Meaning needed for Ootukadu's ''asaindhaadum mayilonru kanda

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 04 Sep 2009, 09:36

Here you go: It is only as I was translating that I realized that the images evoked by/in this composition are those of the ras, where there is a krishNa to be seen everywhere...

Arasi, Rajani, Punarvasu can fix errors if any, or clarify matters further.

pallavi
aSaindADum mayilonru kaNDAl
nam azhagan vandAn enru Solvadu pOl tOnrum (aSaindADum"¦.)

If we behold (kaNDAl) a (onru) dancing (aSaind(u)ADum) peacock (mayil), it will appear (tOnrum) as if (pOl) it were announcing/saying (Solvadu) that our (nam) handsome Lord (azhagan) has arrived (vandAn enru).

anupallavi
iSaiyArum kuzhal koNDu vandAn
inda EzhEzhu piravikkum inba nilai tandAn
diSai tOrum niraivAga ninrAn
enrum tigaTTAda vENu gAnam rAdhaiyiDam InrAn

(He has not come empty handed) for he has brought (koNDu vandAn) his amazingly discerning (iSaiyArum) [1] flute (kuzhal) with him, and through the divine music he creates playing it, he has granted/elevated (tandAn) us to a state (nilai) of bliss (inba) not just in this (inda) life, but for 14 (EzhEzhu) [2] births (piravikkum) to come! Where ever one looks, one beholds him, for it looks as if he stands in/fills (ninrAn) every (tOrum) direction (diSai) completely (niraivAga) [3] as he creates (InrAn) music (gAnam) on his flute (vENu) that will remain uncloyingly (tigaTTAda) sweet forever (enrum) near (iDam) rAdhA (rAdhai).

madhyamakAla sAhityam
enrAgilum emadiraivA iraivA ena mana nirai aDiyavariDam
tangu manattuDaiyaAn arul pongum mugattuDaiyAn
oru padam vaittu maru padam tUkki ninrADa
mayilin iragADa makara kuzhaiyADa madivadanamADa
mayakkum vizhiyADa malaraNigaLADa malar magaLum pADa
idu kanavO nanavO ena mananirai munivarum
magizhndu koNDADa (aSaindADum"¦)

This Lord of ours is so benevolent, he has a heart (manattuDaiyAn) that makes him stay/reside (tangu) with (iDam) devotees (aDiyavar) who fill (nirai) their hearts/minds (mana) with thoughts that call out to him "our/my (emadu) Lord (iraivA)" at anytime (enrAgilum), and he has a face (mukh(g)attuDaiyAn) that is brimming (pongum) with grace (aruL). As he dances (ninrADa) with one (oru) foot (padam) planted (vaittu) on the ground, and the other (maru) foot (padam) raised (tUkki) [4] to the singing (pADa) of lakshmi/rAdhA (malarmagaLum) [5], and the peacock (mayilin) feather (iragu) on his locks moves (ADa), his carp (makara)-shaped ear-rings (kuzhai) sway (ADa), his moon (madi)-like lustrous face (vadanam) moves (ADa), his intoxicating (mayakkum) eyes (vizhi) dance along (ADa), as do the flower (malar) garlands (aNigaLADa) he wears, the ascetics (munivarum) celebrate (koNDADa) with joy (magizhndu) to their hearts (mana) content (nirai) even as they wonder if (ena) this (idu) sight they behold is real (nanavO) or just a dream (kanavO)!

caraNam
aSai pOdum AvinaNgal kaNDu
inda adiSayattil Silai pOla ninru
nijamAna sugam enru onru - irundAl
Ezhulagil idaiyanri vEreduvum anru
diSai arum gOpAlan inru migavum
ezhil ponga naTamADa edir ninru rAdhai pADa (aSaindADum...)

As we behold (kaNDu) the cows (AvinaNgaL) keeping/putting (pODum) time/rhythm (aSai) [6], we freeze (ninru) like (pOla) statues (Silai) at this (inda) astonishing (adiSayattil) sight. If ever there is (irundAl) a (onru) state called (enru) true (nijamAna) bliss (sukh(g)am), then, it is unlikely (anru) to be anything else (vEreduvum) in the seven (Ezhu) worlds (ulagil) but (anri) this (idai) sight of the precious (diSai arum) [7] cow (gO)-herd (pAlan), as he dancers (naTam ADa) today (inru), brimming (pongavum) with excessive (migavum) grace/beauty (ezhil), and, as rAdhA (rAdhai) sings (pADa) standing (ninru) across (edir) from him.

FOOTNOTES
[1] iSaiaRuttal literally means discerning/identifying by the sound or intonation
[2] Ezhu is 7, so EzhEzhu is 7+7 = 14
[3] This composition refers to the rAskrIDA when krishNa created several images of himself, with each image dancing with a gOpi - so that, it appeared that every direction was filled with a vision of krishNa
[4] One of the symbolisms involved in depicting krishNa with one foot planted firmly on the ground, and the other either raised, or resting on the toes is supposed to illustrate the fact that in krishNAvatAr, he undertook to uphold dharma (righteousness) even if it meant sacrificing satya (truth) at times
[5] malarmagaL - the lady that arose in a flower - padmAvatI - is another way of referring to lakshmi - in the context of the ras, I assume it also refers to rAdhA
[6] aSai, if I undertand correctly is a type of tALam/measure of time in music of the ancient tamizhs
[7] I have translated diSai arum contextually

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 04 Sep 2009, 09:49

Brilliant song! and wonderful translation.. you have captured the poetry of the kavi in this excellent effort..

rshankar wrote:....diSai tOrum niraivAga ninrAn
enrum tigaTTAda vENu gAnam rAdhaiyiDam InrAn

Where ever one looks, one beholds him, for it looks as if he stands in/fills (ninrAn) every (tOrum)

direction (diSai) completely (niraivAga)

And in the caraNaM, I have heard it sung as disai dOrum gopAlan, which again conveys the same meaning..
Could disai tOrum niraivaga ninraN mean 'He who stood as a beacon that showed the right path'

Niraivu's equivalent in KannaDa 'neravU' means support/help besides meaning completion/filling...?

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 04 Sep 2009, 10:15

Great Translation! Now I can enjoy Maharajapuram's excellent rendition of this song even more.

rshankar wrote:[6] aSai, if I undertand correctly is a type of tALam/measure of time in music of the ancient tamizhs
[

Nice interpretation. asai also is a technical term in the grammar of poetry (yAppilakkanam) and relates to the rules of meter. (ezhuttu, asai, seer and taLai)

asai pODudal literally means the act of regurgitation (by cows). So in that sense we can see it as - the sight of Krishna was so spellbinding that the cows stopped their regurgitating and stood frozen.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 04 Sep 2009, 19:48

As sridhar_rang said; I remember reading a tamil poem/song in which it is described thus:
the deer, which were grazing,heard the music of krishna
they looked in the direction of the sound
with their mouths open and the half chewed grass dripping from them
and there they stood like a statue(silai).
This is a very beautiful description ,unfortunately I only remeber the meaning; not the original poetry.Something I learnt while I was in school.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 Sep 2009, 20:20

Ravi,
As usual, you become poet in your translations. vAzhi!
iSai ARudal can also be taken in the same sense as iLaippARudal (to take a respite); iSai ARudal can mean, to find peace, be soothed by the music of his flute.

Punarvasu,
I am deleting the pAsuram which I had typed here after reading your post. This is not the one!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 04 Sep 2009, 20:29

Thank you Keerthi and Sridhar.

keerthi wrote: Could disai tOrum niraivaga ninraN mean 'He who stood as a beacon that showed the right path'

Niraivu's equivalent in KannaDa 'neravU' means support/help besides meaning completion/filling...?

Keerthi, AFAIK, I am not aware of an alternate meaning for 'niRaivu' in tamizh as support. Since the composition seemed to be descriptive of the rAs, I opted to translate as I did. But, if niRaivu can mean support, then your take on it will certainly be correct.

I was vaguely aware of aSai to have something to do with cud, so with Sridhar's input, an alternate depiction for this will be:

aSai pOdum AvinaNgaL kaNDu
inda adiSayattil Silai pOla ninru

As the cud-chewing (aSai pODum) cows (AvinaNgaL) behold (kaNDu) this (inda) wondrous sight (adiSayattil) of the ras, they stand stand (ninru) frozen, like (pOla) statues (Silai)!

ARASI,

Thank you - our posts crossed! Thanks for the clarification.

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 04 Sep 2009, 21:35

Punarvasu wrote:As sridhar_rang said; I remember reading a tamil poem/song in which it is described thus:
the deer, which were grazing,heard the music of krishna
they looked in the direction of the sound
with their mouths open and the half chewed grass dripping from them
and there they stood like a statue(silai).
This is a very beautiful description ,unfortunately I only remeber the meaning; not the original poetry.Something I learnt while I was in school.

This image figures twice in the abhignAnasAkuntalam.. Once in the first act, when Dushyanta pursues a deer , and describes how it ran in leaps and bounds, turning back often to see if the hunter was close; forgetting to chew the cud that rose in it's throat, and the cud slipped down..

the verse goes

grÃƒâ€žÃ‚Â«va-Ãƒâ€žÃ‚Â

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 04 Sep 2009, 23:36

http://www.hummaa.com/search/search.php ... aSaindADum

URL for OS Arun rendition.

smala · Post by **smala** » 05 Sep 2009, 02:18

Here's the dance to asainthadum mayil.........ride out the first min and a half, it is noisy there's a blackout....the video's a bit shaky -- but nice dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xE0jvOrEDM

Sridhar, would you have link to M. Santhanam's version......I have heard OS Arun and Sudha raghunathan....find OS Arun very pleasing on this one.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 05 Sep 2009, 06:06

keerthi, thanks for the reference. Beautiful.
arasi, that is not what I am referring to.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 Sep 2009, 06:51

punarvasu,
A senior moment there. You are right! i have deleted it.
The line I now remember is: mAn kaNangaL mEigai maRandu, mEinda pullum kaDai vAi vazhi SOra...
Krishna will give us the whole verse if he sees this.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 05 Sep 2009, 08:38

I think that a contemporary composition that evokes that same imagery is 'gOvindan kuzhal OSai kaNDu' (http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... losai.html)...

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 05 Sep 2009, 09:32

yes, arasi, I think it is something similar.

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 05 Sep 2009, 09:42

BTW, if my memory serves me right, I think Shri M.Santhanam has sung it as
'asaindADum mayil onRu kANum' (instead of kaNDAl), rhyming with 'tOnRum' in the second line

gowri narayanan · Post by **gowri narayanan** » 05 Sep 2009, 21:33

Yes,in the book containing Oothukkadu Kavi's compositions, published by Smt.Rajammal w/o Needamangalam Sri Krishnamurthy Bhagavatar the lyric runs thus : asaindaDum mayil onRu kAnum
nam azhagan vandaan enRu solvadu pol thOnum