nAmamAyiram (514-523)

nAmamAyiram

Yadava girls pleading with Lord Krishna not to trouble them

(The gOpi girls play “SiTTril izhaittAl” – building sand houses or drawing sand designs. kaNNan comes and spoils their play. The girls get angry with Him.)

 nAmam Ayiram Etta ninra nArAyaNA naranE unnai
 mAmi tan mahanAha peTTrAl emakku vAdai tavirumE |
kAman pOdaru kAlam enru panguni nAL kaDai pArittOm
 teemai Seyyum SireedarA engaL SiTTril vandu SidaiyElE || One ||

You are always being sung by the nitya sooris in paramapada. You have thousands of names revealing Your infinite guNAs and glories. You come down to ayOdhya as daSaratha’s son in order to show the way of dharma to the people. But what do You do? You spoil the play of small innocent girls like us. We are praying kAmadEva to get You as our husband. But will we be happy if we marry You, naughty as You are? Don’t spoil our design. BagavAn says “if You want to reach me and the means. Don’t pursue some other path”. But gOpis say “well! kaNNa! What You say is true. But our goal is not any other puruSArtha. It is only You. So we resort to the worship of kAmadEva in order to get You”.

 inru muTTrum muduhu nOva irundu izhaitta ichchiTTrilai 
nanrum kaNNura nOkki nAm koLum Arvam tannai taNihiDAi | 
anru bAlakanAhi Alilai mEl tuyinra em AdiyAi 
enrum untanakku engaL mEl irakkam ezhAdadu em pAvamE || Two ||

 kaNNa! we draw these figures with soft fine sand to please kAmadEva who comes through this street in the month of panguni. But You spoil them. Why don’t You just watch and say some encouraging words? You don’t have any compassion on us. Wasn’t it You who swallowed the whole creation and protected them in Your stomach out of sympathy for the jeevAs? Why aren’t You as merciful on us? Probably we have committed so much of sins that we don’t deserve such mercy from You!

guNDu neer urai kOLaree madayAnai kOL viDuttAi unnai 
kaNDu mAluruvOnhaLai kaDai kaNhaLAl iTTu vAdiyEl | 
vaNDal nuN maNal teLLi yAm vaLai kaihaLAl SiramappaTTOm 
teNDirai kaDal paLLiyAi engaL SiTTril vandu SidaiyElE || Three || 

kaNNa! You lie on the deep sea; You are fearless like a lion; You are merciful even to an elephant gajEndra; You lie on the tirupArkaDal to hear the sufferings and complaints of the dEvAs. But kaNNa! Why are You not compassionate on us? Your look has lots of mischief concealed in it. In fact, You should feel pity on us who collect fine sand and sift it to draw figures. The whole day we do it with our backs paining but You spoil it in a minute.

peyyum mA muhil pOl vaNNA unran pEchchum Seihaiyum engaLai 
maiyalETTri mayakka un muham mAya mandiram tAn kolO | 
noyyal piLLaihaL enbadarku unnai nOva nAngaL uraikkilOm 
Seyya tAmarai kaNNinAi engaL SiTTril vandu SidaiyElE || Four || 

 kaNNa! You are dark like the rainy clouds. But You are merciless. You look very handsome and utter very soft words but we know they are feigned. Still when we look at Your face we fall for You. What mantra do You use to make us mad? We think of scolding You for all Your mischief but we feel You may think us indecent and shun our company. Therefore we keep quiet. Please don’t spoil our SiTTril.

veLLai nuN maNal koNDu SiTTril viSittirappaDa veedivAi 
teLLi nAngaL izhaitta kOlam azhittiyAhilum unran mEl | 
 uLLam ODi uruhalallAl urODam onrum ilOm kaNDAi 
kaLLa mAdavA kESavA un muhattana kaNhaL allavE || Five || 

kaNNa! We have collected white sand, sifted and drawing this design from the morning. They are wonderful and those who see them are astonished at its beauty. Since kAmadEva is a rajasik dEvata we don’t want to displease him. You spoil the design. We feel sad and our hearts break. But kaNNa we are not at all angry with You. Why don’t You appreciate them as the others do? Don’t You have eyes to do so?

muTTrilAda piLLaihaLOm mulai pOndilAdOmai nAL torum 
SiTTril mEliTTu koNDu nee Siridu uNDu tiNNena nAm adu | 
kaTTrilOm kaDalai aDaittu arakkar kulangaLai muTTravum 
SeTTru ilangaiyai pooSalAkkiya SEvakA emmai vAdiyEl || Six || 

We are young lasses of AyarpADi, not much intelligent enough to cope with You. You do some mischievous gestures and actions which we don’t understand. Under the pretext of seeing the SiTTril and spoiling You come here everyday and behave in an ungentlemanly way. You destroyed Lanka and the whole clan of rAkShasAs for the piraTTi’s sake. We know Your valor. But we are not rAkShasAs only innocent Ayar girls. Please kaNNa have mercy on us.

pEdam nangu arivArhaLODu ivai pESinAl peridin Suvai 
 yAdum onru ariyAda piLLaihaLOmai nee nalindu en payan | 
Oda mA kaDal vaNNA un maNavATTi mAroDu Soozharum 
 SEtu bandam tiruttinAi engaL SiTTril vandu SidaiyElE || Seven ||

 kaNNa! You not only do gestures but also speak words which are beyond our capacity to understand. Go and speak them to people who understand and counter argue with You. Then You will have fun in it. We are innocent as well as ignorant. kaNNa! we plead You don’t spoil the SiTTril. Go away! We swear on Your pirATTi’s. Leave us alone and get out.

vaTTa vAi chiru toodaiyODu SiruSuLahum maNalum koNDu 
iTTamA viLaiyADuvOngaLai SiTTril eeDazhittu en payan | 
toTTudaittu naliyEl kaNDAi SuDar chakkaram kaiyil EndinAi 
kaTTiyum kaittAl innAmai aridiyE kaDal vaNNanE || Eight || 

kaNNan doesn’t listen to their pleadings; still wants to spoil their play. So He holds their hands and do such things as to prevent them from drawing the SiTTril. They get angry and do “go away! Don’t touch us!”. kaNNan asks “why?”. “well! You have being to so many girls and we don’t want You here”. “look! I am sarvESwara. I am having this chakrAyudha”. “we don’t care Your sarvESwaratva. Go away! We don’t like You! When we have a bitter tongue do we enjoy eating sweets?”.

kaDal vaNNa – You are like sea. Is there any use of sea water? Can’t even drink and take bath. Just we can look at the water, except that it has no use.

muTTratooDu puhundu nin muham kATTi pun muruval Seidu 
SiTTrilODu engaL Sindaiyum Sidaikka kaDavaiyO gOvindA | 
muTTra maNNiDam tAvi viNNura neeNDu aLandu koNDAi emmai 
paTTri mei piNakkiTTakkAl inda pakkam ninravar en SollAr || Nine || 

 kaNNan was doing mischief with the gOpi girls. They could not tolerate and ask Him to go and He won’t go. Hence without His knowledge the girls slip into the courtyard inside the house and shut the door behind them. They start playing again. Suddenly He appears before them giving a winning smile. On seeing His face and the smile they lose their heart. Very well knowing He had conquered them He becomes naughty again and crosses the boundary of decency. They are afraid that people may speak ill of them enjoying all the while His company.

 periyavAchchAn piLLai comments that this pASuram clearly indicates the samSlESa of kaNNan with the gOpis.

Seedai vAyamudam uNDAi engaL SiTTril nee SidaiyEl enru 
veedi vAi viLaiyADum Ayar Sirumiyar mazhalai chollai | 
vEdavAi tozhilArhaL vAzh villiputtoor man viTTu chittan tan 
kOdai vAi tamizh vallavar kuraivinri vaihundam SErvarE || Ten || 

Sree rAma enjoyed the adarAmruta of seeta pirATTi. Sree kriSNa enjoyed the adarAmruta (the words) of AyarpADi girls. Those who enjoy the above pASurAs will enjoy the permanent abode of paramapada.

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