Bhairavi varnam -lyrics and meaning

[kunjamma]

Dear Rasikas ,
It would be a great help if some one could help me with the lyrics ,swarams and word to word meaning of varnam--Mohamaana en meedil in ragam Bhairavi thalam roopakam by ponnaiya pillai
thanks in advance.

[Lakshman]

mOhamAna en mIdil (padavarNa). rAgA: bhairavi. rUpaka tALA.

P: mOhamAna en mIdil nI inda vELaiyil mODi sheyyalAmO en sAmi metta
A: nAgarIkamAna tirunagaril vAsarE bhOga tyAgEshA anubhOgam sheyya vA kiTTa
(muktAyi svara sAhityam)
sondamuDan enai kUDina vindaiyai ninaindE dinam vADi manam nADi umait-tEDi uravADa mighavum
enaduDal adu padarudE ini ara nimiSamu yugamAghudE adara sAramadhu tara idE samayam sarasa sadguNanE
C: mAran kaNaigaL tUvurAn sharamariyAi
1: mAvEri kuyilgaL kUvudE ini en sheiguvEn
2: mArutan orupuram vIshudu iravinil tAmasam ennai aNaivAr ini vashamalla
3: sOman taNal migha shoriyayil rAmA ini sakhiyEnaDa kAman kalvikki cintai enna sAmi sthanamadE vimmudaDA
4: surEshan anudinam pugazh varEsha munivar paNiyum jagadIshA akhaNDa pUraNa vilAsA aDiyavargaL aruL puriyum
IshA akhila bhuvanamadil vAsA hari ayan ariyAda IshA varangaL tarum tiru tyAgEshar karuNai pozhiyum kayilai vAsA
endanai aNaiyum ippO

[rshankar]

Some of the words are not clear, especially in the anupallavi and the muktAyi svara sAhityam. Can someone point me in the direction of an audio version?

[arasi]

Ravi,
But for the last caraNam, this varNam is way too explicit. One should think twice before dancing to it. A very adult theme without much lyrical beauty, I would say.

[Lakshman]

I have made some minor corrections in the text in post # 2.

[rshankar]

Minor corrections to the sAhityam that Lji posted. The language used in this varNam is confusing because the nAyikA alternates between addressing her Lord using familiar forms of address like 'nI', and 'DA', with more respectful forms like vAsarE, umai etc. I agree with Arasi that the language is too explicit, but this varNam forms the bedrock of many dancers' repertoire, and whatever it may lack in lyrical beauty, it makes up for it in its musical beauty. The caraNa svarams of this (and other padavarNams from the quartette) are some of the best I have heard - distilled essence of bhairavi in this instance. I have to warn the readers that the meaning (in English) may appear even more explicit - that is due to my limitation, for I have struggled hard to make the meaning as clinical as I possibly can! I have to confess that counseling adolescents is still WAY more embarrassing than translating this varNam.

pallavi
mOhamAna en mIdil nI inda vELaiyil mODi sheyyalAmO en sAmi metta

My (en) Lord (sAmi)! How can you (nI) put on (SeyyalAmO) such airs (mODi) at a time (vELayil) such as this (inda), especially towards (mIdil) one such as me (en), who is so greatly (metta) [1] infatuated with/enamored of (mOhamAna) you?

anupallavi
nAgarIkamAna tirunagaril vAsarE bhOga tyAgEshA anubhOgam sheyya vA kiTTa

Oh resident (vAsarE) of a very refined/cultured (nAgarIkamAna) divine (tiru) city (nagaril)! Oh sybaritic (bhOga) tyAgESA [2]! Please come (vA) close (kiTTa) and make (Seyya) love (anubhOgam) to me!

muktAyi svara sAhityam
sondamuDan enai kUDina vindaiyai ninaindE dinam vADi manam nADi umait-tEDi uravADa migavum
enad(u)uDal adu padarudE ini ara nimiSamu yugamAgudE adhara sAram adu tara idE samayam sarasa sadguNanE

Reliving/recalling (ninaindE) the wonder/amazement (vindaiyai) of those moments when you were united (kUDina) with me (enai) as if you were mine (sondamuDan), daily/always (dinam), I pine away (vADi), even as my heart (manam) longs for (nADi) and seeks (tEDi) you (umai) out for intimacy (uravADA) because my (enadu) body (uDal adu) is extremely (migavum) distressed (padarudE) with longing! Even half (ara) a minute (nimishamum) feels like/becomes (AgudE) an eon (yugam). Oh amorous (sarasa) Lord of sterling (sat) character (guNanE) [3]! This (idE) is the time (samayam) to give/share with (tara) each other the essence (sAram adu) [4] from our lips (adhara).

caraNa sAhityam
mAran kaNaigaL tUvurAn sharamAriyAi

manmatha (mAran) is torturing me by incessantly (SaramAriyAi) showering (tUvurAn) his arrows (kaNaigaL) on me.

caraNa svara sAhityam 1
mAveRi kuyilgaL kUvudE ini en sheiguvEn

Alas! What (en) can I do (SeiguvEn), now (ini) that the love-sick/intoxicated (mAveri) cuckoos (kuyilgaL) have started to coo (kUvudE)?

caraNa svara sAhityam 2
mArutan orupuram vIshudu iravinil tAmasam ennai aNaivAr ini vashamalla

Even as the breeze (mArutan) blows (vISudu) on my inflamed body from one side (orupuram), I feel languorous (tAmasam) at night (iravinil)! Alas, the one to embrace (aNaivAR) me (ennai) is now (ini) not (alla) within my reach (vaSam)!

caraNa svara sAhityam 3
sOman taNal miga shoriyayil rAmA ini sakhiyEnaDa kAman kalavikki cintai enna sAmi sthanamadu vimmudaDA

Ah (rAmA)! My friend (sakhiyE), why (EnaDA) is it that now (ini), when the moon (sOman)-beams (taNaL) are scorching (Soriyayil) me excessively (miga), my thoughts (cintai) are turning towards a sexual (kAman) union (kalavikku) with my lord, and my breasts (sthanamadu) throb/become engorged (vimmudaDA) with desire?

caraNa svara sAhityam 4
surEshan anudinam pugazha varEsha munivar paNiyum jagadIshA akhaNDa pUraNa vilAsA aDiyavargaL aruL puriyum IshA
akhila bhuvanamadil vAsA hari ayan ariyAda nEshA varangaL tarum tiru tyAgEshA karuNai pozhiyum kayilai vAsA endanai aNaiyum ippO

Oh Lord (ISA) of the world (jagat) who is praised (pugazha) by indra (surESan) [5] everyday (anudinam), and is worshipped (paNiyum) by the sage (munivar) vaRESa [6], one who is whole (akhaNDa) [7], and entire/complete, one who shines luminously (vilAsA), you are the Lord (ISA) who blesses (aruL puriyum) your devotees (aDiyArgaL)! Oh divine (tiru) lord (ISA) of the renunciates (tyAga), who grants (tarum) boons (varangaL), you are present (vAsA) everywhere in the entire (akhila) world (bhuvanamadil)! Oh loving lord (nESA), you are someone whom even vishNu (hari) and brahmA (ayan) can't discern/understand/visualize (ariyAda) [8]! You are the resident (vAsA) of mount kailAS (kayilai) who showers (pozhiyum) compassion (karuNai)! Please embrace (aNaiyum) me (endanai), now (ippO).

FOOTNOTES
[1] In the context of this padavarNam, the placing of this word 'metta' determines which word it qualifies - metta mOhamAna - one who is excessively infatuated, metta mODi - putting on an excessive amount of airs, metta nAgarIkamAna - extremely cultured etc
[2] To me bhOga tyAgESA - is sort of oxymornish - sybaritic renunciate! Hope someone will elaborate on this
[3] Again, amorous and sterling character don't seem to go hand in hand (or, are those the words of middle-class morality?)
[4] In Lji's original version this was written as adhara sAra madhu - which would mean intoxicating essence of/from (the) lips
[5] surANAm ISa surESa - the leader/lord of the gods, i.e., indra
[6] Who is varESa muni?
[7] akhaNDa is non-fragmented - therefore, whole!
[8] Refers to the myth when vishNu assumed the form of a boar and dig deep to visualize the feet of Lord Siva, and brahmA decided to fly up on his swan to see the head of the Lord...and they both failed

[arasi]

Ravi,
Kudos for translating this in as dignified a manner as possible.
Your foot note number three made me guffaw!

Once again, while I agree with you that musical excellence makes us pay scant attention to the lyrics in a varNam, this one oversteps the boundaries. Isn't there enough scope in dance to express all this without explicit words, verse after verse? 'I cannot bear the separation' alone can make ther dancer emote it all in her dance without going into all this carnal verbiage. Again, what do I know about the domain of dance!

[rshankar]

Ravi,
Kudos for translating this in as dignified a manner as possible.
Your foot note number three made me guffaw!

Thanks Arasi -

[meenalochana]

Normally dancers skip the sahitya for the last 2 chittai swaras.

[rshankar]

KSL had posted this link in the Natya thread - Here is a clip of actress Ms. Shobhana performing this varNam - it includes a jati, the last part of the anupallavi, the muktAyisvaram, and the svarasAhityam

[rshankar]

A brief glimpse from Smt. Alarmel Valli - with a couple of her hallmark quicksilver, fluid jatis (what did she call them in an interview? fluidity in straight lines?)

[drvsundar]

I thank rshankar for his translation, and I attempt to address his footnote: To me bhOga tyAgESA - is sort of oxymornish - sybaritic renunciate! Hope someone will elaborate on this.

On the face of it, this exquisite composition is addressed to Thyagesha, Shiva at Thiruvaaroor. Somaskanda Thyagesha is a regal Shiva, a royal father, and husband, a supreme example of royal manhood. As Thyaga- Raja, Shiva is seen as the progenitor of the human race rather than a yogic ascetic or the fiery cosmic dancer he often assumes.

His consort in this bhoomi kshetram with connections to ancient rites is Bhoga Amman.

Now it's all coming together isn't it? =)

A beautiful essay on this sthalam and its significance here: http://www.whatisindia.com/monuments/te ... varur.html

[rshankar]

Thank you!

[sivakAmasundhari]

NamasthE
Can anyone please post/share the notation for this varNam .
Thankyou.

[Lakshman]

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