Padam - Muttamiz Colayile

[laya2]

Hi

Can somebody help me with the meaning of the song by Shri K N Dandayuthapani Pillai. The song is "Muttamiz Colayile" in Ragam - Ragamalika and Talam - Adhi

Thank you

[Lakshman]

muttamizh shOlaiyilE (padam). rAgamAlikA. rUpaka tALA. K.N.Dandayudapani Pillai

(rAgA: kalyANi)
muttamizh shOlaiyilE muttammA mUvaraik-kaNDEnaDi angu
pattiyAip-puli vi kayal koDigaL parandiDak-kaNDEnaDi
(rAgA: kAnaDA)
puttam pudu malargaL nirainda ponmaNi mEDaiyilE kamban
tattuvam palavum sholliyE ennai pittam koLLavE sheidAn
(rAgA: pUrvikalyANi)
jAti samayaminri vaLLuvan saTTam ezhudi vandAn anda
nIti nilaittiDavE auvaiyum nErisaip-pADi vandAn
(rAgA: kuntalavarALi)
kannit-tamizhinilE muttammA kaNNaki kAlgaLukkE ezhil
minnum silambu sheidE iLangO vEndan varavum kaNDen
(rAgA: bAgEshrI)
pATTinil mei-marandE shOzhan pANDiyan sEranuDan
tennATTinAr yAvarumE inba nATTiyamADi ninrAr
(rAgA: candrakauns)
tatti viLaiyADum kiLLaigaL tittikkap-pEshi endan idazhaik-
kottik-kotti uravADi azhaikka niddirai keTTadaDi muttammA

[rshankar]

Give me a couple of days

[laya2]

Thank you Mr. Lakshman and Mr. Shankar. I shall wait to hear the meaning.

[rshankar]

Here you go. This is a beautiful padam in which the composer describes a dream he's had: in that sweet dream, he sees a trio of men he obviously reveres, and in the last verse, he rues the interruption of sleep that puts an end to the dream.

(rAgA: kalyANi)
muttamizh sOlaiyilE muttammA mUvaraik-kaNDEnaDi angu
pattiyAip-puli vil kayal koDigaL parandiDak-kaNDEnaDi
In a grove (sOlaiyilE) formed by the three aspects that define the tamizh language (muttamizh) [1], Oh muttammA [2], I met/saw (kaNDEnaDi) three important personalities (mUvarai) [3]. There (angu), I also saw (kaNDEnaDi) a row (pattiyAi) of pennants (koDigaL) [4] bearing the ‘tiger’ (puli), ‘bow’ (vil), and ‘fish’ (kayal) symbols fluttering/flying (parandiDa) in the wind.

(rAgA: kAnaDA)
puttam pudu malargaL niRainda ponmaNi mEDaiyilE kamban
tattuvam palavum solliyE ennai pittam koLLavE seidAn
(There) on a golden (pon) dais (mEDaiyilE) encrusted with gems (maNi), filled (niRainda) with newly-blossomed (puttam pudu) flowers (malargaL) was the poet kamban [5], who made (seidAn) me (ennai) bewildered (pittam koLLavE), by expounding (solliyE) several (palavum) truths (tattuvam).

(rAgA: pUrvikalyANi)
jAti samayaminRi vaLLuvan saTTam ezhudi vandAn anda
nIti nilaittiDavE auvaiyum nErisaip-pADi vandal
(There was) valluvan, who wrote/created (ezhudi vandAn) the law (saTTam) that there was to be no (inRi) classification/discrimination of people based on caste (jAti) or creed (samayam), and to firmly establish (nilaittiDavE) that (anda) law (nIti), (I saw) avvaiyAr (auvaiyum) come (vandAL) singing (pADi) a melody (nErisai).

(rAgA: kuntalavarALi)
kannit-tamizhinilE muttammA kaNNagi kAlgaLukkE ezhil
minnum silambu seidE iLangO vEndan varavum kaNDEn
I also saw the king (vEndan), Ilango (ilangO), who came (varavum) as he was creating (seidE) the beautiful (ezhil) and resplendent (minnum) anklets (silambu) for kaNNagi’s feet (kAlgaLukkE) with sweet tamizh (kannit-tamizhinilE), oh muttammA!

(rAgA: bAgEshrI)
pATTinil mei-maRandE sOzhan pANDiyan sEranuDan
tennATTinAr yAvarumE inba nATTiyam ADi ninRAr
Completely forgetting (mei mRandE) themselves in the music (pATTinil), everyone (yAvarumE) from the southern (ten) states (nATTinAr) along (uDan) with the Chola (sOzhan), Pandya (pANDiyan), and Chera (sEran) kings, stood (ninRAr) there dancing (ADi) the dance (nATTiyam) of bliss (inba).

(rAgA: candrakauns)
tatti viLaiyADum kiLLigaL tittikkap-pEsi endan idazhaik-
kottik-kotti uRavADi azhaikka niddirai keTTadaDi muttammA
(Unfortunately), Oh muttammA, as the parrots (kiLigaL) that prattle (tatti) and play (viLaiyADum) talked (pEsi) sweetly (tittikka), and repeatedly pecked (kotti-kotti) at my (endan) lips (idazhai), and play with me (uRavADi) and call out (azhikka) to me, my sleep (niddirai) was interrupted (keTTadaDi).

FOOTNOTES
[1] The three aspects of tamizh are iyal (literature), isai (music), and nATakam (dramaturgy)
[2] Words like muttammA and kaNNammA are terms of endearment used for someone very precious - if kaNNamma is someone who is as precious as one's eyes/sight, then muttammA is one as precious as priceless pearls
[3] mUvar = trio/triumvirate - a very important concept - the divine truimvitrate (as in brahmA/vishNu/mahESvara), the triumvirate of CM (Srimans Tyagaraja, Syama Sastri, and Muttusvami Dikshita), muttamizh, and now, the trio that the composer reveres
[4] The pennants represent the three major kingdoms/dynasties in tamizh history - The Cholas with the tiger (puli) as their emblem; the Pandyas with the fish (kayal) as theirs; and the Cheras with a bow/archer (vil) as theirs
[5] The use of the first person singular (kamban, vaLLuvan, ilangO vEndan) represents the intimacy and possessiveness the composer feels towards them

Although the composer talks about the trio, he also invokes a 4th - avvai - unless I am completely mistaken in my understanding of the line in red. Finally, I think that a fourth clan/dynasty, the Pallavas with their pennant emblazoned with their emblem, the bull (erudu/vRshabha), is conspicuous by its absence.

PS: Are the mUvar that the composer sees in his dreams from the land of Cholas, Cheras, and Pandya respectively?