meaning of AdADu ashangADu

Place to go if you want to ask someone identify raga, tala, composer etc or ask for sāhitya (lyrics) or notations or translations.
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krishnaa
Posts: 958
Joined: 13 Sep 2007, 20:22

Post by krishnaa »

I watched this dance performed by Medha Hari. I liked it alot and i searched it on google. I got a running translation to the kriti. But i felt there was much more to the kriti than just the rough and shallow meaning that was given. Please help me withe meaning of this beautiful kriti.

Pallavi:
ADAdu asangAdu vA kaNNA un
ADalil IrEzhu bhuvanamum asaindu asaindADudu enavE (ADAdu)

Anupallavi:
ADalaik kANat tillai ambalattiRaivanum tan
ADalai viTTu ingE gOkulam vandAn
AdalinAl ciru yAdavanE oru
mAmiyiliRakaNi mAdhavanE nI (ADAdu)

CaraNam:
cinnanj ciru padangaL silambolittiDumE adai
sevimaDutta piRavi manam kaLittiDumE
pinniya saDai saRRE vaghai kalaindiDumE mayil
pIli asaindasaindu nilai kalaindiDumE
panniru kai iRaivan Erumayil onru tan
pasu^n tOghai virittADi parisaLittiDumE kuzhal
pADi varum azhagA unaik kANa varum aDiyAr evarAyinum
kanaka maNi asaiyum unadu tiru naTanam
kaNpaTTup pOnAl manam puNpaTTup pOghumE (ADAdu)

Thanks in adv.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Krishnaa,

Here goes. I hope I have captured the 'deeper' meaning you were looking for. To me, this is a very personal note from SrI OVK to krishNa - rather like a parent, who delights in their children's accomplishments, but at the same time, is a little worried about tempting fate too much.

In this composition, SrI OVK, after 'seeing' the krishNa tANDavam, and being transported to heights of delight hopes to persuade the Lord to stop dancing, and advances a few reasons to bolster his request:

Pallavi: 

ADAdu asangAdu vA kaNNA
un
ADalil IrEzhu bhuvanamum
asaindu asaindADudu enavE (ADAdu)

SrI OVK uses the pallavi to set the stage for his request for krishNa to come to him very sedately. He says: because (enavE) the 14 (IrEzhu[1]) worlds/universes (bhuvanamum) sway excessivley (asaindu, asaindu) and shake/quake (ADudE) during your (un) powerful dancing (ADalil), please come (vA) to me without swaying (asangAdu) or dancing (ADAdu)!



Anupallavi: 

ADalaik kANat tillai ambalattiRaivanum tan 

ADalai viTTu ingE gOkulam vandAn
AdalinAl ciru yAdavanE oru 

mAmiyiliRakaNi mAdhavanE nI (ADAdu) 



In the anupallavI, the composer goes on to say why the sight of krishNa’s dancing may not be appreciated by all creation. He says, Oh mAdhavA (mAdhavanE), who wears (aNi) a mighty/big (mA) peacock (mayil) feather (iragu), I have heard that, even that cosmic dancer, the Lord (iRaivanum) of cidambaram (tillai ambalattu) abandoned/forgot (viTTu) his (tan) dancing (ADalai), and came (vandAn) here (ingE) to gOkul (gOkulam) to witness/see (kANa) your matchless dancing (ADalai) [2]. Therefore (AdalinAl), my peerless little (ciru) yAdava (yAdavanE), I request you (nI) to not dance or sway….

CaraNam: 

cinnan ciru padangaL silambolittiDumE
adai 
sevimaDutta piRavi manam kaLittiDumE 

pinniya saDai saRRE vagai kalaindiDumE
mayil 
pIli asaindasaindu nilai kalaindiDumE 

panniru kai iRaivan Erumayil onru tan
paSun-tOghai virittADi parisaLittiDumE
kuzhal 
pADi varum azhagA
unaik kANa varum aDiyAr evarAyinum 

kanaka maNi asaiyum unadu tiru naTanam
kaNpaTTup pOnAl manam puNpaTTup pOgumE (ADAdu) 


In the caraNam, SrI OVK comes to real reason for his request - he is afraid that the breathtaking beauty of this vision will lead someone to cast an evil on his beloved krishNa. He says: As your little (cinnamciru) feet (padangaL) strike the ground hard enough to create a mighty sound (olittiDavE) from your anklets (Silambu), mortals fortunate enough to have been born (piravi) to hear (sevimaDutta) this (adai) sound will find their hearts/minds/spirits (manam) filled with ecstasy (kaLittiDumE). As you dance, oh krishNa, your braided (pinniya) locks (SaDai) come undone (vagai kalaindiDumE) just a bit (saRRE/SaTRE), and the peacock (mayil) feather (pIli) stuck in the center moves (asaindu asaindu) a bit and loses (kalaindiDumE) it’s place/position (nilai) on your locks - these imperfections enhance rather than detract from the perfection of this sight. Entranced by the beauty and precision of your dance, the peacock (mayil onru) that Lord subramaNya (paniru kai iRaivan[3]) mounts (Erum) will reward you (pariSu aLittiDumE) by spreading (virittu) it’s (tan) beautiful plumage (pasuntOgai) and treating you to it’s dancing (ADi). Oh handsome (azhagA) one, who comes (varum) to me while creating divine music (pADi) on the flute (kuzhal), my heart (manam) will be devastated/terribly wounded (puN paTTu pOgumE) if any (evarAgilum) of the devotees (aDiyAr) who come (varum) to see (kANa) you (unai) cast an evil eye (kaNpaTTu pOnAl) after witnessing the sheer beauty of your (unadu) divine (tiru) dance (naTanam) that causes the golden (kanaka) beads (maNi) on your ornaments and jewels to move along (aSaiyum).

FOOTNOTES:
[1] IrEzhu = Iru = 2, ezhu = 7, so 2X7=14
[2] The concept here is that if Siva were to abandon his dancing in the kanaka sabha of cidambaram for whatever reason, creation will cease to exist. Therefore, the composer says, please do not dance, oh krishNa, for you will be giving him an excuse to stop dancing.
[3] panniru = 12, so panniru kai iRaivan is the Lord with 12 hands (murugA).
Last edited by rshankar on 29 May 2008, 18:32, edited 1 time in total.

krishnaa
Posts: 958
Joined: 13 Sep 2007, 20:22

Post by krishnaa »

Thanks a ton for the wonderful translation!
I agree with you that in this kriti, Sri OVK speaks to Krishna very personally like a parent. I actually thought that these were the dialogues of Mother Yashoda! Thanks alot, i am satisfied now :)
Your translations are always great!

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Krishnaa,

You are welcome!

vgvindan
Posts: 1430
Joined: 13 Aug 2006, 10:51

Post by vgvindan »

rs,
sometimes I tend to feel that more than madhura bhAva or dAsya bhAva, it is the vAtsalya bhAva which is more direct and effective (and non-controversial too) method of expressing one's love towards the Supreme. In Tamil there is a usage 'anbE Sivam' - the same is reflected in Christ's message too.
It is quite strange that the English word 'woman' encompasses 'man'. That seems to be true of Nature also. Even the DNA research points to the 'male' species as an off-shoot of 'female'.
This basic urge in us to replicate ourselves and then to cuddle and caress it, IMHO, is nothing but 'self-love' - AtmArAma.
'My (child) son - my extension in time' - who sait it?
May there be more OVKs and Surdas and ........rs's too.
Last edited by vgvindan on 30 May 2008, 10:15, edited 1 time in total.

arasi
Posts: 16800
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Ravi,
You are in great company :)

arasi
Posts: 16800
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Govindan,
Since you didn't mention it, I will. The title needs to be changed from ADADU to ADAdu in order to keep krishnA still!

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Thanks VGV, and Arasi! Much appreciated!

I guess, as a parent, one is very sensitive to these vibes anywhere one sees/hears/feels them!

Along those lines, one of the most moving songs for me personally (other than bhAratI's cinnanciru kiLiyE) is a composition of Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman in sAmA (part of his ballet - jaya jaya dEvi - in the section dealing with umA pariNayam) - 'himavAn perum bhagyavAn, umA gowri tanai kumAriyAi pera enna puNNiyam SeidAnO?'
Last edited by rshankar on 30 May 2008, 19:08, edited 1 time in total.

vgvindan
Posts: 1430
Joined: 13 Aug 2006, 10:51

Post by vgvindan »

arasi,
The title seems to have been changed - rather the wrong way.

arasi
Posts: 16800
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

My! Double action there. ADu, ADu, aSangu, ADU!
The way to spell it is: ADAdu aSangAdu

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