Search:
Bhakti List Archives

rekaarkkodal pookkaal

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • November 29, 1999 


Dear Srivaishnava perunthagaiyeer, 

At the outset let me seek permission from Smt. Kalyani krishnamachari to add
few lines to her very excellent "karkodal pookkkaaL" writings of naachiyaar
thirumozhi. In the Sep 9th mail on the first paasuram, Smt Kalyani
excellently covered the names of my pet Sri krishna stating 
maamaayan, 
Madhavan, 
vaikundhan, 
vada mathurai mainthan, 
yamunaith thuraivan 
dhamOdharan, 
sangodu chakkaram Enthum thadakkaiyan etc. 

But she left out the pet name of aandaaL the "kurai onrum illadha govindan"
which aandaaL has referred three times in her magnum opus thiruppaavai. This
was a manak kurai for me and I did not want to dampen the spirits of the
writer and other bhakthaas by expressing it. Why I choose to add it now is I
want to add a point on aazhi nangai in paasuram 4. On "aazhi nangaai"- I
would like to add following.

aazhi is kadal or samudram or ocean [as is known to everybody].
Kadal is already in the minds of godhaippiraatti in the 1st paasuram-
kaarkkOdal pookkaaL- the flowers remind her the colour of kadal. This
naturally leads her to the kadal vaNNan the Lord Krishna or raama. So now in
4th paasuram another call to kadal by another word aazhi through his
nangaai.

Nangaai- is the vili (8th vibhakthi in samskrit) for a girl [nangai becomes
nangaai]. 

In tamil ilakkiyam kadal is considered as masculine gender and called kadal
arasan. Even in samskrit ocean is samudhra raajan [masculine gender]. In
raamaayaNam also Raama prays to Samudhra raajan, he appears before raama and
agrees to support the sethu to be built.

So aazhi nangaai is a feminine gender word, must mean some thing else than
simply mullai.

The nadhi or river is considered as feminine gender. At the point of
confluence or sangamam point between river and ocean, the kadal arasan and
nadhi raani, the foam appears in large quantities and this is aazhi nangai-
kadalin peN or magaL.
 
Aazhi nangaai is the surf given at the edge of the ocean (masculine gender)
when waves come and kiss the pet wife nilamagal [feminine gender] on the
shores giving rise to surf, thus again aazhi nangai is born there. 

Since surf is white in colour similar to mullai flower aandaaL is reminded
of aazhi nangai when she sees mullai flowers.

Mullai appears in the evenings the sandhyaa kaalam, the point of confluence
between the bright white day and the dark night. Surf also appears in the
point of confluence of clear waters  (white?) of river and dark waters of
ocean.

Both mullai and surf are short lived. Both give a beautiful sight for a
short time. When touched or trampled upon both lose their life.

The surf's whiteness similar to mullai flower's whiteness, reminds the
ardent lover aandaal to address her to help in meeting her Lord. So she
surrenders. Un adaikkalam. 

The next immediate presence of the dark green groves of mullai triggers
thoughts on the green coloured "kollai mookkarinthitta kumaranaar" -raaman-
the green coloured lord. 

The whiteness of the surf and the dark blue ocean aside reminds the dark
kaarkkadal vannan raaman. (green or blue colour - on the colour blindness
please refer my veNu gaanam write up and reference to Sri Subramania
bharathi).

Again is there any logic in surrendering to such weak and short lived
parties? How they are going to help godhai? To win the hands of Raaman or
krishnan? She is sure about "kollai arakkiyai mookkarinthitta kumaranar
sollum poyyaanaal- she knows well that the words of sathya santhan
(manaththukku iniyan) raaman never faltered- then why poyyaaanaal? To make
the appeal more dramatic. 

Naanum piranthamai poyyanrE- the emphasis on um in naanum  clears that doubt
that piranthamai having born only for him is not a lie- Poi allavE. 

As well stated by Smt Kalyani PVP gives the meaning aazhi is chakram the
wheel. The five petals of mullai in a circular shape reminds the grandness
of mullai. The grandness or greatness forces godhai to address as mullai
piraatti. But in next aazhi nangai- oh dear girl- a rapport is established
by addressing singularly- so why not you help me, I surrender to you, -so un
adaikkalam.

Another point may arise here. When godhai is referring to flowers like
kaarkkodal, mElthOnRi, kovai, mullai etc where from surf. Please see next
and subsequent paasurams- where kuyil, mayil, rain, ocean etc are referred.
So she is not confining herself to flowers only in this group of ten
paasurams.

Grammatically also the sentence stands "mullai piraatti nee un muruvalgaL
kondu emmai allal viLaiviyel". Please don't create distress.  Next portion
also stands on its own  grammatically "Aazhi nangaai! To poyyanRE".

As also referred by Smt Kalyani, from UV swami, once you meet too many
obstacles it is natural to tend to become submissive and to get what we want
without properly ascertaining the other party to whom we are praying is
capable of or not. In that sense also to consider aazhi nangaai as surf
holds water.

Now it is the turn of bhagavathas of the list to comment on this.

Dasan Vasudevan M.G.