain and elephant, so he promised that he would give her a horse, with which she can travel.

Avvaiyar nodded and went to him the next day expecting a horse. But again, Azhwan said that a buffalo might be more useful for her as she can get milk from a buffalo and asked her to come the next day.

Avvaiyar patiently went the next day, this time Azhwan said that he will give her an Ox instead of a buffalo. Avvaiyar spoke no word and went the next day, again he said that he would give her a saree the next day.

Avvaiyar knew this would happen and spoke to him that the saree would wear out in to useless threads and sang the following song which severly condemned Azhwan's behaviour. From then on, Azhwan stopped the practice of making people walk for the prize he is not willing to give and also stopped hearing praises from poets.

கரியாய்ப் பரியாகிக் காரெருமை தானாய்
எருதாய் முழப்புடவை யாகிக் திரிதிரியாய்த்
தேரைக்கால் பெற்றுமிகத் தேய்ந்துகால் ஓய்ந்ததே
கோரைக்கால் ஆழ்வான் கொடை

Kariyaai Pariyaagi Kaarerumai Thaanaai
Erudhaai Muzhappudavai Yaagi Thirithiriyaaith
Theraikkaal Pettrumiga Theynthukaal Ointhathae
Koraikkaal Azhwaan Kodai

meaning, First an elephant, then a horse and then a buffalo. Next day an Ox, and finally a saree which in turn would go into useless threads. I (Avvaiyar) walked in vain just to get my feet worn out and get flat as a toad's webbed feet. All because of the generosity of Koraikkal Azhwan.

The next verse is so popular that it has been used almost everywhere. It is so ubiquitous, that everyone agrees to it without question. It is "Kattradhu Kai Mann Alavu, Kallaadhadhu Ulagalavu..." meaning, what we have learnt is like a handful of sand, but what we haven't learnt is like this whole world. This same line in the verse has been cited by NASA too. That makes us proud that we professed the quality of humility to the world well before anyone did.

There is an interesting legend about this verse. Once, a poet wanted to insult Avvaiyar, when she arrived at the King's court, he just showed a handful of sand, indicating that she and her works was nothing more than the worthless handful of sand. Avvaiyar immediately sang this verse which expressed the need for humility and that one should not take pride that he has learned everything.

கற்றதுகைம் மண்ணளவு கல்லா துலகளவென்
றுற்ற கலைமடந்தை ஓதுகிறாள் மெத்த
வெறும்பந் தயங்கூற வேண்டாம் புலவீர்
எறும்புந்தன் கையாலெண் சாண்

Kattradhu Kai Mann Alavu Kallaadhadhu Ulagalavu
Endruttra Kalaimadandhai Odhukiraal Meththa
Verum Pandhayam Koora Vendam Pulaveer
Erumbum Thann Kaiyaal Enn Saan

meaning, Even the Goddess of Knowledge, Goddess Saraswathi, meditates and learns everyday, knowing the fact that what we have learnt is like a handful of sand and what we haven't learned is like this whole world. So, don't challenge someone without knowing about them. Even the ant measures, 8 spans of its own hand, but it cannot compare itself to a human who is many times bigger.

The last line made the poet realise his mistake, Avvaiyar comparing him to an ant, made him feel that he has done a mistake and apologized to Avvaiyar.

The next verse is also very popular though people use only the first line quite often "Madhiyaadhar Vaasal Midhiyadhae..." meaning, don't step into the house of those who don't respect you. There is an interesting legend associated with this verse too.

There was once a man who was miserly, but proclaimed that he was generous and gave away a lot of money to those who won his challenge. Likewise, he would provide a challenge often. He would pose false arguments to those who actually win his challenge and would send them away. Avvaiyar who coincidentally travelled to his place when he announced that he would provide 1000 gold coins to whoever sings "4 crore" songs.

Avvaiyar took the challange and the crowd gathered with the judges to adjudge the results. The man was confident that noone could sing so many songs and they would not win the challenge. Avvaiyar sang the song with 4 crores appearing in it, though he argued that this cannot be 4 crore songs, the judges adjudged that it is valid as the song contained 4 crores. Avvaiyar won the prize money.

Here is the song

மதியாதார் முற்றம் மதித்தொருகாற் சென்று
மிதியாமை கோடி பெறும்
உண்ணீர்உண் ணீரென் றுபசரியார் தம்மனையில்
உண்ணாமை கோடி பெறும்
கோடி கொடுத்ததும் குடிப்பிறந்தார் தம்மொடு
கூடுவதே கோடி பெறும்
கோடானுகோடி கொடுப்பினும் தன்னுடைநாக்
கோடாமை கோடி பெறும்

Madhiyadhaar Muttram Madhithuorukaal Sendru
Midhiyaamai Kodi Perum
Unneer Unneer Endru Ubasariyaar Thammanaiyil
Unnaamai Kodi Perum
Kodi Koduthum Kudipirandhaar Thammodu
Kooduvadhae Kodi Perum
Kodaanu Kodi Kodupinum Thannudai Naa
Kodaamai Kodi Perum

meaning, Don't step into the house of those who don't show respect. That is like getting a crore of wealth. Don't eat at the home of someone who don't show good hospitality, that is like getting a crore of wealth. Even if you spend a crore to get the relationship of noble people, it is like getting a crore of wealth. Finally, even if you get crores and crores of wealth, keeping up the promise is like getting a crore of wealth.

The song above, illustrates the Avvaiyar's presence of mind and her interesting use of vocabulary to win the situation.

The last song of this post, is quite heavy in its meaning and stresses the importance of family and relations. One has to take care of these relationships in order to lead a better life.

தாயொடு அருசுவைபோம் தந்தையொடு கல்விபோம்
சேயொடு தான்பெற்ற செல்வம்போம் மாயவாழ்வு
உற்றாருடன்போம் உடன்பிறப்பால் தோள் வலிபோம்
பொற்றாலி யோடெவையும் போம்

Thaaiyodu Arusuvaipom Thandhaiyodu Kalvipom
Seiyodu Thaan Pettra Selvampom Maayavaazhvu
Uttraarudanpom Udanpirappaal Thol Valipom
Pottraaliyodu Yevaiyum Pom

meaning, With the mother, goes tasty food. With the father, goes knowledge and learning. With the children, goes away all the wealth. With the relatives, goes away the illusionary happy living. With the sibling, goes away the strength. With the spouse, goes away everything.

These days people go to separate classes to learn about the importance of family. Avvaiyar has given us this treasure centuries back, when people would have never imagined that there would be a time when people would forget about their family and relations and would chase money and live a meaningless life. Just following Avvaiyar's sayings would help a man lead a peaceful life.

More to come, until then...

Kandadevi - The Forgotten Heritage

2011-07-30T16:25:00.000+05:30

There are a lot of places in Tamil Nadu associated with the Ramayana. One such forgotten place in the Kandadevi. Kandadevi marks an important event in Ramayana - the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana.

Ravana kidnapped Sita and went on his way to Srilanka. Sita cried in distress for help but in vain. Jatayu saw Sita being kidnapped by Ravana and in distress. Jatayu ventured into the skies to save Sita and fought against Ravana, but during the fight Ravana cut its wings. Jatayu fell to the ground after valiantly fighting against Ravana. Jatayu was holding its life hoping Lord Rama would follow to get back Sita from Ravana. As Jatayu hoped, Lord Rama found Jatayu hurt fatally. Lord Rama knew that Jatayu was his father's long time friend and shed tears on finding Jatayu in its deathbed.

Lord Rama narrated the incidents that happened and died in Lord Rama's hands. Lord Rama considered Jatayu as his father and performed the final rites for the dead Jatayu. Lord Rama in remembrance of Jatayu installed a shiva lingam and named it as Lord Siragilinathar, meaning the lord without feathers.

The place where Jatayu saw Sita being abducted is Kandadevi, actually Kandaen Devi, meaning the Seeing Sita. Kandaen Devi later got transformed to Kandadevi. There is a place nearby called Iragusari (meaning place where wings fell - Iragu: Wings, feather, Sari - Fall) where Jatayu fought and had his wings cut. Iragusari has now been transformed as Iravuseri.

The temple is now called Lord Swarnamoortheeshwarar Temple. The Goddess is Periyanayagi. The original name of the deity is Lord Siragilinathar, however there are some interesting legends that explain why the name got changed to Lord Swarnamoortheeshwarar.

First one is very interesting. The King who ruled that region wanted to renovate the temple, but his kingdom did not have enough money or gold to renovate the temple. So, he took two businessmen, who were brothers, with him to get enough money from acquaintances. When they were walking near this temple, all three of them stumbled and fell on the ground. The King immediately found it to be strange that all three have falled and ordered his men to dig the place where they fell. There he found lots of gold and precious gems. He realised it as a blessing of Lord Siragilinathar. With the treasure temple the King renovated this temple and named the deity as Lord Swarnamoortheeshwarar as the he was bestowed with gold treasure.

The next - Once there was a severe drought and no rains. All the people in the nearby village suffered and went on without food for many days. They prayed to this Lord to save their lives and it rained gold in that village. The village is named after this incident as Semponmaari - meaning (rain of gold). As a result the Lord who bestowed them prosperity was named Swarnamoorthy

The last one is, The Lord's name in Sanskrit was called as Swarnabarneshwarar (Swarna (Gold) + Barna (Wings, Feather) meaning the Lord with the golden feather, later got transformed as Swarnamoorthy.

Behind the temple, is a big tank called the Jatayu Theertham. The tank is so huge and covers a large area. It is said that the temple tank has never dried up even during drought or intense summer seasons.

Now let us view the pictures of the temple

The Rajagopuram to Lord Siragilinathar Temple, Kandadevi

The temple Mandapam

The Rajagopuram from within the temple

The temple mandapam

The temple mandapam of Annamalaiyar Shrine, Vinayagar Shrine.

The pillar in the mandapam carved out of a single stone

Sculpture in the pillar, so intricate and artistic

The 12 zodiac signs sculpted on the ceiling of the temple mandapam

Lord Dakshinamoorthy carved in one of the pillars

The intricate sculptures in one of the shrines in the temple

At the backside of the temple Prakaram

Temple Vimanam

The temple Prakaram

Lord Subramaniyar Shrine from behind

Temple Prakaram the northern side

Lord Subramaniyar Shrine

The Nagalingam Tree

Lord Karuppar statue carved in the temple walls

Lord Bhairavar Shrine, behind it is the shrine of Periyanayaki Amman

The temple prakaram and the Lord Subramaniyar Shrine

Intricate carvings in the walls of the Periyanayagi Amman Shrine

Close-up picture of the carvings

Much closer look at the carvings

Sculpture of a Peacock holding a snake in its beak

The temple entrance from inside the mandapam

Intricate art of sculpture in the temple entrance

Sculpture masterpiece at the temple entrance. Notice the small shaft connecting the two pillars

The shaft that connects the two pillars, the shaft and the stone it appears attached to is made out of a single stone!

The entrance to the temple that we visited

The temple Rajagopuram, another view

The outer walls of the temple

The temple car (Thaer - தேர்), which is at least a few hundred years old

Intricate carvings in the temple car

Another picture of the beautiful carvings in the temple car

The following pictures show the Jatayu Theertham, the temple's tank

Aerial view of the temple and Jatayu Theertham, just look at the scale of the tank. (Courtesy: Wikimapia.org)

Kandadevi is 2 km Devakottai. Devakottai is a town in Sivagangai district and is one of the oldest municipalities of Tamil Nadu. Renovation is being done in the temple, for further details about the temple timings etc., please contact Karthik Gurukkal - +91 94439 56357

Having so much of heritage to it, Kandadevi is really a forgotten place that needs to be revived and heralded of its glory it once had.

More to come, until then...

Venerated Villeeshwarar

2011-06-27T00:17:00.000+05:30

Let's digress from Avvaiyar to visit the long forgotten Villeeshwarar Temple. The great kings and emperors who ruled the southern region of India built a lot of temples that were a hive of a lot of activities. They were such great visionaries to build some of the magnificent structures on earth. One such great emperor was Karikaala Peruvalathaan (Karikaalan). He was the one who built the Kallanai which is the oldest surviving dam in the world.

He has built a lot of temples across South India. More surprising information is that he has built 36 big temples in Kongu region (Coimbatore and the surrounding places) and 360 smaller temples. The famous Patteeshwarar temple at Perur was built by him.

One temple that was almost forgotten and nearly lost is the Villeeshwarar Temple at Idikarai. Idikarai is a small village near Coimbatore about 10 km towards Mettupalayam. This temple can be reached by via Thudiyalur, Sengalipalayam route towards Idikarai.

This temple is 29th of those 36 temples Karikaalan built. The temple was built by Karikaalan and later renovated by Vikrama Cholan during the 13th century. The sanctum sanctorum is Lord Shiva, the name Villeeshwarar is because this was once a land full of Vilvam trees. Even the temple's sacred tree is the Vilvam tree. The name Vilveshwarar got transformed to Villeeshwarar, likewise there is another story associated with the name for Lord Villeeshwarar. The tribe that used bows (Vill) worshipped this Lord and so the name Villeeshwarar stuck. The main deity in the temple is Lord Villeeshwarar, the Goddess is Vedhanayagi, along with Lord Subramaniyar.

The Idikarai village has also such interesting legends about its name. People say that the name of the village is Irukarai meaning two banks of the river. There are small hills nearby call the Kurudimalai, Paalamalai, Ponn-oothu malai and water from these hills flow down as a small tributary of Noyyal that flowed in between this place forming two banks resulting in its name Irukarai, later transformed into Idikarai. There is even a song that describes this place

குருடிமலை மிசை மீதிலே
பெருகியே வரும் பருகமா நதிக்கரையதனில்
வீற்றிருக்கும் இருகரை எனும்
துறையூர்ப் பெருமானே

Kurudimalai Misai Meedhilae
Perugiyae Varum Parugamaa Nadhikaraiyadhanil
Veetrirukkum Irukarai Enum
Thuraiyur Perumaanae

meaning, the Lord Shiva who resides in the Irukarai place that has a river that flows from the mountains of kurudimalai.

Now let's look at the pictures of this temple

The Lord Villeeshwarar Shrine

View of the temple corridor from near the Lord Villeshwarar Shrine

Exit to the corridor from Lord Villeshwarar Shrine

The place where Lord Dakshinamoorthi's statue will be place

Lord Villeshwarar Shrine's Vimanam

These walls contain inscriptions

Another view of the Lord Villeshwarar Shrine Vimanam

Shrine for Lord Vinayagar, yet to be completed

The Lord Villeshwarar Shrine Vimanam different views in the following pictures

Goddess Vedhanayagi Shrine

Goddess Vedhanayagi Shrine and Lord Subramaniyar Shrine

The Vilvam tree inside the temple

Temple Walls

Carvings at the entrance of Goddess Vedhanayagi Shrine

The Kodimaram made out of a single stone

Lord Vinayagar sculpture in the Kodimaram

Kodimaram - another view

Once upon a time, this place was a hive of activity. But later, it became a long forgotten place and the temple that Karikalan was left to ruins. Fortunately, the good hearts of people in an around this place contributed to the renovation of this temple. However, the renovation is still incomplete and requires a lot of help. This renovation effort is being headed by Mr. Rajagopalan, a retired manager from LMW. People who are interested in contributing to the renovation, may contact him directly on his phone number - +91 98942 43633

More to come, until then...

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 6

2011-05-21T02:01:00.004+05:30

Avvaiyar's life history is associated with interesting incidents and events. One such popular event is the "Sutta Pazham Venduma, Sudatha Pazham Venduma.." between Avvaiyar and Lord Murugan and the subsequent dialogues and songs. This post is about that incidents and the songs associated with that incident.

One day Avvaiyar was very tired walking a long distance, came to rest under a Naaval Tree (Black/Java Plum). A boy who was herding cattle in that forest met Avvaiyar on his way. Seeing Avvaiyar tired and resting under the tree, wanted to help her. He went to her and asked if he wanted to put down the fruit from the tree.

Avvaiyar said yes and the boy asked if she wanted "Suttam Pazhama, Sudatha Pazhama?" meaning the one that is roasted/burnt or hot or the one that is not. Avvaiyar thought that the kid was blabbering something as she considered him to be an illiterate, told him to put the "Sudatha Pazham" (Fruit that is not hot/roasted).

The boy said ok and shook the tree's branch which fell the ripe fruits on the ground. Avvaiyar started picking those fruits and found sand sticking to the fruit. So, she started to blow away the sand in the fruit before eating it. That's when the boy exclaimed "Is the fruit, hot?". The gesture of blowing the sand in the fruit appeared as if the fruit was hot. It also meant, that the fruit that fell to the ground is heated up by the earth's heat and the one that is caught before it falls to the ground is not.

Avvaiyar had a realisation, she thought the boy to be an illiterate, but he has taught her a big lesson. Moreover, she had a momentary pride and neglect in her mind thinking that the boy is illiterate and she was knowledgeable. This incident made her realise that nobody should be neglected and she sang this song.

கருங்காலிக் கட்டைக்கு நாணாக்கோ டாலி
இருங்கதலித் தண்டுக்கு நாணும் பெருங்கானில்
காரெருமை மேய்க்கின்ற காளைக்கு நான் தோற்றேன்
ஈரிரவும் துஞ்சாதென் கண்

Karungaali Kattaikku Naanaa Kodali
Irunkadhali Thundukku Naanum Perunkaanil
Kaarerumai Meikkindra Kaalaikku Naan Thotraen
Eeriravum Thunjaathen Kann

meaning, The axe that did not give in even for the hardest Karungaali Tree, gave in for the tender stem of the plaintain. I lost to the boy who herds cattle in the big forest, as a result my eyes will not sleep for two nights.

She also felt that this should be the act of the Divine and request the boy to reveal his true image.

Then the boy revealed who he was and was Lord Murugan incarnate. Lord Murugan explained that He wanted to enjoy the Tamil eloquence of Avvaiyar and He had been playing around to hear the sweet Tamil from Avvaiyar. Avvaiyar was happy and worshipped Him.

He asked what is the most awful thing in the world

கொடியது கேட்கின் நெடியவெவ் வேலோய்
கொடிது கொடிது வறுமை கொடிது
அதனினும் கொடிதே இளமையில் வறுமை
அதனினும் கொடிதே ஆற்றொணாக் கொடுநோய்
அதனினும் கொடிதே அன்பிலா பெண்டிர்
அதனினும் கொடிதே இன்புற அவள் கையில் உண்பது தானே

Kodiyadhu Kaetkin Nediyavev Veloi
Kodithu Kodithu Varumai Kodithu
Adhaninum Kodithae Ilamayil Varumai
Adhaninum Kodithae Aatronaak Kodunoi
Adhaninum Kodithae Anbila Pendir
Adhaninum Kodithae Inbura Aval Kayil Unbadhu Thaanae

meaning, If You ask what is the most awful thing in the world, my Lord with the long spear (Vel)
Poverty is awful,
Even more awful is poverty during youth
Even more awful is incurable disease
Even more awful is women without kindness
The most awful to take the food served by her

Then He asked what is the most pleasantest thing in the world. Avvaiyar sang the following

இனியது கேட்கின் தனிநெடு வேலோய்
இனிது இனிது ஏகாந்தம் இனிது
அதனினும் இனிது ஆதியை தொழுதல்
அதனினும் இனிது அறிவினர்ச் சேர்தல்
அதனினும் இனிது அறிவுல்லோரை
கனவினும் நனவினும் காண்பது தானே

Iniyadhu Kaetkin Thaninedu Veloi
Inidhu Inidhu Ekantham Inidhu
Adhaninum Inidhu Aadhiyai Thozhuthal
Adhaninum Inidhu Arivinar Saerdhal
Adhaninum Inidhu Arivullorai
Kanavinum Nanavinum Kaanbadhu Thaanae

meaning, If You ask what is the pleasant thing in this world, my Lord with the unique spear (Vel)
Being independent and alone is pleasant
Even more pleasant is to worship the Supreme Being
Even more pleasant is to be in touch with the learned and knowledgeable
Even more pleasant is to see their presence in reality and in the dreams

Then Lord Murugan asked what is the most biggest thing in the world. And there came the next song

பெரியது கேட்கின் எரிதவழ் வேலோய்
பெரியது பெரியது புவனம் பெரியது
புவனமோ நான்முகன் படைப்பு
நான்முகன் கரியமால் உந்தியில் வந்தோன்
கரிய மாலோ அலைகடல் துயின்றோன்
அலைகடல் குறுமுனி அங்கையில் அடக்கம்
குறுமுனியோ கலசத்திற் பிறந்தோன்
கலசமோ புவியிற் சிறுமண்
புவியோ அரவினுக்கு ஒருதலை பாரம்
அரவோ உமையவள் சிறுவிரல் மோதிரம்
உமையோ இறைவன் பாகத்து ஒடுக்கம்
இறைவரோ தொண்டர் உள்ளத்து ஒடுக்கம்
தொண்டர்தம் பெருமை சொல்லவும் பெரிதே

Periyadhu Kaetkin Yerithavazh Veloi
Periyadhu Periyadhu Bhuvanam Periyadhu
Bhuvanamo Naanmugan Padaippu
Naanmugan Kariyamaal Undhiyil Vandhon
Kariya Maalo Alaikadal Thuyindron
Alaikadal Kurumuni Angaiyil Adakkam
Kurumuniyo Kalasathir Pirandhon
Kalasamo Puviyir Sirumann
Puviyo Aravinukku Oruthalai Baaram
Aravo Umaiyaval Siruviral Modhiram
Umaiyo Iraivan Baagaththu Odukkam
Iraivaro Thondar Ullaththu Odukkam
Thondartham Perumai Sollavum Peridhae

meaning, if You ask me the biggest thing.

The world (landscape) is a big thing
The world is a creation of Lord Brahma
Lord Brahma came from the umbilical cord of Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu sleeps in the big ocean
The big ocean was contained within Agathiar's kamandalam (small vessel)
Agathiar was born in a small pot (Kalasam)
The pot is a small portion of this earth
The earth is a burden for one of the heads for the Aadhi Seshan - The snake with a thousand heads
The Aadhi Seshan is a ring in Goddess Parvathi's finger
Goddess Parvathi is a part of Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva is inside the hearts of his devotees
So praising the devotees of Lord Shiva is a big thing

Though the comparison Avvaiyar made might be logically questionable, but when we observe the beauty, the comparison goes on increasing in size until in gets into the small heart of the devotees

The last one asked by Lord Murugan was about the rarest thing. Avvaiyar responded with the song below

அரியது கேட்கின் வரிவடி வேலோய்
மக்கள் யாக்கையிற் பிறத்தலும் அரிதே
மக்கள் யாக்கையிற் பிறந்த காலையும்
மூங்கையும் செவிடும் கூனும் குருடும்
பேடும் நீங்கிப் பிறத்தலும் அரிதே
பேடு நீங்கி பிறந்த காலையும்
ஞானமும் கல்வியும் நன்குறல் அரிதே
ஞானமும் கல்வியும் நன்குறும் ஆயினும்
தானமும் தவமும் தரித்தலும் அரிதே
தானமும் தவமும் தரித்தார்க் கல்லது
வானவர் நாடு வழி திறவாதே

Ariyadhu Kaetkin Varivadi Veloi
Makkal Yaakkaiyir Piraththalum Aridhae
Makkal Yaakkaiyir Pirandha Kaalaiyum
Moongaiyum Sevidum Koonum Kurudum
Paedum Neengip Piraththalum Aridhae
Paedu Neengi Pirandha Kaalayum
Gnanamum Kalviyum Nankural Aridhae
Gnanamum Kalviyum Nankurum Aayinum
Dhananum Dhavamum Thariththalum Aridhae
Dhananum Dhavamum Tharithaark Kalladhu
Vaanavar Naadu Vazhi Thiravaadhae

meaning, if You ask me what is the rarest thing, my Lord with the spear (Vel)
Being born as a human is rare
Even if born a human, it is rarer
To be born without being dumb, deaf, humpback, blind
Even if born without disabilities, it is rarer
To have knowledge and education
Even if one has good knowledge and education, it is rarer
To have benevolence and ethics
Without those benevolence and ethics
Heaven would not open its gates to give to people

That pleased Lord Murugan, Avvaiyar's eloquence and poetry made Him happy. He blessed her for her knowledge and literary eloquence and left.

Though these songs have been made popular through movies and music discs, some of them were modified to match the tune or situation. However the meaning conveyed is more or less similar. All these songs by Avvaiyar inculcate moral values and at the same time are also more captivating too.

More to come, until then...

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 5

2011-05-16T01:45:00.002+05:30

Avvaiyar is known for her simplicity, but at times, there were situations where some poets, especially Kambar, confronted her and consequently tried provoking her. Even in such situations, Avvaiyar maintained her stance of simplicity, composure and righteousness. However her responses would be so sharp that the truth in them would make the opponents to put their heads down in shame or in acceptance of defeat.

One such situation was with Kambar. Kambar gained prominence and was a hailed for his great work Kamba Ramayanam. The King was praising Kambar more and seemed to neglect other poets who have equally contributed to literature. As a result, Kambar‘s pride knew no bounds, and he too neglected and treated other poets with disrespect. Even his attire was pompous and prideful. Seeing this, Avvaiyar sang the following

விரகர் இருவர் புகழ்ந்திட வேண்டும்
விரல்நிறைய மோதிரங்கள் வேண்டும் அரையதனில்
பஞ்சேனும் பட்டேனும் வேண்டும் அவர்கவிதை
நஞ்சேனும் வேம்பேனும் நன்று

Viragar Iruvar Pugazhdhida Vendum
Viral Niraya Modhirangal Vendum Araiyadhanil
Panjenum Pattenum Vendum Avarkavidhai
Nanjenum Vembenum Nandru

meaning, A poet has to have at least two cunning people beside him to praise him often; Rings in his fingers, dress that is made of silk or cotton. For such a pompous, gawdy poet, his poetry, even if rubbish or bitter in meaning, will be praised.

Viragar - Person cunning, shrewd or smart
Pugazh - Praise
Viral - Fingers
Niraya - Full
Modhiram - Ring
Arai Adhanil - Lower half of the body
Panju - Cotton
Pattu - Silk
Kavidhai - Poetry
Nanju - Poison
Vembu - Refers to the Neem tree which indicates bitterness
Nandru - Better

What Avvaiyar conveyed in her song was that even if a poet has achieved prominence out of his work, a poet has to have humility. Had not the message been so strong, it would not have reached.

On seeing Avvaiyar being provoked at Kambar’s actions, the King intervened to prevent things from going worse and also he has a very great respect for Kambar, hence he came to talk in favour of Kambar. The King said that Kambar is a great poet who has written an epic in Tamil literature which no other poet has done. There came the response from Avvaiyar, which was even more embarassing for Kambar

வான்குருவி யின்கூடு வல்லரக்குத் தொல்கறையான்
தேன்சிலம்பி யாவருக்குஞ் செய்யரிதால் யாம்பெரிதும்
வல்லோமே என்று வலிமைசொல வேண்டாங்காண்
எல்லார்க்கும் ஒவ்வொன் றெளிது

Vaankuruviyin Koodu Vallarakku Tholkaraiyaan
Thaen Silambi Yaavarukkum Seiyaridhaal Yaam Peridhum
Vallome Endru Valimai Solla Vendam Kaan
Ellaarkkum Ovondru Elidhu

meaning, building a complex and delicate nest like the weaver bird, a strong mound like the termite, gathering honey, the intricate spider web is not easily to be built by all. Likewise, never boast yourself by the works you have done. Because, each one has a task that he can do easily. Additionally, one can never claim superiority over the others by doing a task that is easy for them but difficult or impossible for the others. Like a weaver bird can build its intricate nest but cannot build a termite mound, hence cannot claim superiority by the task one does.

Vaankuruvi - The weaver bird in this context
Vallarakku - Termite mound
Karaiyaan - Termite
Thaen - Honey
Silambi - Spider web
Yaavarkkum - for everyone
Seiyaridhu - Rare/difficult to be done
Yaam - reflexive pronoun
Peridhum - Refers to enormous amount
Vallom - Able
Valimai - Strength, Power
Solla - Tell
Vendaam - Negation of an action
Ellarkkum - for everyone
Ovondru Elidhu - Somethings are easy

Still trying to save Kambar’s face in front of the other poets and people in his court, the King said that Kambar was a poet by birth. Without missing a beat, there came the following song from Avvaiyar

சித்திரமும் கைப்பழக்கம் செந்தமிழும் நாப்பழக்கம்
வைத்ததொரு கல்வி மனப்பழக்கம் நித்தம்
நடையும் நடைப்பழக்கம் நட்பும் தயையும்
கொடையும் பிறவிக் குணம்

Chithiramum Kai Pazhakkam Senthamizhum Naapazhakkam
Vaithadhor Kalviyum Manappazhakkam Niththam
Nadaiyum Nadaipazhakkam Natpum Dhayaiyum
Kodaiyum Piravi Gunam

meaning, The finest art is the practice of the hand; The eloquence in Tamil literature is the practice of the tongue; The greatness of knowledge is the practice of the mind; The nobility of behaviour is by the practice of being nobly behaved. The ones that come by birth are - friendly attitude, mercy and benevolence.

Chithiram - Art, Painting
Kai - Hand
Pazhakkam - Practice
Senthamizh - Classical Tamil
Naa - Tongue
Kalvi - Knowledge
Manam - mind
Nadai - Behaviour
Natpu - Friendship
Dhayai - Mercy
Kodai - Benevolence
Piravi - Birth
Gunam - Character

With this song, Avvaiyar remarked that except friendly attitude, mercy and benevolence, all other things are acquired by practice and even Kambar’s poetic skills are by practice and not by birth. This put Kambar in a very bad situation of being humiliated in front of the others.

The King could not tolerate Kambar being humiliated like this, but he cannot deny the truth attached to Avvaiyar’s song and Kambar’s behaviour at that instance. However, he did not want Kambar to feel bad about that and hence told that there is no one to win Kambar in his poetic eloquence. As usual, came a song from Avvaiyar

காணாமல் வேணதெல்லாம் கத்தலாம் கற்றோர்முன்
கோணாமல் வாய்திறக்கக் கூடாதே நாணாமல்
பேச்சுப்பேச் சென்னும் பெரும்பூனை வந்தக்கால்
கீச்சுக்கீச் சென்னும் கிளி

Kaanamal Venadhellam Kathalaam Katrormun
Konaamal Vaai Thirakka Koodathae Naanamal
Pechu Pechu Yenum Perumpoonai Vandhakkal
Keechu Keechu Yenum Kili

meaning, the people train the parrot to speak words. Once it has learnt to speak a few works, it will talk and gabble continuously. But when a cat enters the room, it will forget about speaking and start screeching. Likewise, once we learn or achieve something, we can talk about it among close circles. But when among learned people, they have to maintain the humility and keep quiet. Otherwise, they would be put to a situation like the parrot seeing a cat. The same was the situation for Kambar, unnecessary talk and pride had led him to a position that he had to be ashamed and keep quiet.

Kaanaamal - Without the presence or being seen
Venadhellam - Whatever wished
Kaththalaam - Shout
Katror - Learned
Mun - in front of
Konaamal Vaai Thirakka koodathae - Should never open the mouth
Pechu - Speech
Perum Poonai - Big cat
Vandhakkal - Arrive
Keechu - Screeching of a parrot
Kili - Parrot

In another instance, Kambar met Avvaiyar and remembering his past bitter experiences, wanted to humiliate Avvaiyar. So, pretending to ask a riddle he humiliated her by using the word ‘dee’ in his question. In Tamil, suffixing or using ‘dee’ when speaking to women is considered derogatory, humiliating and treat the women with utter disrepect. Likewise using ‘daa’ for men is derogatory.

So, Kambar asked the following riddle, where he indirectly referred to the “Aarai” plant and at the same time, humiliating Avvaiyar calling ‘dee’

ஒரு காலடீ நாலிலைப் பந்தலடீ

Oru kaaladi Naalilai Pandhaladi

meaning, What has one foot and four roofs. He referred to the “Aarai” keerai that grows in mud and near ponds. The vallarai keerai is a relative of this. He had used the word “dee” as a pun to also mean the foot and the thing underneath a roof or a tent

Avvaiyar knew Kambar’s intentions, grew angry and blasted him off with the answer at the last in the same style of pun. Kambar was paid back through the same coin.

எட்டேகால் லட்சணமே எமனே றும்பரியே
மட்டில் பெரியம்மை வாகனமே முட்டமேற்
கூரையில்லா வீடே குலராமன் தூதுவனே
ஆரையடா சொன்னா யடா?

Ettaekaal Latchanamae Yemenerum Pariyae
Mattil Periyammai Vaaganamae Mutta Mael
Koorai Illa Veedae Kula Raaman Thoodhuvanae
Aaraiyada Sonnai Ada

meaning, You disfigured beauty, You buffalo - the mount of Yemen (The Diety who is believed to take the lives when someone dies), You donkey - The mount of Moodhevi (The elder sister of Goddess Lakshmi who is believed to bring bad luck), a roofless wall/home (Kutti Suvar in Tamil), You monkey - the messenger for Lord Rama. How dare you address me like that?. The last line is interpreted as a pun. With the second meaning indicating the answer to Kambar’s question, “You mentioned the Aarai Keerai”.

Ettaekaal Latchanamae - Eight and a quarter beauty - In Tamil, 8 is written as அ and quarter as வ, put together it would be அவலட்சணமே, meaning ugliness or disfigured.
Yemen - The deity of death
Erum Pariyae - Buffalo, the mount of Yemen
Periyammai - Moodhevi, who is believed to bring bad luck is the elder sister of Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.
Vaaganam - Mount of Moodhevi - The donkey
Koorai - Roof
Veedu - Home
Kula Raman Thoodhuvan - Hanuman, the monkey God, here refers Kambar as a monkey
Aarai - Refers to the pronoun “who” and the plant “Aarai”
Sonnai - Tell
Ada - Derogatory addressing of a man

Avvaiyar proved her eloquence at all times and never left anyone offend her even verbally. People who were kind to her got back the same kindness back. But when provoked they will face the brunt of her literary eloquence.

More to come, until then....

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 4

2011-04-17T01:02:00.002+05:30

Nall Vazhi, meaning Good way to lead life, is another great work by Avvaiyar that teems with morals. Like Moodhurai, Nall Vazhi also starts with the praise of Lord Ganesh.

பாலும் தெளிதேனும் பாகும் பருப்பும் இவை

நாலும் கலந்துனக்கு நான் தருவேன் கோலஞ்செய்

துங்கக்கரி முகத்துத்தூமணியே நீ எனக்கு
சங்கத்தமிழ் மூன்றும் தா

Paalum Theli Thaenum Paagum Paruppum Ivai
Naalum Kalandhu Unakku Naan Tharuvaen Kolam Sei
Thunga Kari Mugathu Thoomaniyae Nee Enakku
Sanga Thamizh Moondrum Thaa

meaning, I will offer you with milk, pure honey, jaggery and cereals. Bless me and bestow me, the God with the Elephant face. Bless me with all the three forms of Tamil.

The next song exhibits that Avvaiyar was a person who was against caste discrimination.

சாதி இரண்டொழிய வேறில்லை சாற்றுங்கால்
நீதி வழுவா நெறிமுறையின் மேதனியில்
இட்டார் பெரியோர் இடாதார் இழிகுலத்தோர்
பட்டாங்கில் உள்ள படி

Saadhi Irandozhiya Verillai Saatrungaal
Needhi Vazhuvaa Nerimuraiyin Maedhaniyil
Ittar Periyor Idadhaar Izhikulathor
Pattaangil Ulla Padi

meaning, If people should be classified based on caste, the truth is to say that there are only two such classfications. The one who does not go off the path of ethical values, ethical behaviour, generosity called as Noble (Periyor) and the ones that don’t - Ignoble (Izhikulathor). Other than than there are no other castes.

The next song explains the importance of agriculture

ஆற்றம் கரையின் மரமும் அரசறிய
வீற்றிருந்து வாழ்வும் வீழும் ஏற்றம்
உழுதுண்டு வாழ்வதற்கு ஒப்பில்லை கண்டீர்
பழுதுண்டு வேறோர் பணிக்கு

Aatram Karaiyin Maramum Arasariya
Veetrirundha Vaazhvum Veezhum Yaetram
Uzhuthundu Vaazhvadharkku Oppillai Kandeer
Pazhuthundu Vaeror Panikku

meaning, the tree at the river banks and the luxurious life with the king/ruler knowing it, will fall. There is no comparison to living a life by farming crops, the other jobs and life are not determinate and unstable.

The next song is about Karma, one has to suffer for the deeds that one does earlier

செய்தீவினை இருக்க தெய்வத்தை நொந்தக்கால்
எய்த வருமோ இருநிதியம் வையத்து
அறும்பாவம் எ்ன அறிந்து அன்றிடார்க்கு இன்று
வெறும்பானை பொங்குமோ மேல்

Seitheevinai Irukka Dheivathai Nondhakkaal
Yeitha Varumo Irunidhiyam Vaiyathu
Arumpaavam Ena Arindhu Andridaarkku Indru
Verumpaanai Pongumo Mael

meaning, What is the use of cursing God, when the karma of your sins/bad deeds standing in front. Will such a curse bring fortune and wealth? Without realising that by helping the needy, the sins will go away. Like the empty pot that won’t boil and overflow, will it help those who are empty of good deeds to clear away their sins?

The cycle of Karma is that you will have to help the people around you rather than being miserly or perverse.

The next song is for those greedy for wealth and those who don’t spend what they have earned even for their own necessities

பாடுபட்டு தேடிப் பணத்தை புதைத்து வைத்த
கேடுகெட்ட மானிடரே கேளுங்கள் கூடுவிட்டிங்கு
ஆவிதான் போயினபின் யாரே அனுபவிப்பார்
பாவிகள் அந்த பணம்

Paadu Pattu Thaedi Panathai Pudhaithu Vaitha
Kaeduketta Maanidarae Kaelungal Kooduvittingu
Aavithaan Poyinapin Yaarae Anubavippaar
Paavigaal Andha Panam

meaning, Oh you people who toil to earn money and then safeguard it by burying (hiding) it without even using even for necessities. Who will be going to enjoy all your hard earned money once the soul leaves your body, you sinners.

Quite a strong message, people toil, fritter away their lives to earn a wealth of money but don’t have the heart to spend the money. Avvaiyar asks, what is the use of earning such money that you are not willing to spend even for your necessities, let alone helping others.

People these days are quite using to spending a lot using their credit cards, or rather overspending more than what they earn. The song above is for people who don’t spend and the next song is for people who spend lavishly more than their earning capacity. Both are dangerous and not recommended.

ஆன முதலில் அதிகம் செலவானால்
மானமழிந்து மதிகெட்டு போன திசை
எல்லார்க்கும் கள்ளனாய் எழுபிறப்பும் தீயனாய்
நல்லார்க்கும் பொல்லானாம் நாடு

Aana Mudhalil Adhigam Selavaanaal
Maanamazhindhu Madhikettu Pona Dhisai
Ellarakkum Kallanai Ezhupirappum Theeyanaai
Nallaarkkum Pollaanaam Naadu

meaning, if one spends more than his capital/income, then he will have to lose his dignity, his sense, knowledge. He will treated as a thief in whatever direction he goes. And in every birth, he will be treated a bad guy without any respect.

The next song illustrates the effect food and hunger have over humans

மானம் குலம் கல்வி வண்மை அறிவுடைமை
தானம் தவம் உயர்ச்சி தாளாண்மை தேனின்
கசிவந்த சொல்லியர்மேல் காமுறுதல் பத்தும்
பசிவந்திட பறந்து போம்

Maanam Kulam Kalvi Vanmai Arivudaiamai
Dhaanam Thavam Uyarchi Thaalaanmai Thaenin
Kasivandha Solliyarmael Kaamurudhal Paththum
Pasivandhida Parandhu Pom

meaning, The ten characteristics of humans would be ignored when a man is hungry. Those 10 are Maanam - Dignity, Kulam - Class in the Society, Kalvi - Education, Vanmai - Strength, Arivudaimai - Knowledge, Dhaanam - Benevolence, Dhavam - Penance, Uyarchi - Rank, Thalanmai - Generosity, Kamurudhal - Romance. Thaenin Kasivandha Solliyarmael Kaamurudhal - Romance with women uttering out words that are sweet as honey

The overall meaning of the song is that If hunger strikes a human, then all the 10 characteristics mentioned above would go away from him/her until his hunger is over. None of the above in the list takes priority until the stomach is filled up.

The last song in this post is about politeness. But it also gives insights to into the simple science that was used to build the architectural wonders such as the Brihadeeshwarar Temple at Thanjavur. Let's see the meaning of the song

வெட்டெனவை மெத்தெனவை வெல்லாவாம் வேழத்தில்
பட்டுருவும் கோள் பஞ்சில் பாயாது நெட்டிருப்பு
பாறைக்கு நெக்குவிடா பாறை பசுமரத்தின்
வேருக்கு நெக்கு விடும்

Vettenavai Methenavai Vellavaam Vaezhathil
Patturuvum Kol Panjil Paayaadhu Nettiruppu
Paaraikku Nekku Vidaa Paarai Pasumarathin
Vaerukku Nekku Vidum

meaning, Hard and rough things will never win over soft things. A spear that thrusts through the body of an elephant will never be able to thrust up into cotton. Likewise a rock that does not give in even for the hardest iron crowbars, will give in for the tender roots of a tree.

This song above illustrates the need for people to polite as it yields good results and also it even helps achieving the almost impossible. Apart from the moral, this song also provides some scientific insights into how the people who built such magnificent temples were able to cut out huge rocks from the mountains without the aid of modern instruments 1000 years ago. First they would select the rock that needs to be cut out, then they chisel out small holes along the line the rock has to be cut, then they drive in the roots of trees and pour water into it. As a result, the root would expand as it soaks and then rock would be cut out with perfect precision. This is how people used to cut out rocks from mountains - simple and effective way!

I have covered only a few songs, of Moodhurai and Nall Vazhi, but the others are indeed quite valuable. In the upcoming posts, we will see more interesting incidents and legends about Avvaiyar.

More to come, until then...

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 3

2011-03-16T22:58:00.003+05:30

The next of the famous works of Avvaiyar come Moodhurai and Nall Vazhi, these were the works of the later Avvaiyars. The beauty of these two works the lines in the verses are still being used as a quote by people even today. Though people don't remember full verses, but the lines in those verses stand as a testimony to truth and values, for example, "Kettalum Maen makkal maen makkalae" meaning "People who are noble will never lose their nobility even during tough times/penury". In this post, we will see the verses from Moodhurai.

As with most Tamil poems, the first song/verse will be in praise of the God, usually Lord Vinayakar; Moodhurai and Nall Vazhi begin with a song that is in praise of Lord Vinayakar

வாக்குண்டாம் நல்ல மனமுண்டாம் மாமலராள்
நோக்குண்டாம் மேனி நுடங்காது பூக்கொண்டு
துப்பார் திருமேனித் தும்பிக்கையான் பாதம்
தப்பாமல் சார்வார் தமக்கு

Vaakundaam Nalla Manamundaam Maamalaraal
Nokkundaam Meni Nudangaadhu Pookkondu
Thuppaar Thirumeni Thumbikkaiyaan Paadham
Thappaamal Saarvaar Thamakku

meaning, People who worship the elephant trunked God, Lord Ganesh, with flowers will have good command of words and knowledge, good heart and mind, the blessings of the Goddess of wealth and prosperisty, Goddess Lakshmi and good health.

Vaakundaam - Vaaku + Undaam - Word, Knowledge
Nalla Manamundaam - Good Heart, Mind
Maamalaraal - Goddess Lakshmi
Nokku Undaam - Sight, Blessings
Meni - Body
Nudangaadhu - Will not become weak or have ailments
Pookondu - With flowers
Thuppaar Thirumeni - The body of Lord Ganesh which is bright in colour
Thumbikkaiyaan - Lord Ganesh - Thumbikkai - elephant's trunk
Paadham - Feet
Thappaamal Saarvar - People who worship Lord Ganesh's feet without fail
Thamakku - A pronoun referring the people who worship Lord Ganesh

We would have come across the next two song, in one of the earlier posts however, it is worth repeating them here, because of the moral they inculcate about the good deeds

நன்றி யொருவற்க்குச் செய்தக்கால் அந்நன்றி
என்று தருங்கொல் எனவேண்டா நின்று
தளரா வளர்தெங்கு தாளுண்ட நீரை
தலையாலே தான் தருதலால்

Nandri Oruvarrkku Seidhakkaal Annandri
Endru Tharungol Ena Vendaa Nindru
Thalaraa Valar Thengu Thaal Unda Neerai
Thalaiyaalae Thaan Tharudhalaal

meaning, deeds done in time of need, however small, without expecting a favour in return, will pay off someday like the coconut tree that gives benefit carrying on its head, though you pour the water to its feet.

Nandri - Good deeds, gratitude
Oruvarukku - for someone
Seidhakkaal - Act done
Endru - When
Tharungol - Benefit, pay in return
nindru thalaraa valar thengu - The coconut tree (thengu) that stands tall and steady
Thaal - Feet
Unda - Drank, intake
Neerai - Water
Thalaiyalae - On top of the head
Tharudhalaal - provide

நெல்லுக்கிறைத்த நீர் வாய்கால் வழியோடி
புல்லுக்கும் ஆங்கே பொசியுமாம் தொல்லுலகில்
நல்லார் ஒருவர் உளரேல் அவர்பொருட்டு
எல்லார்க்கும் பெய்யும் மழை

Nellukku Iraitha Neer Vaaikaal Vazhiyodi
Pullukkum Aangae Posiyumaam Thollulagil
Nallaar Oruvar Ularael Avarporuttu
Ellarrkkum Peiyyum Mazhai

meaning, The water that is pumped to irrigate paddy also irrigates the weeds and grass. Likewise, just for the one good person on earth, rain falls for the benefit for everyone on earth. Good deeds are so powerful that even for good deeds done by a few, everyone in this world gets benefitted.

Nellukku - (possesive case of) Nell - Paddy
Iraitha - Poured, Irrigated
Neer - Water
Vaaikaal - Stream, a shallow passage for water to flow
Vazhi - Path
Odi - Run
Pullukkum - For the grass (Pull), in this context, weed
Aangae - There
Posiyumaam - Flow, Drip
Tholl Ulagil - Old (Tholl) Earth - (Ulagu)
Nallaar - Good persons
Oruvar - (denoting count of persons) One
Ularael - Ula - Exist ; in conjunction with Oruvar - if one such person exists
Avar Poruttu - Avar: Them, respected tone of a single person; Poruttu - For a particular purpose
Ellarkkum - For all (Ellar)
Peyyum Mazhai - pour down, used in conjunction with rain (Mazhai)

அட்டாலும் பால்சுவையிற் குன்றா தளவளய்
நட்டாலும் நண்பல்லார் நண்பு அல்லர்
கெட்டாலும் மேன்மக்கள் மேன்மக்களே சங்கு
சுட்டாலும் வெண்மை தரும்

Attaalum Paal Suvaiyil Kundraadhu Thalavalai
Nataalum Nanballaar Nanbu Allar
Kettaalum Maenmakkal Maenmakkalae Sangu
Sutaalum Venmai Tharum

meaning, Certain things done in this world don't change even if the circumstances change. Like milk that still tastes good, even after boiling it in fire. People who are not friends will never be friends even if they are placed nearby each other. People who are noble and magnanimous will never lose their magnanimity even in times of adversity. Likewise the conch shell will be white inside, even if charred by hot fire

Attaalum - Boil
Paal - Milk
Suvai - Taste
Kundraadhu - Not deteriorate
Nataalum - Place nearby
Nanbu - Friendship; Allaar - Negation
Kettaalum - Fall into adversity, worsen in situation
Maenmakkal - Magnanimous People
Sangu - Conch
Suttalum - Burn
Venmai - Whiteness

Some of Avvaiyar's songs strongly support the concept of destiny and fate. In the next two songs, Avvaiyar's point that things won't happen until time is ripe and things destined to happen will happen

அடுத்து முயன்றாலும் ஆகு நாளன்றி
எடுத்த கருமங்கள் ஆகா தொடுத்த
உருவத்தால் நீண்ட உயர்மரங்கள் எல்லாம்
பருவத்தால் அன்றி பழா

Aduthu Muyandraalum Aagu Naalandri
Edutha Karumangal Aaga Thodutha
Uruvathaal Neenda Uyarmarangal Ellaam
Paruvathaal Andri Pazhaa.

meaning, even if you attempt again and again, things that should happen only a specified time will not happen until the time is ripe, like the trees that stand tall, though they are big in size, will not bear fruit until it is the right time.

Aduthu Muyandraalum - Even if tried again and again
Aagu naal - Ripe time/Destined day
Edutha Karumangal - Tasks taken
Thodutha uruvathaal - In their grown appearance
Neenda uyar marangal - the tall and lengthy trees
Paruvathaal - Season
Andri Pazhaa - Will not bear fruit until that time

எழுதியவாறே காண் இரங்கும் மடநெஞ்சே
கருதிய வாராமோ கருமம் கருதிப்போய்
கற்பகத்தை சேர்ந்தோருக்கு காஞ்சிரங்காய் ஈந்தேல்
முற்பவத்தில் செய்த வினை

Ezhuthiyavaarae Kaan Irangum Madanenjae
Karudhiya Vaaraamo Karumam Karudhippoi
Karpagathai Saernthorkku Kaanjirangaai Eendhael
Murpavathil Seidha Vinai

meaning, Hey you wailing heart. Things will happen the way they are destined to happen. Will they happen the way you imagine them to happen? Even if you reach the Karpaga tree - (the mythological tree that gives you anything when you are under it) - and if it gives the Ettikaai (Poisonous fruit), then it is what it has been destined for you from your past actions.

Ezhuthiya - Written
Kaan - See
Irangum - Wailing, Despondent
Mada Nenjae - Foolish Heart/Mind
Karudhiyavaaru - Imagined
Aamo - Happen
Karumam - Act, Result
Karpagam - Mythological tree that gives anything wished for
Saernthu - Reach
Kaanjirankaai - Ettikaai (Strychnos Nuxvomica)
Murpavam - Past life
Seidha - Done
Vinai - Actions/Sin

கான மயிலாட கண்டிருந்த வான்கோழி
தானும் அதுவாக பாவித்து தானுந்தன்
பொல்லாச்சிறகை விரித்து ஆடினாற் போலுமே
கல்லாதான் கற்ற கவி

Kaana Mayilaada Kandirundha Vaankozhi
Thaanum Adhuvaaga Paavithu Thaanum Thann
Polla Siragai Virithu Aadinaar Polumae
Kallaadhaan Katra Kavi

meaning, The turkey that saw a peacock dancing with its feathers spreadout. On seeing that the turkey started spreading out its feathers imitating the peacock and started dancing. This can be compared to a poem being learnt by a fool

Kaana - Forest
Mayil - Peacock
Aada - Dance
Vaankozhi - Turkey
Thaanum Adhuvaaga Paavithu - Considering it as peacock
Thaanum Thann - Pronoun referring the turkey
Polla Siragu - Incomplete or Insufficient feathers
Virithu - Spread
Aadinaal - Dance
Kalladhaan - Illiterate
Katra Kavi - learned poem

The next song illustrates the prominence for education and knowledge. The most popular phrase "Katrorukku Sendra Idam Ellam Sirappu" which means "The learned and scholarly will be praised wherever they go" is from this song

மன்னனும் மாசற கற்றோனும் சீர்தூக்கின்
மன்னனில் கற்றோன் சிறப்புடையன் மன்னனுக்கு
தன்தேசம் அல்லால் சிறப்பில்லை கற்றோருக்கு
சென்ற இடமெல்லாம் சிறப்பு

Mannanum Maasara Kattronum Seerthookin
Mannanil Katron Sirappudaiyan Mannanukku
Thann Desam Allaal Sirappillai Katrorukku
Sendra Idam Ellam Sirappu

meaning, if you compare a King and a Scholar, a Scholar has more prominence that the King. The King is popular and prominent only in his kingdom and outside of his kingdom, he is not; but a scholar is popular and prominent at all places wherever he goes

Mannan - King
Maasara Katron - Scholar
Seerthookin - Compare
Sirappudaiyan - Prominent, Popular, Better
Thann - His
Desam - Country
Sendra Idam - Places gone

Not only are the songs in Moodhurai are simple to understand, the moral values they inculcate are great and are still being used by parents and elders to educate their children about the moral values the Tamil Civilization had thousands of years ago.

More to come, until then...

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 2

2010-12-27T23:26:00.001+05:30

The first thing that everyone remembers on hearing the name Avvaiyar is Aathichudi. Aathichudi is said to have been written by the later Avvaiyar. Aathichudi stands as a crown for tha works of Avvaiyar. Its simplicity and the moral values it inculcates has a wide acceptance among people. It is so simple that is even taught to kids just out of kindergarten, and even used by people as quotes during their ordinary day to day talks or speeches.

Aathichudi has 109 verses explaining the morals. The beauty is that it is organized in such a way that each verse is in the order of the vowels (Uyir Ezhuthu), consonants (Mei Ezhuthu) of the Tamil alphabets and the combinant alphabets (Uyir Mei Ezhuthu).

அறம் செய விரும்பு
Aram seyya virumbu
Desire doing righteous deeds

ஆறுவது சினம்
Aaruvadhu Sinam
Anger is to be controlled

இயல்வது கரவேல்
Iyalvadhu Karavael
Help others in whatever ways you can

ஈவது விலக்கேல்
Eevadhu Vilakkael
Never prevent others from providing charity

உடையது விளம்பேல்
Udaiyadhu Vilambael
Never proclaim/boast what you have

ஊக்கமது கைவிடேல்
Ookamadhu Kaividael
Never give up the confidence and hope

எண் எழுத்து இகழேல்
Enn Ezhuthu Egazhael
Never despise learning

ஏற்பது இகழ்ச்சி
Yaerpadhu Igazhchi
Accepting alms (begging) is despicable

ஐயமிட்டு உண்
Ayyamittu Unn
Share your food with the needy, before you eat

ஒப்புர வொழுகு
Oppuravu Ozhugu
Act virtuously

ஓதுவது ஒழியேல்
Odhuvadhu Ozhiyael
Never stop learning

ஒளவியம் பேசேல்
Ouviyyam Paesael
Never gossip about others

அஃகஞ் சுருக்கேல்
Akkam Surukael
Never cheat on quantity of items you sell

The name Aathichudi is because of the head verse is in praise of Lord Shiva and Lord Ganapathy, who is adorned with the Aathi flowers.

ஆத்திசூடி அமர்ந்த தேவனை
ஏத்தி ஏத்தி தொழுவோமே

Aathichudi Amarndha Devanai
Yaethi Yaethi thozuvomae

meaning, we will praise the The God (Lord Vinayaka) who sits in the lap of the Lord (Lord Shiva) who wears the Aathi flowers

The simplicity of these verses are not only easy to comprehend but also easy to remember. Very easy for learning kids, that they remember through out their life.

Another work, the Kondrai vendhan, is also by the later Avvaiyar, which is similar to the Aathichudi in many respects. The same one-liner style, along with the order of the alphabets makes it easy to read and remember too. This is praise of Lord Shiva, who is adorned with the Kondrai flowers, and Lord Vinayaka. Usually all Tamil poems being with a song that is in praise of the poet's favourite God. This verse is called the Kadavul Vaazhthu. Now, the verses from Kondrai Vendhan.

கொன்றை வேந்தன் செல்வன் அடியினை
என்றும் ஏத்தி தொழுவோம் யாமே

Kondrai Vendhan Selvan Adiyinai
Endrum Yaethi Thozhuvom Yaamae

We will ever worship and praise the Son (Lord Vinayaka) of the Lord (Lord Shiva) who wears the Kondrai flowers.

அன்னையும் பிதாவும் முன்னறி தெய்வம்
Annaiyum Pidhavum Munnari Dheivam
The mother and the father are the Gods to be realised first

ஆலயம் சென்றடல் சாலவும் நன்று
Aalayam Sendridal Saalavum Nandru
It is good and noble to worship the God in temples

இல்லறம் அல்லது நல்லறம் அன்று
Illaram Alladhu Nallaram Andru
It is ignoble to not follow a peaceful marriage

ஈயார் தேட்டை தீயார் கொள்வர்
Eeyaar Thaetai Theeyaar Kollvar
The belongings of the miserly will be plundered by the evil-minded

உண்டி சுருங்குதல் பெண்டிருக்கு அழகு
Undi Surungudhal Pendirukku Azhagu
Reducing the quantity of food intake, by women is good for them

ஊருடன் பகைக்கின் வேருடன் கெடும்
Oorudan Pagaikkin Verudan Kedum
Hostility with the society/country will destroy everything one has right from the root

எண்ணும் எழுத்தும் கண்ணென தகும்
Ennum Ezhuthum Kannena Thagum
Education and knowledge is like the eye for everyone

ஏவா மக்கள் மூவா மருந்து
Yaeva Makkal Moova Marundhu
Children who do the right things without the parents' guidance are like curative medicine

ஐயம் புகினும் செய்வன செய்
Aiyyam Puginum Seivana Sei
Even under impecuniousness do your duties

ஒருவனை பற்றி ஓரகத்து இரு
Oruvanai Pattri Oragathu Iru
Marry one and be loyal the spouse

ஓதலின் நன்றே வேதியர்க்கு ஒழுக்கம்
Odhalin Nandrae Vedhiyarkku Ozhukkam
Discipline is more important to a priest than uttering the sacred hymns

ஔவியம் பேசுதல் ஆக்கத்திற்கு அழிவு
Auviyam Pesudhal Aakkathirkku Azhivu
Gossiping is destructive to one's fame

அஃகமும் காசும் சிக்கென தேடு
Akkamum Kaasum Sikkena Thaedu
Earn cultivation lands and the money soon in your life

The beauty of these verses are their simplicity and the greatness of the values they inculcate in such curtness. Moreover, all of these are easy to remember as they have been composed in the order of the Tamil Alphabets, that one can easily related to these verses based on the alphabets.

Children and kids find it very easy to take it by heart, also explaining these to them does not take much effort as they are easily understood.

I will try to post the meaning of the other verses too in the upcoming posts. The complete verses can be downloaded here.

There are more fascinating songs by Avvaiyar that served as technological insights to great construction feats like the Brahadeeshwara Temple at Thanjavur. We will see those in the upcoming posts.

More to come, until then...

Austere Avvaiyar - Part 1

2010-11-07T03:25:00.000+05:30

"Avvaiyar", the venerated name that reverberates throughout Tamil Literature The name and the works of Avvaiyar have permeated in the minds of the Tamil people at all ages. Avvaiyar is seen as an icon representing the female poets in Tamil literature because Avvaiyar comes first when the question of naming the female poets in Tamil literature arises. This post and the subsequent posts are about this magnificent, magnanimous, literary eloquent, venerated and a motherly person - Avvaiyar, who is respected by people in all walks of life.

Avvaiyar is envisioned by many as one person who was a female ascetic and a wise crone. But, in reality, there were more than one with the name Avvaiyar. Abithana Chintamani identifies that there were 3 female poets who had the name Avvaiyar. The first one lived during the Sangam age, over 2000 years ago. The second one during the period of Kambar and Ottakoothar (11th and 12th). The third during the 14th century. Some researchers even say that there were at least 7 persons with the name Avvaiyar. One such reference to another Avvaiyar is during the time of Sage/Siddhar Agasthiar, where it says that Avvaiyar recommended another Siddhar Theraiyar - author of Padhartha Guna Chinthamani - to become the disciple of Agasthiar. The time of Agasthiar was about 5200 BC to 4000 BC.

Though there were many Avvaiyars in different periods of time, their works exhibit the nature of the poets - simplicity, austerity and truth.

Avvaiyars' works are being recited and researched by students right from kindergarten to doctorates. Their works include Aathichudi, Kondrai Vaendhan, Nall vazhi, Moodhurai, Vinayagar Agaval, some songs in Puranaanooru, Aganaanooru. Many songs are just collections of single songs sung over various periods of time and they don't fall under a group or common title. These works have stood the test of time and still inculcate the moral values, virtues and stand as a beacon to lead a good life.

There are lot of interesting legends and songs that support those legends about Avvaiyar that we are going to see in the upcoming posts. I'll try to provide information on which Avvaiyar sangs those songs, in cases where I could not find such information, we will just enjoy those legends, the meaning and the literary eloquence those songs convey. For simplicity, here-in-after we will refer Avvaiyar as a single person, though we know that there were more than one Avvaiyar.

Many verses, single lines from Avvaiyar's songs are quoted even today as a moral to represent virtue, humility and truth. For example, her words

"கற்றது கைமண் அளவு, கல்லாதது உலகளவு"
"Katradhu Kai Mann Alavu, Kalladhadhu Ulagalavu"

meaning, "What we have learned, is like a handful of earth; What we have yet to learn, is like the whole world" is exhibited in NASA

Avvaiyar was very much respected by the Kings and Emperors of South India, even the Emperors of the three great kingdoms - Chera, Chola and the Pandya - had high regard for Avvaiyar. Avvaiyar is venerated so much in Tamil Nadu, that she is even worshipped as a God. People have even built a temple for her. In Thovalai Taluk of Kanyakumari district, there is an old temple that was built during the 11th century for Avvaiyar. The deity is called Avvaiyar amman. Women in that locality, prepare kolukattai (a steamed cake made out of rice flour) and offer it to Avvaiyar amman during the Tamil month of Aadi. Women worship Avvaiyar amman to get good husband and for betterment of the standard of living.

This itself is a proof, that Tamil Nadu held Avvaiyar, and women in general, in high respect. In the upcoming posts, we will explore more about these legendary Avvaiyars and their works that makes us proud of having such great people in our ancestry

To be continued...

More to come, until then...

Esoteric Edaikaadar - Part 3

2010-09-12T19:04:00.016+05:30

Continuing Part 1 and Part 2, this post I wanted to write Edaikaadar's predictions for the next few years and the legends associated with this Siddhar. First let us see the predictions and the interesting legend about how Edaikaadar evaded the famine for 12 years and manipulated the planetary positions to reverse the effects of the famine.

Vijaya (விஜய )

மண்ணில் விஜய வருடம் மழை மிகுதி
எண்ணு சிறு தானியங்களெங்கும் நண்ணும்
பயம் பெருகி நொந்து பரிவாரமெல்லாம்
நயங்களின்றி வாடுமென நாட்டு

Mannil Vijaya Varudam Mazhai Migudhi
Ennum Siru Dhaniyangal Engum Nannnum
Bayam Perugi Nondhu Parivaaram Ellam
Nayangalindri Vaadum Ena Naatu

meaning, In this land, during the Vijaya year, rainfall will be abundant. Pulses (Crops) will grow well. Fear will mount, and as a result, the army and people will become unhappy and weak.

Jeya (ஜெய )

ஜெய வருடந்தன்னிலே செய்புலங்களெல்லாம்
வியனுறவே பைங்கூழ் விளையும் நயமுடனே
அஃகம் பெரிதாமளவில் சுகம் பெருகும்
வெஃகுவார் மண்ணிறை மேல்

Jeya Varudam Thannilae Sei Pulangal Ellam
Viyanuravae Painkoozh Vilayum Nayamudanae
Akkam Peridhaam Alavil Sugam Perugum
Vekkuvaar Mannirai Mael

meaning, during the "Jeya" year, crops will yield a good harvest in both the Nanjai and Punjai lands. Divine activities like Yaagams and Poojas will be on the rise. Everyone will be happy and comfortable. The rulers will become greedy and proud.

Manmadha (மன்மத)

மன்மததின் மாரியுண்டு வாழும் உயிரெல்லாமே
நன்மை மிகும் பல்பொருளு நண்ணுமே மன்னவரால்
சீனத்தில் சண்டை உண்டு தென் திசையிற் காற்று மிகுதி
காணப்பொருள் குறையும் காண்

Manmadhathin Maariyundu Vaazhum Uyirellamae
Nanmai Migu Palporulum Nannumae Mannavaraal
Seenathil Sandai Undu Then Disayil Kaatru Migudhi
Kaanapporul Kuraiyum Kaan

meaning, In the year "Manmadha", rains will be good. People will live well and be bestowed with good things. Because of the decisions made by the rulers, China will have to face war. The southern regions of India will have more winds. As a result, items obtained from the forests will get reduced.

Dhunmugi (துன்முகி)

மிக்கான துன்முகியில் வேளாண்மை யேறுமே
தொக்க மழை பின்னே சொரியுமே மிக்கான
குச்சர தேசத்தில் குறை தீரவே விளையும்
அச்சமில்லை வெள்ளை அரிதாம்

Mikkaana Dhunmugiyil Velanmai Yaerumae
Thokka Mazhai Pinnae Soriyumae Mikkaana
Kuchara Desathil Kurai Theeravae Vilayum
Achamillai Vellai Aridhaam

meaning, in the year Dhunmugi, agriculture will flourish, good amount rains will fall during the later part of th year. Gujarat will see good harvest. There is nothing to fear in this year, but products that are white - milk, salt, cotton etc will become scarce.

Heyvilambi (ஹேவிளம்பி)

ஹேவிளம்பி மாறியற்பமெங்கும் விளை குறையுமே
பூவில் விளைவரிதாம் போர்மிகுதி சாவதிகம்
ஆகுமே வேந்தர் அநியாயமே புரிவர்
வேறுமே மேதணி தீ மேல்

Heyvilambi Maari Arpam Engum Vilai Kuraiyumae
Poovil Vilaivaridhaam Pormigudhi Saavadhigam
Aagumae Vendhar Aniyayamae Purivar
Yerum Maedhani Thee Mael

meaning, during Heyvilambi, rains will fail and harvests will fall. Countries will wage war against each other. Rulers will begin to do injustice as a result, the world will burn in fire.

Vilambi (விளம்பி )

விளம்பி வருடம் விளைவு கொஞ்சம் மாரி
அளந்து பொழியும் அரசர் கலங்க்முடன்
நோவான் மெலிவரே நோக்கரிதாகும் கொடுமை
ஆவா புகலரிதாம்

Vilambi Varudam Vilaivu Konjam Maari
Alandhu Pozhiyum Arasar Kalangmudan
Novaan Melivarae Nokkaridhaagum Kodumai
Aava Pugalaridhaam

meaning, Vilambi year will see less harvests, rainfall will be just sufficient. Rulers will commit blatant injustice, torture and tyranny. Successful happenings will become scarce.

Now on to the interesting legend, where Edaikaadar manipulated the planets to bring prosperity. Edaikaadar was a shepherd and was herding his goats in the Podhigai hills. One day, one Siddhar was passing by those hills and Edaikaadar provided him with the goat's milk and other food items. As a token of gratitude, that Siddhar bestowed Edaikaadar with the knowledge of self-realisation. Edaikaadar attained knowledge and self-realisation. He acquired the knowledge of predicting things before hand and thus he then calculated that the next 12 years is going to suffer from drought and famine, started to train his goats to eat the Erukkilai (Madar plant), it is one of the plants that will survive even the toughest drought. Though it has medicinal properties, raw intake could cause a lot a problems that includes skin irritation. He also mixed the Kuruvaragu (a kind of millet) along with mud and started to construct a small hut in that region.

On the onset of the drought, grazing grounds started to dwindle and the goats were left with no other choice than to eat the Erukkilai. As a result, it will start to itch which in turn will make them to rub their skin against the walls of the hut. After the goats scratch themselves against the walls, the kuruvaragu will fall off along with the dried mud. Edaikaadar collected these, prepared food and made his living.

Soon, all the people in that place, fled to other areas because of the severe drought. But Edaikaadar stayed there, as he had the way to endure the drought. The Navagrahams (Nine planets) who influenced everything on this planet, were confused when they saw Edaikaadar being able to survive the drought, wanted to find out how he did.

The Navagrahams, went to Edaikaadar's place to find out how he managed the drought. Edaikaadar realising that they are the Gods that represent the Navagrahams, received them well and his hospitality was great that he provided them with the Varagu food and goat's milk. Having had a lavish meal, the Navagrahams dozed off. At that time, Edaikaadar changed their positions and thereby ending the drought. When the Navagrahams woke up they realised that their positions have been altered, grew furious, but the hospitality of Edaikaadar prevent them from cursing him, instead they blessed him and left the place.

Though the legend might not sound logical or even humanly possible to manipulate the planets, but Edaikaadar's predictions and his presence of mind enabled him to endure the drought and also maintain a herd which is appreciable.

More to come, until then...

Other parts to this post

Part 1
Part 2

The Lost Heritage - Muttam

2010-07-03T23:41:00.002+05:30

The temples and the archaelogical wonders in India are quite fascinating. More fascinating are the ones that have a great heritage, become lost over time and later rediscovered. One such place is Muttam, also now known as Kottai Kaadu, meaning the forest of the fort. It is quite intriguing to know that this place was once a hive of activity, with people flocking from all across the globe. The Romans and the Greek conducted trade with people in that region. The reason behind it was the great perennial river, Noyyal. It is referred to as the Kanchi Maanadhi in ancient literature. However, some people opine that the Kanchi Maanadhi and the Noyyal start as two different rivers that merge together before merging with the famous Cauvery at a place called Kodumudi. The Kanchi Maanadhi was laden with precious and semi-precious stones that was one of the biggest reasons for people flocking from all across the globe. The other reason was that the region was rich in spices and condiments that are quite valuable to the people of the other countries.

Muttam lies in the Kongu region, the present Coimbatore, near the foothills of the famous Vellingiri hills and in the banks of the Kanchi Maanadhi river (Noyyal). The route along the river Noyyal gave the foreign traders access from a port called Vanji in Kerala to one of the busiest cities in the Chola Empire - Tiruchirapalli (Trichy). This route became more of a trade route called the Rajakesari Highway, which still connects Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli. The name Rajakesari refers to the Chola king "Aditya Karikalan - I" who conquered the Kongu region and provided a shadow of army to safeguard the traders and their precious belongings while they travel in this route. Along the Rajakesari highway were a few other important places that were also a hive of activity and trade, they were, Vellalur, Erode and Karur. Ancient Greek and Roman currencies were discovered in these places when research and excavations were done.

It is no wonder that kings from the three empires were insistent on conquering the Kongu region, because, when they have the fertile and rich Kongu region in their control, they amassed great wealth. Muttam was the hub of all the events and trade happening. In order to safeguard the place, a fort was built by the then rulers of the place, some say Cholas and some say the Pandyas. This dates to the days of another famous place call the Perur, which has a famous Shiva temple built by the great Chola Emperor - King Karikala Peruvalathaan. Many Sangam period Tamil literary works Kurunthogai, Padhitrupathu and Aganaanuru have references about the Kongu region

Now, in the once famous centre of activity, only a small renovated temple remains. The fort is now ruined and the blocks of granite used to build the fort have now been used up to erect fences, stone embankments. Now let's see the present state of this glorious place, that is, temple. The temple's main deity is Lord Shiva adorned with the named Muttathu Naagalingeshwarar and his consort Goddess Parvathi is in the name Muthuvaaliamman. The other deities include Vinayagar, Subramaniar, Dakshinamoorthy, Perumal and Sandikeshwarar. The temple also carries the symbols of the Chera, Chola and the Pandya kingdoms, implying that the kings were patrons to this temple. The temple does not have a festival yet, but the Poojas are being performed daily. Thavathiru Santhalinga Adigalaar took efforts to renovate and rebuild the temple in the same old structure it was. The same stones that were used to build the original temple was used again too, to renovate and rebuild that temple. Nearby the temple runs the Kanchi Maanadhi. Now let's see the pictures of this great old treasure.

The front view of the Muttam Nagalingeshwarar Temple

The shrine of the main deity Nagalingeshwarar and the Dakshinamoorthy shrine. My friends Sakthivel and Vijayendran too in this snap

The closeup view of the main shrine

The Vinayagar shrine

The view of the main shrine from the Vinayagar temple with me and Sakthivel

The stone inscriptions on the temple walls

Following are the pictures around the temple

Lord Subramaniar Shrine on the left

Goddess Muthuvaali Amman Shrine

Carving of the Kannappa Nayanar. Shiva worship was quite prominent in the Chola Empire

The Pandyan Empire symbol - The Fish

Lord Vishnu Shrine

Navagraha Shrine

The Nandhi status in front of the Nagalingeshwarar Shrine

The serene and fertile Betel nut plantation near the temple

The Kanchi Maanadhi. This is a perennial stream that irrigates the lands nearby (Sakthivel, Anwar and Vijayendran)

A few more picture of the Kanchi Maanadhi

Though we have lost the heritage of this great place Muttam, the remains have to be preserved for the generations to see how well the Tamil civilisation flourished, when most others were just beginning to evolve.

More to come, until then...

Pattinathaar: The tycoon turned sanyasi - Part 5

2010-06-07T01:01:00.000+05:30

King Badhragiri decided to become a sanyasi, handed over his kingdom to his minister and went in search of Pattinathaar. He found Pattinathaar and requested Pattinathaar to accept him as his disciple. Pattinathaar denied saying that Badhragiri was a king, who has lived a posh life and being a Sanyasi means relinquishing everything in life as nothing belongs to a sanyasi, even the air he breathes does not belong to him. But Badhragiri was determined; he expressed his determination to be a disciple of Pattinathaar by turning to be sanyasi. Pattinathaar finally agreed to take Badhragiri as his disciple.

Then they started out on their journey south. They followed the rule of the Sanyasi, relinquishing everything. For food, they just get some alms from the homes that provided food. During some days they get food in plenty, well enough to feed thrice a day or even more, and on some days they don't get food at all.

One day, Badhragiri found a Thiruvodu and he took it. Pattinathaar told him that a Sanyasi has no property, so he told Badhragiri to leave that Thiruvodu where he found. Badhragiri justified saying that they don't get food quite often and the Thiruvodu is the vessel used by Sanyasis, even Lord Shiva used it. Pattinathaar said, "It's your wish". Then they proceeded, later Badhragiri found a small bag, he took and looked at Pattinathaar, again Pattinathaar told "See you are starting to gather your assets". Badhragiri argued, "it's of no use to others, why not we using it". Pattinathaar said, "It's your wish" and proceeded.

And on another day, he found a puppy stranded in the road. It was very weak and appeared as if it hadn't eaten for a few days. Badhragiri took pity on the puppy, fed it well and took it with him. Pattinathaar reminded Badhragiri that he was a Sanyasi and he is going back into his family bonding by taking the puppy with him. Again, Badhragiri argued that being a sanyasi does not mean that we should ignore the poor and hapless creatures. As usual, Pattinathaar said, "It's your wish" and proceeded.

A few days passed, then one day, both of them did not get any food for the day and they decided to rest for the night in the Thinnai - a small area in front of the house, usually where people sit. Pattinathaar lay down to rest in one end of the lobby and Badhragiri in the other end keeping all the possessions and the puppy nearby. Sometime later in the night, a beggar came near Pattinathaar and begged for food. Pattinathaar and Badhragiri woke up on hearing the beggar. Pattinathaar told the beggar that he is a Sanyasi however the man on the other end of the lobby is a family man and he might have something.

Badhragiri realised that Pattinathaar was mentioning about the the various things he had collected in due course has made him attached to those things. At the same time, he got angry because he renounced everything to become a Sanyasi, yet his own Guru told that he is still a family man. Immediately he threw away his possessions and threw the puppy against the wall that it died after having a last gaze at Badhragiri. Badhragiri could not understand the meaning of that gaze the puppy gave him. Then the beggar showed who He was, He was lord Shiva incarnate. Lord Shiva gave enlightenment to Badhragiriyar and vanished

However, Pattinathaar had to wait for some more time until he reached Thiruvottriyur and he was playing with the kids out there, he attained enlightenment and turned into a Shiva lingam.

That was the life history of the legendary Pattinathaar who was born as a wealthy man, but renounced everything on realisation that nothing in this world is permanent. He has left us his life experiences and his realisations as songs that will serve as a reminder that one should not be attached to the materialistic possessions in this world.

More to come, until then...

Pattinathaar: The tycoon turned sanyasi - Part 4

2010-02-28T13:31:00.000+05:30

Pattinathaar reached Ujjain and worshipped the Kali and decided to stay there for a while. He was getting acquainted with the place and walked along the streets of Ujjain. There was a sudden excitement in the crowd and the reason was that the King of Ujjain Badhragiri (Bharudhahiri) visited that place with his soldiers escorting him. The people there respectfully bowed to the King when he went past them. But Pattinathaar did not bow to the King. The King grew a bit disturbed and asked Pattinathaar why he did not bow. Pattinathaar said he does not bow to anyone other than Lord Shiva himself.

The king roared, "It is the King who is talking to you". Pattinathaar replied "So is the One replying to you". He referred to Lord Shiva as "the One" who is talking from within him. The King was surprised by that answer and went quietly ahead. The town settled down for the day at dusk and Pattinathaar along with a few sanyasis settled down in the nearby Sathiram

When Pattinathaar was telling about his life history to the other sanyasis, a stranger who claimed that he was a merchant joined the group of people in the sathiram. The merchant was listening to the conversation between Pattinathaar and other sanyasis. Pattinathaar was explaining about the realisation he had in his life and that the meaning of life is to get rid of the materialistic pleasures of this world and realising the Supreme Being. The merchant interrupted, telling his views. He argued explaining that the purpose of life is to enjoy every moment of it. To get rid of materialistic pleasures are the words of the weak and the impotent. The merchant added, "In addition to the pleasures of wealth, the company of a woman you marry adds more value to your life. You should not miss the comfort, love and compassion. The wife has only one mind and that mind thinks only about you."

But Pattinathaar differed saying that woman are like men do have multiple minds, you can never say that their minds are set on only one man - the husband. Before marriage they could have admired other men too. The merchant grew a bit disturbed by the answer asked if it was true for noble women. Pattinathaar replied that it was true for all women in this world. The merchant who was none other than the King himself in disguise, came out of his disguise, grew more viscious and told Pattinathaar "My Queen is more noble and she has only one mind thinking about me"

Pattinathaar laughed and told "She has many minds!". This made the King very angry and he shouted at Pattinathaar to get his word back. Pattinathaar was determined that he told that he spoke only the truth. The King intimidated Pattinathaar that he would be killed if did not apologize and take his word back. Pattinathaar did not budge. The King went out of the Sathiram asking Pattinathaar to be ready for his sentence in the morning. Pattinathaar told he is a sanyasi who sacrificed everything in life and life itself is no matter to him. The King ordered his men to put Pattinathaar in the prison.

The next day the King issued an order to his men to put Pattinathaar to sentence in a Kazhumaram. (Kazhumaram, a conical shaped mast made of tree or iron fully lubricated with oil, where criminals are mounted on it on the sitting position with their hands tied to their back. The criminals will have painful death). Pattinathaar was brought before the Kazhumaram where he was about to be sentenced. He realised that it is the will of Lord Shiva and sang the following Aram (Truth) song

"என்செய லாவதியாதொன்று மில்லை இனித்தெய்வமே
உன்செய லேயென் றுணரப் பெற்றேன் இந்த ஊன் எடுத்து
பின்செய்த தீவினையாதொன்று மில்லை பிறப்பதற்கு
முன்செய்த தீவினை யோலிங்ங னேவந்து மூண்டதுவே"

"Enn Seyal Aavadhu Yaadhondrum Illa Ini Dheivamae
Unn Seyal Endru Unarappetraen Indha Oon Eduthu
Pin Seidha Theevinai Yaadhondrum Illai Pirappadharkku
Munn Seidha Theevinaiyo Innaganae Vandhu Moondadhuvae"

meaning, There is nothing I did or can do to this. I now realize that it is your will my God. I haven't committed any sin after being born into this body. But the sins that accumulated over my previous births is now standing before me to end this life

As soon as he finished singing this Aram, he fainted and fell to the ground. The Kazhumaram started burning in flames. This incident was reported to the King; the King was amazed and went to meet his queen. She thought the King was disturbed by the incident and requested him to relax, gave him wine and ordered her servants to keep the King this way. The King enjoyed the wine and literally forgot his kingdom and the world. In the meanwhile, the queen went to meet Pattinathaar herself and ordered him to apologize and tell the world that she was noble to get himself released from prison. Pattinathaar said that he would rather die. She went away saying that she will make sure that the miracle like the one that happened before does not happen the next time.

The King was inebriated and never cared about his kingdom for a few days. After he came to his senses, he went in search of his queen. Suddenly, he heard her talking to someone and discovered that she was intimate with one his horse chariots drivers. He also heard her telling the plans to execute the sanyasi (Pattinathaar) and once that is done, then the King. As a result, her secret lover would become the next King.

The King was shocked to hear that from the woman who he believed to be noble. He was very disoriented to see the queen betraying him and having an affair with an ugly servant of his. Now he remembered Pattinathaar, and the truth he said. He immediately ordered his men to behead the chariot driver and to humiliate the queen by a practice called Karum Pulli Sem Pulli Kuthudhal (A practice where the person punished was tonsured, applied black and white spots all over the body, mounted on a donkey and make them go around the city/town). He did that to set them as examples of what would happen if someone betrays the King. The order was executed, and his former queen went around the city, people pelted her with stones and she died.

King Badhragiri, then went running to Pattinathaar, fell at his feel and apologized to Pattinathaar for ordering his men to execute him. Now, King Badhragiri decided to become a sanyasi and a disciple of Pattinathaar. He handed over his kingdom to his chief minister and requested Pattinathaar to accept him as a disciple.

To be continued in the next part...

More to come, until then...

Pattinathaar: The tycoon turned sanyasi - Part 3

2009-12-24T00:38:00.000+05:30

Pattinathaar made his decision to become a sanyasi and expressed his decision to his wife Sivakalai. She cried like anything on her husband leaving her alone and becoming a sanyasi. But later she consoled herself and she too decided that she will live the life of a sanyasi by being at home. Then Pattinathaar got from Sivakalai, a box that had the dress of his ancestor, who became a sanyasi. Pattinathaar's family had been worshipping that box considering that dress to be divine.

Pattinathaar first renounced his wife and then renounced his chariot, so he walked across the streets to meet his mother. When he informed his decision about becoming a sanyasi to his mother. His mother said that she was not surprised, but she expected this. Pattinathaar said to his mother that he is going to wear the saffron cloth of his ancestor. His mother insisted that he opens up that box and sees that.

When Pattinathaar opened the box, all he found was six loin cloths. Now, Pattinathaar's mother told that this was the property of her father-in-law and that he would say that full clothing is itself a big burden for a sanyasi. Pattinathaar went inside one of the rooms in the house and came out dressed in the loin cloth. Then his mother instructed that he should get the blessings and word from the guru from whom his grandfather got sanyasam. Before he left, his mother tied some small cloth packet to his hip and told that he should meet her if the pack unties, because that will happen when it is the end of her life.

Pattinathaar went to the Gurukulam for the first time in his life, though it was the Gurukulam started off by one of his ancestors and their family were the patrons of that Gurukulam, yet Pattinathaar never ventured into the Gurukulam before. He went in and got the blessings and word from the Guru. When he came out of the Gurukulam, he was given the beggar's shell (Thiruvodu). He got the thiruvodu. As sanyasi's are expected to beg and eat their daily meal as they have renounced everything in life and nothing belongs to them. Hence even the food for their living has to be given by others, symbolising that everything in this world, including one's soul is the alms given by God.

Pattinathaar, with his Thiruvodu, went to meet his mother as the first alms for a sanyasi should be from his mother. That's when he thought

வீடிருக்க தாயிருக்க வேண்டுமனை யாளிருக்க
பீடிருக்க ஊணிருக்க பிள்ளைகளுந் தாமிருக்க
மாடிருக்க கன்றிருக்க வைத்த பொருளிருக்க
கூடிருக்க நீ போன கோலமென்ன கோலமே

Veedirukka Thaayirukka Vendu Manayaal Irukka
Peedu Irukka Oon Irukka Pillaigalum Thaanirukka
Maadirukka Kandrirukka Vaitha Porulirukka
Koodirukka Nee Pona Kolamenna Kolamae

meaning Pattinathaar thinks to himself "You have your home, You have your mother, You have a wife. You have the fame, You have good healthy body, You even have children. You have the cow, And the cow has its calf, you even have the wealth for generations. While body is still alive, look what you have been - a Sanyasi"

Then he walks straight to his home to get the first alms from his mother. He called his mother from the gates. His mother came out with an empty hand and asked "My dear son, are you still rich?". Pattinathaar was puzzled at his mother's question. He thought he had renounced everything and is begging for alms before his mother and his mother is asking such a question. He asked his mother in a puzzled tone "Why do you ask that way mother?". His mother replied

"வீடு உனக்கு அந்நியம் ஆகிவிட்டது ஆனால் ஓடு உனக்கு சொந்தம் ஆகிவிட்டதே அப்பா"

meaning "The home is now alien to you, but now you own a thiruvodu that makes you richer than other sanyasis".

Pattinathaar had a much better realisation now, he was about to throw away his thiruvodu, but his mother stopped him and said. "Use it my son, but if you lose it don't search as if you have lost your property". Then she gave the first alms to Pattinathaar, he moved on. Then he came across his elder sister's house, she saw him and invited him into her home and provided him a feast. When Pattinathaar obliged and sat for the meal, his sister asked about transferring the right to Pattinathaar's property in writing. Pattinathaar immediately left the house without eating and made up his mind never to come to that house.

But his sister went behind him always, she sent spies to look where he was going. Finally one day, she sent her children to meet their maternal uncle. She asked the children to give their uncle the Appam (pancake) she had prepared. The children sprang up in love on Pattinathaar when they saw him. He had a lot of affection for those kids, so he picked them up in his arms and talked to them. They gave him the Appam that their mother had asked to give it to him and they left. When Pattinathaar was about to eat to he saw that the appam had some phosphoric poison in it. He realised that it was his sister who tried to kill him. He went straight to his sister's house and threw the appam on roof top and went away singing these two lines

தன் வினை தன்னை சுடும்
ஓட்டப்பம் வீட்டை சுடும்

meaning, like one's sins burns them up, the appam in the roof top will burn the house. The next day the entire house was engulfed in flames.

From then on Pattinathaar went on to the temples in the nearby towns and sang in praise of Lord Shiva in those temples. One day when he was in Thiruvidaimarudhur, the small pack that his mother tied to his hips untied itself indicating the his mother was her deathbed. He rushed to see his mother and as he was praying while he rushed, his mother held her life in her hands until Pattinathaar reached. Then his mother passed away in his hands. Pattinathaar wept like anything remembering how his mother had brought him up from a baby to a man. And after that, the in the funeral he set fire to his mother's body. He then sang the following song

முன்னை யிட்டதீ முப்பு ரத்திலே
பின்னை யிட்டதீ தென்னி லங்கையிலே
அன்னை யிட்டதீ அடிவ யிற்றிலே
யானு மிட்டதீ மூள்க மூள்கவே

Munnai Itta Thee Muppurathilae
Pinnai Itta Thee Then Ilangaiyilae
Annai Itta Thee Adi Vayitrilae
Yaanum Itta Thee Moolga Moolgavae

meaning that the Fire in the front from the third eye of Lord Shiva, charred the country of Thirupura Asuras. The fire that was behind in the tail of Lord Hanuman set fire to Srilanka. The fire that the mother holds is the womb. And let the fire that I hold shall grow and grow to char the mother's body"

Then he thought that being born is a big sin and that is what puts everybody in the inescapable loop of affection and bonding. So he sang an another song after that realising that he grew tired going from one womb to another in every birth.

மாதா வுடல் சலித்தால் வல்வினையேன் கால்சலித்தேன்
வேதாவும் கைசலித்து விட்டானே நாதா
இருப்பையூர் வாழ்சிவனே இன்னுமோ ரன்னை
கருப்பையூர் வாராமல் கா

Maadha Udal Salithaal, Vall Vinaiyaen Kaal Salithaen
Vedhavum Kaisalithu Vittaanae Naadha
Iruppaiyur Vaazh Sivanae Innumore Annai
Karuppaiyur Vaaramal Kaa

meaning, Mother got tired by giving birth in every life taken, My legs grew tired by going from one womb to another in every birth. Lord Bramha's hands got tired by creating life again and again. Oh! Lord Shiva of Iruppaiyur, bless me that I shall not go into the womb of another mother"

Then he wandered in the same place for sometime, when again his sister started to give troubles in connection with the property. Pattinathaar transferred all the rights to the property to the temple. And he decided to go to Ujjain to worship the Goddess Kali and left his hometown for good.

To be continued in the next part...

More to come, until then...

Pattinathaar: The tycoon turned sanyasi - Part 2

2009-11-06T00:02:00.000+05:30

Marudhavanan grew like a prince and enjoyed his life like a calf capering in the lush green fields. As Pattinathaar, Marudhavanan did not show interest in his studies. Pattinathaar was worried that education is his lineage seems to be a curse. As far as he can remember, nobody fared well in education in his ancestral lineage. however, he consoled that his son will get to learn the nuances of the business and will learn to manage the property over time, as he gets older. Time went on, and one day Marudhavanan expressed his interest to set sails across the oceans to where Pattinathaar's business ships travelled.

Pattinathaar got excited that Marudhavanan is growing up to become a tycoon like him. And that, he can slowly educate him on the nuances of the trade, made preparations for his travel. He gave instructions to the sailors of the boat that Marudhavanan went aboard. And Marudhavanan set sails on the ocean to far off countries where his father had business contacts. Before leaving he promised his father that he will bring the most valuable wealth that his father has ever seen. In all the places Marudhavanan went, he was invited with a lot of respect and grandeur.

Days went on and one fine day, the ship that Marudhavanan went, returned back to Kaveripoompattinam. Pattinathaar was excited to hear the news that his son is back. He went to receive his son back home. Marudhavanan hugged Pattinathaar and happily exclaimed that he has brought all the treasures he promised. He asked his father to order the workers to unload the treasures he brought with him and ran out saying that he is going to meet Grandmother. Pattinathaar ordered his men to unload the treasure. The men unloaded many sacks that arised a doubt in Pattinathaar mind, because, usually precious gems and gold will never be tied up in sacks rather they will be safely kept in boxes. Then, he opened one of the sacks and all he found was dried cow dung and husks.

Pattinathaar grew furious and asked one of his men to carry a sack, went home angrily and shouted where Marudhavanan was. His mother came out and was surprised to see her son angry, asked why he was angry. Pattinathaar told irritatedly "See what you grandson has got?" and kicked the sack down. The sack fell open and to his surprise the dried cow dung shattered into precious gems and the husk was nothing but golden husk. Pattinathaar's joy knew no bounds and was very happy that a his son Marudhavanan has brought in an enormous amount of wealth.

By then, his mother came near him, gave him a box and told that Marudhavanan asked her to give Pattinathaar this box. She also told Marudhavanan is a very playful kid that he gave this box and ran away saying not to search for him. Pattinathaar opened the box and found an eyeless needle and a small palm leaf with something written on it. It read,

"காதற்ற ஊசியும் வாராது காண் கடைவழிக்கே"

"Kaadhatra Oosiyum Vaaraadhu Kaan Kadaivazhikkae"

meaning, This eyeless needle is useless and will not go to the market. And, even this useless needle will never accompany you in your final destiny (after death).

Pattinathaar felt dizzy and the world going around him. He found everything to be an illusion before him. He realised that he went in search of wealth that is unstable in life. His mother appeared to him as Goddess Shakti (Lord Shiva's consort) and Marudhavanan as Lord Kandhan (Lord Murugan). He realised that everything in life is just a hoax or an illusion and that we all are trapped in such an inescapable illusion. Now, he had his first wisdom realised.

நாபிளக்க பொய்யுரைத்து நவநிதியம் தேடி
நலனொன்றும் அறியாத நாரியரைக்   கூடி
பூப்பிளக்க வருகின்ற புற்றீசல் போல
புலபுலென கலகலெனப்    புதல்வர்களை பெறுவீர்
காப்பதற்கும்   வகையறியீர் கைவிடவு மாட்டீர்
கவர்பிளந்த மரத்துளையிற் கால்நுழைத்துக் கொண்டே
ஆப்பதனை   அசைத்துவிட்ட குரங்கதனை போல
அகப்பட்டீரே கிடந்துழல அகப்பட்டீரே

Naapilakka Poiuraiththu Navanidhiyam Thaedi
Nalanondrum Ariyadha Naariyarai Koodi
Poopilakka Varugindra Puttreesal Pola
Pulapulena Kalakalavena Pudhalvargalai Peruveer
Kaapadharkkum Vagai Ariyeer Kaividavum Maateer
Kavarpilandha Maraththulaiyil Kaalnuzhaithu Kondae
Aapadhanai Asaithuvitta Kurangadhanai Pola
Agappatteerae Kidanthuzhala Agapatteerae

meaning, You gather all the nine kinds of wealth by uttering lies until your tongue gets split. You get together with women who don't even know what is good and what is bad. And like the termites that fly out cracking up the earth, you beget a lot of children. You don't know how to save them, you won't leave them and go away. This act is like the monkey that inserts its leg in the gap of a tree branch split up by a wedge and trying to shake that wedge.

Pattinathaar sang the above song, as he realised that he too was in the same position, got caught in the whirl of bonding and affection. There he decided to become a sanyasi

To be continued in the next post.

More to come, until then...

Pattinathar: The tycoon turned sanyasi - Part 1

2009-10-25T01:51:00.002+05:30

Tamil Nadu has a lot of poets, siddhars, sages and many wise men who have left behind their experiences as the great wealth that future generations to learn and follow. However, Pattinathar is unique to list of great people that Tamil has as its pride. It would be surprising that Pattinathar was a tycoon who has business all over the world. He was born in an affluent family and yet he turned to be a Sanyasi. Thiruvenkadar, was his name when he became a Sanyasi. This post and the subsequent posts narrate the life of Pattinathar and the incidents that lead him to become a Sanyasi. Pattinathar has given us his experience and wisdom in the form of songs that we will see in these posts. His works include Koyinaan Manimaalai, Thirukazhumala Mummanikkovai, Thiruvidai Marudhur Mummanikkovai, Thiruvegambamudaiyar Thiruvandhaadhi, Thiruvottriyur Orupa Orupadhu. Now let us see how a legendary tycoon of Kaveripoompattinam (Poompuhar) turned into Sanyasi.

Pattinathar, also called Pattinathu Chetty, was born in an affluent tycoon family. His parents were Sivanesan Chettiar and Gnanakalai Aachi. They were so affluent, that in those days it was a customary that kings of the various dynasties and empires who rose to the throne will be crowned by the wealthiest in the country. And for three generations or more, Pattinathar's ancestors have crowned the kings in the Chera, Chola, Pandya and the Pallava Kingdoms. That would give us an understanding of how wealthy their family should have been. They had a lot of ships that sailed across to various countries in the globe for trade purposes. Pattinathar was born and he was named Swetharanyan. He had an elder sister.

Swetharanyan grew up as kid with lots of love, affection and lenience. He spent most of his time playing and studies was a far distant thing to him. Pattinathar's father was worried that his son does not study well, but his mother convinced him that they had wealth that would feed more than 10 generations, so why worry about their son not studying. A few years later, Pattinathar's father died and his mother had to take care of business. Though she was able to manage that, her brother - Pattinathar's maternal uncle - gave her a helping hand and looked after the business.

Swetharanyan, born in the lineage of traders, instinctively had the skills for trade. He picked up the nuances quickly and wanted to venture into the seas to get more hands-on experience about trade across the oceans. He became well-versed and later he was married to a girl named Sivakalai at the age of 16. In those days, marrying at a young age was practised. Over the years, he grew to be a man who can handle businesses himself and became the wealthiest trader in Kaveripoompattinam. Thereafter he was referred to as Pattinathu Chetty or Pattinathar.

For a long time, the couple did not have a child as the heir to their wealth. They went to a lot of temples but still God did not bles them with a child. They were worried, and Pattinathar's mother even suggested that he married another girl. In those days, men used to have more than one wife. However, People in those days had a very high respect for their mothers, that they would not rebuke anything against their mother's words, Pattinathar was not in a position to show his refusal to his mother's suggestion, however he expressed clearly his unwillingness and made it clear that he was not willing to think of any other girl as his wife. His mother, honoured his wish and did not talk about that later.

Pattinathar had a dream one night. In the dream, he saw an elderly couple near Thiruvidai Marudhur, who had a young infant and were worried as they were not able to feed for themselves, and feeding and bringing up that infant was worrying them more. Pattinathar heard a divine voice asking him to travel to Thiruvidai Marudhur. He woke up from his dream and the next day Pattinathar and Sivakalai headed to Thiruvidai Marudhur. And when he reached Thiruvidai Marudhur, he saw the same elderly couple that he saw his in dreams. He enquired about them, and they said that they were poor and the child was born at a very later age, and now they are weak to feed for themselves. So they both decided to go and meet Pattinathu Chetty and ask him to adopt the child for which, the elderly couple told, that Pattinathar would give them gold equal to the weight of the infant with which they could manage the rest of their life. Pattinathar and Sivakalai eyes were in tears and they thought that Lord Shiva and Parvathi themselves came as the elderly couple and blessed them with the child.

Then Pattinathar and Sivakalai, took the elderly couple to Kaveripoompattinam and said that they will adopt the child and gave the elderly couple a good amount of wealth for them to survive through their age. Then they planned for the adoption ceremony of the child. Now, Pattinathar's sister, who thought that the wealth of Pattinathar will automatically be for her family as Pattinathar had no heir, had her dreams shattered by the adoption of this child. She argued and quarrelled with his brother. But Pattinathar made a firm decision that he is going to adopt that child and that child will be his heir. The adoption ceremony went very well in all its grandeur and they name the baby boy - Marudhavanan. They considered Marudhavanan as their own child and showed him a great love and affection.

To be continued in the next post.

More to come, until then...

Brave Warrior Bhima

2009-10-18T18:59:00.000+05:30

After a long time, I thought I should post about the less known legends about a mighty warrior. The warrior is none other than Bhima. The second of the Pandavas, he is known for his power and might in the warfront. Bhima is said to be a relentless warrior when it comes to the battlefield. He is said to have possessed the power of a ten thousand elephants. This mighty warrior, in reality, was such a soft-natured, honest, unswerving towards faith and justice and at times humorous too. Here are the less known legends that depict these characterisitics.

The first one goes like this. During his exile, Bhima was wandering in the forests and there he met with a rhinoceros. The rhino got agitated by a human presence and went raging towards Bhima. The rhinoceros then shouted at Bhima saying that Bhima was his slave as he has ventured into its territory. Bhima identified himself as one of the Pandavas and he is the mightiest in the world, in spite of that he also explained that he did not want any confrontation as they both have no enemity. He also said that he was willing to leave the territory at once. However, the raging rhino wanted a confrontation eventually leading to a fight. Bhima refused for a physical battle and said he will leave at once. The rhino not convinced wanted to somehow to enslave Bhima and threw a challenge before him. The challenge was that Bhima has to run ahead and the rhino will chase him. If the rhino catches before his territory ends, Bhima will be its slave, however if Bhima goes past its territory, he is free to go.

Bhima agreed to the challenge and started his run furiously, the rhino chasing him equally furious. The chase went on for sometime, and even at times, the rhino nearly caught Bhima. And when Bhima neared the end of the rhino's territory, he jumped to the free himself from the clutches of the rhino. While half of his body cross the border, unfortunately, the rhino caught hold of Bhima's legs just within the end of its territory. Now Bhima exclaimed that he has reached the end of the rhino's territory and hence he was free. The rhino argued that it caught Bhima right within its territory and that it did not venture out of its territory to catch Bhima and hence Bhima was its slave. Bhima though he said that he has crossed the border, could not deny the rhino's claims. So, he suggested that they call his brother Dharmar (Yudishtra) to arbitrate on this controversy. The rhino agreed, as Dharmar is known for his unswerving attitude towards justice.

Dharmar came to arbitrate on this issue and heard to the arguments of the both the parties. It was indeed a tough decision to make as his brother Bhima made it to be out of the territory, however, the rhino's claim that it caught Bhima's legs from within its territory was quite valid. Then Dharmar came to a decision and told the rhino to take that half of the Bhima's body that the rhino caught within its territory and to leave the rest of the body free. That could not happen without killing Bhima. The rhino was moved by this verdict, in spite of Bhima being his brother, Dharmar gave a verdict that was just and fair. So, the rhino blessed him and left Bhima free and gave Bhima a wish that half of Bhima's body will be bestowed with the powers of the Rhino. From then on, half of Bhima's body looked armoured like that of a rhino. Though Bhima was powerful enough to fight a rhino, he did not blindly make use of his powers to fight the rhino that he never knew before. This stands as a proof that Bhima used his physical prowess wisely and only in times of need.

The second one is about faith, though it might look a bit mythical, the message this one conveys is very good and important too. Arjuna was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, he used to perform a lot of poojas during the day with lots of flowers offered to Lord Krishna. But Bhima would loiter aimlessly in the garden, plucking flowers and closing his eyes, smelling the fragrance of the flowers and they throwing them away. He used to do this, sometimes, for the whole day. This made Arjuna proud that he is offering more prayers and flowers to Lord Krishna than Bhima does and hence is a much better devotee of Lord Krishna. That night, Arjuna had a strange dream. He was walking along the country, where he saw loads and loads of bullock carts, fully loaded with flowers walking their way across the country and towards the skies. He was puzzled about how bullock carts were making their way to the skies. He enquired one of the persons who was riding the cart, the rider answered that the carts were carrying flowers offered by devotees to Lord Krishna and they were en route to the heavenly abode. Arjuna was surprised and asked the rider who the devotee was. The rider uttered the name Bhima. Arjuna was surprised, he then started asking the names of the devotees to each rider thereafter, all of them answered it was Bhima except the last one who answered that it was Arjuna. Arjuna was totally puzzled, how come Bhima who just wanders along the gardens, plucking flowers, smelling them and throwing them away could have offered so many flowers while Arjuna performing poojas throughout the day offered only one load full. He was puzzled and woke up to realise that he got the message in the dream. The next day morning, he found Bhima as usual in the gardens doing the same thing, he went to Bhima and asked why he was plucking flowers, smelling the fragrance the throwing them away. Bhima responded saying that when he plucks the flowers he closes his eyes, prays to Lord Krishna that the flower in his hand is for the lotus feet of Lord Krishna; then smells the fragrance and throws them away. He considers this to be an offering to Lord Krishna and he has been performing this all through the day. Arjuna realised that true faith is not just by lavish offerings but through immersing the soul and thought in the pure faith in Lord Krishna, and fell at Bhima's feet for teaching him the lesson.

The third one is a bit humorous but does conveys a very deep meaning that for doing good deeds there is no good time or bad time. It has to be performed immediately then and there. One evening when Dharmar was in the palace, a poor man came for alms. In those days and even today, it is a practice that if the lights are lit in the homes in the evening, people don't give away money, gold or loan of items (esp. money, if not others). That day the palace was lit for the evening and as it was a customary not to give away money/gold, he asked the poor man to come the next day, as the palace has been lit. Suddenly, Bhima went shouting all over the palace that his brother has transcended "time" and has become immortal. He bounced like anything in joy and was shouting like the merriest person in the whole world. Dharmar could not understand, he was smiling at the unusual act of Bhima however Dharmar was a bit annoyed thinking that Bhima was making fun at him. He stopped Bhima and asked him why he behaved like that. Bhima politely answered - "Brother, time is indeterminate and unpredictable. Everything around us is an illusion, the one who lives today thinking that he will live for long vanishes tomorrow". Bhima continues "I am not sure you will live tomorrow, or I will live tomorrow and such is the nature of our lives. When you said for sure that you will give alms to that poor man the next day. It seemed to me that the only possibility to say those words was only if you were immortal. And, so, I jumped out in joy". Dharmar realised that Bhima was right and good deeds have no excuses to be postponed and he immediately gave the alms to the poor man and sent him. Dharmar was proud of his brother and thanked him.

Bhima has stood the test of time for being the most mightiest man on earth. The legends too will stand the test of time. Though Hercules, Bhima's western counterpart, is remembered more in the west. The analogy for power and might in India is Bhima, let us remember Bhima not only for his might, but also for his witty characteristics that these legends say.

More to come, until then..

Austere Aasaarakkovai

2009-09-05T02:29:00.003+05:30

After quite a long time, a post about one of the ancient treasures in Tamil Literature is in order. These days, we hear a lot of people talking about environment safety, etiquettes etc, but it is quite amazing to know that our ancestors had this consciousness thousands of years ago. Such a fabulous thought process has been rendered as a treatise that defines the rules of life and etiquette that has to be followed to lead a disciplined and a happy life.

The treatise is "Aasarakkovai" by Peruvayin Mulliyanar which is one of the Pathinen Keezhkanaakku Group of literary works in tamil literature. Written about 1500 to 2000 years ago, by around (100CE-500CE) consists of 100 stanzas, in which the author defines that rules governing food, dress code, decorum with kings and elders, conserving and non-pollution of natural resources, eschewing evil habits and bad company.

It is quite intriguing and amazing to see that Peruvayin Mulliyanar had envisioned about a lot of aspects that are applied even today. The name aacharam itself means discipline, etiquette, decorum etc. Kovai means collection, aggregation. Let's see a few stanzas. The first one enlists the characteristics of discipline

நன்றி அறிதல் பொறை உடைமை இன்சொல்லோடு
இன்னாத எவ்வுயிர்க்கும் செய்யாமை கல்வியோடு
ஒப்புரவு ஆற்ற அறிதல் அறிவுடைமை
நல்லினதாரோடு நட்டல் இவை எட்டும்
சொல்லிய ஆசார வித்து

Nandri Aridhal Porai Udaimai Innsollodu
Innadha Evvuyirkkum Seyyaamai Kalviyodu
Oppuravu Aatra Aridhal Arivudaimai
Nallinathaarodu Nattal Ivai Ettum
Solliya Aasaara Viththu

meaning The eight traits of good decorum are Gratitude, Patience, Pleasantness in speech, Refraining Non-harming attitude towards other beings, Being Educated and Learned, Concordance with people, Understanding things thoroughly, Being Knowledgeable, Association with good people define aacharam (disciplined way of life).

To maintaining these traits one has to be very disciplined otherwise the traits cannot be achieved, this itself defines the remaining 99 stanzas. However the poet goes into defining who an educated person is, who is a respectable person etc. Let us see a few songs and their meaning to unravel what the poet has actually got for us.

அரசன் உவாதியாயன் தாய் தந்தை தம்முன்
நிகரில் குறவர் இவரை
தேவரை போல தொழுது எழுக என்பதே
யாவரும் கண்ட நெறி

Arasan Uvvathiyaayan Thaai Thandhai thammun
Nigaril Kuravar Ivarai
Devarai pola thozhudhu ezhugha enbadhae
yaavarum kanda neri

meaning The King, the Teacher, the Father, the Mother and Elder Siblings are respectable people in one's life, so they should be treated and respected like the Gods and that is the etiquette which our ancestors found out

The next stanza is the basic etiquette about serving food or table manners

விருந்தினர் மூத்தோர் பசு சிறை பிள்ளை
இவர்க்கு ஊன் கொடுத்தல்லால் உண்ணாரே என்றும்
ஒழுக்கம் பிழையார்

Virundhinar Moothor Pasu Sirai Pillai
Ivarkku Oon Koduthallal Unnare Endrum
Ozhukkam Pizhaiyar

meaning, The disciplined, while eating, will serve the food for the guests, elderly people, the cow, the birds and the children before they even take their food. This is what is considered as table manners

Even today, many people serve food for the birds before they eat their meal during the day. It is even considered, that the ancestors eat the food in the form of birds. Such an act of providing food to the cattle and the birds is to some extent a conservation of the ecological system.

The next is about keeping the environment clean and pollution-free, which is the buzzword that every person or organisation is talking about these days, but the same thought have been introduced thousands of years back

புல் பைங்கூழ் ஆப்பி சுடலை வழிதீர்த்தம்
தேவகுலம் நிழல் ஆனிலை வெண்பலி என்று
ஈரைந்தின் கண்ணும் உமிழ்வோடு இருபுலனும்
சேரார் உணர்வுடையோர்

Pul Painkoozh Aapi Sudalai Vazhitheertham
Deva Kulam Nizhal Aanilai Vennpali Endru
Eeraindhin Kannum Umizhvodu Irupulanum
Saeraar Unarvudaiyor

meaning, Grasslands, Agricultural lands, Cow dung (the dried form of cow dung is used to burn alongwith wood while cooking and during pujas), Graveyard, Waterbodies like ponds, lakes etc, Temples and places of sanctity, Shades under trees etc where people rest, Stable where cows are tied and Ash that is obtain by burning wood etc - are the 10 places where disciplined people would not pollute by spitting, passing excrements or otherwise

This environmental consciousness is the paramount statement of today's environmentalists, but this consciousness was widespread with our ancestors even in those days.

The next song is about strict discipline and self control

பிறர்மனை கள் களவு சூது கொலையோடு
அறனரிந்தார் இவ்வைந்தும் நோக்கார் திறனிலர் என்று
எல்லபடுவதும் அன்றி நிரயத்து
செல்வழி உய்திடுதலால்

Pirarmanai Kall Kalavu Soodhu Kolaiyodu
Aranarindhaar Ivvaindhum Nokkaar Thiranilar Endru
Ellapaduvadhum Andri Nirayaththu
Sellvazhi Uithiduthalaal

meaning Uxoriousness over other's wives, Booze, Larceny, Gambling and Murder are the five things that learned and disciplined people would never dare to commit because it not only brings blame and bad name but also paves the way to hell

The next stanza details about how one should conduct his life

நந்தெறும்பு தூக்கணம் புள் காக்கை என்று இவைபோல்
தம் கருமம் நல்ல கடை பிடித்து தம் கருமம்
அப்பெற்றியாக முயல்பவர்க்கு ஆசாரம்
எப்பற்றியாயினும் படும்

Nandherumbu Thookanam Pull Kaakai Endru Ivaipol
Tham Karumam Nalla Kadai Pidithu Tham Karumam
Appettriyaga Muyalbavarkku Aasaram
Eppatriyaayinum Padum

meaning, The one who is hardworking like an ant, protective like the weaver bird, Active like a bird, Social like the crow and does his duties correctly, then discipline will automatically attribute to him.

It is quite amazing about how the poet can bring about all these nuances of discipline. The problem is that how is could be followed by everyone equally, so considering that, the poet has also given exceptions to people who might not be able to follow the rules of discipline or etiquettes or in other words, it describes the people who are exempted from these rules. The following stanza enlists those poeple

அறியாத தேயத்தான் ஆதுலன் மூத்தான்
இளையான் உயிர் இழந்தான் அஞ்சினான் உண்பான்
அரசர் தொழில் தலைவைத்தான் மணாளன் என்று
ஒன்பதின்மர் கண்டீர் உரைக்குங்கால் மெய்யான
ஆசாரம் வீடு பெற்றார்

Ariyadha Theyatthan Aadhulan Moothaan
Ilayaan Uyir Ilandhan Anjinaan Unbaan
Arasar Tholizh Thalaivaithaan Manaalan Endru
Onbadhinmar Kandeer Uraikkunkaal Meiyaana
Aasaram Veedu Pettrar

meaning, the people who are exempt from following the rules described are Foreigner, Beggar, Aged people, Kids, Dead person, Frightened/Panicked person, Persons on deputation of King's or Governmental order, Persons about to get married are the nine people enlised to be exempt from maintaining the aasaram.

Though some of the stanzas might not be relevant to this day or cannot be followed as mentioned. Some stanzas might even appear to be discriminating, but if we construe it in the right sense, the point of discrimination disappears. But, we have to appreciate the knowledge and the awareness we had, even before the western world knew that there are such principles to govern discipline for a citizen and for a society as a whole.

Assarakkovai in pdf format can be downloaded here

More to come, until then....

PS: From this post onwards, I am planning to write the tamil script using Google's Transliterate service, rather than posting them as images. Post your comments if there are any problems viewing the content

Sacred Anuvavi Subramaniyar Temple

2009-05-25T02:44:00.002+05:30

The Western Ghats hosts a lot of serene beauty of Nature; as result it also has been the dwelling of many deities along its longer stretch, Marudhamalai, Vellingiri are quite popular. Another popular with a Sanctum abode is the Anuvavi Subramaniyar Temple. The pristine beauty of Nature really makes us worship it, in addition to the deity here. The prime deity here is Lord Subramaniyar (Lord Murugan) along with Lord Hanuman, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva, Idumban and the Navagrahas. The speciality about this temple is that it is very old and has a legend associated with it that dates back to the period of Ramayana. One more unique aspect of this temple is that one does not find Lord Hanuman in temples where Lord Murugan is a prime deity but Anuvavi has Lord Hanuman as one of the deities. There is a legend that explain why Hanuman is one of the deities in Anuvavi.

When Lord Hanuman was on his way back bringing the Sanjeevi Parvatham as instructed by Jamabavan to cure Lakshmana who fell unconscious in the battle. He felt very thirsty and could not find any water source nearby and that was when Lord Subramaniyar appeared and pierced the mountain with his weapon The Vel (spear) and a spring came gushing out with water that helped Lord Hanuman quench his thirst. After quenching His thirst, Lord Hanuman continued on his way to Srilanka and hence there arose a temple for Lord Murugan carrying the name of Lord Hanuman to remind of this legend. The spring that quenched Lord Hanuman's thirst still flows in hills and is being used by the people for drinking. The name Anuvavi in Tamil means Anu (Hanuman) + Vavi (Spring, Waterhole or Pond) and reminds us of the legend.

The temple is located 18 kms from Coimbatore city via Kanuvai en route to Anaikatti. A lot of buses ply to the temple foothills. The days in which the Krithigai star falls is auspicious and celebrated along with the other days that are auspicious for Lord Murugan.

Here are a few photos of the beautiful temple.

The entrance arch to the temple

The mandapam of the the Lord Vinayaga Temple

The steps to the Anuvavi Subramaniyar Temple

The view of the temple and the stairs and the natural beauty of the mountains

The guys who made it possible - Kannadhasan, Pradeep, Ravi, Suresh Raja, Sathiyaraj

The mandapam for people to take some rest while they climb up or down

The mandapam near the Idumban Shrine

The flowers blooming en route to the temple with the following pictures showing the scenic serenity of nature

View of the Western Ghats at the top after reaching the main shrine

Another view of the western ghats from the top

The Anuvavi Subramaniyar Shrine (Vimanam)

Lord Vinayaga Shrine

Another view of the main shrine

The Lord Hanuman Shrine

The Hanuman Theertham (the spring that quenched Hanuman's thirst)

Another view of the Hanuman Theertham

View of the Main shrine from near the Lord Shiva shrine above

Another view from the top

View from near the Lord Shiva Shrine

The zealous guys near the Lord Shiva Shrine

A few pictures of the natural beauty of the temple

The mandapam before the Lord Vinayaga shrine during the descent

We have to climb around 500 steps to reach the main shrine. However, the effort rewards us not only with the blessings of Lord Subramaniyar, Lord Hanuman and the other deities but also the blessings of Mother Nature.

More to come, until then...

Kali Yugam - The Yugam with an infamous spell

2009-03-22T23:44:00.002+05:30

Kali Yugam, the last of the four Yugams in the Hindu Cosmology. It is a dreaded yugam where things will be a haywire, where virtues (dharmam) are ignored and neglected. The Kali Yugam lasts for 4,32,000 years according to the Hindu Cosmology and once Kali Yugam ends, the cycle of the other Yugams - Satya or Krita (17,28,000 years), Treta (12,96,000 years), Dwapar (8,64,000 years) - take over. More details about these calculations and other information about these yugams in the upcoming posts. Don't hasten yet about Kaliyugam's end because we are just in the beginning, only about 5110 years have passed we still have a lot to go. Kaliyugam is dreaded because, legend says people live a short life unlike the people in the other yugams; in Krita yugam, people have life until their bones exist; in Treta, until their flesh lasts; in Dwapar, until the last drop of blood - remember Bhishma; and in Kali Yugam, people live until they eat food, once the food reserves in the body are gone, they die. That is the reason saints and mahans profess people to donate food which is a good deed in the Kali Yugam.

I have already posted about the happenings in the Kali Yugam in one of the earlier posts, Kumaresa Sadhagam. However, there is an interesting legend, an upakadhai of the Mahabharatha, that illustrates the effects on the onset of the Kaliyugam. Mahabharata and the Kurukshetra War happened at the end of the Dwapar Yugam. The story beautifully explains the infamous nature of the Kali Yugam. In fact, I plan to start of another blog, writing these stories, in Tamil, that I heard from my parents, grandparents and read from sources that I don't remember now, but these legends have stayed evergreen in my memory.

Now, the legend. The Kurukshetra War was over, the Pandavas won the battle. Dharmaraja (Yudhistra) also called Dharmar, is known for holding the values of Truth (Satya) and Righteousness (Dharma) and hence the name Dharmar. He ascended the throne after the Kurukshetra War and his subjects lived peacefully and happily in his righteous reign. Then came this strange but interesting case.

Dharmar was in his court, along with his brothers and Lord Krishna. Two farmers came to him for deciding on a certain case. Of the two farmers, one sold his land to the other, lets call them the buyer farmer and the seller farmer. The deal was done and the seller received his payment from the buyer. The buyer after a few days of buying that land from the seller, starting ploughing and digging that land, and he struck some priceless treasure of rare gems and gold. The buyer was honest enough, so he took that treasure and went to the seller saying that he had paid only for the land and not for the treasure in it and the rightful owner of the treasure is the seller. The seller being equally honest told that the sale of the land has been done and anything from the land does not belong to him anymore and he said that the rightful owner was the buyer.

Both did not come to an agreement and thats when the dispute started (Strange isn't it, but remember that was in the Dwapar Yugam :)) and finally they decided to have it settled at Dharmar's court. The next day they went to Dharmar's court and explained the situation. Dharmar was really happy to see his subjects so righteous and he said that he felt really proud of both of them because of their righteousness. And Dharmar told that he does not want to give a verdict that will cause other to feel bad and asked them to both make a decision in his court. The farmers decided unanimously that the treasure be in possession of Dharmar until they come up with a decision and once they have decided who is to have the treasure, they will get it from Dharmar. Dharmar felt that it sounded like a plan and gave a nod. The farmers went for the moment leaving the treasure in Dharmar's possession. Dharmar felt really proud of the farmers' act.

Time passed by and things went on fine, until the same farmers who came to Dharmar's court came again with a different view of the earlier case. The buyer farmer now claimed that the treasure is his as he has paid the seller for the land and whatever he gets, either crops or whatever, is his. The seller farmer's argument was that he sold only the land and not the treasure, if he had known about that treasure, he would have either took it himself before the sale or would have charged the amount in the sale price. The farmers were arguing with the points reversed from their stand in the case when came earlier to Dharmar. Lord Krishna who watched all this smiled at Dharmar, who was confused a lot about this case. It was a case where the plaintiff and defendant had self-contradictory views over a period of time. He thought for a moment and gave the verdict that the treasure belongs to the government giving his explanation as follows.

The land of the buyer, which was previously with the seller before that sale, falls into his Empire. So all the thiings belong to his Empire unless it was a reward for some effort made towards a claim. In addition, the treasure was not the benefit of any effort made by either of them and hence the King (himself) vests all the right to property and possession of the treasure. The treasure shall be used for the benefit of the people of his Kingdom. The farmers were disappointed, but they could not fight the King and went back.

Now Lord Krishna rose to the fore and told Yudhistra that the time has come for them to leave this planet as He has seen the indications that Kali Yugam has started. And once Kali Yugam starts, they had no business there. Dharmar asked how Lord Krishna told that there are indications of Kali Yugam. Lord Krishna replied, that Dharmar who had the held the values of Truth and Righteousness, has slipped in the above case. Lord Krishna proceeded saying that though Dharmar had mentioned that the treasure will be used for the benefit of the people of his Kingdom, he had no right on the treasure and yet he found out justifications in the name of righteousness. And that, is the indication of Kali Yugam's arrival, even the most righteous will fall victims to circumstances and try to plunder and covet other's property. Dharmar realised his mistake and did as Lord Krishna suggested and the left Earth in a vimanam for good.

The aforesaid story clearly explains the spell Kali Yugam has even on the people who are determined. Think about the common man like you and me, unless the person has a great grit and determination to stand for the good, circumstances will lead him to unrighteous and immoral paths very easily, thereby taking them spiritually away from the path of Salvation. Of course, we can realise that with the events happening around us today, Kali yugam has a bad spell on everything that is on the planet, but this is just the beginning and there is a long way to go. Imagine the plight and sorrow people will have at the end. Legend says that at the end of the Kali yugam, human race will get to be contained within a feet or so. The mention about human race getting contained within a feet or so is unclear whether humans will grow only a feet or so tall, or will be contained within something that is a feet or so high, however a movie that has brought this legend to visual interpretation is "The Matrix" and the avatar, Kalki, will incarnate to rescue the people from their sorrows and plight. Nobody knows how the Kalki Avatar will be, but it is mentioned as the most modern of Avatars. Time has the answer, we will have to wait for nearly 4,27,000 years to see that...

More to come, until then...

Sanctum Abode - Vellingiri

2009-02-21T13:43:00.009+05:30

After a very long time, back to blogging with a post about the mystique and the divine - The Vellingiri Hills. The Vellingiri hills, considered the Southern Kailash, is one of the important and sacred pilgrimage destinations in the country. The Vellingiri Hills, a part of the Western Ghats, is about 30 kms from Coimbatore city. There are a lot of public transport facilities available to Vellingiri foothills. The prime deity is Lord Shiva in the name, Velliangiri Andavar, meaning Lord of the Silver mountains. The Vellingiri hills is a serene and a beautiful place where nature could be seen at its best. Along withe beauty a lot of legends are associated with the Vellingiri hills, one such is from the Mahabharatha.

The pilgrimage starts during the full moon in the months of April/May, that is, the Chitra Pournami - full moon in the Tamil month of Chithirai. Chithirai being the first month of the Tamil year and the full moon in this month is exceptionally bright, people start on a pilgrimage trip abode the Vellingiri hills to worship Lord Shiva. It comprises of seven hills, and the seventh hill being the place where Lord Shiva is abode.

The Vellingiri Hills is full of serenity and divinity spread across the seven hills. One can feel the finesse of the tranquility of the Vellingiri Hills, only by being there. The hills host a lot of springs that are freezing chill even on the hot summers day. There are springs with names that are quite intriguing and interesting. The Kai Thatti Sunai (The Clapping Spring) has an interesting belief behind it, the force of the water increases if one claps near it, though I have not felt personally when I tried. And there is the Aandi Sunai at the end of the sixth hill which is a bigger one.

The Vellingiri hills has many legends associated with it, especially from the Mahabharatha. Not only is the hills, but also the places nearby Coimbatore.
There are places in the hills called the Draupadi Palam (Draupadi Bridge), Bheeman Kali Urundai (Bheema's handful of found in the shape of a ball), Andi Sunai (Andi Spring - the place at the end of the 6th hill were Arjuna conducted his penance).

One interesting story is that, when the Pandavas were in exile into the forests, they ventured out into the country in disguise. They were travelling near the place called Dharapuram, and one of the Dhuryodhana's men identified the Pandavas and went on to inform Dhuryodhana. The place where the Pandavas is called Kandidam [Kanda (Found) + Idam (Place)], which later got transformed and now called as Kundadam. When the Pandavas came to know that they were identified by Dhuryodhana's men, the retreated back into the Vellingiri forest. The place where they turned back and retreated is called Tiruppur [Thiruppu - (turn back) + Oor - (Place)], this name still exists.

Now lets view some of the serene and beautiful pictures of the Velligiri Hills

The mist covered serene Vellingiri Hills

Another view of the mist covered serene Vellingiri Hills

Nature at its best

Ravichandran on his ascent to worship Lord Vellingirinathar

Sathiyaraj, Kannadhasan, Satish on their ascent (The bamboo sticks are used for balance while climbing the steep hills and rough surfaces)

Kannadhasan, Sathiyaraj, Satish, Ravichandran on the divine

The arduous climb, but still, people are quite determined

In the hands of Mother

Illustration of the need for the bamboo stick

At some places, step are carved out of large rocks.

The Kai Thatti Sunai (The Clapping Spring)

Kannadhasan testing the Kai Thatti Sunai and quenching his thirst

Satish and Ravi lifting the Bheeman Kali Urundai (Lifting is a hoax though :) )

Guys pointing our destiny of the mission, the seventh hilltop

Another view of the Seventh Hill

The rugged terrain

Gunasekaran at the end of the Sixth Hill

Kannadhasan and Ravi near the Aandi Sunai (The place Arjuna conducted his penance)

Sathiyaraj, after courageously immersing himself in freezing waters of the Aandi Sunai

View of the Siruvani Dam, claimed to have the world's second tastiest water

Another view of the Siruvani Dam from atop the Seventh Hill

The Crescent shaped moon, we made this expedition when it was nearing New moon

Pradeep and Gopinath taking a short rest at the top of the Seventh Hill

Pradeep and others have a small break at the top of the Seventh Hill

So does Sathiyaraj at the top of the Seventh Hill

Watching the beauty sunrise from above the hills, another reason to reach the hilltop early at dawn

Another view of the sunrise

Valiant and happy after climbing to the destiny

The rejuvenated team after worshipping Lord Vellingirinathar

The first climb for us (Pradeep, my brother, and myself)

Preparing for the descent

The descent, notice the view of the beautiful view of the hills at the background

Tired and exhausted at the end of the journey

The divine place that made it happen

The more we go to Vellingiri Hills, the more we explore the mystique and the serene beauty of the hills along with its divinity. Lets explore this divine place and worship Lord Shiva in the Kailash of the South.

More to come, until then...

Continuing Companions

2008-07-05T02:41:00.003+05:30

Many philosophers and saints have spent their lives in finding out the answer to the question who/what accompanies us throughout the life and after. Hinduism firmly believe on the philosophy of rebirth so that soul gets reborn again and again until it attains salvation. Some say that the physical body that a soul takes is just a shell and nothing goes with the soul. Many of us even would have heard the great verses by the great Tamil poet of recent times, Kaviarasu Kannadhasan, that goes like this.

"Veedu Varai Uravu
Veedhi Varai Manaivi
Kaadu Varai Pillai
Kadaisi Varai Yaaro?"

meaning - When a man dies, his relatives and friends come till his home. His life partner (wife) come till the street. His children come till his body is cremated. But nobody knows who/what will accompany that soul after that.

Veedu - Home
Varai - till, until
Uravu - relatives, friends
Veedhi - Street
Manaivi - Wife
Kaadu - Forest, Burial/Cremation ground
Pillai - Son/Children
Kadaisi - End
Yaaro - Interrogative pronoun indicating Who?

However the well known siddhar Pattinathar (circa. 11th Century) has an explanation to this question about who the companions are? His song goes on the same lines as above.

"Aththamum Vaazhvum Agathumattae Vizhi Ambozhuga
Meththiya Maadharum Veedhi Mattae Vimmi Vimmi Iru
Kaithalam Mael Vaithu Azhum Maindharum Sudukaadu Mattae
Patri Thodarum Iruvinai Punniyam Paavamumae"

meaning, Wealth and Relations coming till the home. Women - The wife - with their attractive eyes come till the street. The children who cry keeping their hands on the body come until the cremation grounds. The two things that accompany are the sins and the good deeds that a person does during his life.

Aththam - Wealth,Relations
Vaazhvu - Living
Agam - Home
Mattae - Till
Vizhi Ambu - Attractive Eyes (Vizhi) striking the view like an arrow (Ambu)
Meththi - Praise
Maadhar - Women
Veedhi - Street
Vimmi - Spasmodically gasping while crying
Iru Kai - Both hands
Mael Vaithu - Keeping on top
Azhum - Crying
Maindhar - Children
Sudukaadu - Cremation ground
Patri - Clasp
Thodarum - Continue
Iruvinai - Two karmas
Punniyam - Good deeds
Paavam - Sin

Pattinathar has so much to be said about him, that it will take up a few posts to fully cover and convey his sayings. To give a brief about Pattinathar - He was a highly influential and a very rich businessman, who attained realisation/enlightenment by his own son who was none other than Lord Shiva incarnate. The one verse by his son made Pattinathar attain realisation about the existence of a soul and its ultimate path. The verse is

"Kaadhatra Oosiyum Vaaradhu Kaan Kadai Vazhikkae"

This has two meanings that can be interpreted. The first, The needle with a broken eye, will never make its way to the market. The second, which was the culmination of Pattinathar's realisation, means that even the useless needle with a broken eye would not accompany in the human's last journey

Kaadhatra - Kaadhu refers to Ear, however in this context it refers to the eye of the needle
Oosi - Needle
Vaaradhu - Will not be coming
Kaan - See
Kadai - Shop, Market, Last, End
Vazhi - Path, Destination

The wealth earned, the people whom relationships are built, even their wife and offsprings would not accompany during their final journey. His intention is not get dejected in life that nothing is going to come with us in the final journey and why should one put in efforts to gather wealth. But to make a note that the good deeds and the sins are the ones that we have with us in all our lives. So we need to minimize the sins that we commit and increase the good deeds that we perform. So setting our expectations low, will avoid unnecessary desires which is the root cause of all troubles and tribulations that a person goes through and is the thing that pushes a man to committing a sin. And the belief is that if you commit less sins and more good deeds, you will be reborn as something better than what we are now. Be it for the reasons of rebirth or not, let us try to avoid committing sins in our lives.

More to come, until then...

Elusive Illusions - Maayai

2008-06-07T00:51:00.002+05:30

Maayai - Illusions in life - is an elusive term that reflects the unsteady state of human life. Philosophers and Saints who achieved realisation say that everything around us and we ourselves are the facets of illusion or illusion itself. But that definition does not seem to give a complete insight or understanding to a layman about what Maayai actually is. This is where our great epics - The Ramayanam and The Mahabharatham - come to deal with such situations. Though the mainline of these epics is well known to the world, there are many stories/legends that come along with the mainline of these epics. They ancillary legends are called the Upakadhai meaning stories that form as an ancillary part. They line and the situations mentioned in these Upakadhai are a bit different from the main epic, but the characters involved in the Upakadhais are the same as those in the main epic.

Well, lets get back to our Maayai concept. Though people have explained pages and pages of things about this, the Upakadhais explain it in a very simple manner that whole concept is understood to people of all categories. One such story comes from Mahabharatham. The story goes like this.

Once Naradhar had the same question that we have started here. What is Maayai? He asked various people and saints he knew, but nobody gave him an answer that was so satisfactory. So he wanted to know a concrete answer to that question. Finally he went to Lord Krishna and asked the question. Lord Krishna promised to give him an answer so concrete that Naradha would completely understand what Maayai was. Lord Krishna also told Naradha that He will take him somewhere the next day to show and explain what Maayai was. Naradha agreed.

The next morning, Lord Krishna and Naradha started very early that Naradha could not find time to take his bath. On the way, Naradha found a pond and said to Lord Krishna that he will be back in a few minutes after taking his bath immersing himself in the pond. Lord Krishna agreed to it and asked him to be back quickly as they would be late to where they are heading. Naradha consented and went ahead to the pond. This is when the Omnipotent Being, Lord Krishna, got prepared to unleash the Maayai. When Naradha immersed completely inside the water, Lord Krishna unleashed Maayai and thats where things started for Naradha.

Then later, both were walking for a long distance. Lord Krishna felt very thirsty and asked Naradha to go get some water in house that visible at short distance from where they were. Until then Lord Krishna said that he will take rest under a tree.

Naradha went to that house to get some water. When he went inside the house calling for people in there, a beautiful and charming young lady appeared from the house and asked what he wanted. He was taken aback by the beauty of that girl and he lost himself. He fell madly in love with that girl and wanted to marry her. Naradha completely forgot about Lord Krishna asking water. He was completely obsessed that only girl's beauty was in his eyes.

He wanted to marry her and spoke to his father saying that he was Naradha, son of Brahma, The Creator. The girl's father consented to Naradha marrying the girl. The wedding was over and the couple lived happily ever after for twelve years. They had 12 children and the family became big and so was its burden. The family was getting into poverty as Naradha could not manage such a big family. Every day was painfully bad because of the increasing poverty.

One day rains poured heavily that started to cause floods in that area. Naradha with all his family members was sitting together in the old dilapidated hut. He grasped as many children as the others cuddled together. Slowly the flood waters began to rise and washed away Naradha's home and children. He grasped to the hands of as many children as he could and took a few in his shoulders so that they could be in safety. When the floods washed them, Naradha caught hold off a branch of a tree and stayed in safety with a few children on his shoulder and in his grasp. Slowly the floods started to gain speed and washed away all the children. Naradha was exhausted, that he could not move or hold on anymore and the floods were continuously rising and he was immersed completely.

And then he mustered his energy to pull himself out of water and with a big gasping sound for a breath of air, he came out of the water. And then he realised, that he was in the pond that he immersed himself to take bath. He was shocked to see that he did not move out of the pond and yet he had the pleasurable and worst experiences in life. By then he heard Lord Krishna saying, "Naradha, why is it taking you 45 minutes to immerse yourself and take a bath?" Naradha was more shocked when Lord Krishna said this.

He came out of the pond and asked Lord Krishna about all this. He said that he had spent 12 years of life that was peaceful and miserable, but how come just 45 mins have passed. Lord Krishna smiled at Naradha and told - "That is Maayai (that 12 years of his life)". Naradha fell at his feet.

Well that is one fine story that explains a subtle concept in a simple manner. These stories are not only easy to understand, but they also contain a great message that does not need any special learning to understand it. Though these stories might sound like a fairy tale suitable for children, they explain concepts that have been explained in Physics (Concept of time dilation as in this story), Management etc. These stories have to be interpreted correctly that they will serve a greater purpose to every aspect of human life.

Let us find out and preserve these Upakadhais as we do with our epics so that they are not only interesting to hear, but also mention the various facts of our lives.

More to come, until then...

Awesome Avinashi!!!

2008-04-17T01:18:00.002+05:30

After a long time, a post about Avinashi in the month of Chithirai seemed appropriate. Avinashi is one of the celebrated Shaivite temples and is considered as the first of the seven Thevaram Sthalams in the Kongu region. The temple is a about 40 kilometres from Coimbatore and a few kilometers from Tiruppur. The word Avinashi means indestructible and the sanctum sanctorum Lord Shiva stands as the indestructible force here. The temple is also known by its various names, Karunaiyaathaal Kovil (Merciful Mother's Temple referring to Goddess Parvathi the consort of Lord Shiva), Dakshina Varanasi (Varanasi of South), Thirupukkozhiyur. The temple is over 1500 years old and has been sung by Manickavaasagar, Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, Thirumoolar and Arunagirinathar in their respective works.

There are inscriptions that the temple received a lots of endowments from the Cholas and Pandyas. There is even a legend that Sundaramoorthy Nayanar on his way to Thiruvanchikulam to meet the Chera King, Cheramaan Peruman, Sundarar happened to visit Avinashi. While walking through the streets of Avinashi, he heard conflicting voices from two of the opposite houses one blooming with happiness and joy and the other with a gloomy and melancholic voices. Sundarar came to the know the reason for the discordance. He came to know that the incident took place some three years ago, when two boys of the same age went to bathe in a nearby tank and one of them devoured by a crocodile that emerged from the tank.

The surviving boy had his "Upanayanam" (A thread ceremony to mark the beginning of studenthood) held. And so there was joy in that house. While on the other house people were sad because had their boy been alive, they too would be celebrating his "Upanayanam" too.

Sundarar was able to understand the pain of the worrying family and he sung out a soulful song, praying to Lord Shiva to resurrect the dead child. Lord Avinashiappar heeded to Sundarar's prayers. The empty tank started to fill in with water from which emerged the crocodile and regurgitated the child as a fully grown boy of 8 years. And there filled happiness in the other home to as their boy was brought alive. There is a sculpture in the Kodimaram (flag mast) and inside the temple explaining this incident. There is even a temple for Sundaramoorthy Nayanar nearby and the tank, called the Thamaraikulam, from which he revived the boy. The temple is on the shores of the Thamaraikulam and this event is commemorated during the 'Mudalai Vaai Pillai' Utsavam on Panguni Uththiram.

The most special thing of all is the temple's car. It is one of the biggest cars in South India. Same as Thiruvarur, Avinashi boasts the biggest car and the auspicious festivals that are held as done in Thiruvarur. The Avinashi car is known for its fine wooden carvings. The old car was destroyed in the recent fire accident, and a new one was built. The car festival is conducted during the month of Chithirai called the Chithirai Thiruvizha.

Some of the pictures of this magnificent temple.

The majestic Avinashi temple Gopuram

Another view of the temple Gopuram

Close up view of the temple Gopuram

Side view of the temple Gopuram

The view of the Amman Temple Gopuram

A close view of the Avinashiappar Temple Gopuram

Gopurams and Vimanams from inside the temple

The temple Gopurams and the Vimanams

The main temple Gopuram from inside

The Chandikeshwari Temple and the Vimanam of the Amman temple

Old inscriptions on stone

View of the outer prakaram

View of the outer prakaram and the main Gopuram

Another view of the outer prakaram and the main Gopuram

The majestic Avinashi Temple Car in all its grandeur and splendour

View of the Temple Car from the side

Another view of the temple car

Avinashiappar Car and the Amman Car

View of the intricate carvings on the car

Another view of the intricate carvings on the car

Another view of the intricate carvings on the car

Lets try to visit this magnificent Temple for this Chithirai Festival and look the car in all its grandeur and splendours and get the blessings of Lord Avinashiappar.

More to come, until then...

Misinterpreted Quotes - Part 2

2008-02-08T02:14:00.001+05:30

Quotes, the essential part of every Tamilian on this planet. There are very few or even no one who hasn't used a quotation/aphorism. We already saw a few of them that got transformed in different ways especially the meaning during the course of time. I found a few others that were quite interesting in their original interpretations and the new and transformed ones. Lets see what those quotes are

This quote would have been uttered by every mouth that knows to speak Tamil

"Nalladhukku Kaalam Illai"

The meaning nowadays is, Good deeds would not be recognised so it is not a time for them. Which also means, that if any good deed is done, it is not only interpreted wrong sense, but also the person performing such a deed will earn a bad name. Though many incidents like this happen in the lives of every one of us. The actual meaning is hidden behind those untoward happenings. It is different and even might sound opposite too

Usually conducting auspicious events, doing good deeds, acts that benefits every one or at least the needy is done by looking at the almanac charts to see if the time is ripe to do those activities - like wedding, temple festivals, providing free food to the poor etc. It is done so because it would be beneficial for many. But the actual meaning of the quote is that, if any act however big or small is to be done and if it will help someone in some way, you should not look whether it is a good time to do that or not. So the actual meaning is - For doing good things, there is no specific time. Those deeds are not bound by time for the person to derive maximum benefit.

"Pon Kidaithaalum Budhan Kidaikaadhu"

The transformed meaning, You may even get lots of Gold, but you wouldn't get a Wednesday. This might make most of us wonder, about what has Wednesday to do with Gold and why is it even important. There seems to be some missing clue that we might find how our ancestors made such unrelated statements. Maybe it could be a psychological reason that Wednesday falls in the middle of the week so it has to be a balanced day adding to the good things. Even nowadays, people prefer to do things on Wednesdays considering it as auspicious. But the actual fact is that in astrology Budhan (Mercury) is the deity of knowledge and wisdom. He is the one who bestows people with their education. And so even if one has a great deal of wealth, he might not be educated or even knowledged. The quote thus signifies, wealth can be acquired by different means, but education is very difficult to attain.

"Aathula Pottalum Alandhu Podanum"

Aathula - In the river
Pottalum - Throw, put in
Alandhu - Measure
Podanum - Throw, put in

The meaning nowadays is, Even if you throw your belongings into the river have an account of what you throw and how much to throw. It might be baffling, that throwings our belongings into to river is itself a foolish act, but having an account or measuring them is even foolish. Some even interpret the meaning as one needs to be frugal and should not waste unnecessarily.

The actual quote goes like this

"Agathula Pottalum Alandhu Podanum"

Agam - Home

meaning, Even if you give the money you earned to your very home, have an account of how much you give. Usually, people in business earn money, but they don't keep an account of how much they withdraw from the business, as their purpose of earning is just for their home. So they don't keep account of money withdrawn from business for their homely needs. But what this quote emphasises is that to have control of the expenses and money earned, you need to maintain proper accounts even in case of private use.

The next one is quite intimidating for children. It is used to frighten children to ward them off from water resources so that they don't get sick after playing in the water for long. The quote is

"Sani Neeraadum"

meaning Saturn, who is dreadful planet feared for the bad times he causes to a human, will play in the water. So anyone playing in the water for long will be cast by the Saturn's spell that they will have to suffer for 7.5 years. This was to frighten children from playing too much in the water. But actually the quote is

"Sani Neeradu"

meaning, One should take Oil bath during Saturdays. Because Saturday being a weekend, one is expected to take rest after taking an oil bath, so Saturdays are the right days for taking oil bath. And to maintain a good health, it is quite necessary to keep the good health and keep the body temperatures low in a tropical country like India.

The next one talks about the very own Tamil Language and Civilisation

"Kall Thondri Mann thondra Kaalathae
Munn Thondriya Mootha Kudi
Engal Tamil Kudi"

meaning, even before stone and sand was formed, the Tamil Language and Civilisation existed. But logically, it might be questionable how a language used by humans could have formed before stone and sand was formed in this planet.

The actual interpretation is quite different, it actually means that some form of Tamil Language existed even before the Stone Age, where humans started using tools and utensils made of stone. Historically, man started using stones as tools and later learnt to make utensils out of mud like pots etc. So, this statement is about a communication language, Tamil, that existed even before the stone age and even before man started making tools and utensils out of mud. Of course, Tamil is a very old language and it is possible that it existed in some form, but its existence has to be made somewhat logical and not even before anything formed in this planet.

The quotes become very valuable if their real and in-depth meanings are understood and propagated correctly to the next generations to come. This is the rich heritage we have in our hands to be safeguards for the days ahead.

More to come, until then...

Tranquil Namakkal

2008-01-16T19:35:00.001+05:30

After a long time, another photo blog post was due for its place. And it was Namakkal, also called Namagiri. People tend to remember, the Anjaneyar Temple (Lord Hanuman) when they hear the name Namakkal, but the legend and another temple is not quite popular among the people, though the temple is the very reason for Lord Hanuman's popularity. Let's see the pics of the temple and later we will get on the legend.

The view of the Lakshmi Narashima Temple and the fort at the top

The entrance to the temple (Kannadhasan standing)

The Vimanam of the Lakshmi temple

The Vimanam of the Lakshmi temple and a small mandapam with me

Another view of the Vimanam of the Lakshmi Temple

The huge rock from the other site the temple

The front mandapam and the rock fort

The front mandapam

Another view of the mandapam in the front

Another view of the mandapam in the front

Another view of the fort

Another view of the mandapam in the front

Lord Anjaneyar worshipping Lord Narashima

Another view of Lord Anjaneyar worshipping Lord Narashiman

The legend that is associated with this temple is that after lifting the Sanjeevi Parvatham (The Herbal Mountain) and keeping it back in place. Lord Hanuman, bathed in the river Gandaki in Nepal and He got the sacred stone called Saaligramam, that is considered the equivalent of Lord Vishnu. The Saaligramam that Lord Hanuman was unique that it had Lord Narashima and Lord Ranganathar sculptures in the same stone. So Lord Hanuman thought of taking it back to the South, when He was getting back to Srilanka.

When He was enroute, it was dusk (Sandhya time - Sandhya means meeting point) so Lord Hanuman had to offer his prayers during dusk to his Guru - The Sun. But the Saaligramam could not be kept in the land as it is considered so sacred. So he was searching for a person. And then, He found Goddess Lakshmi doing penance in the sacred pond called the Kamalaalaya Theertham. So Lord Hanuman request Goddess Lakshmi to hold the Saaligramam for a while so that he can complete the Sandhya Vandhanam (Evening prayers). Goddess Lakshmi agreed and asked Lord Hanuman to be back soon.

Lord Hanuman offered his prayers and started meditating so gradually it got very late. And Lord Hanuman rushed to see Goddess Lakshmi, by then a huge mountain had grown. When He asked Goddess Lakshmi about what happened. Goddess Lakshmi told that as it got very late for Hanuman to get back, she could not bear the weight of the Saaligramam, so She kept in on the ground and it grew to be a mountain. The Saaligramam being a rare one having both Lord Narshima and Lord Ranganathar, Hanuman tried lifting the mountain, but it did not budge. Then Lord Hanuman heard the voice of Lord Narashima, saying that it was His wish to stay there and it is the because of the penance of Goddess Lakshmi at Kamalaalya Theertham that He wished to stay here. And this holy place be called the Namagiri, the Kamalaalaya Theertham be called the Namagiri Theertham and Goddess Lakshmi be called Namagiri Thaayaar. And after the Rama Avataram was over, Lord Hanuman came here and stood worshipping Lord Narashima and He is still blessing the devotees who come to Him

The speciality of this temple is that this is the temple where all the three prime Gods - the Thrimoorthy - (Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Bramha) are found in one shrine. The temple has no Vimanam, because to build one it has to cover the entire Namagiri mountain. As, Lord Narashima does not have a Vimanam, Lord Hanuman vowed to stand in the open space without Vimanam roofing. And He still does to this day, all attempts to build a roof failed, so he stands outside. The Lakshmi Narashima temple is under the maintenance of Archaelogical Society of India (ASI) whereas the Hanuman temple outside is under the control of the state government. And nearby the temple is the Namagiri Theertham (Kamalaalaya Theertham)

The temple is open during most of the day time. One more interesting fact is that the Lord Narashima's feet and Lord Hanuman's eyes are at the same height position as Lord Hanuman worshipping Lord Narashima's lotus feet.

The mandapams were erected by the Pallavas and there is a rock fort on the top that was built by Tippu Sultan. The temple is very serene and tranquil that it captivates the minds of the people who visit it and makes them to come for more of Lord Narashima's and Goddess Lakshmi's blessings.

On the other side of the Lakshmi Narashima temple is the Lord Ranganathar temple. It is said that the Lord Ranganathar statue is bigger than the one at the great Srirangam. And the temple is open only during early morning and early evening for around 4 hours a day. The experience is so exciting that you find your mind to be in peace and tranquility once you visit the temple.

A few more interesting information. Thanks to Mr. Raghavan who mentioned these points in the comments.

1) One can see all 3 different forms (Thirukolam / posture) of Lord Vishnu.

Irundha (Sitting) - Lord Lakshmi Narashimar
Kidantha (Sayana) - Lord Ranganatha
Nindra (Standing) - Lord Varadharaja (aka Malai Varadharajar)

2) Usually Lord is seen sleeping on Adiseshan. But here it is Karkodagan (i.e Snake body with lions head). So, its special.

3) The perumal temple and Hanumar temples are built in such a way that Narashimar's feet are at the same level of Hanumar's eyes.

More to come, until then...

Divinely unique - Aandaal

2007-12-24T23:52:00.000+05:30

This being the month of Maargazhi, a post about the unique Azhwar known to the world would be nice. The Azhwar is none other than Aandaal. She is unique in various respects

Of the twelve Azhwars, she is the only female Azhwar
She had an unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu and married him at Srirangam
She started the ritual called the Paavai Nonbu, that is followed to this day. This ritual is followed by girls so that they get a husband of a good character
She is considered to be the incarnate of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu
The temple for her at Srivilliputur stands as a official symbol in the seal of Government of the Tamil Nadu, as a symbol of the Art and Architecture of the Tamil Civilisation

Let us see the life history of Aandaal. She is believed to the incarnate of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. Legend says that Goddess Lakshmi wanted to praise Lord Vishnu, by being the daughter of the famous Azhwar, Vishnu Sitthar famously known as Periazhwar. So she was born and was found as a baby under the Thulasi plant in the temple garden by Periazhwar. From then on Periazhwar considered her to be a gift that Lord Vishnu gave him and doted her a his own daughter. He taught her the all the philosophies and stories he knew about Lord Krishna and also taught her to attain poetic eloquence in the Tamil language. He named her Kodhai meaning Garland.

Kodhai grew up as a kid just thinking about Lord Krishna and she would consider herself as playing Lord Krishna when her father was away to perform the temple rituals. Everyday Periazhwar gathers flowers from the garden and makes a garland out of it to be presented to Lord Ranganathar. One day after making the garland he would go away to his garden to maintain it and then return back to get the garland to the temple. So when he was away, Kodhai would wear the garland to see if it suited her, only if it did, it should be offered to the Lord. One day, Periazhwar saw Kodhai doing this and got very angry as it is considered a sacrilege in Hinduism that anything that has been used by the humans should not be offered to the Lord. He shouted at her telling her to get out of his sight, but Kodhai told that she was unaware and she thought she was playing with Lord Krishna. But later Periazhwar composed himself and told her not to repeat it and that he will get a fresh garland made for the Lord. And when he offered it to the Lord, the garland fell out as if showing the Lord unacceptance of the offer. The Kodhai brought the garland that she wore and told that Lord Krishna will like children and that she was playing with Lord Krishna, so he should accept the garland. Periazhwar offered it to the Lord in the temple and to his surprise the place was illuminated showing the acceptance. Only then he realised how blessed Kodhai was and adorned her with the name "Soodi Kodutha Sudar Kodi" meaning "The bright star like lady who gave the Lord the garland after wearing them". And as she ruled the Lord with her devotion she was adorned the name "Aandaal" meaning, the one who rules.

From then on she had an unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu and she when she reached the marriage age, she was stubborn that she will marry only Lord Ranganathar at Srirangam, which made Periazhwar baffle as to how it was humanly possible. Later Periazhwar felt the vision of the Lord at Srirangam to bring his daughter in full bridal adornment to Srirangam. When they went to Srirangam, Aandaal merged with Lord Ranganather completely at that point.

Aandaal is held in high respect and exalted to the level of Azhwar because of her unwavering and sincere devotion to Lord Vishnu. Her exemplary works, Thiruppavai and Naachiyaar Thirumozhi stand as a proof to her devotion. Not only she showed her sincere devotion, she also made the other girls of the country to follow that and started off a ritual called the Paavai Nonbu which she elaborates her work Thiruppavai. The songs in both Thiruppavai and Naachiyaar Thirumozhi express the grandeur and eloquence. This Paavai Nonbu, is being followed during the month of Maargazhi even today, and the songs from Thiruppavai and sung daily. It is correlation to what Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, that in all the months he is the month of Maargazhi. It is so auspicious that in all the Vaishnavite temples it is celebrated widely to get the blessing of the Lord.

Now lets look at the very first song, that expresses the strong devotion and grandeur of Aandaal's expression. The song goes like this

"Maargazhi Thingal Madhi Niraindha Nannaalal
Neeraada Podhuveer Podhumeeno Naerilazhaiyeer
Seer Malgum Aayippaadi Selva Sirumeergaal
Koorvael Kondunthozhilan Nandhagopan Kumaran
Yaeraarndha Kanni Yasodhai Ilam Singam
Kaarmaeni Sengann Kadhir Madhiyam Pol Mugathaan
Narayananae Nammakku Parai Tharuvaan
Paaror Pugazha Padindhaelor Empaavaai"

meaning, Oh! the wealthily adorned girls of Aaryarpadi, on the auspicious full moon lit month of Maargazhi, let us go and bathe and perform the paavai nonbu, because the Lord son of the Nandhagopan, who gives guards the country by given pain to his enemies with is long spear. The young lion of the beautiful eyed Yasodha, who has the body coloured like the dark rainy clouds, bright eyes and the bright and beautiful face like the full moon, who is none other that Lord Narayanan would bless us. So let us do the penance praised by the world - The Paavai Nonbu - by immersing ourselves in the water first.

We can see the literary eloquence and her power of faith to move the people to perform a ritual to get the blessings of the Lord is an exemplary feat.

The verses following from Naachiyaar Thirumozhi express the grandness in her thought and imagination. In the following songs she narrates to her friend about the dream that she had in the previous nights. She dreams about marriage ceremony between Her and Lord Narayanan. The grandeur and greatness of thought can be seen throughout the verses

"Vaaranamaayiram Soola Valam Seidhu
Naarana Nambi Nadakindraan Endru Edhir
Poorana Porr Kudam Vaithu Puram Engum
Thoranam Naata Kanaa Kandaen Thozhi Naan"

The situation of the this song is during the Maapillai Azhaippu ritual, where the groom (here the Lord himself) is invited and walked till the marriage hall. The meaning of the song, With a thousand elephants surrounded, Lord Narayanan walks majestically to the marriage hall. Because the Lord arrives and in order to receive him, the pot full and complete with gold is kept in front and in the places surrounding decorations with festoons and banners are done. This was the dream that she dreamt of.

Each of these verses are adorned with grandeur and in other verses she narrates the people who attended the dream wedding. The people are all the Gods, including the head of the Devars - Indran and many others who make the marriage ceremony a grand one. The narration of dream itself is greatly eloquent and shows the undiverted devotion She had to Lord Narayana.

The Srivilliputhur Aandaal temple adds the name Aandaal to its crown showing the divinity of Aandaal. Being so divine and Godly has made Aandaal a unique Azhwar and her works and the Paavai Nonbu will be remembered forever.

More to come until then...