Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 21 of Margazhi: 05 January 2021
THE SISHYA, THE TRADITION
“Ah! What blessing is mine
This fortunate scene, a witness I could be!
Nothing but the grace of my Guru, my Guru Parampara,
The Guru Tattva which guides and protects me
Could have taken me
To that alcove, wherefrom I could see unfolding
The divine symphony of Kothai’s supplication.
But the saga is not over yet,
For, Perumal is still in a sleep state.
But I can see now that Nappinai is stirring.
How elegantly she rises and sits up!
Ah, what lithesomeness with which she places
Her lotus-like pink feet upon the ground!
How soft the steps she takes towards Kothai,
Careful not to sound
The tinkle of her thickly-laid anklets
And the jingle of gem-studded bangles,
So that her sleeping Perumal may not be disturbed!
But let me hush now, for I see Nappinai
In conversation with Kothai.”
“O Kothai, you asked for oil to apply on your head so you may take a bath before you do your kainkaryam to Krishna. I will apply the oil myself but before that, let me strip you of the cumbersome garments that weigh you down.”
And as Kothai stood in reverence, Nappinai led her to an ornate cushioned seat and having directed Kothai to sit upon it, she relieved her, one by one, of the bulky and burdensome cloaks of her ego. She then fanned her to make her feel cool before showing her the mirror of self-reflection.
The divine Mother next applied auspicious turmeric paste on Kothai’s hands, legs, and face. Then, procuring a bowl of fragrant oil medicated with herbs, Nappinai dipped her fingers in the liquid and rubbed her oil-coated fingers on the crown of Kothai’s head. And as if that was not enough, Thaayar took a hand-crafted comb and combed back into place, like a mother would for her daughter, some truant hairs on Kothai’s head that had tried to escape the neat braiding when she applied the oil.
Then she blessed Kothai thus:
“Let the thousand-petalled lotus of Sahasrara bloom, blessing you with Divine Consciousness,” said Nappinai. “O Kothai, you sought out doors to be opened, may the Brahmarandhra, the Door that leads you to the Ultimate Energy Source, open for you. May the pure light of the Sahasrara radiate like Vibhavasu and may that light lead many others too on to the path of Krishnaanubhavam.”
Kothai fell at the Feet of the Divine Mother. When she rose, Nappinai gave her the bowl of oil and instructed her thus: Apply this oil on your Thozhi’s crowns. Let the blessing be passed on.”
“Ah! How compassionate is Guru Bhakti Yoga!
Our Piratti, the Guru, enlightens our Kothai,
And our Kothai, she passes on her knowledge and wisdom
To her Thozhis.
Ah! She approaches me too! Me, an insignificant mortal
Tucked away in an almost dark corner of the universe,
But she knows I am here, she looks at me and smiles!
Here she comes, I bow my head, she places her blessed hands
Upon my crown and I am swathed in light!
Kothai’s touch, bless her, has made me immortal!
No longer am I a blur in a dark, unforgotten corner,
For, the corner is now illumined with the light radiating
From me… I am sunshine!
O, what a miracle this Guru Parampara is—
The miracle of Love!
And the Guru Tattwa that fills our hearts
With such divine love
Emanates from our Lord Parthasarathy!
See how this love, this gnanam flows
As the milk from the full udder of a cow
That has had the sanctification of Krishna’s benevolent hands!
O Padmanabha! O Ranga! I call out to You now,
Won’t You not wake up?
Standing in surrender are we at Your Divine Feet,
Not in fear as enemies would before their vanquished
But surrendered have we in love!
Open Your Eyes, O Madhava! O Govinda!
Open Your Eyes and accept our simple Love!”
Seeing the tears of devotion in our eyes, Piratti beckoned us forward. We took a few steps into the chamber and found ourselves in the shadow of His great, magnificent Feet!
“Salutations are to that guru who showed me the abode, the one who is to be known, whose form is the entire universe and by whom all the movable and immovable are pervaded.”
Footnotes:
Sahasrara: Meaning "the thousand petalled lotus", it is the seventh and the primary chakra. Located on the crown, an awakening of this chakra brings about a sense of connection with the infinite universal energy.
“Salutations are to that guru...are pervaded.”: The first shloka of Guru Stotram (Akanda mandalakaram...)
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Please note: This is NOT a translation of the divine verses sung by the revered poet-saint Andal. I have not the qualifications for that undertaking, my greatest limitation being my inability to read and write Tamil. Nor can I claim to be as devoted and as passionate as Andal was to Her Rangamannar. But I do love Krishna in my own way and these verses are just my attempt at writing a poem a day, as Kothai did over the thirty days of Margazhi, centuries ago. The muse for each of these thirty verses are the thirty songs that form the thirty paasurams of Thiruppavai. As I can't read or write Tamil, I have had to look up the Internet for translations and transliterations of Thiruppavai. I have provided the links below. Also for the same reason is why my poetry is in English.
I offer this humble work at the Lotus Feet of my Lord Parthasarathy, my Krishna, my Flautist of Brindaranyam.
Click here for Thiruppavai series 2020, Day 20 of Margazhi: 04 January 2021THE MIRROR
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