: Centum 1 Decad 1 :
Verse 1.
vaNNa mADaNGaL sUzh tirukkOttiyUr
kaNNan kEsavanambi pirandhu in il
yeNNai suNNam yedhiredhir thUviDa
kaN nan muTRam kalandhu aLarAyiTRE
Meaning.
Dotting Tirukkottiyur were beautiful mansions aplenty. In their midst, in one special mansion, Krishna was born. On that infant with lustrous locks and divine qualities, oil and scented bath powder was showered in such profusion, the mansion’s magnificent central courtyard turned into a loamy puddle.
^^^
Verse 2.
OduvAr vizhuvAr ugandhu AlippAr
nADuvAr nam pirAn engu uTTRAn enbAr
pAduvArgaLum pal parai kotta
ninDRu ADuvArgaLum AyiTRu AipADiyE
Meaning.
People ran helter-skelter in excitement, slipped and fell; they cheered heartily, and cried out: “Our benefactor is born, let’s go see him. Where, where is he?” There was singing, beating of drums, and dancing: All of Aipaadi was agog.
^^^
Verse 3.
pENi sIr uDai piLLai pirandhinil
kANa thAm puguvAr pukku pOdhuvAr
AN oppAr ivan nEr illai kAN
tiru ONaththAn ulagALum yenbArgaLE
Meaning
A child with extraordinary qualities had been born in their midst. Naturally, a continuous stream of people were flocking in to see the newborn and trooping out after seeing. All of them were saying, “None can match up to this lad! He’s Sarvesvara, no less, and he’ll reign over the world!”
^^^
Verse 4.
uriyai muTRaththu urutti ninDRu ADuvAr
naRu nei pAl thayir nanDRAga thUvuvAr
seri men kUndhal avizha thiLaiththu yengum
arivu azhindhanar AipADi AyarE
Meaning
Rolling their milk vats into the courtyard, they liberally gave away ghee, milk and curd to all and sundry. Their tightly knotted locks let loose to fly in all directions, the grazer folks of Aipaadi danced in a state of blissful oblivion.
^^^
Verse 5.
koNDa thAL uri kOla koDu mazhu thaNDinar
pari Olai sayanaththar
viNDa mullai arumbanna pallinar
aNDar miNDi pugundhu neiyyADinAr.
Meaning
They whose possessions were baskets of tightly woven palm leaves, beautifully crafted axes with sharp blades and smooth handles, and screwpine mats, they whose open smile revealed teeth like jasmine buds set in a row – those grazer folks came together and danced the Neiyaadal, feeling one with the divine.
Note:‘Neiyaadal’ is described as a dance of bliss in integrated consciousness. It appears to depict the concept of ‘prapatti’.
Prapatti is a path of liberation available to all mortals, without exception. It envisages total submission of the mortal individual (jIvAtma) to the all inclusive Divine (paramAtma), acknowledging that supreme entity, which is the personification of goodness, as the ultimate refuge.
The simple folks of Aipaadi lost themselves in the rapturous neiyaadal as they believed that Krishna, who had just been born in their midst, was the paramAtma incarnate. What could be easier than to submit to him, when he had made himself so accessible?
^^^
Verse 6
kaiyum kAlum nimirththu kaDAra nIr
paiya vAtti pasum siru manjaLAl
aiya nA vazhiththALukku aNGAndhiDa
vaiyam yEzhum kaNDAL piLLai vAyuLE
Meaning
Lifting up infant Krishna’s hands and legs, using water boiled to just the right temperature, and a soft piece of turmeric, his mother was bathing him. When she came to cleaning his tongue, he opened his mouth and, there, inside, she saw all the seven worlds.
^^^
Verse 7
vAyuL vaiyagam kaNDa maDa nallAr
Ayar puththiran allan arum deivam
pAya sIruDai paNbuDai bAlagan
mAyan endru magizhndhanar mAdharE
Meaning
The simple and good women of Aipaadi saw the universe inside the child’s mouth and exclaimed,
“He’s not a mere cowherd’s son, but the incomparable God himself.”
“He’s the embodiment of noble qualities, the fount of infinite kindness. This is a miracle child!” they said, overjoyed.
^^^
Verse 8
paththu nALum kaDandha iraNDAnAL
eththisaiyum sayamaram kODiththu
maththa mAmalai thANGiya maindhanai
uththAnam seidhu ughandhanar AyarE
Meaning
On the twelfth day after birth (on the day the child was to be named), symbols of jubilation decorated every nook and corner. The village people happily carried in their arms the extraordinary child who would one day hold aloft the mountain home of magnificent elephants.
Note: When he was a seven year old boy, Krishna is said to have uprooted and held aloft the Goverdhana mountain, like a huge umbrella, to provide shelter to the cows and cowherds of his village from a relentless downpour of several days.
Using poetic license, Periazhwar features this later episode from the life of Krishna to highlight how the infant who was being carried in the arms of the simple village folk was, in fact, the Almighty. Later, he would ensure that they who carried him as an infant were protected under a mighty mountain that he would carry for their sake. The verse underscores the simplicity and accessibility of God.
^^^
Verse 9
kiDakkil thoTTil kizhiya udhaiththiDum
yeDuththu koLLil maruNGai iRuththiDum
oDukki pulgil udharaththE pAindhiDum
miDukku illAmaiyAl nAn melindhEn naNGAi
Meaning
“This child of mine… if I lay him down, he kicks with such might, the cloth cradle is torn; if I carry him on my waist, his strength weighs me down and my waist is twisted; if I carry him on my chest, he strikes at my stomach with such force! Oh gifted women, I despair at my lack of skill and I’m worn out completely.”
^^^
Verse 10
sennelAr vayal sUzh tirukkOttiyUr
mannu nAraNan nambi pirandhamai
minnu nUl vittuchiththan viriththa
i pannu pADal vallArkku illai pAvamE
Meaning
Surrounded by lush fields of abundant grain is Tirukkotiyur. Narayana, eternally present there, was born as the embodiment of good qualities. Thus sang Vishnuchitta, whom the pure white thread adorned. Those who master this tribute of his will (like him) not go astray, it is said.
Notes:
1) Vishnu-chitta is Periazhwar’s name, and it means ‘a mind steeped in Vishnu’.
2) Yagnopavitam is a sacred white thread identified with the brahmin. ‘Brahmin’ is not a mere label that results from birth but a designation conferred on those with true knowledge. Knowledge, it is said, recoils from the covetous, the cheat, and the slothful; it fears betrayal by the small minded.
On being a Hindu. Simply. 