WITH THE GREAT
4. GLORY OF THE FEET
All Hindu traditions celebrate the glorious feet of God in both forms- male and female. But especially dear are some forms.
Trivikrama
The most famous incident involving the Feet of Rama is the one related to Ahalya episode. The Bhagavatam celebrates two glorious episodes- that of Vamana measuring the three worlds as Trivikrama, and of Krishna dancing on the Kaliya serpent. Both are wonderfully depicted in our sculptures.
By George Keith (CC BY 2.0) Creativecommons via wikimedia commons.
Arunagirinatha cannot resist his eagerness to sing about this glorious episode. So, even while referring to the feet of Subrahmanya, he states in Kandar Alankaram:
தாவடி யோட்டு மயிலிலுந் தேவர் தலையிலுமென்
பாவடி யேட்டிலும் பட்டதன் றோபடி மாவலிபால்
மூவடி கேட்டன்று மூதண்ட கூட முகடுமுட்டச்
சேவடி நீட்டும் பெருமான் மருகன்றன் சிற்றடியே. ... 15
How can Arunagirinatha forget that Subrahmanya is grandly related! Vishnu is after all His own uncle (mother's brother!) In the ancient days, He approached Mahabali, seeking space covered by His three tiny feet, but extended them beyond the whole cosmos! Likewise, Subrahmanya extended His Feet to cover the peacock (His mount), on the heads of the Devas and also on the palm leaves containing his hymns!
Can Andal be behind?
அன்று இவ்வுலகம் அளந்தாய் அடிபோற்றி
சென்றங்குத் தென்னிலங்கை செற்றாய் திறல் போற்றி
பொன்றச் சகடமுதைத்தாய் புகழ் போற்றி
Andal celebrates this with the simple line: Hail to One who measured this world in those ancient days! She also recalls that as Rama He walked to Lanka to fight. In the third line she also refers to the Feet which punished Sakatasura.
Kalinga Nartanam!
Lord Krishna dancing on the head of the serpent Kaliya (Kalinga) is also a beautiful sight.
The Dance of Shiva
Lord Shiva is famous for having kicked Yama with his left foot! But it is as Master of Dance (Nataraja) that he is more famous in sculpture and painting.
தில்லை மூதூர் ஆடிய திருவடி
பல் உயிர் எல்லாம் பயின்றனன் ஆகி
Saint Manickavachaka begins his second long composition "Kirti Tiru Ahaval) in Tiruvachakam referring to His Feet which danced at the ancient Tillai. Though He is immanent in all beings as the breath of their breath, we can find Him dancing at Tillai!
குனித்த புருவமுங் கொவ்வைச்செவ்
வாயிற் குமிண்சிரிப்பும்
பனித்த சடையும் பவளம்போல்
மேனியிற் பால்வெண்ணீறும்
இனித்த முடைய எடுத்தபொற்
பாதமுங் காணப்பெற்றால்
மனித்தப் பிறவியும் வேண்டுவதே
இந்த மாநிலத்தே.
All Indian saints seek freedom from birth. But Saint Appar says that if he can behold the form of dancing Shiva, then one should desire a human birth on earth!
Shiva is described as doing many types of dance. The special significance of the dance at Chidambaram (Tillai) is that it is the dance of Bliss.
தில்லையுட்
சிற்றம் பலத்துநட்டம் ஆட எடுத்திட்ட பாதமன் றோநம்மை யாட்கொண்டதே. | 4.81.10 |
As Appar says, it is the foot (Kunchitapadam) lifted for this dance that saves us!
Ananda K.Coomaraswamy first explained the significance of the art form of the Dance of Shiva in scholarly terms and its immense philosophical significance. But the science community has since come to see how this dance is symbolic of the unceasing flux in the whole cosmos. Fritjof Capra adopted it as the symbol of particle physics, in his famous book "The Tao of Physics".Today, a bronze statue of Nataraja stands at the entrance to the CERN headquarters in Geneva.
This is at the entrance to CERN ( European Center for Research in Particle Physics) headquarters in Geneva!
Kenneth Lu (CC BY 2,0) creative commons via Wikimedia Commons.
Arunagirinatha, in his inimitable style, relates how all the gods and goddesses are dancing, and requests Subrahmanya too to come dancing on his peacock!
அதல சேட னாராட அகில மேரு மீதாட
அபின காளி தானாட ...... அவளோடன் றதிர வீசி வாதாடும் விடையி லேறு வாராட அருகு பூத வேதாள ...... மவையாட மதுர வாணி தானாட மலரில் வேத னாராட மருவு வானு ளோராட ...... மதியாட வனச மாமி யாராட நெடிய மாம னாராட மயிலு மாடி நீயாடி ...... வரவேணும் கதைவி டாத தோள்வீம னெதிர்கொள் வாளி யால்நீடு கருத லார்கள் மாசேனை ...... பொடியாகக் கதறு காலி போய்மீள விஜய னேறு தேர்மீது கனக வேத கோடூதி ...... அலைமோதும் உததி மீதி லேசாயு முலக மூடு சீர்பாத உவண மூர்தி மாமாயன் ...... மருகோனே |
O Lord!
Adisesha in the Adala loka is dancing! The world is dancing along with Mount Meru! Kali, who is never separate from Her Lord, is dancing, and Lord Shiva is dancing with her in competition! With them all their bhuta-vetal retinue is dancing! Saraswati is dancing, and near her Brahma is dancing on the lotus flower! The moon is dancing! All the heavenly devas are dancing! Oh, your mother in law on the lotus- Lakshmi- and father in law, the tall Vishnu are also dancing! Oh Lord! You too must come dancing ,with your dancing peacock!
In the last three lines, Arunagirinatha is making some tremendous references. He refers to Bhima, who ever keeps his gada on his shoulders. In the fierce battle, he pounded the opponents. In that war, Krishna drove the chariot for Arjuna. Earlier, He had rescued the cows with his music on his flute. And He had measured the whole earth surrounded by the oceans, with their unceasing waves! Subrahmanya is the son in law of Vishnu, riding Garuda! As the whole family is dancing, the saint is requesting Lord Subrahmanya also to come dancing! (In a deeper sense, this refers to how the whole universe is in constant movement.)
Reading this wonderful lyrics, our heart too dances-and sings! What a wonderful way to conclude these few thoughts!
Tamil lyrics taken from shaivam.com, and kaumaram.com. Gratefully acknowledged.
No comments:
Post a Comment