Meaning Of ADum Cidambaramo

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srs2
Posts: 15
Joined: 19 Apr 2007, 08:59

Post by srs2 »

Could some one please help me the meaning for the song aaDum cidambaramO?

Thanks so much !

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

srs2 here is my attempt. This is much more difficult than I thought: Hopefully, Arasi and others can correct me:
pallavi
ADum cidambaramO ayyan kUttADum cidambaramO
(ADum)

Is this the cidambaram (cidambaramO) where my Lord (ayyan) dances (kUttu ADum)?
The poet wonders at the glory of cidambaram, where the lord dances the divine tANDavam. [kUttu was the original tamizh term for dance in general and bharatanATyam in particular. The temple in cidambaram is also referred to as the kUttambalam – the theater (ambalam) for the dance (kUttu). The lord of cidambaram was referred to as 'kUttan' or 'kUttabhirAn' in old tamizh, until the name was sanskritized to 'naTarAja'.
bharatanATyam or some form of dancing was also called sadir (ANDAL refers to 'sadir iLa mangaiyar' entertaining the guests in her dreams of a divine union with srI ranganAthar).]

anupallavi
ADum cidambaram anbar kaLikkavE nAdum cidambaram namashivAyavenru
(ADum)

The place/cidambaram where (my Lord) dances (ADum) is also the place for devotees (anbar) to enjoy themselves (kaLikkavE) – those devotees who anticipate/come (nADum) to cidambaram to chant the praise of the Lord (uttering the pancAkSara mantram – Om nama SivAya).

caraNam 1
yArum ariyAmal ambala vANanAr shIraDiyAr pArkka sEvaDi tUkki ninru
(Adum)

Even as the crowds were witnessing his cosmic dance, when no one (yArum) was looking/aware of it (ariyAmal) the dancing lord of the skies (ambala vANanAr) lifted (tUkki) his left foot (sEvaDi) and froze (ninru) in that pose. The only one who saw this (or the bottom of his feet – not clear) was shIraDiyAr – do not know who is referred to here.

caraNam 2
bAlakrSnan pOTrum panimadi shaDaiyinAr tALa maddaLam pODa tAttattai enavE
(ADum)

The lord who bears the moon (panimadi) in his matted locks (shaDaiyinAr), the one gOpAlakrishNa (bhArati) the poet (bAlakrishNan) prays to/offers obeisance to (pOTrum), is the one who dances in time with the jatis 'tA tai' produced by the keepers of rhythm (tAlam – cymbals; and maddaLam – mridangam like instrument) in the town of cidambaram.

meena
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Joined: 21 May 2005, 13:57

Post by meena »

shankar
as always, very nicely explained and thanks for the tidbits info too :)

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Thanks, Meena! My pleasure :)

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Post by cmlover »

yArum ariyAmal ambala vANanAr shIraDiyAr pArkka sEvaDi tUkki ninru
This of course is the reference to Siva slyly adjusting the loosened right ear ring using the lifted left foot which nobody noticed. As everybody was wondering about it one of the saints suggested that a certain chakkiliya (cobbler) in chidambaram will know the secret. As all the devas and saints went ask the cobbler, he rhetorically replied:
'poovil ayanum purandaranum thaan irukka
.....
izhainakkum Ezhai aRivanO
kuzhainakkum pinjakan than kUtthu "
( when there is brahma on the lotus and Indira etc.. will I the lowly one who licks the thread (izhainakkum) (to repair slippers) know the secret of Siva (pinjakan) dancing lifting his leg to arrange his earring (kuzhai)

Of course I am quoting from memory...

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

SIraDiyAr=SIr+aDiyAr--SIr (as adjective) is lofty, famed, praiseworthy; aDiyAr=devotees
pani=beautiful, cool; so, pani madi is beautiful moon.

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

CML,
What an interesting story!
When the same thing happens in a dance recital, I have seen adept dancers slyly tossing away to the sidelines a fallen piece of jewelry just with their dance steps!

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10958
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

I did not even know about that story till now. Thanks.

ninjathegreat
Posts: 301
Joined: 25 Oct 2005, 22:07

Post by ninjathegreat »

very interesting... I have seen an image of siva with one leg twisted towards a ear, and never knew what it meant... thanks for this story, cml sir!

vgvindan
Posts: 1430
Joined: 13 Aug 2006, 10:51

Post by vgvindan »

rs,
there seems to be two minor variations as given in http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/sta_gkb_u.htm#adum

pallavi - en ayyan
caraNam - namaccivAyapporuL
'nADum cidambaram namaccivAyap poruL' -

If it is as given by you 'namaccivAyavenRu', then 'nADum' - would mean 'seek' and would be addressed to the fellow devotees.

However, if it is 'namaccivAyapporuL' then 'nADum' would not mean 'seek' but 'come';
Taken together, 'nADum namaccivAyap poruL' would mean 'the meaning or significance of namaccivAya would dawn (on the devotee)'.

Probably this is what reflected in the kRti 'Ananda naTana prakASam', wherein MD says 'gIta vAdya vinOda tANDava jAta bahu tara bhEda cOdyam'
Last edited by vgvindan on 29 Aug 2007, 17:57, edited 1 time in total.

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