Need the meaning of a song

Classical Dance forms & related music
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subhashinigoda
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 Jun 2018, 10:44

Need the meaning of a song

Post by subhashinigoda »

Hello, I'm new here :) I'm a dancer based in Chennai and I'm looking for the meaning of a particular song. It's called Ettanaithaan vitthai, and it's in ragam Anandabhairavi and adi thalam. Can you help? Thanks a lot :)

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

Re: Need the meaning of a song

Post by rshankar »

If the lyrics are posted, I will attempt to provide the meaning.

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Need the meaning of a song

Post by Lakshman »

ettanai tAn. rAgA: Anandabhairavi. Adi tALA. Anai Ayya.

P: ettanai tAn viddai kaTrAlum enna bhraman ezhuttai vellappOmO
A: edishaiyum pugazh tiruvaiyATril vaLar Ishan pAdam tannai vaNangA mUDhargaL
C1: kATTil mrgattuDan kalandirundAl enna kATraip-pushittu veghu kAlam irundAlenna
pITTin pazham poruLaippagharnd-uraittAlenna parittu malaiyaik-kaip-pandADinAlenna
2: vaDalAgni mattinil irundAlenna vAta muraigaL kaTru vAzhdirundAlenna
naDavA maravA vAzhndadanAlenna nAgattin viSamuNDu nayandirundAlenna
3: nIr mIdinil neTTi pOl midandAlenna nilaiyillAk-kaDalin nilai arindAlenna
pAr mEviya kongaiyAL umAdAsanukku vAkkudavum aiyArenai vaNangA mUDhargaLai

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

Re: Need the meaning of a song

Post by rshankar »

Here is my attempt - the philosophical allusions are beyond me, so I have stuck to providing the literal meaning. I am hoping that some of the other members will be able to explain them with reference to the context here. Lakshman-ji please note some subtle errors in the text.... (bramman and not bhraman for example)

pallavi
ettanai tAn viddai kaTRAlum enna bramman ezhuttai vellappOmO

However many (ettanai tAn) skills (viddai) (we) learn (kaTRAlum), will it be possible (pOmO) to defeat/overcome (vella) one’s destiny/fate (bramman ezhuttai) [1]?

anupallavi
ediSaiyum pugazh tiruvaiyATRil vaLar ISan pAdam tannai vaNangA mUDargaL (ettanai tAn…)

(However many ever skills) ignorant fools (mUDargaL) who do not worship/bow down to (vaNangA) the Lord (ISan) praised (pugazh) in all directions (ediSaiyum), who dwells (vaLar) in tiruvaiyyAru (tiruvaiyATRil), (do learn, will it be possible for them to overcome their destiny?)

caraNam 1
kATTil mRgattuDan kalandirundAl enna kATRaip-pujittu vegu kAlam irundAlenna
pITTin pazham poruLaippagarnd-uraittAlenna paRittu malaiyaik-kaip-pandADinAlenna

So what (enna) if (one) keeps the company (kalandirundAl) of animals (mRgattuDan) in the forest (kATTil)? So what (enna) if (one) have live (irundAl) for a long (vegu) time (kAlam), worshipping (pUjittu/pUSittu) air (kATRai)? So what (enna) if (one) were to share (pagarndu) and expound (uraittAl) the meaning/essence (poruLai) of the yield/fruit (pazham) from a barren, uncultivable land (pITTin)? So what (enna) if (one) were to pluck (paRittu) mountains (malaiyai) and play with them as balls (kai pandADinAl) (with them)?

caraNam 2
vaDalAgni mattinil irundAlenna vAda muRaigaL kaTRu vAzhdirundAlenna
naDavA maravA vAzhndadanAlenna nAgattin vishamuNDu nayandirundAlenna

So what (enna) if (one) lives/exists (irundAl) in the midst/in the middle (mattinil/maddinil) of the fire that is deep beneath the ocean (vaDavAgni/vaDalAgni) [2]? So what (enna) if (one) leads a life (vAzhndirundAl) after learning (kaTRu) the art and techniques (muRaigaL) of debate (vAta/vAda)? What (enna) is the benefit of having lived (vAzhdadanAl) a life without planting (naDavA) or growing (maravA) anything? So what (enna) if one exists effectively (nayandirundAl) after consuming (uNDu) the poison (visham) from the snake (nAgattin)?

caraNam 3
nIr mIdinil neTTil pOl midandAlenna nilaiyillAk-kaDalin nilai aRindAlenna
pAr mEviya kongaiyAL umAdAsanukku vAkkudavum aiyArenai vaNangA mUDargaL

So what (enna) if (one) were to float (midandAl) on (mIdinil) water (nIr) like (pOl) a (hollow) bamboo (neTTil)? So what if (one) were to realize (aRindAl) the nature (nilai) of the constantly moving/churning (nilaiyillAda) [3]? (However many skills are learned by) fools (mUDargaL) who do not bow down (vaNangA) to the respected folks (aiyArenai) who offer help (udavum) to me, the devotee/slave (dAsanukku) of the universally-beloved (pAr mEviya) and full-breasted (kongaiyAL), pArvati (umA) (will it be possible for them to defeat/overcome their destiny/fate?).

FOOTNOTES
[1] bramman ezhuttu – or lAlATE likhita rEkhA – brahmA’s (bramman) writing (ezhuttu) - the writing on one’s forehead = one’s fate
[2] vaDavAgni is a ferocious, all-consuming, all-destroying fire that is thought to be trapped beneath the ocean
[3] nilaiyillAda = nilai + illAda = without (illAda) permanence/fixedness (nilai) = constantly churning

subhashinigoda
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 Jun 2018, 10:44

Re: Need the meaning of a song

Post by subhashinigoda »

So beautiful! And profound!! This really helps. Thank you so much!

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