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From: Mani Varadarajan (mani_at_be.com)
Date: Mon Jan 12 1998 - 16:57:04 PST
[ Today, January 12, is the 28th day of maargazhi
(December-January). On each day of maargazhi,
one verse from Andal's divine poem ``thiruppaavai''
is savored. Today's verse is "kaRavaigaL pin senRu".
What is presented below is the surface meaning.
Each verse can actually be understood in many
poetic and profoundly philosophical ways. I invite
others to offer further thoughts and reactions.
An introduction to Andal and the thiruppaavai
can be found on the Web:
http://www.best.com/~mani/new/andal-bio.html
http://www.best.com/~mani/andal.html
Pardon me for skipping some verses.
Vacation and illness conspired against me,
and I hope to make up the missed posts in the meantime.
-- Mani ]
Recap
-----
In the first five songs, Andal described the sacred
vow (paavai nonbu) she and her friends will
undertake during the month of maargazhi to get
the "divine drum", which only the Lord of the
Universe, Narayana (Krishna), can give them.
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.
----------------------------------------------
thiruppaavai, verse 25 -- 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.
[ '*' indicates the end of a line, split
both for recitation as well as to help
with the meaning. ]
-----------
Translation
-----------
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 through our love
We innocent girls have called
you with nicknames
Please do not get angry
And O Lord! Grant us the drum!
---------------------
Word for Word meaning
---------------------
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