From: snreee@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Subject: Re: A ThEvaaram verse (translation)
Reply-To: snreee@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 18:37:35 GMT

In article <C19JrJ.JGr@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>, mvishnu@bcr3.uwaterloo.ca (Meenan Vishnu) writes:
>In article <9301220613.AA18627@cec2.wustl.edu> sp2@cec2.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian) writes:
>>     I think many Tamil nettors must have heard of the 
>> popular ThEvaaram verse,
>>
>>  `maasil veeNaiyum maalai madhiyamum
>>   veesu  thenRalum veenkiLa vEnilum
>>   moosu  vaNdaRai poykaiyum pOnRadhE
>>   eesan  endhai  iNaiydai neezhalE. '
>>
>>     The poet ( Appar ? ) talks here about how pleasant
>> is the shelter of the feet of Lord Shiva in Saiva
>> Siddhantha. I have some questions about the meanings of
>> some of the Tamil words in this `veNpaa'.
>>
>>   maasil veeNaiyum -  What does it mean here ? What is
>>                       a `maasil veeNai' ? ( I know that
>>                       Veena is a musical instrument.
>>                       I don't understand this comparison
>>                       here.. ) Does the poet mean that
>>                       the shelter is pleasant like Carnatic
>>                       music in Veena without `abaswaram' ?
>>                       Was Carnatic music developed in the
>>                       days of Appar and Sundarar.. ?
>
>maasil = maasu + il  (flaw + not). 
>veeNai == a South Indian musical instrument 
>Hence it means flawless veeNai music.   
>>
>>   maalai madhiyamum - I know this means `evening' here.
>>                       In the current Tamil usage, `maalai'
>>                       itself means `evening'. This `maalai'
>>                       may be a short form of the old word
>>                       `maalai madhiyam' for `evening'. 
>
>maalai == evening, garland
>madhi == moon, intellect
>So it means evening moon.
>
>>
>>   veesu thenRalum -  I know this means `pleasant wind'.
>>                      This comparison is clearly a continuation
>>                      of `maalai madhiyamum', as we get cool
>>                      wind in the evenings in TN. 
>
>veesu == blow, flow
>thenRal == breeze.
>So it means flowing breeze
>>
>>   veenkiLa vEnilum - I know that `vEnil' also means `kaaRRu'.
>>                      Also `veenkiLa' = `veengu + iLa'. I think
>>                      this comparison is a _repitition_.
>
>No it is not.
>veenku == swell, full, overflow, abundant, luxuriant etc
>iLa + vEnil == young, active, + spring season (also vasantham)
>
>So it means luxuriant and lively spring season.
>>
>>   moosu vaNdaRaip poykai - I know that `poykai' means a `pond'.
>>                            What is `moosu vaNdaRai' ? I was lost
>>                            here...
>
>moosu == cuNNaampu (?), lime
>moosu vaNdaRai == lime room (?)  (see below for explanation)
>poykai == pond
>pOnRathu == it is like, identical to, same as 
>
>It means "The lime room is (cool) like a pond."
>
>>
>>   pOnRathE = Like above..
>>
>>   eesan  endhan =  Our Lord Shiva ( I think the word `eesan' for
>>                    Shiva is from the Sanskrit word `eeswaran' for
>>                    Shiva.. )
>>
>I think it should read eesan endhai.
>eesan == Lord, God, Siva
>endhai == (?)
>iNai + adi == (?) + feet
>nizal + E == shadow, shelter + verily
>
>>  iNaiyadi = his glorious feet..
>>  
>>  neezhalE = shelter.  
>>
>>A translation (to be completed):
>>-------------------------------
>>    "Like a pure Veena (?), like a pleasant evening, like a cool wind,
>>  like fresh, pleasing wind, like a (??) pond is the shelter of the 
>>  glorious feet of our Lord Shiva. "
>>
>>- SP.
>>
>
>Like flaw-less veeNa (music)
>And Like the (pleasant) evening moon
>And Like flowing breeze
>And Like  luxuriant and lively spring season 
>And Even lime room is like a cool pond 
>When I am at the shelter of my Lord's feet.
> 
>
>Appar is said to have sung this when the Jains (the bad guys) tortured
>him by placing him in a lime room (cunnaampu-aRai).  When one is 
>placed in a lime room, he suffers because of de-hydration.  But here
>Appar says even the lime room is like a cool pond when he has taken 
>shelter in Lord's feet.  This may have been a general statement
>like the Valluvar who said "It is very difficult for one to destroy
>mental anxiety except by being a theist" and an anti-Jain story
>might have been woven around this song later (at the time of Periya Puranam)
>Anyway Periya Puranam talks about Jain's torture of Appar.  Other tortures
>the Jains are alleged to have done to Appar include: tying Apper to a stone
>and casting him in waters at which time he sang 'soRRuNai vEthiyan...'
>and the stone started floating.
>
>'kaRRuNaip pooddiyOr kadalinuL paaccinum naRRuNai aavathu namacci vaayavE'
>kal == stone
>thuNai == with, to, help  
>pooddi == tie,  lock
>Or == a, one
>kadal + in == sea + 's
>uL == inside
>paacu + in + um == cast, jump + if + even
>naL + thuNai == good + help
>aavathu == be
>nama + sivaaya + E == 'name of Siva (Skt)' + verily, indeed
>
>(Even if one is tied to a stone and cast into water the manthra
>'nama sivaya' will be of help)
>
>Appar was one of the few non-Bramin (vELaaLar) naayanmaars. 
>He was a contemporary of thiru-njaana-sambandhar.  He used go around
>with an uLavaaram (a tool used for removing grass) to temples to clean
>temple yards by removing grass.  Appar was a Jain and was converted to
>Saivaism by his sister.  He cured the 'soolai nOy' of Pandian king with
>the help of holy ash 'thiru neeRu'.
>
>More than 70% of his works are lost when his and other naayanmaar's
>Tamil works were locked by Smartha Bramins (to foster their Skt. tradition).
>His and other naayanmaar are credited with bringing God and religion closer
>to masses by introducing worship in mother tongue.  Unfortunately, even 
>this Bakthi movement was later (around 12th century AD) hijacked by
>Sanskrit zealots and temple worship and other daily rituals were
>(and are still) done in Skt.  However these naayanmaar still are
>beloved of the Tamil people and the Bakthi lifestyle they started
>spread to other states in India (TN is/was first in doing things in
>India). However, the onslaught of Rationalism in this century had 
>identified some of the later ultra junk works (such as Periya PuraaNam)
>of this movement to the Tamil people.
>
>Meenan Vishnu
Thanks Meenan for your excellent write-up on "Moosu VanDarai'.
But "Moosu" meaning "ChunNambu" is news to me.
This is the first time I hear it.
May be someone will enlighten us on that.
NanRi pala.
a
anbudan
Ramanan



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