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| Adiyal Vinnappam (A Devadasi's Appeal) February 12, 2018 The mid January furor in Tamilnadu over the comments of film lyricist Vairamuthu against the mystic saint poet ANDAL brought several voices to the fore. Amidst the cacophony of death threats and menacing comments about the revered Andal's poetic genius and inspiration, came the realisation that she was one historical figure who had ignited the spark of Tamizh pride, Beyond, caste and gender, ANDAL was claimed by some as MOTHER and others as SISTER. Musicologist, Dance afficionado, guardian of important Carnatic traditions and a keen observer of the performing arts, Sujata Vijayaraghavan has written these lines in Tamizh with an accompanying English translation. Readers may respond via this forum. A Devadasi's Appeal - Sujatha Vijayaraghavan e-mail: sujviji@gmail.com Surrender we did At the feet of the Lord. Rendered His own Exclusively Bonded to Him In servitude. Molesting us Dragging the like of us Into flesh trade Denigrating our caste- These Keechakas What indeed may be their caste? Caste is abolished, So they say. Bhu-Devi Descended on this earth, Vag-Devi By virtue of her stellar life on earth Venerated as a celestial. Casting aspersions on these and others In the name of caste! These heckling perverts What do we say to them? Bhu Devi – Mother Earth! All this thou can bear And much more. O Thou, Ocean of Unbounded compassion Our Dear Pavai! Heed this appeal Of Thy servitor. Seal the impudent lips Of the vile bullies And kindly impart Even unto their ilk Lessons in decency. Keechaka – The lecherous brother-in-law of King Virata of Mathsya country , where the Pandavas lived incognito for a year during their exile. When he tried to bring Draupadi to his bedchamber, he was pummelled into a pulp by Bhima.The story is from Mahabharatha. Bhu Devi – Andal, the female Vaishnava Saint, is revered as the Bhu Devi. Mother Earth aspect of Mahalakshmi, consort of Maha Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity. Vag Devi – Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning and Knowledge Pavai – Literally a young maiden. Here the allusion is to the appeal ' Ael ore em Pavai" that forms the refrain of the last line of Andal's Thiruppavai, a set of thirty sacred hymns composed by her and recited at temples and homes in the month of Margazhi (December-January). The first two lines of this poem (A Devadasi's Appeal) are an echo of the famous last lines of a hymn by the Saivite saint Appar, where he describes a maiden surrendering herself body and soul at the feet of Siva. The Devadasis were ritualistically married to the Lord of the temple where they served and were called Devar Adiyal or Deva Dasi, meaning servant of the Lord. They were like the vestal virgins who can marry no man. (The original Tamil version) Post your comments Pl provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name and email id in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
