The Annual Thread Changing Ceremony

I look forward to the "Annual Thread Changing Ceremony". Invariably, the event almost always provides comic relief to last an entire year, when we come back to replenish the stock! The event falls on the day of "shraavani paurnami", the full-moon day in the month of "shraavan", typically in the month of July. Well known as "Raksha-bandhan" across the country, for some of us, it is also the day when the sacred thread has to be changed. Of course, the day has a religious significance which is not completely lost on me. But that's a serious topic which we will defer... for another day.

For now, just want to capture the lighter moments, which are many!

Procrastination is my second nature. The previous evening is when I typically panic and hurriedly plan for the event- to unfold the following morning. Frantic phone calls need to be made to family and friends to find an appropriate venue for the event, organized at various places in the city. Each one has a different suggestion- the temple across the street, a remote "chatram" (marriage hall), a club-house at an apartment complex, at home with an audio cassette and some scribbled notes as reference, over the telephone with an old hat babbling mantras from the other side or even via the internet, with skype!!

I've been to locations ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. The "Makara-vaahini" temple on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar was possibly the most picturesque venue for the ceremony- Shivalik foothills in the distance and the Ganga- gushing away at arms-reach.

The other end of the spectrum was surely the Ranka Colony venue. We were all made to squat on one side of a volley ball court with the priest on the other side and a net between us! It was hard on the eye to keep track of him through the volley ball net, and equally hard on the ear to catch the mantras since there was no microphone and his voice was lost in the general hub-hub of traffic. The result was a total fiasco. I emerged from the event with both the new and the old sacred thread on my person, since I had completely missed the crucial part where the old thread had to be discarded!!

Getting dressed for the event is half the battle. Wearing a dhoti is a challenge for most of us. It has problems aplenty- the material is transparent, seemingly open from every side and with the capacity to slide down from the waist without notice! If there is an Act for Obscene Exposure, many of us would be booked and held in the lock-up for the rest of the day! I've never managed to find a dhoti long enough- once you tie it up in "pancha-style", you find that it comes only till the knee roll! The legs stick out like a pair of  thin pipes, and you end up looking plain stupid. I've noticed that this costume provokes street dogs- which is a worry, you can't even run for cover (pun unintended)!

"For you, we need to buy an 8 yards dhoti, 6 yards will not do!" someone comments at home when I protest at the lack of length. I just don't care. Can someone get that 10 or even 20 yard dhoti so that I don't have to go through this every year ?

"Appa! Where are you going so early in the morning dressed like a clown!?" my daughter rubs her sleepy eyes and questions.

"How many times have I told you NOT to ask where I am going when I am going somewhere ?" I know that the answer only added to her confusion. Anyway, I slam the door and make a quick getaway!

The venue is a strange sight- a sea of bare-chested  (and bear-chested!) men. There are no perfect human bodies who come to change the thread- no Salman Khans and Hrithik Roshans to flaunt their well toned bodies, rippling muscles and the much touted  six abs! Ordinary human beings come with their physical quirks- either they are straight out of the famine in Somalia or too well endowed- with an overflowing beer belly, fat and opulence oozing out from every side! The children who have been recently indoctrinated have a different problem- if they remove their shirt, their backs get itchy and they indulge in a whole lot of body contortions to find some relief!

The head-priest is the master of the ceremony. His voice is at best feeble and muffled; and over the boom (and the occasional squeal) of the microphone, it resembles the "platform number announcers" at the railway station. The most important part of the sentences are lost and we are left high and dry.

One has to be careful and attentive at the ceremony. There are some parts which have to be recited only by Shaivas, some by Vaishnavas, some by unmarried people, some by married people, some only by folks with no living parents and still others reserved for first-timers!

There are instructions to wear the thread as a garland, then back to the normal style and for select people, there are instructions to wear it the opposite way. Water has to be cupped and poured off the palm in a leg-spinner's action and at times poured out from the back of the hand like an Anil Kumble googly!

The details are bewildering and the priest aggravates it further by mentioning that an incorrect action would attract paapa (sin) as well! Staying silent and aloof appears a better choice in an exam paper riddled with negative marking!

"Two threads for me!" "Brahmachaari thread for my boy please!" "I am missing a dharbhaa (special puja grass). Can I have one ? Some extra will also be good! I can use it for tomorrow's Gaayatri japam". "Does someone have some akshataa ?" "I need a little bit of yellu (til seeds). Can I borrow it?" - the demands are many.

A techie has forgotten the most important piece of equipment he should have brought with him, the "pancha-paatra (puja-vessel) and uddharani (puja-spoon)". There is a suggestion that he could possibly borrow a tumbler and a spoon from the Adigas Restaurant, two streets away! There is consensus that the spirit is important and an Adigas spoon is good enough!

Now, for the important part. The sacred threads are distributed in a peculiar way- wrapped up in a ball. Each candidate has to unravel the thread first, so that it is made nice and long, and then wait for instructions from the priest to put it on. Unraveling the thread is the most difficult act in this entire ceremony. Many a mighty candidate has had mud on his face and cut a sorry figure! A bit of carelessness in handling the thread and you end up in knots- knots which could keep you busy for the rest of the ceremony. It has the propensity to be more slimy than solving the Rubik's Cube- you think you've finally got it right, but you've only complicated the situation still more with that last move!

Children get scolded for no fault of theirs, adults look sheepish and ask for another fresh thread and end up in the same tangle once more.... !

The priest is visibly upset. He can't understand how people can be so uninformed. When the instructions to discard the old thread was given, a rather clueless youngster chose to stand up, have the old thread slide down and removed off his feet like an underwear when it should have been removed simply off the shoulders!! 

Another one has no old thread to discard. "I guess I lost the thread a few months ago when I went for a swim!" he answers nonchalantly, with an irreverent shrug of the shoulders.

The priest shakes his head in disapproval and mutters under his breath which is thankfully edited by the microphone. Hinduism appears in definite danger!

Once the new thread is worn and the old one discarded, the people get fidgety and impatient. They need to leave right away! One candidate's mobile goes off and he has an urgent call from his office! The next batch of people are waiting in the wings for the matinee show and want this morning show ended! People collide with each other to pay dakshina to the priest, deposit the coconuts and betel leaves, take the prasaada, discard their dhotis, get into their jeans and get the hell out of here!

Impatience comes for a price. The candidate who had to leave on his work assignment urgently is back. Apparently, he had his home-keys tied to his sacred thread. In the excitement, he had discarded his old thread along with the keys! As I leave the place, he is still rummaging through the garbage in an attempt to fish out his old thread and his keys! My sympathies are with him. Good luck!

     

Autorickshaw altercations - part 2

All sorts of thoughts race through your mind when you are stranded on the road,  close to midnight. You wonder whether the unfolding drama is staged in any way and there is risk to your person or property. Ram Gopal Varma's movies (even his non horror films are a horror!) supply ample material for our fertile imagination to run riot so that every move is viewed with suspicion and every creak with fear! The weather didn't help soothe the nerves either- a stiff wind picked up and howled through the trees and soon made way for a lazy drizzle, so indicative of Bangalore.

After what looked an eternity, spent in distrust and nervous tension, an autorickshaw finally came our way. The driver exchanged a few words and swung his arms about in an animated manner with the other auto-driver.

I almost got a whiplash from a sudden jerk and a kick at the back. As I craned my neck and looked behind, a most bizarre sight presented itself. The driver of the other auto stuck one foot out and pressed it against the rear of our auto. As he drove his auto with the other foot, we were prodded along, much like a recalcitrant buffalo! All that my auto driver had to do was to stay on course by holding the steering. This strange cavalcade moved along quite nicely till we hit the petrol bunk. Our benefactor and his equally cooperative customer had done their good deed for the day and sped away with a wave and a flourish!

The driver had no money to pay for the petrol and required my help. I protested, but had little alternative but to pay upfront.

We were on our way once more when I noticed that the meter had not been turned on at all! "You are telling me now, after we've covered a good 10 kilometers that the meter is not on ?" the driver argued immediately. It appeared that a good offence was the best part of his defence! It ticked me off and I gave him a piece of my mind.

"Guru! Is it my responsibility to turn the meter on ? Who should be turning it on ? Didn't I insist multiple times at the station that I will pay only by the meter ? I know you folks very well. I am sure this is a deliberate ploy to hoodwink the gullible customer! Don't think I am new to..."

Not knowing the local language is a nuisance at these times. We are tongue tied and lack the fluency to put our point across forcefully... though in print now, it appears quite fluid! As we stutter and stammer to gather our words, the opponent gains the upper hand and makes us look meek and submissive!

In irritation, he turned the meter on and trailed away with some words which were lost on me. The meter rose to life like a phoenix and looked desperate to make up for lost time and money! The numbers rolled away at a frantic pace with the frenzy of a slot machine at Las Vegas. I was convinced that it was incrementing even when we briefly paused at the signal, but just didn't have the vocabulary to voice the concern!

I heaved a sigh of relief when a maze of lanes, by-lanes, dead-ends, T-junctions, round-abouts and forever construction-riddled streets eventually took us to Jayadeva Hospital. Roads were conspicuous by their absence! From Jayadeva, it is a drive all the way on Bannerghatta Road. Just when I thought that it's going to be a piece of cake from this point onwards, the driver was seized with a sudden fit of drowsiness and abruptly halted at the way-side tea stall. Tempers had cooled by now and at my expense, he helped himself to a puff of beedi and a steaming cup of tea. The indulgence wouldn't end and I wondered whether I would have to pay for his new pair of jeans should Shopper's Stop be open! Thankfully not.

Home at last! Now, for the tough part-

The meter had got stranded at 99, much like a batsman painfully run-out before he could get to his century. The contraption required a manual reset so that it could resume once more from zero, but that crucial point had been completely missed in all the excitement. Worse, the driver held me squarely responsible for not alerting him when the meter hit the nervous nineties!  

Things had gone out of hand and had to be wrapped up quickly. I had paid him enough on the way. There was no way we could go by the meter reading any more. I handed him a fifty rupee note. He looked at it with some disbelief and refused to touch it. I tried to press him gently a couple of times by even placing the rupee in the crook of his elbow, but he wouldn't budge.  "Guru! Tagoli! Take it! You can buy some sweets for your wife and kids!" I added with a supercilious air of generosity, but there was still no response.

I interpreted the reaction as some concession that he was allowing me for the trouble that I had endured. Jolly good fellow after all, in this time and age! I carefully put the note back in my wallet and walked away, happy as a lark, with a new spring in my steps!

Visibly enraged, the driver heckled and ran after me and held me by the collar. Evidently, I had completely misread the situation. He needed the fifty rupees and in fact my entire wallet! Tempers flared up and invectives were hurled at each other in our respective languages, incapable of hurting the other man! The quietness of the night was ruffled and thankfully alerted the security guard. 

Now that the guard was by his side, Sugreeva's confidence was suddenly boosted! He cast his timid self away and could take on Vali and quite a few disgruntled auto-drivers as well!  The dealings were finished in quick time. The outcome did not completely please either party, but then, that's life.

The iron gates creaked as the security guard let me in and bolted the gate.  

P.S: This episode is largely based on a recent conversation with Bhaskar (friend, philosopher and guide for close to 20 years). I have used his narration with some of my observations. He even mentioned a technical name for the autorickshaw-cavalcade. I need to get that term from him to complete this narrative!

Chidambara rahasyam- The secret of Chidambaram

Finally completed the painting of the Chidambaram gopuram. It has taken well over 6-7 months, stealing an hour in the evening on weekdays and more over the weekends. The medium is oil on canvas, about 3ft by 2 ft- in line with the temple themes I've painted lately.

The inspiration is of course the legendary temple artist "Silpi" who has rendered exquisite pen-and-ink drawings of most Indian temples. My father has also done over a hundred pen-and-ink drawings of temples and continues to churn out more.

Wanted to use the backdrop of this painting to write a few facts about Chidambaram.

1. Dance of Nataraja:

Chidambaram is synonymous with Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance. This is one of the few temples where Lord Shiva is represented in an "anthropomorphic" (pratimaa) form, i.e. with human features. Typically, in all Shiva temples, He is worshipped as a "prateeka" (abstract symbol), as a Shiva linga. Of course, even in normal Shiva temples, Shiva as Nataraja and Dakshinaamurti can be found in the prakaara (corridor), but rarely as the principal deity. This is a special feature about Chidambaram.

Two facts are worth remembering about Nataraja:

1. Symbol of pancha-kritya (five-fold action)- The stylish stance of Nataraja symbolizes the five-fold function of the Lord- as the creator, protector, destroyer, "binder" and "releaser".

The damaru held in one hand depicts him as the creator, for creation begins with "creation of space". The damaru is a percussion instrument with a unique sound and denotes "space" (because sound is supposed to be a special attribute of space). 

The fire held in the other hand indicates the Lord as the destroyer.

The abhaya-hasta mudra points to the Lord as the protector.

The right leg which holds the demon down represents the Lord as the "binder"; the one who ensures that mortals are bound to the material world and subject to the cycle of repeated birth and death.  

The uplifted left-leg represents Shiva as the great "releaser", the one whose grace can bestow moksha and free a person from the cycle of samsara.

Of these, the first three functions are well known. He alone is the binder (tiro-daana-karta). He alone is the moksha-kartaa too. These two functions are not so popular but need to be included whenever we talk about God as the creator, protector and destroyer.

2. Two special spectators:

The sculpture of Nataraja typically shows two figures (at the base) who watch Lord Shiva's dance: Vyaghrapada and Patanjali.

Vyaghrapada has the feet of a tiger and Patanjali's lower body is like a serpent.

Adi Sesha, the thousand-headed serpent on whom Lord Vishnu rests expressed a special wish to watch Lord Nataraja's dance at Chidambaram. His wish was fulfilled when he was born as Patanjali. He went on to write a treatise on Sanskrit grammar which will be elaborated in one of the following sections.

2. Pancha-bhuta sthala:

Lord is the creator and also appears as the very creation. This concept is one of the striking features of Hinduism. To impress this fact on the devotee, Lord Shiva is worshipped as the five-elements (pancha-bhutas): He is space, He is fire, He is air, He is water and He is the earth. Everything in the creation (bhautika-prapancha) is a combination of these 5 elements (bhutas). Thus, in one stroke, the scripture breaks the divide between the sacred and the secular and proclaims that the universe is not a "matter bundle" to be treated casually, but should be seen with reverence, for it is the very manifestation of the Lord.

At Chidambaram, Lord Shiva is worshipped as space.

At Tiruvannamalai, He is invoked as fire. 

At Jambukeshwaram (near Trichy), He is seen as water.

At Kalahasti (near Tirupati), He is appreciated as air.

At Kanchipuram, He is praised as the very earth.  

3. Chidambara rahasyam:

Even in common parlance (especially in Tamil), we hear the expression, "Is it some chidambara rahasyam that you cannot reveal the secret!?" Chidambaram is well known for the Chidambara rahasyam (secret).

The temple has a special enclosure covered with a curtain. The priest parts the curtain so that we can have a glimpse inside the enclosure. It is completely empty though some people claim that we can see "golden bilva leaves" on the wall.

Opinions differ on what the great secret is.

We can interpret it in two ways:

1. A simple interpretation is that He is exists as the very space and hence as everything in the universe.

We are prone to keep God safely in the heavens and the secret revealed here enables us to break this concept and embrace him as everything around us.

2. There is a vedantic interpretation as well. Scripture uses expressions like "raaja-guhyam" (greatest secret) (Geeta Chp 9) and "aashcharyavat pashyati kashchit yenam" (people look upon this as the greatest wonder) in Geeta Chp 2 to emphasize that ultimately, the Lord exists as the very subject, I, the consciousness, the observer, the life-breath....in each of us. What can be a greater secret than to know that He is closer than the closest ?

Chidambaram can be broken into "chit" and "ambaram". Chit is consciousness, awareness, due to which I claim, "I am aware of a pot, aware of a tree etc."

Ambaram is space. Space is, time is, mountain is. He exists as the very "is-ness", "existence" in everything.

When the curtain is parted by the priest and we express our disappointment and announce "there is nothing".... nothing "is"! And more importantly, the subject exists to be aware and claim that there is nothing!

Hence, outside, he exists as the very "is-ness" in everything ("sat" in Sanskrit) and inside, he exists as the very "subject", the onlooker ("chit"). (Scripture often uses the expression "sat-chit-ananda" to define the Lord.)

There is nothing other than Him! This is the greatest unbelievable secret.

4. Confluence of vaishnavite and shaivite shrines:

108 shrines are famous for Vishnu bhaktas- 105 in India, one in Nepal and two in other worlds! One of them is the Govindaraaja-perumaal temple which exists inside the premises of the Chidambaram temple.

Shaivites (Shiva devotees) and Vaishnavites (Vishnu devotees) may quarrel over the superiority of their respective Gods, but at Chidambaram, Vishnu and Shiva co-exist happily. As per tradition, Vishnu officiated as the umpire for a dance competition between Nataraja and Parvati at Chidambaram! No prizes for guessing the winner- of course Shiva, but he won just by a whisker!

5. Moksha linga:

Adi Shankara is one of India's greatest saints. We don't exactly know when he lived- there are dates ranging from 500 BC to 700 AD. But his accomplishments as a saint, philosopher and poet are unparalleled. He visited Mt Kailas and brought back five crystal Shiva lingas. These were installed at different places in the country.

He installed the "moksha linga" at Chidambaram,

the "mukti linga" at Kedarnath (Uttarakhand),

the "yoga linga" at Kanchipuram,

the "bhoga linga" at Sringeri and

the "vara-linga" in Nepal.

6. Centre of Learning:

As per tradition, from the sound of Nataraja's footwork, the "Maaheshwara sutras" were born. Panini wrote his treatise on Sanskrit grammar based on these sutras. Panini's work was too subtle and required elaboration. Patanjali (referenced earlier) expounded Panini's sutras in his Mahabhashya. He taught the Mahabhashya at Chidambaram. People from all over India came to learn the Mahabhashya at Chidambaram.

The story told in "Patanjali Charita" mentions Gaudapada, who came from Gauda desha (Bengal) to Chidambaram to study the Mahabhashya.

Later in the story, we learn that Chandra Sharma from Ujjain (in other versions from Kashmir) was on his way to Chidambaram when he met Gaudapada midway.

Gaudapada and Chandra Sharma (later known as Govinda bhagavadpada) lived around the time of Adi Shankara and were his teachers. Thus, Chidambaram must have been a well known centre of learning during that time.

7. References in carnatic music:

Carnatic music abounds with compositions on the Lord of Chidambaram.

Some examples:

1. The Tamil pallavi "Tillai ishanai kaana yenna... punyam seideno ?" (what punya-act did I perform to get the opportunity to see the Lord (isha) of Chidambaram (tillai) ?) set to raaga Kambhoji is my favourite. It has a dramatic opening and continues to give goosebumps each time I listen to it, especially the way "TVS saar" sings it! Unfortunately, I cannot get a link to it over the internet. Kambhoji is supposedly Lord Shiva's favourite raaga and mine. One fact is non-verifiable, but my love-affair with Kambhoji began with this pallavi more than two decades ago and has never been contested!

2. Gopalakrishna Bharati's Tamil composition "Sabhapati" in the raaga Abhogi is often rendered in concerts with neraval centred on the line- "Oru daram Shiva Chidambaram...." (It is enough to say 'Shiva-Chidambaram' even once!)

Here is Aruna Sairam's stirring version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in9kdBgGWoY

3. Dikshitar has the Sanskrit composition "Chidambara nataraajam ashraye" set to the raaga Kedaaram (aptly).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBU1C5y2YtM

4. Another work in the same raaga,  by the same composer is Ananda Natana Prakaasham.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge6cii3aRfk

Dikshitar's forte is to pack his composition with all relevant details regarding the deity and the place. Most points discussed above can be gleaned from a close study of his works.

5. Papanasam Sivan's popular composition "Maa ramanan Umaa ramanan" is intertwined with Chidambaram in a special way. "Maa" refers to the Goddess Lakshmi. "Umaa" refers to Parvati. "Ramanan" is beloved. Hence, "maa ramanan" refers to Lakshmi's beloved i.e. Lord Vishnu and "umaa ramanan" refers to Parvati's beloved, i.e. Lord Shiva. As we saw earlier, Chidambaram is special for both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.

Appayya Dikshitar,  one of the well known erstwhile saints, used this rhyming epithet when he visited Chidambaram, which has been nicely borrowed by Sivan in his composition.

Sivan indulges in one more word play in the song: "Maara janakan" (refers to Lord Vishnu who is Maara, i.e. Manmatha's father) and "Kumaara janakan" (Lord Shiva, who is Kumaara i.e. Kartikeya's father).

A pleasant rendition by Unnikrishnan in the raaga Hindolam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAdV2ADqsNg

6. Would like to end this write-up with Papanasam Sivan's Tamil composition "kaanavendaamo" set to the raaga Sriranjani. It's a moving number where the poet questions "kaanavendaamo ?" (shouldn't we make time to see ?) the Chidambaram gopuram while we are still hale and hearty ?

Here is Sanjay Subramaniam's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHIkMlKu6U

There were several evenings when I would play this piece in the background and just paint away.

Carnatic music is an acquired taste. I have no idea why it works for some of us... like nothing else does!!

Tyagaraja's composition "maaravairi"

Heard Tyagaraja's composition "Maaravairi ramani" set to the raaga "Naasikaa-bhushani" yesterday. It triggered a train of random thoughts as I travelled by bus this morning. Capturing it here.....

Unique features of this composition:

This is one of the few compositions  attributed to Tyagaraja in Sanskrit. The rest are in Telugu. Predominantly, Tyagaraja's compositions are on Lord Rama. This kriti, for a change, is on Goddess Parvati, known as "Dharma-samvardhini", the deity at Tiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu.

http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/s050.html

Also, it is in a rare raaga called Naasikaabhushani.

Naasikaa-bhushani raaga:

In the 72 melakarta scale of Carnatic music, which categorizes raagas with all 7 notes,  Naasikaa-bhushani's position is 70. Naasikaabhushani is a complex "vivaadi" raaga with the "vivaadi swara", Shatshruti Rishabham. What makes this raaga sound entirely different is this swara "Ri" (Rishabham). This point is important for our discussion as we will see later.

Raagas are also classified with a different scale popularly referred to as the "Dikshitar scale". In this scale, a different naming convention is used where this raaga is called "Naasaa-mani".

What does Naasikaa-bhushani mean and why is the raaga chosen here:

Both Naasikaa-bhushani and Naasaa-mani mean the same. It refers to an "ornament for the nose"- typically a nose-ring. However, there is an extended meaning that needs to be considered here.

The shruti has a popular statement- yasya nishvasitam vedaah.... meaning the vedas are the Lord's breath. Hence, if God is personfied as a human being, the breath in His/Her nostrils contains the wisdom of the vedas. Hence, naasika-bhushani or nose-ornament can very well refer to the vedas too.

Next.... since this kriti is on Goddess "dharma-samvardhini", a little analysis is needed on this epithet. The "one who contributes to the growth of dharma" would be a fair translation of "dharma-samvardhini".

Dharma is a loaded word with several connotations. A simple meaning would be a lifestyle based on vedic vidhi (Dos) and vedic nisheda (Don'ts). Hence, dharma can be loosely translated as a lifestyle in keeping with the message of the Vedas.

Now, we can tie the choice of the raaga with this song on "dharma-samvardhini". Since the Goddess promotes growth of dharma, meaning a vedic lifestyle, it is apt that the raaga chosen should also have the meaning of "vedas". Hence, Naasikaa-bhushani (veda) is a fitting raaga that Tyagaraja has chosen here for this kriti on the Goddess dharma-samvardhini (one who upholds a vedic lifestyle).

The rishabha swara:

As we saw, the "Ri" (rishabha) is the predominant swara (jeeva-swara) of Naasikaa-bhushani raaga. If we look at the keertana, it abounds in "ra/ri" sounds. "Maara", "vairi", "ramani", "krura", "vaaranaari", "gauri", "vaarana", "varadey", "dharma", "vardhini", "raaja". It's almost as if Tyagaraja wanted to emphasize the "rishabha" swara through the sahitya itself! (Of course, not all of them are swaraaksharas (where swara and letter coincide), but the repetition of ra-kaara is undeniable.)

Dharma vs kaama:

We need to take a little diversion here to understand kaama- (desire) because the song has many references to it.

What prevents a person from following a life of values or a life of dharma is Arjuna's question to Lord Krishna in the Geeta (chapter 3). Krishna gives a simple answer- Kaama esha, Krodha esha... meaning inordinate desire is the cause.

This needs a little explanation. Desire itself is never condemned in the scripture. "Dharma-aviruddho bhuteshu kaamosmi" is Krishna's statement in the Geeta itself- meaning "I am the very desire in every human being which is truly a blessing, provided it is not opposed to the norms of society (dharma)."

Thus, when scripture says that desire is a curse, it has to be qualified with the clause: "that desire which is opposed to acceptable norms of right living- is a problem, otherwise, it is perfectly fine".

It is this unhealthy desire which consumes a person and prevents him from following a life of dharma.

Since this kriti is on goddess Dharma-samvardhini (dharma based living), Tyagaraja toes Lord Krishna's line and emphasises kaama as a hurdle that needs to be overcome. Hence, the many references to kaama in this composition.

With this introduction, we now come to the kriti proper:

pallavi

maaravairi ramani manju bhaashini

anupallavi

krura daanavebha vaaranaari gauri

charanam

karma bandha vaarana nishkaama chitta varadey

dharmasamvardhani sadaa vadana haasey

Tyagaraaja shubha phaladey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIwzRFp2TiI

Maara-vairi ramani-

Maara is another name for kaama, cupid or "Manmatha". Vairi means enemy.

Taken together, it refers to Lord Shiva who was provoked by Manmatha and in anger reduced Manmatha to ashes in the popular mythological story.

Ramani is beloved. Putting the three words together, it refers to Goddess Parvati, Shiva's beloved.

"Kaama" is a better known word and could have been chosen too. Why Maara which is an uncommon word ? Tyagaraja keeps the rishabha swara of the raaga in mind and prefers maara to create the effect of alliteration.

Another aside point- Tyagaraja is Lord Rama's bhakta. It looks as if even when he wants to compose a song on a different deity, he just cannot avoid the letters "ra" and "ma". Hence, "ma-ra" and "ra-ma-ni"!

We have already seen the reason why kaama-vairi or maara-vairi is brought in as the opening statement. Dharma and kaama are opposed to each other. Hence, in keeping with Her name in this keertana as Dharma-samvardhini, She is rightly referred to as "kaama-vairi's beloved".

manju-bhaashini- The Goddess who speaks sweetly.

Because the raaga is "bhushani", "bhaashini" is a word used here which has a similar sound.

Another related point- Yogasya prathamam dwaaram vaang nirodhah is a popular statement. The word vaang nirodhah is normally translated as "speech control", but "speech mastery" is a better reading. "Soonrtaa vaak (sweet speech)" is emphasised in several places in scripture. In effect, the above quote says that to lead a life of yoga or dharma, the first step is to speak well! It is apt that the Goddess Dharma-samvardhini should be praised as one speaks sweetly.

In a way, it also points the way to a dharmic life- first and foremost, learn to speak nicely!

krura-daanavebha vaaranaari gauri-

Hey Gauri, you are vaarana ari- enemy of the elephant i.e. the lion.

Krura-daanava-ibha- Cruel elephant like demons.

Hey Gauri, may you be like a lion and destroy the elephant-like demons. Mythology may have several references to asuras with elephant heads, but in keeping with the context, the elephant has to be connected to kaama again. Binding desire is often personified as an unruly elephant in scripture because it is so powerful and destroys everything in its wake. Many Gods carry an "ankusham" (elephant prod) as a weapon to remind us that our elephant-like desires can be controlled should we surrender to Him/Her who carries an ankusham and brings the desire to book.

kaama bandha vaaraṇa niṣhkaama chitta varadey

kaama bandha vaarana- Spelt out clearly here- the one who is an obstacle to those bound with desire.

nishkaama chitta varadey- The one who bestows all goodness (varadey) to nishkaama chitta, to those whose minds (chitta) are free from binding desire.

dharma saṃvardhani sadaa vadana haasey

Here comes the reference to the Goddess "Dharma Samvardhini" at the temple in Tiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu.

sadaa vadana haase - The one who always has a pleasing and smiling face.

Indirectly, it also conveys that a lifestyle aligned to dharma will bestow "sukha" and keep a person happy and smiling.

tyaagaraaja shubha phaladey

Saint Tyagaraja's "mudra" appears in the song and he prays to the Mother to bestow him with shubha, i.e. auspiciousness. Shubha can include all "good" things in the material world, good mind, good health and of course moksha i.e. spiritual benefit too.

May we too pray to the Goddess  for a mind (chitta) condusive to right living (dharma) and acquire the benefit (shubha) thereof.

P.S: Shiva at the temple of Tiruvaiyaru is known as "pancha-nadishwara": Lord of the five rivers. I recently chanced upon the information that the five rivers refers to the tributaries of the River Kaveri which form a network around Tiruvaiyaru.

Water is called "aapah" in Sanskrit. Many people in this part of Tamil Nadu have the name "Panchaapakeshan"- "pancha-aapah-kesh" (five-water-hair)..meaning... "from whose hair, the five rivers originate". For the longest time, I was under the impression that the name refers to Lord Shiva as the Lord of the Himalayas from where the five rivers Beas, Satluj, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum originate. The state of Punjab obviously gets its name from "pancha-aapah" because these rivers flow through the state and eventually join the Indus. 

Now, given this information about Tiruvaiyaru, it looks as if the grand-uncles and great-grandfathers of yesteryears who sported names like Panchapakeshan in the South may actually be referring to rivers closer to their backyard! Panchapakeshan would often be truncated to "Panchapi" in conversation. When some of these blokes migrated from Tamil Nadu and found jobs in Delhi and Ludhiana, they even gave their long winding name a re-spin and called themselves stylishly "Punjab-kesh!" or even "Punjabi!" I guess people in the North might have found it amusing to find their "Punjab-kesh" or "Punjabi" brethren... clean-shaven and bald (no kesh!), wearing a "veshti" (no kurta-pyjama uniform), eating Idli-dosa with their hands and speaking of all languages... Tamil!!

We now know the reason! Who said Punjab is in the North or in Pakistan ? We have a Punjab in Tiruvaiyaru!!