From: sp2@cec2.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Re: A ThEvaaram verse (translation)
Date: 24 Jan 1993 12:36:06 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

In a previous article, mvishnu@bcr3.waterloo.ca (Meenan Vishnu) writes:

>>>>  `maasil veeNaiyum maalai madhiyamum
>>>>   veesu  thenRalum veenkiLa vEnilum
>>>>   moosu  vaNdaRai poykaiyum pOnRadhE
>>>>   eesan  endhai  iNaiydai neezhalE. '
>>

>I am quite sure that I learned in school (Hinduism is a compulsory
>subject in Sri Lanka for Hindu Tamils) that this song was sung my
>thiru-naavukku-arasu alias appar.

  So it is by appar..

>As I indicated with a question mark, I do not know the meaning of 
>moosu.  In colloquial Tamil (used in Jaffna) this word means heavy and noisy
>breathing (especillay after a hard work or of an asthma patient).

    This meaning for `moosu' is in colloquial Tamil in TN also..

> Your interpretion of vaNdaRai as vaNdu + thuRai does not convince me.
> Here are some wild guesses:
 
> moosu == lotus, (or any other water flower)
> vaNdu == beetles, bees 
> aRai == attract, surround
> poykai == pond

> So the line 'moosu vaNdaRai poykaiyum pOnRathE' could mean
> Like a pond where (beautiful) lotus flowers attracts (or are surrounded by)
> bees.

   I think you have given the correct translation for `moosu vaNdaRai poykai'.

> I think MaaNikka-vaacakar is of later times.

   He is after Appar and Sundarar, and his period is 9th century A.D.

>  He is the person who sung Siva Puraanam.
>  He was a minister to Pandiyan and spent all the money
> the King had given him for purchasing horses.  Shiva performed
> a thiruvizaiyaadal (holy play :-) by converting all the foxes (nari)
> to horses (pari).  This incident happened on aavaNi moolam and is still
> celebrated in India.
 
  I have heard this in a ThEvaarap pathikam ( Maanikka Vaasakar ? ) also :

   `ariyodu piramarkku aLavaRi onnaan
    nariyaik kuthirai aakkiya  nanmaiyum
    aaNdukoNdu aruLa azhakuru thoruvadi
    PaaNdian thanakku parimaa viRRu
    eeNdu  kanakam isaiyap peRaadhu
    aaNdaan enkOn aruLvazhi iruppa..'

      ari  = Vishnu
  piramar  = Brahma
  aLavaRi  = size measurable
   onnaan  = stood up

ariyodu piramarkku aLavaRi onnaan = Siva, whose Viswarupa form was
                                    unmeasurable by Vishnu and
                                    Brahma in their fight who was
                                    the superior.

      nariyai = fox
     kuthirai = horse
      aakkiya = converted
    nanmaiyum = the goodness

nariyaik kuthirai aakiya nanmaium = Siva, who converted the foxes 
                                    to horses in goodness.

> Prof.  Selvakumar is of the opinion that this (rather childish) story
> might have a deeper meaning.  He said the upward movement of Kundalini
> (signifying spiritual progress) is called pari.  The downward movement
> of Kundalini (signifying spiritual decay ) is called nari.  So Shiva
> converted nari to pari might mean that Shiva (in the form of a Guru)
> initiated Mannikkavasakar in the path of spirituality.  The Siva 
> puraNam  'namacci vaayaa vaazha, naathan thaaL vaazha
>          imaip pozuthum en-nencil neenkaathan thaaz vaazha...'
> has some interesting lines. 

 Selva's interpretation is interesting and lately I found the ThEvaaram
`maadhar piRai' (appar) interesting, but I will write about it later..

>- SP.

> Meenan Vishnu

-SP.


Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil