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kannanaik kanden

From the Bhakti List Archives

M.G.Vasudevan • August 26, 2000 


Dear Sri vaishnavap perunthagaiyeer,

On the krishna jayanthi day, I saw my kaNNan. Oh! friend (s), I saw him with
my own eyes, I saw him within my eyes. Oh friend (s). I was overjoyed. I was
drowned in that joy of seeing him, with my eyes and with my own eyes, within
my eyes. Tears flowing on the cheeks. Surrounding noises no bar. I was
drowned in that sea of fathomless joy. Time was passing. That joy continued
for a time. No counting on timescales. Afterwards slowly risen up and came
to normalcy. 

This joy of seeing him gave birth to a beautiful song- says the poetess. Oh!
Friends, let us enjoy that krithi. Here it is. This one is in raaga
maalikaa.

Pallavi and anupallavi in raagam simhendra madhyamam:

Pallavi: 
KaNgaLil theriyak kaNdEn sakhiyE,
KaLippinil moozhgith thiLaiththu ezhunthEn

Anupallavi:
KaNNeer malgida kaalamellaam Engi
KaaNath thaviththa en kaNNan thiru uru  (kaNgaLil)

CharaNam 1 in raagam nayaki:
KaNmaNi unthan eNNam arinthu
Kadugi vanthEn unnai aNainthu magizhnthida
NaaNam viduththu en nayanam nOkku enRaan
KaNNodu kaN iNaiththEn kanni en uru kamalak  (kaNgaLil)

CharaNam 2 in raagam hameer kalyaaNi
KaNNidaiyE en karuththinil puguntha
KaarigaiyE unnaik kaNam pirigilEn enRu
In mozhi pEsi idhazh amudham thantha
En uyir anaiyaanin kaathal avan kadaik   (kaNgaLil)

CharaNam 3 in raagam madhyamaavathi
ENNarum gOpiyar Enguvathai maranthu
KanRugaL kaaligaL mEippathum maranthu
Innisai pozhi vEin kuzhalaiyum maranthu
KaNNanudan naan onRik kalanthathu agak  (kaNgaLil)

"These I saw in my mind and these came before me like a tele - vision in
front of me, oh friend!" says Smt Ambujam krishna.

The poetess must be a true yogi, a lucky one to see Him in her agak kaNgal -
In her mind. She has poured her heart and soul in this song. Now let us see
the meaning of the lines.

Pallavi: Oh friend! I could see that- that, in my vision. I was overjoyed
and immersed in that happiness, after plunging deep into that joy, came back
[to normalcy].

Comment: "moozhgith thiLaiththu" says the poetess. Not only getting
immersed, just enjoying that immersion itself, not only the joy of having
the vision, but the joy of drowning into that thought itself. Do not want to
come out of that joy, - unable to come out, or not willing to come out and
lo ! is it easy to leave that enjoyment. The words come to the poet so
easily, nicely and sit in position to give us immense enjoyment.

Anu pallavi: With tears flowing from the eyes, I was struggling to see that
kaNNan, my krishnan, and longing to see him over long and long periods of
time [kaalam ellaam], I could see such a kaNNan's beautiful thiru mEni with
my eyes.

Comment: kaalam ellaam-all the times in the world- when a person waits for
some thing to happen, then the time in seconds become hours, minutes became
days, hours become yugams. So even a small while or really kaalam ellaam?
"Engi" says the poetess- That too this waiting is for the lover, then that
longing is so terrible time wise. kaaNath thaviththa- even just to see once
also, it was so difficult. That kaNnan came in my sight, rather I caught him
in my sight. Thiru uru- is it thiruvaith thaangiya uru- that figure which
adorns the thiru -mahaa lakshmi - or thiruvudan ulla uru- selvam porunthiya
uru- that figure which has the glory of wealth- or thiruvaagiya uru- that
figure itself is thiru, wealth for the entire world. Oh! again words just
came and sat in position. 

Here Sri Swami Desikan's words come to the mind- thiruvudan vantha sezhumaNi
pol thirumaal - in adhikaara sangraham and also same lines again appearing
in rahasya thraya saaram.

CharaNam 1: KaNNan said "Oh my dear, you are the pupil of my eyes, I know
your mind. That is why, I came swiftly to embrace you and enjoy that
proximity of you, my beloved. Please shirk your usual shyness and see me
through my eyes".  I, the young spinster, for the first time in my life,
looked at the eyes of a male, allowed my eyes to join with his lotus eyes.
In his lotus eyes, I saw the figure of myself.

Comment: On the first sight itself, that bondage and love became so thick,
that he immediately says "oh! my kaNmaNi"- you are so dear to me as the
pupil of my eye. Bhagavaan's love towards his devotees is spoken very well
in this one word. 

See the words "kadugi"- "with such a speed I came to see you" says krishna -
may be, with the same speed of saving that gajendhra, came flying on the
garuda, with consort Lakshmi just hanging on the sides, making it to catch
him when he started, she could not even adjust her position on the seat in
the vaahanam garuda- he came to see this longing girl. 

NaaNam viduththu en nayanam nOkku- any girl in the adolescent or
marriageable age, in the first instance will feel shy to look at an young
man. This is what is described as "paramparai naaNam". So he advises "please
shirk that lajjai which comes so naturally to you, young girl". Oh my pet
girl, See my eyes- the amount of my love towards you is just dazzling in my
eyes. So you look at my eyes and realise that longing of mine towards you,
oh my dear, so don't look at any other place on me, like my dress, hairstyle
etc, but look into my eyes. That aravindha lochanam has the power even to
melt stone like hard hearts. "Before my eyes, you tender hearted, get
drowned in my kaaruNyam and turn into a serious dhaasan to me" says the lord
indirectly. 

Now I could see my figure in his kamala nayanam. So I had the chance to get
caught in his sight. This is the one for which I was longing kaalam ellaam.
Oh what a bhagyam.

CharaNam 2: "Oh my dear young lady, through the eyes you are entering my
mind, Since you have entered I and you became we, joined together, no more
separation" said KaNNan, He talked so sweetly and wanted a sweet kiss from
my lips, which I readily gave. He also enjoyed it very much. That krishna
became my sweet life thereafter. Such a krishna's love towards me was seen
by me in his lotus eyes.

Comment: kaNNidaiyE en karuththinil puguntha- for any thing to get
registered in the mind, first it must enter the eyes, then into the mind.
Could have said kaN vazhiyE en karuththinil puguntha- which conveys the
above meaning. But the words are kaNNidaiyE en karuththinil puguntha- means,
if you look at my eyes, through my eyes, I am sending you, that yogic power
of my mind, please be ready to receive it, receive it and become a part of
me. Is it not said that hypnosis is done at the central spot of both eyes
near the brows. 

Once you become part of me, then there is no separation. No need for saying
unnai kaNam pirigilEn because already became a part of kaNNan by
karuththinil pugunthu. Then he also gave idhazh amudham- that life giving
tonic- for which aaNdaaL vied with that sangu. See next word-
innuyiranaiyaanin kaathal- his kaadhal achchaaram by way of that kiss makes
her to say he is innuyir anaiyaan- he is sweeter than my life. 

CharaNam 3: Countless gopies were longing for his embrace, longing for his
love towards them. That Kannan forgot these gopies. He forgot his duty of
grazing the young calves and their mother cows. He forgot that bamboo
through which he sang that sweet music. I was totally got entrenched in that
Krishnan mixed into him. 

Comment: He missed his duties like grazing the cows, his usual vENu gaanam-
music. There were countless gopies who were in love with him so much. A
comparison statement became a proverb that any body is in true love means,
it should be like gopies love towards Krishna. Krishna also forgot such
gopies' love for my sake. I mixed endlessly into him- aikkiyamaai vittEn-
"these I could see in my mind".  Just for a ladylove's sake he forgot his
duties means think of his kaaruNyam towards his bhakthaaas. 

Now read again the full krithi and enjoy the richness of the true krishna
bhakthi.

Dhaasan 

Vasudevan M.G.


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