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Re: paasurappadi raamaayaNam

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Badri Seshadri • February 3, 1997 


I have fixed a few typos and broken the phrases into simple words.

maN ulakaththOr uyya, - For the upliftment of the earthly people,
(maN ulakam - earth, viN ulakam - heaven. ulakam - world.
 uyya = uyarvu adaiya = to reach a higher state than what
 one is currently in)

ayOdhdhi ennum aNi nagaraththu, - in a beautiful city called Ayodhya,

(aNi - as an adjective this word means 'enhanced'. Ayodhya which is
already a beautiful city is perhaps enhanced further by Rama's birth?)

venkathirOn - (vemmai + kathirOn) - unbearably hot sun
(vemmai = veppam = heat)

kulaththukku Or viLakkaay, - as a lamp for the sUrya vamsa
(notice the choice of the words here! a hot sun is by itself the
brightest thing that one can have. Sri Rama is seen as a lamp - that
is, someone who outshines everyone else, even the sun himself, in the
family - by the aazhvaars.)

kousalai than kula mathalaiyaay - as Kausalya's baby
thayarathan than makanaay thOnRi - as Dhasaratha's son

(note again the beatiful distinction here. Rama is described as the
"baby" of Kausalya but "son" of Dhasaratha! As long as one is a
helpless little kid, one is associated with the mother, because it is
the mother who looks after the baby. The father usually stays
away. Once the kid grows up, the father takes over, finds a right
teacher and gives his son a valuble education, and asks him to take
over his own responsibilities. Thus Rama is Kausalya's baby, but
Dhasaratha's son. Further, the word 'mathalai' (as in 'baby') is
gender neutral. For the mother, it doesn't matter if the baby is male
or female. She treats them the same way. Hence that gender neutral
word. However, the father will treat his sons and daughters in
different ways, as per the societal norms.

"kula mathalai" - The author could have simply used 'kausalai than
mathalaiyaay'. But instead he uses 'kula mathalai'. Rama is not merely
just a baby of Kausalya, but He is "The baby" of the entire family,
the entire dynasty. Hence "kula mathalai".)

kuNam thigazh koNdalaay - like a cloud filled with admirable
qualities.

Just as a cloud is pregnant with rain water, Rama is seen as the
embodiment of all the qualities that are virtuous. After all, didn't
this very question of whether there existed such a person, made
Valmiki search for the answer and write the original Ramayana?

(koNdal - clouds. as in thoNdar adippodi aazhvaar's `koNdal meedhu
aNavum sOlai'. As mentioned by Vaidehi, 'koNdal vaNNan' - the cloud
coloured Krishna)

====

I am sure an acharya (such as sri azhagiya singar) can dig out a lot
more from the above lines (having listened to a few of sri azhagiya
singar's thiruppaavai upanyaasam, I am convinced of this). I hope to
get this book sometimes and read it with an acharya's commentary, if
one is available.

--badri