Tiruppavai
Tiruppavai
Verse 28
What I have presented is the surface meaning.
Each verse can actually be understood in many
poetic and profoundly philosophical ways.
Today, January 12, is the 28nd day of maargazhi
(December-January). On each day of maargazhi,
one verse from
Andal's divine poem, the Tiruppavai.
is savored. Today's verse is "kaRavaigaL pin senRu".
kaRavaigaL pin senRu kaanam sErndhu uNbOm * aRivu onRum illaadha aayk kulaththu * undhannaip piRavi peRum thanaip puNNiyam yaam udaiyOm * kuRai onRum illaadha gOvindhaa * undhannOdu uRavEl namakku ingu ozhikka ozhiyaadhu * aRiyaadha piLLaigaLOm anbinaal * undhannai siRu pEr azhaiththanavum seeRi aruLaadhE * iRaivaa! nee thaaraay paRaiyElOr embaavaay.
Imagining herself to be a cowherd-girl in Brindavana, the idyllic setting of Lord Krishna's youth, Andal goes about waking up her friends in the wee hours of the morning so they can go perform this vow (5-15). In verses 16-22, Andal and her friends gather at the doors of the household of Krishna and ask that those inside rise and grace them. She finally takes her appeal directly to Krishna and his wife Nappinnai who are slumbering inside.
As the Lord and His consort awaken and cast their glances on the girls who have gathered, Andal describes their reason for coming and the girls' inherent and unbreakable relationship to the Divine Couple.
We follow our cattle and eat in the woods Ignorant cowherd folk are we We have the great merit of having You born amidst us in our clan O Govinda without a single fault! No one neither you nor we Can break your kinship with us If out of innocent love We ignorant girls have called you using nicknames Please do not get angry And O Lord! Grant us the drum!
kaRavaigaL cows pin cenRu following kaanam forest sErndhu having reached uNbOm we will eat aRivu knowledge onRum any illaadha without aay kulaththu cowherd community undhannai you piRavi birth peRum thanai to have you (in our community) puNNiyam good deeds yaam we udaiyOm have kuRai fault onRum any illaadha without govindhaa Govinda (a name of Krishna, one of whose meaning is "protector of cows") undhannOdu your uRavEl relation namakku to us ingu here ozhikka ozhiyaadhu cannot break, destroy (by *either* of us) aRiyaadha ignorant, innocent piLLaigaLOm children, girls anbinaal out of love undhannai you siRu pEr nicknames, pet names (literally small names) azhaiththanavum addressing seeRi aruLaadhE do not get angry iRaivaa O Lord! nee you thaaraay grant us paRai drum
