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saidevo
16 February 2015, 08:37 AM
Preface to HDF members:

namaste Everyone!

Members are aware that TEvAram is a collection of Tamizh hymns sung by the NAyanmArs, chiefly Appar, Sambandhar, Sundarar and MANikkavAchakar. The songs are in the form of deca-verse, a set of ten verses, sung on Lord Shiva enshrined in the temples they visited. Members who are curious, might have a look at this excellent website:
http://www.thevaaram.org/ta/index.php

Along with another member, I have been engaged for sometime to compose Tamizh hymns in the style of TEvAram, in a Google Tamizh group. I have been meaning to try my hand on this spiritual subject, in English verses. I am glad that I have completed a set of ten verses, prefixed by a protection hymn and followed by a phala-shruti.

I hope to be regularly engaged in this activity. I shall share my efforts here for perusal and feedback. I shall post the verses two at a time, for easy reading and followup. The penname I am using for my English verses now is ramaNi, which is what they call me at home.

Regards,
ramaNi

*****

saidevo
16 February 2015, 08:43 AM
TiruvETkaLam (near Chidambaram)
ramaNi

Temple
http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=855
http://temple.dinamalar.com/New.php?id=855
http://www.shivatemples.com/nofct/nct02.php

Decaverse in thEvAram
சம்பந்தர்: அந்தமுமாதியு மாகியவண்ணல்
http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepage.php?thiru=1&Song_idField=10390
அப்பர்: நன்று நாடொறும் நம்வினை போயறும்
http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepage.php?thiru=5&Song_idField=50420

Cover
(virgin verse: veNpA in English)

May GaNEsh at VETkaLam temple
Grace me with flawless verse - to praise
Rudra enshrined, whose style is simple,
who has, although, a fiery gaze!

Deca-verse
(iambic pentra-tetra meter quartrain + an iambic pentameter couplet: rhyme ABABCC)

01.
When Arjun did his penance for the grace
of Lord Shiva whose bow he sought,
the latter came as hunter; they both did chase
a piggy demon there and shot
an arrow; and then the Lord with a hand-drum
battled with him, in the woods at VETkaLam!

02.
UmA, the Goddess, got wild when Arjun hit
her spouse with his bow; Shiva kept his cool
and said, 'SatguNA! step aside and quit!',
and kicked the Prince into a pool!
Revealing himself then, Shiva gave him
his bow and sat enshrined at VETkaLam.

(to continue...)

*****

smaranam
16 February 2015, 11:04 AM
Namaste Saidevoji

Nice to know about your works. Thanks for sharing your poems on HDF.

saidevo
16 February 2015, 07:14 PM
You're welcome, smaranamji.

03. In the Goddess' sanctum, Arjun's battle story
is sculpted on the pillar;
Although the arrow hit the God of glory
how could the shot be a killer?
Today, the arrow wound scar's seen on the Lingam
In Rudra's ancient temple at VETkaLam!

04. GaNEsh and DakShiNA mUrti, Sun and Moon
on the niche of Rudra's sanctum walls;
and SvAmy with his two consorts in tune,
in a distinct room in outer stalls,
waiting for the sage AruNagiri to come,
worship, and write his verse at VETkaLaṃ

[SvAmy = God Muruga/SubrahmaNya; AruNagiri = the famous
sage devotee of SvAmy]

saidevo
17 February 2015, 07:11 PM
05. In the bamboo woods it all happened, so the tree
of the shrine is bamboo; KrupA's the name
of the sacred pond; the shrine has much to see
in carvings that set the mind aflame!
Constructed by the books at VETkaLam,
The Lord hither ensures that worst succumb.

06. The One who starts and ends and has on hand
a roaring flame, a laughing skull,
and lets the moon and Ganges river stand
on head, and rides a whitish bull,
His rhythmic feet in dance to the beat of drum,
He wears the ash, enshrined at VETkaLam.

saidevo
18 February 2015, 06:56 PM
07. The darling son of One who took the hill,
where pepper grows, He burnt the youth!
The elephant mad that sages threw to kill
He skinned and wore, and let the truth
about him known! He kicked the God of Death
and stands at VETkaLam in length and breadth!

Notes:
One who took the hill where pepper grows:
The reference is to God KrishNa, who took the Govardhana hill and held it
as umbrella against the torrent of rain that Indra summoned.

The darling son ... He burnt the youth@
The reference is to Shiva burning ManmatA, son of ViShNu, with his fiery eye
in the forehead.]

08. The mighty demon tried the sacred hill,
to lift; the one who sits below
the banyan tree did make the demon shrill,
squeezing all his heads with toe!
The demon got his pardon with a song;
That Lord's at VETkaLam to right the wrong.

Note:
The reference is to the ten-headed demon is RAvaNa, the mighty king
of Lanka, who tried to lift and carry Mount KaiḷAsh to his place.

saidevo
19 February 2015, 07:05 PM
(concluding part)

09. BrahmA, ViShNu couldn't find the head and base
when He rose as fire from earth to sky!
He dances with the ghosts in the funeral place
to the beat of drums as the ashes fly!
His flowers datura, golden showers tree;
at VETkaLam from worries you are free.

10. Many a path today to God are there;
but then the Saivite path unfolds
that God as family elder's always where
one needs Him most; and one who holds
this Truth in mind in steadfast faith would see
at VETkaLam the Lord who sets him free.

Palliative hymn (phala-shruti)

11. To one who chants the deca-verse on Lord
the saints Sambandhar, Appar sang,
enshrined at VETkaLam and stands in guard,
He cures illusion, takes the pang
of grief and sin away and in the path,
removes the births that come as aftermath!

--ramaNi, 16/02/2015

*****

saidevo
25 February 2015, 09:20 PM
TiruvArUr TyAgarAjA

Temple
http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=598
http://temple.dinamalar.com/New.php?id=598
http://www.shivatemples.com/sofct/sct087.php

Decaverse in thEvAram
Sambandhar (5), Appar )21), Sundarar (8)
http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/thiru_adangal.htm

Cover
(vergin verse: veNpA in English)

May the four images of the Elephant God
Grace me with flawless verse - to praise
the heart-beat dancing form of Lord
Shiva of ArUr temple dais.

[Check the dinamalar website for the four chief images of GaNEsh
at the TiruvArUr Shiva temple.]

Deca-verse
(iambic pentameter quartrain + an iambic pentameter couplet: rhyme ABABCC)

01. Never born are those who are born here!
The God of Death, left jobless, serves his Lord,
in the form of ChaNDikEsha, so faithful fear
him not, and focus on their just reward!
Such is the fame of TiruvArUr, the place
of TyAgarAjA, Lord of all the race!

02. The One who sat in a cobra hole, became
The Lord of Sanctum in the linga form,
self-manifested there, to all acclaim!
The Lord who ViShNu bears on chest, in his norm
of yogic trance that Shiva dances to,
sits there at TiruvArUr, for me and you!

saidevo
26 February 2015, 10:09 PM
03. KamalAmbAl, is goddess UmA's name,
the Lotus Lady who, with a pair of hands,
blesses as the ShaktI root; and the tame,
who are in debt, or ill, the god that stands
as Debt-Reliever, makes them well, in the shrine
of TiruvArUr, where Vedic sounds allign.

04. DurgA, standing in grace in sanctums eight
dissolves delays in wedding with a glance.
The planets nine align in a line that's straight;
GaNEsha watches how they act out their stance.
TiruvArUr, a famous shrine on earth
is where our IshA's grace acts right from birth!

saidevo
27 February 2015, 09:19 PM
05. His frame in veil, but shows his countenance;
his dancing left side foot on the day of Ardra,
he shows in Dec; his right side foot in stance,
he shows in April, Uttara Phalguna.
Dancing to the beat of drums, his graceful shine
is seen at TiruvArUr, as the Chief of the shrine.

06. Goddess Wealth to get her husband prayed
to Shiva, and got His grace; therefore, the place
is known as TiruvArUr, and thus it played
a role in the unity of the Hindu race.
Believed older to the shrine at Chidambaram,
there is no chant here of Chitrambalam.

saidevo
28 February 2015, 09:30 PM
07. He wears the crescent moon, and the flowers
of bael and stramony; he holds an axe
and a blaze of fire on crimson hands and showers
his grace; one who dances with ghosts on the stacks
of ashes in the burning ground, he stands
at TiruvArUr, for those who wring their hands.

08. The Lankan King, he tried to lift the hill;
Shiva crushed his heads and shoulders with a toe!
The demon wailed and sang for grace, his shrill
became his name! Shiva took pity on his woe
and blessed him with a sword! go seek
him at TiruvArUr, O mind, he is unique!

[Lankan King = the mighty RAvaNA; he tried to lift Shivaś abode, the KailAsh hill
and take it to his place. Shiva crushed him under the hill using only his toe!
The demon wailed and sang sAmagAnam, Shiva's favourite, upon which Shiva released him,
blessed him with long life and a sword. This legend is usually in every deca-verse
of DEvAram, especially those of SambandhAr, as verse 8.]

saidevo
01 March 2015, 08:02 PM
09. He let ViShNu, BrahmA set out to seek
the root and top, when he stood as a pillar of fire;
when they never won, he showed them how unique
he was; the one who is seen when thoughts expire,
he stands in grace enshrined at TiruvArUr:
for all the ills of life, he is the cure.

[The legend of ViShNu and BrahmA seeking the root and top when Shiva stood as a column of fire,
to test them, is usually found in every deca-verses of Sambandhar and Appar.]

10. Beliefs against the Vedas are there today;
but those who never fall to their wily charm,
and takes the path to Shiva night and day,
he blesses them and guards against any harm.
UmA's consort is at TiruvArUr:
Those who seek him become noble and pure.

Palliative hymn (phala-shruti)

11. Deca-verses twenty one from Appar,
and five from Sambandhar, and eight
from Sundarar, adorn in scent and color
the garland of hymns on Shiva's might.
Muse on these hymns on the Lord of TiruvArUr
O mind, and get away from the worldly lure!

--ramaNi, 26-28/02/2015

*****

Aanandinii
08 March 2015, 01:44 PM
Namaste Saidevoji,

Such beautiful verse, thank you so much for sharing!

Om Namah Shivaya!

saidevo
12 March 2015, 09:00 AM
namaste Aanandinii!

I have been writing these verses in Tamizḥ for quite sometime now Glad that I can do it in English verses and share it here. Thanks for your appreciatioṇ

saidevo

saidevo
06 April 2015, 08:28 AM
TirukkuDavAyil kONEshwarar

Temple
http://temple.dinamalar.com/New.php?id=312
http://www.shivatemples.com/sofct/sct094.php

Decaverse in thEvAram
சம்பந்தர்:2.022 திகழுந் திருமா லொடுநான் முகனும்
http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepage.php?thiru=2&Song_idField=20220
2.058 கலைவாழு மங்கையீர் கொங்கையாருங் கருங்கூந்தல்
http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/onepage.php?thiru=2&Song_idField=20580

Cover
(vergin verse: veNpA in English)

Anumati GaNapati, timeless, three-eyed,
in all his forms, may grant me sights
to praise the Lord enshrined inside
KuDavAsal temple heights.

Deca-verse
(iambic pentameter quatrain + iambic hexameter couplet: ababcc)

01. The last day the World ends, He reaps the souls and keeps
them all in the nectar poṭ. As a lingam plugged
to its mouth, he keeps vigil on the soul that sleeps.
On dawn of Creation, the souls are tugged
into lives, when a Hunter breaks the pot with an arrow shot!
The pot-mouth falls--and KuDavAsal, a divine spot!

[Lord Shiva preserves the souls at the time of praLaya--end of the universe, in a nectar pot
and keeps vigil over them. When Creation starts, he takes the form of a hunter and breaks
the pot with an arrow-shot. According to the legend, the bottom of the pot fell at the place
which is today the sacred KumbakoNam; the middle part fell at KalayanallUr; and the mouth at
KuDavAyil. All these are famous Shiva temple places in the land of TamizhnADu.]

02. GaruDAzhvAr probed, and the lingam bears his bill-marks;
The feathery deity he blessed, and freed his mother
from slavery; the One that destroys with sparks
the mAyic dark that keeps the souls in smother,
He stands enshrined in grace and blesses those who seek,
at KuDavAsal, located on a structural peak.

(to continue...)

saidevo
07 April 2015, 10:22 PM
03. KONeshvar, they call him, DurgA his consort;
She is worshipped with ghee-lit lemon lamps,
and solves issues of marriage and support;
The Six-faced here carries the Sage's thanks;
The One that keeps the people's lives to Truth aligned
is the three-eyed Shiva at KuDavAsal enshrined.


[Six-faced = Arumukhan/Murugan]


04. The Shiny-haired is seen in dancing form
with consort, and as a crimson-colored lingam,
as Bhairava, and a picture full of charm,
in which the feathery deity prays to him.
Go round the temple yard and see the deity
in KuDavAsal, and live your life in piety.

saidevo
08 April 2015, 10:21 PM
05. With Adi, Siddhi names, GaNesha sits;
the Six-faced's fame was seen and sung by the Sage;
SUrya, Chandra, Lakshmi and the nine planets,
Sundarar the poet--they all your sight engage.
KuDavAsal Rudra's there to take our karma bad;
why wait to seek his divine grace and become glad?


[Sage = sage AruNagiri has sung about Lord Muruga of this temple in his Tiruppugazh.]


06. This place a mention finds in Sangham texts;
It was here the Chola king did keep in prison
the Chera king who sank in mental depths
to keep his honour and perished in prison.
Shiva enshrined at KuDavAsal bestows in life
a true and lasting bliss in the midst of all our strife.

saidevo
09 April 2015, 08:32 PM
07. The crinkled Ganges and the crescent moon
adorn His hair, who bears a trident, deer
and fire in hands, and manifests as boon
for mankind, for all its woefullness and tear.
Shiva, enshrined in KuDavAsal, in stately form
is sure to guide us through in life with all his charm.


08. The demon RAvaNa who sought to lift
the KailAsh hill, was crushed to earth
by Shiva's toe, who gave him sword and the gift
of life. The One who burned in laughing mirth
the Tripura is there at KuDavAsal shrine
as the family deities' root that gives them holy shine.

saidevo
11 April 2015, 08:37 AM
09. The One who sleeps in waves, and the One who dwells
in Lotus sought in vain the feet and head
of the great fire the One became! The swells
of Ganges and the crescent moon his head
adorn, while Gowri's merged with his sacred frame.
He is enshired at KuDavAsal in a sacred name.


10. Many a path today would lead away
from Vedas; they don't reveal the final Truth,
so those who are not stuck in their crafty sway
and seek the Shaivite path as a dogged youth--
the One enshrined at KuDavAsal guides their soul
and gives in time the knowledge of the parts and whole.

saidevo
12 April 2015, 09:16 PM
11. Serpents crawl over him; he wears the skin
of tiger and the ashes from the grave;
Using BrahmA's skull as bowl he seeks alms in
the streets from women at home; and in a wave
of bliss he bathes the devout and cleans their karmic debt.
Seek him at KuDavAsal, if you're not there as yet.


12. Sage SambandhAr's songs all twenty-two--
describe and praise the Lord in all his glory.
And those who read and probe the meaning too--
they are alligned to dharmic path, and the story
of life unfolds and gives them all the love and peace
by the One enshrined at KuDavAsal in eternal lease.


*****