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Reg ThoNdaradip podiyaazhvaar pasuram

From the Bhakti List Archives

Vaide Venkatakrishnan • May 5, 1995 


Look at the poem split in its words like this:

(and bringing the last two lines as address:)

miNdar paaynNthuNNum cORRai
vilakki naaykku idum miNnNneerE!

Oh ladies having a waistline like lightning (miNnNneerE) [and they are further
qualified thus] and who will feed the dogs food keeping some for the beggars
who will grab the food [literal meaning is rice and quite often synonymously
used] [ this also qualifies the very good hearted people of Thiruvarangam
and its prosperity - when people take into account while cooking to provide
for people in need and animals that depend on humans for their survival-a
very typical scenario in southern cities] listen! [ again there is no explicit word
word for this but implied]

vaNdiNnam uruLum sOlai
[begins to describe the sprawling groves- a group of fragrant flowering
trees and shrubs with birds singing etc., was typically associted with a
'sOlai']

where the bee species hum all day
[note that he did not say a single bee - which indicates bees swarming the
grove for its flowers in plenty]

mayiliNnam aadum sOlai 

where the peacocks dance happily
[I think the word is aadum and this is the interpretation. If it is aadum

if it is aalum sOlai, it means where the peacocks reign, once again indicative
of a rich and glowing grove ]

koNdal meeNn thazhuvum sOlai

where the fish would love to embrace
[normally these groves have some ponds or fresh water lakes surrounding them
or in them]
[if it is koNdal meeNn thaNavum sOlai, I'm not very sure of the meaning for
the later part]

kuyiliNnam koovum sOlai

where the nightingales constantly sing

aNdarkONn amarum sOlai
where the King of kings resides

aNi thiruvaraNGka meNnNnaa
is an exquisite neclace for this place called Thiruvarangam.


[ He apparently is praising Lord Ranganatha and this poem is a preface
to those who do not know this place, detailing its beauty, richness and
greatness for having the LOrd in it.  There must be more of the praise of
the Lord immediately following this.  Now that my defense is over, I will
have time to follow such mail and would be more than happy to mail the
meaning to the best of my recollection. I am out of touch (sadly) with
literary Tamil and do not decipher the meaning of some words easily. This
is one of an easier and lucid style poems though. I am eager to see what
praises he adorns the LOrd with and would appreciate some more poems of this
sequence posted.  Thanks for giving me the pleasure of reading these poems.]


[ The types of new adjectives poets found to praise a good land is awesome-
the situation he describes about the ladies (well except the lightning kinda
waistline ofcourse :-)  ) is a day to day reality. In the nights moms in
the houses would have kept some for the poor and feed the rest to the 
street dogs.  The beauty is in finding the source for such actions, good
hearts and a place that is decently affluent to afford such excess and
bringing it all together as an excellent interpretation of the goodness of
the place, which dominates all poetic literature, only in different forms
in tamil]


Vaidehi V. Raja