This Time Let's Say Hello To Bharati!

Back To Warning Bells, This Saturday!

Most Gracious ILites,

We are back to warning bells this Saturday. You might have been slightly intoxicated drinking the poetic alchohol which Kambar and Bharati have been so liberally serving us for the past 2 weeks.

Lets get back to something heavy this week. What is it?

You will have to visit the latest Saturday thread to know.

As I already stated Sunday is the reply day for me. Whatever you have already posted in my threads and whatever you are going to post today and tomorrow will get replied Sunday morning.

Go ahead, Ladies. Apart from other benefits Elite Status is awaiting you all.

regards,
sridhar/varalotti


note: Radha I have quoted your post, as this constitutes a reply to it.

 

Thanks Manjula, But..

Dear Manjula,

Your explanation about the snake and army not only makes sense, but poetic and philosophical sense as well.

But I need to point out something. The song
எங்கெங்கு காணினும் சக்தியடா தம்பி
ஏழு கடல் அவள் வண்ணமடா
was not written by Bharatiyar. They are Bharatidasan's line. An apocryphal story tells that Bharati met Kankasubburathinam (the given name for Bharatidasan) when the latter sang this verse near the house Bharathi was staying in. It was in Pondicherry. Bharatiyar invited him and talked to him. Kanakasubburathinam was so impressed by Bharatiyar that he shed his given name to have Bharatidasan as his name.
Bharatidasan rarely sang on God or Sakthi but for these song.
regards,
sridhar

 

Eloquent As usual, VS!

Dear VS,

you may address me sridhar, varalotti or any other name that you may assign to me from time to time.

One thing really surprises me, VS. English Literature, the whole lot of it, can be called modern, besides Tamil literature.

And speaking about the ancientness of Tamil civilisation our poets say,
கல் தோன்றி மண் தோன்றாக் காலத்தே முன் தோன்றி மூத்த குடி
A culture born at a time when stones have not turned into sand.

We have volumes and volumes of books on the history of English Literature. But we have virtually next to nothing on Tamil Literature which has a 2000 year history.

If the history of Tamil Literature is recorded properly, Bharatiyar's period would be shown as signalling the beginning of an era. An era where the poets while conforming to the strict rules of poetic grammar, made verses which can be understood by the common man. Pre-Bharati era, was known for verses which needed an expert to decipher and appreciate the meaning.

It is very apt of you to have quoted ya devi sarva bhutheshu... Well that can be called as the exact counterpart of this verse in Sanskrit.

Sankara, in a similar ecstatic mood has sung six slokas on nirvana, called the nirvaana shatkam. The ecstasy is the same as here but the way of expression is the opposite.

He declares for example there is no papam, no punyam, no sukam, do dhukkam..

na punyam na paavam na saukyam na dhukam
na vedo na mantro na theerthaha

Every verse would end with chithananda roopam shivoham shivoham.
mean I am the very bliss and my form is eternal consciousness. Reciting those six verses even once gives the same ecstacy that Sankara had while writing them.

Your meaning of Pambu-padai line is okay. That was what I also meant. But after reading Manjulas intrepretation I am more inclined to think that hers looks more correct and straight than what we both took it to mean.
Thanks for the participation, VS.
regards,
sridhar aka varalotti (you can, if you want, even call me aka)

 

You were the inspiration, Vidya!

Dear Vidya,

It was your repeated suggestion to post on Bharati, especially a song on Sakthi, that prompted me to read a number of Bharati's works and choose this poem. So I owe you one, Vidya.

Bharati is a mystic. He was a realised soul but he never showed himself. And he was destined to live in an age where the country was fighting for its freedom. Sl his energies were devoted to that great act. A poet friend told me that if you substituted your soul for the country and equate independence with realisation, then you would know that Bharati was a realised human being, a jeevan muktha.
I am also tempted to believe that had he been born when the country was free and there was no great external pressure, he would have given us some thing like seven easy steps to complete realisation.

It is only his spiritual orientation that make us overlook his major failing, his attention to his wife and family. There would be no rice in the house. Chellammal would go to her neighbours and would have got enough rice for them to eat. Meanwhile Bharati seeing the crows and sparrows would just throw away the rice to them singing with enthusiasm,
காக்கை குருவி எங்கள் ஜாதி நீள் கடலும் மலையும் எங்கள் கூட்டம்
நோக்கும் இடமெல்லாம் நாமன்றி வேறில்லை
What Chellama would have done seeing the empty rice can, and her husband being in perfect oneness with all creation, his hunger notwithstanding?

Vidya, seeing the enthusiasm of all the ILites, all our relaxation hereafter will be with either Kambar or Bharatiyar.

Since you suggested Bharatiyar and Sakthi, let me tell you a secret. The post on Valentine's day will be on Love as seen by the eyes of KC Kambar.

regards,
Varalotti