Sami Naan Undan Adimai - Nattakurunji

[MBK]

Hi,

COuld anyone assist with the lyrics & notation for this Papanasam Sivan Varnam- Sami Naan Undan Adimai in Nattakurnji.

Thanks
MBK

[Umesh]

A word-by-word meaning after the lyrics are posted would be of great help too!!

Peculiar that I could not find the text to this varnam online.

[Lakshman]

svAmi nAn unran (varNam). rAgA: nATakuranji. Adi tALA.

P: svAmi nAn unran aDimai enru ulagamellAm ariyumE
tAmadam sheyyAdhu vandaruL mAdOr pangA bhUdEsA
A: nAmAmrta pAnamE en jIvanamE enru nambinEnE
naTanamADum sEvaDi darishanam enru kiDaikkum enavE EnginEnE
(muktAyi svara sAhityam)
senjaDADaviyil iLambirai deiva gangaiyum Oraravum Ada
iLa naghai tavazhum shevvidazhudan tadhIm ena ciTrambalam tanil ADum
C: naTarAjA dEvA sacchidAnandA
(caraNa svara sAhityas)
1: ADum nin azhagil kAdal koNDa ivaLaip-pAr

2: nandhi bhrngi shiva kaNam munivargaLum indiran mudal amara kOTigaL paNiyum

3: punnakai tavazh idazhin azhagaiyum kaDaikkaN azhagaiyum kaNDAL mazhup- paDaiyai shen shaDaiyai tOluDaiyai matagaja naDaiyai ninainndurugum ivaLai ANDaruL
4: nI varam tara uDan viraindu vA meyyanbu koNDu ninaindu nAL muzhudum tan ninaivilAL kaN urangilaL uNavaruNDilaL tirup-peyarai sholli sholli pulambuvaL tanimai tanilE kala kalavena naghaitthiDum ivaLin viraham taNiya aruL nI puriyAviDilE mOsham varum pAshamuDan vanNdaruL

[rshankar]

Umesh,
Here is my attempt at translating this lovely padavarNam...P. Sivan alternately addresses the lord in first person (taking the form of a maiden pining away in love for lord Siva), and also refers to himself/herself in third person (as this damsel - ivAlai - instead of yennai):

P: svAmi = My Lord!
nAn = I (am)
unran = your
aDimai = slave
enru = this fact
ulagamellAm = the entire (ellAm) world (ulagam)
ariyumE = is aware (of)
tAmadam = delay
sheyyAdhu = without creating (any)
vandaruL = vandu + aruL = come (vandu) here and bless/shower your grace (aruL) (on me)
mAdOr = mAdu + orU = woman (mAdu) in one half
pangA = one who is partitioned
bhUdEsA = Oh Lord of the elements (bhUta+ISa = bhUtESa)
(I have a version where this is sung as urugudESA = my heart is melting oh Lord)

Addressing the varNam to Siva, the composer says, Oh Lord ArdhanArISwara (one who has partitioned one half - the left of his body to a woman - pArvatI), the entire world knows that I am your slave - yours to command. I assume that you know this too, so, without any delay, please come and bless me with your grace.

A: nAmAmrta = the nectar (amritam) of your name
pAnamE = just (to) drink (pAnamE) (it)
en = my
jIvanamE = entire life (jIvanamE)
enru = the fact
nambinEnE = I believed (nambinEn)
naTanamADum sEvaDi = the feet (SevaDi) that dance (naTanam ADum)
darishanam = view (of the sacred sight)
enru = when
kiDaikkum enavE = (will) I get (kidaikkum)?
EnginEnE = I yearned (for it)

The poet goes on to say: Oh Lord, I assumed that the sole purpose of my life was to chant your name and drown myself in the nectar of your sweet name (consuming the nectar and being consumed by it). I yearn for the view of your dancing feet.
(muktAyi svara sAhityam)

senjaDADaviyil = in your matted locks
iLampirai = the crescent moon
deiva gangaiyum = the divine ganges
Oraravum Ada = oru + aravam + ADa = one (oru) moving/dancing (ADa) snake (aravam)
iLa naghai tavazhum shevvidazhudan = with(uDan) a tender (iLam) smile (nagai) flitting across (tavazhum) your red (shev) lips (idazh)
tadhIm ena ciTrambalam tanil ADum = (you are the one that) dances (ADum) in cidambaram (citrambalam)

The poet goes on to describe his vison of the lord in his cosmic dance: As you dance in cidambaram, the crescent moon in your matted locks, the divine river that you bear in your locks, and the snake that is wrapped around your neck all sway along with you, and a very tender loving smile flits across your lips.

cidambaram is a place - but cit+ambaram = the temple of one's mind (cit), or the dance hall (ambalam) in one's mind is a state of consciousness - and that is where the divine dancer is dancing to his cosmic rhythm. As the (mortal) singer/dancer becomes a nAda/nATya yOgI he/she attains this state/plane, and that is when music/dance moves from an emotional/mental exercise to a spiritual experience.

C: naTarAjA dEvA sacchidAnandA = Oh Lord naTarAjA, the provider of eternal happiness to one's mind (sat+cit+AnandA)

Oh! Lord naTarAjA, the granter of eternal bliss.
(caraNa svara sAhityas)
1: ADum nin azhagil = In the beauty of your dance/dancing form
kAdal koNDa ivaLaip-pAr = please glance (pAr) at this damsel (ivaLai) who has fallen (konDa) in love (kAdal) with you.

Please cast your gracious glances on this damsel who has fallen in love with the beauty of your dancing form.

2: nandi bhRngi shiva gaNam, munivargaLum = SivA's mount (the divine bull nandI, also called tandI), the great Siva bhakta, sage bhRngI, and Siva's retinue (the Siva gaNas, of which, his son vinAyaka is the lord - gaNAnAm ISa - iti gaNESa), and the sages (munIs)
indiran mudal amara kOTigaL = Starting from (mudal) their King (indrA), all of the hordes of gods and demi gods
paNiyum = (the one they) pray to

Oh Lord whom the entire universe (nandI, the great sage bhRngI, all of the sages, Siva ganAs, the entire pantheon of gods from their king indrA down) worships...

3: punnagai tavazh idazhin azhagaiyum kaDaikkaN azhagaiyum kaNDAL = (This damsel) has seen (kanDAL) the beauty (azhagu) of your smile (punnagai), and the grace of your glance (kaDaikaN)
mazhup- paDaiyai = ???? mazhu = could mean a mole, or a weapon that SivA holds along with the deer
shen shaDaiyai = matted locks
tOluDaiyai = garments (uDai) made from animal skin (tOl) - Siva is described as gajacarmAmbaradhara (elephant skin - purandara dAsa's candracUDa refers to this) or more usually vyAgra carma dhara (tiger/leopard skin)
madagaja naDaiyai = gait (naDai) of a proud (mada) elephant (gaja)ninainndurugum = one who is pining away (urugum) thinking (ninaindu) about all of this..
ivaLai = this damsel
ANDaruL = ANDu + aruL = rule (ANDu) + shower your grace

Oh Lord! Please accept this damsel as yours (to rule over, after all, she has declared that she is his slave), and shower your grace on her. She has been captivated and intoxicated by the beauty of your smile, your glances, your matted locks, and your majestic gait, and lost in these memories, she is pining away for you.

The gaits of heroes is usually compared to that of an elephant - proud, majestic gait of the elephant, while that of the nAyika to that of a graceful swan - mattahansA gatI - makes for beautiful visual imagery

4: nI = you
varam = boon
tara = (to) give
uDan viraindu vA = please come (vA) with haste (viraindu)
meyyanbu = true (mey) love (anbu)
koNDu = experiencing
ninaindu = thinking about you
nAL muzhudum = all/entire (muzhudum) day (nAL)
tan ninaivilAL kaN urangilaL = lost in her (tan) thoughts (ninaivil) she doesn't sleep (urangilAL)
uNavaruNDilaL = she doesn't partake of (aruNDi) food (uNavu)
tirup-peyarai sholli sholli pulambuvAL = She mutters (pulambal) your divine (tiru) name (peyarai) repeatedly (Silli Solli)
tanimai tanilE kala kalavena naghaitthiDum = In her solitude (tanimai tanilE) she laughs (nagaittiDum) out aloud (kala kala vena)
ivaLin viraham taNiya = to quench (taNiya) this damsel's (ivaLin) separation anxiety (viraham)
aruL nI puriyAviDilE = if you (nI) do not shower your grace (aruL puriyAviDilE)
mOsham varum = untold consequences (mOSam) will happen (varum)
pAshamuDan = with (uDan) love/passion (pASam)
vanNdaruL = please come and bless her.

Oh Lord! Can you not see this maiden pining away for you, and come here ASAP? She is genuinely in love with you, and, lost in her thoughts of you, she has forsworn food and sleep. She mutters your name constantly, and like someone possessed, she laughs out aloud when she is alone. If you do not come here and accept her as yours, you should be aware that the consequences may be very bad.

[rshankar]

Lji:
I have made some changes in the words...I have tried to bold them as I caught them, but I may have missed out on some...

[rshankar]

I do not know the story of how the moon came to be on SivA's locks...but OVK in his vasanta composition (nIla malar), asks kriSNa: 'mOna ezhil kANa nANi, vAna madi Anadu anji mUla nAthan SaDai pOnadO' - 'did the moon (vAna madi) seeing your handsome face (ezhil) feel so inadequate (after all, the moon is considered to the epitome of male physical beauty) that he had to hide in the locks of the Adi dEva (mUla nAthan) - Siva?'

[Lakshman]

Thanks rshankar, once again, for the corrections.

[vgvindan]

mazhu - means battle axe - sanskrit paraSu. (As You have said it is the weapon of Siva)
mazhup paDai - the weapon paraSu
paDai - means weapon or implement (though it generally means 'army' it does not seem to fit in here.

[rshankar]

Thanks, Govindan...
Lji - Anytime!

[rmdeer2000]

hi all,

is thereby chance any recording available of this varnam (no artist preference)

thanks,

ram

[meena]

Smt MLV version- is available on MIO

[Umesh]

Thank you Ravi... a big help! I'm looking to perform this piece sometime soon.

There's one at musicindiaonline.com by MLV. I think Nityashree has sung a kutcheri version (which is also online somewhere) but I don't recommend it...

MLV:
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/aqQ ... As1NMvHdW/

Neither this recording nor the private studio recording I received from my teacher includes the last charana sahitya (only the last charana swara). My guru explained that this chopping off of a sahityam was done to a lot of varnams, and she's not sure why, but it could be due to their questionable content (which doesn't really seem all that bad to me, but anyways...). Anyone have more info?

[mahakavi]

As for mazhu, it is the axe that Siva wields in one of his hands. It was a weapon sent by the sages of (dAruga vanam--?) when their wives attracted by Siva went after the ashes-laden naked(?) Siva. The sages sent a tiger, fire, axe, and snake to destroy him. You know the rest of the story.

As for the varnam, even Sudha Ragunathan, and Aruna Sayiram have recorded this in commercial CDs.

[rshankar]

Umesh: I did not realize that I had translated bhUdESa (bhUtESa) incorrectly - bhUta+ISa = lord (ISa) of the elements (bhUta)....

[rshankar]

Umesh: have you learned this varNam? If so, where/what are the sancArIs used?

[vgvindan]

mazhu - paraSu - how it came to be a weapon of Siva is not very clear. But it does not seem to be from dArukAvana episode - please refer to http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/mabhik.html -
Parasu-rAma got his paraSu from Lord Siva.

Regarding Crescent Moon and Siva - http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/machan.html

[rshankar]

Govindan,
That is a great site: thanks!

[Umesh]

Yes, I have. The sancharis are as follows:

sAmi nAn undan aDimai enru ulagamellAm ariyumE
-the whole churning of the ocean bit with the devas pleading for Lord Siva to help them... Neelakanta

tAmadam sheyyAdhu vandaruL mAdOr pangA bhUdEsA
-the maiden asks the Lord the reason for his delay in coming to the house she has decorated; she points out that when Markandeya needed him, he showed up in an instant (the story of Markandeya is enacted), yet she does not receive the same treatment when she (feels that she) is in equal despair.

nAmAmrta pAnamE en jIvanamE enru nambinEnE
-there is no real story here, but the choreography draws on iyal, isai, natakam; i.e. whatever the maiden does is done with Him in mind and in service to Him.

naTanamADum sEvaDi darishanam enru kiDaikkum enavE EnginEnE
-the story of Nandanar is depicted.

My favorite is probably the Nandanar episode, but I appreciate how Markandeya's story is woven into the piece.

[rshankar]

That is indeed very well choreographed...Umesh, you must share some of your (video) clips with us.
Ravi

[bharg.p]

Hello,

thanks to all the members who contribute regularly at this forum. this is indeed very informative.

my query is-

could you please mention what is the state of the nayika in this varnam... is there any particular state from the ashtanayikas which the nayika here would represent?

[rshankar]

I am no expert, but I think the main feeling here is of longing, brought about by separation - virahOtkaNThita

[Indran]

this avarnam seems to be Bhakthi rasam. but in the last chitaiswaram........................
"Viraham thaniyaa vidil" - only this part shows the nayika as virahothkantta. so i thing it can be taken.

[ushanjali]

I had been looking for the translation for this Varnam! I really enjoy this forum! Thank you all for your selfless services to the fields of Music and Dance! this is truly a treasure trove!!

[Pratyaksham Bala]

Please check right from the beginning.
It is given in the fourth post, dated 07 Feb 2007.

[ushanjali]

thanks Pratyaksham!
got it!!
regards