Ermalarp pUngkuzhal (698-707)

Ermalarp pUngkuzhal
Yadava girls who are angry with Lord Krishna tease Him

Er malar poonguzhal Ayar mAdar enaippalar uLLa ivvooril untan
mArvu tazhuvudarku ASai inmai arindu arindE untan poiyyai kETTu |
koor mazhai pOl panikku oodal eidi kooSi naDungi yamunai ATTril
vAr maNar kunril pulara ninrEn vAsudEvA un varavu pArttE || One || 

 kaNNan has told a gOpi to go and wait on the sand dune on the banks of river yamuna and promised He would join her. Knowing very well He is not much interested in her, knowing fully well there are so many more beautiful girls in AyarpADi who are fond of Him and He is fond of them, she believed His words. She was waiting at that particular spot the whole night hoping He would come any time. There was snowfall. She was shivering not out of cold and feeling shy out of fear of being seen. In spite of that she had hopes that He would come. But Alas! He never turned up till dawn. Disappointed and dejected she went home. She meets Him after some days and shouts angrily at Him.

keNDai oN kaN maDavAL orutti keezhai ahattu tayir kaDaiya 
kaNDu ollai nAnum kaDaivan enru kaLLa vizhiyai vizhittu pukku | 
vaNDamar poonguzhal tAzhndu ulAva vAN muham vErppa SevvAi tuDippa 
taN tayir nee kaDaindiTTa vaNNam dAmOdarA meyyarivan nAnE || Two ||

 This is the complaint of another gOpi. She was standing in the balcony looking at the street. kaNNan was coming. Straight away He entered in to the house downstairs. There was a gOpi alone in the house churning a huge amount of curd. kaNNan told her He would help her churn it fast. He sat near her and gave her mischievous sidelong glance and had samslESa with her. The girls perspired, had her hair loose, lips quivered, showing all the signs of samslESa. When He came upstairs she told Him why don’t You go and churn the curd downstairs! Why do You come here?

karu malar koondal orutti tannai kaDai kaNittu AngE orutti tan pAl 
maruvi manam vaittu maTTroruttikku uraittu oru pEdaikku poi kurittu | 
puri kuzhal mangai orutti tannai puNardi avaLukkum meyyanallai 
marudu iruttAi un vaLarttiyODE vaLarhinradAl untan mAyai tAnE || Three ||

 kaNNan is a big liar and cheat says another gOpi. She saw Him giving a sidelong look revealing love to a girl, at the same time thinking of another gOpi in His mind. He was falling at her feet and telling the third gOpi ‘I love You’ but wanted to meet a fourth one at a appointed place. The girl was waiting for Him eagerly but He had samslESa with yet another gOpi. He was not true to her either. This is His way with the gOpis. He broke maruda trees when He was a mere child. If at that young age He could do astonishing feats what to talk of Him at this age. His mischief grows as He grows.

 tAi mulai pAlil amudu irukka tavazhndu taLar naDai iTTu chenru 
pEi mulai vAi vaittu nanjai uNDu pittan enrE pirar ESa ninrAi | 
Ai mihu kAdaloDu yAniruppa yAn viDa vanda en toodiyODE 
nee mihu BOgattai nangu uhandAi aduvum un kOrambukku Erkum anrE || Four ||


There was mother yaSOda waiting for You to feed her milk sweet as nectar. But what did You do?- like a fool You crawled, faltered to pootana – a rAkShasi – to drink her poisonous milk. Didn’t everybody made fun of You! Now also while I am waiting for You here, You had an affair with the servant maid i had sent to You to enquire the reason for Your delay. Are You not ashamed of Your actions? Go away!

 minnotta nuNNiDaiyALai koNDu veengu iruL vAi entan veediyooDE 
 ponnotta ADai kukkooDaliTTu pOhinrapOdu nAn kaNDu ninrEn | 
 kaNNuTTru avaLai nee kaNNAl iTTu kai viLikkinradum kaNDE ninrEn 
 ennukku avaLai viTTu ingu vandAi innam angE naDa nambi neeyE || Five ||

I was standing in front of my house. kaNNan passed by with a beautiful slender waist gOpi. When He saw me He covered Himself and the girl with a shining golden yellow cloth. It was pitch dark. Stupid as He was if He has not covered i would not had known. While going He made signs to another gOpi coming from the opposite direction to come and meet Him at the appointed place. At last He left both of them and come to me! A liar and cheat as He was! i scolded Him to go away and go to that girl.

marporu tOLuDai vAsudEvA valvinaiyEn tuyil koNDavArE 
 iTTrai iraviDai yEmattu ennai innaNai mEl iTTa ahanru nee pOi | 
 aTTrai iravum Or piTTrai nALum arivaiyarODum aNanindu vandAi 
 eTTrukku nee en marungil vandAi emberumAn ezhundaruLE || Six || 

 Another gOpi tells her story ‘kaNNa You know how to wrestle with mallAs; but not know how to love me (marporu tOLuDai vAsudEvA). You wooed me on that day and made me lie on the bed. When i was waiting for Your samslESa You slipped out. I waited that whole night and other day too. But You come now. I know You had been with many gOpis. Why don’t You go there again! Why do You come here? Oh! i thought You loved me so much that You never look at any other girl. But You are a cheat and a liar. Go away!

paiyyaravu innaNai paLLiyinAi paNDaiyOm allOm nAm nee uhakkum 
 maiyari oN kaNNinArum allOm vaihi em SEri varavozhi nee | 
 Seyya uDaiyum tirumuhamum Sengani vAyum kuzhalum kaNDu 
 poyyoru nAL paTTadE amaiyum puLLuvam pESAdE pOhu nambi || Seven || 

 kaNNa! nambi! There was a time when we believed everything that You said. We did as we were bidden. Now the time has changed. We know You very well. We know You went with girls who had deer-like dark eyes. We don’t have them. It is true we are enchanted even now by seeing Your peetAmBara, face, mouth, hair etc. But we have come to our senses soon. Why do You come here so late in the night? Why don’t You come here when people are here and at day? We know Your intentions. Go away! Go to Your damsels who fall for You.

ennai varuha ena kurittiTTu ina malar mullaiyin pandal neezhal 
 manni avaLai puNara pukku maTTru ennai kaNDu uzharA nehizhndAi | 
 ponnira ADaiyai kaiyil tAngi poyyachcham kATTi nee pOdiyElum 
 innam en kaiyahattu eengu oru nAL varudiyEl en Sinam teervan nAnE || Eight || 

 kaNNan has asked this gOpi to come to a ‘mullai pandal’ their usual meeting place. He has forgotten that He had told another gOpi to wait there. When the first gOpi went to appointed place, she found another one waiting for a long time. kaNNan without knowing that this gOpi had come, was about to go to that girl waiting for a long time. But suddenly He saw this girl also, He slowly slipped away feigning fear. So she says ‘just see what i do to You if You come to me again’. As said earlier ‘avan uruvarukkum meyyanallan’. 

In Sree rangam temple there was ‘adyayana utsava’. embAr was present when arayar was showing aBinaya to this pASura. To the last line ‘en Sinam teervan nAnE’ he showed the movement beating Him with hands and kicking with feet. embAr said ‘if she had done that kaNNan would have been very pleased. She would see Him and turn her face away’ that might certainly hurt Him.

mangala nal vanamAlai mArvil ilanga mayil tazhai peeli SooDi 
 pongiLavADai araiyil SAtti poongottu kAdil puNara peidu | 
 kongu narunguzhalArhaLODu kuzhaindu kuzhal inidu oodi vandAi 
 engaLukkE oru nAL vandu ooda un kuzhal inniSai pOdarAdE || Nine || 

 kaNNan had samslESa with some gOpis. The other gOpis see Him coming with stately attires, vanamAla dangling in His tirumArbu, with peacock feather beautifully decked on His head and a bunch of flowers on His ears playing the flute along street. The gOpis feel jealous about those girls and request Him ‘ can’t You do the same for us also? Won’t You come here at least for one day?’

alli malar tirumangai kELvan tannai nayandu iLavAichchimArhaL 
 elli pozhudinil Emattu ooDi eLhi uraitta uraiyadanai | 
 kolli naharkku irai kooDar kOmAn kulaSEKaran inniSaiyil mEvi 
 Solliya intamizh mAlai pattum Solla vallArkku illai tunbam tAnE || Ten || 

 The anger of gOpis, their words of criticism and their chESTitAs are out of love for kaNNan only. Even though they say ‘ go away! Don’t come here!’ they cannot bear the separation even for a minute. Those who read these pASurAs with same BAva will be rid off samsAra duhKa – says AzhwAr.

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