AlainIL karumbu (708-718)

AlainIL karumbu 
Devaki expressing her sorrow in not seeing Lord Krishna's plays as a child 

yaSOda was fortunate to experience and enjoy the childhood plays of kaNNan. dEvaki, though the real mother, was not that fortunate. When she later on saw kaNNan she pours out her feelings to Him. AzhwAr thinks himself as dEvaki and says these pASurAs.

 Alai neeL karumbu annavan tAlO ambuya taDangaNNinan tAlO 
 vElai neer nirattannavan tAlO vEzha pOdaham annavan tAlO | 
 Ela vAr kuzhal en mahan tAlO enru enru unnai en vAyiDai niraiya 
 tAl olittiDum tiru vinai illA tAyaril kaDaiyAyina tAyE || One || 

 dEvaki laments – ‘i gave birth to You after carrying You in my womb. But soon You were taken away from me to AyarpADi. i am not as fortunate as yaSOda. She must have sung a lullaby to You like – Alai neeL karumbu annavan, ambuya taDangaNNinan, vElai neer nirattannavan, vEzha pOdaham annavan, Ela vAr kuzhal en mahan etc. i must be the worst of all the mothers. tAlElO – is the word used in lullaby. It is made by turning the tongue and flapping it against the lips.
 Alai neeL karumbu annavan – You are sweet like a well grown sugarcane

 vaDikkoL anjanam ezhudu Semmalar kaN maruvi mEl inidu onrinai nOkki 
 muDakki SEvaDi malar chiru karundAL poliyum neer muhir kuzhaviyE pOla | 
 aDakkiyAra chenjiru viral anaittum angaiyODu aNaindu Anaiyir kiDanda 
 kiDakkai kaNDiDa peTTrilan andO kESavA keDuvEn keDuvEnE || Two || 

 kaNNa! when You lay on the cradle You would have gazed at a certain toys hung on the top of the cradle. You would have kicked Your feet and folded them. You would have made into a fist with all Your tiny and beautiful fingers folded inside. You would have looked like a rain cloud or an elephant. Alas! i am so unlucky not to experience the joy of these.

 mundai nan murai anbuDai mahaLir murai murai tandam kurangiDai irutti 
 endaiyE endan kula perum chuDarE ezhu muhil kaNattu ezhil kavarErE | 
 undai yAvan enru uraippa nin SengEzh viralinum kaDaikaNNinum kATTa 
 nandan peTTranan nal vinai illA nangaL kOn vasudEvan peTTrilanE || Three ||

 The bandhus who come to see the child take Him on their laps by turns and pet Him – ‘en appA! kula chuDarE! ErE!’ and ask Him ‘who is Your father. Show us’. The child will point out with His tiny finger and eyes nandagOpa not vasudEva. Oh! nandagOpa is fortunate because he is the husband of yaSOda. vasudEva is not because he is the husband of me the most sinful women.

 kaLi nilA ezhil madi purai muhamum kaNNanE tiN kai mArvum tiN tOLum 
 taLi malar karunguzhal piraiyaduvum taDangoL tAmarai kaNgaLum polinda | 
 iLamai inbattai inru entan kaNNAl paruhu vErku ivaL tAiyena ninainda 
 aLavil piLLaimai inbattai izhanda pAviyEn enadAvi nillAdE|| Four || 

 Oh! kaNNa! now in Your teen age You know me as Your real mother. But when You were a mere child whose whole world is mother alone, You thought yaSOda is Your mother and loved her. Though i enjoy Your looks having poorNachandra muham, tiN kai, tiN mArbu, tiN tOL, taLi malar karunguzhal pirai, tiru kaNgaL – i feel sad i didn’t enjoy Your childhood days. That loss pains more than the gain now i have.

maruvum nin tiru neTTriyil chuTTi aSai tara maNi vAyiDai muttam 
 tarudalum untan tAdaiyai pOlum vaDivu kaNDu koNDu uLLam uL kuLira | 
 viraLai chenjiru vAyiDai chErttum vehuLiyAi ninru uraikkum avvuraiyum 
 tiruvilEn onrum peTTrilEn ellAm deiva nangai yaSOdai peTTrALE|| Five ||

Oh! kaNNa! i lost the pleasure of getting kisses from You; i lost the pleasure of looking at Your face and say ‘Oh! This is my child resembling His father’; i lost the hearing of those sweet words which as a child You uttered out of anger putting Your tiny fingers in Your mouth. Oh! i lost everything! i am born only to lose all pleasures and yaSOda is born to gain everything. Oh! She must be a divine mother.

 taNNan tAmarai kaNNanE kaNNA tavazhndu ezhundu taLarndadOr naDaiyAl 
 maNNil SempoDi ADi vandu entan mArvil manniDa peTTrilEn andO | 
 vaNNa chenjiru kai viral anaittum vAri vAikoNDa aDiSilin michchal 
 uNNa peTTrilEn Oh! koDuvinaiyEn ennai en Seyya peTTradu em mOyE || Six || 

 Oh! kaNNapirAn! i was not hugged by You after You played in the mud for a long time; i did not take the ‘michchil’ (remains) of Your food which You thrust into Your mouth with all the fingers. Oh! My mother gave birth to me uselessly.

kuzhahanE entan kOmaLa piLLAi gOvindA en kuDangaiyil manni 
 ozhuhu pErezhil iLanjiru taLir pOl oru kaiyAl oru mulai muham neruDA | 
 mazhalai mennahai iDai iDai aruLA vAyilE mulai irukka en muhattE 
 ezhil koL nin tirukkaNNiNai nOkkandannaiyum izhandEn izhandEnE || Seven ||

 dEvaki continuous – ‘kuzhahA! kOmaLa piLLAi! gOvindA! i never had the experience of giving You my milk. i never had the joy of looking at Your face while You drink milk. You would play with one of my breast and drink the milk from the other; often looking at me with a smile. Oh! i lost them! The mahApApi that i am, i never had these pleasures with You.

muzhudum veNNai aLaindu toTTu uNNum muhizh iLanjiru tAmarai kaiyyum 
 ezhil koL tAmbu koNDu aDippadarku eLhum nilaiyum veN tayir tOinda SevvAyyum | 
 azhuhaiyum anji nOkkum annOkkum aNihoL Senjiru vAi neLippaduvum 
 tozhuhaiyum ivai kaNDa yaSOdai tollai inbattu irudi kaNDALE || Eight ||

kaNNan would dip His whole arms into the butter vessel and scoop out handfuls in haste and gulp them. When yaSOda sees Him He would wipe His mouth with the same hand smearing the mouth with butter. She would threaten Him with a stick. He would feign fear and cry loudly His lips quivering. When she really brings down the stick He would make anjali and beg pardon. yaSOda experience the joy of paramapada.

kunrinAl kuDai kavittadum kOla kuravai kOttaduvum kuDamATTum 
 kanrinAl viLavu erindadum kAlAl kALiyan talai midittadum mudalA | 
 venri SEr piLLai nal viLaiyATTam anaittilum en uLLam uL kuLira 
 onrum kaNDiDa peTTrilEn aDiyEn kANumAru ini uNDenil aruLE || Nine ||

Oh! kaNNa! my son! You showed Your astonishing feats like - lifting gOvardhana, rAsakreeDa, kuDakoottu, hitting vatsAsura against kapittAsura, kALiya mardana etc., - to yaSOda alone not to me. If You can show them now, let me have that vision and enjoy as yaSOda did.

vanjamEviya nenjuDai pEichchi varaNDu nAr narambu ezha karindu ukka 
 nanjamAr taru Suzhi mulai andO Suvaittu nee aruL Seidu vaLarndAi | 
 kanjan nAL kavar karu muhil endAi kaDai paTTEn varidE mulai Sumandu 
 tanjamEl onrum ilEn uindirundEn takkadE nalla tAyai peTTrAyE || Ten || 

 I am the worst mother in the world. i never fed You with my milk in my life. yaSOda was in a way lucky. But kaNNa leaving both of us You went to the rAkShasi pootana to drink milk! You are incongruous. Oh! i have no use of my breasts. You have a good mother in me! (Ironically). i hold on to my life only in the hope of seeing You some day.

 mallai mA naharkku iraiyavan tannai vAn Selutti vandu eengaNai mAyattu 
 ellaiyil piLLai Seivana kANA deiva dEvaki pulambiya pulambal | 
 kolli kAvalan mAlaDi muDi mEl kOlamAm kulaSEKaran Sonna 
 nalliSai tamizh mAlai vallArhaL naNNuvAr ollai nAraNan ulahE || Eleven ||

 dEvaki has lamented over not seeing her son’s wonderful chESTitAs. These are the pASurAs full of BAvAs. Those who read and meditate on them will certainly reach paramapada in this janma itself.

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