"He knows the pain of others
Does good to others, especially to those ones who are in misery
Does not let pride enter his mind
He tolerates and praises the entire world
Does not say bad things about anyone
Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure
one, whose mother is blessed
He sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice
Considers some one else's wife/daughter as his mother
The tongue may get tired, but will never speak lies
Does not even touch someone else's property
He does not succumb to worldly attachments;
Has devoted himself to staunch detachment to worldly pleasures
Has been addicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram
For whom all the religious sites are in the mind
Who has no greed and deceit
Who has renounced lust of all types and anger
By who's virtue, the entire family gets salvation
Does good to others, especially to those ones who are in misery
Does not let pride enter his mind
He tolerates and praises the entire world
Does not say bad things about anyone
Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure
one, whose mother is blessed
He sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice
Considers some one else's wife/daughter as his mother
The tongue may get tired, but will never speak lies
Does not even touch someone else's property
He does not succumb to worldly attachments;
Has devoted himself to staunch detachment to worldly pleasures
Has been addicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram
For whom all the religious sites are in the mind
Who has no greed and deceit
Who has renounced lust of all types and anger
By who's virtue, the entire family gets salvation
This poet, will like to see one such person."
Now, I am no poet and what you see above is not something that I have composed. The above is a translation I found on the web for one of the most famous Gujarathi bhajans, "Vaishnava Jan Toh" written by Narsinhji Mehta, a devout poet-saint who lived between 1409 & 1488.
Like how Narsinh Mehta dreamt of seeing a person (Vaishnava) with all the above qualities, in another part of the country there was this lady who lived as early as the 8th century and dreamt of her unison with the lord himself. Going by the name Kodhai, she composed some exceptional verses that are recited with verve to this date.
'Naachiyaar Thirumozhi" is probably my most favorite Tamizh literary work, of the very little I have managed to read till now. Vivid in her imagination, she paints such grandeur of a dream that eventually the lord had to give in. It contains 143 verses and is part of the 'Mudhal Aayiram' (1st 1000) of the Naalaayira Divya Prabhandham.
The 6th & 7th chapters (paasuram) are possibly the most popular even with the uninitiated. The writing is so lucid that anyone with the basic knowledge of Tamizh will be able to gather and appreciate the beauty of the verses.
The 6th Paasuram "VaaraNam Aayiram" depicts each and every aspect of a vedic wedding in utmost detail. The 7th Paasuram "Karuppooram Naarumo" is addressed to the 'Paanchjanyam' - the conch that adorns the hands of the lord.
Sample this:
"நால் திசைத் தீர்த்தம் கொணர்ந்து, நனி நல்கி
பார்ப்பனச் சிட்டர்கள் பல்லாரெடுத்தேத்தி
பூப்புனை கண்ணி புனிதனொடு என் தன்னை
காப்பு நாண் கட்ட கனாக்கண்டேன் தோழீ! நான்."
"Naal Thisai Theerttham KoNarndhu, Nani Nalgi
Paarppana SittargaL Pallaar edutthu aetthi
Poo punai KaNNi, punidhanodu en thannai
Kaappu naaN katta Kanaa Kandaen Thozhee! Naan."
(Priests well versed in Religious rites perform the purification by sprinkling water from Holy rivers from all directions. They chant loudly the Mantras for the Lord and Me to tie Kankanam (thread- Kaappu naaN) to take marriage vows)
2 beautiful dreams or wishes!
What happens when 2 such beautiful dreams are fused. The very thought of it is irresistible isn't it?
Maestro ILaiyaraaja did exactly the same to fulfil the dream of Kamal Haasan! And what a perfect fusion it was, that brings a Vaishnavite wedding in front of our eyes. One that is as resplendent as Kodhai's dreams, encapsuling an entire wedding in a matter of 3 and half minutes.
I take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Ram Navami, with this wonderful track from Hey Ram. Beautifully picturized with some wonderful banter, this track is sung by Vibha Sharma and Asha Bhosle amidst soul stirring traditional rendition of verses from the 6th Paasuram of Naachiyaar Thirumozhi, that culminate in another verse from the prabhandham.
Happy Ram Navami!
