Meaning of the song sadAnanda tANDavam_bahudAri

[kunthalavarali]

Can someone kindly give the meaning of the song?
Thanks in anticipation

P: sadAnanda tANDavam sheyyum pAdA varam tAtA jagannAthA
A: citAkArattil arputAkAramAi oLiradAmurai teriya sudhamrtam shoriya
C1: muttarum siddharum munivargaLum mOna mAdhavarum mAmUvargaLum
niddiraiyAdi viTTu ninaippu marappu keTTu nirvikarpattai nanru maruvit-tani ninru
2: jAti samaya matAcAram enum shazhakka kanranaittilum samaminnum
nIti viLangumpaDi nigazhttum nigama muDi nijap-poruL veLiyAghapp ashaiyAmirunEka
3: tanamUnru adil avastaigaL mUnrum tANDi sandAip-perundakai tOnrum
dinakaran ambulikkum divya tEjasaLikkum shIrakhaNDa padamAi nEril accutamAi

[rshankar]

Sure - I can try...

[kunthalavarali]

Thanks rshankar. Looking forward

[rshankar]

Kuntalavarali...this one was tough, because I am finding it very tough to understand the references...I will start with the pallavi, anupallavi and the first caraNam.
As far as I am aware, there are seven types of tANDavams danced by Siva (sapta tANDavam) - the Ananda tANDavam in tillai (where Siva appeared to teach the sages of daruka vana the relevance of God, and the lesson that karma/actions alone were not enough) symbolises the destruction of ignorance and pride embodied by the demon, mulayakan, on whose back the dance is performed. Siva as the natarAja mUrti symbolises the panca-kriya associated with Siva - creation, maintenance, destruction, creation of illusion, and finally, salvation. The Ananda tANDavam is thought to be the source of energy for the universe, and when he stops dancing, it is believed that the world/universe will implode. This is how I have interpretted some of the references in this section. Some small corrections to the lyrics are in red font.
pallavi
sadAnanda tANDavam sheyyum pAdA varam tAtA jagannAthA
Oh Lord (nAthA) of the universe (jagat), the one with the feet (pAdA) that perform (Seyyum) the Ananda tANDavam at all times (sadA), please grant (tA tA) me the boons (varam) I desire.

anupallavi
citAkArattil arputAkAramAi oLiradAmurai teriya sudhAmrtam shoriya (sadAnanda…)
(Oh Lord of the universe, the one with the feet that perform the Anandan tANDavam) in space (citAkArattil/cidAkArattil) [1] with amazing (arputa) form (AkAramAi), serving as/revealing (teriya) the source material (AdAra) for the resplendent (oLir) grammar (murai) [2], with nectar (sudhA) of immortality (amRtam) [3] overflowing (Soriya), (please grant me the boons I seek).

caraNam
muttarum siddharum munivargaLum mOna mAtavarum mAmUvArgaLum
niddiraiyadai viTTu ninaippu marappu keTTu nirvikarpattai nanru maruvit-tani ninru
As the old/wise men (muttarum), mystics (siddharum), sages (munivargaLum), the mighty (mA) and silent (mOna) ascetics (tavarum) as well, and the mighty immortals (mAmUvArgaLum) forsake (viTTu) sleep (niddiraiyadai) and watch, (Oh lord of the world) who has discarded (keTTu) fallacious reasoning (ninaippu) and forgetfulness (maRappu), and is fully/appropriately (nanru) accustomed to (maruvi) the state where no doubt exists (nirvikaRpattai) [4], and, standing (ninru) slightly apart (tani) from them, (performs the Ananda tANDavam, please grant me the boons you seek)!

FOOTWORK
[1] cidAkAram - can also be interpretted as the space of one's consciousness/thoughts/mind (cit)
[2] Grammar of the dance
[3] The benefit of watching the Ananda tANDavam is supposed to be equivalent to consuming the nectar of immortality
[4] The state of anugraha/salvation, when doubts of any kind no longer exist, and a person becomes one with the godhead

[kunthalavarali]

Thanks rshankar.

The explanation of the poetic intent is brought out well in the translation. I am looking forward to the rest of the song.

[kunthalavarali]

rshankar,
Hope you have been able to figure out the meaning of the last two charanams.

[kunthalavarali]

I am still looking for the meaning of the last two charanams please. Can any one help?
Thanks in anticipation.

[rshankar]

Sorry, I forgot about this..will do so...

[rshankar]

The next one:

caraNam 2
jAti samaya matAcAram enum shazhakkanranaittilum samamennum
nIti viLangumpaDi nigazhttum nigama muDi nijap-poruL veLiyAgap- pashaiyAmirun Eka
(sadAnanda tANDavam sheyyum pAdA varam tAtA jagannAthA)

(Oh Lord) who remains (irun) without desire/attachment (paSaiyAmal) [1] (who performs the Ananda tANdavam) on one (Eka) (foot) ensure that the morality (nIti) of equipoise/fairness (samam ennum) continues to remain (nigazhttum) evident/clear (viLangumpaDi) even in the practice of all (anaittilum) these useless (Sazakku) activities like (enum) caste (jAti), observances of religious practices (matAcAram) dictated by the times (samaya), and to allow the true (nija) essence/meaning (poruL) of the upanishads (nigama muDi) [2] to become evident/open (veLiyAga), (please grant me the boons I desire, Oh lord of the world!)

FOOTNOTES
[1] paSaiyAmal+irun = paSayAmirun
[2] nigama muDi - see Rajani's post below...

[Rajani]

Ravi - thanks for the nice translation

Nigama-mudi / veda-Siras / veda-anta : all these refer to Upanishads

[kunthalavarali]

Now for the final third C. Tough, both in terms of the language and content, I suppose.

[rshankar]

Nigama-mudi / veda-Siras / veda-anta : all these refer to Upanishads

Rajani - thank you...edit made based on your correction.

[rshankar]

Now for the final third C. Tough, both in terms of the language and content, I suppose.

Absolutely - here is my take on it...the meanings may be contrived - possibly because I have tried to fit several round pegs into square holes....corrections welcome!

tanamUnru adil avastaigaL mUnrum tANDi sandAip-perundakai tOnrum
dinakaran ambulikkum divya tEjasaLikkum shIrakhaNDa padamAi nEril accutamAi
(sadAnanda tANDvam Seyyum pAdA varam tAtA jagannAthA)
The most beautiful thing/concept (perundakai) will appear (tOnrum) as the narrow space (sandAi) beyond (tANDi) the three (mUnrum) states of consciousness (avastaigaL) [1] in (adil) this life, after one is born (tanam UnRu) [2]; it will appear as the imperishable (accutamAi), as the meaning/essence (padamAi) that is both ageless (cira) and incomplete (khaNDa) at the same time, as the force that grants (aLikkum) divine (divya) brilliance (tEjas) to both the sun (dinakaranum) and the moon (ambulikkum). (Oh lord of the world, whose feet continually perfoms the Ananda tANDavam, please grant me the boons I seek!)

FOOTNOTES
[1] I beleive the three states of consciousness are the state of being fully awake, the dream, and the unresponsive states
[2] tanam UnRu - I have interpretted this as 'nursing/drawing support from (UnRu) the breast (tanam)' - a metaphor for being born

[keerthi]

Disclaimer : I can't even try to pretend to have any decent understanding of tamizh. My suggestions are made with impunity, since it is among friends/ rasikas.

Could cidAkAram in the anupallavi be read as cidAgAraM , AgAram meaning room or house, and then it could translate to citsabhA?

in the first carana, could muttar be a tadbhava of muktar, meaning the liberated souls, who enjoy the sAmIpya form of mokSa, and enjoy that proximity by enjoying the tANDava.


The third carana seems to have the same content as dIksitar's anandEswarEna (anandabhairavi) where he says 'avayava-traya-AtItEna nityEna avasthA-traya-sAkSiNA ati shuddhEna'

Doesn't seer mean wealth/ nidhi? [there is a reference in IlangO's vadavarayai mattAkki].
Could the penultimate line be, the source (seer) of brilliance for the sun and moon..?

akhaNda-padamai - the uninterrupted state (pada in the sense of condition/padavI) refering to the tailadhAra state of enjoyment.

chyuta means fallen, accutamAi could also therefore mean unfaltering, and it dovetails neatly into sadAnanda-tANDavaM, as the unfaltering dance

[rshankar]

Keerthi - you could be right..especially about the third caraNam....actually sounds brilliant and has far fewer round pegs....
cidAgAra and muttar/muktar is how I implicitly interpretted the words...but did not bring out when I finally translated.

[kunthalavarali]

rshankar,
Thanks much are your the effort. It was indeed very tough for me, from my limited knowledge of Tamil, to get the full import of the sang. I did listen to MMI's rendering through the available recordings and in person decades ago. It was only recently when I was asked to provide the meaning of the song that I ran into difficulties. I could not go beyond the first charanam. You have done a great job by bringing the intent of the composer in a lucid way.
Regards.

[rshankar]

Kuntalavarali - thank you. I intend to include the suggestions made by Keerthi and put the whole composition in one post...

[kunthalavarali]

Yes, a good idea

[rshankar]

Here goes...incorporating the suggestions of Rajani and Keerthi:

pallavi
sadAnanda tANDavam sheyyum pAdA varam tAtA jagannAthA (sadAnanda...)
Oh Lord (nAthA) of the universe (jagat), the one with the feet (pAdA) that perform (Seyyum) the Ananda tANDavam at all times (sadA), please grant (tA tA) me the boons (varam) I desire.

anupallavi
citAkArattil arputAkAramAi oLiradAmurai teriya sudhAmrtam shoriya (sadAnanda…)
(Oh Lord of the universe, the one with the feet that perform the Anandan tANDavam) in space (citAkArattil/cidAkArattil) [1] with amazing (arputa) form (AkAramAi), serving as/revealing (teriya) the source material (AdAra) for the resplendent (oLir) grammar (murai) [2], with nectar (sudhA) of immortality (amRtam) [3] overflowing (Soriya), (please grant me the boons I seek).

caraNam 1
muttarum siddharum munivargaLum mOna mAtavarum mAmUvArgaLum
niddiraiyadai viTTu ninaippu marappu keTTu nirvikarpattai nanru maruvit-tani ninru (sadAnanda...)
As the old/wise men/liberated souls (muttarum), mystics (siddharum), sages (munivargaLum), the mighty (mA) and silent (mOna) ascetics (tavarum) as well, and the mighty immortals (mAmUvArgaLum) forsake (viTTu) sleep (niddiraiyadai) and watch, (Oh lord of the world) who has discarded (keTTu) fallacious reasoning (ninaippu) and forgetfulness (maRappu), and is fully/appropriately (nanru) accustomed to (maruvi) the state where no doubt exists (nirvikaRpattai) [4], and, standing (ninru) slightly apart (tani) from them, (performs the Ananda tANDavam, please grant me the boons I seek)!

caraNam 2
jAti samaya matAcAram enum shazhakkanranaittilum samamennum
nIti viLangumpaDi nigazhttum nigama muDi nijap-poruL veLiyAgap- pashaiyAmirun Eka (sadAnanda...)
(Oh Lord) who remains (irun) without desire/attachment (paSaiyAmal) [5], (who performs the Ananda tANdavam) on one (Eka) (foot) to ensure that the morality (nIti) of equipoise/fairness (samam ennum) continues to remain (nigazhttum) evident/clear (viLangumpaDi) even in the practice of all (anaittilum) these useless (Sazakku) activities like (enum) caste (jAti), observances of religious practices (matAcAram) dictated by the times (samaya), and to allow the true (nija) essence/meaning (poruL) of the upanishads (nigama muDi) to become evident/open (veLiyAga), (please grant me the boons I desire, Oh lord of the world!)

caraNam 3
tanamUnru adil avastaigaL mUnrum tANDi sandAip-perundakai tOnrum
dinakaran ambulikkum divya tEjasaLikkum shIr akhaNDa padamAi nEril accutamAi (sadAnanda...)
This most beautiful thing/concept (perundakai) will appear (tOnrum) as the narrow space (sandAi) beyond (tANDi) the three (mUnrum) states of consciousness (avastaigaL) [6] in (adil) this life, after one is born (tanam UnRu) [7]. (Oh Lord of the world) who is the wealth/repository (SIr) that grants (aLikkum) divine (divya) brilliance (tEjas) to both the sun (dinakaranum) and the moon (ambulikkum), and who (performs the AnandatAnDavam) in a continuous (akhaNDa) [8] state (padamAi) in a direct (nEril) [9] and unfaltering manner (please grant me the boons I seek).

FOOTWORK
[1] cidAkAram - can also be interpretted as the space of one's consciousness/thoughts/mind (cit) or can mean the citsabha
[2] Grammar of the dance
[3] The benefit of watching the Ananda tANDavam is supposed to be equivalent to consuming the nectar of immortality
[4] The state of anugraha/salvation, when doubts of any kind no longer exist, and a person becomes one with the godhead
[5] paSaiyAmal+irun = paSayAmirun
[6] I beleive the three states of consciousness are the state of being fully awake, the dream, and the unresponsive states
[7] tanam UnRu - I have interpretted this as 'nursing/drawing support from (UnRu) the breast (tanam)' - a metaphor for being born
[8] without interruption
[9] Could also mean 'in a moral/righteous fashion'

[smala]

Awesome. Kudos to rshankar, rajani, keerthi - you bring the sunshine in.

[rshankar]

Thank you, S-P!

[nulls]

Hello, regarding olir adamurai in the anupallavi - the above interpretation uses the word adara murai with the meaning source material or grammar. But how does it tie in with adamurai pls? Would be grateful if someone could throw light on this.