NAMMALVAR : THIRUVIRUTTAM : A SELECTION

Nammalvar’s Thiruviruttam comes under the category of agatturai, a special genre of Tamil poetry of the Sa

Nammalvar’s Thiruviruttam comes under the category of agatturai, a special genre of Tamil poetry of the Sangam era. There are dramatic characters in these poems which idealise human love. Nammalvar converted this into love for God (Bhakti.)  “Viruttam” also means a “message” or an “event”. It is generally held that the poem is a submission made by Nammalvar to God of an event, the event of his falling in love with Him.

பொய்ந் நின்றஞானமும், பொல்லா ஒழுக்கும், அழுக்கு உடம்பும்,

இந் நின்ற நீர்மை இனி யாம் உறாமை உயிர் அளிப்பான்

எந் நின்ற யோனியுமாய்ப் பிறந்தாய்; இமையோர் தலைவா

Poynnindra ngnaanamum, polla ozhukkum, azhukku udambum,

Innindra neermai ini yaam uraamai uyir alhippan

Ennindra yoniyumaaip pirandaay; imaiyor thalaiva

(Nammalvar:THIRUVIRUTTAM: 1)

To save us from false knowledge,

From evil ways and the dirt of the body,

To save us from coming again and again,

To all these,

And to give us Life,

Thou, Lord of the Immortals,

Camest down here,

Taking birth in many a womb,

And accepting many a form.

(Translation: A. Srinivasa Raghavan)

The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter IV slokas 5 to 9 elucidates this topic. Whenever there is a diminution of dharma (righteous conduct), and a rise of adharma (unrighteousness), then the Lord makes Himself born forth. Sloka No.8 lays down that the Lord gets Himself incarnated from age to age. The main purpose of the avatara (incarnation) is protection of the good people: the destruction of the evildoers is an incidental event.

ONE EVENT, MANY PEN PORTRAITS

எடுத்தது கண்டனர், இற்றது கேட்டனர்

(Kamba Ramayanam)

Alakallalalaadaga

Madhyamavati Raga , 22 Kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 S Av: S N2 P M1 R2 S
Taalam: Rupakam

Lyrics: Pallavi: alakalallalāḍaga kani yarāṇmuniyeṭu poṅgenō Anupallavi: celuvu mīraganu mārīcuni madamaṇacē vēḻa Charanam: muni kanu saika telisi ṣiva dhanuvunu viricē samayamuna tyāgarāja vinutuni mōmuna rañjillu (Thyagaraja Ramayanam )	English verse: As His curls gracefully swayed, How the sagely heart swelled.   As He rent evil Maricha's pride; All limits His charms did elide.   As curls His face lighted, The royal sage delighted. And so, the sage winked "Now!" Lo! He'd rent the Great Bow!

ప. అలకలల్లలాడగ కనియా
రాణ్మునియెటు పొంగెనో

అ. చెలువు మీరగను
మారీచుని మదమణచే వేళ (అ)

చ. ముని కను సైగ తెలిసి శివ
ధనువును విరిచే సమయ-
మున త్యాగరాజ
వినుతుని మోమున రంజిల్లు (అ)

The epic Ramayana has inspired many great poets of India: Valmiki Ramayanam (Sanskrit), Kamba Ramayanam (Tamil), Kalidasa in Raghuvamsam (Sanskrit), Tyagaraja Ramayanam (Telugu) etc. It is interesting to note how the same event in the great epic has evoked different descriptions by the various poets.

The scene: In the Palace of King Janaka at Mithila, Rama bending the formidable bow of Siva which had defied mighty heroes in the past.

In Valmiki Ramayanam, Sage Viswamitra tells Rama “My child Rama, look at this bow.”

Kamba Ramayanam records that the assembled personages saw Rama lifting the bow but then they just heard the sound arising from the breaking of the bow following its being bent. There was little, if any, time-lag between the two happenings.

Kalidasa excels in the use of similes and metaphors. The great bow on its base appeared fearsome like a sleeping large python. Rama lifted it effortlessly to tie the bow string. The poet says that Rama bent the heavy bow with the ease of Manmatha (the god of love) handling his light bow made of sugarcane stalk and flowers.

Thyagaraja in his song set in the Madhyamavathi Raga, differs in that as Rama was capable of taking a hint and acting thereon, it was not appropriate to say that he took the bow on Sage Viswamitra’s oral instructions. The Sage did not tell Rama in as many words; Rama acted on just seeing the Sage’s eye movement.

The composition records the delight and pleasure derived by Sage Viswamitra on two distinct occasions, which brought out Rama’s valour.  Viswamitra was a king until at the end of his severe penance, he was acknowledged as a Brahmarishi (expert among sages with full awareness of Supreme God) by the great Sage Vasishta himself. Viswamitra was thus in   a position to appreciate royal valour as well as divinity in Rama’s actions.  The Sage’s pleasure was caused by his witnessing the movement of the curls of hair falling on Rama’s forehead.  This added to Rama’s inherent beauty and attractiveness. Firstly this happened when Rama conquered the Rakshasa Mareecha. The second event was when, on following the sign from the Sage’s eye movement, Rama took Siva’s bow, bent and broke it.

One cannot but admire the composer’s intense devotion and his inspired poetic skill which delights both the singer and the audience and brings to them the vision of Viswamitra and Rama looking at each other and of Rama bending the bow. This is indeed due to the grace of Rama, the avatara (incarnation) of Supreme God.