vAraNa mukha - hamsadhvani

[prashant]

Could I request a translation of this song? Lyrics copied below courtesy Shivkumar Kalyanaraman's site and Lakshman Sir.

Pallavi:

vAraNa mukha vA tuNai varuvAi aruLvAi dayavAi

Anupallavi:

AraNap-poruLAna kanda gAnAmudattirkkuL karuNAmudam udaviyE aruL mata

Charanam:

innishai iyal ilakkiyam Ariyam tamizh arivEdum inri kannal annaik-kanda

gAnAmuda nannUlai unnum kavi kunjaradAsan nAn unnaruL koNDE paNNat-

tuNindEn munnavanE nI mun ninrAl muDiyAda-donrillai AdalAl ati vEgam-adAgavE

[arasi]

Prashant, voila!

P: vAraNa mukA=the elephant faced one!
vA! tuNai varuvAi!=come, walk with me (keeping me company, guiding me)

AP: AraNap poruLAna (poruL+Ana)=that which is the essence of the vedAs (AraNam=vEdam)
kanda gAnAmudattiRkkuL=in the kanda gAnAmudam (his own--kOTISvara Iyer's--compositions)
karuNAmudam udaviyE aruL=help with the nectar of karuNA too, in it (mada vAraNa mukA--here madam is knowledge)

C: inniSai iyal ilakkiyam Ariyam tamizh=sweet poetry, prose, literature, sanskrit, tamizh)
aRivEdum inRi=without any knowledge of the above
kannal anai=honey like; kanda gAnAmuda nannUlai=of the kanda gAnAmuda song collection
unnum (ninaikkum)=thinking upon; kavi gunjara dAsan (that is himself, kOtISvara Iyer, the disciple and dAsan
of his grandfather kavi kunjaram)
nAn unnaruL koNDE=with your grace; paNNat tuNindEN=I resolved to sing these songs
munnavanE!=the god who comes before all! (vinAyakA)
nI mun ninRAl muDiyAdadonRillai=nothing is impossible if you lead me, guide me
AdalAl adi vEgamAgavE=so, very speedily...

Isn't this the invocation song in the book of krutis by kOTISvara Iyer?

[prashant]

Arasi - thanks for the translation! Yes, this is the invocation song...

[rbharath]

arasi madam's translation is very precise and great to see.

however, i have a couple of clarifications to make.



vAraNa mukhavA.. rather does it not mean one with elephant face?

vAraNa mukhavA tuNai varuvAi - oh the elephant faced one, come with me..

the vA tuNai varuvAi type split, seems rather redundant.. and vA and varuvAi dont go well together.



mada vAraNa.. here isn't mada a adjective to vAraNa? and i dont think it means knowledge here.
i have come across mada vAraNam reference to indicate something like the chief of the elephants in literature.



innisai.. i would prefer refering to it as sweet music. and not as poetry.



kannal anna ik-kanda gAnAmuda... i think kannal refers to sugarcane juice and not honey. This kanda gAnAmudam, which is as sweet as sugarcane juice..



and the version i was taught by my guru, the caraNam ends as "AdalAl adi vEgamAi aruL mada vAraNa mukhavA" which would mean, "hence, please bless me ultra fast, the elephant face-ed one!"


Corrections welcome!

[arasi]

Bharath, thanks for chipping in!

Yes, your vAraNa mukavA can mean that. Still, I don't think you can find the word mukavan in tamizh (mugattavan is more like it). However, I would consider madam from knowledge in this instance, unless KOTISvara Iyer used the popular expression.
I thought of, and typed too (!) sweet song, but since iyal and iSai came together, I went with the other. pADal can mean both!

kannal IS sugar syrup or sugar cane juice!
Thanks...

[rshankar]

mada - can also mean proud, not just arrogance.

[rbharath]

i think vAraNa mukhavA and vAraNa mukhA vA are different. while the kriti has the former, 'oh elephant faced, please come' is the latter...

[PUNARVASU]

'mada vAraNa'-may mean an elephant in rut; there are words like 'mada dvipa', 'madakarin' both meaning an elephant in rut. dvipa, karin both mean elephant.
In tamizh also we use the word 'madam'.
There is this song of Shri PS-in which thes words occur'mati sEkaran maganE mada vAraNa mukhanE'.

[arasi]

I still feel ' knowledge' fits here better than any other meaning. madam piDitta yAnai oru puram irukka (the elephant in a rut aside!), the context calls for madi (knowledge). Even in Sivan's kruti, 'madi SEkaran' (the one wearing the crescent moon on his head) triggers mada vAraNa mukanE. It is not the elephant in a rut kind of face we meditate upon, but a face beaming with knowledge...

[rshankar]

I agree with Arasi that somehow, an elephant in rut, or an arrogant one doesn't fit the context. However, I do not think that I do not think madam here is derived from madi/mati (mind/knowledge). 'madam' can also mean strength, exhilaration, joy, intoxication etc, in addition to pride/arrogance - mada vAraNa mukhan could therefore mean 'the joyous elephant-faced one'.

I have the same issues (of translating mada as 'in rut') with 'mada Sikhi pincA alankrita cikurE' (from mAnasa sancararE) - I think it means 'curly locks (cikurE) adorned by (alankrita) a feather (pincA) from a proud (mada) peacock (Sikhi)'

[arasi]

Wonder if madam in the unmattam sense has come to stay while the other meanings have receded into the background. Yes, Ravi, the meaning 'joyous' fits here too.

[arasi]

Sorry, double entry...

[jeevagv]

Here is my blog post on this song in tamil:
http://jeevagv.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-post.html

[mahakavi]

kannal annaik-kanda ----> kannal anna ikkanda gAnAmuda nannUlai
கன்னல் அன்ன இக்கந்த
kannal anna = as sweet as sugar cane
ikkanda gAnAmudam = this kanda gAnamudam (my proposed work)

The anupallavi should read as:
AraNap poruLAna kanda gAnAmudattiRkun (not kuL) கானாமுதத்திற்குன்
karuNAmudam udaviyE aruL mada

AraNap poruLAna kandan = Lord Murugan who is the essence of the vEdAs.

KI is saying, "........ikkanda gAnAmudattiRku un karuNAmudam udaviyE..." (please offer your grace to this kanda gAnAmudam venture...)

[mahakavi]

I take "mada vAraNa" to mean "strong, powerful elephant".
It is not "madam" which can mean frenzy, or haughtiness.
"mada" means strength, beauty, excess etc. In this context KI probably refers to the strength of the elephant.
KI is seeking mental stamina (strength) here to complete his work in good form.

[mahakavi]

Another piece of evidence for "mada" meaning "strong"

tiruppAvai song #18.
undu mada kaLiRRan ODAda tOL valiyan...
When describing nandagOpan (father-in-law of nappinnai) the above reference is made.
undu = majetic gait
mada = strong
kaLiRu = male elephant (piDi will be female elephant)

nandagOpan has the majestic gait of a strong elephant