This Time Let's Say Hello To Bharati!

Dear Manjula and VidyaS,

Your posts were so good. Vidya, I too love the devi slokam and keep chating them everyday. Just keep changing the blanks to suit my need. Listening to Rudram does bring about a sense of Calm in oneself.

Manjula, your analysis of the poem was beautiful. I loved your explanation of the lowly snake and the army! Keep it up, I enjoy reading allyour posts.

Vandhana

Dear Sridhar

During my PG in Coimbatore I heard a lot about the great Bharathiyar and I received my PG from Bharathiyar University only, but I did not have chance then to read any translations of his poems. Now I am fortunate enough to be a member of IL and to have Sridhar here to translate great Tamil poet's works beautifully. Thank you sir. We are really grateful to you, especially non-tamil speaking ilites to taste and savor the works of great people like Kambar and Bharatiyar.

Thanks to Manjureddy and Vidyasarada also who adds essence and flavor to your works by analyzing beautifully. Without people like them this thread may not have been that much lovely.

With warm wishes
Varudhini

Dear Sridhar,

Thankyou for the beautiful and powerful Bharathi poem.
The poem and the translation gave me goose bumps.

I have not read many Bharathiyar poems, apart from the ones that I learnt at school. I am not a big fan of literature. But after reading the poem you posted today, I feel that I have missed out on some thing great. Thanks to you I am now getting to know Tamil literature.

Engum Ethilum Sakthi. Bharathi's words of Sakthi is alluring..
Sakthi is a force that comes into being in all of our activities. in our words, in the love that we show. The words Bharathi uses in his poem shows us what an ardent fan of Sakthi he was. Your translation shows what an avid fan you are of Bharathi. Please Keep them coming.

Jothi.

Dear Sudha, Vandhana, Varudhini
Thanks for the personalised messages.

Yesterday, while discussing this song of Bharathi, my sister suggested, The Snake is a symbol of Kundalini Shakthi. Since Bharathi does not say the army "kills" the snake, but "Adakkum" which means bringing under control, so its some sort of a message about harnessing the power of Kundalini which is said to make Man a Super-Man.( not to be confused with the popular idea of Superman)

Only Bharathi can tell ! Dont know if he has left any letters or annotations on his poems.

VS

wot happend to warning bells mr varalotti ?? kambar , bharati next who??

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.

Originally Posted by radhavenkatesh

wot happend to warning bells mr varalotti ?? kambar , bharati next who??

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

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)

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

Dear Sridhar ,
U said a ni.....ce hello to our dear Bharathi ! Very good write-up ! Eagerly waiting for ur post on love as seen by the eyes of KC Kambar !
With love ,
Indhu .