Chapter 76 - Thiruthuruthiyum Thiruvelvikudiyum (Hymn 74)

[Full title: Thiruthuruthiyum Thiruvelvikudiyum or Thiruthuruthiyum Thiruvelvikudiyum.]

This hymn is on two temples, at Tirutturutti and Tiruvelvikkuti (Turutti is an island in a river). (Tirutturutti as distinguished from Punturutti is Kuttalam in the Tanjore District).

The hymn of Nana Campantar explains this combination of these two temples:

“Pankinal umaiyotum pakalitam pukalitam paimpolilcul
Vxhkunirt turuttiyar; iravitat turaivarvel vikkutiye.”

“The Lord enters Turutti as His resort for the day time along with the Mother, the Turutti of heaving up waters surrounded by the green groves; He resides during night in Velvikkuti”,

This combination is also referred to in the first verse of the hymn No. 18 of Nampi Arurar;

“Muppatu millai pirappatu millai irappatillai-c
Cerppatu kattakat turinu makaccin tikkinallal
Kappatu velvik kutitan turuttiyen konaraimel
Arppatu nakama rintomel namivark katpatome.”

The Velvikkuti Grant of Netuncataiyan throws some light on this: The place was granted by the great king Palyakaoalai Mutu-kutumip Peruvaluti to one Brahmin Narkorran for performing a Vedic sacrifice and was named as such after the sacrifice was performed by the said Brahmin. It was usurped by the Kalabhras and continued to remain under the usurpation even after the resumption of authority of the Pandyas. When Netuncataiyan came to the throne it was restored in the 8th century to the claimant on appeal, the claimant belonging to the line of Narkorran. Our poet belongs to the 7th Century and during that period Velvikkuti must have continued to be under usurpation.

One wonders whether because of this, Velvekkuti lost its importance and worship as a separate temple, so much so, people had to worship it only at Tirutturutti believing that the Lord who was present there at Velvekkuti remained at Tirutturutti during day-time.

II

In this hymn, the poet is so very much taken up by the greatness and Grace of God that he feels he cannot forget or adequately enjoy, know, sing or praise Him nor could he get away from His path or decry Him. That is what he expresses forcibly in the first two feet of every fourth line. He condemns himself as the cruel one and the dog, in the last two feet of every third line. The words, “Turuttiyar Velvikkutiyular atikalai” as referring to the Lord of these two temples precede this condemnation and occur as the third, fourth, fifth and sixth feet in every third line. The first two lines usually give us the description of Kaviri in its floods in which Turutti is an island. “Emperumanai” is another phrase repeated as the third and fourth feet in every fourth line, a phrase put in apposition with “Turuttiyar Velvikkuti ular ati-kal”. The last halves of the fourth lines are put in apposition with this same “Emperumanai” and describe the Lord as having removed the fetters and sufferings of the Poet. In this arrangement the verses end in the accusative case which usually never occupies the last place in a sentence in Tamil. This rhetorical inversion lays the emphasis on the special Grace shown to the poet and suggests the rhythm called ‘akappattu vannam’ (Tol. 1480) where the verse, though complete in sense, suggests apparently an incomplete sentence.

III

“How am I to forget my Lord who has destroyed the misery caused by the disease inflicting my body?” (1). “I do not know how to sing the praise of my Lord who had completely severed the attachment of all the old karmas that exist” (2). “I do not know how to praise my Lord who has cut away the disease which afflicted me” (3). “I do not know how to know my Lord who had cut away the defect or the welded link of the karmas which exist and which are impossible to be borne” (4). “I have not left off babbling (the names of) my Lord who had today itself removed completely the diseases with which I was afflicted” (5). “I do not know to despise my Lord who is capable of removing here and now, in this birth the vilest of diseases” (6). “I do not know how to express or praise my Lord who had completely removed the old karmas so well known to the world” (7). “I do not know how to enjoy or embrace my Lord who had cut away here and now in this birth the defect or welding link of the sufferings coming from previous births” (8). “I do not know how to stand aside or escape from my Lord who has here and now freed me from the diseases of the past” (10).

IV

The hymn represents our poet’s complete self-surrender and the last verse emphasizes this truth. He describes himself as Aruran, the servant, the slave of the slaves of the Lord, one who does not know anything except the victorious feet of the Lord of the beautiful hands. Our poet has gone through this part of Tapas enduring all sufferings in the name of the Lord and getting relieved of the sufferings to reach higher sphere of the eternal. He, therefore, assures those who will carry this song of the Lord on their tongue with joy, worshipping the Lord with their hands will similarly rule the world of the eternal, reaching it through the path of tapas. Suffering thus becomes tapas—a new way of looking at the world.

V

There are not many puranic descriptions of the Lord in this hymn, except in the last verse which refers to the Lord sharing His form with the Mother, the Lord riding on the bull and His destroying the three cities.

VI

The hymn is full of the description of the Kaviri, so full of beauty and divinity. It is placed on a par with the holy Ganges (10) and the Lord is praised equally as the Lord of the Ganges and Lord of Turutti inside Kaviri (10). The river makes the land rich, beautiful and holy. The cult of the holy rivers inspiring the people to bathe in these holy waters is seen reflected in this hymn.

“The great clouds send their lightning flashes. They rain in torrents. The stream rushes down with terrible cracking noise, bringing the waves to dash against the banks. There flows the Kaviri which is metamorphosed into our food. On its wide banks reside the bhaktas who wake up worshipping His two feet as his lovers. The Lord knows what they say. (‘Cannavanarivar’ reminds us of the name of Kazharitrarivar who is referred to as ‘Con-navanarivar’ in an inscription of Needur) (1).

“Those things which are there for coming together, come embracing others and get threaded up so to say. Thus the millet and mountain paddy are harvested and scattered by the water of the floods. The flood attacks the big ‘konku’ and ‘marutam’ trees on the sides; it pushes the bunches of fruits so much, that they, like a mountain, obstruct the flow of water. But it still pushes even this mountain along, rushing fast. This is the Kaviri wherein is the island of Turutti whose Lord is our God.” (2).

“The tusks of the murderous huge elephants, the rich yield of fresh and swelling fruits—these the flood carries mixing and bringing together things from far off places. It reaches, it embraces, it flows down and it enters. The big river Kaviri goes on its march enabling the yogins and bhogins who both of them perform tapas in their own way to bathe at dawn [The conception of yogins (people who perform yoga as ascetics) and bhogins are people who enjoy probably as referring to house-holders—as performing tapas is significant; for, is not our poet himself a bhogi performing tapas? This also reminds us of Tiruttakka Tevar—“Narravam ceyvarkkitam tavam ceyvarkku mahtitam”—Nama-kal: 48]” (3).

“The streams shower down rough surfaced big logs of sahdal wood and of akil. They rush down and carry away pepper and plantains to be secreted away by the waste land (Punpulam); thus pushing everything goes to the sea this great river Kaviri. With the idea of production it flows on its sides and throws out its water and its gifts” (4).

“Pushing along the tusks of the elephants which rain down their three musts and the good golden flowers of ‘venkai’ tree, the mountain streams rush down and down and their fast rushing waters come together and here they whirl and flow down enabling the people of the eight points of the compass to come together and bathe” (5).

“The Kaviri carries the big and famous sandal logs and akil, gold and gems. It pushes along beautiful flowers. It swells up on the great banks of such rare workmanship which it digs down only for increasing the fertility and wealth. The glistening great Kaviri removes the sin of those who bathe in it and washes away the dark collyrium (some take it as referring to the avidya, anava or ignorance; some take it as the dirt of the body)” (6).

“Crossing as it were the plantain fruits and the mango fruits on the mountain and then slowly making them fall, fighting against the ‘mara’ trees, it rushes with the sole idea of seeing the great blue sea crying for it; it carries the peacock feathers as though balanced on its shoulders, throwing out pearls on all sides: thus rushes the great Kaviri” (7).

“The great Kaviri becomes crystal clear, throwing out shining crystals and carrying the chaurie of the yak. It goes with the sole intention of seeing the great blue and pungent sea whilst the cities and countries think of it, joyfully, with all their hearts whilst many birds dip into it and frisk about on its bright bank” (8).

“It makes rich the fields. It swells with no possibility of even flow. It carries gold. It creates commotion and this resounds everywhere. It topples down and scatters big sized shining pearls and groups of shining gems. It makes the great trees on the two banks split, carries them and dashes them against—thus goes the big Kaviri stirred up and agitated” (9).