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
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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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