Prefaces

PREFACES

1 Nalappatante Chakravaalachemburuli code No: D14 1736 01 01
Criticism .First published in 1992
Distributors N B S Kottayam

Author Dr Suvarna Nalapat

Preface by Prof M.Leelavathy
“Every child is born with a bondage of debts “.That is a thoughtful imagination of the Rishis.The bondage of umbilical cord is a symbol of that since it denotes the debt to the mother. There are debts of the same nature. I do not mean the revenue debts of thousands of Rupees with which every child in modern India is born. But of the debts to the Divine, to ancestors, and to the sages. When I wrote a book about my Guru ,who opened my eyes to the basic literary principles ,and about his works Sri Umashankar Joshi had praised me saying “You have tried to repay the Rishirina” (The debts to the Rishis,sages).When I saw the great effort Srimathi Suvarna Nalapat had undertaken, with the art of word arranged with Varna,so that her name is made meaningful in two ways, I thought scholarly people like Joshi would have praised her tenfold, seeing how she has repaid the debt to the Guru Dwedhaa ( as Guru/ancestor/Rishi) successfully. Only those people who make the race into which they are born ,elevated by their birth are giving meaning to the verbs born and lived. Not those who fills their stomachs. That is possible even for crows ,according to our ancestors.Suvarna ,by her Profession(as Pathology Professor)as well as the work she has done in literature,history,research and philosophy has made her race elevated .By the commentary to the Chakravaalam of Nalapat she has also repaid the debt to the Rishi in a praiseworthy way. To those who wants to go deep into the caves of the secret inner meanings of the Kavya,to show a ever shining lamp ,the footnotes of Sri KuttikrishnaMarar is not enough. For a scholarly commentators like Marar ,it may be enough. But for people not so scholarly it is not enough. Therefore this commentary is a repayment of RishiRina and a filling of an empty gap. The other works of Nalapat and the books he read and used were studied and discovered his Athman and it is that which gave her help to enter into this kavya.She discovered the key to open that lock of Akshara by a Yajna of enquiry. I am not saying that Marar did not have this Sidhi or Labdi.He too believed ,like the poet, that his minimum words will give help to open the lock of words for ordinary people. When we feel that there are hard and severe challenges in the book and they require vast journeys of enquiry ,the successors should be able to take up the challenge. That taking up the challenge is the repayment of debt not only to poet but also to the first commentator. Therefore nobody will have a creased forehead by seeing another commentary to a work commented by Marar. Towards the end of the commentary Suvarna says about the Projective listening in educational psychology. She translates it to artistic listening .She explains: To know a person’s ideas and individuality completely ,one has to try from his/her experience planes and understand. For those who analyze poetry a Sruthi and Sravana suited for it is needed and also ability to tell others what they heard. Though Marar had known that Chakravalam is a poetry which requires a new Sravana ,the care to have a total dedication to make it orderly arranged is not seen in Marar’s efforts. But from that commentary the statements that this is the last word and no one should look at it again, and a fearful obstruction to further research does not arise from his commentary. When speaking about BhaavayathriPrathibha Rajasekhara says: saa hi kave :sramamabhipraayam cha bhaavayathi thayaa khalu phalitha:kaver vyaapaaratharu:anyathaa sovakesi syath.That also is based on artistic listening.Astronomy,philosophy of meaning of words and objects,darsana,psychology etc were seen as parts of Arshagnana by poet Nalapat .Such related and complex ideas have given a internal depth to his poetry which from outside look very simple .The view of the poet about those branches of knowledge is understood from his books and from books he read and only after that Suvarna has begun to comment upon Chakravaala.Apart from that the new knowledge which she attained from these branches also is used as tools for analysis of the Kavya.In the commentary of each poetry this philosophy is meaningful. Because the meaning of poem ,is the integration of all words and its meanings possible and to be possible. When ideas and experiences are revealed through groups of words (Kavir Maneeshi paribhu :swayambhu:) in it the meaning grows through eternal Sama .By growing ,I mean whatever becomes joined into it as movement through space and time takes place. Every meaning is in it and it is not added by others. Unless it joins to the context beautifully, and convincingly proven, just by statement of the commentator this does not happen. The commentary of Suvarna is most of the time journeys and awakenings into similar ideas .They are convincingly proven to us as vibrations of both inner and outer meanings of the poem.Chemistry,physics,astronomy,astrology ,psychology and Indian philosophy ,history –to how many fields of knowledge this Bhavayathri Prathibha takes us along ! She does not forget to explain the importance to the context in every occasion. A small example :

Every flowing water with many Swara
Sings my life’s changes
By songs the pictures created
Are framed by the shores .

The flowing water,songs,the pictures and the frame are symbolic ideas and through them whatever imaginations and symbols come to our mindfield are belonging to the meaning of this poem.KuttikrishnaMarar tells us that every Raga has form about the musical philosophy alone and the commentary is limited to song and picture alone.
The word “Thadam” or shore which should evoke and evoke in our memory is not mentioned by him. But in commentary of Suvarna one can see the river valley cultures in the shores of rivers. The adjoining symbols of sun and clouds and their relation to this symbol is also revealed by her.” Limited by the shores, in course of historical times, the ancient thoughts formed civilizations in river valleys. The human culture as flow, was limited and framed into Indian,Mesopotamian,Egyptian etc and studied .The colorful diversities ,beauty of these cultures is watched and witnessed by the interested thinker Sun ,then and now, and how the poet gives this position to sun with grace ! “From the explanations after that how the use of a small word-Thadam- the poet internalizes in the meaning of the poem the worlds of vast experiences and memories of society ,is made clear to the reader. Such new readings like a challenge is demanded by Chakravala to take up the commentary .And for such readings the earlier one is insufficient.
Before the ending of the 4th Khanda the thoughts of midnight flower,firefly,serpent,owl,and tiger comes. The commentary of Marar here as “ only with help of night the purpose of life is fulfilled” pointing at beings of the night is definitely to the point. But the responsibility of the commentator of such a philosophical Kavya ,is also the enquiry into the root of the relation of bhava and meaning of each of these Kavyabimba( poetic symbols).The Darsana of Zen Budhism and of the Black hole is not unrelated here. When speaking of the serpent “Rahu”as the Jyothisha symbol is suitable to the context according to me. The question whether the poet had included Rahu in the meaning does not arise. The meaning of the poet’s words is not what the poet thought with his/her conscious mind alone. Whatever meanings come behind a poetic word ,all of them are meanings of the poem. Not only in contemporary period, but also in ancient times the view that the last word is for the poet was not recognized .If the knowledge of Rahuthathwa gives new dimensions to the imaginations of poet, then it means that the word meaning has the vastness to include those dimensions too.Marar says about the owl that ,owl which can see darkness which is impossible for a man to see must be Deva in comparison to man. There is a question: Is it seeing darkness or seeing in darkness? Let that pass. The commentary of Suvarna saying “The man who praises the light” is the Vedic poet is more suitable according to my view. The Deva is to be understood as Divyayoni and Sathas like Divyayoni appear in the form of Ulooka,and Susulooka and their symbolism in the Rgveda is pointed out here etc as given my Suvarna’s commentary is noteworthy. In the last part of that verse “Sukranaal vattittu” is a term which cannot be left out without commenting .Marar omitted that. But Suvarna beautifully explains it.
The Nizhal (shadow)in the 5th khanda is another symbol which Suvarna subjects to her subtle analysis.Marar gives only the meaning sin to shadow.Suvarna logically argues why she does not confine to that alone by giving the different planes of shadows. The position of shadow as the dual of object and its similarity to punya and papa is only as a duality .Therefore to limit the word shadow as the dark side of individual mind alone is to limit poetic imagination according to Suvarna.When commenting upon the question of the poet “ Is this shadow the experiment of my Karmasakhi-witness of my karma- taking the I in me out to experiment with? And is it because that doubt struck on her Marma- most important point that earth pulled it back or internalized it ?- “ Marar who constricts shadow as sin finds it difficult to give proper explanation.Sun,earth,wisdom of Athman,Sensory experiences, object and shadow are dualities related to each other and Marar does not take the effort to explain this. I completely believe that the method which Suvarna used in commenting upon the 5th Khanda is to be adopted for understanding the poet who has a consciousness which converses with the Athmagnana and the Arshadarsana like ;
Dwa Suparnaa sayujaa sakhaayaa
Samaanam vriksham parishaswajaathe. I would add that Marar who has said in commenting upon the 6th khanda that shadow is the mundane nature ,would not have hesitated to agree with this view.
The Padmabandhakuripp of 8th khanda is explained as :That which is made of stars by Marar.Marar does not give a helping hand to the literary student who wants to know the contextual importance of sabda like Padma .Here the enquiry and discovery of Suvarna is that of an expert scholar. The Akshara key to open this Kavyakhanda was given to her by the first paragraphs of the chapter on Brahmanda in the book Arshagnana .In the same chapter the symbol of Sarparajni (of AithareyaBrahmana) as the coiled serpent that swallows its tail is used by her to comment upon the 8th khanda 12th paragraph. The serpent that swallow its own tail described by western psychologists like Jung, Eric Newman etc traveled from east(as circle/ zero) to west and back to east and completed a circle in a different way is thought-provoking.
In 10th khanda Marar gives the meaning “moon” to the eternal white lotus of the poet. Then says that the moon means the entire skyfield.Suvarna proves that by circumstantial evidences ,and discussions on the meanings of the poem this needs reexamination. Vishnu or Vinnu is the Pundareekaksha because Sun ,the white lotus is the aksha or axis (and eye) and the Viswaroopa wearing the Kaalachakra (time wheel) as the Dharma chakra .The Yogin who wears this in his mind has the Brahmanda as white lotus within him .This Suvarna attributes to the face of eternity that is similar to the white lotus.Brahmanda within the yogin’s mind is the eternal face like a white lotus. This also she proves with help of Arshagnana.The first edition of Chakravaalam came out in 1933.BalamaniAmma has recorded that Nalapat started to write Arshagnanam in 1950.The large white lotus of solar system has bloomed in his mind earlier. If Marar had written the commentary after it was recorded in Arshagnana,would he have limited the eternity’s white lotus ? Probably not. It is like a scientist depending upon availability of newer instruments discover the truth of objects in new methods and forms and explains that. This consciousness within have made Suvarna wise and humble. And it has increased the knowledge of the need for new explanations too. There are new viewpoints as given above in this commentary in plenty. This is a new attempt in every way.

It is because of the help of sheer power of a wonderful Prathibha that a person who had not finished his tenth standard ,learned Sanskrit and English by self-study without depending on any institution, and created a translation like Pavanghal(Les Miserables) and wrote a book like Arshagnana.When that great person’s niece’s daughter learns western medicine and functions as Professor of Pathology and gets in-depth knowledge of history,linguistics,astronomy and astrology ,learns Sanskrit and comments upon a Sanskrit astronomical text like Varahamihira’s Panchasidhanthika –let me with bowed head say in her own words “The Suvarnapushpa(golden flower)that bloomed at the root of that Aswatha (banyan tree).
In the words” the Chakravaalachemburuli that he kept down turned in the serpent shrine of Nalapat “ shows Suvarna’s poetic turn of mind. In its hidden meaning the awakening or rise of generations of people with Prathibha is contained. (For Nair communities the generations means girl children). Women with prathibha in Poetry,story,branches of knowledge, painting (Balamani Amma, Madhavikutty,Dr Suvarna,Anuradha) have born in that root of Aswatha.Men also with prathibha functioning in branches of knowledge like journalism are born from that root.
As said in the beginning, the commentary of Chakravala has helped to elevate that race and to repay the Rishirinam.
Just as in Dr Suvarna’s essays on history,research ,and philosophical knowledge ,in this also the Suvarnakanthi( golden light) of her rare visionary power is seen from beginning to end. With bowed head I wish that , May the students and the readers who take Chakravala for learning, be able to rise along with the viewpoints and inner visions of this book .

2 .MADHURALAYAM –ORU NACHIYAR THIRUMOZHI
2001 NALAPAT BOOKS (COPIES AS OFFERING TO GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM .AVAILABLE AT GURUVAYUR DEVASWOM BOOKSTALL)

SUVARNASUDHATHSARI (PREFACE BY PROF M.LEELAVATHY)
When we flow through the Madhuralaya of the new Nachiyar Thirumozhi we are in the vicinity of a golden flow of nectar (suvarnasudhatsari).This kindness, this coolness, this ecstacy,this speed of flow,-this is not new to us is the meaning of the word Nachiyar Thirumozhi.A beginning less forever new river is formed from thousands of water sources joining together. Looking at the flow of that river we say-this is Ganga,this Yamuna,Kaveri,Nila,Choorni…like that. But we know they are changing flows every moment. Therefore the adjectives Anadi( beginning less) and Nityanoothana(forever new) are not contradictory for them. Similarly ,Aavishtakavitha is awakened from the inner souls of thousands of beings, united and flowing through the canal of a single individual’s mind .This SuvarnaRaagaSudhatsari is Aavishtakavitha.Not Aarachithakavitha.When we hear this birdsong(Kilippattu) an ancient experience of ecstasy of sweet Laya is awakened anew. This is a Layamadhurya unfamiliar to Aarachithakavitha which is an idea consciously conceived, selecting suitable words and made beautiful by effort. The origin of Aavishtakavitha is not the mind of a single person but the subconscious minds of thousands of people. In the Dravida culture called Dakshinatya,the Vaidika culture called Outharaaha,Their culture of Boudha ,in bhakthi culture of Shaiva and Vaishnava flows the swararagasudha of love for God gave ecstacy to Indian intellect in different times, places and Mela ..And the SuvarnaSwararagasudha gives us a hint that that ecstasy never did disappear from our social intellect. Here Radhas,Andals,Ouvayars,Meeras,Theris,and Vedic Rishis who worshipped the natural powers of Sun,Agni,Mithra and Varuna takes birth again and again and give us Darsana .

The 1000 years in the society’s mind is like 50 years in a individual’s mind. In this Thiruvaymozhi of Suvarna we can see some which flowed from her fifty years ago .The age of the Andal,Meera and Rishi who sings in ecstacy within her subconscious mind is that .
“Kaalam ereyay ,kaanum pullilum thurumbilum
Devane thedi paadi neenghunnu njanaam veena
( For a very long time,
In all these grass, and hay seen
Searching for God
Singing , I, this lyre
Have been moving)
In this words the I ,is the inner consciousness of thousands .For that I ,we can give any name –as Meera,Radha,Nachiyar,Andal or Suvarna- All will suit it well. The Nadalayadhara from this Veena(lyre)is not attained with effort .It is effortlessly got.(Sidham).Therefore the name Devadatham (given by God) also suits. About this Veena another poet Sugathakumari has written as “who gave me this earthen veena and left me alone in this path ? The thought that this is not Arjitha but Sidha makes one’s Chitha bow before it. There are differences and manifold nature to the emotional fields of this love and attachments. The fields of wonder,love,maternal feelings, fear etc become uppermost in which times and which is difficult to be ascertained and is not planned .The Cloud of Krishna in Swayamvarageetha has this mixed Bhavasatha.The experiences of wonder, fear and ecstasy touch senses in different ways .The only object that originates the different bhava of each Indriya by thunder, lightening ,flame of fire and cooling rains is the Krishnamegha (cloud of Krishna).
Let me see your shining lightening
As the thousand spoked-Sudarsanachakra
Let the thunder shake the earth
As the Naada from Panchajanya
Like arrows from Saranga bow
The raindrops flow with no break

Let the mantra of Shanthi,
Within my minds arrowcase
Preserved in fragrant dust of sandal
Like a flame of fire of Nishkamaprema
As Agneya ,dry up ocean of Samsara
Last,as a great breath
Let me merge in that
Blue chest of yours!

By thunder the ears, by lightening and flame of fire,eyes,by cool rains the skin, by the fragrant sandal the nose, the drinking for ending sorrows of world the tongue , for the wholeness of all sensory experiences wishing to incarnate as a single origin-the Ekasrothas ,-as a suitable Kavyabimba, the loved Deva ,as Dark cloud blesses and takes incarnation .
It was pointed out about different place and times before. They have similarities but they are never repetitions. The knowledge,thoughts,emotions collected by an individual mind according to its time(present) adds originality and novelty to the anadi,nityanoothana flow .The athyukthy that when a bold king killed enemies from the tears of the widows (who had been using Anjana to blacken eyes) the River Narmada was blackened will make us laugh ,and not cry. But by a mountain like dam that blocks the river ,several poor people lost homes and their tears are flowing through that river is not athyukthy but truth. This makes the old Narmada different from new Narmada.In this way every river has a difference according to the present truth. And similar is the differences made in individual person’s poems by the knowledge,wisdom,emotions and thoughts and the times they live. The blend of Varna of poetry is influenced by its Kaalaathivarthithwa( the nature which is beyond time limits) as well as Kaalaanuvarthithwa( according to the time of the creation and the creator/poet).

A thousand abrus seed spheres
Revolving ,not touching each other
In this Brahma forest,
Anu(atom) and stars function
Without difference of an anu
Which Wisdom whispers in Prajna
All is wealth of the same sakthy,
The Sachidananda ?

This planes of wisdom is the background of the emotional background of poetry and that depth cannot be considered as the dharma of a song of a mere Bhakthigayika who never entered such planes.

The bowed mind of poet ( G.Sankarakurup –Viswadarsanam)knows the simultaneously happening origin, sustenance and destruction of endless universes and it is the cause for Vismayodaya( awakening of wonder)as well as Smayanasa ( destruction of desires). The same vismayodaya and smayanaasa we find as the opening of a door to humbleness and surrender to God in
Anantham agnaatham avarnaneeyam
Ee lokagolam thiriyunna margam (Nalapat .Kannuneerthulli).The consciousness of this expanding universe and the humbleness born out of it of the great Uncle is taking rebirth through Suvarna ,in the” story of Abrus Precatorius seed.” The Arsha thought “Jagad Gunja Sahasraani”,the modern knowledge of expanding endless universes,are internalized alike in her personal mind, with the subconscious archetypal society mind of an Andal and Meera which is influenced by absolute pure love (Bhakthy).The energy of this union makes her poetic flow .

Kaarmakal ,thaarmakal bhoomakal chernnee
Bhurbhuvathaalam paadunnu
Njanathinulliloramrithaananda-
Kkanamay ozhukinadakkunnu
Ezhu niranghal kalarnnoru varna-
Kkumilakal muttam nirayunnu
Ithiri neram chutti nadannava
Pottunnathu njan kaanunnu
Ennileyamrithaanandathulliye
Ennum cherthu pidikkunnu

To flow like this ,a background of thoughts and emotions which unites the fields of Arshachethas of the veda and the modern Arshachethas of the creator of Chakravaala is necessary. This singer is born with the wonderful ability and sidhi to read the meanings of the universe effortlessly and creating wonder in us ,like the effortless revelation of reading Punarvasu backwards creating Suvarna.Even if she has internalized Jyothisasthra and cosmology as if a fruit in her hands, she is also able to sing with the simplicity of a Bhakthigayika .The experienced have stated that with Bhakthi one can attain the pure state of intellect and we are reminded of that.
Thwadbhakthi kathaarasaamrithatsari
Nirmajjanena swayam
Sidhanthy vimalaprabhodanapadaveem
Akleshathasthanuathi (Natayaneeyam )
For Suvarna all the knowledges has given humbleness and Vismaya which has become the cause for Smayanaasa.In the poem Yajnabali we find the knowledge about a star cluster becoming cause for such a kavyabimba(poetic symbol).

Kuttan kalikkum palunghin gotty
Ethra chitharikkidappoo
Anchu poo kondoru kutti,kali-
Villonnadichu paadunnu
Moonnennamay vari vechu munnil
Athiraamookkuthi charthi
Aaru varachu mrigathin sira-
Sseekkalimuttathe mannil?
Kaakkayum simhavum aadum hamsa-
Maswavum vannu nirannu
Eepperum canvasukaaran kutti
Chithrappaniyil midukkan
Chandrasomam pizhinjarebhoomi-
Ppenninte kayyil koduthu (Manushyayus)



How this simple song flows and as the playground of a child the great Brahmanda courtyard of sky and its Aprameyatha is picturised , how effortlessly made the fruit within her hands by Suvarna! The layamadhurya of this new Nachiyar is that she has the bhavana and bhakthy united so that from the little kleshas of day to day life ,she can fly high to the heights of unknown and vast Brahmanda effortlessly .