In search of Abhirami

Sudharshan Kaushik
Jul 20, 2017 · 8 min read

மதி வருக வழி நெடுக ஒளி நிறைக வாழ்விலே
“Let my path in life be illuminated by the wisdom I am gaining”

This one line brings the essence of the entire song. The song I am talking about here is “Paartha vizhi Paartha Padi” from the movie “Guna”. Why am I writing about this song? Because this is easily the most layered and intriguing song in Thamizh cinema. Bring in the late Vaali, Illayaraja and Kamal Haasan to collaborate on a song about a man who hallucinates about uniting with a goddess to get emancipated from human life. The result is this song and it is one hell of a trip for the mind.

To set a context we need to travel a little in time. A few centuries to be precise. The time is 18th century. Thanjavur is witnessing succession wars with Ragunatha Kilavan dead. The rice bowl of South India then witnesses Marava Wars which results in the creation of Sivagangai and Ramnad. Saraboji I then brings in stability to the region. Stability of kingdom meant happy times for poets and bards. Saroboji was a great patron of the arts.

Throughout human history, what is the one thing that is common to times of war, peace, drought, celebration or even grieving? Humanity’s unshakeable belief in their gods. We are going to focus on one particular man called Subramaniya Iyer from Thirukadaiyur, a village in Thanjavur. He was not your regular temple brahmin. He was a man possessed. A man with a single minded obsession for the goddess Abhirami in the temple to the extent that many disregarded him to be a lunatic. Legend has it that, he sat on a pyre of fire and recited the Abhirami Andhadhi which lead to the new moon turning into a full moon under the blessings of his obsession — Goddess Abhirami. The legend ends with Saraboji naming him as Abhirami Battar to acknowledge his bakthi and prowess.

Let us pause for a moment here. What is Abhirami Andhaadhi? In particular, what is Andhaadhi? It is literally Andham (அந்தம்) + Aadhi (ஆதி). Andham means the end and Aadhi means the beginning. This is a form of poetry in Thamizh where the last word/syllable of the first sentence/verse comes as the first one in the next and still follows the meter required. Let us see an example from Abhirami Andhadhi to understand this.

விதிக்கின்ற மேனி அபிராமி, எந்தன் விழுத் துணையே:
- this is the last line of the first stanza
துணையும், தொழும் தெய்வமும் பெற்ற தாயும், சுருதிகளின்
- this is the first line of the second stanza

In some cases the last verse matches with the first verse making it a chain or how some would call it “a garland for the deity addressed in the poems”. I can completely understand if you are hopelessly falling in love with Thamizh now.

Now, back to our Battar. Traditionally most poems start with a Kaappu paragraph and end with a Payan paragraph. Here is a man who wrote 100 paragraphs (excluding the Kaappu and Payan) of Andhaadhi in one breath. The kaapu and payan forming a chain to spell the word தாயே (oh mother!) is another matter altogether.
தார் அமர் கொன்றையும் சண்பக மாலையும் சாத்தும் தில்லை
- first line of Kaapu
சேர்த்தாளை, முக்கண்ணியைத், தொழுவார்க்கு ஒரு தீங்கு இல்லையே
- last line of Payan

Let that sink in. How inspired should a man be to create something like this. Is it genius at work or is it a stroke of luck or was it the Goddess herself speaking through him? Though we can never really gauge the cause and effect for such creations of art one thing is for certain for many. His mind was beyond normalcy. Even in modern times we have seen minds that create great works of art being questioned about their sanity. Mahakavi Bharathiar was revered by some while being disregarded as a mad man by some.

Battar keeps addressing the Goddess as his mother. He declares that he surrenders to her and falls at her feet repeatedly. He finds her to be the way to enlightenment. She is his answer for escaping the clutches of problems due to mortal and human connectedness.

அறிந்தேன், எவரும் அறியா மறையை, அறிந்துகொண்டு
செறிந்தேன், நினது திருவடிக்கே,-திருவே.- வெருவிப்
பிறிந்தேன், நின் அன்பர் பெருமை எண்ணாத கரும நெஞ்சால்,
மறிந்தே விழும் நரகுக்கு உறவாய மனிதரையே
“I have understood. Learnt the unknown. Having realised the truth
I surrender at your feet, oh mother!
I now distance myself from my fellow beings, who have not understood
your glory and have their hearts fallen into a hell”

Notice how he sees her as the answer and how he doesn't associate himself with other humans? He feels he is stuck in a rot and needs to escape it’s clutches. The circumstances are stifling him. Reality and the world no longer matter to him. Because he knows the truth. His mind has in possession the key. The answer. He has his realisation. This mood is the undercurrent in all the paragraphs of the Abhirami Andhadhi.

Now imagine, what if Abhirami Battar gets to meet “The Abhirami”? His obsession. His answer. His key. His salvation. His moment of truth.

Time for travelling again. Now we are in 1991. Introducing Guna, the protagonist of the Thamizh movie “Guna”. He is introduced literally standing on one leg on top of a building in the night. There are fireworks and band music. There is a wedding procession on the streets. He proclaims he has seen his Abhirami and tries to get near the bride. He is beaten up only to be rescued by his caretaker, Rosie. In the previous shot we see the rot he is living in. The circumstances to why he hates humans. His mother runs a brothel and neighbourhood stinks with immorality. Now we get a glimpse into the world of Guna, the manchild with delusions of uniting with “Abhirami”. We are then shown him ranting to his doctor about how he is stuck with the identities of his father all over his body and needs to let go of that. He is the product of the very ugliness he despises. We then hear a lullaby Rosie and his mother sing for him.

உன்னை நான் அறிவேன்
என்னை அன்றி யார் அறிவார்
கண்ணில் நீர் வழிந்தால்
என்னை அன்றி யார் துடைப்பார்
யார் இவர்கள் மாயும் மானிடர்கள்
ஆட்டி வைத்தால் ஆடும் பாத்திரங்கள்
“I alone know you,
If not me who else can know you.
When tears roll down eyes,
Who else but me can wipe them off.
Who are these mortals,
Mere actors who dance to the roles they are made to.”

The mother sings to her son, that everyone surrounding them are just mortals. Here is a man, who thinks that only his mother is pure in the rot.
His is internally conflicted because he knows there is no purity in where he expects it to be. Rosie is his caretaker, a motherly figure. His doctor suggests he marry her. Possible oedipus complex? Does our Battar also show signs of this complexity? I am digressing here. Focus.

He sees all other humans as mere mortals with no knowledge of how to attain the higher truth. There is a scene when Guna address humans as பூ, மனுஷங்களா (mere mortals). He awaits the full moon day. Back in the mental asylum we get to understand about the origins of his obsession for Abhirami. A lunatic (or may be not?) in a cell next to him feeds Guna the idea of Abhirami. That he will meet her on a full moon night and get married to her, thus letting him escape from the clutches of humanity.

Now we have a nice idea of who Guna is. His obsessions, his problems, his delusions, his circumstances and his attempts to attain sanity (or is it the reverse?). He is now in a crowded temple with his uncle who is a crook. The uncle, to distract Guna, says to him that Abhirami has come to the temple. A restless Guna sets his eyes on an angelic figure entering the temple.

And, the song begins:

நாயகி, நான்முகி, நாராயணி, கை நளின பஞ்ச
சாயகி, சாம்பவி, சங்கரி, சாமளை, சாதி நச்சு
வாய் அகி மாலினி, வாராகி, சூலினி, மாதங்கி என்று
ஆய கியாதியுடையாள் சரணம்-அரண் நமக்கே.
“You are the centre. You are both the Brahmam and Narayanam. You sway your elegant palm
Sambhavi! Shankari! The one with the lotus! The one who erases wrongs
weilding her Trisoolam, Daughter of Mathanga!
I surrender at your feet. For that is my only protection”

We are shown a Guna in a trance state. He has seen his Abhirami! He follows her around the temple. Everything seems to fall in place. The temple bell rings, the notice board points to her and even the security guards keep pointing him to go towards her. He has gotten his answer. She is seen distributing sweets to the temple visitors. When she signals for them to wait he sees her hands and sees her as the “கை நளின பஞ்ச சாயகி” that Abhirami Battar sings about in the stanza.

சரணம் சரணம் சரணம்
சரணம் சரணம் சரணம்
(chorus)
Surrender! Surrender! Surrender!
Surrender! Surrender! Surrender!

Now Guna has joined the queue leading to her. She is distributing sweets. That doesn't matter to him. Awaiting his turn to reach her. He is visibly excited and shaken at the same time. He is astonished, happy, exalted and exhilarated all at the same time. Every inch of movement towards her is his destiny getting closer to fulfilment. Turn for poet Vaali now.

பார்த்த விழி பார்த்த படி பூத்து இருக்க
காத்திருந்த காட்சி இங்கு காணக் கிடைக்க
ஊன் உருக, உயிர் உருக, தேன் தரும் தடாகமே
மதி வருக வழி நெடுக ஒளி நிறைக வாழ்விலே
“My eyes are transfixed at the image they have seen now
For they have seen the image they waited all this life to see.
My soul and my body are melting into this cascade of honey.
Let my path in life be illuminated by the wisdom I am gaining”

Guna is getting closer to his Abhirami. This is it. He can no longer control his emotions. He jumps in joy much to the amusement of the lady. She gives him the sweet. He receives it. He has gotten his key. Nothing else matters any more to him. He tries to touch her hands but is pushed aside by her security detail. He is oblivious to his surroundings for he has come in contact with his Abhirami. He has now closed his eyes. The world goes around him and he is not bothered. Reality is very distant for him now. He is now the Shivan dancing with his Parvati. We see Guna dancing in the heavenly abode he imagines himself to be in.

இடங்கொண்டு விம்மி, இணைகொண்டு இறுகி, இளகி, முத்து
வடங்கொண்ட கொங்கை-மலைகொண்டு இறைவர் வலிய நெஞ்சை
நடங்கொண்ட கொள்கை நலம் கொண்ட நாயகி, நல் அரவின்
வடம் கொண்ட அல்குல் பணிமொழி — வேதப் பரிபுரையே
“You are the left half of the Shivam, you are the equal half, both kind and firm.
The pearl necklace that adorns your bosom that can even make your mountainous
other half become weak, oh lady with the face like that of
the elegant snake, with words that are breezy and wearing anklets that of the vedas”

(Note: My translation for the above stanza is a little shaky. Any feedback is welcome)

பார்த்த விழி பார்த்த படி பூத்து இருக்க
காத்திருந்த காட்சி இங்கு காணக் கிடைக்க

Shiva has now united with Parvati. The song ends with the shiva lingam getting showered by flowers. We see the symbol of perfect union.

Abhirami Battar has realised his destiny. Guna has been freed of the clutches of human sufferings.

The End. சுபம்

Disclaimer: It might seem very apparent that I am no expert in Thamizh but a mere fan and there could be mistakes in my understanding of the Stanzas of the poem. This is no attempt at providing a literal translation. I have tried to retain the lyrical values when interpreting in English.

Reference: http://www.projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/utf8/pmuni0026_01.html

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Sudharshan Kaushik

Written by

techie, biker, music junkie, therku mandalam sambhar vadai rasigar mandram thalaivan and leader of Bullet Pandi's rival gang

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