pal vadiyum meaning

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 28 Sep 2007, 17:56

can i please have the meaning of pal vadiyum composed by OVK.
thanks in advance

krishnaa

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 28 Sep 2007, 18:34

There are two versions:

pAl vaDiyum (version 1). rAgA: nATakuranji. Adi tALA.

P: pAl vaDiyum mukham ninaindu ninainden uLLam paravasha mighavAgudE kaNNA
A: nIlak-kaDal pOlum nirattazhagA endn nenjam kuDikoNDa anru mudal inrum enda poruL kaNDum cintanai shelAdozhiya
C: vAna mughaTTil shaTru manam vandu nOkkinum un mOna mukham vandu tONUdE teLivAna teNNIr taTattil en cintanai mArinum un siritta mukham vandu kANudE shaTru gAnak-kuyil kuralil karuttamaindiDinum angum un gAnak-kuzhalOshai mayakkudE karutta kuzhalODu niratta mayilira kirukki amaitta tirattilE gAna mayilADum mOnak-kuyil pADum nIla naiyODum vanattilE kural mudalezhishai kuzhaiya varumishaiyin kuzhalODu miLirina karattilE kadirum matiyum ena nayana vizhigaL iru naLinamAna calanattilE kALinga shirattilE kaditta padattilE en manattai irutti kanavu nanavinODu piravi piravi torum kaninduruga varandaruga param karuNai

pAl vaDiyum mukham (version 2). rAgA: nATakuranji. Adi tALA.

P: pAl vaDiyum mukham ninaindu ninaden uLLam paravasha migha vAgudE............kaNNA
A: nIlak-kaDal pOlum nirattazhagA endan nenjam kuDi koNDa
anru mudal inrum endap-poruL kaNDum cintanai shelA-dozhiyap-
C: vAna mughaTTil shaTru manam vandu nOkkinum un mOhanamum vandu tONudE teLivAna
teNNIrt-taTattil en cintanai mArinum un shiritta mukham vandu kANudE shaTru
gAnak-kuyil kuralil karut-tamaittiDinum angu un gAnak-kuzhalOshai mayakkudE
(madhyamalkAlam)
karutta kuzhaloDu niratta mayilira shirukki amaitta tirtattilE gAna
mayiloDum mOnak-kuyil pADum nIla nadiyODum vAnattilE
kural mudal ezhil ashai kuzhaiya varum ishaiyil kuzhaloDu miLir iLam karattilE
kadirum matiyum ena nayana vizhigaL iru naLinamAna calanattilE
kALinga shirattilE kaditta padattilE en manattai irutti
kanavu nanavinoDu piravi piravi torum kaninduruga vandaruga param karuNaip-

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 28 Sep 2007, 19:14

Krishnaa,
I have used the lyrics Lji had provided in a thread on the forumhub.

In this composition (seemingly simple, but fantastically complicated in it's intent, meaning and philosophical impact - exactly the point that Sri Ravi Kiran is making!), the poet describes how, from their first meeting, the thoughts of krishNa permeate his very being and have taken over his thoughts completely. In the final madhyamakAla passage he makes an impassioned plea to the lord to grant him this privilege in all the lives he is fated to have. He asks for the lord to dance on his heart like he did on kaLIya's head, prodding him as it were, if he were to forget about krishNa even for a nanosecond.

pAl vaDiyum mukham. rAgA: nATakuranji. Adi tALA.

P: pAl vaDiyum mukham ninaindu ninaden uLLam paravasham miga AgudE............kaNNA

As I think/remember (or my mind dwells) repeatedly (ninaindu, ninaindu) (of) krishNa's innocent (pAl vaDiyum) face (mukham) my (en) heart (uLLam) is filled with (miga AgudE) rapturous joy (paravaSam)
[editorial comment: 'pAl vaDiyum mukham' literally means a face from which milk flows out of - it is a figure of speech for an innocent child - the picture is that of a baby who has been fed and has spit up a little of the milk (that is escaping from the corner of it's mouth) giving a wide, toothless and utterly captivating/enslaving smile!]
A: nIlak-kaDal pOlum nirattazhagA endan nenjam kuDi koNDa
anru mudal inrum endap-poruL kaNDum cintanai shelA-dozhiyap-

Oh dark hued (like the ocean - nIla = blue, kaDal = ocean, pOl = like, niram = color/complexion), handsome (azhagA) Lord! Since the day (anru mudal) you entered (kuDi konDa = literally means, when you began to reside) my heart (nejam), to this day (inru varai) my thoughts are centered around you - my thoughts (cintanai) do not go (SellAdozhiya) towards (kanDu) anything else (poruL).

In the caraNam, the composer describes how, even when he tries to force his attention elsewhere, visions/thoughts of krishNa and his many attributes intrude.

C: vAna mughaTTil shaTru manam vandu nOkkinum un mOhanamum vandu tONudhE

When I try (manam vandu - I have convinced myself to) to look (nOkkilum) at the sky (vAna mukham) for a bit (shaTru), it is your (un) attractive/captivating (mO(ha)na) face (mukham) that I am reminded of (vandu tOnudE).

teLivAna teNNIrt-taTattil cintanai mArinum un shiritta mukham vandu kANudhE shaTru

When I manage to divert (mArinum) my thoughts (cintai) to river bank (taTattil) with the clear (teLivAna) water (teNNIr), it is your (un) smiling (shiritta) face (mukham) that looks up (vandu kANudE) at me - not my reflection!

gAnak-kuyil kuralil karut-tamaittiDinum angu un gAnak-kuzhalOshai mayakkudE

When I finally manage to get my thoughts (karuttu) to settle (amaindiDinum) on the sweet notes (kuralil) of the song bird of the spring (the singing cuckoo - gAna kuyil), even there (angu) it is the sound (Oshai) of music (gAna) from your (un) flute (kuzhal) that intoxicates (mayakkudE) me.

Here the poet describes krishNa and the sylvan setting he is imagining him in:
(madhyamalkAlam)
karutta kuzhaloDu niratta mayil iragu shirukki amaitta shirtattilE
gAna mayilADum mOnak-kuyil pADum nIla nadiyODum vAnattilE

With the beauty of your head (shirattilE) enhanced (shirukki amaitta) by dark (karutta - jet black) tresses (kuzhal) and a colorful (niratta) feather (iragu) of a peacock (mayil), I see you in a beautiful garden/forest (vanattilE) with an azure (nIla) river (nadi) running (ODum) through, where musically gifted peacocks (gAna mayil) dance (ADum) to the singing (pADum) of the attractive cuckoos (mOna = mOhana kuyil).
[editorial comment: gAna mayil seems like an oxymoron - anyone who has heard the peacock cry will agree! So, I wonder what the suggestion is here - does OVK imply that with in this sylvan setting with the vanamAlI of all vanamAlIs, even the peacock becomes musical?]

kural mudal ezhil ashai kuzhaiya varum ishaiyil kuzhaloDu miLir iLam karattilE
And from the vocal tones (kural mudal) brimming with graceful (ezhil) microtones and gamakAs (ashivum kuzhaivum), the music (ishai) that comes (varum) to me is intricately mixed with the notes from the flute (kuzhaloDu miLir) that you are holding in your tender/young (iLam) hands (karattilE).

kadirum madiyum ena nayana vizhigaL iru naLinamAna calanattilE

And your eyes (iru vizhigal = two eyes) elegantly (naLinamAna) dart back and forth (calanam) like (ena) the sun (kadirum) and the moon (madiyum).

kALinga shirattilE kaditta padattilE en manattai irutti
kanavu nanavinoDu piravi piravi torum kaninduruga vandaruga param karuNaip-

Please irrevocably fuse (irutti) my (en) mind/heart/soul (manattai) with those feet (padattilE) of yours that danced/were placed (kaditta) atop the head (shirattilE) of kALinga, and grant me (vanduruga) the boon that I am always consumed by thoughts of (kaninduruga) you, not just in my waking moments (ninaivODu), but also when I sleep/in my dreams (kanavu), and not just in this lifetime, but in all of the lifetimes I am fated to have (piravi piravi torum).

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 28 Sep 2007, 19:20

Arasi,
I am sure I have goofed up with some of the translations, since I went with the contextually appropriate meaning. So, please feel free to slice and dice!

Everytime I translate OVK's compositions, I am left speechless with amazement at the mahAkavI's - the real one - skills (although, I do seem to write a thesis for someone who is speechless, huh?:lol:)

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 28 Sep 2007, 19:58

I know this has been brought up (and fought over) before but ...

all occurences of mukham => mugam
cintanai => sindanai/Sindanai
taTam => taDam

I know many of these are originally sanskrit words (taTam too?), but I think the tamizh morphs are what that are applicable here since their usages here is unlike other tamizh krithis (e.g. containing a string of continous sanskrit based epithets). Besides - we are not going around changing sAmi to svAmi in most (telugu) varnams are we

? Also, in tamizh krithis, I find that in some cases such "corrections" obviously deviate the intent of poet in terms of prAsa or rhyme. Corrections in those contexts would not be advisable there to.

Just my suggestion to improve the lyric database w.r.t tamizh krithis. Although it has been ignored every time it has been brought up before - but I will continue to suggest

Arun

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 28 Sep 2007, 22:19

thank you so much Shankar,
you might be left speechless, but for people like me,,,,,,, its more than enough...

thanks so much, its great help that i get from you as you're always the first one ready with a translation as soon as i ask for one.... thanks:)

krishnaa

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Sep 2007, 23:25

Arun,
I am getting there! I was thinking of mugam and taDam too, and please note that I do my bit in trying to learn and please don't say your struggles are not of avail. We will keep trying...

Ravi,
Your love for the true kavi makes your translation (with apt references) even more appealing than ever. To put ourselves in the shoes of the poet does not mean that we have to examine every meaning of every single word. It is the sense, the feeling, the rapport which we want to capture. For that, we have to expand our imagination--not to distort the original meaning but to have a better view of what goes on in the poet's mind. It is like someone in your profession going by every rule in the book of surgery, but not applying anything of his own experience and vision. A musician doing the same thing, but that does not an inspiring concert make! So, there is no 'slicing and dicing', and your work of love speaks for itself. You are a pro!

Coming to the caraNams, I read it all as 'when I happen to', 'when I chance upon', instead of 'even when I try to', 'force to', and so on. 'My thoughts about you don't go away--everything I see, is you, in everything I see you' is how I see it.

kAna mayil (not gAna) kAnam=kAnagam (forest). So, we don't have to put up with his unattractive voice!!

kadittal is oliththal (making sound). The pleasing sound of krishna's dancing feet.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Sep 2007, 23:39

krishnaa,
Ravi did a great job. Your one line requests get detailed responses. I do appreciate his spending time on this in spite of his busy schedule.
I am curious, though. Are you learning at the same speed at which you ask for meanings? Please share with us your artistic
ventures. If you are performing too, please post some samples...

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 28 Sep 2007, 23:59

arasi - that was not about you!

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 29 Sep 2007, 00:26

vAna mukaDu (vAna mukaTTil)- zenith -

(some times one feels that placing too much of restriction in use of languages other than English becomes counter-productive) - this kRti is one such example.

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 29 Sep 2007, 02:54

arunk wrote:I know many of these are originally sanskrit words (taTam too?)
Arun

taTam is samskRta too, if this is meant to say the bank of a river, stream etc

-Ramakriya

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 29 Sep 2007, 03:40

Yes, VG, it is vAna mugaDu. Of course, the tamizh script would say it better, but how many can read tamizh script? Even some tamizh speaking rasikAs can't read in their language. It isn't a happy situation, I agree.
The very fact that they show interest in the lyrics is incentive enough to do a translation. That way, in spite of their 'reading disability', those who enjoy singing or listening to music can benefit, and the songs would stay alive.
mayil+iRagu+tiraTTI +amaitta kuzhal
his hair fashioned thus: gathered together (tiraTTI amaitta) with a feather of a peacock as ornament.

Ramakriya,
The list of sanskrit based words is long! mugam (mukham), para vaSam, nIla, manam, cindanai, gAna, mOnam, nadi, vanam, karam, Siram, karuNai...in a way, this is what makes a kannaDA, telugu, malayALam or hindi speaking rasikA to get at least a whiff of the content of a song. Moreover, there is nothing artificial or pretentious about the lyric. It flows naturally in conversational tamizh, the way people spoke too in those days...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 29 Sep 2007, 06:07

...and now too! At least some of us

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 29 Sep 2007, 14:15

Arasi,
I do not perform any dances as yet. actually the place where i stay is bereft of alot of indian culture and its not easy to give big perfomances. Anyway, i am learning bhatanatyam and some of the lyrics and meanings that i ask for are used there, eg ganavadana beduve - i am learning it now. as a student of dance, i collect many audios of bharatanatyam songs - and then i enquire for the lyrics and meanings (i a m a north indian so i dont understand most of the kritis).
i also appreciate Ravi's responses very much... its unbelievable how fast he is at giving back such long replies!!! Thanks a ton Ravi!!!
I hope i answered you.....

krishnaa

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 30 Sep 2007, 01:57

Krisnaa,
Nice to know you are interested in tamizh lyrics and BN, though you are from the north. Good luck with your learning. Performances are fine, but the learning which goes into them is more important. Keep practising!

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 30 Sep 2007, 13:10

thanks Arasi,
yes, learning is most important, thats why i make sure that i fully understand the item before i learn it. we have had a few arrangetrams and we are planning to hold a few more programs over here very soon.
krishnaa

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 01 Oct 2007, 16:31

arunk wrote:Just my suggestion to improve the lyric database w.r.t tamizh krithis. Although it has been ignored every time it has been brought up before - but I will continue to suggest

Arun

Arun, you are free to suggest any corrections to the lyrics, but please understand that Lakshman is just trying to help.

In case you are interested in giving the grammatically correct lyrics every time, you could give them in addition rather than asking Lakshman to make the changes.

No hard feelings. Thanks.