Meaning - Nallathor veenai seithe - Baarathiyaar song

vetha1988 · Post by **vetha1988** » 26 May 2009, 00:21

I have been looking for the meaning of the following line from one of the Baarathiyaar songs.

"Nallathor veenai seithe athai nalenkeda puluthiyil erivathundo "

Could anyone please help me out ??

Thanks

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 26 May 2009, 01:43

nalladOr vINai. rAgA: brndAvani. Adi tALA.

P: nalladOr vINai sheidE adai nalangeDap-puzhudiyil erivaduNDO
A: shollaDi shiva shakti enai shuDar mighum arivuDan paDaittu viTTAi
C1: vallamai tArAyO inda mAnilam payanura vAzhvadarkkE
shollaDi shiva shakti nila shumaiyena vAzhttiDap-puriguvaiyO
2: vishaiyuru pandinaip-pOla uLLam vENDiyapaDi shelum uDal kETTEn
nAshaiyaru manam kETTEn nittam navamena shuDar tarum uyir kETTEn
3: tAshaiyinait-tI shuDiDum shiva shaktiyaip-pADum nallagham kETTEn
Ashaivaru mati kETTEn ivai aruLvadil unakkenum taDaiyuLadO

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 26 May 2009, 04:22

Another powerful missile packed with fervent pleas that the mahAkavi launched at the divine mother, parASakti!

I think that this composition expresses his frustration at not being able to utilize his god-given talents to their fullest ability, and he compares it with the sidelining of a musical instrument - He wonders what the purpose of having a carefully crafted instrument with uncompromising fidelity to Sruti is, if it is not used, and goes unheard.

(REQUEST - it is puzhudi, and not puludi!)

pallavi
nalladOr vINai sheidE adai nalankeDap-puzhudiyil erivaduNDO

Is there (uNDO) ever a practice whereby one creates (SeidE) a (Or) tuneful/good (nalladu) instrument like a vINa (vINai), and throws/discards (erivadu) it (adai) into a garbage heap (puzhudiyil) to destroy (keDa) anything good (nalam) in it?

anupallavi
SollaDi SIva Sakti enai SuDar migum arivuDan paDaittu viTTAi (nalladOr vINai..)

Tell (SollaDI) [1] me, Oh pArvatI (SivaSakti - the very power behind Siva), (is there a practice of discarding used a perfectly created instrument), because having created (paDaittu viTTAi) me (enai) with a blazing (SuDar migum) intellect (ariviDan), I hope you are not planning on letting it go to waste?

caraNam 1
vallamai tArAyO inda mAnilam payanura vAzhvadarkkE
shollaDi shiva shakti nila shumaiyena vAzhndiDap-puriguvaiyO

Will you not grant/give (tArAyO) me the power/prowess/capabilities (vallamai) that will make me live my life (vAzhvadarkkE) in a way that will be of help (payan ura) to this (inda) earth (mAnilam)? Or, tell me (SollaDI) if you intend (puriguvAyO) for me to live (vAzhndiDa) as (ena) a burden (Sumai) on this earth (nila)?

caraNam 2
vishaiyuru pandinaip-pOla uLLam vENDiyapaDi shelum uDal kETTEn
nAshaiyaru manam kETTEn nittam navamena shuDar tarum uyir kETTEn

Like (pOla) a ball (pandinai) that springs up and down and changes directions seemingly at will (viSaiuru), I have asked/requested (kETTEn) you for a sturdy body (uDal) that is capable of following (Sellum) the changing courses set by (vENDiyapaDi) my quick-silver like mind/heart (uLLam), and a mind (manam) that is free of (aru) of desire/avarice (naSai), and a life-force (uyir) that grants (tarum) me new/fresh (navamena) brilliance/fire/purpose (SuDar) daily/everyday (nittam).

caraNam 3
tashaiyinait-tI shuDinum shiva shaktiyaip-pADum nallagham kETTEn
ashaivaru mati kETTEn ivai aruLvadil unakkenum taDaiyuLadO

I have asked/requested (kETTEn) for a sterling (nalla) mind/soul (agam) that will continue to sing (pADum) the praises of SivaSakti (SivaSaktiyai) even as the funeral fire (tI) burns/consumes (Sudinum) my mortal remains/flesh (taSaiyinai), and for a mind (ma(d)ti) without (aru) sloth/laziness (aSaivu) [2]. Tell me, are there (uLadO) any objections/hinderances (taDai) to granting/blessing me with (aruLvadil) these (ivai) desires of mine?

FOOTNOTES
[1] The mahAkavi refers to parASakti using the familiar 'aDI' to establish the right (urimai) he has in asking for what he wants
[2] aSaivaru could also mean a mind with single-minded focus, and may be appropriate here, but I felt that after asking for a body that is capable of keeping up with a brilliant mind that races from topic to topic, sloth or laziness would be a better fit for aSaivu. I am sure that Arasi/Rajani and other experts can elaborate more on this.

Lji, I have made some subtle changes to the text you provided.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 May 2009, 06:44

Ravi,
aSaivaRu manam is: asaivillAda; not a fickle but a steadfast mind.

taSaiyinai tI SuDinum: even if I am inflicted pain of an excruciating kind--burnt alive.

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 26 May 2009, 08:59

Ravi - great to read the translation of this powerful song.

I think Puzhudi means dust and not garbage.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 26 May 2009, 09:10

Rajani wrote:Ravi - great to read the translation of this powerful song.

I think Puzhudi means dust and not garbage.

Yeah - I took a bit of poetic license and went for hyperbole!

Thanks, Rajani! A very powerful one indeed.

Arasi - In footnote #2, I explained that aSaivaRu could mean stead-fast (opposite of fickle), but that I felt that it went against the sentiment expressed in the second caraNam where he is asking for a body that can follow his mind in which ever direction it moves (like a 'viSaiuru pandu').

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 26 May 2009, 09:36

Excellent translation Shankar! You have captured the spirit of the song.
I wonder whether you (arasi?) remember this song sung by P Bhanumati in the movie 'kaLvanin kaathali' (story written by kalki) where she gets married to an old man while she was in love with Mutthaian (Sivaji Ganesan). There the song symbolizes her youth (vINai) being wasted on the old man (puzhuthi)...

I think 'viSaiuRu pandu = mechanized ball' (viSai = mechanical switch)...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 May 2009, 21:58

CML,
viSaiyuRu pandu is a fast ball. Mechanized? I don't know. A pitcher throws a viSaiyuRu pandu too...

Ravi,
Yes, you had mentioned it, but I chose 'steadfast'!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 26 May 2009, 22:18

Yes viSai also means fast...

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 26 May 2009, 23:29

viSai means force as well...e.g. puvi eerppu viSai=gravitational force

vetha1988 · Post by **vetha1988** » 27 May 2009, 00:40

Thanks every one.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 May 2009, 01:35

Sridhar_rang,
Yes, you are right--and velocity too.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 May 2009, 02:33

Sridhar,
While vetha (vEdA?) is happy that her request has been granted, we can dwell on how to say viSai. visai?Surely not vichai--which makes me wonder--only words STARTING with the letter are sometimes pronounced that way.

* sridhar's new thread about the age-old question of 'how to pronounce some letters in tamizh' elsewhere.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 27 May 2009, 04:07

http://www.veoh.com/collection/tamilvid ... 7NMrQ8Qfq# - here is a video of melancholic scene and nalladOr vINAi used as a backdrop music