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IDU OR ARPUDHAM KELEER PART 9

From the Bhakti List Archives

L&T-ECCG-Buildings & Factories • October 7, 1999 


Dear Sri Vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

Sri lakshmi nrusimha divya paadukaa sEvaka SrivaN satakOpa Sri Vedaanta
desika yateendra mahaa dEsikaaya namah:

In the previous postings, parts 1 to 8 on this topic, we saw 
		*	How periyaazhvaar identified KaNNan with thirumaal, 
		*	How he described the entire world was tied down by
his divine music thru the paasurams (without the meanings of the paasurams),

		*	Certain points on observations of bagavathaas. 
		*	The meanings in detail for the first six paasurams
and few others who relished the kuzhal oothal episode of krishna leelai

In the "yaadhava abyudhayam" the voluminous master piece of Swami desikan,
on my beloved krishna, Sri Swami says following about the kuzhal oothum
episode. The slokams we saw in the earlier post. Let us see the meanings:

a.	Praayasthadh aahvaanavidhow niyOkthum pragruhya vENum prathipanna
dhUthyam! nyavEsayath kudmalithE saleelam bimbaadharE sUchitha chitha
raagE!! - chapter 8 slokam 45

Krishna covered the flute with his bimba fruit like lips- red coral like
lips- to play the music. (Bimbhaa fruit is viLaam pazham with a strong outer
cover and red inside soft fruit material). The flute is the ambassador to
convey his (krishnaa's) desire of calling his lovers, the gopees, to come to
his proximity, at his place (means the forest here).

b.	SaamOpapannaan kramasa: svarandhrai: sapthasvaraan saptha
bhirudhvamantham! PrachamakramE vaadhayithum vanaanthE vamsam priyO vallava
vamsajaanaam!! Slokam 46

KaNNan started playing the flute, staying in the forest [vanam- forest (or
garden- solai in tamil?)]. This kaNNan is the same person who is liked by
all gopees. The flute gave out the seven saama vEdha swaraas, through the
seven holes in good array regularly.

c.	Mukunda vakthraanila vaadhyamaanO vENur babhow vEdha iva dvitheeya:!
Raagaavadheenaam rahasaam yadhEkam geethaathmanaam thasya nidhaanamaaseeth!!
Slokam 47

It appeared that the flute music is like the emergence of vEdhaas for the
second time [who knows except Himself, when he gave out the vedhaas for the
first time, so Sri swami says it is the second time].

Flute music by kaNNan is the love signal given to individual gopees,
inviting them to his proximity. vEdham is the basis for sangeetham and it's
evolution. This is stated here very nicely. [Cross reference - oothum
attheenkuzharkE uyyEn- by nammazhvaar the meaning of which is given here]

Now let us see nammazhvaar paasuram, [which I included in part 4]. Just for
easy reference the paasuram first-
		OothumaththeenkuzhaRkE uyyEn naan
		Athu mozhinthu idaiththan sei kOlath 
		Thoothu sei kaNgaL koNdu onRu pEsith 
		thoomozhi  isaigaL koNdu onRu nOkki
		pEduRu mugam seithu nonthu nonthu
		pEthai nenjaRavarap paadum paattai
		yaadum onRaRigilam amma amma
		maalaiyum vanthathu maayan vaaraan.

This paasuram is in antaadhi style - means last word or line in previous
verse is the starting word or line for next. Previous lines are
"pasunchaanthinil panchamam vaiththu adhu maNanthu innaruL aaichchiyarkkE
oothum ath theenkuzharkE uyyen naan" and then the paasuram as above. 

The meaning is: I will not survive with any other thing except that flute
playing kaNNan. Because he plays for the gopees like me only. To cool down
the thaapam (heat) generated by thinking on him constantly, I have applied
the good quality yellow colour sandal paste in my body in five places [means
all over my body]. That paste has spread well and started giving out good
smell. But the temparature of the body has not come down. So I want that
krishnaa and his flute music. 

The gopi was telling this and meanwhile was looking at her dress (vEsham).
In the forest kannan started playing music. The music also invited her,
because it carried the message of his calling. She reached the place. There
she saw kannan. In between the eyes of the gopi have started talking with
Kannan, and his music has started speaking. 

What? Eyes are talking and music is seeing. Yes. See the words- thoodhu sei
kaNgaL koNdu onRu pEsi- eyes are talking the message of love between
krishnaa and gopees. Thoomozhi isaigal koNdo onRu nOkki- the divine music is
the language for seeing. Is it confusion? No, for kaNNan's music, any thing
is possible. 

Peduru mugam seithu- manam kalangi- with depressed mind, the girl is
suffering continuously- pethai nenju ara ara- why? Suddenly kannan left -
Mother or other senior gopi says "I do not how to console her".

amma amma maalaiyum vanthathu maayan vaaraan- the evening has come but
kannan has not come. What he did? He invited through his music all these
gopees and started playing with them, by speaking thru eyes and seeing
through the music. But, all of a sudden disappeared from that place. So
every body started searching. Where is he? Where is he? So maalaiyum
vanthathu maayan vaaraan.

Let us continue with Sri Swami desikan -
d.	thadhvamsanaadha: subhagO anugachchan agrEsaram sowrabham
aagamaanaam! Ayathnanishpannamanassamaadheen aabrahmakaan aathanuthEva
janthUn!!
	Slokam 48

KaNNan's exhaled air - viz. the vEdhaa(s) go in front, followed by the flute
sound waves emanating, because this sound is also from the air blown by
kaNNan. [It is said the vedaas are the moochu kaaRRu of bhagavaan and hence
this].

This tied down every thing in the world, starting from brahman to all
creatures including animals etc, not allowing the mind of any one going
astray. Thus the music of kannan helped every body to get into yoga trance
very easily. [Just recall periyaazhvaar's paasurams here- specifically not
any one but all] 

e.	vamsasvanaasvaadha vaseekruthaanaam vyakthOdhayaanaam
vanadEvathaanaam! Sa karbura: snigdhathamai: kataakshai: sEndhraayudhow mEga
ivaababhaasE!! Slokam 52

Kannan was like the black rain clouds with the rainbow. The bow was created
by the eyesights of the angels, roaming in the forests. [Vana dEvathaigaL].
The angels came out attracted by the flute music of kannan. Once attracted,
these angels were looking at kannan with lot of love. The eyesight of these
angels appeared [to Sri swamy] as the rainbows.

See the beauty of kannan's music enjoyment of his bakthaas. All are in same
lines.
 
f.	aadhmaapayaamaasa sa srungamagrayam sankham thathaa
bhUthbhikaathmayOgaath! Jagow cha gEyaani bahUni yEshaa gaandharva vedhO api
na paaradhasravaa!! Slokam 53

The conch (paanchajanyam) has come down on its own and made himself as flute
in the hands of kannan. It appeared when he played the flute he was blowing
the conch- sankha naadham. He sang so many songs also. Even the kaantharva
vedhaam, which is supposed to be the basis for all music, cannot find the
limit of sweetness of his music. [refer kinnarar tham tham kinnaram
thodugilOm enranarE, kaanthappar amuda geetha valaiyal surukkundu nam param
anRu]

g.	thristhaanayukthasvara bhUshitham thath thridhaa sthitham
graamavisesha yOgaath! Aran~jayan saptha jaganthyayathnaath geetham harE
raahutha kinnarowgham!! Slokam 54

The music of kannan just pulled all the kinnaraas and made all the seven
worlds (really the entire universe)to enjoy very easily. The music came out
was made out of three swaraas- shadjam madhyamam, kantharam, emanating from
the places of heart neck, and head. [Refer note added in previous slokam].

h.	vilaasavaakyairiva vENu naadhai dhivyEna geethEna cha dhaithya
hanthu:! NivEdhithaarthaa" sudhrusa: svavaasaadhaajagmuraakarshaNa
manthratheekshNai: slokam 55

The music was, like mantras, which attract persons living in distant places
and hearing the music. The music was mystical and invited all gopees. On
hearing his music all gopees came out. [Refer kovalar sirumiyar of peri.]

The balance slokams of Swami dEsikan and arpudams will be continued in next
post.

Before I conclude this post I would like to add mention two songs.

Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar, [the second in the music trinity of thyaagaraaja,
dikshithar and shyaamaa saastry], in his kurinji raaga krithi, enjoys
krishnan as kuzhal oothubavan (flute player) and starts the krithi as
'Sri vENu gOpaala sri rukmiNee lola'

In another krithi, in the raaga bairavi, starting with the words "baala
gOpaala"- in charanam a line reads- "leelayaa gOpa vEsha dhara muraLi dhara
sridhara dhaamOdhara". Please see the rhyme ra ra at the end of every naama.
Please see this is similar to Swami desikan who says "playfully you adorn
the garb of cowherd- gOpa vEsha vishnO:"

This particular krithi is a lengthy one on krishna, but taste is of it, is
of very high order on Krishna. Who ever is the krishna baktha, the pleasure
or enjoyment on this kuzhal oothum episode, is more or less similar.
Dasan 
Vasudevan M.G.