In this 14th song, Goda is waking up the ninth Gopika and Tiruppani Alwar. Acharya prayed to in this song is “Srimannatha Munaye Namah”. The previous day this Gopika promised to wake all others up, but she was still sleeping. The red lotuses in the pond of your backyard are blossoming and black Lillies (Nalla Kaluva) which open during the night are closing as the Sun rises. The ascetics with saffron robes and shining white teeth are on their way to the temple to blow the Conch. Oh clever speaking girl, please wake up, let us sing the praise of the Lord who is holding the Conch and the Chakra in His hands and who has such lotus-like eyes and worship him.
Goda’s Tamil Pashuram 14
Ungal Puzhai-k-kadai-th-thottathu Vaaviyul
Sengazhuneer Vaai Negizhndhu Ambal Vaai koombinakaan
Sengalpodi-k-koorai Vennpal Thavathavar
Thangal Thirukkoil Sangiduvaan Poginraar
Engalai Munnam Ezhuppuvaan Vaai Pesum
Nangaai! Ezhundiraai! Naanaadai! Naavudayai!
Sangodu Chakkaram Endu Thadakkaiyan
Pangaya-k-kannanai-p-paadu-el or empaavaai
English Poem 14
In your backyard pond, red lotuses
Blossomed and black lilies closed,
Sages with white teeth wearing clothes,
Brick red in color, are going to temples to
Blow the sound of the conches,
In sweet words, you promised to wake us up,
But breached, Shameless, O matured lady, Awake,
To worship Lotus eyed Vishnu, holding the Conch and the Discus
Goda’s conversation with Gopikas
The conversation between Goda and Gopikas:
Goda: We are waiting outside your door, why are you not coming out?
Gopika: When did the Sun brighten?
Goda: Yes. Red Lotus in your pond have blossomed, and black lilies (Kaluva) closed as the night ended, Haven’t you seen?
Gopika: Your lotus eyes have opened with the happiness of reaching my house and your beautiful lips have closed like Kaluvas with anger due to lack of my response.
Goda: Not only the flowers inside, the outside garden is full of blossoms. Some are closing.
Gopika: You are moving all over the garden and your bright faces are opening the lotuses and closing the kaluvas and other flowers too.
Goda: Those flowers are beyond our reach in the deep pond. The flowers are blossoming on their own; not because of us.
Gopika: They are not real flowers, but your beautiful eyes and closed lips!
Goda: Okay, you please get up and see in your backyard.
Gopika: No, I think flowers are affected by you only. You are so closely related to Krishna, hence you are capable of doing anything.
Goda: Even without the Sun rays, the flowers are blossoming naturally. Why are you not coming out?
(Courtesy pic: Late Dr Ramacharya Sribhashyam Srinivasa Family.)
The seven Chakras
The garden is symbolic of the body. The Naadi system facilitates the flow of consciousness, which is in the spine. That is water-well. Lotus flowers are Naadi Chakras. Moolaadhaara, Swadhisthana, Manipooraka, Anaahata, Vishuddhi, Ajna, and Sahasraara Chakras are symbolized by Kaluvas, petals that are closed at sunrise. The Garden here is the Asthaakshari mantra. The well is ‘Namah’. Lotus is dependent on others, while the Kaluva flower is not. The stones reflect the desire-ridden minds. Red is the colour of material desire. We must mix powder, which means uniting those things that are related to Bhagawan. Saffron clothing means a strong desire for God, His great deeds and dependence on God. Whitened teeth indicate the purity of food and words. The sages are devotees. Shameless means they do not hesitate to share their experiences of God. Calling Gopika Paripoorna means the expertise in explaining the disciples. Conch means Omkaram. Chakra is Sudarshana that clearly shows the God. Kunchekola of sages indicates the Jnana mudra of Achaarya. The index finger is Jeeva and the thumb is God. Unless the other three fingers (middle, ring, and little fingers indicating Satwa, Rajas, Tamo Gunas) are separated, Jeeva can’t meet God. For this, we must approach the Acharya who wears Sankha and Chakra Mudras on two shoulders. This is the inner meaning of 14thPaashuram.
The lotus is in the middle of the body, which is minute, where Papaamatma resides in the heart of Jeevi. To deeply meditate on God, His beautiful forms along with His great characters need to be studied. This is called “Poornopaasana”. When Goda used an expression like Nangaay (Poornurala), she was referring to this Poornopasana.
Three kinds of proofs
How do we prove certain aspects? We look for proof. There are three kinds of proofs (Praamanas)- Pratyaksha (direct), Anumaanam (indirect), and Shabda (spoken by others). If we can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, we can understand them. The second class of evidence believes the existence of a thing because of some other circumstances. For example, through smoke, we can infer fire. When a credible person or elderly personality like Rishi tells us about it, it is called Shabda, another class of proof. It is Shriti. Veda is called Shabda Praamana. Raamanuja, Goda, and Gopikaas believe all these three Praamanas. But Charvaka and non-believers insist on the first kind of Pratyaksha Praamana, while Bouddhas agrees on the first two and rejects Shabda.
Jeeyar says, Goda is revealing the nuances of Vedas, and Vedantha, which were mentioned by Rishis, and which are beyond the ordinary five senses of the human body. Though we have three Praamanas explained above, it is difficult to comprehend Pratyaksha totally because our five senses may be defective. It is also difficult to derive the necessary wisdom from Anumaana. Thus, the only alternative left is the Veda or Shabda or Aapta Vakya route. Raamayana and Bharatha etc taught us the Dharma ordained by the Vedas. What is vaidik or avaidik? The Gopika inside questions Goda and others about Praamana to establish what Goda is saying. Ultimately Goda asks her to wake up and adopt the third path Shabda Praamana to approach Krishna.
