Story behind the lines in two kritis

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 12 Jul 2007, 11:43

Can someone tell me what's the incident behind these two lines?

1. Vaishya Jaati Stree vesha dharanam -- In Kannada song of MD - Matrubhutam Bhajeham

2. Ariya pulayar moovar padam adaindar enre puraanam -- Abhogi, gopalakrishna Bharati in Sabhapathikku veru deivam

I will appreciate story line behind...

-hari

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 12 Jul 2007, 14:15

The first refers to the sthala puranam of Tiruchirapalli :
A lady of a Chettiyar family was expectng her baby any time and since Kaveri was in spate, her mother who was on the other bank waited unable to cross the river and go to her daughter's house to help.

Hearing their prayers, Lord Shiva took the form of the mother , arrived at the girl's house and helped deliver the baby. When the real mother arrived the next day, everyone understood His compassion and so the lord is called "taayum Anavar" ( one who also is a mother) . In Sanskrit this translates to "mAthR -bhUta"

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 12 Jul 2007, 14:16

One can see the bronze statue of the young lady (I think her name is Ratnavali) , holding her new-born babe, in the temple in Trichy.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 12 Jul 2007, 14:34

Tiruchirappalli - Shri Matrubhuteswar - Kuntalamba Temple -

Legend has it that Shiva was worshipped by the demon ruler Tirisiran, hence Tiruchirappalli, Tirisirapuram etc. Also, since the three peaks here on this hill are occupied by Shiva, Parvati and Vinayaka, the name Tri-Shikharam or Tirisirapuram came into being. Legend has it that Shiva in the guise of a woman (mother) attended to the call of a devotee in labor, hence Matrubhuteswarar.

http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s132.html

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 12 Jul 2007, 14:41

From Mahakavi's post in the thread on Gopalakrishna Bharati ("Vaggeeyakaras")

The three pulaiyars referred to in the "sabhApatikku.." song are:
nandanAr (aka tirunALaippOvAr), tillai veTTiyAn, and peRRAn sAmbhan.

These three lived around Cidambaram and were supposed to have attained godhead as a reward for their piety.

kaNNappan (aka tiNNan) was a hunter and hence not considered a pulaiyar. Of the 63 nAyanmArs nandanAr has the sole distinction of being a pulaiyar.

You can read more about the song and its contents here.
http://www.chennaionline.com/musicnew/T â€¦ song02.asp

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 12 Jul 2007, 20:01

Rajani:
I should point out here that you were the source for the identity of the 3 pulaiyars. Before I wrote the article on "sabhApatikku vERu deyvam.." for chennaionline I contacted you and you mentioned the names of tillai veTTiyAn, and peRRAn sAmbhan, if I jog my memory right. By the way, the correct URL for the chennaionline article is:

http://www.chennaionline.com/musicnew/T ... song02.asp

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 12 Jul 2007, 20:14

vgvindan:
I have read somewhere way back that the name "tirucciRAppaLLi" was derived from tiru + ciRAr + paLLi. ciRAr refers to sages (another meaning is children). paLLi means a dormitory. The place was at one time used by a group of sages to stay and worship at the temple.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 12 Jul 2007, 21:47

mahakavi,
In the kRti 'SrI mAtRbhUtam' rAga kannaDa, MD says 'tri Sira giri nAtham'. And he further goes on to tell in the kRti why the Lord is called 'mAtRbhUtam'. That should settle the matter about the origin of name of 'tiruccirAppaLLi'. I have no idea about other explanation of 'ciRAr'.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 12 Jul 2007, 22:36

vgvindan:
I am not questioning the usage of "tri sira giri" by MD. However, that does not settle the origin of the name tirucciRAppaLLi. In R. P. Sethu Pillai's book "Urum pErum" he gives the origin for various place names and I remember to have read there (not quite sure if it is there or elsewhere) that "tirucciRAppaLLi" got that name as I mentioned in my post. Remember MD lived in the 18th century and he may have used what he was aware of but the place names date back way back. No one is sure of the exact origin although many theories abound. I don't know about the existence of 3 hills on rockfort where tAyumAnavar temple is situated. It is all one hill with varying indentations. The only other hill close by is the place called Golden Rock.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 12 Jul 2007, 23:13

mahakavi,
tEvAram - tirujnAna sambandar - (verses 1058-1068)

நன்றுடையானைத் தீயதிலானை நரைவெள்ளே
றொன்றுடையானை உமையொருபாகம் உடையானைச்
சென்றடையாத திருவுடையானைச் சிராப்பள்ளிக்
குன்றுடையானைக் கூறவென்னுள்ளங் குளிரும்மே.

http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/thirumurai/thiru01_098.htm

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 13 Jul 2007, 01:51

vgvindan:
Here is an excerpt from wikipedia entry on Tiruchirapalli:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiruchirapalli

>>The name of the town, "Tiruchirapalli", originated as a tribute (thiru in Tamil means respected) to a Jain monk called "Chira".[1] There is also a belief that Tiruchirapalli was named after a three headed demon "Trishira" (the son of Ravana) who performed penance at the Siva temple here and obtained boons.

There is yet another belief about the origins of the name Trichy. Apparently the name started out as Thiru Javvandhipuram (Place of Marigold flowers; javvandhi, the Tamil name for the flower Marigold which grew(and still does) in abundance in and around this region and the word puram refers to a place of dwelling) which over time became corrupted to Trichy.<<

Per your tEvAram reference, even in Sambhandar's time (7th century) it was known as cirAppaLLi. paLLi refers to a sage's hermitage (among other meanings like school, town, etc.,). That was what I had in my mind (see the mention about the Jain monk in the wikipedia entry). I still can't fathom the 3-hill concept.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 13 Jul 2007, 02:14

javandi I thought was chrysanthemum...

meena · Post by **meena** » 13 Jul 2007, 03:28

vgvindan wrote:mahakavi,
tEvAram - tirujnAna sambandar - (verses 1058-1068)

நன்றுடையானைத் தீயதிலானை நரைவெள்ளே
றொன்றுடையானை உமையொருபாகம் உடையானைச்
சென்றடையாத திருவுடையானைச் சிராப்பள்ளிக்
குன்றுடையானைக் கூறவென்னுள்ளங் குளிரும்மே.

http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/thirumurai/thiru01_098.htm

Gentle reminder NOT all forum mem. can read/speak thamiz.
Pl. translate for us.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 13 Jul 2007, 04:11

arasi wrote:javandi I thought was chrysanthemum...

javandi (also known as sevvandi) is marigold.---(sevvandip pUccaramO in a song of years ago. Also iLayarAjA's song, "nAn tEDum sevvandip pUvidu..."
Chrysanthemum (as far as I know) is a western import and not native to South India. If it is then it is known by some other name.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 13 Jul 2007, 04:16

meena wrote:
vgvindan wrote:mahakavi,
tEvAram - tirujnAna sambandar - (verses 1058-1068)

நன்றுடையானைத் தீயதிலானை நரைவெள்ளே
றொன்றுடையானை உமையொருபாகம் உடையானைச்
சென்றடையாத திருவுடையானைச் சிராப்பள்ளிக்
குன்றுடையானைக் கூறவென்னுள்ளங் குளிரும்மே.

http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/thirumurai/thiru01_098.htm
Gentle reminder NOT all forum mem. can read/speak thamiz.
Pl. translate for us.

vgvindan's post is specifically addressed to me. The emphasis on the bolded word "cirAppaLLi" is to indicate to me that it is not "ciRAppaLLi" which I referred to in my earlier post. The tEvAram song itself is on the Lord of TiruchirappaLLi and has no relevance to the discussion at hand and hence no need for translation or transliteration into Roman script.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 13 Jul 2007, 04:42

Meena is right. Kindly avoid posting in tamil. If it ia a dialogue between 2 people, then it should be via email, not the forum. There is no need to make a habit of posting lyrics in tamil each time.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 13 Jul 2007, 06:32

Wonder why marigold is also called tulukka (turks') sAmandi.
Chrysanthemum's are very much oriental. One can see evidence of it in early chinese and japanese pottery and paintings...

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 13 Jul 2007, 06:59

arasi wrote:javandi I thought was chrysanthemum...

arasi wrote:Chrysanthemum's are very much oriental.

I'd have to concede with arasi's statement, else how would it have a Sanskrit name, "sEvantikA" (सेवन्तिका)? I think in malayALam it is called cAmandi (ചാമന്ദി).

grsastrigal · Post by **grsastrigal** » 13 Jul 2007, 08:23

Ramalinga Adigalar in his Tiruarutpa refers Trichy as Siragiri- in his "Sachinanandam" chapter. It goes like this- "Siragiri viLanga Varum Dakshinamoorthiye.. Chinmayananda Guruve"

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 13 Jul 2007, 08:43

Here is the transliteration and translation of the tEvAram verse.

நன்றுடையானைத் தீயதிலானை நரைவெள்ளே
றொன்றுடையானை உமையொருபாகம் உடையானைச்
சென்றடையாத திருவுடையானைச் சிராப்பள்ளிக்
குன்றுடையானைக் கூறவென்னுள்ளங் குளிரும்மே.

nanRuDaiyAnait tIyadilAnai naraiveLLE
RonRuDaiyAnai umaiyorubAgaM uDaiyAnaic
cenRaDaiyAda tiruvuDaiyAnaic cirAppaLLik
kunRuDaiyAnaik kURavennuLLaG kuLirummE

virtuous One who is ever, evils who has none, silvery white
bull one who has, UmA as one half one who has,
neither waning nor waxing eminence one who has, cirAppaLLi
hillock one who has, in extolling Him my mind would cool.

(silvery - refers to grey hair; eminence - distinction, sacredness, divinity etc; cool - pleased)

Corrections welcome

Rajani · Post by **Rajani** » 13 Jul 2007, 11:15

Interesting, the "javanti"flower finds mention in MD kriti first quoted by s_hari too(sri mAthRbhUtam)in the charanam.
"suvAsita nava javantI puShpa vikAsa priya hRdayam"

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 13 Jul 2007, 20:41

suvAsita (fragrant) javantI for sure...

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 17 Jul 2007, 20:25

vgvindan wrote:mahakavi,
In the kRti 'SrI mAtRbhUtam' rAga kannaDa, MD says 'tri Sira giri nAtham'.

I would go along "tirshira giri" for rockfort (after trishiran who worshipped Lord Shiva there on the hill)--as one of the possible originations for the name tiruccirAppaLLi.

There is another town "tiru sira puram" which people confuse with "tiruccirAppaLLi" which should be clarified here. tiru sirapuram (originally sirapuram) is one of the 12 names by which sIr kAzhi (the birthplace of tirugnAnasambhandar) is known.
See the following URL song #2291 (6.1.393)

http://www.tamilnation.org/sathyam/east ... pm0224.pdf