Thirupadam padam

[saawariya]

Rasikas,

There is a song based on Lord Nataraja....it goes as:

Thirupadam tanai tooki....

ANyone heard of this song? I am not sure who the composer is but I am interested to know the meaning of the song.
If anyone needs to hear the song I can email it to them.....

All help is appreciated...

[rshankar]

Saawariya,

If Lji or kmrasika know the lyrics they'll post it. I can have a go at translating it when the lyrics are available.

[Lakshman]

I don't have the lyrics for this song.

[Lakshman]

Someone provide the meaning please.
Corrections welcome.

tiruppAdam tanai. rAgA: cArukEsi. Adi tALA.

P: tiruppAdam tanai tUkki aruT-pArvaiyuDan ADum naTarAjan tiru nAmam sharaNam
A: aruLAl allal shuzhalum puviyAvum avan ninral iruLAga urumAri uzhalum
karuttODu padam nADa tuyar yAvum vilagum shen salangai konjiDa
C: shen kaiyil Endiya shen talanil oli takataka tikutiku takavena oLira
shen shaDai tOnriya candiranai shuDar phaLa phaLa phaLavena avaniyil miLira
gangai turandu tiraNDu muruNDengum khala khala khalavena kayilaiyil sidara
santatam enru silambu padangaLil takadhimi takavena nayamuDan olikka
navarasa bhAvamum nirandODa nAradar yAzhuDan umai pADa
nandi maddaLamum nAn mukhan tALamum cintaiyum kavarndu umaiyuDan ADa
shaDai tarittu puli uDai uDuttu iru padameDuttu shiram Eriya shivanE
padam eDuttaravum mudal tanittazhuva karam eDuttabhayam tanai aLittiDuvAi

[rshankar]

Lji,

I have fixed some words while translating. Whose composition is this?

Saawariya,

Here you go:

tiruppAdam tanai. rAgA: cArukEsi. Adi tALA.

P: tiruppAdam tanai tUkki aruT-pArvaiyuDan ADum naTarAjan tiru nAmam sharaNam

I seek refuge (SaraNam) in the divine (tiru) name (nAmam) of the celestial dancer, naTarAja(n) who, while maintaining (uDan) his benevolent (aruT) glance (pArvai) on his devotees, dances with his holy (tiru) foot (pAdam tanai) raised (tUkki) above his head!

A: aruLAl allal shuzhalum puviyAvum avan ninral iruLAga urumAri uzhalum
karuttODu padam nADa tuyar yAvum vilagum shen salangai konjiDa

If we approach (nADa) his feet (pAdam/padam) that are caressed (konjiDa) by his lovely (Sen) anklets (salangai) thoughtfully (karuttODu), all (yAvum) of our miseries (tuyar) will disappear (vilagum), because, the power of his grace (aruLal) is such that all of the misfortunes (allal) that surround/afflict (Suzhalum) us all around (yAvum) this world (puvi/bhuvi) will turn into/become (Agi) nothing (iruL)[1] and go into orbit/disappear (uzhalum) if (he) were to merely appear (ninrAl) before us!

C: shen kaiyil Endiya shen talanil oli takataka tikutiku takavena oLira

As the light (oli) from red (Sen) flames (taNalil) wielded (Endiya) in his soft (Sen) hand (kayil) shines (oLira) dazzlingly (tagataga tigutigu tagavena),

shen shaDai tOnriya candiranin shuDar phaLa phaLa phaLavena avaniyil miLira

as the luster (SuDar) from the moon (candiranin) that appears (tOnriya) in his red (Sen) matted locks (SaDai) spreads (miLira) upon the earth (avaniyil) glitteringly (paLapaLapaLavena),

gangai turandu tiraNDu muruNDengum khala khala khalavena kayilaiyil sidara

as gangA, of her own volition (turandu), cascades (tiraNDu muraNDu) every where (engum) in exhilaration (kalakalakalavena), some of her water splashes (Sidara) in kailAS (kayilaiyil),

santatam enru silambu padangaLil takadhimi takavena nayamuDan olikka

as the anklets (Silambu) on his feet (pAdangaLil) sound (olikka) with (uDan) grace and finesse (nayam) perpetually (santatam enru) to the sorkaTTu taka dhimi taka,

navarasa bhAvamum nirandODa nAradar yAzhuDan umai pADa

as pArvati (umai) sings (pADa) to the accompaniment (uDan) harp (yAzh) played by the sage, nArada, and expression (bhAvamum)of the nine (nava) sentiments (rasa) flit across his face endlessly (nirandODa),

nandi mattaLamum nAn mukhan tALamum cintaiyum kavarndu umaiyuDan ADa

as he dances (ADa) along with (uDan) pArvati (umai) to the beats of the drum (mattaLam) played by nandI, and the cymbals (tALam) wielded by brahmA (nAnmukhan – four-faced one) capturing (kavarndu) our minds (cintaiyum) with elegant grace,

shaDai tarittu puli uDai uDutti oru padameDuttu shiram Eriya shivanE
padam eDuttaravum mudal tanittazhuva karam eDuttabhayam tanai aLittiDuvAi

Oh Siva (SivanE)! Who bore (dharittu/tarittu) matted locks (SaDai) on his head, and wore (uDutti) garments made of tiger (puli) skin (tOl), and raised (eDuttu) one (oru) foot (padam) over (Eriya) his head (Siram), as everything from (mudal) the snakes (aravum) caress (tanittazhuva) you with care as you raise (eDuttu) your feet (padam), won't you raise (eDuttu) your hands (karam) and bless us/grant us (aLittuDuvAi) with fearlessness (abhayam tanai)?


[1] iruLAgi - literally means becoming dark

[rshankar]

If you want all the lines of the caraNa together, this is how it will read:

C: shen kaiyil Endiya shen talanil oli takataka tikutiku takavena oLira
shen shaDai tOnriya candiranai shuDar phaLa phaLa phaLavena avaniyil miLira
gangai turandu tiraNDu muruNDengum khala khala khalavena kayilaiyil sidara
santatam enru silambu padangaLil takadhimi takavena nayamuDan olikka
navarasa bhAvamum nirandODa nAradar yAzhuDan umai pADa
nandi maddaLamum nAn mukhan tALamum cintaiyum kavarndu umaiyuDan ADa
shaDai tarittu puli uDai uDuttu iru padameDuttu shiram Eriya shivanE
padam eDuttaravum mudal tanittazhuva karam eDuttabhayam tanai aLittiDuvAi

As the light (oli) from red (Sen) flames (taNalil) wielded (Endiya) in his soft (Sen) hand (kayil) shines (oLira) dazzlingly (tagataga tigutigu tagavena), as the luster (SuDar) from the moon (candiranin) that appears (tOnriya) in his red (Sen) matted locks (SaDai) spreads (miLira) upon the earth (avaniyil) glitteringly (paLapaLapaLavena), as gangA, of her own volition (turandu), cascades (tiraNDu muraNDu) every where (engum) in exhilaration (kalakalakalavena), some of her water splashes (Sidara) in kailAS (kayilaiyil), as the anklets (Silambu) on his feet (pAdangaLil) sound (olikka) with (uDan) grace and finesse (nayam) perpetually (santatam enru) to the sorkaTTu taka dhimi taka, as pArvati (umai) sings (pADa) to the accompaniment (uDan) harp (yAzh) played by the sage, nArada, and expression (bhAvamum)of the nine (nava) sentiments (rasa) flit across his face endlessly (nirandODa), as he dances (ADa) along with (uDan) pArvati (umai) to the beats of the drum (mattaLam) played by nandI, and the cymbals (tALam) wielded by brahmA (nAnmukhan – four-faced one) capturing (kavarndu) our minds (cintaiyum) with elegant grace, Oh Siva (SivanE)! who bore (dharittu/tarittu) matted locks (SaDai) on his head, wore (uDutti) garments made of tiger (puli) skin (tOl), and raised (eDuttu) one (oru) foot (padam) over (Eriya) his head (Siram), as everything from (mudal) the snakes (aravum) caress (tanittazhuva) you with care as you raise (eDuttu) your feet (padam), won't you raise (eDuttu) your hands (karam) and bless us/give us (aLittuDuvAi) with fearlessness (abhayam tanai)?

[saawariya]

THanks a lot Lji and rshankar! Really appreciate your help on this one.
I dont know whose composition it is but it is a beautiful and powerful song.....

[rshankar]

Saawariya,

I am sure that you are well aware that the depiction of naTarAja has many, many built-in symbolisms. A few I am aware of are:

1. To emphasize how he encompasses the panca bhUtas (it is believed that everything is made of some combination of the 5)...

He holds the glowing embers of a fire (agni) in his left hand
The ganges in his head symbolizes water (ap/appu)
Movement of his matted locks creates wind (vAyu)
His foot is planted on the earth (prithvI)
And the moon symbolizes the skies (space/AkAS)

2. To symbolize creation....
The moon represents consciousness, gangA, the life force, and the snakes, life forms....

3. To symbolize destruction of ignorance
The demon on whose back he dances is supposed to represent ignorance/arrogance etc....

4. To symbolize that SivA is anAdi (without beginning) and ananta (end)....
The snakes symbolize time/kAla - and since he has the sankes under his control, he is beyond kAla...

Ravi

[saawariya]

thanks rshankar for re-iterating Nataraja's form.... yes we were taught of this in class....yet I still fumble to understand the various tandavas that exist....some say there are 7 tandavas...and some say there are 16.....wonder if anyone has more clues to this...
From what I gather this is what I understand:
This dance is of seven types - 1. Anandtandav, 2. Sandhyatandav (Pradosh dance), 3. Kalikatandav, 4. Tripurtandav, 5. Gouritandav, 6. Sanhartandav and 7. Umatandav.
Of these seven types the verse (stotra) Shivapradosh (alias Pradosh) describes the sandhyatandav as - Shiva performs this dance in the evening with Gouri the creator of the three worlds seated on a throne studded with precious stones. When Shiva dances Sarasvati plays the vina (a stringed instrument), Indra plays the flute, Brahma keeps the rhythm, Lakshmi sings, Vishnu plays the mrudanga (a kind of drum) and all the other deities stand around and watch the dance programme. In this dance Shiva has two arms and the scene of a demon being crushed under His feet is absent.
Of the above seven types the Gouritandav and Umatandav are both fearsome in nature. In this dance Shiva assumes the form of Bhairav or Virabhadra and is accompanied by Uma or Gouri. He performs this frightful dance in the crematorium where there are burning ashes of the corpses, along with the spirit attendants (bhutagans). Among Nataraj’s sattvik (sattva predominant) dance forms along with the sandhya dance, the nadanta dance is also extremely famous. The world famous idol of Nataraj at Chidambaram is in this very pose. Followers of the Shaiva and the Shakta sects consider these dances to be symbols of specific principles. In their opinion, during such a destructive, fearsome dance Shiva not only destroys the world but also frees embodied souls from bondage. The crematorium is chosen for the dance to depict that the ego of the embodied soul is reduced to ashes. Deities as well as demons are enthusiastic to accompany Lord Shiva during the tandav dance.’ An example of a posture from the Anandtandav illustrated below show how significant the various postures adopted in a tandav dance are.

Meaning
1. ‘Different earings in each ear - Ardhanarishvar
2. The small hourglass shaped hand drum in the rear right hand - Creation of Brahman in the form of sound and word
3. Fire in the rear left hand - Purification of Brahman in the form of sound and word
4. The front right hand - Protection to devotees
5. The front left hand - Points to the foot raised for liberation of embodied souls
6. The demons Apasmar or Muyalak crushed under the right foot. - Destruction of nescience (avidya) or ignorance (adnyan)
7. The surrounding circle - Cycle of Illusion (Maya)
8. The hand and foot touched to the chakra - Purifying the Great Illusion (Maya)
9. Five lingas arising spontaneously from the flames of the chakra - The subtle five cosmic elements’

When Siva first began His ananda tandava, his dance of bliss, in Chidambaram, Kali was filled with pride and challenged the Lord to a dance contest. Siva wished to eliminate her arrogance so he laid down the following terms: whoever won would become Lord of Tillai; whoever lost had to leave his or her shrine. While the gods and sages watched, Kali and Siva began to dance. When Siva performed a difficult manoeuvre called urdhva tandava - one leg thrust vertically towards the sky - Kali conceded defeat because she was unable to execute that particular step.

This play is different; it’s in the rhythm of bharatnatya. In the grace and the movement of the body. The Urdhva tandava is a form of expression, one that is matched only by Kali when she dances alongside Lord Shiva. It’s a different kind of mano laya, where this energetic Goddess redefines every step of grace and beauty. Where chemistry is a result of a power game at a superior level, where the drums resound into the air, followed by the rhythmic sounds of ghunguru as two feet merge into a single united sound of higher bliss. Where energy flows unlimited in the expression of abhinaya, when there is passion in the air, where there is mischief in the eyes as the Goddess challenges the Lord to His every step in dance!

The Pradosha Thandavam is a form of dancing which is noted for the difficult mudras and leg movements. It’s based on the myth of the churning of the Palazhi. Lord Siva swallowed the kaala kuta visha (poison) - which emerged during the churning - to save the world. Parvathi tried to prevent him from swallowing it by holding his throat. Siva asked her to remove her hands. And he began to dance the Thandavam, standing in between the horns of Nandhi.