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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 17 of Margazhi: 01 January 2021

THE MANTRA
Kothai inserted the golden key into the keyhole and gave it a twist. They heard the clink of several levers, for it was no ordinary lock. And then the sound stopped and the doors shuddered slightly as if to indicate they were ready to be accessed.


With appropriate guidance from their acharya, the Aayapadi girls were able to push open the magnificent doors. 
“O Kothai! O Paavai pengale,
Blessings be yours for opening these doors,
You are now going to cross over a threshold  
From where there should be no return,
Let this monumental step you are going to take now,
The result of diligent perseverance,
Be not in vain.
Take a deep breath and place your right leg Across this sacred threshold
To enter the holy realm.
Remember the mantra I gave you,Om! Om! Om!Forget not to chant it, for ignite this will for you
The light you will need
To find your way in the myriad corridors within,
The path that will lead you to my Lord Nandagopan.”


“Lord Nandagopan? But no, we have come to awaken the Krishna in us. While we are deeply respectful of Lord Nandagopan and Mother Yashoda, and would love to meet them, it is our Nandagopa Kumaran that we seek.”
“O Kothai, my Lord Parthasarathy will awaken for you, definitely. But to reach His chambers, you will need the grace of my Lord Nandagopan, the Guru Tattwa.”
“But, aren’t you our Guru?” asked Kothai innocently.
“I am your Guru, but just a physical manifestation of the Guru Tattwa, so I may help remove the darkness and show you the way of your Sadhana. But it is the Guru Tattwa, that immortal energy that pervades over all of us, which is the true nourisher of the Atman. Recognise that greatness in my Lord Nandagopan and invoke his blessings. Do as he bids you, revere the Guru Parampara, and you will eventually be able to sing before our Lord Krishna to awaken Him.”
The innocent girls looked bewildered, but having come this far, they were not going to give up.
“Here, take my hand and cross this Moksha Dwara, the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness.”
The crossing of the Moksha Dwara was a blissUnlike any before.
The inner precincts seemed so vast with passages in plenitude
That Kothai and her Thozhis, speechless with amazement,
Felt lost.
But forget they did not to repeat with purposeful devotionthe mantra their Guru had initiated them into:Om! Om! Om!
The darkness around them transmuted ever so subtlyAnd as the sounds of their chanting reverberated,A soft glow bounced off the walls,
Which soon illuminated their way for them.
The light leading them, they soon came
To a chamber wherein lay a sleeping figure.

Burst into a song did the girls,
A mellifluous melody that stirred Nandagopan.
Eyes wide awake, and a smile upon his lips
As if he had not been disturbed in his sleep
But was expecting a bevy of singers to wake him up,
Nandagopan, the most congenial and courteous entity,Bestowed upon themThe space of individuality,
The waters of life’s essence,
And the food of knowledge from the Upanishads.


“O Lord Nandagopa, blessed are we to receive such grace,
For, aren’t these the three worlds
That our Lord Thrivikkraman paced?”

Nandagopan, impressed with their profundity, gave them a second mantra to chant.
“Namo,” said he. 
“Om Namo,” said the Paavai pengal.

The tenor of the chant illuminated a few more lamps. The chanting girls followed the course, their hearts beating wildly. The path led them to the sleeping chambers of mother Yashoda, the exemplification of prana, that life-giving energy force that courses through our breaths.

Sang again did the girls, a song so sweet and pleasant,
That mother Yashoda had to rise.“O Mother of a divine son, we beseech you with aching hearts,
Take us please to our Gopala, our Madhusudhana.
Fatigued are we not from the journey,
It is the separation from our Lord that makes us listless.”

Mother Yashoda was compassion incarnate, and obviously too. Why else would Krishna have chosen her! She spoke to Kothai and the other pengal in a voice dripping with empathy:
“To Krishna I cannot take you directly,
For His brother, Balarama, the kundalini shakti,Guards His realm.But come, to Balarama I will, 
Please him with your song and he will lead you To your highest reward, our Lord Ranganatha.”
And so the Paavai pengal received from mother Yashoda a third mantra upadesham, “Narayana!”

“Om Namo Narayana!” they chanted in fervent unison,Stepping forth upon a path now well illumined, Their hearts beating rhythmically
Yet ever so patiently,
For they knew now that one can never hurry
To behold the splendour of Hari.

Balarama, that elusive serpent, was fast asleep. But Kothai knew that with the help of Prana, she and her girls will be able to sing a soulful song, full throated. Balarama stirred, but eventually woke up.
“Om Namo Narayana!” chanted the girls.
“Om Namo Narayana!” responded Balarama.
Noticing Kothai and the Pengal standing devotedly by the doorway of his bedchambers, Balarama asked them, “Ah! For self-realisation you come? Well then, let me not stop you. But remember, it will do you well not to rush. But waver not in your progress.”
The overwhelmed girls nodded their heads.
“Om Namo Narayana!” said Balarama. “Here we go.”
“Om Namo Narayana,” chanted Kothai and her Thozhis and followed him.





Moksha Dwara, the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness: from the book 'Guru-Bhakti Yoga' by Sri Swami Sivananda
Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 16 of Margazhi: 31 December 2020THE ORNATE DOORS
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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 16 of Margazhi: 31 December 2020

THE ORNATE DOORS

And so, in the early hours of the sixteenth day of Margazhi, even aspink solar arms stretching out after a fitful sleep could become radiant, an early bird watched with joy as a group of girls walked along the rustic roads of the village, undaunted by the pervading dark and the nip of the chill air — a sight it was getting used to over the past fifteen days.


It was to the temple of Krishna that Kothai and her ten Thozhis were determinedly treading, softly chanting His Name for every step that they took forward. The swishing of the bright coloured handwoven sarees they were wearing matched the exuberance in their voices, the jimikis on their ears danced to the rhythm of the incantations, the glass bangles on their wrists kept the tune of the singing in synchronised shruti, and the anklets on their feet squealed in delight at the prospect of meeting Krishna.


Eventually, the group reached the gates of the temple. But they were closed. And guarded over by a sentry.


“O Kothai, Krishna, the Merciful, is what you called Him,Said He would be awaiting our coming,
And welcome us He would with open arms.
But what do we see here?
Closed doors!”

“Fret not, O penne. Krishna, the ever Merciful One,
Waits for us, definitely, and when He sees us,
Receive us He would into His fold with arms open.
But we have reached only at the gates of His temple,
There’s still some more to for us to go
Before we will reach the sanctum sanctorum,
The depths of our hearts where He resides in silence.”

Having thus pacified her Thozhis, Kothai led them to the high palace doors. The simple village girls looked in awe at the elaborately hand-carved wooden doors embellished with a million tiny bells. The doorway was decorated with flags and festoons of auspicious mango leaves.

But Kothai was unfazed. Her thoughts were only on how she could reach her Lord, her Krishna with skin the colour of a blue sapphire, who could be seen only through the inner eye. She addressed the sentry thus:

“Dear sir, come we have from the village of Aypaadi
To have darshan of our Lord Parthasarathy,
Having cleansed ourselves three times—
Of thought, word, and deed.
Come we have not with a flippant wish,
But with resolute willingness
To reach His sacred abode.”

The sentry didn’t seem convinced.
“Dear sir, you must trust us when we say
That we have, these past few days,
Awakened ourselves from the bondage
Of procrastination, discrimination, haughtiness,
Aroused ourselves to the blessings
Of gratitude and satsang,
And taken one determined step after another
To come seek our Lord.”

The sentry looked at them and asked what it was they wanted from Krishna.
“O, what favours can we want of our Lord Narayana?
Nothing, O, nothing at all.
But these eyes of ours, purposeless they are
If they feast not on a darshan of our Mukunda.
This mouth, and throat… O, only to sing
And chant His Divine Name!
Of what use are these hands if they do not His Work,
For which to help, our two legs eagerly participate too?
O, favours we need none at all, dear sir,
Except to behold His effulgent Form to our hearts desire
And revel in the Glory!

“I trust your intentions, my dear girls, but please know that once you cross these gates and go over to the other side, there may be no return. These gates open only for entry, not for exit.”

“Return we don’t want to
To our old tamasic and rajasic selves,
But onward we will go upon the path of satva,
For that is the path which will lead us to our Govinda!”

The sentry said, “Convinced I am of your deep felt devotion. But I can’t open these doors for you. I only stand here guarding them and guiding those who show a sincere yearning to cross the threshold into the other side. I can maybe give you a lantern that you could carry with you when you go in so you may find your way around. But I can’t open these doors for you. You will have to open them yourselves.”

“O Acharya, much indebted we will be
If you could teach us ignorant, simple souls
How to acquire the wisdom we will need
To turn the key in its lock,
And the strength we will need to open these doors
So we may be able to step in to the inner recesses
Of this temple wherein waits our Lord Narayana for us.”

“O Kothai, O Paavai pengale, over the past ten days, through your smaran of Hari, you have overcome the bodily limitations that obstruct a devotee’s quest for the Lord and have brought yourselves here. Again, it is because of your sincere smaran of Hari that you have been able to overcome illusions and recognise your Guru. Impart I will the pranava mantra that will open locks in your minds and lead you to His abode in your hearts.”

Kothai and her Thozhis knelt down to pay their obeisance to their Guru who blessed them with the pranava mantra.

Om! Om! Om!

The ornate doors opened. Kothai and all the pengal stepped in.









Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 15 of Margazhi: 30 December 2020BHAKTI
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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 15 of Margazhi: 30 December 2020

 

BHAKTI 
Here we are, on the fifteenth morning
Of the thirty days of Margazhi,
When we should have, by now, be unified in thoughts and deeds,
As our Lord Narayana’s shanku and chakram,
Yet, my dear Thozhis, you squabble outside the home
Of this young girl because she was delayed in joining us?
The youngest of us all, this Thozhi,
Immersed she was in the ecstasy of chanting His Name,
Her closed eyes not an attestation of sleep.

My dear Thozhis, gifted we have been with voices
Sweet as a parrot’s,
Not to whine and blame
But to sing the glories of our Lord Parthasarathy,
And in doing so, we may lose ourselves
In the bliss of His vision.

O my Paavai pengale, awaken all of you,
From the tamasic sleep that pulls you down,
O my Thozhis, forget your disagreements,
Embrace your differences,
And rise from the rajasic riffs of ego.
Shake off your shackles and step out,
Together let us go for the worship,
Singing with deep hearted devotion
The sacred names of our Govinda Gopala,
And performing with deep felt dedication
The sanctifying prayers for our Madhusudhana,
So we may experience in bountiful,
The omniscience of our beloved Lord Krishna.


Behave not like a caged parrot seeing the world of His creation
Through someone else’s eyes
But spread your own wings like my parrot
And fly your own exalted flight.
Repeat not like a trained parrot
What someone else has to say about Krishna bhakti,
But enjoy for yourself the rapturous awarenessof His splendorous presence, 
And write your own blessed verse.

Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 14 of Margazhi: 29 December 2020OFFERING

 

 

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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 14 of Margazhi: 29 December 2020

 

OFFERING

Scene 1

(A treetop. Little birdie approaches the edge of its cosy nest and stretches out its wings as if to shake off the remnants of sleep)

Birdie: Earth is bidding goodbye to night, and is sketching a new dawn, adding tints of white, a little here, a little there.

(breathing in)

Ah! What freshness! A beautiful morning to wake up to, the fourteenth in this holy month of Margazhi. Kothai and her Paavai pengal must be rousing from their sleep now and getting ready for the worship, with the name of Narayana on their lips.

(puts a wing to its ear as if to listen...silence)

Nothing but silence everywhere! Wonder what happened… let me go see for myself.

(stands at the edge of its nest, and stretching out its wings, flies away)


Scene 2

(A room with a window. It is Kothai’s bedroom. Kothai is still asleep in her bed. Birdie comes to the window sill and takes in the scene.)

Birdie: O Kothai, wake up, please do. What delays your wakefulness this enchanting morning? Do you not smell the fragrance of the blooming flowers as they usher in a new day?

(Kothai sits up, looks into her palms, says a prayer and rubs her eyes.)

Kothai: O Ranga! The day has dawned already. How could I have not woken up? All my Thozhis would have been up and waiting for me.

Birdie: Don’t worry, Kothai. You are not too late. Day is just breaking. There is still time for you to get ready. I will, in the meanwhile, fly around and check on the other pengal. If they are ready and waiting for you, I will tell them you will be joining them soon.

Kothai: Thank you, dear birdie. May Krishna’s blessings be upon you.

(Kothai and Birdie exit.)


Scene 3

(The courtyard of Kothai’s house. Some Paavai pengal are already there in bright sarees and holding plates with flowers and other items for a puja. Kothai enters. She has now changed her saree. She too has a plate with flowers.)
Kothai: I am sorry, Thozhis, I am late.

Pengal 1: No, not just you. All of us are late today.

Kothai: O, Krishna! If we have committed any mistakes, punish me in any manner You think fit, but please don’t punish us by making us wake up late and miss out on those precious minutes when we can spend contemplating on Your Form and chanting Your Name!

Pengal 2: Kothai, we didn’t commit any mistakes. All this is because of Yaazhini.

Pengal 3: Krishna didn’t punish us; it was Yaazhini who took it out on us today.

Pengal 4: Yaazhini had proclaimed yesterday that she would wake up before all of us do, get ready before we do, and would come to all our houses to rouse us from our sleep.

Pengal 5: Yes, she did say that. And because we are in a satsang, we believed her. After all, in a satsang, we must be helping each other, mustn’t we?

Pengal 6: Yaazhini, the silver-tongued one, only talk, nothing in action.

Kothai: Yes, I remember Yaazhini had said she would come wake us up. But boastful she definitely was not. I felt her offering came from her heart.

Pengal 1: O Kothai, you are so compassionate. But please remember, not everyone is worthy of your compassion.

Kothai: No, my Thozhi, everyone is in need of some kindness. Maybe there was a genuine reason for Yaazhini’s not being able to keep up her promise.

Pengal 2: (laughing) The genuine reason is nothing but sleep. She will still be sleeping now without even feeling guilty of having delayed us because of her wild promise.

Pengal 3: I think we should go to her house and catch her red-handed. Then maybe the next time she wouldn’t make such fake promises.

Kothai: Yes, let’s go to her house, but not to catch her red-handed. We need to know if all is well with her.

All Pengal: Come, let’s go.

(Everyone exits.)


Scene 4

(The courtyard of Yaazhini’s house. All the Pengal come in. Birdie also ‘flies’ in.)

Pengal 4: Yaazhini, dear Thozhi Yaazhini, Kothai and all of us have come to take you for the worship of our Lord Ranga. Are you awake and ready?

(no answer)

Pengal 5: Yaazhini isn’t answering. She must be sleeping.

Birdie: I hovered around her window. She’s still in bed. She is turned the other way.

Pengal 6: See Kothai, didn’t we tell you?

Kothai: I am not convinced. I have a feeling that everything is not well with her. I am going to go up to her window and take a look.

All Pengals: We will also come.

(Everyone exits.)



Scene 5

(A room with a window. It is Yaazhini’s bedroom. Yaazhini is lying on her bed. Kothai and all the other Pengal come to the window and look through it.)

Kothai: Yaazhini, it’s your Kothai come to talk to you. I know you are not sleeping. Why did you not come to wake us up as you had promised?

(silence)

Kothai: Yaazhini, are you crying? Please look at me. I am not angry with you. But I know you are crying. Please let us in and tell us why the tears.

(Yaazhini gets up and without saying a word, leaves the room. Shortly, Kothai and all the other Pengal and Birdie move away from the window. Soon all of them are back in Yaazhini’s room.)

Kothai: Yaazhini, why did you promise to wake us up when you were not going to do that?

Yaazhini: Kothai, and my dear Thozhis, I didn't mean to make false promises.I honestly wanted to come wake you all up. But this morning, when I woke up, I felt unworthy of coming to the worship. I thought I could make myself useful by at least waking you all up at dawn. But when I felt I was incompetent of taking up this worship, I decided to not rise to the occasion.

Kothai: O dear! Why should you feel unworthy of worshiping our Lord Krishna?

Yaazhini: I am inept in the austerities of prayer. I know no rituals or prayers of worship. I don’t observe the fast. My limbs are not dextrous enough to move around and help you all with even simple tasks that you might need help with. I am not as good enough as your other Thozhis.

(Yaazhini weeps.)

Kothai: Dear Yaazhini, please don’t say you are worthless. We are all creations of our Lord Narayana, and any creation of His is deserving of some merit or the other. Your qualities may not be the same as the commendable qualities of Mayuri, or anyone else. But please know that we all are good for something or the other.

Dear Thozhi, you may not be adept with the rituals or prayers of the worship. You may not be able to sing or chant or even dance like Mayuri. But you are very knowledgeable. And you have such a sweet voice that makes people want to listen to you. Pray to our Lord Parthasarathy with all your heart and take up the study of the scriptures, the Divine Song that He has imparted to us through His devotee, Arjuna. And when you are done with your study, share your learning with us. Present it to us in the delightful style that is so unique of you. While we all are like His Sudarshana Chakra, always in action, you can be His Panchajanya, His conch, proclaiming to the world His message.

Krishna is an immeasurable entity. Call out to Him with whichever Name you choose. Worship Him the way you can. Krishna seeks out and blesses a heart that is true to one’s nature.

Yaazhini: O Kothai, how ignorant have I been. But not any more. I will also come with you and worship Narayana in my own way.

Other Pengal: And how ignorant we have been too for being judgmental. Krishna, please forgive us. We didn’t mean to hurt anyone.

Kothai: I am so glad you all now understand how inexplicably intense an epitome our Krishna is. Come, let us all go together, singing His Name and offering ourselves in prayer to Him.





Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 13 of Margazhi: 29 December 2020LIFE'S RHYTHM




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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 13 of Margazhi: 28 December 2020

LIFE'S RHYTHM
O Paavai penne, are you here?
The thirteenth day of Margazhi has dawned,
The stars of last night have set
So today’s stars may rise.
The early morning air is rent with the songs of excited birds
Who are done with their sleep and are thrilled to enjoy
The joys that Krishna has planned for them today.
But you, O Paavai penne, have not awoken to today yet.

Where are you now, dear girl?
Are you lounging in the nostalgic joys of your yesterdays
That you still pine for?
Or are you in the tomorrows, needlessly exploring
The unforeseeable course of the river’s twists and turns
Upon which you are a-sail?
O Thozhi, you, our doe-eyed friend,
You, whose eyelids would flutter alluringly
With the gentle gracefulness
Of a flowery petal in the cool spring air,
It is with puffy-lidded, unrefreshed red eyes
That you go about your days now.

O soul sister, it is I, Kothai, along with our other Thozhis,
Come to your doorstep to bring you
To this thirteenth day of Margazhi from wherever you are,
Arise, Paavai penne, and take a bath,
The cold water that you splash on your face Will awaken you to the now,
Hurry up in the name of Hari,
And sing aloud, over all our voices, the name of Narayana,
The appeletive so potent to destroy your mental monsters.
Chant the name of Rama, intone the name of Krishna,
And follow the path guided by our Lord Parthasarathy
Through the sacred divine Geetham,
In this cadence, you will find your circadian rhythm
Set right to a healthy tempo.
So, wake up, dear Thozhi, wake up to the Now! 
Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 12 of Margazhi: 27 December 2020SERVICE

 

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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 12 of Margazhi: 27 December 2020

SERVICE Sleep not in ignorance, O Paavai penne,
This is your Kothai calling you,
The immense blackish canopy above is turning azure
Proclaiming that it’s the twelfth day of Margazhi.
The chilling mist though kind, still hangs
Heavy on our heads,
Yet we wait by your distant gate, imploring you
To wake up from your lethargic slumber and join us
As we envelop ourselves with the bliss of His Name.
Govinda Gopala!

At your gate is a pool of wasted Grace,
The slush of your illusions,
That obstructs us a passage to your door,
Keeping us away from you.
Do you hear us calling out to you?
O Thozhi, pray, do not let your tamas keep you down
But arise to prayerful Love,
Answer our call, in the name of Krishna, please do,
So we may sing together the stories of our Lord.
Hari Narayana!

Standing in your courtyard is a buffalo and its calf,
A buffalo with udder so full,
A blessing in abundance
Of knowledge and wisdom.
The buffalo, awkward with discomfort, waits to be milked,
And its calf, desperate to be fed, cries in hunger,
But you seem to be oblivious to all pleas—
You have not answered us, nor have you
The pitiful whining of these animals.
Oh Thozhi, bask not in the seeming comfort
Of ego and insensitivity,
But wake up to your duties, clean up the dirt,
And join us in our prayers to the vanquisher of the ten-headed one.
Jai Sri Rama!

The buffalo, unable to contain its misery anymore
Has let the milk of knowledge flow into the soil,
The murky liquid now forms a puddle,
Mindless, meaningless, worthless,
O Thozhi, awake! It’s not too late yet,
Untether the calf from the rigid pole,
Take it to be fed, let it know happiness,
Milk your buffalo, receive the blessing of knowledge,
Share it with the world that desperately needs it,
This is your worship of our Lord Parthasarathy!

Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 11 of Margazhi: 26 December 2020THE LIBERATOR
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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 11 of Margazhi: 26 December 2020

THE LIBERATOR
The chilling mist that hung about the air was surprised to see a group of girls and young women treading their way across the village in the dark.

It was the eleventh day of Margazhi and there was still an hour to go before this village would see some light, yet this determined bevy, all fresh and glowing, seemed not to be bothered.

Intrigued, the mist swirled closer.

“Kothai,” a young voice shivered in the cold, “New am I and a few others to the Paavai group. Could you please tell us about the Thozhi whose house we are approaching next?”

“Yes, please, even I wish to know about her,” said another of the pengal. “She lives in a palatial house, yet she is so humble. She must be older to us by a few years, yet her face is firmly chiseled and her body has not lost the lissomness and agility of a teen. Her skin is as golden and lustrous as our Lord Parthasarathy’s is dark. She always keeps to herself, speaking only when needed. She doesn’t sing with us songs of Gopala, yet, when we sing, she goes into a trance and she dances with prayerful abandon. Who is she, pray, tell us, O Kothai!”

The charming girl leading the group, whom the mist assumed must be Kothai, spoke thus:

Yes, my dears, her story I will narrate,
The story of Mayuri, for that’s her name.
Krishna loves it most when
The stories of His devotees are sung.

Even an ocean’s depth can be gauged
But not Mayuri’s love for Krishna.
We in the village believe that it’s her pure-hearted passion
That keeps her looking so youthful.
Inherited she has from her father
Riches abundant as the stars in the summer sky,
Self-confidence and deep knowledge her traits,
She would carry herself with pride and dignity,
And brave of heart she was, she could tackle single-handedly,
Dangerous slithering enemies that even muscled men feared.
She knew not what humility was—
The haughty one was how she was known
All through the village.
No one would befriend her and she too kept away,
But all this was before she found Krishna,
Or, should I say, Krishna made Himself be found by her?

For, one day, the Enchanter that He is, Manamohana
Set to play His flute within her hearing,
The song, so subtle, was yet powerful to reach her heart,
Nay, her entire being.
The strains of music seeped into her skin, and as the notes
Coursed through her limbs,
The stiffness of her gait softened,
The harshness of her breath slowed down,
The rudeness in her gaze melted.
She closed her eyes to the world around her,
Transfixed, swaying her head in response.
As Muralidhara played on, her hands drew gestures
In the air, her shoulders moved in time to the music
From side to side, till she was finally upon her feet
Moving with nimble dexterity.
Madhava quicked the tempo of His music
But that didn’t deter Mayuri;
She kept to the rising rhythm, dancing to His tunes,
Swinging and spinning, whirling and twirling
With an ecstasy she had never known before,
And keeping the steps moving, she raised her hands
Reaching high above her head, brought her palms together—
A namaskara mudra of surrender,
Total surrender as Draupadi once had done,
And dropped at His Feet, the worthy Feet of her Ranga!

Shyamasundara paused His playing, told her to rise,
But Mayuri only wrapped her arms around His Feet
And washed Them with her tears.
Mukunda, the Compassionate One, For her, He bent down, lifted her,
The fallen feathers of her pride,
And He tucked the iridescent plume into His crown,
With love to wear them.

When Kothai finished her narrative, there was not a single dry eye. Even the mist was misty eyed.

“Blessed are we to be related to her,” said the girls in unison, “This Thozhi who is so dear to our beloved Meghashyama, blessed are we for this satsang.”

The mist felt blessed too in its opportunity to listen to such a wondrous story. 

It spread its great vaporous sheet around the Paavais, not with cold cruelty but with a protective gesture of warm kindness.



Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 10 of Margazhi: 25 December 2020THE GATES OF VAIKUNTA

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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 10 of Margazhi: 25 December 2020

 

THE GATES OF VAIKUNTA
The first rays of the sun have reached the earth
A minute or so ago
Announcing the break of dawn of this tenth day of Margazhi.
Kothai and my other Thozhis
Will be knocking at my door in a while,
And I should be up now, ready with a song
Exalting the greatness of our Lord Narayana.
But my song is not ready, there’s something
That impedes the words.
So I lie instead, with my eyes open, staring at the ceiling,
Wondering if I must pretend to be fast asleep,
And not answer the knock,
So Kothai and my other Thozhis would move on
Without me.

The thought is unsettling, adding to the emptiness
Already lurking within, brought on by a verbal vacuum.
My throat itches, my ears prick, my nose waters,
I dread going out into the Margazhi chill.
I may seem ill of body, but it is my mind that is indisposed,
And it is this indisposition which obstructs my song.
Words which were, once, very amiable,
Now treat me as a stranger;
My verses which had once seen sublimity
Now hardly make an attempt to evolve.
This hesitancy, I know, is because
I am denying myself my own power—
An unfortunate stroke of fate
Has been draining me of my strength,
And instead of retrieving it,
I have been succumbing to the agony, spending my days
In slumber and snore, like a pot-eared demon.
My kundalini energy which, once, would reach
High spiritual realms,
Now lies dormant and wasted.

Oh, how I long to join the girls and proclaim with them
Our love for our Krishna!
But the urge only makes my throat and ears itch more,
So I close my eyes and snuggle further into my pillow,
Failing to see the brilliance Or hear the faint rustle of silk beside me.
But a fragrance alerts me… sniff, sniff!
What can that be? That which I can smell
In spite of my blocked olfactory sense?

I open my eyes, and I am startled by what I see…
It is my Lord Parthasarathy, my Flautist of Brindaranyam,
Standing beside my bed, decked in a tulsi garland!
The aroma from the thick, dark green leafy bunches
Fills my nostrils, subsiding the itching that had Been tormenting me for days on end.
He is an epitome of compassionAs He picks me up, a tulsi leaf, tucks me into His crown—
The pot-eared sleep vanishes, my kundalini now awakened,
My shakti rises, lotuses flowering along its path.
“Hare Rama! Hare Krishna!” I sing in exuberance! 
I hear the knock on my door,
I open it and step out through the Vaikunta VasalInto the chill Margazhi morn
To join Kothai and my other Thozhis,
With a new found energy and a new song on my lipsFor my dear Govinda!

Footnotes:
pot-eared demon: referring to Kumbakarnan; ‘kumba’ means pot and ‘karna’ means ears

blocked olfactory sense: kundalini shakti or energy awakens in the mooladhara chakra, rises through the next four chakras to emerge at the ajna and sahasrara chakras. When kundalini shakti is dormant it means it is blocked right at the base, or the mooladhara chakra. The sensory organ associated with mooladhara chakra is the nose, hence the reference to olfaction.

Vaikunta Vasal: the Gates of Vaikunta or Heaven


Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 9 of Margazhi: 24 December 2020HEAVEN
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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 9 of Margazhi: 24 December 2020

 

HEAVEN
As dawn breaks upon this ninth day of Margazhi,
I wake up with gratitude for my mother and father.

My parents are gems—rubies and emeralds,
Most coveted, and rich in spiritual strength,
Set to perfection upon
The gold-inlaid door of the sprawling mansion
That is my life—
An existence of unimaginable luxury,
Not necessarily of money, but with the wealth
Of cherished relationships.

My friends, strings of pearls that decorate my living spaces,
Deep, translucent, nacreous,
Not wholly round,
Some slightly oval, some a drop,
Each one with imperfections that only add character,
Each one, warm in demeanor.

The brightly glowing lamps along the passageways,
Moments of romantic joy with my husband,
The lambent deepam diffusing Satvik brilliance,
A timeless togetherness!

And what to say of my children, tinkling bells that they are,
They carry into the world through their righteous upbringing,
The joyous sounds of their esteemed legacy.

Thankful though I am for such comforts,
Grateful am I to my parents,
For, Kothai has come a-calling,
And I am not in the trance of a tempting sleep
That my cosy bed offers me.
I listen, my ears acutely sharp, for Kothai’s voice,
“Are you ready, my Thozhi?”
I am not speechless, I reply,
“Yes, Kothai, I am. Let’s go.”

Dear mother, dear father, did you perceive
That some day in the future,
Kothai would come a-calling for me
On a chill Margazhi morning
To sing with her the songs of our beloved Krishna?
Is that why you brought me up with piety,
Taught me that while I must be glad for my blessings,
The grandest home is Vaikunta,
The heaven in the deep recesses of my heart
Where my Lord Paramapathanathar resides?
And the most treasured relationship
Is with my Lord Madhava who comes running to me
Whenever I breathe His Name?

Blessed am I, a million times and more,
Blessed am I, O Lord Parthasarathy,
To have been born to such parents
Through whose devoutness
I stand today with the doors of my heart open,
And when Andal beckons, I join her with no hesitation,
And together with our other Thozhis,
We go into a blissful Margazhi dawn
Singing with satiating glee,
Glorious songs of our Lord Narayana! 
Footnotes:Paramapathanathar: The Lord (nathar) of the highest (paramam) abode (patham) meaning Vaikunta or heaven



Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 8 of Margazhi: 23 December 2020NO ONE IS ALONE!

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Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 8 of Margazhi: 23 December 2020

NO ONE IS ALONE!
It’s the eighth day of Margazhi,
The rubescence cast upon the early morning sky
By the brilliant red gem on the sun’s crown
Is gradually dissipating.
The solar disk is almost risen, its bright arms
Gently stretching out across dewed grass.

I should have woken up some time ago
But I am still lain in my bed,
Not because the cold keeps me there,
Snuggled under the warm blankets,
But because I am angry;
Angry because I am crying;
Crying because I am lonely.

I have wished, oh so dearly,
To write songs on my beloved Krishna,
Songs that I want to go out into the world and sing,
But my fetters kept me asleep; the Creator’s Hour is gone!
Kothai and all the other pengal,
Having woken up much earlier,
Would have bathed, worn fresh sarees,
And with sweet smelling jasmine
Tucked into their neatly braided hair,
Would have gathered, and moved on
With the name of Narayana upon their lips,
Leaving me to my karma.


But wait! What is that sound I hear?
Who is that approaching my bed early in the morning?
Kothai?
O my Lord Parthasarathy!
Kothai!

                    “Rise, my Thozhi, I have come for you,                    Haste not, but do make a move,                    Worry not that you can’t frisk like a goat                    Or tread stately like a cow,                    But do be a buffalo at least,                    Though slow in gait, yet it keeps its pace."
                    “Rise, my Thozhi, I have come for you,                    Nay, we have come for you,                     Look out there through your window,                    Behold all our pengal friends                    Waiting for you in the Margazhi chill.                    How can we go sing our songs,                    Leaving behind you whom Krishna favours so?                    So, rise my Thozhi, let’s intone in chorus                    Our songs on Gopala, our beloved!”
Tears roll down my cheeks,
But they are not the cold tears of a few minutes before—
These warm tears of Love have wrestled and routed
The anger and grief that ravaged me,
Just as Krishna had wrestled with and vanquished
Chanura and Mushtika.

I was not lonely anymore!
I was not alone!
I rose with ardour, clad myself with devoted passion,
And took Kothai’s welcoming hand.
Together we walked out into a peaceful Margazhi dawn,
And with all our pengal friends,
We sang heartfelt songs of our Madhusudhana.

Photographs courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
For more such photos, please check Facebook Page: VISHNUMAYAM
Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English. 
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 7 of Margazhi: 22 December 2020THE HORSE WHISPERER

Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 9 of Margazhi: 24 December 2020HEAVEN

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